are not real and fincere Lovers of Truth: Who perish, because they received not the Love of the Truth, that they might be saved: And for this caufe God fhall fend them Strong delufion, that they may believe a lye. Now if it be confiftent with the Goodness of God, to fuffer fuch as do not fincerely love the Truth, to be deceived by lying wonders of one kind, why not alfo of another? No doubt the Devil, who was a Lyar from the beginning, is as willing to exert his natural power, as far as God permits, for the deceiving of mankind, as wicked men are. And the confequence of mens being deceived will be the fame in one cafe, as in the other. But,

3. Another Condition requifite to make an effect miraculous in the ftrict fenfe, is, that it be done for fome evident End and defign. Every unusual event, how furprizing foever it may be in it self, and how unknown foever the cause of it may be, is not any Miracle to us, unless it have some plain defign, for which it is done, annexed to it. One very common name for Miracles is onμña or figns; but nothing can be truly a fign, which is not plainly intended to give evidence to fomething befides it felf, fuch as the attesting to the Truth of fome

fome particular Doctrine, or giving credit and authority to fome particular perfon, at whose inftance fuch unufual effect is produced. A miracle then, from its end or ufe, is to be confidered, as An effect produced in a manner contrary to the ufual method of providence, by fome invifible intelligent Being, fuperior to man, in order to give Teftimony to the Truth of fomething which would otherwife appear, at leaft, doubtful or uncertain. The next thing therefore which I would obferve is,

II. That the poffibility of Miracles, fuch as we have now been defcribing them, is not a thing contrary to Reafon; and confequently that where-ever they have been wrought, their credibility is capable of a Rational proof.

Those who call themselves Deifts, and yet difcard all Revelation as a fiction or human invention, generally fall into this persuasion, that there can be no fuch thing as a Miracle. Because they see the frame and order of the vifible world disposed in an uniform manner, and its motions preserved in a conftant and regular courfe; fo that there is a conftant fucceffion of effects orderly following their causes, as it were by a stated law or rule; from thence they imagine, the courfe of Nature to be fome

thing so fix'd, as never, upon any occafion, to admit of any change: As if the material world were something entirely independent upon the will of God, and had Original powers of its own, which no Intelligent Being could either limit or controul. From an indiftinct and ambiguous use of the word Nature, (as I have formerly observedf) men are apt to confound Caufes and Effects; and from hence they afcribe, an Active principle to the things themselves, which are merely paffive, and are acted upon. This leads them to think, that what they call the course of Nature cannot be altered, but by some power fuperior to that power by which it is preferved. This, in the end, will terminate in a fuppofition, that the world preferves itself, or that there is no neceffity of the Divine direction or concourfe, and by confequence, no neceffity that it should at first be made by an Intelligent Being. Whereas, if men would carefully distinguish between that which really acts, and that which is only acted upon, they might foon be convinced, that as the material world, or any part of it, has no will or power of its own, nor can ever of it self begin motion or action; fo whatever is moved or acted, must original

ly

Serm. 8.

ly and ultimately be moved or acted by fome Intelligent and free Being; and that therefore, all things which are done in the world, and all the effects which are produced, either ordinary or extraordinary, are either done immediately by God himself, or by fome inferior Intelligent Beings; Matter having no powers of its own, nor being capable of any law or rule of acting, but what an Intelligent and Free Being impofes upon it; no part of it ever acting, without first being acted upon. So that, properly fpeaking, the Courfe of Nature in general is nothing else but that continual uniform manner in which the Supreme Intelligent Being produces certain effects, according to his own will. And this manner of acting, in every particular instant, depending upon his will, may, if he fees fit, be as eafily altered at any inftant as continued. So that what we call a Miracle, requires no more power in the real Agent, than what we call the course of Nature. the fame may be faid, as to Inferior or Created Intelligent Beings, as far as the compafs of their natural power, which God has beftowed upon them, reaches: And how far it does reach we cannot certainly know. Men may, if they please, call the working a Miracle a violation of, or contradiction to, the

And

laws

laws of Nature; but then they should confider what they mean by laws of Nature, and not make a Free and Intelligent Being neceffarily subject to those laws of motion, by which it chufes ordinarily to produce fuch and fuch common effects upon matter, which we there fore call Natural, because they are usual and conftant; not that they are antecedently neceffary, in respect of the first Agent, whether it be the Supreme, or any other Free and Intelligent Being, which has a real and true power of Acting, and not barely a capacity of being acted upon. And from this way of reafoning it follows, that Miracles are not impoffible, if we believe the power of a free and intelligent Being, always actually concerned in the conftant prefervation of what we call the Course of Nature: And confequently, the Credibility of Miracles is capable of a Rational proof. Where-ever they are wrought they are matters of fact, and may be proved, by proper evidence, as other facts are: And though I cannot give a mechanical account of the manner how they are done, because they are done by the unusual Interpofition of an invifible Agent, fuperior, both in power and wisdom, to my self; I must not therefore deny the fact which my own fenfes testify to be

doné.