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diff --git a/41203-8.txt b/41203-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a8e5844..0000000 --- a/41203-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,13365 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Six Discourses on the Miracles of our -Saviour, by Thomas Woolston - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Six Discourses on the Miracles of our Saviour - and Defences of his Discourses - -Author: Thomas Woolston - -Release Date: October 27, 2012 [EBook #41203] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SIX DISCOURSES ON THE MIRACLES *** - - - - -Produced by Douglas L. Alley, III, David Ross and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - Thomas Woolston - - - SIX DISCOURSES - ON THE MIRACLES - OF OUR SAVIOUR - - _and_ - - DEFENCES - OF HIS DISCOURSES - 1727-1730 - - - Garland Publishing, Inc., New York & London - - [Illustration] - - 1979 - - - - - A - DISCOURSE - ON THE - MIRACLES - OF OUR - _SAVIOUR_, - - In VIEW of the Present - Controversy between INFIDELS - and APOSTATES. - - --_Nostrum est tantus componere Lites._ - - The Fifth Edition. - - By THO. WOOLSTON, B. D. sometime - Fellow of _Sidney-College_ in _Cambridge_. - - _LONDON_: - - Printed for the Author, and Sold by him - next door to the _Star_, in _Aldermanbury_, - and by the Booksellers of _London_, and - _Westminster_, 1728. - - [Price One Shilling.] - - - - -[Illustration] - - TO THE - - Right Reverend Father in God - - ~_EDMUND_~, - - Lord BISHOP of _London_. - - -MY LORD, - -Upon no other View do I make a Dedication of this Discourse to your -_Lordship_, then to submit it to your acute Judgment, expecting soon -to hear of your Approbation or Dislike of it. If it so happen, that -you highly approve of it, I beg of you to be sparing of your -Commendations, least I should be puff'd up with them. - -In my _Moderator_, some Expressions dropt from my Pen about the -Miracles of our Saviour, which, for want of Illustration then, gave -your _Lordship_ some Offence, and brought upon me more Trouble: But, -having now fully and clearly explain'd my self out of the Fathers, I -hope you'll be reconciled to me; and as you are a Lover of Truth, -will, against Interest and Prejudice, yield to the Force of it. - -Whether your Prosecution of me, for the _Moderator_, was just and -reasonable, I'll not dispute here, having already expostulated that -Matter with you in several Letters, to which you would not condescend -to give me any Answer. For what Reason you was silent, is best known -to your self. But, in my own Vindication, I hope, I may publish -without Offence, that your taking me for an _Infidel_, was such a -Mistake as I thought no _Scholar_ could have made; and the Injury -done to my Reputation and low Fortunes, by the Prosecution, so -considerable, that the least I expected from your _Lordship_, was a -courteous Excuse, if not an ample Compensation, for it. - -As to the Expediency of prosecuting _Infidels_ for their Writings (in -whose Cause I am the farthest of any Man from being engaged) I will here -say nothing. The Argument, _pro_ and _con_, has already, by one or -other, been copiously handled. And I don't know but I might be, with -your _Lordship_, on the persecuting side of the Question; but that it -looks as if a Man was distrustful of the Truth of Christianity, and -conscious of his own Inability to defend it; or he would leave that -_good Cause_ to God himself and the Sword of the Spirit, without -calling upon the _Civil Magistrate_ for his Aid and Assistance. - -That scurvy _Writer_ of the _Scheme of literal Prophecy_, &c. which -your _Lordship_ must have heard of, would insinuate, that they are -only atheistical Priests, who, for fear of their Interests in the -Church, set Persecutions on foot: But after your _Lordship_ has -publish'd a strenuous Defence of Christianity to the Purpose of our -present Controversy, I'll have no such Suspicions of you. - -Your _Lordship_'s persecuting (or, if you will, prosecuting) Humour, -is reputedly all pure Zeal for God's Glory; and, with all my Heart, -let it be so accounted, whether it be according to Knowledge or not. -Against Popery and Infidelity you are all Ardency! Who does not -commend you? Who can question the Sincerity of the Zeal of a -Protestant _Bishop_, and of a Protestant _Clergy_, when they persecute -the Enemies of their Church, that considers their own Steadiness to -Principles against Interest, under all Changes, since the Reformation; -and their Abhorrence of Extortion upon the People, for the Duties of -their Function, in and about this City. Such Honesty and Constancy in -their Profession, is a Proof of the Integrity of their Hearts, or I -know not where to find one. - -But that your _Lordship_'s Zeal for Religion is very remarkable and -successful, I could prove by many Instances; one is, _that_ of your -routing a turbulent Sect of _Peripateticks_ out of St. _Paul_'s -Cathedral; and if you could as effectually clear _Christ_'s Church of -_Infidels_, what a glorious Bishop would you be! - -And what Pity is it, that _Infidels_ likewise are not to be quell'd -with your Threats and Terrors! which (without the Weapons of sharp -Reasonings, and thumping Arguments, that others are for the Use of) -would transmit your Fame to Posterity, for a notable Champion for -Christianity, as certainly as, that your judicious Prosecution of the -_Moderator_ for Infidelity is here remember'd by, - -[Sidenote: London, _April_ 17, 1727.] - - _My_ ~LORD~, - _The Admirer of - Your Zeal - Wisdom and - Conduct, - Thomas Woolston_. - - - - -[Illustration] - - A - DISCOURSE - ON THE - MIRACLES - OF OUR - _SAVIOUR_, &c. - - -If ever there was an useful Controversy started, or revived in this -Age of the Church, it is _this_ about the _Messiahship_ of the holy -Jesus, which the _Discourse of the Grounds_, &c. has of late rais'd. I -believe this Controversy will end in the absolute Demonstration of -Jesus's _Messiahship_ from Prophecy, which is the only way to prove -him to be the _Messiah_, that great Prophet expected by the _Jews_, -and promised under the Old Testament. And tho' this way of Proof from -Prophecy seems to labour under many Difficulties at present; and tho' -some _Writers_ against the _Grounds_, being distressed with those -Difficulties, are for seeking Refuge in the Miracles of our Saviour; -yet we must persist in it, till what I have no doubt of, his -_Messiahship_ shall be clearly made out by it. - -And the way in Prophesy that I would take for the Proof of _Jesus_'s -_Messiahship_, should be by an allegorical Interpretation, and -Application of the Law and the Prophets to him; the very same way, -that all the Fathers of the Church have gone in; and the very same -way, in which all the ancient _Jews_ say their _Messiah_ was to fulfil -the Law and the Prophets: But this way does not please our -ecclesiastical _Writers_ in this Controversy, neither will they at -present give any Ear to it. - -The Way in Prophecy that they are for taking, is by a literal -Interpretation and Application of some Prophecies of the Old Testament -to our _Jesus_, but they are hitherto unsuccessful in this Way. The -Authors of the _Grounds_ and of the _Scheme_, grievously perplex them -with their Objections against this way of Proof, so far as, being -sensible, I say, of almost insuperable Difficulties in it, they are -flying apace to the Miracles of our Saviour, as to their sole and -grand Refuge. - -But to show that there's no Sanctuary for them in the Miracles of our -Saviour, I write this Discourse: And this I do, not for the Service of -Infidelity, which has no Place in my Heart, but for the Honour of the -Holy _Jesus_, and to reduce the _Clergy_ to the good old way of -interpreting Prophecies, which the Church has unhappily apostatis'd -from, and which, upon the Testimony of the Fathers, will, one Day, be -the Conversion of _Jews_ and _Gentiles_. - -For this Opinion, that there is no Sanctuary in the Miracles of our -Saviour, I chanc'd to say in the _Moderator_,[1] _That Jesus's -Miracles, as they are now-a-days understood, make nothing for his -Authority and Messiahship_. And again,[2] _That I believe, upon good -Authority, some of the Miracles of Jesus, as recorded by the -Evangelists, were never wrought, but are only related as prophetical -and parabolical Narratives of what will be mysteriously and more -wonderfully done by him_: Which Expressions gave Offence to some of -our _Clergy_, and brought upon me their Indignation and Displeasure. -I see no Reason to depart from the said Expressions, or so much as to -palliate and soften them, much less to retract them; but in -Maintenance of my Opinion, to the Honour of our _Messiah_, and the -Defence of Christianity, I write this Treatise on Jesus's Miracles, -and take this Method following. - -I. I will show, that the Miracles of healing all manner of bodily -Diseases, which _Jesus_ was justly famed for, are none of the proper -Miracles of the _Messiah_, neither are they so much as a good Proof of -his Divine Authority to found a Religion. - -II. That the literal History of many of the Miracles of Jesus, as -recorded by the Evangelists, does imply Absurdities, Improbabilities, -and Incredibilities, consequently they, either in whole or in part, -were never wrought, as they are commonly believed now-a-days, but are -only related as prophetical and parabolical Narratives of what would -be mysteriously and more wonderfully done by him. - -III. I shall consider what Jesus means, when he appeals to his -Miracles as to a Testimony and Witness of his Divine Authority, and -show, that he could not properly and ultimately refer to those he -then wrought in the _Flesh_, but to those mystical ones, which he -would do in the _Spirit_; of which those wrought in the Flesh are but -mere Types and Shadows. - -In treating on these Heads, I shall not confine my self only to -Reason, but also to the express Authority of the Fathers, those holy, -venerable, and learned Preachers of the Gospel in the first Ages of -the Church, who took our Religion from the Hands of the Apostles, and -of apostolical Men, who dy'd, some of them, and suffer'd for the -Doctrine they taught; who professedly and confessedly were endu'd with -divine and extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit; who consequently can't -be supposed to be Corrupters of Christianity, or Teachers of false -Notions about the Miracles of our Saviour, or so much as mistaken -about the apostolical and evangelical Sense and Nature of them. I know -not how it comes to pass, but I am a profound Admirer, and an almost -implicit Believer of the Authority of the Fathers, whom I look upon as -vast Philosophers, very great Scholars, and most orthodox Divines. -Whatever they concurrently assert, I firmly believe. And tho' they -are, for the most part, mysterious Writers out of the Reach of the -Capacities of many, who slight them; yet I, who have had the Honour -and Happiness of much of their Acquaintance, fancy my self well -apprised of their Meanings. If at any time I read a Passage in them -which I don't presently apprehend, I salute it with Veneration for all -that, till my Understanding is opened to receive the Sense of it. If I -meet with but a single Opinion in any one of them, I pay my Respects -to it; but where there is an Harmony and Agreement of Opinion amongst -them, it is with me, and ought to be with all Christians, of such -Weight, as to bear down all Prejudice, Opposition, and Contradiction -before it; or the Authority of no Man, whether ancient or modern, is -to have any Regard paid to it; and of what ill Consequence to Religion -such an utter Rejection of Authority will be, I need not say. - -This I thought fit to premise, concerning the Authority of the -Fathers, to abate of the Prejudice beforehand, which some may conceive -against the following Discourse about the Miracles of _Jesus_. I don't -question, but some may be startled at the foregoing Heads, as if, what -is the farthest of any thing from my Heart, the Service of Infidelity -was in View; but craving the Temper and Patience of such Readers for -a while, and they shall find, that its no other than just Reasoning, -clear Truth, and primitive Doctrine about _Jesus_'s Miracles, that I -advance: Or if it should so happen, that none besides my self should -discern the Reasoning and Truth of the Argument; yet I hope it will -not be thought a Crime to revive primitive Doctrine, which none will -be able to deny it to be, whether they like it or not. If I err, I err -upon Choice with the Fathers, of whose Faith I am. And if any are -offended at what follows about the Miracles of _Christ_, let them turn -their Displeasure and Indignation against the Fathers, for whose -express or implicit Opinions I can be deserving of no Blame. - -I am sorry for the Occasion of such a Preface against Offence, which -the Apostacy of the Age, and its Unacquaintedness with the Fathers, -has made necessary. So I enter upon the particular handling of the -Heads foregoing. And, - -I. I will show that the Miracles of healing all manner of bodily -Diseases, which _Jesus_ was justly famed for, are none of the proper -Miracles of the Messiah, nor are they so much as a good Proof of -_Jesus_'s divine Authority to found and introduce a Religion into the -World. - -And to do this, let us consider, first, in general, what was the Opinion -of the Fathers about the Writings of the _Evangelists_ in which the Life -of _Christ_ is recorded. _Eucherius_ says,[3] _That the Scriptures of -the New as well as Old Testament, are to be interpreted in an -allegorical Sense_. And this his Opinion, is no other than the common -one of the first Ages of the Church, as might be proved by many the like -Expressions of other Fathers. As in such Expressions, they do not except -the Writings of the _Evangelists_; so they must include the History of -_Christ_'s Miracles, which as well as other Parts of the History of his -Life, is to be allegoriz'd for the sake of its true Meaning; -consequently the literal Story of Christ's Miracles proves nothing. - -But let's hear particularly their Opinion of the Actions and Miracles -of our Saviour. _Origen_ says, that[4] _Whatsoever Jesus did in the -Flesh, was but typical and symbolical of what he would do in the -Spirit_; and to our Purpose,[5] that _the several bodily Diseases -which he healed, were no other than Figures of the spiritual -Infirmities of the Soul, that are to be cured by him_. St. _Hilary_ is -of the same Mind with _Origen_, as any one may see by the[6] -Expressions referr'd to, and his Commentary on St. _Matthew_. St. -_Augustin_,[7] and St. _John_[8] of _Jerusalem_, both say, that the -Works of _Jesus_ import farther Mysteries; and with them, the rest of -the Fathers agree, making the Miracles that _Jesus_ did then, no more -than the Shadow of some more powerful and mystical Operations to be -done by him, as I could show by more Citations out of them, if it was -needful. But from the foregoing Citations out of the Fathers it is -plain, in their Opinion, that our modern _Divines_ are in the wrong of -it, to lay much Stress on any of the Operations of _Jesus_, which he -did in the Flesh, for the Proof of his divine Authority and -_Messiahship_, which is only to be proved by his more mysterious -Works, of which those done in the Flesh are but Type and Figure. - -But to come closer to the Purpose, let's see how indifferently, I had -almost said contemptibly, the Fathers speak of the Miracles of -_Jesus_, and particularly of his Power of healing all bodily Diseases, -which by modern _Writers_ is so much magnified and extoll'd. St. -_Irenæus_ says,[9] that if _we consider only the then temporal Use of -Jesus's Power of Healing, he did nothing grand and wonderful_; -consequently _Irenæus_ could not hold, that _Jesus_'s Miracles then -wrought, were a sufficient Proof of his divine Authority, much less of -his _Messiahship_. _Origen_ says[10] that _tho' many were brought to -believe in Jesus upon the Fame of the Miracles which he did once among -the_ Jews, _yet_ (what implies the Insufficiency of them for the -Conversion of Men) _he intimates that his greater and mystical Works -do prove his Authority_. St. _John_ of _Jerusalem_ says[11] that -_Jesus's Cures performed upon the Blind_, &c. _were indeed -considerable and great, but unless he do daily as mighty Works in his -Church, we ought to forbear our Admiration of him._ St. _Augustin_ not -only says[12] that _if we examine into Jesus's Miracles by human -Reason, we shall find he did nothing great, considering his Almighty -Power, and considering his Goodness, what he did was but little_; but -he tells us also, that[13] _such Works as Jesus did, might be imputed -to, and effected by Magic Art_. And accordingly _Moses_ and our -Saviour himself confess, that false Prophets, and false Christ's, will -do Miracles; and _Anti-Christ_ himself, according to St. _Paul_, will -do them to the Deception of Mankind. Nay, the Fathers[14] say, what I -believe, that _Anti-Christ_ will imitate and equal _Jesus_ in all his -Miracles which he wrought of old. How then can we distinguish the true -Prophet from the false; the true _Christ_ from the _Anti-Christ_ by -Miracles? our _Divines_ will find it hard to do it, if what the -Fathers say of _Anti-christ_ be found true. Moreover History affords -us Instances of Men, such as of _Apollonius Tyanæus_, _Vespasian_, and -of the _Irish Stroaker_, _Greatrex_, who have miraculously cured -Diseases to the Admiration of Mankind, as well as our _Jesus_: But if -any of them, or any other greater Worker of Miracles than they were, -should withall assume to himself the Title of a Prophet, and Author of -a new Religion, I humbly conceive, we ought not to give heed to him. - -Neither is there the least Reason that we should; for the Power of -doing Miracles is no certain, nor rational Seal of the Commission and -Authority of a divine Lawgiver. St. _Paul_ says[15] there is a -_Diversity of the Gifts of the Spirit, for to one is given by the -Spirit, the Word of Wisdom; to another the Word of Knowledge; to -another the Gift of Healing; to another the working of Miracles; to -another Prophecy; to another discerning of Spirits; to another divers -Kinds of Tongues; to another the Interpretation of Tongues._ These -Gifts may be given apart and separately. One of them may be conferr'd -on this Man, and another of them on his Neighbour. There is no -Necessity that any two or more of these Gifts should meet in one Man. -To argue then, that a Man, who has one of these Gifts, must have the -other; that is, that he must needs have the Gift of Wisdom, or of -Prophecy, or of discerning of Spirits, or of divers Kinds of Tongues, -because he has the Gift of Healing and of working Miracles, is very -inconclusive, and false Reasoning: And yet this is the Reasoning of -our modern Writers who would prove _Jesus_'s Authority, to found a -Religion, from his Miracles. I don't question but _Jesus_ had all the -foresaid Gifts and Powers of the Spirit in a most superlative Degree; -but then it is unreasonably inferr'd, for all that, that a Man, -because he of Certainty has some of them, must of consequence have the -other. St. _Augustin_[16] cautions us against being deceived into a -good Opinion of a Man's Wisdom, because of his Power to do Miracles. -And I think accordingly, that we may as well say, that the strongest -Man is the wisest; or that a good Physician must needs be a good -Casuist; or that the best Mathematician is the ablest Statesman, as -that _Jesus_, because he was a Worker of Miracles, such as his are, -and a Healer of all manner of Diseases, ought to be received as the -Guide of our Consciencies, the Director of our Understandings, the -Ruler of our Hearts, and the Author of a Religion. - -What then will the Writers against the _Grounds_ do to prove _Jesus_'s -Authority and _Messiahship_ from his Miracles? Or how by his Miracles -will they be able to distinguish him from an Impostor, a false -Prophet, and the _Anti-christ_? Why, they will say perhaps, - -1. That besides Greatness of Power, there was nothing but Goodness, -Kindness, and Love to Mankind shewn in _Jesus_'s Miracles. As to the -Miracles of false Prophets and Impostors, if they be, many of them, of -a kind and benevolent Aspect, yet the _Devil_'s Foot, if we look well -to it, will discover it self in some ludicrous and mischievous Pranks: -But _Jesus_'s Miracles were all of a beneficent Nature; He went about -doing good, healing all manner of Diseases among the People, and did -no Wrong to any one; which is a good Argument, they say, of his divine -Authority, or God would not have suffer'd, nor the _Devil_ have work'd -such a Testimony in behalf of it. On this Head our _Divines_ are -copious and rhetorical, and many notable and florid Harangues have -they made on it. But - -In answer to them, they don't seem to have their Memories at Hand, when -they declaim at this rate. The Fathers, upon whose Authority I write, -will tell such Orators, that _Jesus_, if his Miracles are to be -understood in the literal Sense, did not only as foolish Things as any -Impostor could do, but very injurious ones to Mankind. I shall not here -instance in the seemingly foolish and injurious Things which _Jesus_ did -for Miracles, intending under the next Head to speak to some of them: -But they are such, if literally true, as our _Divines_ do believe, as -are enough to turn our Stomachs against such a Prophet; and enough to -make us take him for a _Conjuror_, a _Sorcerer_, and a _Wizard_, rather -than the _Messiah_ and Prophet of the most High God. But - -2. To prove the _Messiahship_ of the Holy _Jesus_ from his Miracles, -our _Divines_ urge the Prophecies of the Old Testament, such as that -of _Isaiah_, _C._ xxxv. _V._ 5, 6. _Then the Eyes of the Blind shall -be opened, and the Ears of the Deaf shall be unstopp'd; then shall the -lame Man leap as the Hart, and the Tongue of the Dumb sing_; and say -that these Prophecies were accurately fulfill'd by our _Jesus_ in the -several specifical Cures of Blindness, Deafness, Lameness, and -Dumbness, which he often perform'd upon one or other; and, inasmuch as -our Saviour seems to appeal to such Prophecies, do conclude this his -Accomplishment of them, to be no less than a Demonstration, that he -was the true _Messiah_, that great Prophet, who was to come into the -World. To which I answer, - -_First_, That the Accomplishment of Prophecies that can neither be -given forth by human Foresight, nor fulfill'd in a Counterfeit, are -good Proofs of _Jesus_'s _Messiahship_: But then, what shall we say if -others besides _Jesus_ should do the like Cures and Miracles? It is -said of _Anti-christ_, and I believe it, that he will not only do all -the Miracles that _Jesus_ did, but will appeal to the like Prophecies -too. How then we are to distinguish the _true_ Christ from the _false_ -Christ by Miracles and Prophecies in this Case, is the Question, which -I leave with our _Divines_ to consider of an Answer to, against the -Time that it is proved that _Anti-christ_ does all those Miracles, -which _Jesus_ in the Flesh wrought. But - -_Secondly_, The foresaid Prophecies and others mentioned in _Isaiah_, -neither were, nor could be Prophecies of the miraculous Cures of -bodily Diseases which _Jesus then_ did. And this may be made appear, -not only from the Context of those Prophecies which received then no -Accomplishment from _Jesus_, who ought to have fulfill'd one Part of -the Prophecy as well as the other, or is not to be taken for the -Fulfiller of either; but from the Opinion of both _Jews_ and -_Fathers_, who adjourn the Accomplishment of those Prophecies to -Christ's spiritual Advent. But - -_Thirdly_, The Prophet _Isaiah_, in the Place above cited, speaks not -of bodily Blindness, _&c._ which the _Messiah_ is to heal, but of the -spiritual Distempers of the Soul, metaphorically so called; as may be -easily proved, not only from the Prophecies themselves, but from the -old _Jews_, who were allegorical Interpreters of those Distempers, and -from the antient Fathers,[17] who so understood them. Consequently our -_Jesus_'s healing of those bodily Diseases, was no proper -Accomplishment of those Prophecies. It is true our Saviour, _Matt._ -xi. 4, 5. seems to appeal to those Prophecies, and to make his Cure -of corporal Distempers an Accomplishment of them: But he means not in -the literal Sense, that our _Divines_ take him in, as I shall show -hereafter, when I come to consider what _Jesus_ means, by appealing to -his Works and Miracles, as bearing Witness of him. - -Our _Divines_ then may admire and adore _Jesus_ as much as they please -for his Miracles of healing bodily Distempers; but I am for the -spiritual _Messiah_ that cures those Distempers of the Soul, that -metaphorically pass under the Names of Blindness, Lameness, Deafness, -_&c._ And the Cure of these spiritual Diseases, is the proper and -miraculous Work of the true _Messiah_; for the sake of which, says[18] -St. _Augustin_, _Jesus_ condescended to do those _little_ Miracles of -healing bodily Distempers, which were but the Type and Shadow of his -more stupendous Miracles of curing spiritual Diseases. The Cure of -spiritual Infirmities is a God-like[19] Work, above the Imitation of -Man or of _Anti-christ_, infinitely more miraculous than the healing -any bodily Distempers can be. - -Whether our _Jesus_ be at this Day such a spiritual _Messiah_, I leave -to our _Divines_ to consider, with those spiritual Distempers of the -Church, that seem to want his miraculous Hand and Touch. The Fathers -of the Church said, that _Jesus_ was _in part_ such a spiritual -_Messiah_ in their time, and argued[20] his _Messiahship_, not from -bodily Cures, but from his most miraculous Cures of the Diseases of -the Soul: But there was another and future Time, in which he would be -such a spiritual and glorious _Messiah_ to the greatest Perfection. In -the mean while, no healing of corporal Distempers can prove _Jesus_ to -be the _Messiah_, nor any other of his miraculous Works recorded in -the _Evangelists_: So far from it, that - -II. I shall prove that the literal Story of many of _Jesus_'s Miracles, -as they are recorded in the _Evangelists_, and commonly believed by -Christians, does imply Improbabilities and Incredibilities, and the -grossest Absurdities, very dishonourable to the Name of Christ; -consequently, they, in whole, or in part, were never wrought, but are -only related as prophetical and parabolical Narratives of what would be -mysteriously and more wonderfully done by him. - -The reading of this Head will, I doubt not, strike with Horror some of -our squeamish _Divines_, who, notwithstanding they will sacrifice almost -any Principles to their Interest, will not bear that our literal -evangelical History of such renown'd Miracles should be thus called in -Question, and contemptuously spoken of. What does this _Author_ mean, -will some say, thus to do Service to Atheism and Infidelity? Away with -him! Our Indignation is moved against him! No Censure and Punishment can -be too severe for such Impiety, Profaneness, and Blasphemy, as is aim'd -at, and imply'd in this Proposition. - -To calm therefore the Spirits, and abate the Prejudices of such -Accusers, I must proceed with the greater Caution and with Reason and -Authority well fortify myself before and behind, or I shall feel the -Weight of the Displeasure of our _Divines_, who are prepossess'd of -the Belief of the literal Story of all _Jesus_'s Miracles. - -Before then I enter upon the particular Examination of any of his -Miracles, I will premise two or three general Assertions of the -Fathers about them. And first _Origen_[21] says, that in the -historical Part of the Scriptures, _There are some Things inserted as -History, which were never transacted, and which it was impossible -should be transacted; and other Things, again, that might possibly be -done, but were not_. This he asserts of the Writings of the -_Evangelists_, as well as of the Old Testament, and gives many -Instances to this Purpose. St. _Hilary_[22] says, _There are many -historical Passages of the New Testament, that if they are taken -literally, are contrary to Sense and Reason, and therefore there is a -Necessity of a mystical Interpretation_. And St. _Augustin_[23] says, -that _there are hidden Mysteries in the Works and Miracles of our -Saviour, which if we incautiously and literally interpret, we shall -run into Errors, and make grievous Blunders._ Of the same Mind are the -rest of the Fathers, as might be proved by express or implicit -Citations; but, studying Brevity, I think the three Testimonies above, -enough to cool the Rage, and assuage the Prejudices of my Adversaries -against the Proposition before us, which I now come to a particular -Consideration of; that is, to shew that the Story of many of _Jesus_'s -Miracles is literally absurd, improbable, and incredible. And - -1. To speak to that Miracle of _Jesus_'s _driving the Buyers and Sellers -out of the Temple_, which all the[24] four Evangelists make mention of. - -I have read in some modern Author whose Name does not occur to my -Memory, that this was, in his Opinion, the most stupendous Miracle that -_Jesus_ wrought. And, in truth, it was a most astonishing one, if -literally true, and _Jesus_ must appear more than a Man, he must put on -an awful and most majestick Countenance to effect it. It is hard to -conceive, how any one in the Form of a Man, and of a despised one too, -(and we don't read that _Jesus_ chang'd his human Shape) with a Whip in -his Hand, could execute such a Work upon a great Multitude of People, -who were none of his Disciples, nor had any regard for him. Supposing he -could, by his divine Power, infuse a _panick_ Fear into the People; yet -what was the Reason that he was so _eaten up_ with Zeal against the -Profanation of that House, which he himself came to destroy, and which -he permitted, I may say commanded, to be filthily polluted not long -after. But not to form by my self an Invective against the Letter of -this Story, let's hear what the Fathers say to it, - - * * * * * - -_Origen_ makes the whole but a[25] Parable. His allegorical Expositions -of it, are frequent, and one time or other he gives us the mystical -Meaning of every Part of it. By the _Temple_, he understands the Church: -By the _Sellers_ in the Temple, he means such _Preachers_ who make -Merchandize of the Gospel, whom the Spirit of Christ, some time or -other, would rid his Church of. He is so far from believing any thing of -the Letter of this Story, that he has form'd a[26] large Argument -against it: The Substance of which is, that if _Jesus_ had attempted any -such thing, the People would have resisted, and executed their Revenge -on him; if he had effected it, the Merchants of the Temple might have -reproach'd him with Damage done to their Wares; and would have justly -accused him of a Riot against Law and Authority. Whether there is not -Reason in this Argument of _Origen_, let any one judge. - -St. _Hilary_ is of the same Mind with _Origen_. He says that this -Story is only a[27] Præfiguration of what will be done in Christ's -Church upon another Occasion. And he admonishes[28] us to search into -the profound and mystical Import of every Part of it; particularly he -hints that[29] by _the Seats of those who sell Doves_, may be -understood the Pulpits of Preachers who make Sale of the Gifts of the -Spirit, which is represented by a Dove. As to the Letter of the Story, -he is plain enough, that there was no such[30] Market kept in the -Temple of _Jerusalem_: And if any Historians besides the _Evangelists_ -had asserted it, I know of none, who would have been so foolish as to -believe that Oxen and Sheep and Goats were there sold. - -St. _Ambrose_ too is for the Mystery, and against the Letter of this -Story, saying[31] what should be the Reason that _Jesus_ should -overturn the Seats of those that sold Doves? This must be, says he, a -figurative Story, and signifies nothing less than the future Ejection -of Priests out of his Church, who shall make Gain and Merchandize of -the Gospel. - -St. _Jerome_, as his manner is in other Cases, gives us a literal -Exposition of this Miracle, as far as it will bear it: But then corrects -himself again, saying, there are[32]Absurdities in the Letter; but, -according to its mystical Meaning, _Jesus_ will enter his Temple of the -Church, and cast out of it Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, who make a -Trade of Preaching. And in another Place he tells us of the mystical[33] -Whip, that _Jesus_ will make use of to this Purpose. - -St. _Augustin_ also is against the Letter of the Story of this -Miracle, saying,[34] Where could be the great Sin of selling and -buying Things in the Temple, that were for the Use of it, and offer'd -as Sacrifice in it? We must therefore, says he, look for the Mystery -in this[35] figurative Story, and enquire what is meant by the Oxen, -and Sheep, and Doves, and who are the Sellers of them in Christ's -Church; and he is very positive that Ecclesiasticks, who are selfish, -and make worldly Gain of the Gospel, are here meant. And as to the -Expression of _turning the Temple into a Den of Thieves_, he says it -has Respect to the[36]_Clergy_ in Time to come, who would make such a -Den of Christ's Church. - -Lastly, with the foregoing Fathers agrees St. _Theophylact_, who is an -Allegorist too upon this Miracle, saying, that those[37] who sell -Doves, are the Priests who sell spiritual Gifts; and that Christ -sometime or other would overturn their Seats, and clear his Church of -them. In another Place he intimates what are meant by Oxen and Sheep, -_viz._ the literal Sense of the Scriptures. And if the literal Sense -be irrational and nonsensical, the Metaphor we must allow to be -proper, inasmuch as now-a-days, dull and foolish and absurd stuff we -call Bulls, Fatlings, and Blunders. - -Behold a wonderful Harmony among the Fathers in their Rejection of the -literal, and Espousal of the mystical Sense of this Miracle. It is -said of the Church in her first Ages, that she was inspired; and so -she was, or before an Hire for the Priesthood was established, and -pleaded for, she could never have written in this Fashion. If the -Fathers had lived now, and written thus, we should have thought the -Spirit of _Quakerism_ was gotten amongst them, or they would never -have given such an Exposition of this Story to favour an Enmity to an -_Hireling Priesthood_. - -How and when Christ's Power, according to the Figure and Parable -before us, will enter his Church, and drive out of her these -ecclesiastical Merchants, is not the Question. But when ever it does -so effectually, it will be a stupendous Miracle, much greater than the -typical one is supposed to be; and not only a Proof of Christ's divine -Power and Presence in his Church, but an absolute Demonstration of -his _Messiahship_ from his Accomplishment both of the foresaid -Prophecies of the Fathers, and of other remarkable ones of the _Old -Testament_, which will be then clearly understood, and which it is not -my Business here to apply or mention. - - * * * * * - -Against the aforesaid Exposition of this Miracle, perhaps it may be -objected, that (excepting a little Reasoning against the Letter of it) -this is only the chimerical and whimsical Dream of the Fathers, whose -Notions are obsolete, and who[38] _have adulterated Christianity with -their Cant and Jargon_; and that none of our _Protestant_ and Orthodox -_Divines_ have ever given into their Opinion. - - * * * * * - -I confess, that none of our Protestant _Divines_, whom I know do -embrace the foresaid Exposition of the Fathers, but it may be nothing -the worse for all that: And tho' their Exposition may be very -disagreeable to the Priesthood of this Age, yet I can tell them of the -greatest Man of these last Ages, and that was _Erasmus_, who, -cautiously expressing himself for fear of giving Offence to the -_Clergy_, is of the same Mind with the Fathers; or he would not say -that[39] _that Work of_ Jesus _did prefigure somewhat else: For_ Jesus -_could not be zealous against the Prophanation of that Temple of the_ -Jews, _which was soon to be destroy'd, but meant to shew his Dislike -and Hatred of ecclesiastical Covetousness, which, after the Way of the -Type, he would take his Opportunity to rid the Church of._ - -Before I dismiss this Miracle, I must observe, that if the Fathers are -right above, then our _Latin_ and _English_ Translations of the Place -in St. _Matthew_ err in a main Point. Instead of reading, _and Jesus -cast out them that sold and bought_, it should be, _those who sold and -preach'd_; that is sold what they preach'd: For the Word [Greek: -agorazein], does more properly signify to _preach_ than to _buy_; and -in this Sense here, according to the Fathers, it should be construed. - -Again, I must observe, that our Commentators are a little perplex'd to -know who, and what those [Greek: kollybistôn], _Money-Changers_, -were. The Greek[40] Word does import those who have a Knack to barter -away little base and Brass Money, with the Effigies of an Ox or Bull -on it, in exchange for good Coin. How applicable the Word was to any -Merchants of the old Temple at _Jerusalem_, is hard to conceive. But -it is very agreeable to our ecclesiastical _Collybists_, who, as I may -appeal to Freethinkers, vend their brasen-faced Bulls and Blunders at -an extravagant and great Price. And if [Greek: trapezas], which is -translated _Tables_, does properly signify[41] _Pulpits_, who can help -it? - -So much then on the Miracle of _Jesus_'s driving the _Sellers_ and -_Buyers_ out of the Temple. And how I appeal to our _Divines_, whether -it be not an absurd, improbable, and incredible Story according to the -Letter, and whether it be any other than, as the Fathers said of it, a -prophetical and parabolical Narrative of what would be mysteriously -and more wonderfully done by _Jesus_. And so I come to speak to a - -2. Second Miracle of Jesus, and that is, that of his[42] _casting the -Devils out of the Madman or Madmen, and permitting them to enter into -the Herd of Swine, which thereupon ran down a Precipice, and were all -choaked in the Sea_. - -To exorcise, or cast Devils out of the Possess'd, without considering -the Nature of such a Possession, or the Nature and Power of the Devil, -we'll allow to be not only a kind and beneficent Act, but a great -Miracle. But then, be the Miracle as great as can be imagined, it is no -more than what false Teachers,[43]_Workers of Iniquity_, and even some -Artists amongst the _Jews_, have done before; consequently, such a work -of _Exorcism_ in our Saviour, could be no Proof of his divine Authority. -And if there was no more to be said against this Miracle, this is enough -to set it aside, and to spoil the Argument of _Jesus_'s divine Power -from it. But there are many Circumstances in the Story literally -consider'd, that would induce us to call the Truth of the whole into -question. How came those Madmen to have their Dwelling amongst the Tombs -of a Burying-Ground? Where was the Humanity of the People, that did not -take Care of them, in Pity to them, as well as for the Safety of -others? Or if no Chains, as the Text says, which is hardly credible, -could hold them, it was possible surely, as well as lawful, to dispatch -them, rather than their Neighbours and Passengers should be in Danger -from them. Believe then this Part of the Story who can? But what's -worse, its not credible there was any Herd of _Swine_ in that Country. -If any Historians but the _Evangelists_ had said so, none would have -believed it. The _Jews_ are forbidden to eat Swine's Flesh; what then -should they do with Swine (which are good for nothing till they are -dead) who eat neither _Pig_, _Pork_, nor _Bacon_? Some may say that they -were kept there for the Use of Strangers: but this could not be; because -that after the Time of _Antiochus_, who polluted the Temple with the -Sacrifice of an Hog, the _Jews_[44] forbad, under the Pain of an -_Anathema_, the keeping of any _Swine_ in their Country. Perhaps it may -be said, that the _Gadarens_, so call'd from the Place of their Abode, -were not _Jews_, but neighbouring _Gentiles_, with whom it was lawful to -eat, and keep _Swine_. We will suppose so, tho' it is improbable; but -then its unlikely (without better Reason than at present we are -apprised of) that our Saviour would permit the Devils to enter into a -Herd of them to their Destruction. Where was the Goodness and Justice of -his so doing? Let our _Divines_ account for it if they can. It is -commonly said of our Saviour, and I believe it, that his Life was -entirely innocent, that his Miracles were all useful and beneficial to -Mankind, and that he did no Wrong to any one. But how can this be -rightly said of him, if this Story be literally true? The Proprietors of -the Swine were great Losers and Sufferers; and we don't read that -_Jesus_ made them amends, or that they deserv'd such Usage from him. The -Proprietors of the Swine, it seems upon this Damage done them by -_Jesus_, desire him to depart out of their Coasts, to prevent farther -Mischief; which was gentler Resentment, then we can imagine any others -would have made of the like Injury. I know not what our _Divines_ think -of this Part of the Story, nor wherefore _Jesus_ escaped so well; but if -any _Exorcist_ in this our Age and Nation, had pretended to expel the -Devil out of one possess'd, and permitted him to enter into a Flock of -Sheep, the People would have said that he had bewitch'd both; and our -Laws and Judges too of the last Age, would have made him to swing for -it. - -Without Offence, I hope, I have argued against the Letter of this -strange Story of the holy _Jesus_; I should not have dared to have said -so much against it, but upon the Encouragement of _Origen_ and other -Fathers, who say, we ought to expose the Absurdities of the Letter, as -much as may be, to turn Men's Heads to the mystical and true Meaning. - -Let's hear then what the Fathers say to this Miracle. _Origen_'s -Commentaries on this Part of St. _Matthew_, and St. _Luke_'s Gospel, -are lost; otherwise unquestionably he would not only have told us, -that he believed no more of the Letter of this Story, than he did of -the Devil's[45]taking our Saviour to the Top of a Mountain, and -shewing him all the Kingdoms of the World; but, as he is an admirable -_Mystist_, would have given us curious Light into the Allegory and -Mystery of it. But without _Origen_, we have enough in the other -Fathers against the Letter of this Story. - -St. _Hilary_ reckoning up all the Parts of this Miracle together, says -of it, that it is[46] typical and parabolical, and written for our -Meditation of what would be done hereafter by the holy _Jesus_. -According to him, and other Fathers, the _Madman_ is Mankind; or if -they were two, they were _Jew_ and _Gentile_ at Christ's coming, who -may be said to[47] be _possess'd with Devils_, in as much as they were -under the Rule of diabolical Sins, and subject to the Worship of -[Greek: Daimoniôn], false Deities, which we translate _Devils_. They -were _so fierce_[48] _as no Chains could hold them_, because of their -most furious Rage and Enmity to the Church, whom no Bonds of Reason -could restrain from doing Violence to the Christians. They are said -_to be_[49] _naked_, because they were destitute of the Clothing of -the Spirit, and of Grace. And may be said to be _among the_[50] -_Tombs_; because they were dead in Traspasses and Sins. After that -_Jesus_ had exorcis'd these diabolical Spirits out of the _Gentiles_, -and brought them to their right Senses, which was upon their -Conversion to the Faith; then a _good Way off_, some Ages after, did -the like _Devils_, by divine Permission, enter into a[51] _Herd of -Swine_, i. e. into _Hereticks_ of impure Lives and furious Natures. -What sort of _Hereticks_ are meant, or whether they are not to be -understood of Christians In general, let our _Divines_ consider. But -one would be apt to think that _Ministers of the Letter_ are included, -because the _Letter_ of the Scripture is mystically call'd[52] -_Swines_ Food. I am not obliged to pursue the mystical Interpretation -of this Parable (for so I will call it) thro' all its Parts, nor to -say what is meant by the Sea, that the _Swine_ are to be absorp't in; -but leave our _Divines_ to chew upon this mystical Construction given -them in part, and to consider, whether there's not a Necessity for -such an Interpretation to make the Story credible. - -And thus have I given you the Opinion and Exposition of the Fathers -upon this Miracle, which they turn all into Mystery. If our _Divines_ -are still far adhering to the Letter of this Story, let them account -for the Difficulties it is involv'd with. To cure Men violently -distracted, and possess'd with _Devils_, is, whether it be miraculous -or not, a good and great Work; but to send the _Devils_, who without -_Jesus_'s Permission could not go into the _Herd of Swine_, was an -Injury done to the Proprietors, and unbecoming of the Goodness of the -holy _Jesus_. Neither is there any other Way to solve the Difficulty, -than by looking upon the whole, with the Fathers, as Type and Figure. - -If this miraculous Story had been recorded of _Mahomet_, and not of -_Jesus_, our _Divines_, I dare say, would have work'd it up to a -Confutation of _Mahometanism_. _Mahomet_ should have been, with them, -nothing less than a _Wizard_, an _Enchanter_, a _Dealer_ with familiar -Spirits, a sworn _Slave_ to the Devil; and his _Mussulmen_ would have -been hard put to it to write a good Defence of him. - -When our Saviour was brought before _Pilate_ to be arraign'd, try'd, -and condemned, _Pilate_ put this Question to the _Jews_, saying, _What -Evil hath Jesus done?_ If both, or either of the Stories above, had -been literally true of _Jesus_, there had been no need of false -Witnesses against him. The Merchants of the Temple were at hand, who -could have sworn "that he was the Author of an Uproar and Riot, the -like was never seen on their Market-Day; that they were great -Sufferers, and Losers in their Trades; and, whether he or his Party -had stolen any of their Goods or not, yet some were embezzled, and -others damaged; and all thro' the outragious Violence of this unruly -Fellow, against Law and Authority." If such Evidence as this was not -enough to convict him of a capital Crime, then the _Swine-Herds_ of -the _Gadarenes_ might have deposed, "how they believed him to be a -_Wizard_, and had lost two thousand Swine through his Fascinations: -That he bid the Devils to go into our Cattle, is not to be deny'd. And -if he cured one or two of our Countrymen of a violent Possession, yet -in as much as he did us this Injury in our Swine, we justly suspect -him of diabolical Practices upon both." - -Upon such Evidence as this, _Pilate_ asks the Opinion of the _Jews_, -saying, _What think you?_ If they all had condemn'd him to be guilty -of Death, it is no wonder, since there is not a _Jury_ in _England_ -would have acquitted any one arraign'd and accused in the like Case. - -It is well for our literal _Doctors_, that such Accusations were not -brought against _Jesus_; or their Heads would have been sadly puzzled -to vindicate his Innocence, and to prove the Injustice and -Undeservedness of his Death and Sufferings. But for this Reason, if no -other, that no such Crimes were laid to his Charge, I believe little -or nothing of either of the seemingly miraculous Stories before us, -but look upon them both as prophetical and parabolical Narratives of -what would mysteriously and more wonderfully, and consistently with -the Wisdom and Goodness of _Jesus_, be done by him. And so I pass to a - -3. Third Miracle of _Jesus_, and that is _his Transfiguration_[53] _on -the Mount_. And this is the darkest and blindest Story of the whole -Gospel, which a Man can make neither Head nor Foot of; and I question -whether the Conceptions of any two thinking _Doctors_ do agree about -it. To say there is nothing in the Letter of this Story, we Believers -must not, because St. _Peter_[54] says he was an Eye-witness of -_Jesus_'s Majesty, saw his Glory on the Mount, and heard the Voice out -of the Cloud. But as Infidels will be prying into the Conduct of -_Jesus_'s Life, and forming their Exceptions to the Credibility or -Probability of this or that part of it, so we Christians should be -ready at an Answer, that might reasonably satisfy them; and not -forcibly bear down their Opposition, which will make no sincere -Converts of them. And I believe they would easily distress us with -Difficulties and Objections to the Letter of this Story. - -St. _Augustin_ himself[55] owns, that the whole of it might be -perform'd by Magic Art; and we know, in these our Days, that some -Jugglers are strange Artists at the Imitation of a Voice, and to make -it as if it came from a far off, when it is uttered close by us, and -can cast themselves too into different Forms and Shapes, without a -Miracle, to the Surprise and Admiration of Spectators. - -But what, I trow, do our _Divines_ mean by _Jesus_'s -_Transfiguration_. We read that his Countenance did shine like the -Sun, and his Raiment was made as white as Snow, and that's all. And is -this enough can we think, to demonstrate that Transaction, a -miraculous _Transfiguration_? Philosophers will tell us, that the -Reflections of the Light of the Sun will change the Appearance of -Colours, and to none more than Whiteness; and _Sceptics_ will say, -that its no Wonder if the Countenance of _Jesus_ look'd _Rubicund_, -when the Sun might shine on it. - -The Word in the Original for _transfigured_, is [Greek: metamorphôthê], -that is, he was metamorphosed, transform'd, or, if you will, -transfigured. And what is to be understood by a _Metamorphosis_, we are -to learn not only from the natural Import of the Word, but from the -ancient Use of it. Accordingly, it signifies nothing less than the -Change or Transformation of a Person into the Forms, Shapes, and -Essences of Creatures and Things of a quite different Species, Size, and -Figure: But _Jesus_, it is conceived, was not so _transfigured_. Our -_Divines_, I suppose, would not have him thought such a _Posture-Master_ -for the whole World. If I, or anyone else, should assert, that _Jesus_ -upon the Mount transform'd himself into a Calf, a Lyon, a Bear, a Ram, a -Goat, an Hydra, a Stone, a Tree, and into many other Things of the -animate and inanimate World, I dare say there would, among our orthodox -_Divines_, be such Exclamations against me for Blasphemy, as the like -were never heard of. They, to be sure, will not hear of such a -Transfiguration; nor, like good plain believers, will bear any thing -more than that _Jesus_'s _Countenance did shine_ like the Sun, and the -Colour of his Vestments was changed; which whether it comes up to the -Import of a _Metamorphosis_ or not, they don't care. - -But to close with our _Divines_, and acknowledge that the glorious -Change of _Jesus_'s Countenance, and of the Colour of his Vestments, -was a true and proper Transfiguration, and that it was as real and -wonderful a Miracle as could be wrought: But then we may, I hope, ask -them, what was the particular Reason and Use of this Miracle? Was it a -Miracle only for the sake of a Miracle? That's an Absurdity in the -Opinion of[56] St. _Augustin_, who says, what is reasonable to think, -that all and every one of _Jesus_'s Miracles had its particular End -and Use; or he who is the Wisdom as well as Power of God, had never -wrought them. And what, I pray, was the life of this Miracle? Of that -the evangelical History is silent, and our _Divines_, with all their -reasoning Faculties, can say nothing to it. - -And what did _Moses_ and _Elias_ on the Mount with _Jesus_? Was it in -their own proper Persons that they appear'd? or were they only some -Spectres and Apparitions in resemblance of them? It is said, that they -were talking with _Jesus_; what then did they talk about? The three -greatest Prophets and Philosophers of the Universe could not possibly -meet and confer together, but on the most sublime, useful, and -edifying Subject. Its strange that the Apostles, who over-heard their -Confabulation, did not make a Report of it, and transmit it to -Posterity for our Edification and Instruction. St. _Luke_, as our -_English_ Translation has it, seems to say that they talk'd together -of _Jesus_'s _Decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem_; but -this can't be the Meaning of St. _Luke_'s[57] Words, which so -interpreted, are no less than a _Barbarism_, and, I appeal to our -Greek _Criticks_, an Improper Expression of such Signification. We -must then look for a more proper Construction of the Phrase in St. -_Luke_, or we must remain in the Dark, as to the Subject, that _Moses_ -and _Elias_ talked with _Jesus_ about. - -But further, Why could not this Miracle have been wrought in the -Valley as well as upon a Mountain, whither _Jesus_ and his three -Apostles ascended for the Work of it? Naughty _Infidels_ will say, it -was for the Advantage of a Cloud, which often moves and rests on the -Tops of Mountains, to display his Pranks in. And why was it not done -in the Presence of the Multitude, as well as of his three Apostles? -The more Witnesses of a Miracle, the better it is attested, and the -more reasonably credited; and there could not surely be too many -Witnesses of this, any more than of others of _Jesus_'s Miracles, if -real ones. Ought not the unbelieving Multitude, for many Unbelievers -unquestionably were amongst them, to have had a Sight and Hearing of -this Miracle, as well as the Apostles? Who should rather see the -Miracle, than those who wanted Conviction? Were they to take the -Report of the Miracle upon the Word of the Apostles, who were Parties -in the Cause? Our _Divines_ may possibly say they ought: But -_Infidels_ and _Free-Thinkers_ would cry out against them, for -juggling Tricks, and pious Impostures. - -These are all Difficulties and hard Questions about the Miracle of -Christ's Transfiguration, which our _Clergy_, who are Admirers of the -Letter of that Story, are obliged to account for; and I believe it -will be long enough before they give a proper and satisfactory Answer -to many of them. - -Let's hear then what the Fathers say to this miraculous Story of -_Jesus_'s Transfiguration. And it is agreed amongst them, that the -whole is but a Type,[58] Prefiguration, and[59] ænigmatical -Resemblance of a future and more glorious and real Transfiguration. -And whenever they speak of any Part of the Story, they never explain -to us how the Matter went upon Mount _Tabor_, but tell us of what -_this_ or _that_ Part of it is figurative and emblematical; and how it -is to be understood, and will be fulfill'd in future Time. As thus, by -_the_[60] _six Days_, they understood six Ages of the World, after -which a real and mysterious Transfiguration will be exhibited to our -intellectual Views. By _Moses_ and _Elias_[61] talking with _Jesus_, -they mean the Law and the Prophets, upon an allegorical -Interpretation, bearing Testimony unto Christ as the Fulfiller of -them. By the[62] _Mountain_ on which this future Transfiguration will -be exhibited, they understand the sublime and anagogical Sense of the -Law and the Prophets. By his _Transfiguration_ it self, they mean his -taking upon him, and passing through the Forms of all the Types of him -under the Law, as of a Lamb, a Lion, a Serpent, a Calf, a Rock, a -Stone, and of many others, which he is to fulfil, and which will then -be clearly discern'd by us. By the black Cloud[63] that at present -obstructs this Vision, they understand the Letter of the Old -Testament. By the white[64] Vestments of _Jesus_, they mean the Words -of the Scriptures, which will then shine clear and bright. By the -Voice out of the Cloud, they mean, with St. _Peter_, the Word of -Prophecy, that will sound in the Ears of our Apprehensions. And -lastly, they tell us, that the Way to attain to the Sight of this -glorious Vision, is by ascending (not by local Motion, but by Reason) -to the Tops of the Mountain of the mysterious and sublime Sense of the -Law and the Prophets. If we continue in the Plains and Vallies[65] of -the Letter, like the Multitude under the Mountain, we shall never see -_Jesus_ in his shining Vestments, nor how he was transform'd into the -Types of the Law; nor _Moses_ and _Elias_ talking with him; nor the -Law and the Prophets agreeing harmoniously in a Testimony to him. - -After this fashion do the Fathers, one or other of them, copiously -treat on every Part of this Transfiguration of _Jesus_. I could -collect an almost infinite Number of Passages out of their Writings to -this Purpose: But from these few it is plain, they look'd on the -Story of Christ's Transfiguration, but as a Figure and Parable; and -they were certainly in the right on't, in as much as this their Sense -of the Matter, and no other, will solve the Difficulties before -started against the Letter, as any one may discern, if he attentively -review and compare one with the other: As, for instance, this their -Sense and Interpretation lets us into the Reason of _Moses_ and -_Elias_'s appearing on the Mount with _Jesus_; and gives us to -understand what they talk'd about, and that was, not on _Jesus_'s -_Decease which he would accomplish at_ Jerusalem, as our Translation -has it, but on the Prophecy of the Old Testament; particularly, as St. -_Luke_ says, on _Moses_'s Book of _Exodus, and how he would fulfill -it_ at the New Jerusalem. - -Whether any, besides my self, does really apprehend, and is willing to -understand this Story of Christ's Transfiguration, as I do, I neither -know nor care. I am not bound to find others Ears, Eyes, and -Capacities. What I have said is enough to shew the Sense of the -Fathers about this Matter. If any dislike their concurrent Opinion of -_Jesus_'s Transfiguration's being an Emblem, an Enigma, and figurative -Representation of a future and most glorious Transfiguration, such a -one as they speak of; let him account for the Difficulties and -Objections which I have before raised against the Letter of this -Story. In the mean time I shall think it, literally, an absurd, -improbable, and incredible one, and no other than a prophetical and -parabolical Narrative of what will be mysteriously and more -wonderfully done by _Jesus_. - -And thus I have considered _three_ of the Miracles of our Saviour, and -shewn how they are Absurdities, according to the Letter, consequently -do make nothing for his Authority and _Messiahship_. I can and will do -as much by his other Miracles; for I would not have any one think I am -gotten to the End of my Tedder, but for some Reasons best known to my -self, I publish these Remarks on these three first. After the _Clergy_ -have chew'd upon these a while, I will take into Examination some -others of _Jesus_'s Miracles, which for their literal Story are -admired by them. As for Instance, - -I will take to task his Miracle[66] _of changing Water into Wine at a -Marriage in Cana of Galilee_; which was the beginning of _Jesus_'s -Miracles, and should by right have been first spoken to; but I am -almost too grave to handle the Letter of this Story as I ought; and if I -had treated it as ludicrously as it deserves, I don't know but at -setting out, I should have put the _Clergy_ quite out of all Temper. I -would not now for the World be so impious and profane, as to believe, -with our _Divines_, what is contain'd and imply'd in the Letter of this -Story. If _Apollonius Tyanæus_, and not _Jesus_, had been the Author of -this Miracle, we should often have reproached his Memory with it. It is -said of _Apollonius Tyanæus_, that a Table was all on a sudden, at his -Command, miraculously spread with Variety of nice Dishes for the -Entertainment of himself and his Guests; which Miracle, our _Divines_ -can tell him, makes not at all to his Credit, in as much as it was done -for the Service and Pleasure of luxurious Appetites. But if _Apollonius_ -had done, as our _Jesus_ did at this Wedding, they would have said much -worse of him; and that, modestly speaking, he delighted to make his -Friends thoroughly merry, or he would not be at the Pains of a Miracle -to turn so much Water into Wine, after they had before _well drank_. If -the Fathers then don't help us out at the mystical and true Meaning of -this Miracle, such farther Objections may be form'd against the Letter, -as may make our _Divines_ asham'd of it. - -I will also take into Examination _Jesus_'s Miracle[67] of _feeding -many Thousands in the Wilderness with a few Loaves and Fishes_; which, -according to the Letter, are most romantick Tales. I don't in the -least question _Jesus_'s Power to magnify or multiply the Loaves, and, -if he pleass'd, to meliorate the Bread: But that many Thousands of -Men, Women, and Children, should follow him into the Wilderness, and -stay with him three Days and Nights too, without eating, is a little -against Sense and Reason. Whether the Wilderness was near to, or far -from the People's Habitations, the Difficulties attending the Story -are equally great. I wonder how _Jesus_ amused them all the while, -that they had the Patience to stay with him without Food; but I much -more wonder, that no Victuallers besides the _Lad_ with his Loaves and -Fishes, of whom, and his Occupation, whether it was that of a _Baker_ -or _Fishmonger_; and of his Neglect of his Master's Business here; and -of the Reason that he met with no hungry Chapmen for his Bread before, -we shall make some Enquiry; but particularly why he alone, I say, and -no other Victuallers, no other Retalers of Cakes and Gingerbread -followed the Camp. In short, for all the imaginary Greatness of the -Miracle (which there is a way to reduce and lessen) of _Jesus_'s -feeding his Thousands with a few Loaves, there must be some -Fascination or Enchantment (condemn'd by the Laws of the _Jews_ as -well as of other Nations) in the Matter; or the People if they had -stay'd one Day, would not two, much less three _to faint_, but would, -especially the Women and Children, have been for returning the first -Night home. We must then seek to the Fathers (who say the five Books -of _Moses_ are the _five Barley Loaves_, &c. and the septiform'd -Spirit, the _seven Loaves_, &c.) for a good Notion of this Miracle, -and if they don't make it a Parable; do what our _Divines_ can, it -will turn to the Dishonour of the holy Jesus. - -I will also consider the Miracle of _Jesus_'s[68] _curing the Man sick -of the Palsy, for whom the Roof of the House was broken up, to let him -down into the Room where_ Jesus _was, because his Bearers could not -enter in at the Door for the Press of the People_. This literally is -such a _Rodomontado_, that were Men to stretch for a Wager, against -Reason and Truth, none could out-do it. Where was the Humanity of the -People, and wherefore did they so tumultuate against the Door of the -House? Its _strange_ they had not so much Compassion on the -_Paralytick_, as to give way to him: Its _more strange_ that his Bearers -could get to the Top of the House with him and his Bed too, when they -could not get to the Door, nor the Sides of it: Its _yet stranger_, that -the good Man of the House would suffer his House to be broken up, when -it could not be long ere the Tumult of the People would be appeas'd: But -most _strange_, that _Jesus_, who could drive his thousands out at the -Temple before him, and draw as many after him into the Wilderness, did -not, by Force or Persuasion, make the People to retreat, but that such -needless Trouble and Pains must be taken for the miraculous Cure of this -poor Man. Let's think of these Things against the Time, that out of the -Fathers I prove this Story to be a Parable. - -I will also take into Consideration the Miracle of _Jesus_'s curing -_the_[69] _blind Man, for whom Eye-Salve was made of Clay and -Spittle_; which Eye-Salve, whether it was balsamick or not, does -equally affect the Credit of the Miracle. If it was naturally -medicinal, there's an End of the Miracle; and if it was not at all -medicinal, it was foolishly and impertinently apply'd, and can be no -otherwise accounted for, than by considering it, with the Fathers, as -a figurative Act in _Jesus_. - -I will also take into Consideration the several Stories of _Jesus_'s -raising of the Dead; and, without questioning his actual bringing of -the Dead to Life again, will prove from the Circumstances of those -Stories, that they are parabolical, and are not literally to be -apply'd to the Proof of _Jesus_'s divine Authority and Messiahship; -or, for Instance, _Jesus_, when he raised _Jairus_'s[70] Daughter from -the Dead, would never have turned the People out of the House, who -should have been his best and properest Witnesses. - -I will also consider the Miracle of _Jesus_'s[71] _cursing the -Fig-Tree_, for its not bearing Fruit out of Season; which, upon the -bare mention of it, appears to be a foolish, absurd, and ridiculous -Act, if not figurative. - -I will also consider the[72] Journey of the Wisemen out of the East, -with their (literally) senseless and ridiculous Presents of -_Frankincense_ and _Myrrhe_, to a new-born Babe. If with their _Gold_, -which could be but little, they had brought their _Dozens_ of Sugar, -Soap, and Candles, which would have been of Use to the Child and his -poor Mother in the Straw, they had acted like wise as well as good -Men. But what, I pray, was the Meaning and Reason of a Star, like a -_Will-a-Whisp_, for their Guide to the Place, where the holy Infant -lay. Could not God, by divine Impulse, in a Vision or in a Dream, as -he ordered their Return home, have sent them on this important Errand; -but that a Star must be taken or made out of Course to this Purpose? I -wonder what Communication passed between these Wisemen and the Star, -or how they came to know one anothers Use and Intention. But the -Fathers shall speak hereafter farther to the Senselessness of this -Story literally, and make out the Mystery and true Meaning of it. - -I will also, by the Leave of our _Divines_, take again into -Consideration the miraculous Conception of the Virgin _Mary_, and the -Resurrection of _Jesus_ from the Dead. I do believe, if it may so -please our _Divines_, that _Jesus_ was born of a pure Virgin, and that -he arose from the Dead: But speaking too briefly, in the _Moderator_, -to these two Miracles, they took Offence. I will therefore give them a -Review, and speak home to them; particularly to Christ's Resurrection, -the evangelical Story of which literally, is such a Complication of -Absurdities, Incoherences, and Contradictions, that unless the Fathers -can help us to a better Understanding of the _Evangelists_ than we -have at present, we must of Necessity give up the Belief of it. - -These and many[73] other of the historical and miraculous Parts of -_Jesus_'s Life, will I take into Examination, and shew, that none of -them literally do prove his divine Authority: so far from it, that they -are full of Absurdities, Improbabilities, and Incredibilities; but that -his whole Life in the Flesh, is but[74] Type, Figure, and Parable of his -mysterious and spiritual Life and Operations in Mankind. - -In the End of this Head, it will be a curious and diverting Subject to -examine the Miracles of _Jesus_ as they are literally understood, by the -Notions which our _Divines_ have advanced about Miracles; and to shew, -that even their Notions compared with Christ's Miracles, are destructive -of his Authority, and subversive of Christianity. This, I say, would be -a most diverting Undertaking, and it will be strange, if some -_Free-Thinker_, that loves Pleasure of this kind, does not take the -Hint, and snatch the Work out of my Hands. If I do it my self, I shall -have especial Regard to the Writers against the _Grounds_, without -passing by Mr. _Chandler_'s _Essay on Miracles_; on which the more -Remarks will be made, if it be but to pay my Respects to the -_Archbishop_'s Judgment, and to shew my Admiration at those extravagant -Praises, which his _Grace_ at _Lambeth_ has bestowed on that Author. -Among other his notable Notions of a Miracle (and the _Archbishop_ says -he has[75] _set the Notion of a Miracle upon a clear and sure -Foundation_) one is,[76] _That Miracles should be Things probable as -well as possible, that they do not carry along with them the Appearance -of Romance and Fable, which would unavoidably prejudice Men against -believing them_. This is certainly a good and right Notion of a divine -Miracle; and I don't doubt, but according to it, Mr. _Chandler_ and the -_Archbishop_ think, they can justify the literal Story of our Saviour's -Miracles, against the Charge of _Fable_ and _Romance_: But whether they -are able to do it or not, I shall go on, in some Discourses hereafter to -be publish'd, to prove that our _Divines_, by espousing the Letter of -Christ's Miracles, have deceived themselves into the Belief of the most -arrant _Quixotism_ that can be devis'd and palm'd upon the -Understandings of Mankind. I say, they have deceived themselves; for -neither the Fathers, nor the Apostles, nor even _Jesus_ himself, means -that his Miracles, as recorded in the _Evangelists_, should be taken in -a literal Sense, but in[77] a mystical, figurative, and parabolical one. -And this should bring me to the - -III. Head of my Discourse; that is, to consider what _Jesus_ means, when -he appeals to his Works and Miracles, as to a Witness and Testimony of -his divine Authority; and to shew, that he could not properly and truly -refer to those supposed to be wrought by him in the _Flesh_, but to -those mystical ones he would do in the _Spirit_, of which those -seemingly wrought by him in the Flesh, are but Types and Shadows. - -But this Head can't be rightly spoken to, till I have more amply -discuss'd the former, which, by God's Leave, I promise to do: And if -my _courteous Readers_ will be so kind as to trust me till that Time, -I assure them to prove, that no Ignorance and Stupidity can be -greater, than the Imagination that _Jesus_ really appeal'd to his -Miracles, supposed to have been wrought by him in the Flesh, as to a -Witness and Testimony of his divine Authority, and _Messiahship_. - -In the mean Time our _Divines_ may go on in their own Way, if they -think fit, and admire _Jesus_ of old, and celebrate his Power and -Praises for healing of bodily Diseases, and doing other notable Feats -according to the Letter of the evangelical Story; but I am for the -spiritual _Jesus_ and _Messiah_, who cures the worse[78] Distempers of -the Soul, and does other mysterious and most miraculous Works, of -which those recorded in the Evangelists, are but Figure and Parable. -This is the primitive and concurrent Opinion about the true _Messiah_, -which the Fathers universally adher'd to. Whether our _Jesus_, at this -Day, be such a spiritual _Messiah_ to his Church, or whether she does -not stand in need of such a one, is the Question that our _Divines_ -are to see to. But I will add here, what I believe, and than have -another Opportunity to prove, that God on purpose suffer'd or -empower'd _false_ as well as _true_ Prophets, _bad_ as well as _good_ -Men, such as _Apollonius_, _Vespasian_, and many others to cure -Diseases, and to do other mighty Works, equal to what are literally -reported of _Jesus_, not only to defeat us of all distinction between -true and false Miracles, which are the Object of our bodily Senses, -but to raise and keep up our Thoughts to the constant Contemplation of -_Jesus_'s spiritual, mysterious, and most miraculous Works, which are -the Object of our Understandings, and loudly bespeak the Power, -Wisdom, and Goodness of God; and which are to be the absolute -Demonstration of _Jesus_'s divine Authority and _Messiahship_ to the -Conversion of _Jews_ and _Infidels_. - -I have no more to do at present, but, like a _Moderator_, to conclude -with a short Address and Exhortation to _Infidels_ and _Apostates_, -the two contending Parties in the present Controversy. And - -_First_, To _Apostates_, I mean the Writers against the _Grounds_ and -_Scheme_. Whether you, _grave Sirs_, who account your selves orthodox -_Divines_, tho' there is little but Contradiction and Inconsistency -amongst you, do like the Name of _Apostates_ which is given you, I -much question: But it is the properest, I could think of, for your -Desertion of primitive Doctrine about Prophecy and Miracles. I could, -not improperly have given you a worse _Title_, but I was willing to -compliment you, rather than reproach you with this. - -But setting aside the Title of _Apostates_, whether it be, in your -Opinion, opprobrious or not; you may plainly perceive, that I am, -_Sirs_, on your Side, as to the Truth of Christianity; and if you'll -accept of my Assistance for the Proof of _Jesus_'s Messiahship from -Prophecy, upon the Terms of the allegorical Scheme proposed in my -_Moderator_, you shall find me your hearty Abettor. Upon the -allegorical Scheme, I don't doubt but we shall soundly drub and mawl -_Infidels_, and beat them out of the Field of Battle. If you, being -wedded to the literal Scheme, will not accept of my Assistance, you -may go on in your own Way, and see the Event of the Controversy, -which in the End will turn to your Dishonour. - -You, _Sirs_, can't but be sensible, how those two great Generals, Mr. -_Grounds_, and Mr. _Scheme_, with their potent Armies of Reasons and -Authorities against your literal Prophecies, have grievously -distress'd and gall'd you; and if you don't make an honourable Retreat -in Time, and seek to _Allegorists_ for Help, will gain a compleat -Victory and Triumph over you. - -Instead of the Help of _Allegorists_, you, I find, under the -Disappointment of your literal Scheme, chuse rather to have Recourse to -_Jesus_'s Miracles: But what little Dependence there is upon his -Miracles, in your Sense, I have in _part_ proved in this Discourse; and -this I have done (give me leave repeatedly to declare it) not for the -Service of your unbelieving Adversaries, but to reduce you to the good -old Way of interpreting Oracles, which, upon the Testimony of the -Fathers, will, one Day, be the Conversion of the _Jews_ and _Gentiles_. - -Whether you, _Sirs_, will be pleas'd with this short Discourse on -Christ's Miracles, I much question. But before you put your selves -into a Rage against it, I beg of you to read St. _Theophilus_ of -_Antioch_, _Origen_, St. _Hilary_, St. _Augustin_, St. _Ambrose_, St. -_Jerome_, St. _Chrysostom_, St. _John_ of _Jerusalem_, St. -_Theophylact_, and other occasional ancient Pieces on one part or -other of the _Evangelists_; and you'll find how they countenance such -a Discourse as this on Miracles, and will abundantly assist me in the -Prosecution of it. - -I expect, _Sirs_, that some of you will be ready to rave against me -for this Discourse; but this is my Comfort, that if your Passion -should arise to another Prosecution of me, you can't possibly separate -any of mine from the Opinions of the Fathers to ground a Prosecution -on: And what Dishonour in the End will redown to Protestant and -pretendedly learned _Divines_ of the Church of _England_, to persecute -again the Fathers for primitive Doctrine, I desire you to think on. - -But, as I suppose, you'll have more Wit, _Sirs_, than to prosecute me -again for this Discourse; so I hope you'll have