tion, and rouze the minds of men, poffeffed with prejudices, immerfed in pleafures, or bufinefs, into an impartial confideration of what is propofed. And this is best effected by miracles; which, being strange and unnufual events, cannot fail of drawing mens eyes towards the doer of them, and of commanding their attention and obfer vance. Curiofity is the first step towards conviction; and when once men are poffeffed with a due regard for the meffenger, they will be fure to liften carefully to the meffage he brings. The Fathers of the eastern miffion knew this well, and being therefore deftitute of the power of miracles, which might excite men to inquire after their opinions, and infufe a reverence for their perfons, endeavoured to make up this disadvantage another way, and gain admiffion into the prefence of the princes and great men of the east, by fome curious and furprizing works of art. And having in this manner raised an opinion of themselves firft, they preached the gofpel with fome degree of fuccefs afterwards: Their performances in mechanics and aftronomy being inftead of miracles to them, by which they procured a favourable hearing of the doctrines they afterwards delivered.

2. 'Tis another great advantage, which belongs to miracles, that they are the shortest and most expeditious way of proof. All other ways of evincing the divine original of any doctrine (fuppofing there were any fuch) muft needs be long and laborious; fuch as it will take up much time fully to explain and clear; and fuch therefore, as muft operate but flowly, and can make no great advances,

advances, in any one man's life, towards converting the world. For inftance, fuppofe the truth and credibility of a revealed doctrine could be made out, by fhewing its connection with, and dependence upon, other truths, and by a regular deduction of it, through a long train of confequences, from known and avowed principles of reafon; yet would this be a very tedious and irkfome talk, and would, in a long time, gain but a little ground upon an opinionative and difputing world. Hed this been the method made use of to propagate Christianity at first, how would the course of it have been retarded? How impoffible had it been for the apostles to have obeyed their great Master's commands, and to have preached the gofpel to all nations? At this rate, it is probable, that, instead of traversing the several parts of the earth, and reducing multitudes of every nation and climate to the obedience of Chrift, they had stuck in that very spot, where they firft entered upon their ministry, and begun and finished all their labours within the short limits of Paleftine. But by the help of miracles, they were enabled effectually to discharge their high office: thefe were engines fitted and proportioned to the work affigned to them. One dead man raised, or blind man reftored to fight, who faw the thing done; and ten thoufands came in afterwards, upon the report of it. Other kinds of proofs were fitted only leifurely to loofen the knots, which the difputers of this world tied, in order to give the apoftles difturbance in the execution of their miniftry. But miracles, like the hero's fword, di vided

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vided these entanglings at a stroke, and at once made their way through them. V

L.

3. The third and laft advantage of this way of proof is, its univerfal forcé and efficacy, as being equally adapted to all capacities and understandings.Rational and difcurfive methods are fit only to be made ufe of upon philofophers, men of deep reafon and improved minds; the generality · of mankind would be utterly infenfible of their force. The lower, that is, the far greater part of the world, are too much taken up in providin the neceffaries of life, 'to be at leifure to confidet long confequences, and weigh arguments. Or had they opportunities for fuch a fearch, yet have they not the abilities requisite to purfue it. To them therefore fome plainer and more fenfible proof must be addreffed; fomewhat that lies level to their capacities, and of which they understand the force at the first proposal: and such a sort of argument is that, which is drawn from miracles. There is no man of fo rude and unpolished a mind, no man fo ftupid and infenfible, but can carry his reafoning thus far; That, whoever does fuch things, as he could not do, unless God were with him, if at the fame time he affirms, that he received fuch and fuch doctrines from God, we ought to believe him. There is no fubtlety, no reach of thought requifite, to make this reflexion; and this fingle reflexion is fufficient to make a man aChriftian. Whereas, if the world must have been convinced of old, as the men who doubt of every thing, and difbelieve every thing, expect we thould convince them now, by ftrict demonftrations, and long intricate reafonings; it is certain, that the greatest

greatest part of mankind had lain under an inevit able neceflity of continuing infidels.

We fee then, that the Loundation of God findeth fure, that the proof of the Christian faith by mi❤ racles is found and fatisfactory. Let us adhere to it fteddily, and devoutly adore the divine wisdom and goodness, which contrived it for our fakes & Let us not be moved by the little cavils and excep tions, with which perverse and unreasonable men are used to encounter it; but let us remember, that in this ftate of imperfection, there is scarce any truth fo bright and clear, but that an indus trious stirrer up of doubts may do fomewhat tos wards clouding and darkening it. Let us not fit in the feat, nor ftand in the way, nor walk in the council of thefe ungodly; who studiously undermine principles, and delight to affront the common fenfe of mankind; who fet up for a repute by dif believing every thing, and are refolved to pay a regard to nothing, but their own deep penetration and prudence. Let us preferve ourselves free from that fort of caution and referve, which, left it fhould be imposed upon by false motives of credibility, will clofe with none; and for very fear of being deceived, takes the unavoidable way towards being deceived, by equally fufpecting every thing. God defend us from fuch a kind of warinefs as this! and grant that we may foolishly entertain fome falfhood together with truth, ra ther than to be wife to that degree, as to efteem every thing a falfhood! that we may be weak. enough to believe feveral doctrines. in religion, that are erroneous and vain, rather than be fo backward and hardy as to believe nothing at all!

For

For certainly, as downright credulity and weaknefs has much the advantage of infidelity, with regard to the cafe and peace of mind it affords us in this world, fo it is more likely, if it errs, to be overlooked and pardoned by God in another. I had rather be the moft eafy, tame, and refigned believer in the moft grofs and impoting church in the world, (I mean that of Rome), than one of those great and philofophical minds, who ftand upon their terms with God, and study to hold out as long as they can, against the doctrines of the gofpel, and the arguments that are brought to prove them.

To that God, who alone doth wondrous things, and is alone able to bring fome proud reasoners to acknowledge, that he has done them, be afcribed all honour, praife, and power, now and for

ever

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