In short, the great artichect of experimental hiftory, Sir Francis Bacon, PHYSICS when he divides it but into three parts, affigns the fecond of them to what he calls preter-generations; fuch as monfters, prodigies, and other things; which being, as to us, but cafualties, all thofe that happen'd in other times and places than we have lived in, we must take upon the credit of others. And yet these mediate experiments, by fuggefting new inftances of nature's power, and uncommon ways of working; and by overthrowing, or limiting, received rules and traditions; afford us a confiderable and inftructive part of natural hiftory, without which, it would not be either fo found, or fo compleat..

PRO P. II.

We ought to have a great and particular regard to thofe things that are re commended to our belief, by what we have reduced to real, tho' fupernatural.. experience.

For, 1. 'Tis manifeft, that the moft rational men fcruple not to believe, upon competent teftimony, many things, whofe truth did no way appear to them, by confidering the nature of the things themselves; nay, tho what is thus believ'd upon teftimony, be fo ftrange, and, fetting afide that teftimony, would feem fo irrational, that antecedently to it, the things, at laft, admitted as truths, were actually rejected as errors, or judg'd altogether unfit to be believ'd. And the points wherein experience overrules that, which, before it happen'd, was judg'd to be moft agreeable to reafon, concern things merely natural, or civil, whereof human reafon is held to be a proper judge; whereas, many of the points recommended by fupernatural experience, concern' things of a fuperior order; many of which are not to be adequately estimated by the fame rules with things merely corporeal, or civil; and fome of which, as the effence and manner of ex-iftence, and fome peculiar attributes, of the infinite God, involve or require fuch a knowledge of what is infinite, as vaftly exceeds the reach of our limited understanding.

But this is not all: for, 2. As 'tis, with juftice, generally granted, that the better qualified a witnefs is, in the capacity of a witnefs, the ftronger affent his teftimony deferves; fo we ought, of all the things that can be recommended to us by teftimony, to receive thofe with the highest degree of affent, that are taught us by God, thro' the means of thofe perfons who appear to have been commiffioned by him to declare his mind to men. For the two grand requifites of a witnefs, being the knowledge he has of the things he delivers, and his faithfulness in truly delivering what he knows; all human teftimony muft, on these accounts, be inferior to divine teftimony: fince the latter is warranted both by the veracity of God, and by his boundless knowledge; which makes it as impoffible he fhould be deceiv'd himself, as the other does, that he fhould deceive us. And, because that, for the delivery of divine teftimony, it has often pleas'd God, who is a moft free, as well as a moft wife agent, to make ufe of unpro

PHYSICS. mifing perfons as his inftruments; I fhall not altogether overlook this circumftance, that an experimental philofopher fo often increases his know ledge of natural things, by what he learns from the obfervations and practices, even of mean, and, perhaps, of illiterate perfons, because they are converfant with the works of nature; that he is not only willing to admit, but often curious to feek for informations from them: and therefore he is not likely to fhew much reluctance in receiving the doctrines of revealed religion, fuch as christianity, if the teachers of it were honeft men, and had opportunity to know the truth of the things they deliver; tho' they were of fome mean profeffion.

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Ánd, indeed, fuch a perfon as our virtuofo, will, with great willingness, exercise himself in perufing, with attention, and much regard, the writings of the apoftles, evangelifts, and ancient prophets; notwithstanding any meanhefs of their firft condition, or of their fecular employments. And here, he will not only readily fuffer himself to be inftructed in the grand and general articles of religion, which, because of their neceffity, or very great usefulness, are to be met with in many places, and in variety of expreflions, by honeft and duly-difpofed readers; but he will, inftead of difdaining fuch tutors, both expect, and carefully strive, to improve his knowledge of divine things in general, even by thofe hints, and incidental paffages, that a careless or ordinary reader would overlook, or not expect any thing from. For, as the fertility of the fcriptures is not ufually enough difcern'd by vulgar readers, when the facred writers tranfiently touch upon a great many fubjects, that they do not exprefly handle; fo, the docility we have afcribed to our virtuofo, will make him repofe a great deal of truft in the teftimony of infpired perfons, fuch as Chrift and his apoftles, about things of all forts, whether ufually taken notice of, or not, that relate to objects of a fupernatural order; efpecially if among thefe, God himself, and his purpofes, be comprized: fince feveral of thofe things are not knowable without revelation, and others are best known by it. And to be allow'd to ground a belief about fuch things, on the relations and other teftimonies of those that were "eye-witneffes and minifters" of the things they speak of, will, by our virtuofo, be justly reputed fuch an advantage, in order to the knowledge of things divine; as the confulting with navigators and travellers to America, is, to a perfon curious to learn the ftate of that new world. For an ordinary fea-man or traveller, who had the opportunity, with Columbus, to fail along the feveral coafts of it, and pafs up and down thorough the country, was able at his return to inform men of a hundred things, that they would never have learn'd by Ariftotle's philofophy, or Ptolemy's geography; and might not only acquaint them with many particulars, agreeable to the opinions which their receiv'd phyfics and cofmography fuggefted, but alfo rectify feveral erroneous prefumptions and mistakes, which, till then, they thought very agreeable to the dictates of thofe fciences, and to reafon. And as one, who had a candid and knowing friend, intimate with Columbus, might better rely on his informations about many particu lars of the natural hiftory of thofe parts, than on thofe of a hundred