more Ingenuity, than -odiously (after your wonted manner) to represent me to the Populace, -for Profaneness, Blasphemy, and Infidelity. If you dislike the whole, -or any part of this Discourse, appear like Men and Scholars, from the -_Press_ against it. Use me as roughly in Print as you think fit, I'll -not take it ill. - - _Veniam petimus, dabimusq; vicissim._ - -I desire nothing more than to be furiously attack'd from the _Press_, -which, if I am not much mistaken, would give me a long'd for -Opportunity to expose your Ignorance to more Advantage. - -Be not longer mistaken, _good Sirs_. The History of _Jesus_'s Life, as -recorded in the _Evangelists_, is an emblematical Representation of -his spiritual Life in the Soul of Man; and his Miracles are Figures of -his mysterious Operations. The four Gospels are in no Part a literal -Story, but a System of mystical Philosophy or Theology. - -If you are resolved not to come into this Opinion, I beg of you again, -before you break forth into a Passion, to try to vindicate the literal -Story of the three Miracles spoken to in this Discourse, _viz._ those -of Jesus'_s driving the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple; of his -exorcising the Devil out of the Madman; and of his Transfiguration on -the Mount;_ which if you are able to defend against the Fathers, and -my Objections, I'll give up the Cause to you, and own my self (what I -am far enough from being) an impious Infidel and Blasphemer, and -deserving of the worst Punishment. In the mean time, I make bold again -to assert, that the literal Story of Christ's Life and Miracles, is -an absurd and incredible Romance, full of Contradictions and -Inconsistencies; and that modern Paraphrases are not only a -consequential Reflection on the Intellects of the _Evangelists_, and -their divine Gifts of the Spirit, as if they could not write an -intelligible and coherent Piece of Biography without your Help at this -Distance of Time; but have even darken'd and obscured the seemingly -native Simplicity of the Story of the Life of _Jesus_. So leaving you -to chew upon this, I turn - - * * * * * - -My Address to _Infidels_, particularly to the two most renown'd Writers -of the Party, Mr. _Grounds_, and Mr. _Scheme_. I should, _Gentlemen_, by -right, salute you with the Title of _Free-Thinkers_, a proper Name for -your philosophical Sect, who are for the free Exercise of your Reason -about divine and speculative Points in Theology. And I had distinguish'd -you by this Title from your apostatical Adversaries, but that I had a -mind to oblige my old Friends the _Clergy_, in giving you a no more -honourable Title than I do them. And I trust you will not be offended at -the Title of _Infidels_, since not only your Writings seem to have a -Tendency to Infidelity; but, if there be any Fault in your Principles, -you know how to charge it on your Adversaries, the pretended Advocates -for Christianity, whose Absurdities, false Reasonings, Inconsistencies, -and foolish Glosses on the Scriptures, have occasioned your Departure -from the Faith in Christ. - -I thank Mr. _Scheme_ for the noble Present of his Book, which I -received and read with Pleasure. But instead of one, he should have -sent me a _Dozen_ for the Use of Friends and Borrowers, who are very -curious and importunate for the Perusal of it. For what Reason he -envies the _Booksellers_ the publick Sale of his Work, chusing rather -to give it away _gratis_, than that they should reap any Profit by it, -I know not. Surely it is not to bring an _Odium_ on the _Clergy_ for -Persecutors, as if such an useful and philosophical Piece might not -appear publickly without Danger from them: If so, I hope the _Clergy_ -will resent the Indignity, and invite him to a Publication of his -Book, with a Promise of Impunity, which would wipe off the Reproach, -which this clandestine Method of disposing of it has cast on them. - -I once almost despair'd, _Sirs_, of seeing such another Piece from -your Quarter. I was afraid the Prosecution of the _Moderator_, would -have deterr'd you from the Press, whereby our excellent Controversy on -Foot must have been dropt: But the sudden and unexpected Appearance of -Mr. _Scheme_, has revived me, and rejoiced the Cockles of my Heart. -Go on then, _great Sirs_, in this Controversy, which Mr. _Grounds_ -happily commenc'd; and if you are deny'd the Liberty of the Press, and -publick Sale of your Books, I hope you'll, for all that, as occasion -offers it self, oblige the Learned and Curious with some more of your -bright Lucubrations, tho' you print them, and dispose of them in this -clancular and subtil Method. - -It is not that I wish well to your Cause of Infidelity, that I thus -encourage you. You have more Sense and Reason than to suspect me tainted -with unbelieving Principles. Christianity will stand its Ground against -your battering Armour; and the Church of Christ will be the more firmly -establish'd on a Rock of Wisdom, for that Opposition you make to it. -Tho' you will entirely vanquish the literal _Schemists_, and ride in -Triumph over them, yet other Defenders of the Faith, call'd -_Allegorists_, will arise to your Confutation and final Overthrow. - -If I am not mistaken, _Sirs_, your Adversaries, the literal -_Schemists_, whom I call _Apostates_, are about making a Retreat, and -yielding the Field of Battle to you. The _Bishop_ of _Litchfield_, the -greatest General on their Side, will not only find it hard to levy -any more Forces in Defence of his _twelve_ literal Prophecies; but he -knows that, if he draws his Sword any more against you, he must attack -too the Authority of the Fathers for the allegorical Interpretation of -some of those Prophecies, already urg'd in my _Supplements_ to the -_Moderator_; or, if the Fathers are neglected by him; they and I, -keeping out of the Reach of his _Bug-Bear_, will treat him with such -familiar Language, as never was given to one of his Order. - -Mr. _Scheme_ seems to promise us a Discourse on the Miracles in the -Scriptures; I hope he'll be as good as his Word, and ere long publish -it. This Discourse of mine can't possibly supersede his. As I question -not but his Thoughts and Remarks on Miracles will be very considerable; -so I shall be a little impatient till I see them. But be his Discourse -on Miracles of what Kind soever, I believe it will hardly be an -Obstruction to my Undertaking in Hand, which I intend, by God's Leave, -to go on with, to the Honour of the holy _Jesus_, our spiritual -_Messiah_, to whom be Glory and Praise for ever and ever. _Amen._ - - - ~_FINIS._~ - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] Page 44. - -[2] Page 53. - -[3] Universam porro Sacram Scripturam tam Novi quam Veteris Testamenti -ad allegoricum sensum esse sumendam, admonet nos vel illud, Aperiam os -meum in Parabolis. _In Prasat. ad Form. Spirit. Intell._ - -[4] Si quidem Symbola quædam erant quæ tunc gerebantur eorum, quæ Jesu -virtute semper perficiuntur. _In Mat._ C. xv. - -[5] Omnis languor & omnis Infirmitas quam sanavit salvator tunc in -Populo referuntur ad Infirmitates spirituales Animarum, _&c._ _In_ -Mat. _C._ xvii. - -[6] Christi Gesta aliud portendunt. _In_ Mat. _C._ xii. Evangelicis -gestis est interior Sensus, _C._ xiv. Hæc licet in præsens gesta sunt, -quid tamen in futurum significent contuendum est, _C._ x. Peragunt -formam futuri gesta præsentia, _C._ xxi. - -[7] Quæ a Jesu facta sunt, alicujus significantia erant. _Serm._ 77. - -[8] Omne quod fecit Jesus, Sacramenta sunt. _Homil._ 31. _in_ Marc. 9. - -[9] Si enim temporalis erat ab eo Utilitas, nihil grande præstitit -iis, qui ab eo curati sunt, _L. V._ C. 12. _S._ 6. - -[10] Contra Celsum, _L._ 11. - -[11] Coecum curavit, magnum quidem est, quod fecit, sed nisi quotidie -fiat, quod olim factum, nobis quidem magnum esse cessavit. _Homil._ -30. _in_ Marc. 9. - -[12] Si humano captu & ingenio consideremus Jesum facientem, & quod ad -potestatem non magnum aliquid fecit, & quod ad benignitatem, parvum -fecit. _In_ Johan. _Cap._ v. _Tract._ 17. - -[13] Etsi attestabantur Miracula, non defuissent (sicut & nunc -mussitant) qui magicæ potentiæ cuncta illa tribuerent. _Cont. Faust._ -_L._ XII. _C._ 45. - -[14] _Vid._ Sanctum _Augustinum_ de _Anti-christo_. - -[15] 1 _Cor._ C. xii. - -[16] Atque illud ad Rem maxime partineat, ne decipiamur tendentes ad -Contemplationem Veritatis----Arbitrantes ibi esse invisibilem -sapientiam, ubi Miraculum visibile viderimus. _In Serm. Dom. in -monte_, _Lib._ 2. _Sect._ 84. - -[17] Interim completur & Isaiæ Prophetia non tantum in corporalibus, -verum etiam in spiritualibus, _Origen_. _In Matt. Cap._ xv. Aperientur -igitur Oculi cæcorum, aures surdorum audient, nam qui quondam divinis -sermonibus rejectis mysticam Sanctorum Institutionem recipere non -studuerunt, libenter eam admittent. St. _Cyril in_ Loc. Is. _Vide & -Sanctum Hieronymum in_ Loc. Isai. - -[18] Et nunc majores sanitates operatur, propter quas non est -dedignatus tunc exhibere illas minores. _In Serm._ 88. - -[19] In quibus Spiritualibus maxime Christi Persona eminet. _August. -Quest. 2. in Lucan._ - -[20] Modo Caro cæca non aperit oculos miraculo Domini, sed cor cæcum -aperit oculos Sermoni Domini. Modo non resurgit mortale cadaver, sed -resurgit anima quæ mortua jucebat in vivo Cadavere, _&c. August. -Serm._ 88. _S._ 3. - -[21] Historia Scripturæ interdum interferit quædam vel minus gesta, -vel quæ omnino geri non possunt, interdum quæ possunt geri, nec tamen -gesta sunt. _De Principiis_, Lib. 4. - -[22] Multa sunt, quæ non sinunt nos simplici sensu dicta evangelica -suscipere. Interpositis enim non nullis Rebus quæ ex Natura humani -sensus sibi contraria sunt; Rationem quærere cælestis Intelligentiæ -admonemur. _In Matt. L._ xx. _S._ 2. - -[23] Evangelica Sacramenta in Christi factis signata omnibus non -patent, & ea nonnulli minus diligenter interpretando asserunt -plerumque pro salute Perniciem, & pro Cognitione Veritatis Errorem, -_&c._ _De Quæst. Divers. Quest._ 84. - -[24] _Matt._ xxi. _Mark_ xi. _Luke_ xix. _John_ ii. - -[25] In Comment. in _Matth._ xxi. - -[26] Porro cui curæ est accuratior Inquisitio considerabit, an juxta -dignitatem præsentis Vitæ erat, ut Jesus rem talem auderet facere, -extrudere videlicet Mercatorum Multitudinem, qui ad Diem festum -ascenderant, distributuri boves ditioribus, & tanto populo oves -mactandas per domos familiarium, quæ multorum millium complerent -numerum; atque eos qui in rebus talibus gloriantes producturi erant in -medio Columbas, quas multi emptori erant, ceu in Conventu celeberrimo -convivaturi. Considerabit hic etiam, an Nummulariorum erat non -accusare Jesum contumeliose propter suas ipsorum effusas pecunias & -mensas subversas. Quis autem flagello e funiculis verberatus & -expulsus ab eo qui penes eos habebatur vilis, hunc adortus non -inclamasset totis viribus sese ulciscens? Cum præsertim haberet tantam -multitudinem eorum, qui sibi æque contumeliam fieri credebant, -faventem sibi adversum Jesum? Insuper consideremus, Dei filium -funiculos sumentem; sibique flagellum tenentem ad extrudendum e -templo, annon repræsentet Præter audaciam & temeritatem, inordinatum -etiam quiddam? In _Johan._ Tom. XI. - -[27] Præfiguratio futurorum dictis præsentibus continetur. _In Matt._ -xxi. - -[28] Admomemur altius Verborum Virtutes in istius modi -significationibus contuendas, _ibid._ - -[29] In Cathedra est sacerdotii sedes; & eorum qui Spiritus sancti -Donum venale habent, Cathedras evertet, _ibid._ - -[30] Non habebant Judæi quod venire possent, neque erat quod emere -quis posset, _ibid._ - -[31] Cathedra autem Vendentium Columbas cur everterit? Secundum -Litteram non intelligo. Admonet Typo ejectorum de Templo hujusmodi -Mercatorum, in Ecclesia Dei Consortium eos habere non posse, qui -sancti Spiritus Gratiam nundinentur. _In Loc. Luc._ - -[32] Juxta simplicem Intelligentiam--quod ponitus absurdum--cæterum -secundum Mysticos In tellectus Jesus ingreditur Templum Patris & -ejicit omnes Episcopos, Presbyteros, & Diaconos, _&c. In Loc. Mat._ - -[33] Faciet Dominus Flagellum de Scripturarum Textuum Testimoniis. _In -Zechar._ C. xiv. - -[34] Non magnum Peccatum, si hoc vendebant in Templo, quod emebatur, -ut offerretur in Templo. _In Loc. Johan._ - -[35] Qui sunt tamen qui boves vendunt? ut in figura quæramus Mysterium -facti, qui sunt qui Oves vendunt Columbas? ipsi sunt qui sua quærunt -in Ecclesia, non quæ Jesu Christi. _Ibid._ - -[36] Vos enim fecistis Domum meum, Domum Negotiationis & speluncam -Latronum, significant futuros in Ecclesia. _L._ II. _Evang. Quæst. -Quast._ 48. - -[37] [Greek: Didaskalos ôn, ou katangellei logon, ei mê kerdos echei, -kai toutou tên trapezan anatrepei o Kyeios]. _In Johan._ C. ii. - -[38] _Chandler's_ Vindication, _&c._ p. 145. - -[39] Hoc facto longe aliud significabat Jesus, nec enim illum -tantopere commovebat Templum illud mercimoniis Boum, Ovium, Hircorum & -Columbarum profanatum; sed ostendere voluit Avaritiam & Quæstum sore -capitalem Pestem Ecclesiæ, quam Templum, cujus Religio mox erat -abolenda, figurabat--In nullum Hominum Genus acrius sæviit Jesus, sed -hos ipse sibi servavit ejiciendos, cum videbitur. _In Loc. Matt._ xxi. - -[40] _Vid._ Suicerum in [Greek: Kollubustês]. - -[41] [Greek: Trapeza], apud Aristophanem est Pulpitum. _Vid._ Scapulam. - -[42] _Matt._ viii. _Mark_ v. _Luke_ viii. - -[43] _Luke_ xiii. v. 27. - -[44] _Spencer_ de Legibus Hebræ, _p._ 117. - -[45] _Lib._ IV. De Principiis. - -[46] Hanc habeant Causam, ut esset in rebus gerendis futuri plena -meditatio. _In Loc. Matt._ In hoc Typica ratio servata est. _Ibid._ - -[47] Significatæ sunt gentes quæ multis dæmonibus serviebant. -_Augustin in Luc. Quest._ 13. - -[48] Humanum genus ad Adventum Domini vexabatur furore dementi, -rumpens vincula rationis. St. _Amb. in Loc. Luc._ - -[49] Nudus quicunque tegumentum Naturæ suæ & Virtutis amisit. _Amb. -Ibid._ - -[50] In tumulis Sepulchrorum; quid enim aliud sunt Corpora perfidorum, -nisi quædam defunctorum Sepulchra in quibus Dei verbum non habitat. -_Ibid._ - -[51] Videntes Dæmones non sibi jam locum in gentibus derelinqui, ut -patiatur habitare se in Hæreticis deprecantur. _Hilar. in Loc. Matt._ - -[52] Litera est Palea, & frequenter evenit, ut homines hujus soeculi -mystica nescientes, simplici Scripturarum Lectione pascuntur. _Hieron. -in_ Isa. xi. - -[53] _Matt._ xvii. _Mark_ ix. _Luke_ ix. - -[54] 2 _Pet._ i. 16, 17, 18. - -[55] Possunt infideles istam Vocem delatam de Cælo, per conjecturas -humanas & illicitas Curiositates ad magicas Artes reserte. _In Serm._ -xliii. _Sect._ 5. - -[56] Neque enim Miracula propter Miracula faciebat, sed ut illa quæ -faciebat, mira essent videntibus, vera essent intelligentibus. _In -Serm._ xcviii. _Sect._ 3. - -[57] [Greek: Helegon tên exodon autou ên emelle plêroun], C. ix. V. 31. - -[58] Regni coelestis Honor prefiguratur. St. _Hilar. in Loc. Matt._ In -Transfiguratione futura Regni Præmeditatio & Gloria demonstrata est. -St. _Hierom. in Loc. Matt._ - -[59] [Greek: Ainigmatôdês parodeixis tês Basileias], Anast. in Transfig. -Dom. [Greek: Ypodeigma tês doxês ekeinês.] St. _Chrysost. in Loc. Matt._ - -[60] Sex millium scilicet Annorum Temporibus evolutis. St. _Hilar. in -Loc. Matt._ Sic post Sex ætates Dominus a perfectis Famulis -conspicietur. _Dionys. Alex. apud Damascen. in Orat. de Transfig._ - -[61] Et Moses & Elias apparuerunt in Gloria, cum Jesu colloquentes, in -quo ostenditur Legem & Prophetas, cum Evangeliis consonare & in eadem -Gloria spiritualis intelligentiæ refulgere. _Origen. in Epist. ad -Rom._ c. 1. - -[62] Montem ascendit ut te doceat, ne quæras eum nisi in Legis & -Prophetarum montibus. _Origen in Cantic. Cantic. Hom._ 3. - -[63] Per nubem tetram intellige opacitatem Legis. _Damascen. in Orat. -de Transfigur._ - -[64] Vestimenta candida Jesu sunt Sermones & Scripta Evangeliorum. -_Origen in Loc. Matt._ - -[65] Si quis Litteram sequitur, & deorsum est totus, hic non potest -videre Jesum in veste candida; qui autem sequitur Sermonem Dei & ad -montana, id est, excelsa Legis conscendit, isti Jesus commutatur---- -Quamdiu Litteram sequimur occidentem, Moses & Elias cum Jesu non -loquuntur; sin spiritualiter intelligimus, statim Moses & Elias -veniunt, id est Lex & Prophetæ & colloquuatur cum Evangelio. _Johan. -Hieros. Hom._ 32. - -[66] _John_ ii. - -[67] _Matt._ C. xiv. and xv. _&c._ - -[68] _Mark_ ii. _Luke_ v. - -[69] _John_ ix. - -[70] _Mark_ v. - -[71] _Matt._ xxi. _Mark_ xi. - -[72] _Matt._ ii. - -[73] Alia quam plurima his similia in Evangeliis inveniet, quicunque -attentius legerit. _Origen. de Principiis_, lib. iv. - -[74] Quæ Enarratio erit Evangelii sensibilis, nisi accommodetur ad -intelligible & spirituale? Nulla sane, _Origen. is Præfat. ad Johan. -Evang._ - -[75] _See Archbishop_ Wake's _Manuscript Letter to Mr._ Chandler, -_which is handed about Town and Country_. - -[76] Chandler's _Vindication_, &c. p. 81. - -[77] Dominus noster ea quæ faciebat corporaliter, etiam spiritualiter -volebat intelligi, _&c. August. Serm._ xcviii. _Sect._ 3. - -[78] Quos in corporibus morbos sanavit Christus, hi in animabus -existunt, & supernam ejus opem requirunt. _Johan. Nepos. Hieros._ Hom. -LXI. - - - - - A SECOND - DISCOURSE - ON THE - MIRACLES - OF OUR - _SAVIOUR_, - - In VIEW of the present Controversy - between INFIDELS and - APOSTATES. - - _Audendum est, ut illustrata Veritas pateat, - multique ab Errore liberentur._ Lactant. - - By THOMAS WOOLSTON, sometime - Fellow of _Sidney-College_ in _Cambridge_. - - _LONDON_: - - Printed for the Author, Sold by him in _Bell-Alley_, - _Coleman-Street_, and by the Booksellers of - _London_ and _Westminster_. 1727. - - [Price One Shilling.] - - - - -[Illustration] - - TO THE - Right Reverend Father in God - _EDWARD_, - Lord BISHOP of _Lichfield_. - - -MY LORD, - -Your Fame for that celebrated Book, call'd the _Defence of -Christianity_, is the Occasion of this Dedication. I need not tell you, -what vast Reputation you have acquired by it: You have been not only -often applauded from the Press, but have met with large Compliments and -Thanks from your Clergy for it. And tho' Mr. _Scheme_ has very -untowardly written against you, yet this is _still_ your Honour, that -you are an _Author_, not unworthy of his Regard and Notice. - -I am, in Opinion with the Fathers, against an establish'd Hire for -the Priesthood, thinking it of disservice to true Religion: But when -I consider'd the Usefulness of your Lordship's Episcopal Riches and -Honours to this Controversy, I almost chang'd my Mind. Your exalted -Station in the Church, has given Credit and Authority to your Work, -which, if it had came from the Hands of a poor Priest, had never been -so much admir'd; neither would Mr. _Scheme_, I believe, nor my self, -have paid so many Respects to it. - -For this Reason, I wish some more of your _Order_ would appear in this -Controversy, that the World might see what famous Men are our -_Bishops_, and of what Use their _Hundreds_ and _Thousands_ a Year are -to the Defence of Christianity; which, if such able Hands were not -amply hired to its Support, might be in Danger, as certainly as, that -Men of low Fortunes must needs be Men of poor Parts, little Learning, -and slender Capacities to write in Vindication of it. - -Some have conceiv'd Hopes that the great _Bishop_ of _London_, from -his last Charge to his _Clergy_, will second you in this Controversy; -if so, there's no doubt on't, but his Performance will be commensurate -to his State and Revenues. Of his Zeal in the Controversy, he has -already given a notable Instance, when he prosecuted the _Moderator_; -and I dare say, he'll vouchsafe us a more remarkable Specimen of his -Knowledge in it, as soon as he can spare Time for't; and then (Oh my -Fears!) he'll pay me off for my Objection against Christ's -Resurrection, which he would have persuaded the Civil Magistrate to -have done for him. - -But whether the _Bishop_ of _London_ seconds you or not, it's Time, -_my Lord_, to expect another Volume from you, in Answer to Mr. -_Scheme_, which, for all the Reports that are spread of your intended -Silence, I hope soon to see publish'd. What will the People say, if -that _Philisthin_ goes off, giving you the last Blow in the -Controversy? Nothing less than that he has gotten the better of the -Learned _Bishop_ of _Lichfield_, and has refuted Christianity to the -Conviction of the Bishop himself, who would renounce it too, but for -the temporal Advantages he enjoys by it. - -Think, _my Lord_, on the Dishonour of such Reflections, and resume -Courage against the Adversary. I look upon you as a more sturdy -Gladiator than for one Cut on the Pate, to quit the Stage of Battle. -Tho' Mr. _Scheme_ has unluckily hit you on a soft Place, and weaken'd -your Intellectuals for a while; yet he is a generous Combatant, and -gives you Time to recover your wonted Strength of Reason. At him again -then, _my Lord_, and fear not, in your Turn, to give him such a -Home-Thrust, as will pierce his unbelieving Heart. - -And when your _Lordship_ engages him again from the _Press_, I hope -you'll be more explicite for Liberty of Debate. Through godly Zeal for -_Church_, you unhappily made a Slip, in your _Dedication_ to the _King_, -on the persecuting Side of the Question, which had lik'd to have sully'd -the Glory of your whole Work. Such a grand Philosopher, as you are, -should trust alone to the Goodness of your Cause, and the Strength of -your Reasonings, in Defence of it: Such a potent Champion for -Christianity, as you are, should disdain the Assistance of any, but of -God, to fight for you. The Use of the Civil Sword on your Side, is not -only a Disparagement to your Parts, but a Disgrace to our Religion. - -I know not what your _Lordship_ may think on't, but the Prosecution of -the _Moderator_ was, in the Judgment of others, more than of my self, -some Reproach to you: Because of a few slender Animadversions, I made -on your renown'd Book, some think I suffer'd a Prosecution, which you, -in Honour, should have discourag'd. I am willing to acquit you as much -as may be; and would, if I could, impute it to your Forgetfulness, -rather than your Malice, that you step'd not between me and Danger. - -Whether this Discourse will be acceptable to your Lordship, is -somewhat uncertain; I am afraid it will be a little disgustful to -your nice and delicate Taste in Theology, which relishes nothing -better than the plain and ordinary Food of the Letter of _Christ_'s -Miracles: But however, you will readily interpret this _Dedication_ to -your Honour, and if you should make me a large present of Gold for it, -I sincerely assure your _Lordship_, it will be more than I aim'd at; -neither do I desire any other Return for it, than to be endulg'd the -Liberty and Pleasure to pay my customary Respects to your Writings; -and upon proper Occasions to testify to the World, how much I am, - -[Sidenote: London, _October_ 13^{th} 1727.] - - MY LORD, - The Admirer of - Your Wit, Learning - and Orthodoxy, - _Thomas Woolston_. - - - - -[Illustration] - - A SECOND - DISCOURSE - ON THE - MIRACLES - OF OUR - _SAVIOUR_, &c. - - -I here publish another _Discourse_ on our Saviour's Miracles, which I -am not only oblig'd to, by the Promise I made in my former; but am -encouraged to it by the Reception which _that_ met with. If any of our -_Clergy_ were, and besides them, few or none could be offended at my -former _Discourse_, they should have printed their Exceptions to it, -and, if possible, their Confutation of it, which might perhaps have -prevented me the giving them any more Trouble of this Kind. - -In my former _Discourse_ I fairly declar'd, that if the _Clergy_ could -disprove my Arguments against the _Letter_, and for the _Spirit_ of -the Miracles I there took to task, I would not only desist from the -Prosecution of my Design, but own my self an impious _Infidel_ and -_Blasphemer_, and deserving of the worst Punishment: But since they -are all mute and silent, even in this Cause, which in Honour and -Interest they should have spoken out to, they ought not to be angry, -if I proceed in it. I have given them time enough to make a Reply, if -they had been of Ability to do it: What must I think then upon their -Silence? Nothing less than that my Cause is impregnable, and my -Arguments and Authorities in Defence of it irrefragable; and though -they don't professedly yield to the Force of them; yet they have -nothing to say in Abatement of their Strength, or it had certainly -seen the Light before now. - -I go on then in my undertaking to write against the literal Story of -our Saviour's Miracles, and against the Use that is commonly made of -them to prove his divine Authority and Messiahship: And this I do, I -solemnly again declare it, not for the Service of Infidelity, but for -the Honour of the Holy Jesus, and to reduce the _Clergy_ to the good -_old Way_, and the _only Way_ of proving his Messiahship, and that is, -by the allegorical Interpretation of the Law and the Prophets. -Therefore, without any more Preamble, I resume again the Consideration -of the three Heads of Discourse, before proposed to be treated on to -this Purpose. And they are, - -I. To shew, That the Miracles of healing all manner of Bodily -Diseases, which _Jesus_ was justly fam'd for, are none of the proper -Miracles of the _Messiah_, neither are they so much as a good Proof of -his divine Authority to found a Religion. - -II. That the literal History of many of the Miracles of _Jesus_, as -recorded by the _Evangelists_, does imply Absurdities, Improbabilities, -and Incredibilities; consequently they, either in whole or in part, were -never wrought, as they are commonly believed now-a-days, but are only -related as prophetical and parabolical Narratives of what would be -mysteriously, and more wonderfully done by him. - -III. To consider, what _Jesus_ means, when he appeals to his Miracles, -as to a Testimony and Witness of his divine Authority; and to shew -that he could not properly and ultimately refer to those, he then -wrought in the _Flesh_, but to those mystical ones, which he would do -in the _Spirit_, of which those wrought in the Flesh are but mere -Types and Shadows. - -I have already spoken, what I then thought sufficient to the first of -these Heads; and though I could now much enlarge my Reasons, and -multiply Authorities upon it to the same Purpose; yet I shall not do -it; but only, by Way of Introduction to my following _Discourse_, say, -that if it had been intended by our Saviour, that any rational -Argument for his divine Authority and _Messiahship_ should be urged -from his miraculous healing Power; the Diseases which he cured, would -have been accurately described, and his Manner of Operation so -cautiously express'd, as that we might have been sure the Work was -supernatural, and out of the Power of Art and Nature to perform: But -the _Evangelists_ have taken no such Care in their Narrations of -Christ's Miracles. As for Instance, _Jesus_ is supposed often -miraculously to cure _Lameness_; but there is no Account of the nature -and degree of Lameness he cured; nor are we certain, whether the Skill -of a _Surgeon_, or Nature it self, could not have done the Work -without his Help. If the _Evangelists_ had told us of Men, that wanted -one or both their Legs, (and such miserable Objects of Christ's Power -and Compassion, were undoubtedly in those Days as well as in ours) and -how _Jesus_ commanded Nature to extend itself to the entire Reparation -of such Defects; here would have been stupendous Miracles indeed, -which no Scepticism, nor Infidelity itself could have cavill'd at; nor -could I, nor the Fathers themselves have told how to allegorize, and -make Parables of them. But there is no _such_ Miracle recorded of -Christ, nor any thing equal to it; so far from it, that the best and -greatest Miracles of _Jesus_, which must confessedly be those related -at large, (for no Body can suppose he did greater than those more -particularly specify'd) are liable to exception, being so blindly, and -lamely, and imperfectly reported, as that, by Reasonings upon the -Letter of the Stories of them, they may be dwindled away, and reduced -to no Wonders, which brings me to treat again on the - -II. Second Head of my Discourse, and that is, to shew, that the -literal History of the Miracles of _Jesus_, as recorded in the -_Evangelists_, does imply Absurdities, Improbabilities and -Incredibilities; consequently they, in whole or in part, were never -wrought, but are only related as parabolical Narratives of what would -be mysteriously, and more wonderfully done by him. - -To this Purpose I, in my former Discourse, took into Examination -_three_ of the Miracles of Jesus, _viz._ those, of _his driving the -Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple_; Of _his exorcising the Devils -out of the Madmen, and sending them into the Herd of Swine;_ and _Of -his Transfiguration on the Mount_. How well I perform'd on these -Miracles which have been admired for their literal Story, let others -judge and say. - -I now will take into Consideration three others of _Jesus_'s Miracles, -_viz._ those, Of _his healing a Woman that was afflicted with an Issue -of Blood, twelve Years_; Of _his curing the Woman that labour'd under -a Spirit of Infirmity, eighteen Years_; and Of _his telling the_ -Samaritan _Woman her Fortune of having had five husbands, and living -then in Adultery with another Man_: Which are, all three, reputedly -most miraculous and admired Stories. The two former, they say, are -Arguments of _Jesus_'s mighty Power; and the latter, of his immense -Knowledge: But how little of certain Power and Knowledge there is in -any of them, according to the Letter, will be seen in the sequel of -this Discourse. Infidels, I dare say, if they had not wanted Liberty, -would e'er now have facetiously exposed those Stories. If I snatch -that Work out of their Hands, our _Clergy_ ought to be glad, because -what I do in it, is to the Honour of the Holy _Jesus_, and to turn -those pretendedly miraculous Stories into divine Mysteries. - -In my former Discourse I gave my _Readers_ some Reason to expect, that -in _this_ I would treat on some of _Jesus_'s Miracles, which I there -mentioned, _viz._ _On his turning Water into Wine at a Marriage in_ -Cana _of_ Galilee; and _On his feeding of Thousands with a few Loaves -and Fishes in the Wilderness_; and _On his Cure of the Paralytick, for -whom the Roof of the House was broken up to let him down into the Room -where_ Jesus _was_, &c. And I then really did design to speak to these -Miracles, but upon Consideration, finding them most ludicrous Subjects -according to the Letter, I forbear it at present, having no -Inclination to put the _Clergy_ quite out of all Temper. If any should -say, this is Fear and Cowardice in me, I can't help it: But, for all -that, now I have the _Clergy_ in a tolerable good Humour for Liberty, -I'll endeavour to keep them in it, and not disturb them by an hasty -and unnecessary Provocation of them. Who knows not, that the _Clergy_, -like an untamed _Colt_, that I have a mind to ride, may be apt to -winch and kick, and may give me a Fall before I come at the end of my -Journey, to the Disappointment of my Readers? They shall therefore be -gently handled and stroak'd, till they are a little more inur'd to the -Bit and Saddle: And for their Sakes will I postpone such Miracles as -are most obnoxious to Ridicule, and at present chuse the aforesaid -_three_, that of almost any in the Gospel may be most inoffensively -treated on. I begin then, - -1. To speak to that Miracle of _Jesus_'s[79] healing a _Woman diseased -with an Issue of Blood, twelve Years_. To please our _Divines_, I will -allow as much of the Truth of the Letter of this Story, as they can -desire. The Fathers themselves, who are for turning the whole History -of _Jesus_'s Life into Allegory and Mystery, don't deny that a Woman -was cured of an _Hæmorrhage_, after the Manner that is here described -by the Evangelists. St. _Augustin_ says[80] of this Miracle, _that it -was done, as it is related_; and I have a greater Veneration for his -Authority, than to gainsay it. But for all that, _Infidels_ may and -will take into Examination the nature of this Miracle, and if possible -make little or nothing of it. And if I do this for them, it is not to -do Service to Infidelity, but to turn Mens Heads to the mystical Use -of it, for which it is recorded. - -As there is a particular Narration of this Miracle, among the few -others, that are specified; so Reason should tell us, that if the -Letter of the Story of _Christ_'s Miracles, as our _Divines_ hold, is -only to be regarded, this is one of the greatest that Jesus wrought, -or it would not be related by itself, but thrown into the Lump of all -manner of Diseases, which He heal'd. And how then shall we come to the -Knowledge of the greatness of this Miracle? Why, there are but two -Ways to it, and they are, - -_First_, By considering the nature of the Disease, or the lamentable -Condition of the Patient before Cure. And - -_Secondly_, By considering the Manner or Means by which the Cure was -performed. - -If one or both of these Considerations don't manifest the Certainty of -a Miracle, _Infidels_ may conclude there was none in it. - -_First_, As to the nature of the Disease of this Woman, we are much in -the Dark about it, and very uncertain of what Kind and Degree it was. -St. _Matthew_ writing of it, says the Woman was [Greek: aimorroousa], -that is, _obnoxious to bleeding_; St. _Mark_ and St. _Luke_ say of her, -that [Greek: ousa en reumate aimatos], she was in an efflux or running -of Blood. But neither one nor the other of the _Evangelists_ signify of -what Degree her _Hæmorrhage_ was, nor from what part of her Body it -proceeded, nor how often or seldom she was addicted to it. It might be, -for ought we know, only a little bleeding at the Nose, that now and then -she was subject to: Or it might be an obnoxiousness to an Evacuation of -Blood by Siege or Urine: Or it was, not improbably, of the menstruous -Kind. Any of these might be the Case of this Woman for what's written; -and I don't find that any of our _Divines_ have determined of what sort -it was. But a great Miracle is wrought, they think, in her Cure, without -knowing the Disease; which _Infidels_ will say is asserted at Random and -without Reason, in as much as it is necessary to know the nature of the -Distemper, or none truly and properly can say, there was a great, much -less a miraculous Cure wrought. - -But supposing this _Hæmorrhage_ proceeded from what Part of the Body -our _Divines_ think fit; How will they make a grievous Distemper of it -in order to a Miracle? The Woman subsisted too long under her Issue of -Blood, and bore it too well, for any to make her Case very grievous. -_Beza_[81] will have it, that is was a constant and incessant Effusion -of Blood that the Woman labour'd with. But this could not be, nor was -it possible, as I suppose _Physicians_ will agree, for Nature to -endure it so long, or the Woman to live twelve Days, much less twelve -Years under it. - -No more then, than some slight Indisposition can reasonably and -naturally be made of this Woman's Distemper. And it would be well, if -Infidels would rest here with their Objections against it. But what if -they should say, that this _Hæmorrhage_ was rather of Advantage to the -Health of the Patient, than of Danger to her, and that the Woman was -more _nice_ than _wise_, or she would never have sought so much for -Help and Cure of it? Some _Hæmorrhages_ are better kept open than -stop'd and dry'd up; and if _Infidels_ should say, that _this_ was a -Preservative of the Life of the Woman, like an _Issue_, at which -Nature discharges itself of bad Humours, Who can contradict them? Nay, -if they should say that _Jesus_'s Cure of this Woman's _Hæmorrhage_ -was a Precipitation of her Death, for she died some time after it, -rather than a Prolongation of her Life, for she lived twelve Years -under it, and was of good Strength, when she applied to our Saviour -for Cure, or she could never have born the press of the People to come -at him; Who can gainsay them? It is true she was very sollicitous for -a Cure, and uneasy under her Distemper, or she would never have spent -all she had on _Physicians_; which is a Sign, some may say, that her -Disease was grievous, irksome, and dangerous, as well as incurable by -Art. But _Infidels_ will say, not so; for there are some slight -cutaneous Distempers, sometimes issuing with a little purulent and -bloody Matter, that nice Women will be at a great Expence for Relief, -and are always tampering, and often advising about them, though to no -Purpose: And if they should say that this was the worth of the Case of -this Woman, Who can disprove it? - -In short then here is an uncertain Distemper both in Nature and -Degree; how then can there be any Certainty of a Miracle in the Cure -of it? Mr. _Moore_, the _Apothecary_, accurately describes the -Diseases he pretends to have cured; and he is in the right on't so to -do, or he could not recommend his Art, and aggrandize his own Fame. So -the Bodily Disease of this Woman should have been clearly and fully -represented to our Understanding, or we can form no Conception of -Christ's Power in the Cure of it. And I can't but think that the -_Evangelists_, especially St. _Luke_ the _Physician_, had made a -better Story of this Woman's Case, if Christ's Authority and Power had -been to be urg'd from the Letter of it. It's enough to make us think, -Christ cured no extraordinary and grievous Maladies, or the -_Evangelists_ would never have instanced in this, that so much -Exception is to be made to. As then, reasonably speaking, there was no -extraordinary Disease in this Woman cured, and consequently no great -Miracle wrought; so let us now, - -_Secondly_, Consider the Manner of the Cure, and whether any Miracle -is to be thence proved. _The Woman said within her self,[82] that if -she could but touch the Hem of Jesus's Garment, she should be made -whole._ And I can't but commend her, at this distance of Time, for the -Power of her Faith, Persuasion, or Imagination in the Case, which was -a good Preparative for Relief, and without which, it's certain, she -had continued under her Disease. The Power of Imagination, it's well -known, will work Wonders, see Visions, produce Monsters, and heal -Diseases, as Experience and History doth testify. There being many -Instances to be given of Cures performed by frivolous Applications, -Charms, and Spells, which are unaccountable any other Way, than by the -Imagination of the Patient. Against the Reason and Judgment of a -_Physician_, sometimes the diseased will take his own Medicines and -Benefit. And I don't doubt, but Stories may be told of Cures wrought, -the Imagination of the Patient helping, by as mean a Trifle, as the -Touch of Christ's Garments, and no Miracle talk'd on for it. Even in -the ordinary, natural, and rational Use of Physick, it is requisite, -that the Patient have a good Opinion of his _Physician_ and of his -Medicines. A good Heart in the Sick, tends not only to his Support, -but helps the Operation of Prescriptions. As despair and dejection of -Mind sometimes kills, where otherwise reasonably speaking, proper -Medicines would cure; so a good Conceit in the Patient at other times, -whether the Medicines be pertinent or not, is almost all in all. And -if Infidels should say that this was the Case of this Woman in the -Gospel; if they should say as St. _John of Jerusalem_[83] did, _that -her own Imagination cured herself_; and should urge the Probability of -it, because _Jesus_ could do no Cures and[84] Miracles against -Unbelief, Who can help it? In this Case our _Divines_ must prove, that -this Woman's _Hæmorrhage_ was of that kind, that no Faith nor Fancy -in herself could help her without the Divine Power; but this is -impossible for them to do, unless there had been a more certain -Description of her Disease, than the _Evangelists_ have given of it. - -Our _Divines_ will indeed tell us, what I believe, that it was the -Divine Power co-operating with the Faith and Imagination of the Woman -that cured her; because Jesus says _that Virtue had gone out of him_ -to the healing of her: And I wish _Infidels_ would acquiesce here, and -not say, that _Jesus_'s Virtue hung very loose on him, or the Woman's -Faith, like a Fascination, could never have extracted it against his -Will and Knowledge: But what if they should say, that _Jesus_, being -secretly appriz'd of the Woman's Faith, and Touch of him, took the -Hint; and to comfort and confirm her in her Conceit, and to help the -Cure forward, said, _Virtue was gone out of him?