Miracle, what Jefus Chrift
really did by Miracle; there-
fore I need not maintain, to
an Adversary, that every Work
he wrought was properly mi-
raculous, altho' I verily be-
lieve it was.
The Miracles
which I would most infift up-
on, should be, His turning
Water into Wine; His walk-
ing on the Seas; His feeding
five thousand People, with
five Loaves, and two fmall
Fishes; and his raising up the
Dead, and fome fuch like.

A. I allow that these are inconteftable Proofs of a Divine Power; but I cannot, methinks, afford to part with any other Miracles of Christ, tho' feemingly much less.

B. Nor

let us

B. Nor I neither; part with nothing but our mistakes; Were you ever at Sea, and obferv'd how fuddenly the most furious Winds have been laid, and how almoft in an Inftant, a Calm has fucceeded to a great Storm?

A. Yes.

B. And what if fome bold Paffenger, had, at that Instant, rebuked the Winds, and bid them cease, and they had ceafed immediately? would you have concluded presently, that fuch an Event was miraculous; or would you have thought, the Man had spoken audaciously and luckily ?

A. Au

A. Audaciously and luckily, fince the Winds might have then ceased, tho' he had held his tongue.

B. But if you had seen our Saviour Chrift do the fame thing, in the fame manner, you would have concluded, He had exercis'd a Divine Power; and yet the Event is alike in both Cafes; but you know how different Perfons they were. When therefore you difpute with Unbelievers about Miracles, I should not advise you to insist upon any fuch Events, as might have naturally come to pass, altho' you are fully perfwaded, that thofe particular ones were truly miraculous. Make ufe

rather

rather of such, as are fubject to no Exceptions, and where Chance can have no room. Do you now understand, that I would have you believe, that all the great Works, that Chrift wrought, were truly miraculous, but that you need not try to prove them to be fo, to fuch as will deny it? This is all I mean, by distinguifhing fuchWorks of Chrift as both appeared, and were, miraculous, from fuch as were miraculous, but might not appear to be fo.

A. I apprehend you; and defire you to proceed to the third thing you intended to fhew, namely, the End and Purpose for which Chrift faid

him

himself he wrought Miracles.

B. The end for which Chrift wrought Miracles was plainly this, that for their fake, he might be believed to come from God, and that what he should deliver as God's Will, was certainly fo. The bottom of all which, you know, is this, that a Miracle being a work that none can do, unlefs God be with Him, it is not believed that God will entruft this miraculous Power, with one that should abuse it, to the deceiving or hurting any innocent Perfon: And therefore where we hear a Man declare he comes from God, to teach his Will, and

fee