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fchool-philofophers, who knew only what they learned from Ariftotle, Pliny, PHYSICS. Elian, and the like ancient naturalifts; much more may we rely on the accounts given us of divine things, by the apoftles, and conftant attendants of him who lay in the " bofom of God his father," and commiffion'd them to declare to the world the "whole counfel of God," as far as 'twas neceffary for man to know.

Fuller trials are allow'd, among ingenious men, to rectify the informations of the more imperfect ones; and therefore I fhall add, that, tho' the innate notions and fentiments, which nature gives us of the attributes and mind of God, be highly to be prized; yet the informations that theological experience affords of those abftrufe things, is far more excellent and compleat.

I have dwelt the longer upon the miracles that may be pleaded to recommend the christian religion, because I thought, that an argument grounded on them is little lefs than abfolutely neceflary, to prove that any religion men believe to be fupernaturally reveal'd, really proceeds from God.

For, tho' the excellency of the chriftian doctrine, and other concurrent motives, may juftly perfuade me, that 'tis worthy and likely to be given by God; yet that, in fact, this doctrine comes from him by way of fupernatural revelation, I can fcarce be fufficiently afcertain'd, but by the miracles wrought by Chrift and his difciples, to evince, that the doctrine they preach'd, as commiffion'd by God to do fo, was indeed his; being, as fuch, own'd by him. But these miracles having been wrought in the first. ages of the church; we can have no knowledge of them by our own fenfes, or immediate obfervation, but muft take them upon the credit of historical experience, which is afforded us by the duly tranfmitted teftimony of those, who were themselves eye-witneffes of the things they relate. And fince we fcruple not to believe fuch ftrange prodigies, as celeftial comets, vanifhing and re-appearing ftars, iflands founded by fubterraneal fires in the fea, the darkness of the fun for many months together, earthquakes reaching above a thousand miles in length, and the like amazing irregularities of nature, upon the credit of human hiftories; I fee not, why that hiftorical experience fhould not more be trufted, which has many peculiar and concurrent circumstances to confirm it; and particularly the death that most of the firft promulgators chearfully fuffer'd to atteft the truth of it; and the fuccefs and fpreading of the doctrine authorized by thofe miracles, and receiv'd chiefly upon their account. To which things, fome perhaps would add, that 'tis lefs incredible, that the author of nature fhould, for most weighty purposes, make ftupendous alterations of the courfe of nature; than that nature herfelf, for no fuch end, fhould, by fuch prodigies, as were lately mention'd, throw herself, as it were, out of her own courfe.

Miracles being fo neceffary to the establishment of reveal'd religion in general, it may be look'd upon as a farther difpofition in our virtuofo to receive the chriftian religion, that the philofophy he cultivates, much conduces to enable him to judge aright of thofe ftrange things, that are by many propofed as miracles, and believed to be fo.

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For, firft, the knowledge he has of the various, and wonderful operations of fome natural things; especially when they are skilfully improv'd, and dextrously apply'd by art, particularly, in mathematics, mechanics, and chymiftry, will qualify him to diftinguifh between things that are only ftrange and furprizing, and thofe that are truly miraculous: fo that he will not mistake the effects of natural magic for thofe of a divine power. And, by this means, he will be able to discover the fubtile cheats, and collufions of impoftors; whereby not only the multitude of all religions, efpecially the heathen, but even learned men of moft others, for want of an infight into real philofophy, have formerly been, or are at this day, deluded, and drawn into idolatrous, fuperftitious, or otherwife erroneous tenets, or practices.