_ This would be an -untoward Suggestion, which if Infidels should make, our Divines must -look for a Reply to it. - -It is said of the _Pope_, when he was last at _Benevento_, that he -wrought three Miracles, which our Protestant _Clergy_, I dare say, -believe nothing at all of. But, for all that, it is not improbable, but -that some diseased People, considering their superstitious Veneration -for the _Pope_, and their Opinion of the Sanctity of the _Present_, -might be persuaded of his Gift of Miracles, and desirous of his Exercise -of it; and if they fancyfully or actually received Benefit by his Touch, -I don't wonder, without a Miracle. And what if we had been told of the -_Popes_ curing an _Hæmorrhage_ like this before us? What would -_Protestants_ have said to it? Why, "that a foolish, credulous, and -superstitious Woman had fancy'd herself cured of some slight -Indisposition; and the crafty _Pope_ and his Adherents, aspiring after -popular Applause, magnified the presumed Cure into a Miracle. If they -would have us _Protestants_ to believe the Miracle, they should have -given us an exacter Description of her Disease, and then we could better -have judg'd of it". The Application of such a supposed Story of a -Miracle wrought by the _Pope_, is easy; and if _Infidels_, _Jews_, and -_Mahometans_ who have no better Opinion of _Jesus_, than we have of the -_Pope_, should make it, there's no Help for it. - -And thus have I made my Descants on this supposed Miracle before us -and argued, as much as I could, against the Miraculousness of it, both -from the _Nature_ of the Disease, and the _Manner_ of the Cure of it. -Whether any one shall think I have said any thing to the Purpose or -not, is all one to me. My Design in what I have done, is not to do -Service to Infidelity, but, upon the Command and Encouragement of the -Fathers, to turn Mens Thoughts to the mystical Meaning of the said -Miracle, which I come now to give an Account of. - -None of the Fathers (excepting St. _Chrysostom_[85], who writes here -more like an _Orator_ than a _Physician_) ever trouble themselves, when -they speak of this Miracle, about the Nature of the Disease, literally, -in this Woman, or the greatness of the Cure of it; but alone bend their -Studies to the mystical Interpretation, for the sake of which, this -Evangelical Story was written, and originally transacted. - -Accordingly, they tell us that this Woman is a Type[86] of the Church of -the _Gentiles_ in after Times. And as to her _Hæmorrhage_ or _Issue of -Blood_, they understand it of the[87] Impurity and Corruption of the -Church by ill Principles and bad Morals, that the would _flow with_. -Some of the Fathers, as[88] _Gregory Nazianzen_, and[89] _Eusebius -Gallicanus_, will have the _Issue of Blood_ to be a Type of the scarlet -Sin of Blood-guiltiness in the Church: If so, we must understand it of -the Effusion of Christian Blood by War and Persecution. - -The _twelve Years_ of the Woman's Affliction with her _Hæmorrhage_ is -a typical Number of the Church's impure State for above _twelve -Hundred Years_. And whether some of the primitive Church did not, by -the said _twelve Years_ of the Woman, understand _twelve Ages_, I -appeal to[90] _Irenæus_, to whom I refer my Readers, Accordingly this -typify'd Woman of the Church, should be the same with the Woman[91] in -the Wilderness, that, as St. _John_ says, was twelve Hundred and sixty -Days or Years there sustained; and by whom many Protestants, as well -as the Fathers, understand the Church universal. When the said twelve -Hundred and sixty Days or Years of the Church's being in the -Wilderness, did commence or will end, is none of my Business to -enquire or ascertain. But as this Woman in the Gospel is said after -_twelve Years_ Affliction, to be cured of her Disease by _Jesus_; so -it is the Opinion of the Fathers, that the Church universal, after -_twelve Hundred Years_ of her Wilderness State, will be purified and -sanctified by the Gifts of the Spirit of Christ, and enter upon a more -holy, peaceable, and happy Condition, absolutely freed from her _Issue -of Blood_, which, through Persecution and War, she has for many Ages -labour'd under. It is not my Concern to collect all the Authorities of -the Fathers to this Purpose; but only say, that if at the End of -twelve Hundred and sixty Days or Years, the Church, like the Woman, be -not cur'd of her _Hæmorrhage_ and mystical _Wounds_ and _Sores_; if -her present impure and unsound State be not chang'd into an holy, -healthy, and peaceable one; many good _Protestants_, as well as the -Fathers, are mistaken, and abundance of Prophecies of the Old and New -Testament, that have been hereunto urged, will lose their Credit. - -But who are meant by the _Physicians_ of the Woman, that have had the -mystical _Hæmorrhage_ and Diseases of the Church Under Cure all this -while? Who should, but pretended Ministers, of the Gospel? Ministers -of the Gospel are not only by the Fathers call'd metaphorically[92] -spiritual _Physicians_; but our _Divines_ and Preachers of all -Denominations like the Metaphor, and think themselves able -_Physicians_ at the Diseases of the Church, which they are forward to -prescribe and apply Medicines to, whenever, in their Opinion, she -stands in need of them. Whether our _Divines_ like to be accounted the -_Physicians_ of the Text before us, I much question; but it is certain -that[93] _Eusebius Gallicanus_ expressly says, that our _Divines_ and -pretended Philosophers are meant by them; and venerable _Bede_[94] -upon the Place is of the same Mind too. - -The Woman of the Gospel is said[95] to _suffer many Things of many -Physicians, and was nothing better'd, but rather grew worse_; that is, -she grew worse not in time only, but through the Use of her -_Physicians_, who were her[96] Tormentors. So the Diseases of the -Church in time have increased, for all the Use she has made of her -spiritual Physicians, _the Clergy_. In every Age has the Church been -degenerating in Morals and Principles, as any one knows, that is able -to make an Estimate of Religion in times past; and all along have her -ecclesiastical _Quack Doctors_ contributed to her ill State of Health. -As many Physicians with their different Applications tormented the -poor Woman; so our many _Empericks_ in Theology with their different -_Schemes_ of Church Government and various _Systems_ of Divinity, -like so many Prescriptions for Cure, have increased the Divisions, -widen'd the Wounds, and inflamed the Sores of the Church. And if the -Woman's _Issue of Blood_ be, according to the Fathers, a particular -Type of the Blood of the Church, that is shed in Persecution and War; -our Theological Pretenders to Physick, have been so far from providing -and prescribing a good _Stiptic_ in this Case that they have been the -Occasion of the Effusion of much Christian Blood; there having been -many a War and Persecution, that these _Incision_ Doctors, who should -be all _Balsam_, have been the Cause of. - -The Woman _spent all her Living_, all her yearly Income, upon her -Physicians, and as it seems to a bad Purpose; so very great and large -Revenues of the Church, are expended on her ecclesiastical Doctors in -spiritual Physick: And to what End and Purpose? Why, to open and widen -the bleeding Wounds of the Church, which they should heal and salve -up. It is now about _twelve Hundred Years_, like the _twelve Years_ of -the Woman, that the _Clergy_, our Practitioners in Theological -Physick, have received of the Church vast Fees, Stipends and -Gratuities (for before that time her _Doctors_ prescrib'd freely) to -take care of her Health and Welfare; but unless God provide in due -time a Medicine of his own, she is likely to continue in a diseased -and sorrowful Condition for all them. - -One would think that the Woman of the Gospel might have had more Wit -than to lay out all she was worth upon _Physicians_ to no good -Purpose; one would think that after some Experience of their -Insufficiency to cure her, she might have forborn seeing them, and -reserved the Remains of her Estate for better Uses: So the Fees and -Revenues of the Church, after due Experience of the Inability of her -spiritual Doctors to heal her Sores, might have been in my Opinion -better employ'd, and the Church of Christ more out of Danger of Wounds -and Sickness, by Sin and Error. Certain it is, that many an _Issue of -Blood_, through Persecution and War, had been prevented; if such -barbarous and blood thirsty Doctors of Ecclesiastical Physick, had -never been so fee'd and hired to take care of the Welfare of the -Church, which, for all their Spiritual Medicines, will continue in a -languishing Condition, till heal'd by the Virtue and Graces of the -Spirit of Christ in his foresaid appointed Time. - -So much then to the mystical Interpretation of the Story of the Cure -of the _Issue of Blood_ in this Woman. Every minute Circumstance of -it is thus to be allegorized, if need was. Whether the _Clergy_ will -like this parabolical Explication of it, I neither know nor care. They -have their Liberty with _Atheists_ and _Infidels_ to believe as little -of it as they think fit; and I hope they'll give me leave with the -Fathers of the Church to believe as much of it as I please. But -whether they approve of this allegorical Interpretation of this -supposed Miracle or not; they must own, that if the Church, after the -foresaid _twelve Ages_, should be purified and sanctified; if her -Errors and Corruptions, of which the Woman's _Uncleanness_ is a Type, -should be heal'd; if War and Persecution, typified by her _Issue of -Blood_, should then entirely cease; if all Christians should then be -united in Principle, Heart and Affection, and made to walk in a -peaceable and quiet State, as the Woman was[97] _bid to go in Peace_; -if the Church should then _come behind_ Jesus (which[98] is a Figure -of future Time) and rightly touch by Faith, and apprehend his[99] -Garments or Words of Prophecy, about which Christians have hitherto -been _pressing_ and urgent; and if the Gifts of the Spirit, like -_Virtue on the Woman_, should then be poured forth upon the Church to -the absolute Cure of her present Diseases, we must, I say, allow the -Story of this Woman to be an admirable Emblem and typical -Representation; and the Accomplishment of it most miraculous and -stupendous; and not only an indisputable Proof of the Power and -Presence of Christ with his Church, but a Demonstration of his -_Messiahship_, in as much as an almost infinite Number of Prophecies -of the Old Testament, will thereupon receive that Accomplishment, -which hitherto, by no shadow of Reason, can be pretended to. - -After such a mystical Healing of the _Hæmorrhage_ of the Church, there's -no doubt on't, but the Story of this Woman in the Gospel will be allow'd -to be typical and emblematical. In the mean time, without making a -Parable of the Story of her, I assert, there is little or nothing of a -Miracle to be made of her Cure, unless we were at a greater Certainty -about the Nature of her Disease, and the Manner, rationally speaking, -of _Jesus_'s healing of it. And so I pass to the Consideration of - -2. Another Story of a miraculous Cure perform'd by _Jesus_ on another -Woman, and that is on her, who[100] _had a Spirit of Infirmity, eighteen -Years, and was bow'd together, and could in no wise lift up -herself----being bound of Satan_, &c. This too, as I suppose, is with -our _Divines_ a great Miracle, and one of the greatest that _Jesus_ -wrought, or it had not been specify'd, but cast indiscriminately into -the Number of all manner of Diseases, which he heal'd. And for the sake -of the Letter, and to please our _Divines_, whom I would not offend -wilfully, I will allow, that _Jesus_ might lay his Hands on, and speak -comfortably to such a drooping, stooping, and vaporous Woman, full of -Fancies of the _Devil_'s Temptation and Power over her; and she might -thereupon recover, and be afterwards of a more cheerful Heart, and erect -Countenance, freed from the whimsical Imagination of being -_Satan-ridden_: And what of all that? Where's the Miracle? If the Story -of such a Miracle had been related of any _Impostor_ in Religion, of an -_Arch-Heretick_, or _Popish Exorcist_, our _Divines_ would have flouted -at it; they would have told us, there was nothing supernatural and -uncommon in the Event, nor any thing at all to be wonder'd at in it. -Taking the _Devil_ out of this Story, and there's no more in it, than -what's common for a simple, melancholy, and drooping Woman, to be -chear'd and elated upon the comfortable Advice and Admonition of a -reputedly wise and good Man. And the putting the _Devil_ into the Story, -in another Case, our _Divines_ would have said was only the Fancy of the -Woman, or the Device of the _Miracle-Monger_, to magnify his own Art and -Power. And if _Infidels_, _Jews_, and _Mahometans_, should say so of -this Story of _Jesus_, they would be no more unreasonable in their -Conjectures and Solutions of this Miracle, than we should have been in -another and parallel Case. - -The _Pope_, when last at _Benevento_, is said to have exorciz'd a -_Dæmon_ out of a young Maid, which our _Divines_ no more believe than -_Infidels_ do. But it is not at all impossible or improbable, that a -young Woman might be troubled with Vapours, and go droopingly upon it, -whom the holy Father, of whose Prayers and Sanctity she had a good -Opinion, might relieve with his Talk, and give another Turn to her -Thoughts and Temper: And if she fancy'd herself before possess'd with a -_Dæmon_, or rather, if the _Pope_'s Partizans persuaded her so, it's not -unlikely to make a Miracle on't. Just so may _Infidels_, with their -Descants on this Miracle before us, reduce and lessen it: And what must -we Believers do then? Why, we must find out a Way to ascertain the Truth -and Greatness of the Miracle, or give it up. We must determine certainly -what was the Woman's Distemper, and how the Cure of it by ordinary Means -was impossible, or make no more Words about it. - -And how can we come at the Knowledge of this Woman's Disease, but by the -original Words of the _Evangelist_. St. _Luke_ says, she was one [Greek: -pneuma echousa astheneias], _that had a Spirit of Weakness_, that is, -was poor-Spirited and pusilanimous; and if she was [Greek: synkyptousa], -_bow'd down_ upon't, its no more than might be expected of a -disconsolate, melancholy and dejected Person. Here then is the Disease -of the Woman: If it had been worse, St. _Luke_, the Physician, if he was -of Sufficiency in his Art, should better have express'd himself; so as -to give us another Conception of it. And if _Satan_ had not been -brought into the Tale, whom it is easy, by reasoning as above, to -exorcise out of it, here is a no more grievous Distemper, than what upon -the comfortable Exhortations of a wise Man may be cured. And do what our -Divines can, they can make literally no more of this Story. - -It is said, that for _eighteen Years_ the Woman labour'd under this -Disease. And she might be _hippish_ and _drooping_ for a longer time, -and be no less easily at last cured. It's pity the _Evangelist_ had -not told us how old this Woman was, when the Distemper first seiz'd -her; then we could have made better Conjectures about the Nature and -Cure of it. If there was any room to suppose, either from the Words of -Scripture or extra-scriptural History, that she was about _fifty_ or -_sixty_, when she first began to droop and the _Devil_ got upon her -Back; here had been Scope for a most stupendous Miracle; and our -_Divines_ might have asserted, what no Body could have contradicted, -that _Jesus_ had made an old Woman, who was _bow'd down_, not only -under the Weight of _Satan_, but under the Burthen of seventy or -eighty Years, young again; and had restored her to the Health, Vigor, -and Beauty of one of fifteen. Here would have been a mighty Miracle -indeed. And I don't doubt, but our _Divines_ would willingly get into -such a Notion of this Miracle, and would heartily espouse it, but for -the Offence they must needs give to decrepid old Women, who may be out -of Conceit with themselves upon it, as if they carried the _Devil_ on -their Shoulders, as the Cause of their Decripedness and Incurvity. And -such an Offence would be of ill Consequence. - -Reasonably then speaking, there was not much in the Disease and Cure -of this Woman. Excepting that Part, which _Satan_ bears, in the Story, -there is nothing wonderful in it. And supposing _Jesus_ might exorcise -the _Devil_ out of this Woman, or dismount him from off her Shoulders; -yet even this makes nothing for his Divine Power and Authority, in as -much as many _Exorcists_ among the _Jews_ and even among _Papists_, if -Protestants had not more Wit than to believe it, could do as much. And -after all, I don't believe the _Evangelist_ intended, that our Saviour -should be had in Admiration for the Letter of this Miracle, or St. -_Luke_ would accurately have described the Disease, so as to put it -out of the Power of Nature and Art to heal it, and of the Wit of -_Infidels_ to cavil at the miraculous Cure of it. Neither do I find -that the Fathers of the Church ever trouble themselves about the -Letter of this Story, which is some Argument, that no great Heed is to -be given to it; but are only curious about the Mystery, for which this -Miracle was related, and which I come now to give an Account of. - -As the Fathers said of the Woman with her _Issue of Blood_, that she -was a Type of the Church; so they say of this Woman with her _Spirit -of Infirmity_, that she is a[101] Figure of the Church too. - -As the Woman was _bow'd together_; so the Church, as the Fathers do -interpret, may be said to be[102] _bow'd down_ to the Earth, when she -is _prone_ and _bent_ to, and _intent on_ the literal or earthly -Interpretations of the Scriptures; and _can in no wise lift up her -self_, like the Woman, _that is_, can't raise her Thoughts to the -Contemplation of the cælestial, spiritual, and sublime Sense of them. -Hence we see the Propriety of the Name of the Woman's Disease, call'd -[Greek: pneuma astheneias], a _Spirit of Weakness_, which is not -properly significative of any bodily Distemper, but succinctly is very -expressive of the Church's _Weakness_ at the _Spirit_ of Prophecy, -which at this Day she labours under. - -As it was _eighteen Years_ that the Woman was griev'd with her _Spirit -of Infirmity_, for so long had her Distemper been growing on her; so it -is almost eighteen (hundred) Years, or the eighteenth Century of Years, -that this _Infirmity_ of the Church at the _Spirit_ of Prophecy has been -coming on her: And she is now so _bent_ to the Earth of the Letter, that -nothing less than the Hand and Power of Jesus, that erected the Woman, -can raise her to mystical, divine, and sublime Contemplations on the Law -and Prophets. St. _Augustin_[103] will have these _eighteen Years_ of -the Woman's _Infirmity_, as she is a Type of the Church, to be -synchronical with the[104] _three Years_ of the Fig-Tree's -Unfruitfulness. I don't rightly apprehend his mystical Arithmetic. But -this is certain, upon the Authority of the Fathers, that those two -Numbers, with the _twelve Years_ of the Woman's _Issue of Blood_, are -all conterminous and will end together: Consequently at the same time, -that the Woman of the Church will be cured of her _Issue of Blood_, she -will be heal'd of her _Infirmity_ at the _Spirit_ of Prophecy; _that -is_, at the Conclusion of certain grand Periods of Time she will enter -upon a blessed State of _Peace_ and _Vision_; which is the concurrent -Doctrine of the Fathers, as any one may discern, that has dip'd into -them, and is a good Confirmation of our present Exposition, and mystical -Application of the miraculous Story before us. - -St. _Luke_ says, that the Woman could not lift up herself [Greek: eis -to panteles], _v._ 11. which, without animadverting on our _English_ -Translation, should be rendered, _until all was perfected_, or until -the _Perfection of Time_, which, the Apostle[105] and the Fathers -agree, is the Time for the Church to be cured of her _Weakness_, and -to be endu'd with _Power_ at the Spirit of Prophecy. - -As the Woman was heal'd by _Jesus_ on the Sabbath-Day; so the Church, -upon the ample Authorities of the Fathers, which Men of Reading will -excuse me the Production of, is certainly to be heal'd of her _spiritual -Infirmity_, at the Understanding of Prophecy against the mystical -and[106] grand Sabbath, which, according to the Fathers, commences at -the Expiration of her eighteen (hundred) Years _Weakness_. - -But the _Ruler of the Synagogue is said to be moved with Indignation, -v._ 14. at this charitable Work of _Jesus_, in healing of the Woman, -because it was done on the Sabbath-Day; which in my Opinion can't be -literally true: Though I am willing enough, to please our _Divines_, -to allow as much as may be of the Letter of this Story, yet I except -against this Part of it. _Origen_ says, there are some things of the -Gospel related as Facts, which were not done; and I believe this of -the Ruler of the Synagogue to be one of them. Human Nature, I think, -is not capable of such base and unnatural Resentment. Works of -Necessity, and requisite Offices of Kindness and Charity to Man and -Beast, were allow'd by the Law, and practised by the _Jews_ on the -Sabbath: And the Cure of this Woman, though on the Sabbath-Day, was -such an Act of Beneficence and Compassion in the Holy _Jesus_, that I -can't but think _bad_, as well as _good_ Men, would rather glorify -God, that had given such Power unto Man, than find fault with it. But -in the Mystery of this Part of the Story, there is clear Sense and -Truth. Who then is this _Archisynagogus_, or Ruler of the Synagogue, -that will be full of Indignation at the healing of the Church of her -foresaid _Infirmity_ at the _Spirit_ of Prophecy? _Origen_ says that -the[107] right Interpretation of the Names of Persons and Places in -Scripture is of good Use to the mystical Application. Accordingly -_Archisynagogus_ does signify the _Chiefs of our Congregations_: And -who should they be then but the Clergy? And if this ben't enough to -fix this Name and Character upon them, then let _Theophanes Cerameus_ -speak here, who says, that the _Archisynagogus_, is a[108] _Type of -all Priests_, who will be against the foresaid miraculous healing of -the Church. And why will the _Clergy_ be mov'd 'with Indignation at -the curing the Church of her _Infirm_, and restoring her to a _sound_ -Spirit of Prophecy? Because as St. _Augustin_ says,[109] they are not -only _bow'd down_ to the Letter themselves; but because this -_Infirmity_ of the Church will be a Reproach to them, in as much as it -is a Proof of their Apostacy and Insufficiency at Prophecy; and the -Cure of it will be attended with such Consequences, as affect their -Reputation and Interests. Who can question but the _Clergy_, who are -the _Archisynagogus_ of the Text, and who are for the Church's -_bending_ and _stooping_ to the low Sense of the Letter of the -Scripture, will be averse to her being rais'd, _lifted up_, and -erected to the Contemplation of the sublime, anagogical, and heavenly -Sense of it? Such an Healing and Erection of the Church will vex them -at the Heart, as it will bring _Shame_ and loss of Interest along with -it; and they will undoubtedly be _Adversaries_ to this good Work of -_Christ_, which, upon the Testimony of all Antiquity, is to be done on -or against the Evangelical and great Sabbath. - -Our Saviour is supposed to reprove the _Ruler_ of the _Synagogue_, for -his _Indignation_ at the Cure of the Woman on the Sabbath-Day, saying, -_v._ 15. _Thou Hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the Sabbath -loose his Ox or his Ass from the Stall, and lead him away to Watering? -And ought not this Woman to be loos'd from this Bond on the -Sabbath-Day?_ There is Force in this Argument according to the Letter: -And the _Ruler_ of the _Synagogue_, and other _Jesus_'s Adversaries -hereupon, might well be _asham'd_ for finding Fault with such a -merciful and beneficent Work done on the _Sabbath_; when they -themselves did Works on the _Sabbath_ of much less Consequence. But -to[110] the Mystery. What may be said to our Ministers of the Letter, -of whom the _Archisynagogus_ is a Type, for their Averseness to the -healing of the Church in like manner? Why, that they are _Hypocrites_, -that is, superficial Criticks on the Scriptures, and don't consider -that _the Law is spiritual_, and how against the Evangelical Sabbath -every Man is to be released from his Bondage and Servility to -irrational Principles (for which he has been like an _Ox_ and an -_Ass_) and to be conducted to drink of the Waters of Divine Wisdom: -For this grand Sabbath will be a Day of absolute Liberty, perfect -_Rest_, immense Knowledge, real Vision and Contemplation on God and -his Providence, as the antient _Jews_ and Fathers so copiously -declare, that they who are ignorant herein, may be _ashamed_; -consequently they might know, that the Church is to be cured of her -_Spirit of Weakness_ at Prophecy on that Day. - -But _Satan_ is said to have _v._ 16. _bound_, and, as is supposed, -_bow'd down_ this Woman; the literal Truth of which I much question: -But how then has _Satan bound and bow'd down_ the Church? This, -seemingly, is the great Difficulty in the mystical Application of this -Story, and must be the great Curiosity of my Readers to know how I -will account for it. If the Fathers don't help me out at this dead -Lift, and that clearly and intelligibly too, I shall abate of my -Veneration for them. If they don't tell me, and make me to apprehend, -what this _Satan_ is, that for many Ages has _bound_ and oppress'd the -Church after the supposed Manner of the typical Woman, I had better -have held my Peace, and said nothing to this parabolical Miracle. - -The Writings of the _Evangelists_ so abound with Stories of _Satan_, -_Belzebub_, the _Devil_, and of greater and less Number of _Devils_, -and of _Dæmons_ and of _unclean Spirits_, more than any Histories -before, as one would think, if these Stories were literally to be -understood, that was the Age in which Christ came, that _Hell_ first -broke loose, and then primarily infested Mankind; and that upon the -Destruction of _Judæa_ and Propagation of the Gospel, the _Devils_ -accompanied the _Jews_ in their Dispersion, or the _Apostles_ in their -Travels, and have been the Tempters, Seducers, and Tormentors of -other Nations ever since. - -_Arnobius_[111] says, _That before Christ, Devils were things unknown -to the World_; by which _Arnobius_ must mean, either that they were -hardly talk'd of before, or that their Nature was not understood, till -Christ inform'd us of it. In both these Senses, I believe, _Arnobius_ -may be taken, _viz._ that there was not only little Talk of _Satan_ -and the _Devil_, but less of his Nature apprehended, before _Christ_ -by his Parables and parabolical Miracles, rightly interpreted, -instructed us in it. And if after Ages have departed from the true and -original Doctrine of _Devils_, making a literal Story of that, which -is only mystical and cabalistical; and have formed to themselves -_Ideas_ of hideous and horrible Fiends, _Mormos_ and _Hobgoblins_, it -shall not disturb me. - -As to the Place and State of _Hell_, many are the Notions of _Divines_ -of several Ages past, as well as of the present. I shall not recount -them all here, much less refute any of them. But there is an antient, -rational, and cabalistical Notion of Hell, which I have learned of the -Fathers, who signify, that the babylonish and bewilder'd State of -Christ's Church may be call'd _Hell_, because, as the Word [Greek: -adês] does import, it is a State _without Vision_. Hence _Origen_ -says,[112] that whoever can form to himself an _Idea_ of the Church in -time to come, when she will be dignified with the Title of the _New -Jerusalem_, for her Peace and Vision may understand what is meant by -_Hell_, and all that is written of it. - -As then the Fathers had a cabalistical Notion of _Hell_, which modern -_Divines_ are Strangers to; so they had of _Satan_, and the _Devil_ -and his Angels. I own myself at a Loss for an express Testimony out of -the Fathers about _Satan_ in the Text before us; but according to -their Explications of _Satan_ in other Places, nothing more is meant -by him here than, "That furious Principle and Temper in Man that is -not only averse to Liberty in Religion, but for binding, restraining, -and tying down the Church and Christian People to certain Opinions and -Ways of Worship." In such a State of Bondage has the Woman of the -Church been kept, by such a _Satan_, in one Order of Men or other, -for all Ages past. And that this is a right and primitive Notion of -_Satan_, I could prove by Authorities enough. _Origen_ tells us[113] -of the Names of Kings in prophetical Scripture, which would be Enemies -to Christ's Church; but such Kings never did, nor would personally -exist; their Names, according to Interpretation, standing only for so -many Sins and Vices, reigning in Mankind. To the same Purpose he -says[114] _human Vices are Devils_: And _Satan_ himself, (as the Word -signifies _Adversary_) is with him[115] and the antient _Jews_ too, no -other than an _Aversness_ in Man to the Will of God. I could quote -other Fathers to this Purpose; but being sparing of my Pains at -present, I refer my Readers to my former[116] _Discourse_, in which -they will see the Opinion of the Fathers about the _Devils_ in the -Madman, and afterwards in the Herd of Swine; from which let them -judge, whether the Fathers could have any other Notion of _Satan_ -here, than what I have represented. It is certain, and may be easily -prov'd, that by _Satan_, the _Dragon_ and the _Devil_, mentioned in -the _Revelations_, nothing more is to be understood, than a furious, -persecuting, satanical, and diabolical Temper in Man; and if what St. -_John_ writes of _Satan_ be cabalistical and allegorical; the other -Assertions of the Evangelists and Apostles about _him_ will of Course -come under that Denomination; or the primitive Rule of Interpretation -of Scripture according to the natural Signification of the Names of -Persons and Places is not good. - -As then the _Woman_ of the Gospel was, as is supposed, _v._ 16. _bound -by Satan, loe, for eighteen Years_: So the foresaid furious Principle -in Man, which is a mystical _Satan_, an _Adversary_ to Liberty, has -bound the Church, _loe_, to the _eighteenth_ Century of Years: But she -is to be entirely released from this spiritual Bondage, and set -at[117] _perfect Liberty_ against the acceptable and Evangelical -Sabbath. And here it is to be noted out of St. _Augustin_, and most -worthy of Observation it is, that at the[118] same time, in which the -Church will be loosed from her Bondage; _Satan_ himself will[119] be -_bound_ and _chain'd_ for a[120] _thousand Years_, the time of the -evangelical Sabbath, that is, says _Ephræm Syrus_[121] for ever. And -how will our mystical _Satan_ or the _Dragon_ be bound and chain'd? -Not with Chains or Links of Iron or other Metal; but _Vinculis -Rationis_, with the Chains of Reasons and Arguments for Christian -Liberty, which will restrain the _Adversary_, _Satan_, from any more -Impositions and Persecutions of the Church. And I can't here but -applaud the great Mr. _Grounds_ and Mr. _Scheme_, for their Work and -Labour of Love to Mankind, in making _Chains_ of Argumentations for -Liberty, which I hope will prove of sufficient Strength to bind -_Satan_ and restrain him (in Dr. _Rogers_, Bishop _G--bs--n_, and -others his Angels) from giving any more Molestation to Christian -Philosophers in their Enquiries after, and Lucubrations on Divine -Truth. All the Honour that I aim at in that Work is, by the Help of -the Fathers, to point out that anti-Christian Principle or Temper in -the _Clergy_[122] which, for its _Averseness_ to Liberty, is called -_Satan_; for its _Calumnies_, is called the _Devil_; for its -_Furiousness_, is called the _Dragon_; and for its _Unreasonableness_, -is called the _Beast_, to the intellectual Views of Mankind, and to -direct them how to apprehend and lay hold on it. - -Our Saviour, according to _Origen_, had never call'd _Peter_,[123] -_Satan_, if _Satan_ had been any Thing else than _Man-averse_ to the -Will of God. - -And thus have I spoken to the Miracle of _Jesus_'s healing the _Woman -of her Spirit of Infirmity, whom Satan had bound and bow'd down_, -which, according to the Letter, is no Miracle at all; and some Parts -of the Story are improbable and incredible; but the mystical -Completion of it will be most prodigious, and a Demonstration not only -of Christ's Power and Presence in his Church, but of his -_Messiahship_, in as much as a vast Number of Prophecies of the _Old -Testament_, more than can soon be collated to this Purpose, will -thereupon receive their Accomplishment. And so I come to a - -3. _Third_ miraculous Story of _Jesus_'s, that is of his telling -(_John_ iv.) the Woman of _Samaria_ her Fortune, _of having had five -Husbands, and being then an Adulteress_, &c. in which there is a -notable Miracle display'd, in the Opinion of our _Divines_, that -proves _Jesus_'s Omniscience, or he could not so have search'd into -the Heart of this Woman, and told her such Occurrences, that concern'd -her Life past. I thought once of transcribing here entirely this -Story; and so I would, but that it is a long one, and might have set -some Readers, who are by this time awaken'd to pry into the -Absurdities of the Letter, a laughing, before I had time my self -regularly to animadvert on it. - -Whether there was any Truth at all in the Letter of this Story, I -should much have questioned, but that some Fathers write of it, as if -they believed it literally, tho' they make a mystical and allegorical -Explication of the whole and every part of it. And I, having a sincere -Veneration for the Fathers, will not contradict them, (and I hope this -Concession will please the _Clergy_) but, for all that, can't like any -part of this Story literally, but could almost wish, that the Fathers, -for the Honour of _Jesus_, had made the whole no other than a Parable. - -It's strange that no _Jews_ or _Infidels_ have as yet ludicrously -treated this Story to the, almost, Confutation of our Religion. If -their Tongues had not been ty'd by the aforesaid _Satan_ or -_Adversary_ to Liberty, I can't think but they must have made some -pleasant Animadversions upon it before now. If such a broken, -elliptical, and absurd Tale had been told of any other Impostor in -Religion; the Wits of our _Clergy_ had been at Work to expose it -plentifully; and indeed there's no need of much Wit to make this Tale -nauseous and ridiculous to vulgar Understandings. - -I shall not myself here make all the Remarks I can to the Disadvantage -of this Story: I am not as yet so disposed to make Scoffers and -_Infidels_ laugh at the _Clergy_ for their Adherence to the Letter of -it. All I shall do now, is to make my Observations on the two Uses, -that the Clergy very seriously put this Story to, and they are, - -_First_, to prove the Expectation that there was amongst the -_Samaritans_, of a _Messiah_ to come; And - -_Secondly_, to prove _Jesus_'s Omniscience, or he could not have entered -into the Heart of the Woman, and told her, that she had had five -Husbands, and was then an Adulteress. To these two Purposes, I find this -Story urged by our _Divines_, and I must needs say, as to the - -_First_ of them; it is rightly from hence asserted by the[124] -_Bishop_ of _Lichfield_ and others, that the _Samaritans_ had an -Expectation of a _Messiah_: But why then did not the _Bishop_ and -others, who are now in Quest after Arguments of _Jesus_'s Messiahship, -prove him hence to be the _Messiah_, because he told the _Samaritan_ -woman her Fortune? If this was a real and substantial Argument to her -of _Jesus_'s _Messiahship_, it ought to be urg'd by the Clergy at this -Day. The Controversy about _Jesus_'s Messiahship is now on foot; Why -do the Advocates for it overlook this Proof of it? Why, because, as I -suppose, they are aware, that _Infidels_ would make sport with it. But -if _Jesus_'s telling the Woman her Fortune was no real and conclusive -Argument of his being the _Messiah_; St. _John_ has told us an -impertinent Tale of a simple Woman, upon whose Credulity and false -Notions _Jesus_ palm'd himself as the true _Messiah_; and whether he -did not ill thus to banter and deceive the Woman, let any one judge. - -But let us here behold the Difference amongst the _Jews_ and -_Samaritans_, as to the Expectation of a _Messiah_. Some of the old -_Jews_, like the Apostles, expected the _Messiah_ would be a temporal -Prince, a great Warriour and Conqueror of the World. Others[125] of -them, like the Fathers, expected he would be a Prophet like _Moses_ in -all Things, and deliver his People out of another _Egypt_: But here the -_Samaritans_ expected he would be a _Conjurer_ and _Fortune-Teller_; or -there is no Sense in what the Woman said to the Men of the City, _v._ -29. _Come and see a Man that has told me all that I have done_, -particularly my Fortune of having had five Husbands, and being now an -Adulteress, _Is not this the Christ?