this confeffion; though probably more befides himself were inwardly convinced of the truth of what he confefs'd: For he speaks in the plural number, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: Meaning thereby, either that others of his rank, as well as himself, were inwardly of the fame fentiments, though they would not own it; or however, that the Miracles which Jefus did were fo plain and undeniable, that every unprejudiced man must needs, as he thought, be of the fame opinion which he here profeffes himself to have. And if the reason for making this conclufion were then so strong and preffing, when our Saviour was but newly entered upon his office, and had not yet done fo many wonderful works as he afterwards did, and especially while the great Miracle, of his Refurrection from the Dead, was yet wanting; how much more strong and conclufive must it needs be, when these are added to it, and confirmed by the following Miracles, which his Apoftles wrought in his name and by his Authority? But the argument here used in the Text, whereby Nicodemus perfuaded himself, that our Saviour was a Teacher come from God, is a general one, founupon this, that No man could do fuch Mi

ded

racles unless God were with him; and therefore I fhall not confine my self only to the Miracles of our Saviour, much less to those only which he wrought before this difcourfe with Nicodedemus; but shall speak more generally of Miracles, as they are fuppofed to be an argument for the truth of that Revelation which they are wrought to confirm, and as all true Revelation has ever been confirmed by them. And to make this matter as clear as I can, I fhall take the following method.

I. I shall endeavour to fhew, what we are to understand by a Miracle.

II. That the poffibility of Miracles is not contrary to Reason: And confequently that wherever they have been wrought, their credibility is capable of a rational proof.

III. How we may diftinguish fuch Miracles as are from God, and wrought in confirmation of Divine Truth, from fuch as are wrought, or pretended to be wrought, in confirmation of Error and Falfe Doctrine.

IV. Wherein that affurance confifts, which Miracles, thus distinguish'd, give us, that the perfon employed in working them has a Divine commiffion, or is a Teacher fent from God.

V. What

V. What evidence we now have from the Miracles anciently wrought, that the Chriftian Doctrine, contained in Scripture, is truly a Divine Revelation, and to be always embraced as fuch.

I. I shall endeavour to fhew, what we are to understand by a Miracle. Now if we were in general to take only the bare Etymology of the word, it means no more than fomething which is very strange and wonderful, or surprizing to our fenfes, fomething which men admire at as very unusual, and seldom or never known to have happened before. And in this fenfe all the rare and extraordinary occurrences in nature may be, as they fometimes are, called Miracles. But this does not come up to the full import of the word as it is used, in Scripture and other Authors, to fignify fomething extraordinary done for some particular end and defign. There are in the New Teftament divers words, in the original, which in different places are tranflated Miracles, which may perhaps have some small difference of fignification, if we were to make Cc 2 a minute

Θαυμάτια, τέρατα, διωάμεις, but the moß usual word is

σημεία.

a minute diftinction between them. But being often used promifcuously for one another, there is no occafion to be particular about them: But to speak to the thing itself intended by the general word Miracle: Which may be thus described. A ftrange and wonderful effect, obvious to the fenfes of the beholders, yet produced by fupernatural means, or by the interpofition of fome power, fuperior to all human or ordinary powers that we know of, invisibly affifting the perfon at whofe inftance the effect is produced, and by confequence giving atteftation to him. So that to make thing not only a true, but a fignificant Miracle, there are these three conditions required.

any

I. That the effect produced be fomething which is plain and obvious to the Senses of the Beholders.

2. That it be Supernatural, or exceed all natural human power known to us.

3.

That it be done for fome evident end and defign.

1. That the effect produced be fomething which is plain and obvious to the Senses of the beholders. For otherwise it can be no Miracle to us, unless it be evident to our Senfes as well as strange and wonderful. Thus all

the Miracles recorded in Scripture, are things that did really and evidently appear to all beholders. The facts were fuch as appealed to the Testimony of mens Senfes, for the certainty and reality of them, being plain beyond all dispute to all that were present; or elfe there 'could never have been any controverfy, either about the power producing them, or the end for which they were wrought. So that where only the imaginations of weak people are wrought up to fuch a degree of amusement, by fome artificial tricks, that their Senfes are for a time deluded, fo as not to mind what paffes, but to fancy they fee any thing that is told them, there is no Miracle. And fo likewife whatever hidden effect is really produced in any thing, by what means foever it be done, yet it cannot be a Miracle, to any purpose, till it become the object of Senfe. The next condition required in a Miracle, is,

2. That the effect be Supernatural, or exceed all natural human power known to us, either in respect of the matter, or the manner of it. i. e. When the effect produced is not only unusual, but either fuch as no human or vifible power can produce in any manner, as raising the dead to life again; or such as in Cc 3 the