On the other fide, the knowledge our virtuofo may have of what cannot be justly expected, or pretended, from the mechanical powers of matter, will enable him to difcern, that many things are not producible by them, without the intervention of an intelligent fuperior power; on which account, he will frankly acknowledge, and heartily believe feveral effects to be truly miraculous, that may be plaufibly enough afcribed to other caufes in the vulgar philofophy; where men are taught to attribute ftupendous and unaccountable effects to fympathy, antipathy, Fuga vacui, fubftantial forms, and, especially, to a certain Being, prefumed to be almost infinitely potent and wife, which they call nature: for this is reprefented as a kind of goddefs, whofe power may be little lefs than boundless: thus, I remember, Galen himfelf compares it to that of God; and faith, that he could not do fuch a thing, because nature could not; and cenfures Mofes for fpeaking as if he were of another mind.

I know it may be objected, that those who are fo well acquainted with the myfteries of nature, and her various, and ftrange ways of working, as our virtuofo is fuppofed to be, may, by that knowledge, be strongly tempted to think, that thofe furprizing things, other men call miracles, are but effects of her power; the extent of which is not eafily difcern'd by ordinary men, nor fafely defined by philofophers themselves. To this I shall only here reply, that to make it reafonable to judge a particular performance fupernatural, it is not at all neceffary that it furpafs the whole power of nature, that is, of phyfical agents; provided it furpafs the power of that caufe, or that complex of caufes, from which the effect must in reafon, if it be purely natural, or phyfical, be fuppofed to have proceeded. For inftance, that a fifherman or two fhould fpeak other languages than their own, does not at all exceed the power of nature, if they employ'd a competent time in learning them: but, that a great number of fishermen, and other illiterate perfons, fhould, all on a fudden, become linguifts, and, in an hour's time, be able to fpeak intelligibly to a great number and variety of nations, in their refpective languages, as the new teftament relates, that the apoftles, and their companions did on the day of pentecoft; this gift of tongues, I fay, was an ability, which, in thofe

circumftances of place, time, and perfons, wherein 'twas exercifed, may PHYSICS. juftly be concluded to have been fupernatural, or miraculous.

To proceed, 'tis a notorious matter of fact, that, in lefs than half an age, the chriftian religion was fpread over a great part of the then known world; fo that, in a few years after it began to be preach'd, the apoftle of the Gentiles could tell the Romans, with joy, "that their faith was spoken "of throughout the whole world." And, in the fecond century, Tertullian, and other famous writers, fhew, that the gofpel had already numerous profelytes in a great number of different kingdoms, and provinces. This wonderful quick progrefs of the chriftian religion, being afcertain'd to our virtuofo, from a thing whereby he is fo much fway'd, as experience; it greatly difpofes him to believe the truth of fo prevalent a religion. For, if he confiders the perfons who firft promulgated it; they were but half a fcore of illiterate fishermen, a few tent-makers, and other tradefmen. If he confiders the means employ'd to propagate this doctrine, he finds, that they had neither arms, nor external power, to compel men to receive it; nor riches, honours, or preferments, to bribe or allure them to it; nor were they men of philofophical fubtilty, to intrap, or entangle the minds of their auditors. Nor did they make ufe of the pompous ornaments of rhetoric, and gloffes of oratory, to inveigle, or entice men; but treated of the moft fublime and abftrufe matters, in a moft plain and unaffected ftyle; as became lovers and teachers of truth. If he confiders the nature of the doctrine, that, in a little time, obtain'd fo many profelytes, he will find, that, instead of being fuited to the natural apprehenfions, or the receiv'd opinions of men; and, inftead of gratifying their corrupt affections, or complying with fo much as their moft innocent interefts; it prefcribed fuch mortifications, and fuch great ftrictness of life, and high degrees of virtue, as no legislator had ever dar'd to impofe upon his fubjects, nor any philofopher on his difciples. And this doctrine was propofed in fuch a way, and was accompany'd with predictions of fuch hardships and perfecutions, that fhould, in thofe times, be the portion of its fincere profeffors; as if the law-giver had defign'd rather to fright men from his doctrine, than allure them to it: fince they could not believe what he said, and foretold, to be true, without believing, that they fhould be made great fufferers by that belief. If our virtuofo confiders the oppofition made to the progrefs of the gofpel, he will find caufe to wonder, that it could ever be furmounted. For the heathens, which made by far the greateft part of the world, were deeply engaged in polytheifm, idolatry, magical rites, and fuperftitions, and almost all kind of crimes; and fome of these were fhamelefs debaucheries, which oftentimes made a part of their worship. And the Jews, by the corrupt leaven of the pharifees, the impious errors of the fadduces, and the general mistakes of the nation about the perfon, office, and kindgom of the Meffias; and by their dotage upon their vain traditions, and numerous fuperftitions, grounded upon them, were, on thefe and other accounts, highly indifpofed, as well as the Romans, the two nations to be converted, to be made profelytes:

VOL. II.

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