_ What could she mean, but that the -_Messiah_ would be a strolling _Fortune-Teller_, to inform People of the -Events of their Lives past and to come? And _Jesus_ to humour the Woman -in her Conception of himself and of the _Messiah_, says to her, _v._ 26. -_I that speak unto thee, am He._ Whether our _Divines_ like _Jesus_ the -better for this Story of him literally, I can't tell; but I am sure they -dislike the Fortune-telling Trade at this Day in others, and believe it -to be all Fraud, and are for punishing strolling _Gypsys_ for Cheats, -who practice it; and in the last Age were intent on the[126] Prosecution -of judicial Astrologers, who pretended to it: And if antient History had -furnish'd us with an Instance of the Punishment of a pretended -_Fortune-Teller_ in the Reign of _Tiberius_, they could not have found -Fault with it. Whether any Accusations were laid against _Jesus_ for -such his Delusions of the People, we know not. Evangelical History is -silent, or the _Evangelists_ have prudently suppressed it. But I much -wonder, that our _Gypsys_, from this Story, don't account themselves the -genuine Disciples of _Jesus_, being endu'd with the like Gifts and -exercising no worse Arts, than he himself practised. - -If the _Samaritans_ did not expect the _Messiah_ would be a -_Fortune-Teller_; how came the Thought into the Woman's Head, that -_Jesus_ was the _Messiah_, because he had told her, her Fortune? What -can our _Divines_ say to it? Why, they must either say, that his -telling the Woman her Fortune was a real Proof of his _Messiahship_; -or that the Woman was foolish and credulous, and drew a false -Conclusion; and if she had not been an impudent and graceless Whore, -would have gone away blushing, and never have divulg'd, as the Text -supposes she did, her Shame to the Men of _Sychar_, who too had but -little Wit, or they had never stir'd from their Homes, to see such a -Fortune-Teller upon the Report of a poor Whore. - -But the Men of the City had their Fortunes too told them by _Jesus_, -and they concluded him to be the _Messiah_ upon it; or there is no -Sense in what they _v._ 42. _said to the Woman, Now we believe not -because of thy Saying, for we have heard him ourselves, and know that -this is indeed the Christ_: What could they hear, but their Fortunes, -as the Woman had before? And if _Jesus_, whose Ability at all fair -Questions in the magic Art I don't question, did tell them their -Fortunes; I hope he had more Prudence than to talk to them in common -of their Fornications and Adulteries, which might occasion domestick -Jarrs, and the Breach of good Neighbourhood amongst them; but if he -directed any of them to find their lost Cattle, and help'd them again -to their stolen Goods, he did well, and they alone did amiss, to -conclude thereupon, _that he was indeed the Christ_. Let our _Divines_ -now judge whether I have not made a natural and excellent Comment on -this part of the Story, which relates to the Expectation and Opinion, -which the _Samaritans_ had of a _Messiah_ to come. But, - -_Secondly_, From this Story literally our _Divines_ prove _Jesus_'s[127] -Omniscience; and _Cardiognostick_ Power to tell what was in the Hearts -and Thoughts of Man. But how so? Is it because he told a Woman, that she -was an Adulteress, and had had five Husbands? Where's the Consequence? -_Duncan Campbel_, and other _Moorfields_-judicial-Astrologers have done -greater Feats at Conjuration than _this_, and never were thought to be -Omniscient. And for any Thing appears in this Story of our Saviour, it -might be all Cheat and Fraud in him. If _Infidels_ should assert it, our -_Divines_ could not disprove it. If they should say, it was possible for -_Jesus_ to get Intimations of these and other Circumstances of the -Woman's Life, before he attempted to tell her, her Fortune; we can't -say, that this is an impious and unreasonable Suggestion, since it is -the common Subtilty of delusive Fortune-Tellers, to get what -Intelligence they can by Insinuations and Informations, before they -utter their Oracles, and ambiguous Responses to simple poor Folks. And -there is one Circumstance in this Story, that looks very ill upon -_Jesus_, and is enough to make him suspected for a Cheat in his -pretended Art, and that is, he seems to draw the Woman in by a[128] -_Wile_ to hear her Fortune, saying to her, _v._ 16. _Woman go, call thy -Husband_; upon whose denying she had any Husband, Jesus was forward, -very forward to surprize her with his Knowledge of her having had five -Husbands, and living then in Adultery; which raising the silly Woman's -Admiration of his prophetick and soothsaying Talent, he closes with her -Conceptions, and what upon other Occasions, before wiser People, he -was[129] backward to own, says to her, _that he was the Messiah_; and so -he pass'd for the _Messiah_ with her and the Men of _Sychar_, who had no -more Wit than to receive him for such, upon such Proof, and gave him -Entertainment for no less than _v._ 40. _two Days_. I am glad we hear of -no Money, he squeez'd out of them for the exercise of his prophetick -Art, which our _Divines_ would have made an Argument of their Divine -Right to Tythes, Fees, and Stipends for their Divinations. - -But no more of this silly Story according to the Letter. To point at -it is enough to expose it to the considerate and unprejudiced. I could -not help saying so much as I have; because it is necessary to form -some Invective against the Letter, to make way for the Reception of -the mystical and allegorical Interpretation of it, which I am now to -speak to. - -Tho' the Fathers, against whose Authority I dare not write, or I should -be tempted to it in this Case, acknowledge the Letter of this Story, -suspecting only some[130] particular Passages of it; yet they look upon -the whole, for all that, as a[131] typical Narration, and endeavour at -the mystical Construction of all and every part of it. St. _Augustin_, -as if he was afraid some Christians of after Times should espouse, as -our Divines do, only the Letter, prefaces his Exposition of this Story -with these Words, saying,[132] _There are mysteries in all the Sayings -and Actions of our Saviour, particularly in the Story of the Woman of_ -Samaria, _and whoever carelesly and imprudently_ (meaning literally) -_interprets it, will advance erroneous and pernicious Doctrine_; which, -if modern Commentators had any Regard for the Authority of St. -_Augustin_, is enough to deter them from their literal Expositions. The -most literal Interpreter among the Fathers, whom I know of, is St. -_Cyril_, and he says[133] there is a Type and Parable in this Story. But -to descend to Particulars. - -By the _Woman of Samaria_ is to be understood an[134] Heretical and -Adulterous Church, which Jesus, _being wearied_ with her[135] corrupt -State, will meet with in _the sixth Hour_, that is in[136] the _sixth -grand Age_ of the World. So, by the By, according to the Fathers, -_Jesus_ will come to, and meet with the _Samaritan_ Church to her -Edification, at the same time, that he cures the Church of her _Issue -of Blood_ and _Spirit of Infirmity_. - -And where did _Jesus_ meet with the Woman of _Samaria_? At _Jacob_'s -_Well_, where she was for Water to quench Thirst: So at the[137] -_Well_ of the Holy Scriptures, whose Sense lies deep as in a Well, and -flows with Knowledge as with Water, will Christ then find his Church, -drawing and drinking of the[138] Waters of the Letter, which could not -quench the Thirst of the Soul hitherto: But in the Perfection of Time, -signified by the _sixth Hour_, will Christ, according to the Fathers, -enable her to draw out of this _Well_ of the Profundity of the -Scriptures, spiritual Waters of Divine Knowledge, which will daily -more and more, like the Fountains of the Waters of Life, arise and -flow in upon the Soul, and constantly recreate and refresh her with -Wisdom, to her Delight and Satisfaction; so as she may be said never -to thirst more, after the Manner she does now. - -And Jesus _then_ told the Woman of _Samaria_, _all that she had done_: -So will Christ in the _sixth Hour_, that is, towards the latter End of -the _sixth Age_ of the World, give the Woman of the Church to -understand _all that she has done_, according to the Writings of -_Moses_ and the Prophets, who, upon the Testimony of the Fathers, have -written a prophetical History of her, in Types, Symbols and Parables; -which Understanding of the Things that have been prophecy'd of her, -will enable her, of Consequence, to prove and declare to the World, -with Joy and Pleasure, that _Jesus_ is the true Messiah, the Christ, -and Fulfiller of the Law and the Prophets. - -But particularly, as _Jesus_ then told the Woman that _she had had -five Husbands, and was then an Adulteress_ with one who was not her -true Husband: So the Church will be made to apprehend, according -to[139] _Origen_ and[140] St. _Augustin_, and others, how she has had -five Husbands of the five bodily Senses, that is, metaphorically -speaking, has been _wedded_ not only to sensual Pleasures, but to the -sensible Things of the Letter of the five Books of _Moses_; and that -at present, consequently, she lives in Adultery[141] with Anti-Christ, -whom the Fathers call the Devil, instead of the Spirit of Christ, the -Spirit of the Law, who should be her true Spouse, whom she should -_call_ for, and believe in. - -And not only the Woman of _Samaria_, but the Men of the City, -_Sychar_, believ'd _Jesus_ to be the Messiah, _v._ 42, upon what he -said to themselves as well as to her: So the Ministers of the Letter, -who are _Sycharites_, according to _Origen_ and _Theophanes Cerameus_, -will be clearly convinced, and be able to convince others, that _Jesus -is the Christ or Messiah_, when they shall hear, learn and apprehend -from the Spirit of the Law and the Prophets, that the Church and all -she has been doing, was foretold and prophecy'd of. - -Lastly, _Jesus_'s Disciples, _v._ 27. are said _to Marvel that he -talk'd with the Woman_. What in the Name of Wonder, literally, could -be the Meaning of this? Did they _Marvel_ at _Jesus_'s Condescention -to speak to a Woman, as if the Sex was beneath his Care? Or did they -_Marvel_ that he who was very bashful, had Courage to speak to one? Or -did they _Marvel_ at his Conversation with a Whore, for fear of his -being tempted by her? Some one or other of these must be the _Marvel_ -of the Disciples; but how absurd and ridiculous they all are, -according to the Letter, let a reasonable Man judge. But mystically, -the true Disciples of our Lord, who understand the Mysteries of the -Kingdom of Heaven, will, when they are apprized of _Jesus_'s spiritual -Conversation with his Church, and of all the Things that she has done -according to Prophecy, _Marvel_ with rapturous Astonishment at the -Wisdom and Power of God in the Accomplishment of the Scriptures. - -After such a Mystical and Allegorical Manner, is every minute -Circumstance of this Story of the _Samaritan_ Woman to be apply'd. -St. _Augustin_[142] says there are so many great Mysteries contain'd -in it, that they require much Time to go through them all. I find it -so, and that no less than a Volume might be written of them, out of -the Fathers. But what I have briefly here touch'd on, is enough to -convince any one of the Absurdities of the Letter of this Miracle, -which consisted in the telling a Woman her Fortune, and such a -Fortune, as _Jesus_ by Craft might come to the Knowledge of. -Therefore, for the Honour of _Jesus_, let us look upon the whole Story -as a typical and parabolical Representation of what would be -mysteriously and more wonderfully done by him. - -And thus I have spoken to the three Miracles, proposed to be treated -on in this Discourse. Before I enter upon my third general Head, which -is, _to consider what Jesus means when he appeals to his Miracles as -to a Witness of his Divine Authority_; I must take to Task some more -of his pretended Miracles even till I have not left him a good, -credible and substantial Miracle, according to the Letter, to appeal -to. The Consequence of which will be, that his mysterious Operations -are to prove his Authority and Messiahship, or we must give up him and -his Religion for a Piece of Fraud and Imposture. - -What Miracles will be the Subject of my next Discourse, I can't -certainly foretell, but there are many Historical as well as -miraculous Parts of _Jesus_'s Life, that according to the Letter, are -to be call'd into Question; such as - -The History of his riding on an Ass to _Jerusalem_. I have given some -Offence on this Point already in my _Moderator_, and ought to excuse -or justify my self, by calling the Fathers to Account for laughing at -the Letter of that Story. It was an untoward saying of St. _Jerome_, -that I there cited, and suffered a Prosecution for: But it is a worse -Intimation of St. _John_ of _Jerusalem_, who, if there was any literal -Truth in the Peoples pulling off their Garments, and Branches of -Trees, and strewing them in the Way of _Jesus_, will needs have it not -respectfully but mischievously done, to make the Colt stumble, and so -dismount his Rider. And according to him it may be questioned, whether -the _Hosannahs_ of the People were of any more Respect to _Jesus_, -than the _Huzzahs_ of a _Mob_ would be to the Bishop of _L----n_, if -to shew his Meekness and Lowlyness, he should ride upon an Ass, in his -_Pontificalibus_ through this City. But I have here a momentous -Controversy to decide about the Beast _Jesus_ rode on. St. _Matthew_ -seems to say, he rode upon both _Ass_ and _Colt_ together. St. _Mark_ -and St. _Luke_ say, he rode upon the _Colt, on which Man never before -sat_. The Bishop of _Lichfield_ says, he rode upon the _Ass_ (on which -Man had before sat) and the _Colt_ ambled after. St. _Cyril_ and St. -_Chrysostom_ say, he rode upon the _Colt_, and the _She-Ass_ trotted -after. St. _John_ the _Evangelist_ says he rode upon a _Mule_, or an -[Greek: onarion] Ass-like Creature of the neuter Gender. The _Jewish -Cabalists_ say, their _Messiah_ was to ride on a great huge _Ass_, big -enough to carry him and all true Israelites, and that the Ministers of -_Antichrist_ would then hang an _A-ss_. So do the great Doctors of the -World differ! To whom I shall decree the Prize of Orthodoxy, I shan't -foretell; but am inclined to favour the Opinion of the _Cabalists_. -However, I shall be very grave as well as learned on this Head: And if -I can, I will, to oblige Dr. _Sherlock_, hook in a Digression about -_Shilo_'s _binding his Fole to the Vine, and his Asses Colt to the -choice Vine_: The Accomplishment of which _literal_ Prophecy seems to -have been drop'd in the Providence of God, or the _Dean_ of -_Chichester_[143] had never stopt at it. I will endeavour to look it -up, in some Corner of History, if it be but to merit the Praises of -the _Master_ of the _Temple_. - -I must also sometime take into Consideration the Story of _Jesus_'s -Abode in the Wilderness, forty Days, in Company of the _Devil_, who -tempted him. This literally, as our _Divines_ understand it, is a -Scandalous Story. The _Jews_, in our Saviour's Time, said, that -through _Belzebub_, he cast out _Devils_; and their Posterity have -asserted, that he learn'd the Magick Art of a _Dæmon_. This Story -gives too much Grounds for such a Suspicion. Our _Divines_, who should -know best, talk of abundance of Mischief, the _Devil_ has been -permitted to do in the World ever since; I hope it was not by Compact -and Agreement between them; but it would have been of some -Satisfaction to the Contrary, if the _Evangelist_ had told us expresly -upon what Terms they mett and parted. As Fables go, it is said to the -Honour of St. _Dunstan_, that he took the _Devil_ by the Nose, when he -tempted him; and if _Jesus_ had taken him by the _Collar_, and thrust -him into his _Dungeon_, and there chain'd him, and shut _Hell-Gates_ -upon him; I appeal to honest plain Christians, whether such an -_Herculean_ Labour would not have pleased them well. Ever since I read -of _Martin Luther_'s Conversation with the _Devil_, I have had but -indifferent Thoughts of his _Protestantism_; and unless the Fathers -turn this Story before us into Mystery, Allegory and Cabalism, I shall -think ill of Christianity. - -I should also take into Examination the Story of an Angel's appearing -to the Shepherds, and saying to them; _Behold I bring you Tidings of -great Joy_, &c. If there was any Truth literally in _this_ Story, and -in _that_ of a Star's appearing to the wise Men, there must be a great -Mistake in the Report of both of them. St. _Matthew_ and St. _Luke_ -have both blunder'd. It was the Star that appear'd to the Shepherds by -Night; and the Angel (I speak upon Reason and Authority) that was sent -to the wise Men. What then to do with these two Stories, and to salve -the Credit of the _Evangelists_, I knew not, till the Fathers directed -me to the Use of a mythological _Metamorphosis_: And then I presently -learn'd the Trick on't, to transform Stars into Angels, and Shepherds -too, or Pastors of Christ's Flock (which was the Difficulty) into -wise Men; and so I made one Moral or Mistery of the two Fables. - -I must also some Time take to task the Story of the _many dead Bodies of -the Saints, that upon Christs Resurrection, came out of their Graves, -and appear'd unto many_; which is too imperfectly related to merit -Credit. The _Evangelist_, if he would have a reasonable Man believe his -Story, should have told us, who those Saints were, and what Numbers of -them; and whether they appear'd to the converted or unconverted _Jews_; -whether they were some of the Patriarchs and Prophets of old, or some -lately departed Disciples, who, for all _Jesus_'s healing Power, died in -the Time of his Ministry; and whether there were any Women among those -Saints; and whether they appear'd naked (as _Jesus_ modestly did to -_Mary Magdalen_, unless he flip'd himself by _Stealth_ into the Cloths -of the Gardener, which might be the Reason of her Mistake, for she -suppos'd she saw the Gardener) and whether they return'd again to -Corruption, or ascended into Heaven. For want of these specifical -Circumstances, the _Evangelist_ has told us a Tale, that has neither -Head nor Foot to it: and unless the Fathers mystically answer, to -Satisfaction, every one of the aforesaid _Queries_, I'll reject this -Story for mere Romance and Imposture. - -These and many other historical and seemingly miraculous Stories of -the Gospel, are some time to be taken into Consideration; for I will -not give this Work over, till I have demonstrated beyond all -Contradiction, that the evangelical Writings are but the Shadow of -Divine Mysteries; and that literal Interpreters, whom[144] _Origen_ -calls _vulgar Capacities_, are under a Mistake, if they think, they -understand any Thing, as they ought, of the four Gospels. - -I should conclude now, as it becomes a _Moderator_, with an Address to -_Infidels_ and _Apostates_, the great Combatants in this Controversy. -But I have not Room to be as large, as I would, in my Exhortations to -them distinctly, so I can only desire them to continue the Controversy -with Zeal and Vigour, not doubting but it will end to the Honour of -Jesus, the Good of his Church, and the Happiness of Mankind. The blessed -Fruits of this Controversy are already seen and felt in the almost Cure -of a most malignant Distemper, call'd _Bigottry_, which has been the -Bane of human Society, and in Times past more destructive of the World -than either War or Pestilence. Go on then, _Great_ and _Good Sirs_, till -the Cure is perfected. And as you merit Praises and Rewards for your -several Labours; So I hope you'll meet with them. The _Nobility_ and -_Gentry_, of the Kingdom, as I learn, are sensibly touch'd with the -Usefulness of this Controversy; whereupon it is to be hoped the -_Legislative Authority_ will soon give Thanks to the great Mr. _Grounds_ -and Mr. _Scheme_ for their Pains in it; and not forget to do Justice to -the _Bishops_ and _Clergy_ according to their Merits. But I can't stay -here to talk more on this Head, being obliged to make an Epistolary - - * * * * * - -_P. S._ To Mr. _T. Ray_, the Author of a _Discourse_, call'd _Our -Saviour's Miracles vindicated_, &c. As I, _Sir_, enter'd the _Press_, -you came forth, or I might possibly have paid more of my Respects to -you another Way. But upon mature Consideration, I found a properer -Reply could not be made to you, than is the foregoing Discourse; -which, if you are not sick of your former Performance, will find you -some more Work. And that you may write more pertinently against this -Discourse, than you did against my other, I'll give you some -Instructions, _viz._ if you think of writing to the Purpose, you must -prove these two Things; _First_, that the Fathers did not hold the -Stories of _Jesus_'s Miracles to be typical and figurative; and -_Secondly_, that _Jesus_'s Miracles neither will nor can receive a -mysterious and more wonderful Accomplishment. But you have not said -one Syllable to either of these Points; consequently have written -nothing to the Purpose against me. As for Instance; In the Miracle of -_Jesus_'s _driving the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple_: You -should prove, _First_ that the Fathers don't hold that Miracle to be -typical of the future Ejection of _Bishops_, _Priests_, and _Deacons_ -out of the Church, that make Merchandize of the Gospel: And -_Secondly_, that it was impossible that the Miracle should receive -such an Accomplishment. But you have done nothing of this. So, if you -should attempt again to write against this Discourse, as for Instance, -against my Explication of the Miracle of _Jesus_'s healing the Woman, -that _had an Issue of Blood_; you must prove that _that_ Story neither -was in the Opinion of the Fathers Typical, nor could receive a -mystical Accomplishment; or you may as well hold your Peace. And -after all, whether your Reasonings for the Letter of Christ's -Miracles, are equal to mine against it, let our Readers judge, who -will easily discern, that you jump over my choicest Invectives against -the Letter, as if you was afraid of being touch'd by them. - -As to your charging me falsly in one or two Places, with -Misrepresentations of the Fathers, I'll expostulate that Matter with -you, when I hear that the _Bishop_ of _London_ gives your Performance, -the Reputation of a solid, and substantial one, by a Change of your -_Cloak_ into a _Gown_, which you seem to aim at; or you had never so -besmear'd the _Bishop_ with your Compliments, nor had been so -mealy-mouth'd as to the Point of Liberty. - -But what need you, _Sir_, have told the World, that you take me for an -_Unbeliever of the Scriptures_. If the _Bishop_'s wise Prosecution of -me for an _Infidel_ had not given you the Hint, you could never of -your self have made that Discovery. And why did you not join the -Fathers with me in Unbelief? I thought I had been of the same Faith -with them. A Man of your Penetration into another's Principles, will, -I suppose, from this present going Discourse, conclude me to be a -downright _Atheist_. And what must I do then to clear my self! - -If you write any more, _Sir_, I desire you, without making more Haste -than good Speed, to be as expeditious as you can; or you will not -prevent my Publication of another Discourse, like these two, to the -Honour of _Jesus_, to whom be Glory for ever and ever. _Amen._ - - ~_FINIS._~ - -FOOTNOTES: - -[79] _Matt. Ch._ ix. _Luke Ch._ viii. _Mark Ch._ v. - -[80] Factum quidum est, &, ita ut narratur, impletum. _In Serm._ -lxxvii. _Sect._ 7. - -[81] _On Mat. Chap._ ix. - -[82] _Matt. Ch._ ix. _v._ 21. - -[83] Non autem Fimbria Jesu, sed ejus Cogitatio eam salvam fecit. _In -Loc. Marci._ - -[84] _Matt. Ch._ xiii. _v._ 58. - -[85] In Locum _Matt._ - -[86] Illa vero Mulier quæ Fluxum Sanguinis patiebatur, Ecclesiam -figurabat ex Gentibus. St. _August. in Serm._ lxxvii. _Sect._ 8. -Præparatur igitur Mulier, in cujus Typo universalis Ecclesia sub -specie designetur. _Paschas. Ratbert. in Loc. Matt._ - -[87] Hæc Mulier, i. e. Sancta Ecclesia de Gentibus congregata quæ -lapsu Criminum deperibat Sancti _Ambrosii in Loc. Luc._ Ut Mulier, quæ -fluxum sanguinis patiebatur, &c. ita omnis Anima percussa incurabili -Vulnere Peccati, habens fontem pravarum Cogitationum, &c. _Macarii -Ægypt. in Hom._ xx. - -[88] [Greek: Epigazes gar tên phoinikên amartian]. _In Orat._ XL. - -[89] Quæ est enim hæc Mulier nisi Ecclesia Gentium--Fluxum Sanguinis -patiebatur, quia in suorum Peccatorum Sanguine versabatur; quia -Sanguinum Rapina & Occisione nutriebatur. _In Dominic._ xxiv. - -[90] Adversus Hæreses. _Lib._ I. _Cap._ iii. - -[91] _Revel. Chap._ xii. _v._ 6. - -[92] Excellentes Verbi Prædicatores tanquam magni Medici.--_Sancti -August. in Psal._ LXXXVII. _Sect._ 10. - -[93] Per hos enim Medicos, Ariolos & Philosophos intelligere possumus, -quorum persuasionibus cæteri credentes a fidei Veritate aberrantes ad -Animæ Sanitatem attingere non valebant. _In Dominic._ xxiv. - -[94] Per Medicos intellige falsos Theologos. _In Loc. Marci._ - -[95] _Mark Ch._ v. _v._ 26. - -[96] Medici Molestiam potius quam Sanitatem ægrotanti præbentes. -_Ephræm. Syri._ p. 63. - -[97] _Mark Ch._ v. _v._ 34. - -[98] Dei Posteriora sunt novissima tempora. _Origen in Psal._ xxxvi. - -[99] Vestimenta Jesu sunt Sermones & Scripta Evangeliorum. _Origen in -Matt. Ch._ xvii. - -[100] _Luke Ch._ xiii. - -[101] In Muliere infirma est Figura Ecclesiæ. _Theoph. Antioch. in -Loc. Lucæ._ Unde intelligitur illa Mulier in Typo Ecclesiæ a Domino -sanata & erecta, quam curvaverat Infirmitas, alligante Satana, _Sancti -August. de Trinit. Lib._ iv. _Sect._ 7. In Typo Ecclesiæ fæminam -salvat. _Sancti Ambros. in Loc. Lucæ._ - -[102] Totum Genus humanum tanquam ista Mulier curvatum est ad -terram,--Diabolus & Angeli ejus Animas hominum curvaverunt ad terras, -id est, ut pronæ in ea quæ terrena, superna non quærerent. _Sancti. -August. in Serm._ cccxcii. Qui occidentem sequuntur Literam terrena -sapiunt. _Sancti Hieron. in Lib. Amos, Ch._ i. - -[103] Quid illa Mulier octo decem Annos habens in Infirmitate. Sex -Diebus Deus perfecit opera sua. Ter seni decem & octo faciunt. Quod -ergo significavit triennium in Arbore, hoc octo decem Anni in illa -Muliere. _In. Serm._ cx. - -[104] _Luke Ch._ xiii. 7. - -[105] 1 _Cor. Ch._ xiii. 9, 10. - -[106] Ut Deus sex Dies in tantis Rebus fabricandis laboravit; ita & -Religio ejus & Veritas in his sex millibus Annorum laboret, necesse est, -malitia dominante & prevalente. Et rursus, quoniam perfectis operibus -requievit Die septimo, eumque benedixit; necesse est, ut in sine sexti -millessimi Anni Malitia omnis aboleatur e terra & regnet per Annos mille -justitia; sitq; tranquilltas & requies a Laboribus, quos Mundus jamdiu -perpessus est. _In Lanctant. Instit. Lib._ VII. _Ch._ xiv. Dies septimus -etiam nos ipsi erimus quando (Christi) Benedictione & sanctificatione -fuerimus pleni & refecti; ibi vacantes videbimus, quoniam ipse est Deus. -_Sancti August. de Civit. Dei. Lib._ XXII. _Ch._ xxx. - -[107] Contemnenda non est accurata circa Nomina Diligentia ei qui -volucrit prole intelligere sacras Literas. _In Johan. Evang. Tom._ 8. - -[108] Jam Archi-Synagogus adumbrat omnes Sacerdotes, &c. _In. Hom._ xii. - -[109] Caluminabantur autem erigenti, qui, nisi curvi? _In Serm._ -cccxcii. - -[110] Sed nesciebat Archi-Synagogus vel hoc vel illud multo -excellentius sacramentum, quod Sabbato curando Dominus intimabat, quia -scilicet post sex hujus seculi Ætates perpetuæ Vitæ immortalis erat -gaudia daturus. _Venerab. Bed. in Loc._ - -[111] Ante Christum in cogniti & a solo sciente detecti. _In Lib._ II. -_adv. Gentes_. - -[112] Consequens autem est ei, qui cognoscit quæ sit Hierusalem in -divisione veræ Hæreditatis filiorum Isræl, ut intelligat Sermonem de -Gehenna. _In Matt. Ch._ xxiii. - -[113] Ego puto quod nomina hæc Scriptura divina non pro Historia -narraverit sed pro Causis & Rebus,--non enim tam Regum quam Vitiorum -Nomina, quæ regnant in hominibus referuntur. _In Numer. Ch._ xxxi. - -[114] Quid ergo mirum videtur, si per singula genera Peccatorum -singuli Dæmones ascribuntur. _In Lib. Josu. Ch._ xi. - -[115] Sed in alio quodam Libello, qui apellatur Testamentum duodecem -Patriarcharum, talem quendam sensum invenimus, quod per singulos -peccantes, singuli Satanæ intelligi debeant. Evidentius autem & ipsa -Nominis ejus interpretatio hoc idem significare videtur; _Satanas_ -namq; Adversarius dicitur. Omnes ergo qui adversantur dei voluntati, -Satanæ possunt dici. _Ibid._ - -[116] On Miracles, _p._ 36. - -[117] Quamdiu vera Pax veniat, & Sabbatismus, & Septem decadarum -Numerus.--Ecclesia non plenam recipiat Libertatem. _Sancti. Hieron. in -Zechar. Ch._ i. - -[118] Illa Mulier curvata intelligitur figurare Ecclesiam, quam _in -Sexta Mundi Ætate_ a Captivitate Diaboli Jesus liberabit. _In Quæst._ -25. _Dialog._ LXV _Quæst._ - -[119] Vidi Angelum habentem Clarem & Catenam ad ligandum -draconem.--_In Sexto Annorum Millenario_ hæc Res agitur. _De Civit. -Dei. L._ XX. _Ch._ vii. - -[120] _Revel. Ch._ xx. _v._ 2. - -[121] Propter Infinitatem Annorum Mille Annos dixit. _In Serm. de -Pænitentia._ - -[122] Diaboli Forman assumimus--Leonis Personam induimus & -Draconis,--quando crudeles & callidi sumus. _Origen. in Luc. Hom._ viii. - -[123] _Mark Ch._ viii. _v._ 33. - -[124] Defence of Christianity, _p._ 8. - -[125] Doctioribus inter Judæos notissimum est,--quod Moses qui primus -fuit Salvator Isrælis etiam in omni Vita & Operibus suis fuerit Typus -& Figura ultimi Redemptoris. _Christian. Meyer de Gen. Christi_, p. -145. Judæi Veteres expectabant similem Ægyptiacæ Liberationem, ut -scilicet Pharaoh & omnis ejus Exercitus qui per 430 Annos Populum Dei -Captivum tenuit, in Mari Rubro submersus est; sic etiam Romani qui -eodem Annorum Numero Judæos possessuri, Ultione Domini deleantur. -_Sancti Hieron. in Joel. Ch._ v. - -[126] See the Life of _William Lilly_. - -[127] See Dr. _Hammond_ on the Place. - -[128] Percontando de Viro, Occasionem cepit occulta revelandi. _Sancti -Cyril. Alex. in Loc._ - -[129] _John Ch._ x. _v._ 24. - -[130] Fortasse verum non erat, _Judæos cum Samaritanis Commmercium non -habere_,--ac ne illud quidem verum, _neque Haustorium habes, & Puteus -altus est_,--fortasse etiam neque illud, _quod Jacob ex Puteo biberit, -& filii ejus, & Pecora_ ejus. _Origen. in Loc._ - -[131] Plena Mysteriis & gravida Sacramentis. _Sancti August. in Johan. -Ch._ iv. - -[132] Evangelica Sacramenta in Domini nostri Jesu Christi dictis -factisque signata non omnibus patent, & ea nonnulli minus diligenter, -minusque sobrie interpretando, afferunt plerumque pro salute -Perniciem, & pro Cognitione Veritatis Errorem, inter quæ illud est -Sacramentum quod Scriptum est de hac Samaritana, _&c._ _In Quæst._ 63, -_de_ Lxxxiii. _Quest._ - -[133] [Greek: Ôs en typô palin êmin kai di ainigmatos ypodeikneus.] -_In Loc. Johan._ - -[134] Illa Mulier Typum gerebat Ecclesiæ, quæ ventura erat ex -Gentibus--Ecclesiæ non justificatæ, sed justificandæ. _Sancti. August. -in Loc. Johan._ - -[135] Tunc fatigatur Christus, quando nullam Virtutem in Populo suo -recognoscit. _Sancti August. in Serm._ xciii. _Appen._ - -[136] Hora sexta id est, sexta Ætate Generis Humani. _Sancti August. -in Quæst._ 64. lxxxiii. _Quæst._ - -[137] Puteus est Divina Scriptura, scientia scatens, ut aqua, Cujus -putei Profunditas sunt plena Mysteriis Symbola. _In Theoph. Ceram -Homil._ xxxviii. _de Samaritana_. - -[138] Lex secundum Literam est aqua amara. _Hieronym. in Ezekiel. Ch._ -xlvii. Qui bibit ex hac aqua sitiet rursus, id est, qui participat -profunditatem humanæ sapientiæ, prudentesque Rationes, receptis -Intelligentiis judicio suo inventis, tamen rursus secundo cogitans, -denuo dubitabit de his in quibus requieverat. _Origen. in Loc. Johan._ - -[139] _In Locum Johan. Evang._ - -[140] Quinque enim Viros habuisti, & nunc quem habes _non est Vir -tuus_. Sed non sunt hæc carnabiter accipienda, ne huic ipsi Mulieri -Samaritanæ similes videamur,--Per quinque Viros, quinque Libros Mosis -Nonnulli accipiunt--sed quinque Viri intelliguntur quinque Corporis -sensus. Et quia naturales sunt ipsi Sensus, qui ætatem primam regunt, -recte dicuntur Mariti. _In Quæst._ 64. _de_ lxxxiii. _Quæst._ - -[141] _Et nunc quem habes non est Vir tuus_; Quia non est in te -(Ecclesia) Spiritus qui intelligat Deum, cum quo legitimum potes -habere conjugium; sed Error Diaboli potius dominatur, qui te -adulterina Contaminatione corrumpit. _Venerab. Bedæ in Locum._ - -[142] Magna quidem acta sunt Sacramenta, sed augustum Tempus est, ut -omnia pertractentur. _In Serm._ xci. _Sect._ 2. - -[143] _In his Dissertation on the Blessing of_ Judah. - -[144] Ut Lex Umbram continet futurorum bonorum, quæ declarantur ab ea -Lege; sic etiam Evangelium, quod vel a quibusque vulgaribus intelligi -existimatur, Umbram docet Mysteriorum Christi. _In Præfat. ad Johan. -Evang._ - - - - - A THIRD - DISCOURSE - ON THE - MIRACLES - OF OUR - _SAVIOUR_, - - In VIEW of the Present - Controversy between INFIDELS - and APOSTATES. - - _Litteratos gravissimo Somno stertere convincam_, - HIERON. - - The Third Edition. - - By THO. WOOLSTON, B.D. sometime - Fellow of _Sidney-College_ in _Cambridge_. - - _LONDON_: - - Printed for the Author, and Sold by him - next door to the _Star_, in _Aldermanbury_, - and by the Booksellers of _London_, and - _Westminster_. 