in mind of his Afcenfion: What, and if ye shall fee the Son of Man afcend up where he was before? John vi. 62. Whereby he intimates, that then would be the time of fending this Manna, when upon his Afcenfion, he would bestow the Gifts of the Holy Ghoft. The time was not yet come for thefe Miracles to be wrought, they were not to be wrought at their Demand; it was fufficient that they had Intimations given to expect them, and in the mean time they ought to have been contented with others.

We have as little Reafon to imagine, that our Saviour should work Miracles to gratify the Curiosity of Herod, Luke xxiii. 8. who hoped to have feen fome Miracle done by him; or that he should expofe his Divine Power to Herod's Contempt and Mockery, when he had fo lately wrought a Miracle in curing the Ear of Malchus, who was fo far from believing in him, that he was one of them who came to apprehend him. It was an Act of Mercy to cure this Man, but to work Miracles only to give Men an occafion to vilify that Power by which they were done, could be neither worthy of God, nor any Charity to Men, but it would have been unfuitable to the Character and Authority of Chrift, to debafe himself to a Compliance with them, who ufed him with fuch Scorn and Derifion, and only reviled and tempted him. Herod was difappointed in his hope and expectation of feeing a Miracle, and was not deny'd it for want of Faith For he believ'd that Chrift had wrought Miracles, and suppos'd that John the Baptift, whom he had beheaded, was rifen from the Dead, and that therefore mighty Works did fhew forth themselves in him, Matt. xiv. 2. But perceiving him not to be John the Baptift, he fet him at nought.

(2.) In the cafe of thofe, who came to defire his help for the Cure of themselves and others, though they had not feen any Miracle wrought by him before, yet it was reafonable that Chrift fhould work

no

no Miracle for them, if they wanted Faith in what he had already wrought, and did not believe him able to perform, what they would feem to expect and desire him to do. When he had given fo many Demonstrations of a Divine Power, he might justly expect an Acknowledgment and Belief of it in all that came to him, and would receive any Benefit from it. He might furely bestow his Favours and Benefits upon his own Terms; and no Terms could be more reafonable, than that those who came to ask them, fhould really believe, that he was able to bestow them, and should apply themselves to him, with an expectation to receive what they asked of him: Otherwise to come to him for Cure, was no better than to Tempt, to Mock and Deride him; it was to ask what they did not believe he could bestow; but they refolv'd only to try what he could do, supposing that if they received no good, yet however there could be no hurt in the Experiment.

Now, can any Man think, that the Miracles which Chrift wrought, were to be bestowed upon no better Confiderations than these? Or, that those were in any measure worthy to be Cured, who came with fo indifferent an Opinion of him, and with so little expectation of Relief? Chrift wanted no opportunities of fhewing his Power; he had fhewn it in many and wonderful Inftances, and would do it again as often as he saw occafion, upon fit and proper Objects: But if they fo little regarded what he had already done, as not to believe that he had done it, and could again perform the fame, they but ill deferved what they came for; the Divine Power and Goodness was not thus to be debased and expofed, as to be employed in the Cure of Men, who asked, what they did not believe he could perform, but only thought it would cost them nothing to make the Tryal, and for that Reafon made Application to him. Our Saviour therefore fays to the Father, who came to him

in behalf of his Deaf and Dumb Son; If thou canst believe, all things are poffible to him that believeth; and upon that humble and paffionate Declaration, Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief, the evil Spirit was caft out of his Son, Mark ix. 23, 24.

The End and Defign of Chrift's Miracles required, that thofe, who were Cured by him, fhould believe in him. For they were wrought with a design to convince Men that he was the Son of God, and that he was come not fo much to Cure their Bodies, as to fave their Souls, and he forgave their Sins at the fame time that he healed them of their Diseases, Mark ii. 5. And fince Faith is fo necessary a Doctrine of the Gofpel, it was as requifite that Chrift should teach this, as any other Doctrine: But how could he do it more properly and more effectually than by requiring Faith in those who came to be healed? If they would partake of his Mercy, they muft qualifie themselves for it, by believing that he was the great Prophet and Meffias, who was then fo much expected, and of whom it was foretold, that he should make the Blind to fee, and the Lame to walk, and the Deaf to hear, &c. Luke vii. 22. Ifa. xxxv. 5. And unless their Bodily Cure did conduce to the Cure of their Souls by Faith and Repentance, it would be but ill beftowed upon them, and therefore with great Reason might be denied them. And upon this Account, we find our Blessed Saviour both requiring Faith in fome, and rewarding it in others, to whom his miraculous Power was extended, Luke viii. 48. xviii. 42. And St. Paul perceiving that the Cripple at Lyftra had Faith to be healed, immediately healed him without being ask'd to do it, Acts xiv. 9.

2. Faith, in the Miracles of Chrift, is required of Men in all Ages of the World, though Miracles are ceafed; and if this be reasonable now, it could not but be fitting then, that those who came to Christ, fhould believe in him for the fake of the Miracles

which they had been certified that he had done upon others. For Miracles, when they are fully attested, are as fufficient a Ground of Faith, as if we had feen them done; and to manifest that they are so, our Saviour might require Belief in his former Miracles, of those who expected any Advantage from fuch as they desired him to do. If they would give no Credit to the Miracles, which were fo notorious, and fo abundantly teftified by Multitudes who faw them done, how fhould others believe in Times to come, when no more Miracles fhould be wrought for the Conviction of Unbelievers? Might no Man be required to believe, unless he saw the Miracles himself? Then how fhould the Church fubfift in future Ages, when Miracles would be no longer wrought, but were for great Reasons to be with-held? We must now believe upon the Account of the Miracles which were then done; and why therefore should they not be required to believe upon the Account of them, who lived at the very Time, and in the fame Country where they were wrought, though they had never seen them? Our Saviour, in thefe Inftances, might introduce that Method, and establish the Evidence and Certainty of thofe Means and Motives, whereby Faith was to be produced in Men of all fucceeding Ages, and might hereby fignifie and declare, that he requires the fame Faith of us from the Teftimony of others, that he would do, if we had feen and experienced his miraculous Power our felves.

CHAP.

CHA P. XXXI.

Of the ceafing of Prophecies and Miracles.

Prophecies are generally of more Concernment,

and afford greater Evidence and Conviction in future Ages, than when they were firft delivered. For it is not the Delivery, but the Accomplishment of Prophecies, which gives Evidence to the Truth of any Doctrine: The Events of Things in the Accomplishment of Prophecies are a standing Argument to all Ages, and the length of Time adds to its Force and Efficacy; and therefore when all that God faw requifite to be foretold, is deliver'd to us in the Scrip- tures, there can no longer be any need of New Prophecies; which would be of lefs Authority than the ancient ones, inasmuch as their Antiquity is the thing chiefly to be regarded in Prophecies. For, if to foretel Things to come be an Argument of a Divine Prescience, the longer Things are foretold before they come to pass, the better muft the Argument needs be. He therefore that requires New Prophecies to confirm the Old, little confiders the Nature of Prophecies, and wherein the Evidence and Use of them lies; but in great Wisdom and Caution will give no Credit to the best Evidence, unless there were fomething lefs evident to prove it by.

The chief Enquiry then feems to be concerning the Cessation of Miracles; but from what has been elfewhere faid, the Reafon may appear, why the miraculous Power, which the Apoft les received by the defcent of the Holy Ghoft, was not to be of perpetual continuance in the Church, but was to ceafe in future Ages. For the Cause and End of the Gift of Miracles bestowed upon the Apoftles, was to make them capable of being Witneffes to Chrift; and when the Gospel

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