tion which Chriftians had in common with other people to admit too eafily any thing that favoured their own caufe, and an unwillingness to oppose it; the forgeries of books, epistles, edicts, and reports, contrived by fome of them, and received by others; the accounts of the miracles, which feem often founded upon hearfays and tradition, and many miracles notorioufly and undeniably falfe, which are confidently reported by Fathers and Writers of the fourth and fifth centuries, who made no conscience of affirming the moft childish abfurdities, in the Marvellous way.

To these objections may be added the force of imagination, and of a ftrong perfuafion, which may have a strange and furprifing effect in removing fome bodily disorders, fo that the cure shall be thought preternatural both by the person who is relieved, and by those who have contributed to his recovery, and by those who are prefent, and yet they may be all deceived, and all innocent of any defign to impose upon mankind. Such feems to be the cafe mentioned by Minucius Felix concerning evil Spirits, who being adjured, vel exfiliunt ftatim, vel evanefcunt gradatim, prout fides patientis adjuvat, vel gratia curantis adfpirat. 27. for it is hardly to be fuppofed that miracles of this kind. are wrought by halves, and by flow degrees.

It may be farther observed that the miracles mentioned by the Apologifts and ancient Fathers of the fecond and third centuries, are ufually healing the fick, and cafting out evil VOL. I. Spirits,

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Spirits, miracles in which there is room for fome error and deception; we hear nothing of caufing the blind to fee, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, the lepers to be cleanfed.

Add to this, that notions of morality have in fome points varied in the Chriftian world, and been more or lefs ftrict in different times and places. The writing of books or epiftles under borrowed names, and impofing them as genuine upon the public, is a thing of bad confequence and an immorality, yet hath it been done by men who perhaps in other respects were honeft. Writers of the fourth and fifth centuries have attefted miracles which either they knew to be false, or did not know to be true; and yet many of them, in all probability, would have died rather than have renounced Christianity, and for no reward in the world would have borne falfe witness in a trial. There have been Chriftians who have readily fought duels upon flender occafions, and for a point of honour, and who would as readily have died for their religion.

Men will be inclined to determine this controverted question according to their preconceived notions, and their accustomed way of thinking; for there appears to be a fort of fata

h De tout tems, je n'en excepte que les temps Apoftoliques, les Evêques fe font crus autorifez à ufer de ces fraudes pieufes qui tendent au falut des hommes. Les Ouvrages fuppofez en font une preuve, et la facilité avec laquelle les Peres ajoutoient foi à ces mauvais ouvrages, fait voir que s'ils n'étoient pas complices de la fraude, ils n'étoient pas fcrupuleux à en profiter. Beaufobre Hift. de Manich. ii. 756.

lity in opinions of this kind, which when once taken up, are feldom laid down. But upon the whole, the arguments feem to preponderate a little on the fide of the ancient opinion, so as to incline us to fuppofe that miracles were fometimes wrought amongst the Chriftians, though at prefent it may be no eafy matter to point them out diftinctly.

Thus much may feem probable, that in the fecond and third centuries fome fick perfons were restored to health by the prayers of their brethren; that fome virtuous Pagans had their doubts and prejudices removed and were called to Chriftianity by divine impulfes, dreams, or vifions; and that the Martyrs and Confeffors received an extraordinary affiftance from God, enabling them to undergo horrible tortures and fufferings with amazing patience and conftancy, which divine affiftance, whether it may properly be called miraculous, it matters not much to inquire, for we will not dispute about words.

Whilft the Church of Chrift was fubject to infults and perfecution from the Pagan powers, and in a low and diftreffed condition, the Chriftians affembled together as often as they could, and took all poffible care to inftruct and animate and comfort and relieve one another. When any of them were fick, the congregation prayed for them, and the Prefbyters vifited them, and invoked the name of the Lord over them. Many of them recovered, and the recovery was accounted miraculous, and perhaps was oftentimes really, and fometimes evidently

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fo.

fo. It is impoffible to fhew that it was unworthy of the divine power thus to exert itself for the confolation of the afflicted Chriftians, and for an evidence that God was with them of a truth. Great things are faid in the Scriptures concerning the efficacy of prayer, to whofe perfuafive force may be applied what Pindar hath fo elegantly feigned of Mufic and Poefy, Καὶ τὸν αἰχμαζαν κεραυνὸν σβεννύεις

Λενας πυρός.

As the doctrines of Divine influences upon the mind of man, and of the efficacy of prayer, are connected with the doctrine of a particular providence, let us produce a few remarks on this fubject, made by ingenious men who never paffed for enthusiasts.

"Some thoughts and defigns may be caused by the fuggeftion, and impulfe, or other fi"lent communications of fome fpiritual being;

perhaps the Deity himself. For that fuch "imperceptible influences and ftill whispers. "may be, none of us all can pofitively deny: "that is, we cannot know certainly, that there "are no fuch things. On the contrary, I be"lieve there are but few of them who have "made obfervations upon themselves and their "affairs, but muft, when they reflect on life

paft, and the various adventures and events "of it, find many inftances in which their " ufual judgment and fenfe of things cannot "but feem to themselves to have been over"ruled they knew not by what, nor how, nor "why (ie. they have done things which "after

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"afterwards they wonder how they came to "do;) and that these actions have had confequences very remarkable in their hiftory. I fpeak not here of men dementated with wine, "or inchanted with fome temptation: the thing holds true of men even in their sober " and more confidering feasons.

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"That there may be poffibly fuch inspirati"ons of new thoughts and counfels, may per

haps further appear from this; that we fo "frequently find thoughts arifing in our heads, "into which we are led by no difcourfe, no

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thing we read, no clue of reasoning; but "they surprise and come upon us from we "know not what quarter. If they proceeded "from the mobility of fpirits, ftraggling out "of order, and fortuitous affections of the "brain, or were of the nature of dreams, why "are they not as wild, incoherent, and extra

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vagant as they are? Not to add, that the "world has generally acknowledged, and there"fore seems to have experienced some affiftance " and directions given to good men by the

Deity; that men have been many times in"fatuated, and loft to themfelves, etc. If any "one should object, that if men are thus over"ruled in their actings, then they are deprived "of their liberty, etc. the answer is, that though "man is a free agent, he may not be free as to "every thing. His freedom may be reftrained, "and he only accountable for those acts, in "refpect of which he is free.

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"If