1728. - - [Price One Shilling.] - - - - -[Illustration] - - TO THE - - Right Reverend Father in GOD - - _RICHARD_, - - Lord Bishop of St. DAVID'S. - - -MY LORD, - -_In your_ Sermon _before the_ Societies _for Reformation of Manners, -you are pleased to give a Character of my former_ Discourses on -Christ's Miracles; _which, tho' I don't at all like, yet I thank you -for the Favour of taking Notice of them; a_ Favour _that I have long'd -for from a considerable_ Clergyman; _but could not flatter myself -with the Hopes of receiving it from so great a_ Prelate. - -_Some of the inferior_ Clergy, _whom I despise for their Ignorance and -Malice, have before in their Conversation represented me as an_ -impious _and_ blasphemous Infidel; _and I have met with Affronts for -it: But I never imagin'd that any, much less your_ Lordship, _would -have ventur'd such a Character of me from the_ Press, _for fear of a -Resentment, which would not be agreeable. Surely your_ Lordship _has -not read my_ Discourses, _but has taken a Report of them upon Trust, -from some Ecclesiastical_ Noodle; _or you could never have been so -much mistaken about my Design in them_. - -_I took myself to be a_ Christian _of the same Faith with the Fathers -of the Church; and, without Vanity, think, I have publish'd some -Tracts, in Defence of Christianity, equal, if not superior to any -Thing this Age has produced. I repeatedly also in my_ Discourses on -Miracles, _to obviate the Prejudices of an ignorant_ Clergy, _made -solemn Protestations of the Sincerity of my Design, not to do Service -to Infidelity, but to make Way for the Demonstration of_ Jesus_'s -Messiahship from Prophecy: But all these Asseverations of the -Integrity of my Heart, it seems, stand for nothing (and I don't wonder -at it) with the_ Clergy, _who in their Principles, their Oaths, and -Subscriptions are so accustom'd to prevaricate with God and Man. I -shall make no more serious Protestations of my Faith, but expect your_ -Lordship _should soon publish a Defence of your foul_ Charge _against -me, that I may see what Skill you have in the impious and blasphemous -Writings of an_ Infidel. - -_And if your railing_ Accusation _be not soon followed with a -Dissertation of more Reason, I shall insist on a publick Reparation of -the Injury done to my Reputation by your_ vile _and_ slanderous _Sermon; -and appeal to the worshipful_ Societies _for Reformation of Manners, -whether it be not just and reasonable, you should do one or the other_. - -_Now I have laid hold on your_ Lordship, _than whom I could not have -wish'd for an_ Adversary, _that will do me more Honour to overcome, I -will hold you fast; and you must expect to be teaz'd and insulted from -the_ Press, _if you enter not the Lists against me_. - -_A clear Stage_, my Lord, _and no Favour. If you have the Sword of the -Spirit in your Hand, cut as sharply as you can with it. I had -conceiv'd a great Opinion of your Learning, and should have been a -little apprehensive of the Power of it; if you had not in your_ Sermon -_betray'd as great Weakness and Ignorance, as could be in a poor_ -Curat; _or you had never asserted that the_ Greek _Commentators -adher'd more strictly, to the litteral Sense of the Holy Scriptures; -as if you knew not, that St_. Theophilus _of_ Antioch, _and even_ -Origen _himself and others, the greatest_ Allegorists, _if a -Comparison may be made, were_ Commentators _of the_ Greek _Church_. - -_The sooner your_ Lordship _appears from the_ Press, _the better, in as -much as you may possibly prevent my Publication of more_ Discourses _of -this Kind. And that it may not be long first, I will accept of a -Dissertation from you, on any two or three of the Miracles, I have -handled, as sufficient for all. Take your Choice of them: but don't I -beseech you, touch the Miracle of_ Jesus_'s driving the_ Buyers _and_ -Sellers _out of the Temple, because it is a_ hot _one, and may possibly -burn your Fingers. The Miracles, that I have most ludicrously and, of -consequence, most offensively handled, are the_ two _of this present -Discourse. If you please_, my Lord, _let them be the easy and short Task -imposed on you. If you can defend the Letter of the Stories of these_ -two _Miracles, I'll quietly give up the Rest to you._ - -_So heartily thanking your_ Lordship _for the Favour done me, in -taking Notice of my_ Discourses on Miracles, _which shall be turn'd to -good Use and Advantage, I subscribe myself_, - -[Sidenote: _Feb. 26. 1728_] - - _My LORD_, - _Your most obliged_ - _Humble Servant_, - Tho. Woolston. - - - - -[Illustration] - - A THIRD - DISCOURSE - ON THE - MIRACLES - OF OUR - _SAVIOUR_, &c. - - -My two former Discourses having met with a favourable Reception, I am -encourag'd to go on and publish another; which, without any more -Preface, I enter upon, by a Repetition of three general Heads, at -first proposed to be spoken to, and they were, - -I. To show that the Miracles of healing all Manner of bodily Diseases, -which _Jesus_ was justly famed for, are none of the proper Miracles of -the _Messiah_, neither are they so much as a good Proof of his divine -Authority, to found a Religion. - -II. To prove, that the literal History of many of the Miracles of -_Jesus_, as recorded by the _Evangelists_, does imply Absurdities, -Improbabilities, and Incredibilities; consequently they, either in -whole or in part, were never wrought, as they are commonly believed -now-a-days, but are only related as prophetical and Parabolical -Narratives of what would be mysteriously and more wonderfully done by -him. - -III. To consider, what _Jesus_ means, when he appeals to his Miracles, -as to a Testimony and a Witness of his divine Authority; and to show -that he could not properly and ultimately refer to those he then -wrought in the _Flesh_, but to those Mystical ones, that he would do -in the _Spirit_, of which those wrought in the Flesh are but mere -Types and Shadows. - -Tho' I have already, spoken what may be thought sufficient, to the -first of these Heads; yet I have several Things still, both from -Reason and Authority, to add to it; but having not here a convenient -Place for that purpose, I defer it to a better Opportunity; and so -pass immediately to the Resumption of my - -II. Second general Head, and that is, to prove, that the literal -History of many of the Miracles of _Jesus_, as recorded by the -_Evangelists_, does imply Absurdities, Improbabilities and -Incredibilities; consequently they, either in whole or in part were -never wrought, as it is commonly believed now-a-days, but are only -related, as Prophetical and parabolical Narratives of what would be -mysteriously and more wonderfully done by him. - -To this Purpose I have taken into Examination six of the Miracles of -_Jesus_, _viz._ those. - -1. Of his driving the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple. - -2. Of his exorcising the _Devils_ out of the Mad-men, and sending them -into the Herd of Swine. - -3. Of his Transfiguration on the Mount. - -4. Of his healing a Woman, that had an Issue of Blood, twelve Years. - -5. Of his curing a Woman that had a Spirit of Infirmity, eighteen -Years, and - -6. Of his telling the _Samaritan_ Woman her Fortune of having had five -Husbands, and being then an Adulteress with another Man. - -Whether I have not prov'd the Storys of these Miracles, either in -whole or in part, to consist of Absurdities, Improbabilities, and -incredibilities, according to the Proposition before us, I leave my -_Readers_ to judge; and now will take in Hand - -7. A Seventh Miracle of _Jesus_; _viz._ that[145] _of his cursing the -Figtree, for not bearing Fruit out of Season_; which Miracle, upon the -bare mention of it, appears to be such an absurd, foolish, and -ridiculous, if not malicious and ill-natured Act in _Jesus_, that I -question, whether, for Folly and Absurdity, it can be equalled in any -Instance of the Life of a reputed wise Man. The Fathers, such as -_Origen_, St. _Augustin_, St. _John of Jerusalem_, and others, have -all said as smart Things, as the wittiest Infidels can, against the -Letter of this Story. St. _Augustin_[146] very plainly says, that -_this Fact in Jesus_, upon Supposition that it was done, was _a -foolish one_. If therefore I treat this Story a little more -ludicrously than ordinary, and expose the Folly of the Fact as well as -of the modern Belief of it, I hope their Authority and Example will -plead my Excuse for it. - -_Jesus_ was hungry, it seems, and being disappointed of Figs, to the -Satisfaction of his Appetite, cursed the Figtree. Why so peevish and -impatient? Our _Divines_, when they please, make _Jesus_ the most -patient, resign'd and easy under Sufferings, Troubles and -Disappointments, of any Man. If he really was so, he could hardly have -been so much out of Humour, for want of a few Figs, to the Allay of -his Hunger. But to curse the Figtree upon it, was as foolishly and -passionately done, as for another Man to throw the Chairs and Stools -about the House; because his Dinner is not ready at a critical Time, -or before it could be got ready for him. - -But _Jesus_ was hungry, some will say, and the Disappointment provoked -him. What if he was hungry? He should, as he knew the Return of his -Appetite, have made a better and more certain Provision for it. Where -was _Judas_ his Steward and Caterer with his Bag of Victuals as well -as Money? Poor Forecast, and Management amongst them, or _Jesus_ had -never trusted to the uncertain Fruits of a Figtree, which he espy'd at -a Distance, for his Breakfast. - -And if _Jesus_ was frustrated of a long'd-for Meal of Figs, what need he -have so reveng'd the Disappointment on the[147] senseless and faultless -Tree? Was it, because he was forc'd to fast longer than usual and -expedient? not so, I hope neither: Could not Angels, if he was in a -desert Place, have administered unto him? Or could not he miraculously -have created Bread for himself and his Company, as he multiplied or -increased the Loaves for his Thousands in the Wilderness? What Occasion -then for his being out of Humour for want of Food? If he was of Power to -provide Bread for others on a sudden, he might sure have supply'd his -own Necessities, and so have kept his Temper, without breaking into a -violent Fit of Passion, upon present Want and Disappointment. - -But what is yet worse, _the Time of Figs was not yet_, when Jesus -look'd and long'd for them. Did ever any one hear or read of any -thing more[148] unreasonable than for a Man to expect Fruit out of -Season? _Jesus_ could not but know this before he came to the Tree, -and if he had had any Consideration, he would not have expected Figs -on it, much less, if he had regarded his own Reputation, as a wise -Man, would he have so resented the Want of them. What, if a _Yeoman_ -of _Kent_ should go to look for _Pipins_ in his Orchard at _Easter_, -(the supposed Time[149] that _Jesus_ sought for these Figs) and, -because of a Disappointment, cut down all his Trees; What then would -his Neighbours make of him; Nothing less, than a _Laughing-stock_; and -if the Story got into our publick News, he would be the Jest and -Ridicule of Mankind. How _Jesus_ salv'd his Credit upon this his wild -Prank; and prevented the Laughter of the _Scribes_ and _Pharisees_ -upon it, I know not; but I cannot think of this Part of the Letter of -this Story, without smiling at it at this Day; and wonder our -_Divines_ are not laugh'd out of Countenance for reading it gravely, -and having _Jesus_ in Admiration for it. - -Again, I would gladly know, whose Figtree this was, and whether -_Jesus_ had any legal Right to the Fruit, if haply he had found any on -it, or any Leave or Authority to smite it with a Curse for its -Unfruitfulness? As to the Tree's being _Jesus_'s Property, that could -not be. For he was so far from being either Landlord or Tenant, that -it's said he had not where to lay his Head. During the Time of his -Ministry, he was but a Wanderer, like a Mendicant Fryar, or an -itinerant Preacher, and before that Time was no better than a -Journeyman Carpenter (of whose Workmanship, I wonder, the Church of -_Rome_ has no holy Relicks, not so much as a Three-footed-stool, or a -Pair of Nutcrackers;) consequently he had no House nor Land of his own -by Law, much less any Figtree, and least of all _this_ which he espy'd -at a distance in his Travels. How then had he any Right to the Figs, -if he had met with any? I hope he ask'd Leave beforehand of the -Proprietor, or _Infidels_ will say of him, that if he had had an -Opportunity he would have been a _Rob-Orchard_. And it he had no Right -to the Fruit, much less to smite the Tree with a Curse; where was his -Honour,[150] _his Justice_, his Goodness, and his Honesty in this Act? -The _Evangelists_, if they would have us to think, _Jesus_ did no -wrong to any Man, should have left us somewhat upon Record, to -Satisfaction, in this Case; or _Infidels_, who have here Scope for it, -will think worse of _Jesus_, than possibly he may deserve. Whether -_Jesus_, modestly speaking, met with any Blame or Reprimand from the -Proprietor, for his Act of Execration, none can affirm or deny. But if -any one so spitefully and maliciously should destroy almost any other -Tree, whether fruitful or not, of another Man's, in this Country, he -would have good Luck, if he escaped the House of Correction for it. - -And what now have our _Divines_ to say, to all this Reasoning against -the Letter of this Story? Nothing more than "That the Act of cursing the -Figtree, whether it be at this Distance of Time reconcilable to Reason, -Justice and Prudence or not, was a supernatural Work, above the Power of -Nature or Art to imitate; consequently it was a Miracle, and they will -admire and adore _Jesus_ for it." And to agree with them at present, -that it was a real Miracle, and a supernatural Event, yet I hope, -they'll acknowledge, that if _Jesus_, as St. _Augustin_[151] says, had, -instead of cursing the Figtree, made a dry, dead and withered one, -immediately to bud, flourish and revive, and in an Instant to bring -forth ripe Fruits, out of Season, it would have pleased them much -better. Such an Instance of his Power had been an indisputable Miracle: -Such an Instance of his divine Power had carry'd Goodness along with it, -and none of the foresaid Exceptions could have been made to it: Such an -Instance of his Almighty Power, had been a Demonstration of his being -Lord of the Creation, and Author of the Fruits of the Earth for the Use -of Man, in their Season, or he could not have produced them out of -Season: In such an Instance of Power, his Divine Care and Providence -against Hunger and Want would have been visible; and it would have been -an Admonition to us, to depend daily upon him for the Comforts and -Necessaries of Life: Such an Instance of his Power would have been, as -St. _Augustin_ says above, like his Miracles of healing Diseases, of -making the Languid, _Sound_; and the Feeble, _Strong_; and we might more -certainly have inferr'd from one with the other, that both were the -Operations of a good God. But this Instance of his cursing the Figtree -in this Fashion spoils the Credit, and sullies the Glory of his other -Miracles. It is in its own Nature of such a malevolent Aspect, that its -enough to make us suspect the Beneficence of _Christ_ in his other -Works, and to question whether there might not be some latent Poyson and -diabolical Design under the Colour of his fairer Pretences to Almighty -Power. It is so like the malignant Practices of _Witches_, who, as -Stories go, upon Envy, Grudge, or Distaste, smite their Neighbours -Cattle with languishing Distempers, till they die, that it's hard, if -not impossible, to distinguish one from the other, in Spite and Malice. -If _Mahomet_, and not _Jesus_, had been the Author of this Miracle, our -_Divines_ would presently have discover'd the _Devil_'s Foot in it, and -have said that _Satan_ drew him into a Scrape, in the Execution of this -mad and foolish Frolick, on purpose to expose _him_ for a _Wizard_ and -_his_ Musselmen of all Ages since for _Fools_ in believing on him. The -Spirit of _Christ_, who is all Love and Mercy, should, one would think, -breath forth nothing but Goodness and Kindness to Mankind; but that such -a pestilential Blast, like a mortiferous North-East Wind in some -Seasons, should proceed from his Mouth, to the Destruction of another -Man's harmless and inoffensive Tree, is what none upon Earth can account -for. - -Our _Divines_, one or other of them, have publish'd several notable -Notions about Miracles, and have laid down good Rules to distinguish -_true_ from _false_ ones; but none of them, as far as I perceive, have -taken any Pains to shew the Consistence of _Jesus_'s Miracles to their -own Rules and Notions. Mr. _Chandler_, (who as the _Archbishop_[152] -says, has rightly slated the Notion of a Miracle) among his Rules of -judging by whom Miracles are perform'd, says,[153] _That the Things -pretended to be done, are to be such, as that it is consistent with -the Perfections of God to interest himself in_; and again, _they must -be such as answer to the Character of God as a good and gracious -Being_; and again, _It seems reasonable to believe, that whenever the -first and best of Beings is pleased to send an extraordinary Messenger -with a Revelation of his Will, he will furnish him with such Proofs of -his Mission, as may argue, not only the Power of him in whose Name be -comes, but his Love to Mankind, and his Inclination to do them good_. -I have no Dislike to these Notions of Mr. _Chandler_; but as it is not -to be questioned, that he (and the _Archbishop_ too) had this Miracle -of _Jesus_'s cursing the Figtree, and some others, as of his -_boisterous driving the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple_; of _his -sending the Devils into the Herd of Swine_; of _his turning Water into -Wine for the Use of Men, who had before well drank_, &c. in his View, -when he gave forth the foresaid Rules; (for acute and learned Writers -in Theology are supposed to have their Wits about them;) so it is to -be hop'd that he or the _Archbishop_ will soon publish somewhat to -reconcile these Miracles of _Jesus_ to their own Notions; tho' I don't -expect it before _latter Lammas_. - -But after all, it may be questioned, if Infidels should go about it, -whether this Work of _Jesus_ was miraculous; and whether there was not -more of the Craft of Man, than of the Power of God in it; or to use -Mr. _Chandler_'s[154] Words, whether it don't _look like the little -Tricks and cunning Deceits of Impostors_. St. _Matthew_ says, -_presently the Figtree withered away_; but this _presently_ is an -indeterminate Time, and may be understood of a Day, or a Week or two, -as well as of the Moment in which the Words were spoken, _Let no Fruit -grow on thee henceforward for ever_. St. _Mark_ says, _that in the -Morning as the Disciples passed by; they saw the Figtree dry'd up from -the Roots_, which was at least the Day[155] after the Curse was -utter'd, so that there was certainly four and twenty Hours for its -withering; and if it is said that the _Tree dry'd up from the Roots_, -it does not imply that the Trunk of it perish'd, or was reduc'd to -nothing; but only that the green Leaves of the Whole, and of every -Part of it, were in a withering Condition: And might not all this be -done without a Miracle? What if _Jews_ and _Infidels_ should say, that -_Jesus_, being minded to impose on his Disciples and Followers, took a -secret Opportunity beforehand to lay his Carpenter's Ax to the Root of -this Tree, and so imperceptibly circumcised it, as that the Leaves -did, what they will do, wither in a Night and a Day's Time. God -forbid, that I should think, _Jesus_ did so; but as to the Possibility -of such a Fraud in an Impostor, none can doubt of it. - -I am so far from thinking there was any such Fraud in this supposed -Miracle of _Jesus_, that I don't believe it was at all done by him -according to the Letter: And for this I have not only a clear and -intrinsick Proof from the Story itself; but the Authority of the -Fathers. St. _Ambrose_, treating on the Parable of the Figtree in[156] -St. _Luke_, intimates, that what St. _Matthew_ and St. _Mark_ write of -_Jesus_'s cursing the Figtree, is but[157] Part of the same Parable. -And St. _John_ of _Jerusalem_[158] says expressly enough, that the three -_Evangelists_ write of one and the same Figtree, consequently -parabolically, and that, what St. _Matthew_ and St. _Mark_ write of it, -was no more a literal Transaction, than the Parable in St. _Luke_. -Thanks to these holy Fathers for their ridding us of the Belief of the -Letter of this Story, which otherwise might have perplex'd us with its -Absurdities before urg'd. And to their Opinion I desire it may be added -and considered, whether it be not as reasonable in itself to take what -the three _Evangelists_ write of this Figtree as Part of one Story, as -well as, what they write of the _Woman with her Issue of Blood_, and of -_Jesus's calling the Devils out of the Madmen_, and of other Miracles -which are but several Relations of the same Story, Parable or Miracle, -Neither is it any Argument for a literal Transaction of this Miracle, -that the _Evangelists_ speak of it, as a Thing done: For, as _Origen_ -says, there are some Things spoken of in the _Evangelists_, as Facts, -which were never transacted; so it is of the Nature of Prophecy (and -our Saviour in his whole Life prophesied) to speak of Things to come, -as if they were already past; because such Prophecies are not to be -understood till after their Accomplishment, and then the Reason of the -Use of the _præter_, instead of the _future_ Tense, in Prophecy, will be -visible. But what, in my Opinion, is an absolute Demonstration, that -there's no Truth in the Letter of this Story, is, what our Saviour adds, -upon the Disciples wondering at the sudden withering of the Figtree, -saying,[159] _that if they had Faith they should not only do what was -done to the Figtree; but should say to this Mountain_, (that was near -him, I suppose) _be thou removed and cast into the Sea, and it shall be -done_. But these Things were never litterally done by them, consequently -_Jesus_ himself did not litterally curse the Figtree; or the Disciples -wanted Faith for the doing the said Miracles, which is an Absurdity to -suppose; or _Jesus_ talked idly of a Promise to invest them with a -Power, they were never to be possess'd of. But of what ill Consequence -to Religion, either of these Suppositions is, let the old Objection in -_Paschasius Rathertus_[160] speak; which I shall not stay here to urge -and revive; but only say at present, that if _Jesus_ actually cursed a -Figtree, his Disciples ought to have done so too, and to remove -Mountains. If we adhere to the Letter in one Case, we must in the other -also; but we are only to look to the Mystery in both, or St. -_Augustin_[161] will tell us, that _Jesus_ utter'd vain, empty and -insignificant Words and Promises. - -St. _Augustin_, who believes no more of the Letter of this Story, than -I do, says, that the Works of _Jesus_ are all figurative and of a -spiritual Signification, which is so manifest from his Act of cursing -the Figtree, as Men must,[162] _whether they will or not_ acknowledge -it. But he is mistaken: Tho' there might be none in his Time who -would question, that this supposed Fact of _Jesus_ had a mystical -Signification; yet if he had liv'd in our Days, he would have met with -_Divines_, who, for all the foresaid Absurdities and their Cogency to -drive us to Allegory, do adhere to the Letter only, whether the Truth, -Credibility and Reasonableness of it be defensible or not. But then to -do Justice to St. _Augustin_'s Assertion, he would have met with -others, who _against their Wills_, interpret this Miracle -figuratively, such as Dr. _Hammond_ and Dr. _Whitby_, who say, _Jesus_ -cursed the Figtree by way of Type of the Destruction of the _Jewish_ -State, which declined and wasted away after the Similitude of this -withering Tree. But why then don't these _Commentators_ allegorically -interpret and apply other Miracles of our Saviour? Because they think -the Letter will stand good and abide the Test without an Allegory. And -why do they allegorise this Miracle only? Because of the Difficulties -and Absurdities of the Letter, which they can't account for. And are -these Reasons good? No, certainly: The _Evangelists_ should have made -the Distinction for them. They should have told us, which Miracles are -to be allegoris'd and mystically applied, and which are not; or we -are to allegorise all or none at all. And how came these modern -Allegorists of this Miracle to apply it as they do, and to make it a -mystical Representation of the Ruin of the _Jewish_ State? Did they -take up this Notion of their own Heads, or did they borrow it of the -Fathers? Why in all Probability they took the Hint from the Fathers; -wherefore then don't they, what none of them do, cite and acknowledge -their Authors for it? Because, like Men of Subtilty, they would be -thought to devise it of themselves; for if they had quoted the Fathers -for it, the Fathers would have oblig'd them, upon their Authority, to -allegorise the rest of _Jesus_'s Miracles, in the way that I have -interpreted some of them; but this would not have agreed with their -Stomachs for many Reasons. No Thanks then to the aforesaid -_Commentators_ for their allegorical Application of this Miracle, -which they are again to desert, or abide the Consequence of -allegorising others also, which for their Interests and Reputations -they will not do. Therefore let them return again to the Letter of -this Miracle, and say for it, what is all that is to be said for it, -with _Victor Antiochenus_, an Apostatical Writer of the fifth -Century,[163] _that when we read this Passage of Scripture concerning -the Figtree_, Jesus _cursed, we ought not curiously to enquire whether -it was wisely or justly done of_ Jesus, _or not; but we ought to -contemplate and admire this Miracle, as well as that of_ Jesus'_s -drowning the Swine, notwithstanding some think it void of the Face of -Justice_. Ay, ay, our _Divines_ must allegorise all _Jesus_'s -Miracles, or betake themselves to this Opinion of _Victor_; which this -_Free-thinking_ Age will hardly let them quietly rest in. So, -supposing our _Divines_ to be, what they generally are, still -Ministers of the Absurdity of the Letter, I pass to the Consideration -of the Authority of the Fathers, and to see, whether we can't learn of -them this Parable of the Figtree. - -Who or what is meant by the Figtree seems not to be agreed among the -Fathers; or, more properly speaking, they are not agreed, all of them -to apply it always to one and the same Thing. Some, as[164] _Gregory_ -the _Great_, say Human Nature or Mankind is typified by the Figtree. -Others, as[165] St. _Hilary_, say the _Jewish_ Church or State is -meant by it. Others, as[166] _Origen_ say, it is a Type of the Church -of Christ. So do the Fathers seem to be divided in their Opinions; but -it is without any Difference or Inconsistency with each other. For as -there is, according to the Fathers, Mystery upon Mystery in all the -Actions of _Jesus_; so I believe the Figtree here, as a Type, may be -properly enough apply'd to the foresaid three Purposes. And if the -Fathers had been ask'd their Opinion in this Case, I dare say, they -would have said so too. This is certain that _Origen_[167] understands -it as applicable to the _Jewish_ as well as the _Christian_ Church. -And St. _Augustin_, as Occasion offers itself, takes it in the -foresaid three Senses. When they understand it as a Type of all -Mankind, they say that the _three Years_ of its Unfruitfulness are to -be interpreted of the[168] _three grand Periods_ of the World; the -_one_ before the Law of _Moses_; _another_ under the Law; and the -_third_ under the Gospel; at the Conclusion of which _third_ Period, -as it was an ancient and common Opinion, _Jesus_ in Spirit would come -to his Figtree of Mankind, and animadvert on them for their -Unfruitfulness, not by any Destruction of human Nature, but by a -Cessation of its Unfruitful State, which then will wither away, and be -turn'd into a fruitful one against the grand Sabbath, or acceptable -Year, which is the Year signified in the Parable, _that it is to be -let alone to bring forth Fruit in_. They that understand the Figtree -as a Type of the _Jewish_ State, mean by the _three Years Jesus_ came -to it, the _three Years_ of his preaching among the _Jews_; at the End -of which, after _Christ_'s Passion and Resurrection, the _Jewish_ -State, like the Figtree, withered away, and, for its Unfruitfulness, -was rooted up. They, that understand the Figtree as a Figure of the -Church of _Christ_, by the _three Years_, mean the apocalyptical -_twelve hundred and sixty Days_ (that is, three Years and a half) of -the Church's barren and unfruitful State in the Wilderness, at the -Conclusion of which, the Fathers say, _Jesus_ will come again to his -Church or Figtree, seeking Fruit on it. - -Some perhaps may be ready here to interpose with a Question, and say, -how will _Jesus_ then come to his Church? I have carefully perused the -Fathers upon this Question, and can't find that they mean any more by -_Christ_'s second or spiritual Advent, than that clear _Truth_, right -_Reason_ and divine _Wisdom_ (which are the mystical Names of _Jesus_) -will descend upon the Church, on the Clouds of the Law and the -Prophets, to the Removal of her unfruitful and unprofitable Errors, -and to enable her to bring forth the Fruits of the Spirit, against the -grand Sabbath. Neither can any reasonable Man conceive how -otherwise[169] _the Lord should come_, (not _with ten thousand of his -Saints_, as our Translation has it, but) [Greek: en myriasin agiais -autou], that is, as _Origen_ interprets, _in his holy thousands_ of -Allegorists [Greek: poiêsai krisen], _to criticise upon all_ the -Scripture, and to convince _Ministers of the Letter_ of their -abominable Errors, and of their horrid Blasphemies spoken, preach'd -and printed against the Holy, (Ghost or) Spirit of the Law and -Prophets. As to that literal and common Pulpit-Story (with all its -Appendages) of _Jesus_'s second Coming on ætherial Clouds, as on a -Wool-sack, in his human, tho' glorious and majestick Appearance, for -the Resurrection of Mens Bodies, by the Sound of a Trumpet, in the -Audience of the Dead, _&c._ it is the most absurd, nonsensical and -unphilosophical, (such groundless and worthless Stuff have the -_Clergy_ sold and preach'd to God's People!) that ever was told -against Reason, against prophetick and evangelical Scripture, and -against other antient and good Authority. It is no Place here to -multiply Testimonies and Arguments to either of these Purposes which -my Readers, if they do but attend, will see no Occasion for. But if -our _Divines_ should think I have put a false Gloss on the Text of St. -_Jude_ above, I have a Bundle of Arguments and Testimonies to produce -in Defence of it, at their Service. - -In the Parable of St. _Luke_, it is said, _Lo, these three Years come -I seeking Fruit on this Figtree_; as if _Jesus_ came annually and -successively for _three Years_ together: but according to the -Original, it ought to be read, _Lo, it is three Years and I now -come_, or, _Lo, the three Years are now past, and I come_. And here it -is to be noted, that whether we understand the Figtree, as a Figure of -the Church in particular, or of Mankind in general; the mystical -Number of _three Years_ will terminate about the same Time, against -the Evangelical Sabbath, on which the Unfruitfulness of the Church, or -of Mankind, according to the Fathers, is to have an End put to it. - -And _Jesus_, when he came to the Figtree, _found nothing thereon but -Leaves only_: So _Jesus_, when he comes to his Church, will find -nothing in her but Leaves only. And what is here meant by Leaves? Let -the Fathers, such as[170] St. _Hilary_, St. _John_[171] _of -Jerusalem_, and[172] St. _Theophylact_ tell us, who by Leaves -understand a vain and empty Appearance of Wisdom and good Works, or -the Words and Letter of the Scriptures, which are the Leaves of the -Oracle, without any Figs of spiritual Interpretations of them. And -whether this ben't the Case of the Church at present, our _Divines_ -are to consider. The Figs that _Jesus_ may be supposed to look for at -his Coming, are not only the Fruits of the Spirit mention'd by St. -_Paul_, but[173] _spiritual Interpretations_ of the Scriptures, which -St. _Jerome_[174] says are _mystical Figs_; because, as ripe Figs are -sweet to the Palate of our Mouths, so are they no less delicious to -the Soul of Man. - -But _Jesus_ is said to be _hungry_ after Figs: so will _Jesus_ in -Spirit _hunger_ for the mystical Figs of his Church, that is, as -_Origen_[175] rightly interprets, he will earnestly desire, like a Man -that is hungry, the Fruits of the Spirit in his Church, which will be -as grateful to him as Figs can be to a Man naturally. To understand -this Expression of _Jesus_'s _Hunger_ literally, is such a mean -Circumstance of Life, that unless it be, what's next to impossible, -necessarily introductory to some noble Transaction, its unfit to be -remember'd of a _Saint_ in History. _Diogenes Laertius_ would have -disdain'd to mention such a frivolous Circumstance in the Life of a -Philosopher as _this_ of _Jesus_. But if we understand this _Hunger_ -in _Jesus_ mystically, and figuratively of his Desires of the Fruits -of the Spirit in his Church, it is sublime and noble; and the Emblem -confessedly proper and instructive. - -But _Jesus_ is said to come to the Figtree at an unseasonable Time; -_For the Time of Figs was not yet_; which Expression has been the -Perplexity of _Commentators_, who with all their Wit and Sagacity -can't get well over it. I shall not mention here all or any of their -pretended Solutions of this Difficulty; but let us see whether we -can't easily and at once unlose it. St. _Mark_'s Words are [Greek: ou -gar ên kairos sykôn], which are and have been commonly translated, -_for the Time of Figs is not yet_. But if we change the _Point_ into -an _Interrogation_, and read thus, _for was it not the Time of Figs?_ -the Difficulty vanishes as certainly, as that it is absurd to suppose -_Christ_ should come to his Figtree and look for Fruit, when he could -not reasonably expect any. This my Solution of this Difficulty -certainly serves the Purpose of the mystical Interpretation; and if -it does not the litteral, I answer, we are not to heed the Letter, -which seldom or never has any Sense or Truth in it. But, by the by, it -does the litteral too, since there are no Grounds from the Text to -think, what has been the common Opinion, that it was about the -_Jewish_ Passover that _Jesus_ came to the Figtree. If this my -Solution of the Difficulty don't please, I must say with[176] -_Heinsius_, that it must be left as a Knot for _Elias_ to untie, who, -according to the[177] ancient _Jews_, is first to gather Fruits off -this mystical Figtree, and present them to the intellectual Taste of -Mankind. But, that my Solution is good, will appear by what follows. - -And _Jesus_ finding Leaves only says, in St. _Matthew_, to the -Figtree, _Let no Fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever_; which -(with its parallel Place in St. _Mark_) is in my Opinion a false -Translation: The Original is, [Greek: Mêketi ek sou karpos genêtai eis -ton aiôna], and ought to be englished, _not as yet_, or _not until -now_, (that I come) _against the_ (grand) _Age_ (of the Sabbath) has -Fruit grown on thee. So that the Miracle of _Jesus_ was to make the -Figtree of the Church fruitful; and if her preceding unfruitful State, -which (in St. _Mark_) _Jesus_ is said to curse, or rather to devote to -Ruin, wasted away, it was by Consequence. - -But what Time of Day was it that _Jesus_ came to the Figtree? It was in -the _Morning_. And of what Day? That is uncertain as to the Letter, but -according to the mystical Extent of the _Three Years_, whether we -understand the Figtree as a Type of the Church, or of all Mankind of all -Ages, it will be on the _Morning_ of the great Sabbath, when, upon the -Appearance of the Light of Christ, like the Rising of the Sun, an -unfruitful and erroneous Church must needs wither away. And the -Disciples on the said _Morning_ will, as _Origen_[178] says, with their -intellectual Eyes behold her waste with Admiration. And then too, they -under Christ _will do what is done to the Figtree_, of the Church, and -_remove Mountains_ of Antichristian Power, that exalt themselves -against him; as the Fathers interpret, and I need not explain. - -And what is meant by the Means, which St. _Luke_ speaks of, to make -the Figtree of the Church fruitful on the Sabbatical Year; _the Year -it is to be let alone to bear Fruit in_? There must be _digging about -it_, that is[179] into the Earth of the Letter of the Scriptures, and -_dunging_ of it, that is calling[180] to Remembrance her Sins and -Errors of the Time past, which rationally speaking will make the -Church to bring forth good Fruit. - -After this Fashion is the rest of the Parable of the Figtree to be -allegorized out of the Fathers. St. _Gregory_[181] the _Great_ and St. -_Augustin_, make these two Stories or Parables, _viz._ of the Figtree, -and of the Woman with her _Spirit of Infirmity_, as they are blended -together in St. _Luke_, to be Figures of the same Mystery. The -_eighteen Years_ of the Woman's Infirmity and the _three Years_ of the -Figtree's Unfruitfulness, they will have to be mystically -synchronical. And the Woman's _Incurvity_ to the Earth is, they say, -significative of the same Thing with the _Unfruitfulness_ of the -Figtree. And the _Erection_ of the Woman on the Sabbath is of the same -Import with the _Reservation_ of the Tree for Fruitfulness on that -Day. And let any one see, if they don't admirally agree, as I have -interpreted these two Parables. - -Before I dismiss this Story of the Figtree, I can't but adore the -Providence of God, that the Miracle has been hitherto placed in the -withering away of the Tree. If the Miracle had been a plain Story of a -dead and wither'd Tree's being made to bring forth Leaves and Fruit on -a sudden; this would have been such a manifestly supernatural Work, -and so agreeable to modern Notionists about Miracles, that Mens -Thoughts would have been so absorpt in the Consideration of the -Letter, as they would never have extended them to the Contemplation of -the Mystery. And our Divines would have made such a Noise, in our Ears -of the Excellency and Marvellousness of such a Miracle, as that there -would be no bearing of it. But But as the _Evangelists_ have in a -good Measure suppress'd all mention of the after Fruitfulness of the -Tree; and the Story, by Misconstruction, is clog'd with the foresaid -Difficulties and Absurdities, we are of Necessity driven to the search -after Mystery for good Sense and Truth in it. - -And thus have I spoken enough to the Miracle of _Jesus_'s cursing the -Figtree, which according to the Letter is a foolish and absurd Story: -But the mystical Operation, of which the Letter is a Shadow, will be -ravishing, marvellous and stupendous; and not only a Proof of -_Christ_'s Power, and Presence in his Church, but a Demonstration of -his _Messiahship_, in as much as an infinite Number of Prophecys upon -Prophecys, will thereupon be discern'd to be accomplish'd, or the -Church can't bring forth the Fruits of the Spirit, that is Spiritual -Interpretations of the Scriptures, like ripe Figs. And so I pass to an - -8. _Eighth_ Miracle of _Jesus_, and that is,[182] "of his healing a -Man of an Infirmity, of thirty eight Years Duration, at the Pool of -_Bethesda_, that had five Porches, in which lay a great Multitude of -impotent Folk, blind, halt, withered, waiting the troubling of the -Waters, upon the Descent of an Angel, who gave a Sanative Virtue to -them, to the curing of any one, be his Distemper of what kind soever, -who first stept down into them." - -This whole Story is what our Saviour calls a _Camel_ of a monstrous -Size for Absurdities, Improbabilities and Incredibilities, which our -_Divines_, and their implicit Followers of these last Ages, have -swallowed without chewing; whilst they have been straining at _Knats_ -in Theology, and hesitating at frivolous and indifferent Things of the -Church, of no Consequence. - -As to _Jesus_'s Miracle in this Story, which consisted in his healing -a Man, of no body knows what _Infirmity_, there neither is nor can be -proved any Thing supernatural in it, or there had been an express -Description of the Disease, without which it is impossible to say, -there was a miraculous Cure wrought. As far as one may reasonably -guess, this Man's _Infirmity_ was more _Lazyness_ than _Lameness_, and -_Jesus_ only shamed him out of his pretended Illness, by bidden him to -take up his Stool and walk off, and not lie any longer, like a lazy -Lubbard and Dissembler, among the Diseased, who were real Objects of -Pity and Compassion: Or, if he was no Dissembler, he was only -fancyfully sick, and _Jesus_ by some proper and seasonable Talk -touch'd his Heart, to his Relief; and so, by the Help of his own -Imagination, he was cured, and went his Way. This is the _worst_ that -can be made of this _infirm_ Man's Case; and the _best_ that can be -said of _Jesus_'s Power in the Cure of him, as will appear, by and by, -upon Examination into it. But the other Parts of the Story of the -healing Virtue of the Waters, upon the Descent of an Angel into them, -is not only void of all good Foundation in History, but is a -Contradiction to common Sense and Reason, as will be manifest after an -Inquiry into the Particulars of it. - -St. _John_ was the beloved Disciple of our Lord, and I hope he lov'd -his Master: or he was worse than an Heathen, who loves those who love -him: But this Story, and some others, that are peculiar to his Gospel, -such as, of _Jesus's telling the Samaritan Woman her Fortune_; _of his -healing the blind Man with Eye-Salve made of Clay and Spittle_; _Of -his turning Water into Wine for the Use of Men, who had before well -drank_; and of _his raising Lazarus from the Dead_, are enough to -tempt us to think, that he wilfully design'd, either to blast the -Reputation of his Master, or to try how far the Credulity of Men who -through blind Love were running apace into Christianity, might be -imposed on; or he had never related such idle Tales, which, if the -_Priesthood_, who should be the philosophical Part of Mankind, had not -been amply hired into the Belief of them, would certainly have been -rejected with Indignation and Scorn before now. - -St. _John_ wrote his Gospel many Years after the other _Evangelists_: -What then should have been his peculiar Business? Certainly nothing -more, than to add some remarkable Passages of Life, to _Jesus_'s -Honour, which they had omitted; and to confirm the Truths which they -had before reported of him. But St. _John_ is so far from doing this, -that the Stories, he has particularly added, are not only derogatory -to the Honour of _Jesus_, but spoil his Fame for a Worker of Miracles, -which the other _Evangelists_ would raise him to. By reading the other -_Evangelists_, one would think, that _Jesus_ was a Healer of all -manner of Diseases, however incurable by Art and Nature, and that -where-ever he came, all the sick and the maim'd (excepting a few -Infidels) were perfectly cured by him. But this Story before us will -be like a Demonstration, that _Jesus_ was no such Worker of Miracles -and Healer of Diseases, as he is commonly believed to have been; and -that he wrought not near the Number of Cures, he is supposed to have -done, much less any great ones. The best Conception that an impartial -Reader of the Gospel can form of _Jesus_, is, that he was a tolerable -good natural _Orator_, and could handsomely harangue the People off -hand, and was according to the Philosophy of the Times, a good -_Cabalist_; and his Admirers finding him endewed with the Gift of -Utterance, which was thought by them more than human, they fancy'd he -must have the Gift of healing too, and would have him to exercise it; -which he did with Success, upon the Fancies and Imaginations of many, -who magnified his divine Power for it. And the Apostles afterwards, to -help forward the Credulity and Delusion of the People, amplified his -Fame with extravagant Assertions and strange Stories of Miracles, -passing the Belief of considerate and wise Men. Whether this -Representation of the Case, according to the _Letter_ of the Gospels, -be false and improbable, let my _Readers_ judge by the Story before -us, which I come now to dissect, and make a particular Examination -into the several Parts of it. Accordingly it is to be observ'd - -_First_, that this Story of the _Pool_ of _Bethesda_, abstractedly -considered from _Jesus_'s Cure of an infirm Man at it, has no good -Foundation in History: It merits no man's Credit, nor will any -reasonable Person give any heed to it. St. _John_ is the only Author -that has made any mention of this Story; and tho' his Authority may be -good, and better than another Man's in Relation to the Words and Actions -of _Jesus_, in as much as he was most familiar and conversant with him; -yet, for foreign Matters, that have no immediate Respect to _Jesus_'s -Life, he's no more to be regarded than another _Historian_, who, if he -palm upon his _Readers_ an improbable Tale of senseless and absurd -Circumstances, will have his Authority questioned, and his Story pry'd -into by the Rules of _Criticism_, and rejected or received as it is -found worthy of Belief and Credit. If there had been any Truth in this -Story before us, I cannot think but _Josephus_ or some other _Jewish_ -Writers, it is so remarkable, peculiar and astonishing an Instance of -the Angelical Care and Love to the distressed of _Jerusalem_, would have -spoken of it: But I don't find they have; or our modern _Commentators_ -would have refer'd to them, as to Testimony of the Credibility of the -Gospel-History. _Josephus_ has professedly written the History of the -_Jewish_ Nation, in which he seems to omit nothing that makes for the -Honour of his Country, or for the Manifestation of the Providence of God -over it. He tells us of the Conversation of Angels with the Patriarchs -and Prophets, and intermixes Extra-Scriptural Traditions, as he thought -them fit to be transmitted to Posterity. How came he then and all other -_Jewish_ Writers to forget this Story of the Pool of _Bethesda_? I -think, we may as well suppose that a Writer of the natural History of -_Somersetshire_ would neglect to speak of the medicinal Waters of -_Bath_, as _Josephus_ should omit that Story, which, if true, was a -singular Proof of God's distinguishing Care of his peculiar People, or -an Angel had never been frequently, as we suppose, sent to this Relief -of the Diseased amongst them. Is then St. _John_'s single Authority -enough to convey this Story down to us? Some may say, that there are -several Prodigies, as well as political Events of antient Times, that, -tho' they are reported but by one Historian, meet with Credit; and why -may not St. _John_'s Testimony be equal to another Writer's? I grant it; -and tho' it is hardly probable but that this Story, if true, before us, -must have had the Fortune to be told by others; yet St. _John_'s single -Authority shall pass sooner than another Man's, if the Matter be in -itself credible and well circumstanc'd. But where it is blindly -imperfectly and with monstrously incredible Circumstances related, like -this before us, it ought to be rejected. Which brings me, - -_Secondly_, To ask, what was the true Occasion of the Angel's Descent -into this Pool? Was it to wash and bath himself? Or, was it to impart -an healing Quality to the Waters for some one diseased Person? The -Reason, that I ask the first of these two Questions, is, because some -antient Readings of v. 4. say[183] the Angel [Greek: eloueto] _was -washed_, which supposes some bodily Defilement or Heat contracted in -the Cælestial Regions, that wanted Refrigeration or Purgaton in these -Waters: But how absurd such a Thought is, needs no Proof. To impart -then compassionately an healing Power to the Waters for the Benefit of -the Diseased was the sole Design of the Angel's Descent into them. And -God forbid, that any should philosophically debate the Matter, and -enquire how naturally the Waters deriv'd that Virtue from the Angel's -corporal Presence. The Thing was providential and miraculous, our -_Divines_ will say, and so let it pass. But I may fairly ask, why one -diseased Person only at a Time reap'd the Benefit? Or why the whole -Number of impotent Folks were not at once healed? I have a notable -Answer presently to be given to these Questions; but I am afraid -beforehand, our _Divines_ will not approve of it: Therefore they are -to give one of their own, and make the Matter consistent with the -Goodness and Wisdom of God; or the said Questions spoil the Credit of -the Story, and make an idle and ridiculous Romance of it. And when -their Hands are in, to make, what it impossible, a satisfactory Answer -to the said Questions; I wish, that, for the sake of _Orthodoxy_, they -would determine, whether the Angel descended with his Head or his -Heels foremost, or whether he might not come, swauping upon his Breast -into the Waters, like a Goose into a Horse-pond. But, - -_Thirdly_, How often in the Week, the Month or the Year did the Angel -vouchsafe his Descent into the Pool? And for how many Ages before -_Christ_'s Advent, and why not since and even[184] _now_, was this -Gracious and Angelical Favour granted? St. _John_ should have been -Particular as to these Points, which he could not but know -Philosophers would be curious to enquire about. If it was but once in -the Year, as St. _Chrysostom_[185] hints, little Thanks are due to him -for his Courtesy. One would think sometimes, that his Descent was -frequent; or such a Multitude of impotent Folk, variously disorder'd -had never attended on it. And again at other Times, one would think -that his Descent was seldom, or the Diseased as fast as they came, -which could not be faster than the Angel could dabble himself in the -Waters, had been charitably dismissed with restor'd Health. Here then -is a Defect in St. _John_'s Story, and a _Block_, at which wise and -considerate Freethinkers will stumble. But, - -_Fourthly_, How came it to pass, that there was not better Care taken, -either by the Providence of God, or of the Civil Magistrates of -_Jerusalem_ about the Disposal of the Angelical Favour to this or that -poor Man, according to his Necessities or Deserts: But that he, who -could fortunately catch the Favour, was to have it. Just as he who -runs fastest obtains the Prize: So here the Diseased, who was most -nimble and watchful of the Angel's Descent, and could first plunge -himself into the Pool, carried off the Gift of Sanation. An odd and a -merry Way of conferring a divine Mercy. And one would think that the -Angels of God did this for their own Diversion, more than to do good -to Mankind. Just as some throw a Bone among a Kennel of Hounds, for -the Pleasure of seeing them quarrel for it; or as others cast a Piece -of Money among a Company of Boys for the Sport of seeing them scramble -for it: So was the Pastime of the Angels here. It was the Opinion of -some Heathens, that _Homines sunt Lusus Deorum_, the Gods sport -themselves with the Miseries of Mankind; but I never thought, before I -considered this Story, that the Angels of the God of the _Jews_ did so -too. But if they delighted in it, rare sport it was to them, as could -be to a _Town-Mobb_. For as the poor and distressed Wretches were not -to be supposed to be of such a polite Conversation, as in Complaisance -to give place to their betters, or in Compassion to make way for the -most miserable; but upon the Sight or Sound of the Angel's Fall into -the Pool, would without Respect of Persons strive who should be first: -So those who were behind and unlikely to be cured, would like an -unciviliz'd _Rabble_, push and press all before them into it. What a -Number then, of some hundreds perhaps, of poor Creatures were at once -tumbled into the Waters to the Diversion of the City Mob, as well as -of God's Angels? And if one arose out of it, with the Cure of his -Disease, the rest came forth like drown'd _Rats_, to the Laughter of -the foresaid Spectators; and it was well if there was not sometimes -more Mischief done, than the healing of _one_ could be of Advantage, -to those People. Believe then this Part of the Story, let him that -can. If any Angel was concern'd in this Work, it was an Angel of -_Satan_ who delights in Mischief; and if he healed _one_ upon such an -Occasion, he did it by way of Bait, to draw others into Danger of Life -and Limb. But as our _Divines_ will not, I suppose, bear the Thoughts -of its being a bad Angel; so I leave them to consider upon our -Reasonings, whether it was credible that either a good or a bad Angel -was concerned, and desire them to remember to give me a better Reason, -why but _one_ at a Time was healed. - -If any Pool or Cistern of Water about this City of _London_ was so -blessed with the Descent of an Angel to such an End, the Magistrates, -such is their Wisdom, would, if God did not direct, take care of the -prudent Disposal of the Mercy to the best Advantage of the Diseased. -And if they sold it to an infirm _Lord_ or _Merchant_, who could give -for it most Money, to be distributed among other Poor and distressed -People, would it not be wisely done of them? To suppose they would -leave the Angelick Favour to the Struggle of a Multitude, is absurd -and incredible. And why then should we think otherwise of the -Magistrates of _Jerusalem_? Away then with the Letter of this Story! -And if this be not enough to confute it. Then, - -_Fifthly_, Let us consider, to its farther Confutation, who and what -were the impotent Folk, that lay in the Porches of _Bethesda_, waiting -the Troubling of the Waters. St. _John_ says they were _Blind_, -_Halt_, _Withered_, and as some Manuscripts[186] have it, -_Paraliticks_. And what did any of these there? How could any of them -be supposed to be nimble enough of Foot to step down first into the -Waters, and carry off the Prize of Sanation, before many others of -various Distempers? Tho' the troubled Waters might be of such -medicinal Force as to heal a Man of whatsoever Disease he had; yet -none of the foresaid Persons for want of good Feet and Eyes could -expect the Benefit of it. Tho' the Ears of the Blind might serve him -to hear, when the Angel plump't like a Stone into the Waters, yet -through want of Sight for the guidance of his Steps, he would by -others be jostled out of the right Way down into them. And if the Lame -had good Eyes to discern the Descent of the Angel, yet Feet were all -in all to this Purpose: Consequently these impotent Folk, specified by -St. _John_, might as well have stay'd at Home, as resorted to -_Bethesda_ for Cure. I know not what Fools the Diseased of _Jerusalem_ -of old might be, but if there was such a Prize of Health to be strove -for, by the Distempered of this City, I appeal to all Men of common -Sense, whether the _Blind_, the _Lame_, the _withered_ and -_Paralyticks_ would offer to put in for it. St. _John_ then forgot -himself, or else blundered egregiously, or put the Banter upon us, to -try how far an absurd Tale would pass upon the World with Credit. -There might be, if there was any litteral Sense in the Story, many of -other Distempers, but there could be neither _blind_, _halt_ nor -_withered_, without _such an Absurdity_, as absolutely disparages the -Story, blasts the Credit of the _Relator_, or rather brings to mind -the Assertion of St. _Ambrose_, that the Letter of the _New_ as well -as of the _Old Testament_ lies abominably. If what I have here said -does not overthrow the Letter of this Story; Then what I have, - -_Sixthly_, To add, will do it more effectually, and that is, of the -_certain Man, that had an Infirmity thirty and eight Years_, and lay -at this Pool for an Opportunity to be cured of it. Tho' these _thirty_ -and _eight_ Years are, in our _English_ Translation prædicated of this -Man's Infirmity, yet more truly, according to the Original, are they -spoken of the Time he lay there? and the Fathers so understood St. -_John_'s Words. What this Man's Infirmity was, we are uncertain: For -[Greek: astheneia] _Weakness_ or _Infirmity_ is a general Name of all -Distempers, and may be equally apply'd to one as well as to another: -Whereupon, tho' we can't certainly say from this Man's Infirmity, that -he was a Fool to lay there so long, expecting that Cure, which it was -impossible for him to obtain; yet what he says to our Saviour, _I have -no Man, when the Waters are troubled to put me into the Pool, but -while I am coming another steppeth down before me_, does imply his -Folly sufficiently, or rather the Incredibility of the whole Story. -What then did this _infirm_ Man at this Pool, if he had neither Legs -of his own good enough, nor a Friend to assist him, in the Attainment -of Sanation? Was he not a Fool, if it was possible for any to be so -great a one, for his Patience? Would it not have been as wisely done -of him to wait, in the Fields so long, the Falling of the Sky, that he -might catch Larks? The Fathers say, this Man's _Infirmity_ was the -_Palsy_; but whether they said so for the Sake of the Mystery, or to -expose the Letter, I know not. But that Distemper, after _thirty_ and -_eight_ Years Duration, and Increase; if it was more curable than -another at first, had in that time undoubtedly so weakened and -render'd him uncapable to struggle with others for this Relief, that -it is without Sense and Reason to think he should wait so long for it. -Our _Divines_, if they so please, may commend this Man for his -Patience, but after a few Years, or rather a few Days Experience, -another Man would have been convinc'd of the Folly and Vanity of his -Hopes, and returned Home. If he could not put in for this Benefit, -with Prospect of Success in his more youthful Days, when the Distemper -was young too, much less Reason had he to hope for it in his old Age, -after _thirty_ and _eight Years_ Affliction, unless he dream'd of, -what was not to be imagin'd, an Opportunity, without Molestation and -Competition, to go off with it. Whatever then our _Divines_ may think -of this Man and his Patience, I will not believe there ever was such a -Fool; and for this Reason will not suppose St. _John_ could literally -so romance, unless he meant to bambouzle Mankind into the Belief of -the greatest Absurdity. A Man that Lies with a Grace to deceive -others, makes his Story so hang together, as to carry the Face and -Appearance of Truth along with it; which this of St. _John_, that for -many Ages has been swallowed, for the Reason before us, has not. But -what is the worst of all against this Story is, - -_Seventhly_, That which follows, and absolutely destroys the Fame and -Credit of _Jesus_ for a Worker of Miracles. _And_ V. 1, 2, 3. _Jesus -went up to Jerusalem, where there was by the Sheep-Market, a Pool, -called Bethesda, having five Porches, in which lay a great Multitude -of impotent Folk, blind, halt, withered._ Why then did not _Jesus_ -heal them? Here was a rare Opportunity for the Display of his Healing -and Almighty Power; and why did he not exercise it, to the Relief of -that Multitude of impotent Folk? If he could not cure them, there's an -End of his Power of Miracles? and if he would not, it was want of -Mercy and Compassion in him. Which way soever we take this Case, it -turns to the Dishonour of the Holy _Jesus_. What then was the Reason, -that of so great a Multitude of diseased People, _Jesus_ exerted his -Power, and extended his Mercy, on only _one_ poor Paralytick? St. -_Augustin_[187] puts this Question and Objection into my Mouth; and -tho' neither He nor I start it for the Service of Infidelity, but to -make Way for the Mystery, yet I know not why _Infidels_ may not make -Use of it, till Ministers of the Letter can give a satisfactory Answer -and Solution to it. - -The Evangelists, _Matthew_, _Mark_, and _Luke_, tell such Stories of -_Jesus_'s healing Power, as would incline us to think he cured all -where-ever he came. He _heal'd_, they say, _all Manner_ of Diseases -among the People, and they make mention of particular Times and -Places, where all the Diseased were healed by him, which Assertions -imply, that _Jesus_'s healing Power was most extensive and (excepting -to an hard-hearted and unbelieving _Pharisee_ now and then) universal; -so far that it might be question'd, whether any died, during the Time -of his Ministry, the Places where he came: And our _Divines_ have so -harangued on _Jesus_'s Miracles, as would confirm us in such an -Opinion: But this Story in St. _John_ confutes and confounds all. St. -_John_ in no Place of his Gospel talks of _Jesus_'s healing of many, -nor of all manner of Diseases, much less of all that were Diseased; -which, if it be not like a Contradiction to the other _Evangelists_, -is some Diminution of their Authority, and enough to make us suspect, -that they stretch'd much in praise of their Master, and said more to -his Honour than was strictly true. But this Place before us is a flat -Contradiction to them, and _Jesus_ is not to be supposed to heal many -in any Place, much less all manner of Diseases, or he had never let -such a Multitude of poor Wretches pass without the Exercise of his -Power and Pity on them. Some good Reason then must be given for -_Jesus_'s Conduct here, and such a one as will adjust it to the -Reports of the other Evangelists; or _Infidels_ will think, that -either they romanc'd for the Honour of their Master, or that St. -_John_ in Spite told this Story to the Degradation of him. I can -conceive no better of this Matter according to the Letter. - -The _Bishop_ of _Litchfield_ very remarkably says,[188] _that Jesus -where-ever he went, healed all that came to him without Distinction, -the impotent, halt, withered_. He certainly had this Text of St. -_John_ in his Eye, when he said so, because _Impotent_, _Halt_, -_Withered_, are only mention'd here, where _Jesus_ cured _none_ of -them: Whereupon if his _Lordship_ had made but a marginal Reference to -this Text, it would have been the best Jest and Banter, with a Sneer, -that ever was put upon _Jesus_ and his Power of Miracles: As it is, -it's a very good one, and I desire my Readers to take Notice of it, -that his Lordship may not lose the Credit and Praise of it. It's for -such Circumspection of Thought, Exactness of Expression, and Acuteness -of Wit, that I admire that _Prelate_, and must needs say of him, -whether he ever be translated to _Canterbury_ or _York_, or not, that -he's an _arch_ Bishop. - -But to return and go on. The Conduct of _Jesus_, to all Appearance, is -not only blameable, his Power of healing disputable, and his Mercy -indefensible, for that he cured but _one_ infirm Man out of a -Multitude, at _Bethesda_, but, - -_Eightly_, and lastly, it may reasonably be questioned, whether he -wrought any Miracle in the healing of this _one_ Man. Miracles (to say -nothing of the ridiculous Distinction between divine and diabolical -ones) are Works done out of the Course of Nature, and beyond the -Imitation of human Art or Power. Now whether the Cure of this infirm -Man can be brought under this Definition of a Miracle, may be doubted. -What this Man's _Infirmity_, which is a general Name for all -Distempers, was, we know not. How then can we say he was miraculously -cured, unless we knew his Disease to be incurable by Art, which none -can affirm? The worst that we know of this Man's Case, is, that it was -of a long Continuance, no less than of _eight_ and _thirty_ Years: And -the _Bishop_ of _Litchfield_ and others in their florid Harangues of -_Jesus_'s Works, make the Cure of such Chronical Diseases to be -miraculous: But why so? Many Instances may be given of Infirmities of -human Nature, of a long Duration, which in Time, and especially in -old Age, wear off. If such Infirmities don't occur to the Memory of -our _Divines_, I could put them in Mind of them. And who knows but -this was the Case of this impotent Man, whose Infirmity _Jesus_ -observing to be wearing off, bid him to be gone, and take up his -Couch, for he would soon be made whole. - -The Fathers indeed call this Man's Infirmity the _Palsy_, which in -truth is generally worse than better by Time, and after _thirty_ and -_eight_ Years, must needs be very deplorable, and incurable without a -Miracle. But why do they call it the Palsy? They have no Authority for -it from the Text, without which, as our litteral _Doctors_ will not -subscribe to their Opinions in other Cases; so why should I here? In -short, the Fathers had never call'd it the _Palsy_, but for the sake -of the Mystery; and I am not bound to own _that_ to have been the -Distemper, any more than it was want of Legs; for that would be making -of Miracles for _Jesus_, without Reason and Authority. - -If _Jesus_ here had healed the whole _Multitude of impotent Folk_; -without Enquiry what Numbers there might be of them, I should have -believed that he wrought there many great Miracles, in as much as in -such a great Multitude, there must needs, in all Probability, be some -incurable by Art or Nature: But since he cured only this _one_ Man, it -affords Matter of Speculation, whether he was the _most_ or the -_least_ diseased amongst them. Our _Divines_, for the sake of the -Miracle, may possibly suppose him to be the most grievously afflicted -of any; but _Infidels_, on the other hand, will say, not so: but with -their Cavils will urge that this infirm Man was either a Dissembler, -whom _Jesus_ shamed out of his pretended Disease, or that he was only -hippish, and fancyfully more than really distemper'd of a long Time, -whom _Jesus_ by suitable Exhortations and Admonitions, working upon -his Imagination, persuaded into a Belief of his Cure, and bid him to -walk off. Certain it is, that _Infidels_ will say, it was not a Power -of Miracles in _Jesus_ which heal'd him, or he had used it then and -there for the Sanation of others also. - -And thus have I finish'd my Invective against the Letter of this Story; -which, if any are offended at, they enjoy, what is the most reasonable -Thing in the World, the same Liberty to write for the Letter, which I -have used against it: And so I pass to the Consideration of the -Opinions and Expositions of the Fathers on this strange Story. - -The Fathers, upon whose Authority I form'd my preceding Invective -against the Letter, so universally betake themselves to the mystical -Interpretation of this Story, that it may be question'd, whether any -of them, more than myself, believ'd any Thing at all of the Letter of -it. St. _Chrysostom_, who is as much a litteral Interpreter of the -Scriptures as any of them, here intirely discards the Letter, saying -admirably thus,[189] _what a strange Way and Story of healing the -Diseased is here? but what is the Mystery of it? that we are to look -to. The Matter could not be so simply and unadvisedly transacted -litterally, as it is related. There must be somewhat future here, as -by a Type and Figure, signify'd; or the Story, it is so incredible in -itself, will give Offence to many._ St. _Chrysostom_ was certainly in -the right on't; and I wonder, for which no Reason but want of Liberty -can be given, that _Infidels_ have not before now, with their Jests -and Cavils, ridiculed this Story. St. _Augustin_, to the same Purpose, -says,[190] _Can any one believe, that these Waters of Bethesda were -wont to be troubled in this Fashion, and that there was not Mystery, -and a spiritual Signification in it?_ Yes, I could tell St. -_Augustin_, that our modern _Divines_ seem to believe it, tho' he, if -he was now alive, would laugh at them for it. But to come to the -profound Mystery signified by this Story, which to use the Words -of[191] St. _Augustin_, as God shall enable me, I will now speak to. - -Our _English_ Version says, _There is at Jerusalem by the -Sheep-Market, a Pool_. How our _Translators_ came by the Notion of a -_Market_ here, I can't imagine, since there is nothing to favour it in -the Original, which stands thus, [Greek: epi tê probatikê -kolymbêthra]: By [Greek: kolymbêthra], the Fathers understand[192] -Baptism, or the spiritual _Laver_ of Regeneration; and who is that -for, but the Flock of Christ, signified by [Greek: probatikê]? So we -have another and clearer Interpretation of these two Words. And as to -_Bethesda_, that is a mystical Name of the Church, which according to -the Signification of _Bethesda_, is the House of Grace. And if it is -said to be at _Jerusalem_, it is not to be understood of the Old -_Jerusalem_, but of the _New_ and Apocalyptical _Jerusalem_, at the -Entrance into which the Flock of Christ will be baptiz'd by the Waters -of the Spirit, as in a mystical Laver. - -_Bethesda_ is said to have five _Porches_, that is, as the Fathers[193] -agree, the five Books of _Moses_, which are as so many Doors of Entrance -into the House of Wisdom, or of the Grace of _Christ_. - -At these _five Porches_ of the five Books of Moses lay _a great -Multitude of impotent Folk, blind, halt, withered_. And who are these -mystically? The ignorant, erroneous, and unstable in Faith and -Principle, as the Fathers often understand them spiritually. And what -is the Reason of these their mystical Diseases? Because, as St. -_Augustin_[194] and other Fathers say, they rest on the Letter of the -Law, which throws them into various Errors, like Diseases, of -different Kinds, of which they can't be cured without the Descent of -the Spirit, like an Angel, to instruct them mystically to interpret. - -With these impotent Folk lay _a certain Man who had an Infirmity_. And -who is this infirm Man? Mankind in general, say St. _Cyril_[195] -and[196] St. _Augustin_, And what is his Infirmity? The Fathers call it -the[197] _Palsy_, because of his Instability, and Unsteadiness in Faith -and Principles, which is now the Case of Mankind. St. _John_ calls it -[Greek: astheneian] _a Weakness_, which being a general Name of all -Distempers, we can't guess what might be here the specifical one. But -reasonably speaking, according to the Rule of Interpretation, this Man's -_Infirmity_ is the same with the Woman's _Spirit of Infirmity_, and that -is a Weakness at the Spirit of Prophecy, which Mankind, as well as the -Woman of the Church, is to be cured of in the Perfection of Time. - -And how long did this Man with his Infirmity lay in these Porches of -_Bethesda_? _Thirty eight Years_: So has Mankind with his Weakness at -the Spirit of Prophecy lay eight and thirty (hundred)[198] Years, -reckoning two thousand under the Law, and eighteen hundred since under -the Gospel. St. _Augustin_[199] has an ingenious and more mystical way -of Computation of these _thirty and eight Years_, which pleases me -too, but possibly some Readers may not so easily apprehend it, unless -they are well acquainted with the Mystery of Prophetical Numbers. - -And how is Mankind to be cured of his Infirmity at the Spirit of -Prophecy? By being instructed, by the Spirit of Truth, who is to come -at the Conclusion of the said thirty and eight mystical Years, _to -arise and take up his bed and walk_, that is, to raise his Thoughts to -the Contemplation of the divine Mysteries of the Law, and to lift up -his Bed of the Letter, on which he has hitherto _rested_, into a -sublime Sense, and then he will walk uprightly and steadily in the -Faith, without wavering like a Paralytick. - -And at what Season did _Jesus_ come to this infirm Man? It was at a -Feast of the _Jews_. _Irenæus_, _Chrysostom_, _Theophylact_, and -_Cyril_ call it the Feast of Penticost. And the grand Feast of -Penticost is, as St. _Cyril_[200] says upon the Place at the -Perfection of Time, the Time of the Evangelical Sabbath, and of -_Jesus_'s spiritual Advent, which will be a Time of feasting on -intellectual and divine Mysteries, of seeing Visions and of dreaming -Dreams; consequently at that Time, as the ancient _Jews_ and Fathers -assert, Mankind will be cured of this Infirmity at the Spirit of -Prophecy. And this too is the _certain Season, that the Angel will -descend and trouble the Waters_. By Angel is here meant[201] the -Spirit of Christ. And by Waters the Fathers understand,[202] the -People of all Nations. But how will the Descent of the Spirit of -Truth, like an Angel, trouble these Waters, that is, give any -Molestations and Disturbance to the People? Is there not a Mistake in -the Oracle? If the _Clergy_ will be but greater Lovers of Truth than -of their Interests; if they, who should be Teachers of Forbearance of -one another in Love, will but keep their Temper, there would be found -a mistake in it. But alas! - -_Lastly_, The _Jews_, as is intimated, seem to have been mov'd with -Indignation at the Cure of the infirm Man, saying to him, ver. 10. _it -is the Sabbath, it is not lawful for thee to carry thy Bed_; which -litterally could not be true. The _Jews_ were not such precise -Observers of the Sabbath; nor _so stupid and foolish_, as St. -_Cyril_,[203] says, as to think the taking up and carrying a Stool to -be a Breach of it. But mystically, it is to be fear'd, this will be -most true, and that the _Clergy_, who would be _Jews_ inwardly, and -the Circumcision in Spirit, will be bitter Enemies to Man's Exaltation -of his Couch of the Letter of the Scriptures on or against the -Evangelical Sabbath, and will make it, if possible, an _unlawful_ -Work; because it will bring to them Shame, Dishonour and Loss of -Interests along with it. - -After this Manner is every other Circumstance of this Story to be -allegorically apply'd out of the Fathers. The Moral or Mystery of the -whole, in short, is this, that at the Perfection of Time, signified by -the _Sabbath_, the _Pentecost_, the End of _thirty eight Years_, the -Spirit of Truth will descend on Mankind, to their Illumination in -Prophecy, and to the healing of their _Errors_, call'd _Diseases_; -which is admirably represented by the Parable before us, that -according to the Letter, has neither Reason nor common Sense in it. - -And thus have I spoken to _eight_ of the Miracles of _Jesus_; and -whether I have not shew'd them, in whole or Part, according to the -Proposition before us, to consist of Absurdities, Improbabilities, -and Incredibilities; and whether they are not prophetical and -parabolical Narratives of what will be mysteriously, and more -wonderfully done by _Jesus_, I appeal to my _Readers_. - -After another Discourse of some other Miracles, I intend to take into -Examination the several Stories of _Jesus_'s raising of the Dead as of -_Lazarus_, _Jairus_'s Daughter, and the Widow's Son of _Naim_; which -reputedly are _Jesus_'s grand Miracles; but, for all the seeming -Greatness and Excellency of them, I don't doubt but to give the Letter -of these Stories a Toss out of the Creed of a considerate and wise -Man; at least show their Insufficiency for the Purpose for which they -have been hitherto apply'd. And if I should afterwards, by the Leave -and Patience of the _Bishop_ of _London_, give my Objection against -_Christ_'s Resurrection a Review, and some more Force, then what will -become of the Argument of _Christ_'s Power, Authority, and -_Messiahship_ from his Miracles? - -But, besides _Jesus_'s Miracles, I am, as Opportunity serves, to take -into Consideration some of the Historical Parts of his Life; and shew -them to be no less sensless, absurd and ridiculous than his Miracles. - -And why may I not sometimes treat on the Parables of _Jesus_, and show -what nonsensical and absurd Things they are, according to the -Expositions of our most famous Commentators of these last Ages. _Jesus_ -was certainly the absolute, and most consummate Perfection of a -_Cabalist_, _Mystist_, _Parabolist_ and _Enigmatist_; but according to -modern Commentaries and Paraphrases, he was the merest Ideot and -Blockhead that ever open'd his Mouth, in that sort of Learning, to the -Instruction of Mankind. And I am oblig'd a little to speak to the -Absurdities of _Christ_'s Doctrine and Parables, because one Article of -the Prosecution against me was for saying, _that any of the Philosophers -of the Gentiles_, or _any rational Man_ (meaning according to modern -Expositions) _would make a better Teacher, than Jesus was_. - -What a great deal of Work have I upon my Hands, which, if God spare my -Life and Health, I intend to go on with: If what I have already done -in it be not acceptable to the _Clergy_, their Way to prevent the -Prosecution of this great Undertaking, is to battle me upon what's -past. Who knows but they may write, if they would try their Strength, -so acutely in Defence of the Letter of _Jesus_'s Miracles already -discuss'd, as may effectually stop my Mouth, and prevent my giving -them any more Trouble of this Kind? And I suppose I have now gotten an -Adversary in the _Bishop_ of St. _David_'s, who has already discharg'd -one Fool's Bolt at me. - -There has nothing been a more common Subject of Declamation among the -_Clergy_ than the _Reasonableness_ of Christianity, which must be -understood of the History of _Christ_'s Life and Doctrine, or the -Application of the Word _Reasonableness_ to the Christian Religion is -impertinent. But if I proceed, as I have begun in this Work, I shall -shew Christianity, as it is understood, to be the most unreasonable -and absurd Story, that ever was told; and our modern Systems of -Theology groundless and sensless in almost every Part of them. -_Mahometanism_, without Offence be it spoken, is a more _reasonable_ -Religion than the Christian, upon modern _Schemes_ and _Systems_. - -If what I here say is offensive to our _Divines_, the _Press_ is open -for them as well as for myself, and they may, if they can, shew their -Resentment of it. Thanks unto God and our most excellent Civil -Government for such a Liberty of the _Press_: A Liberty that will lead -and conduct us to the Fountain of Wisdom and Philosophy, which -Restraint is a down-right Enemy to. And that this Blessing of Liberty -may be continued, for all _Bishop Smallbrook_ and Dr. _Roger_'s -_Hobbism_, is, I dare say, the Desire of the curious, inquisitive, and -philosophical Part of Mankind. If this Liberty should be taken away, -what a notable Figure will our _Divines_ make from the _Press_ and -_Pulpit_, declaiming on the Reasonableness, Excellency and Perfection -of the Christian Religion, without an Adversary; and telling their -Congregations, that all, their bitterest and acutest Enemies can -object, is clearly answered! - -The _Press_, of late Years, has been productive of so many cogent and -persuasive Arguments for Liberty of debate, and the Advocates for this -Liberty, in the Judgment of the impartial and considerate, have so far -gotten the better of their Adversaries, that I wonder any one can -appear in behalf of Persecution. If I was a _Bishop_ or _Doctor_ in -_Divinity_, I shou'd think it a Disgrace to my Station and Education -to ask the Assistance of the Civil Authority to protect my Religion: I -should judge my self unworthy of the Wages and Emoluments I enjoy'd, -for the Preaching and Propagation of the Gospel, if I was unable to -give an Answer to any one, that ask'd a Reason of my Faith; Or if I -was so Shallow-pated, as to think Heresy and Infidelity punishable by -the Civil Magistrate, I should think myself as much oblig'd to confute -by _Reason_, as he is to punish by the _Sword_. If the _Bishop_ of -_London_ had taken this Course with me; if he had publish'd a -Refutation of my supposed Errors, as well as endeavour'd at a -Prosecution of me for them, I had forgiven him the Wrongs and Injuries -done me, and made no repeated Demands of Satisfaction for them. - -Christianity is, as I believe, founded on a Rock of Wisdom; and what's -more, has an omnipotent and omniscient God on its Side, who can incline -the Hearts of Men to believe, and open the Eyes of their Understanding -to discern the Truth of it; consequently there can be no Danger in the -Attempts of our Adversaries, whether, _Jews_, _Turks_ or Domestick -_Infidels_, against it. But Persecution implys Weakness and Impotency in -God to defend his own Cause; or his Priests would not move for the Help -of the Arm of Flesh in Vindication of it. And if, at this Time of Day, -after so many Treatises of _Infidels_, and some of them as yet -unanswered, against our Religion, this good Cause should be taken out of -the Hands of God, and committed to the Care of the Civil Magistrate; if -instead of Reason the Clergy should have Recourse to Force, what will -By-standers, and even Well-wishers to Christianity say? Nothing less -than that _Infidels_ had gotten the better of _Christ_'s Ministers, and -beaten them at their own Weapons of Reason and Argument. - -The two great Pleaders for Persecution, to the Disgrace of themselves -and Dishonour of our Religion, that have lately arose are Dr. _Rogers_ -and the _Bishop_ of St. _David_'s. Dr. _Rogers_'s chief Reason against -Liberty of Debate, is because, as he says it is pernicious to the -Peace and Welfare of the Community, by unsettling the Minds of the -People about the Religion established: But here's no consequence, -unless it could be proved, that such as the great Mr. _Grounds_ and -Mr. _Scheme_, have it in their Hearts to raise Mobbs upon the -Government, and to beat out the Brains of the _Clergy_. All the Harm, -or rather Good, they aim at, is to exercise the Wits of the _Clergy_ -with their Doubts and Objections; and if the Passions of our -_Ecclesiasticks_ are not raised upon it, to the doing of Violence to -these _Gentlemen_, the Peace of the Publick will never be disturb'd. -As to myself, tho' I have a vast and numerous Party on my Side, no -less than all the Fathers and primitive Christians for some Ages; yet -as we were peaceable and quiet Subjects of old and passively obedient -to the _Emperors_ of _Rome_; so we will continue to the Civil -Authority of this Nation. We only take the Liberty to awaken the -Clergy out of a Lethargy of Dulness and Ignorance; and hope the Civil -Magistrate will consider the Goodness and Charity of our Intentions, -and guard us against their Insults for it. - -The _Bishop_ of St. _David_'s[204] says, "It is absurd to assert, that -the Liberties of any Nation will allow, with Impunity, a Set of -distinguish'd Infidels to insult and treat with the greatest Contempt -and Scorn the most sacred and important Truths, that are openly -professed, by the whole Body of the People, of whatever Denomination." -By a Set of Infidels, I suppose, he means me and the Fathers: And by -_treating with Contempt and Scorn the most sacred and important -Truths_, he means, our burlesquing, bantering and ridiculing the -_Clergy_ for their Ministry of the Letter: And for _this_ he would, I -conceive, have incensed the _Societies_ for Reformation of Manners to -a Prosecution of me. And if they had not been wiser, and more -merciful than their Preacher, I must have gone to Pot. But why should -the _Bishop_ dislike this way of Writing? Don't he know, that the -Fathers of the Church used to jest and scoff at the _Gentiles_ and -their Priests for their foolish Superititions? Don't he know, that our -_Reformers_ banter'd and ridicul'd Popery out of Doors, and almost -within the Memory of Man, it was reckon'd but a dull Sermon, that was -not well humm'd for its Puns and Jest on the Papists? why then should -the _Bishop_ be against that way of writing, which was of good Use to -the _Reformers_, and first _Christians_? The grand Subject for -_Burlesque_ and _Banter_, in my Opinion, is _Infidelity_; and that -_Bishop_, who can't break two Jests upon _Infidels_ for their one upon -Christianity, has but a small Share of Wit. The Christian Religion -according to the _Bishop_, will abide the Test of calm and sedate -Reasoning against it, but can't bear a Jest; O strange! - -But to leave these two Contenders for Persecution to the Chastisement of -acuter Pens. What I have here pleaded for Liberty is not thro' any Fears -of Danger to myself, but for the Love of Truth and Advancement of -Christianity, which, without it, can't be defended, propagated and -sincerely embraced. And therefore hope, that the Controversy before us, -between _Infidels_ and _Apostates_ will be continued by the Indulgence -of the Government, till Truth arises and shines bright to the -Dissipation of the Mists of Error and Ignorance; like the Light of the -Sun to the Dispersion of the Darkness of the Night. I will by God's -Leave, go on to bear my part in the Controversy; And, if it was not more -against the Interests than Reason of the _Clergy_ to believe me, would -again solemnly declare that what I do in it is with a View to the Honour -of _Jesus_, our spiritual _Messiah_, to whom be Glory for ever. _Amen._ - - ~_FINIS._~ - -[Illustration] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[145] _Matt._ Chap. xxi. _Mark_, Chap. xi. - -[146] Hoc factum, nisi figuratum, stultum invenitur. _In Serm._ lxxvii. - -[147] Nulla esset Ligni Culpa, quia Lignum sine sensu non habebat -Culpam. Augustin _in Serm._ lxxxix. - -[148] Quærit poma; necesciebat tempus nondum esse? quod Cultor Arboris -sciebat, Creator Arboris nesciebat? _Augustini in Serm._ lxxxix. - -[149] Hoc ideo probamus, quia Passionis Domini Dies propinquabat, et -scimus quo tempore passus sit. _Ibid._ - -[150] Arbor non est justé siccato. _Johan. Hierosol in Loc. Marci._ - -[151] Si miraculum fuerat tantummodo commendandum, et non alquid -prophetice figurandum, multo clementiùs dominus et sua misericordia -digniùs fecerat, Si quam aridam invenerat, viridem redderet, sicut -languentes sanavit. Tunc vero e contrario, quasi adversus Regulam -Clementiæ suæ invenit Arborem virentem, præter tempus fructus nondum -habentem, non tamen fructum agricolæ negantem, et aridam fecit. _In -Serm._ lxxxix. _Sect._ 3. - -[152] See Arch-Bishop _Wake_'s Letter to Mr. _Chandler_, which is -handed about Town and Country. - -[153] _Vindication of the Christian Religion_, p. 82. - -[154] _Ibid._ - -[155] Quod sequenti die viderint exaruisse fieum. _Theophylact. in -Locum Marci._ - -[156] Chap. xiii. - -[157] Quid sibi vult, quod in Evangelio suo Dominus Fici Parabolam -_frequenter_ inducit: Habes enim alibi, quod jussu Domini Viriditas -omnis hujus Ligni frondentis aruerit. _In Loc. Lucæ._ - -[158] Videamus, ubi alibi scriptum de ista ficu; in Evangelio secundum -Lucam legimus, &c. _In Loc. Marci. Hom._ xii. - -[159] _Matth._ Chap. xxi. 21. - -[160] Quanquam igitur juxta Literam Hæc facta non legantur ab Apostolis, -sicut quidam Paganorum calumniati sunt, et garriunt contra nos, etiam in -suis scriptis asserentes Apostolos non habuisse fidem, quia monues non -transtulerunt neque Ficulneas verbo exsiccarunt. _In Loc. Matth._ - -[161] Legimus Apostolorum miracula, nusquam autem legimus arborem ab his -arefactam, aut montem in mare translatum; quæramus ergo in mysterio ubi -factum sit, non enim Verba Domini vacare potuerant. _In Serm._ lxxxix. - -[162] Sed futurum aliquid Miraculo commendasse, multa sunt quæ nos -admoneant, nobisq; persuadeant imo ab _invitis_ extorqueant. _Ibid._ - -[163] Porro quando in hunc locum incidimus, nemo curiose inquirat, aut -anxie disputet, justene an secus factum sit; sed Miraculum editum -contempletur et admiretur. Nam de submersis Porcis quoq; nonnulli hanc -quæstionem moverant, factumq; justitiæ coloræ destitutum prædicare -veriti non sunt. _In Loc. Merci._ - -[164] Quid Arbor fici, nisi humanam naturam designet? _In Homil._ xxxi. - -[165] In Ficu, Synogogæ positum Exemplum est. _In Loc. Matt._ - -[166] Absit a nobis, ut, Jesu veniente ad nos et volente manducare de -ficu (_Ecclesiæ_) non inveniatur Fructus in ea. _In Matth. Tract._ xxx. - -[167] Potest autem ficus illa intelligi populus Circumcisionis. _Ibid._ - -[168] Arbor ficulnea Genus humanum est----Triennium autem tria sunt -Tempora, unum ante Legem, alterum sub Lege, tertium sub gratia. St. -_Augustin in Serm._ cx. - -[169] _Jude_, ver. 14. - -[170] Inveniet infæcundam, foliis tantummodo vestitam, id est Verbis -inanibus gloriantem, sed fructibus vacuam, Operibus quippe bonis -sterilem. _In Loc. Matt._ - -[171] Habentem folia et non fructus; Verba, non Sensus; Scripturas, -non intelligentiam Scripturarum. _In Loc. Marci._ - -[172] Folia sola habentem, hoc est, apparentem Litteram, non Fructus -Spiritus. _In Loc. Matt._ - -[173] Qærens non Sensiles Fructus sed intellectilem ex Lege et -Prophetis dulcemq, Fæcunditatem. _Cæsarii in Dialog._ 40. - -[174] Ficus sunt dona dulcissima Spiritus Sancti, Spiritualia dogmata -et Scientia Scripturarum. _In Aggæ_; _Cap._ ii. - -[175] Esuriit autem Jesus semper in justis, volens manducare Fructum -Spiritus Sancti i neis. _In Matt. Tract._ xxx. - -[176] Ad quem (Locum) intelligendum, ut oportet, expectandum esse -Eliæ, ut nonnunquam loquuntur Veteres de Locis obscurissimis Adventum. -_In Excercitat. Sac. Lib._ ii. _cap._ 6. - -[177] Fructus dulces omne genus de arbore Vitæ comedendum præbebit -Elias. _Apud Buxtorf. Synag. p._ 738. - -[178] Oculis Spiritalibus viderunt Mysterium fici siccatæ. _Matt. -Tract._ xvi. - -[179] Effodientes Literam Legis. _Cyril. Glaphyr._ L. 1. P. 1. - -[180] Mittitur ergo Cophinus Stercoris ad Radicem Arboris, quando -pravitatis suæ Conscientia tangitur memoria Cogitationis. _Gregor. M. -in Hom._ xxxi. - -[181] Sed hoc significat Ficulnea infructuosa, quod Mulier inclinata; -et hoc Ficulnea reservata, quod Mulier erecta. Hoc autem & octodecem -Annorum Numero signatur, quod tertio die Dominus Vineæ Ficulneam -venisse perhibetur. _In Homil._ xxxi. - -[182] _John_, Chap. v. - -[183] Vid. Milli. Nov. Test. _In Loc._ - -[184] Quare modo non movetur Aqua? _St. Ambros de Sacrament._ _Lib. -C._ 2. - -[185] [Greek: Eis monos tou eniautou etherapeueto.] _In Serm. contra -Eberietatem._ - -[186] Vid. Milli. Nov. Test. _In Loc._ - -[187] Tot jacebant & unus curatus, cum posset uno Verbo omnes erigere. -Quid ergo intelligendum est, nisi quia Potestas & Bonitas illa magis -agebat, _&c._ _In Loc. Johan._ - -[188] Defence of Christianity, P. 415. - -[189] Quis hic Curationis modus? quid hoc nobis mysterium -significatur? non [Greek: aplôs] nec [Greek: eikê] hæc, sed futura -nobis, tanquam imagine et figura quadam describuntur, ne res nimium -incredibilis et inexpectata, accedente fidei Virtute, Multitudinis -Animas offenderet. _In Loc. Johan._ - -[190] Aqua turbata----credas hoc Angelica Virtute fieri solere, non -tamen sine significante aliquo Sacramento? _In Loc. Johan._ - -[191] Cujus Rei & cujus signi profundum mysterium, quantum Dominus -donare dignatur, loquar ut potero. _Ibid._ - -[192] Piscina illa Baptismum designat. _Theophyl. In Loc._ Quænam -igitur hæc descriptio? Futurum erat Baptisma plenum maximæ Potestatis -& Gratiæ purgaturum peccata. _Chrysost. In Loc._ - -[193] Per quinque Porticus, quinque Libras Mosis intelligo, St. -_Theophil. Antioch. in Loc._ Quinque Porticus sunt quinque Libri -Mosis. St. _August. in Loc._ - -[194] Mosis quinque Libros scripsit, sed in quinque Porticibus -Piscinam cingentibus languidi jacebant, et curari non poterant. Vide -quomodo manet littera, convincens eum non salvans iniquum. Illis enim -quinque Porticibus, in figura quinque Librorum prodebantur potius quam -sanabantur ægroti. Ergo quicunque amatis litteram fine gratia, in -Porticibus remanebitis, ægri eritis, jacentes non convalescentes, de -littera enim præsumitis. _In Psal._ lxx. - -[195] Est Figura Populi in ultimis temporibus sanandi. _In Loc. Johan._ - -[196] Languidus ille, de quo in Evangelio legimus, quia jacebat, Typum -Generis humani habere videbatur. _In Serm._ cclxxiv. _Append._ - -[197] Paralyticum qui juxta Natatoriam jacebat. _Irenæi. Lib._ ii. -Chap. 22. - -[198] Tempus et Annus sunt centum Anni, _Tichonii in Reg._ 5^a - -[199] Quod autem triginta et octo Annos in Languoribus positut erat, -do illo Quadraginta numero, quem supra diximus duo minus habens; et -quæ sunt ista duo, nisi duo præcepta, dilectio Dei et Proximi. Ista -duo, in quibus tota Lex pendet et Prophetæ, si non habuerit, languidus -et Paralyticus jacet. _In Ps._ lxxxiii. - -[200] Quod autem sub finem Hebdomadum Sanctæ Pentecostes ipse -revertitur Hierosolymam, figuraté et ænigmatice significat futurum -nostri Salvatoris Reversionem ultimis præsentis ævi temporibus. _In -Loc. Johan._ - -[201] Turbabat Angelus,----dictus est Dominus magni consilii Angelus. -_Augustin in Serm._ cxxv. _Sect._ 3. - -[202] Turbavit Aquam, id est, turbavit Populum. _Ejusdem in Ps._ cii. - -[203] Sabbatum est et Grabatum non licet tollere. Quid stupidius aut -inertius esse potest? _In Loc. Johan._ - -[204] Sermon before the Society for Reformation, _&c._ p. 12. - - - - - A FOURTH - DISCOURSE - ON THE - MIRACLES - OF OUR - _SAVIOUR_, - - In VIEW of the Present - Controversy between INFIDELS - and APOSTATES. - - _Canes qui oblatrant contra Inquisitionem - Veritatis._ Clem. Alex. - - The Third Edition. - - By THO. WOOLSTON, B.D. sometime - Fellow of _Sidney-College_ in _Cambridge_. - - _LONDON_: - - Printed for the Author, and Sold by him - next door to the _Star_, in _Aldermanbury_, - and by the Booksellers of _London_, and - _Westminster_, 1728. - - [Price One Shilling.] - - - - -[Illustration] - - TO THE - Right Reverend Father in GOD - _FRANCIS_, - Lord Bishop of St. ASAPH. - - -MY LORD, - -_If the_ Convocation _had been sitting, I would have made this -Dedication to them, and humbly implored of them, what, for their Love to -the Fathers, they would readily have granted, a Recommendation of these -my_ Discourses _on_ Miracles _to the_ Clergy: _But being unhappily -disappointed of a Session of that_ Reverend _and_ Learned _Body, for -whose wise Debates and orthodox Votes I have such a Veneration, as is -not to be express'd in a few Words, I presently turn'd my Thoughts on -your_ Lordship, _to whom a_ Dedication _is due, because of your Respect, -often declared, for the Authority of the Fathers, which induces me to -think, you now approve of the Use I have made of them_. - -_But what I am here to applaud your_ Lordship _for, is, your_ -Discourse _call'd_ Difficulties and Discouragements, _&c. That -admirable Satire against modern Orthodoxy and Persecution! How was I -tickled in the Perusal of it! It is plainly the Sense of your Soul, or -you had set your Name to it: And if the Temptation of Praise for it, -had not been too great to be resisted, I could have wish'd you had -always conceal'd your self; and then you had not written against the -Grain, an aukward Piece on_ Church Power, _like a Retraction, to -reingratiate your self with some Ecclesiastical_ Noodles, _whom you no -more, than, I need to care for_. - -_I have sometimes wondered_, My Lord, _where and when the Great Mr._ -Grounds _imbibed his notable Notions about Religion and Liberty; for -he suck'd them not in with his Mothers Milk, who, I suppose, train'd -him up in the Belief of Christianity: But when I consider'd, that he -was once the_ Pupil _of Mr._ Hare _at_ Cambridge, _my wonder ceas'd. -Under your_ Lordship_'s Tuition, it seems he laid the Foundation of -his distinguish'd Learning and Opinions! His Pupillage will be your -immortal Honour! I wonder, none of the Writers against him have as yet -celebrated your Praise for it! How does he imitate and resemble his_ -Tutor _in Principles! I can't say, he surpasses you, since there is -such a Freedom of Thought and Expression in your_ Difficulties, _&c. -so strongly savouring of Infid--ty, that he has not as yet equall'd_. - -_Upon your_ Lordship'_s Advancement to a Bishoprick_, Difficultys and -Discouragements _not withstanding, I wish'd, without prescribing to -the Wisdom of the Government in the choice of a learned Prelate, that -the great Mr._ Grounds, _for the good of the Church too, might be soon -consecrated: And I should not have despair'd of it, but that he is a_ -Gentleman _of real Probity and Conscience, and might possibly boggle -at Subscriptions, unless you and Bishop_ Hoadly _could help him to -some of your_ Reserves _and_ Distinctions, _wherewith you must be both -well Stock'd, to overcome that_ Difficulty. _And why should not_ Dean -Swift _for his Writings, as well as some others, be made a Bishop? I -should like to see him one; if the_ then _Right Reverend Bishop_ -Grounds _would not think him, for his_ Tale of a Tub, _too loose in -the Faith, for his Company_. - -_Don't, imagine,_ My Lord, _that I am forming of Schemes for my self to -be a Bishop. Tho' these my_ Discourses _on_ Miracles _are of very great -Merit, as well as your Lordship's_ Difficulties, _&c. yet you may be -assured, I have no such View, when I tell you, that the Honour, the -Fathers have exalted me to, of a_ Moderator _in this Controversy, sets -me above all Ecclesiastical Preferment, excepting the_ Arch-Bishoprick -_of_ Canterbury, _which I'm afraid will be void, before the King is -apprised of my singular Worth and Qualifications for it_. - -_But however, if such excellent_ Prelates, _as_ Grounds, Hoadly, Swift, -Hare _and_ my self _were at the Head of Ecclesiastical Affairs, what -would we do? What should we not do? What would not this free-thinking -Age expect from us? Nothing less, than that, according to our -Principles, we should endeavour to set Mankind at perfect Liberty, and -to lay open the dirty Fences of the Church, call'd Subscriptions, which -are not only the Stain of a good Conscience, but the_ Discouragements, -_your_ Lordship _hints at, in the Study of the Scriptures: And if we -made a Push for an Act of P----t to turn the_ Clergy _to Grass, after -King_ Henry VIIIth's _Monks and Fryars; where would be the Harm of it? -Nay, the Advantage to the Publick, as well as to Religion, would be -great, if their Revenues were apply'd to the Payment of National Debts; -with a Reserve to our selves_ (_remember_, My Lord) _of large Emoluments -out of them, according to our great Merits; otherwise worldly-wise Men -will repute us impolitick Fools, which you and Bishop_ Hoadly, _I humbly -presume, will never endure the Reproach of_. - -_So, hoping your Lordship will accept of this Dedication to your -Praise, in as much Sincerity as it is written, I subscribe myself_, - -[Sidenote: London, _May_ 14. 1728.] - - My LORD, - The Admirer of your - Difficultys and - Discouragements, - _Thomas Woolston._ - - - - -[Illustration] - - A FOURTH - DISCOURSE - ON THE - MIRACLES - OF OUR - _SAVIOUR_, &c. - - -Now for a _fourth_ Discourse on _Jesus_'s Miracles, which, as before, -I begin with a Repetition of the three general Heads, at first -proposed to be treated on; and they are, - -I. To show, that the Miracles of healing all manner of bodily -Diseases, which _Jesus_ was famed for, are none of the proper -Miracles of the _Messiah_; neither are they so much as a good Proof of -his divine Authority to found a Religion. - -II. To prove that the literal History of many of the Miracles of -_Jesus_, as recorded by the _Evangelists_, does imply Absurdities, -Improbabilities and Incredibilities; consequently they, either in the -whole or in part, were never wrought, as it is commonly believed -now-a-days, but are only related as prophetical and parabolical -Narratives, of what would be mysteriously, and more wonderfully done -by him. - -III. To consider what _Jesus_ means, when he appeals to his Miracles, -as to a Testimony and Witness of his divine Power; and to show that he -could not properly and ultimately refer to those he then wrought in -the _Flesh_, but to the mystical ones, he would do in the Spirit; of -which those wrought in the Flesh are but mere Types and Shadows. - -I am upon the second of these Heads, and according to it, have, in my -_former Discourses_, taken into examination _eight_ of the Miracles of -_Jesus_, _viz._ those: - -1. Of his driving the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple. - -2. Of his exorcising the _Devils_ out of the Mad-men, and sending them -into the Herd of Swine. - -3. Of his Transfiguration on the Mount. - -4. Of his Healing a Woman, that had an Issue of Blood, twelve Years. - -5. Of his curing a Woman, that had a Spirit of Infirmity, eighteen -Years. - -6. Of his telling the _Samaritan_ Woman, her fortune of having had -five Husbands, and being than an Adulteress with another Man. - -7. Of his cursing the Fig-tree for not bearing Fruit out of season. And, - -8. Of his healing a Man of an Infirmity at the Pool of _Bethesda_. - -Whether it be not manifest, that the Literal and Evangelical Story of -these Miracles, from what I have argu'd and reason'd upon them, does -not consist of Absurdities, Improbabilities, and Incredibilities, -according to the Proposition before us, let my Readers judge; and so I -come to the Consideration of - -9. A ninth Miracle of _Jesus_, _viz._ that[205] of his giving sight to -a Man who was born blind, by the means of Eve-salve, made of Dirt and -Spittle. - -Blindness, as far as one may guess by the Evangelical History, was the -Distemper that _Jesus_ frequently exercis'd his Power on: And there is -no doubt to be made, but he heal'd many of one Weakness, Defect and -Imperfection, or other in their Eyes, but whether he wrought any -Miracle upon any he is supposed to have cured, is uncertain. There -are, as it's notorious, many kinds of Blindness, that are incurable by -Art or Nature: and there are other kinds of it, that Nature and Art -will relieve a Man in. But whether _Jesus_ used his healing Power -against the former, as well as the latter sort of Blindness, is more -than can be affirm'd, or at least proved by our _Divines_. And unless -we knew of a certainty, that the sore or blind Eyes, _Jesus_ cured, -were absolutely out of the reach of Art and Nature; _Infidels_ will -imagine, and suggest, that he was only Master of a good Ointment for -sore Eyes, and being successful in the use of it, ignorant People -would needs think, he wrought Miracles. - -The World is often bless'd with excellent _Oculists_, who thro' Study -and Practice have attain'd to wonderful Skill in Eye-Maladies, which, -tho' they are of various sorts, yet, by Custom of Speech all pass -under the general Name of _Blindness_. And sometimes we hear of famous -_Chance-Doctors_, like _Jesus_, who by a Gift of God, Nature, or -Fortune, without any Skill in the Structure of the Eyes, have been -very successful in the Cure of one Distemper or other incident to -them: Such was Sir _William Read_, who, tho' no Scholar, nor of -acquir'd Abilities in _Physick_ and _Surgery_, yet cured his Thousands -of sore or blind Eyes; and many of them too to the surprise and -astonishment of profess'd _Surgeons_ and _Physicians_. Whether He, or -_Jesus_, cured the greater number of Blindness may be question'd. To -please our _Divines_, it shall be granted that _Jesus_ cured the -greater Numbers; but that he cured worse or more difficult Distempers -in the Eyes, can't be proved. Sir _William_ indeed met with many Cases -of blind and sore Eyes, that were out of the reach of his Power; and -so did _Jesus_ too, or he had never let great Multitudes of the blind, -and otherwise distemper'd People, go unheal'd by him. Our _Divines_ -will here say, that it was never want of Power in _Jesus_, but want of -Faith in the diseased, if he did not heal them; but in other -_Surgeons_ and _Physicians_, it is confessedly their own -Insufficiency: To which I have only this Answer, that our -_Physicians_ and _Surgeons_ are to be commended for their Ingenuity, -to impute it to their own Defect of Power, and not to lay the Blame -upon their Patients, when they can't cure them: And it is luckly for -us Christians, that we have _this Salvo_ for the Credit of _Jesus_'s -miraculously healing Power, that it was not fit, he should exert it -against Unbelief; otherwise reasonably speaking, He with Sir _William -Read_, _Greatrex_, _Vespasian_, our former _Kings_ of _England_, and -_Seventh-Sons_, must have pass'd but for a _Chance-Doctor_. - -But to come to the particular Consideration of the Miracle before us. -_Jesus_ restored, it seems, a blind Man to his Eye-sight, by the use -of a peculiar Ointment, and washing of his Eyes, as directed, in the -Pool of _Siloam_. Where lies the Miracle? I can't see it; but hope our -_Divines_ will take their opportunity to point it out to me. Our -_Surgeons_, with their Ointments and Washings can cure sore and blind -Eyes of one sort or other; and _Jesus_ did no more here; and yet he -must be reckon'd a Worker of Miracles; and they but artificial -Operators: where's the Sense and Reason of this difference between -them? If Mr. _Moor_, the _Apothecary_, for the notable Cures he -performs, by the means of his Medicines, should write himself, and be -accounted by his Admirers, a _Miracle-worker_; he and they would be -but laugh'd at for it: And yet _Jesus_ for his curing the sore Eyes of -a poor Man with an Ointment, must be had in veneration for a divine -and miraculous Operator, as much as if by the breath of his Mouth he -had removed an huge Mountain! - -A Miracle, if I mistake not the Notion of our _Divines_ about it, is a -supernatural Event, or a Work out of the Power of Nature or Art to -effect. And when it is spoken of the Cure of a Disease, as of -Blindness or Lameness, it ought to be so represented, as that skilful -and experienced _Surgeons_ and _Physicians_, who can do strange and -surprizing Cures by Art, may give it upon their judgment, that no -Skill of Man could reach that Operation; but that it ought to pass for -the Work of a divine and almighty Hand and Power. But there is no such -care taken in the Description of any of the Diseases, which _Jesus_ -cured; much less of this before us; against the miraculousness of -which, consequently, there are these two Exceptions to be made: - -_First_, that we know nothing of the Nature of this poor Man's -Blindness; nor what was the defect of his Eyes; nor whether it was -curable by Art or not: Without which Knowledge, it is impossible and -unreasonable to assert, that there was a Miracle wrought in the Cure -of him. If his blindness or weakness of Eye-sight was curable by human -means, and Jesus did use those means, there's an end of the Miracle. -If the _Evangelist_ had given us an accurate Description of the -Condition of this Man's Eyes before Cure, we could have judg'd better: -But this is their constant neglect in all the Distempers _Jesus_ -heal'd, and is enough to induce us to doubt of his miraculous Power. -There are, as I have said, some sorts of sore or blind Eyes curable by -Art, as Experience does testify; and there are others incurable, as -_Physicians_ and _Patients_ do lament. Of which sort this Man's was, -we know not. The worst that we know of his Case, is, that he was blind -from his Birth, or Infancy, which might be: and yet Time, Nature and -Art, may give relief to him. As a Man advances in Years, the diseases -of Childhood and Youth wear off. What we call the _King's-Evil_, or an -Inflammation in the Eyes, in time will abate of its Malignity. Nature -will not only by degrees work the Cure it-self, but the seasonable -help of a good _Oculist_ will soon expedite it, tho' in time of -Infancy he could be of no use. And who knows but this might be the -Case of this blind Man, whose Cure _Jesus_ by his Art did only hasten -and help forward. However, there are Grounds enough to suspect, that -it was not divine Power which heal'd this Man, or _Jesus_ had never -prepared and order'd an _Ointment_ and _Wash_ for him. - -Should our _Divines_ suppose or describe, for the _Evangelist_, a -state of Blindness in this Man, incurable by Art; that would be -begging the Question, which no Unbeliever will grant. But to please -them, I will yield, without Enquiry into the Nature of this Man's -Blindness, that, if _Jesus_ had used no Medicines; if with only a word -of his Mouth he had cured the Man, and he had instantaneously -recover'd, as the Word was spoken; here would have been a real and -great Miracle, let the Blindness or Imperfection of the Man's Sight -before, be of what kind or degree soever. But _Jesus_'s use of -Washings and Ointments absolutely spoils and destroys the Credit of -the Miracle, and we ought by no means to ascribe _that_ to the -immediate Hand and Power of God, which _Medicines_ and _Balsams_ are -apply'd to the Effect of. And this brings me to the - -_Second_ Exception against the miraculousness of the Cure of this -blind Man, which is, that _Jesus_ used human means for the Cure of -him; which means, whether they were at all proper and effectual in -themselves, do affect the Credit of the Miracle, and give occasion of -suspicion, that it was Art and not divine Power that heal'd him, or -_Jesus_, for his Honour, had never had recourse to the use of them. -And what were those Means, or that Medicine, which _Jesus_ made use -of? Why, "He spit upon the Ground, and made a Balsam of Dirt and -Spittle, and anointed the poor Man's Eyes with it, and he recover'd." -A strange and odd sort of an Ointment, that I believe was never used -before, nor since, for sore and blind Eyes! I am not Student enough in -_Physick_ and _Surgery_ to account for the natural and rational use of -this Balsam; but wish that skilful Professors of those Sciences would -help me out at this difficulty. If they could rationally account for -the use of this Eye-salve, tho' it was by supposing, that Jesus -imperceptibly had in his Mouth a proper unctuous and balsamick -Substance, which he dissolv'd into Spittle, they would do great -service to a certain Cause; and I wonder none of them, whether well -or ill affected to Religion, have as yet bent their Thoughts to it. - -In the Practice of _Physick_ and _Surgery_, there are sometimes very -odd and unaccountable Medicaments made use of; and now-and-then very -whimsical and seemingly ridiculous ones, by old Women, to good -Purpose: But none of them are to be compared to _Jesus_'s Balsam for -sore Eyes. I have heard of a merry _Mountebank_ of Distinction, whose -catholick Medicine was _Hasty-Pudding_, which indeed is a notable -Remedy against the _Esuriency_ of the Stomach, that the Poor often -labour under. But _Jesus_'s Eye-Salve, for absurdity, whim, and -incongruity, was never equall'd, either in jest or in earnest, by any -_Quack-Doctor_. Whether _Infidels_ think of this Ointment of the Holy -_Jesus_ with a smile; or reflect on it with disdain, I can't guess. As -to myself, I should think with St. _Chrysostom_[206], that this -Eye-Salve of _Jesus_ would sooner put a Man's Eyes out, than restore a -blind one to his Sight. And I believe that our _Divines_, for the -Credit of the Miracle, and our _Surgeons_, for the Honour of their -Science, will agree, that it could not be naturally operative and -effective of the Cure of the blind Man. - -What then was the Reason of _Jesus_'s using this strange Eye-Salve; -when, for the sake of the Miracle, and for the honour of his own Power, -he should have cured the Man with a word speaking? This is a Question -and Objection in St. _Cyril_[207] against Ministers of the Letter, who -are obliged to give an Answer to it, that will consist with the Wisdom -and Power of _Jesus_, otherwise they must give up the Miracle or make -him a vain, insignificant and trifling Agent. St. _Cyril_, of whose mind -I am, says[208] that the Reason of the use of this Balsam made of Dirt -and Spittle is to be fetch'd from the Mystery. But, in as much as our -_Divines_ will never agree to that, which would be of ill Consequence to -their Ministry, they must give a good Reason of their own, which I -despair of seeing, that will comport with the Letter. - -St. _Irenæus_ too, says[209], that the _Clay and Spittle_ was of no -service to the Cure of the blind Man; and yet _Jesus_ did not use it -_in vain_. Is not this an Inconsistency? How will our _Divines_ adjust -it? With _Irenæus_, I am sure they'll not mystically solve the -Difficulty; therefore if they don't provide another Solution of it to -satisfaction; either their Ministry of the Letter, or the Reputation -of _Jesus_, and this Miracle must suffer for it. - -I am puzzled to think, how our _Divines_ will extricate themselves out -of this Strait, and account for the use of this Eye-Salve, without any -Diminution of the Miracle. Surely, they will not say that _Jesus_ used -this sensless and insignificant Ointment to put a _Slur_ upon the -Practice of _Physick_ and _Surgery_, as if other Medicines were of no -more avail than his _Dirt_ and _Spittle_. They have more wit than to say -so; least it incense a noble and most useful Profession, not so much -against themselves, as against _Jesus_, and provoke them to a nicer and -stricter Enquiry, than I can make into his Miracles, the Diseases he -cured, and his manner of Operation; and to infer from thence, that he -could be no miraculous Healer of Diseases who used Medicines; nor his -_Evangelists_ orthodox at Theology, who were so inexpert at Anatomy and -the Description of bodily Distempers. This might be of bad Consequence -to Religion: And yet I wonder that none of them, who may be supposed a -little disaffected to Christianity, have taken the Hint from this -pretended Miracle before us, and some others, to endeavour at a Proof of -_Jesus_'s being little better than a _Quack-Doctor_. - -If I was, what I am not, an _Infidel_, I should think, from the Letter -of this Story, that _Jesus_ was a _juggling Impostor_, who would pass -for a miraculous Healer of Diseases, tho' he used underhand, proper -Medicines. The _Clay and the Spittle_ he made an open shew of, as -what, to Admiration, he would cure the blind Man with; but in reserve -he had a more sanative Balsam, that he subtilly slip't in the room of -the Clay, and repeatedly to good purpose anointed the Man's Eyes with -it. But as the Authority of the Fathers, and their mystical -Interpretation of this Story is alone my safe-guard against such an -ill opinion of _Jesus_; so I would now gladly know upon what Bottom -the Faith of our _Divines_ can stand, as to this Miracle, and -_Jesus_'s divine Power in it. - -I have perused some of our _Commentators_ on the Place, and don't -perceive that they hesitate at this strange Eye-Salve; nor make any -Questions about the pertinent or impertinent Use of it. Whether it is, -that they sleep over the Story, or are aware of greater Difficultys in -it, than can be easily surmounted, and therefore dare not touch on't, -I know not. But now that we enjoy Liberty of debate, which will make -us Philosophers, and I have taken the Freedom to make a stricter -Scrutiny than ordinary into _Jesus_'s Miracles, and to consider what -Absurditys, their Stories, and _this_ in particular, are clog'd with; -it is incumbent on our _Divines_ to answer solidly these Questions, -_viz._ What was the Reason of _Jesus_'s Use of this Eye-Salve made of -Clay and Spittle? Whether, if it was of service to the Cure of the -blind Man, it does not destroy the Miracle? And if it had no effect in -the Cure of him, whether _Jesus_ was not a _vain_ and _trifling_ -Operator, making use of insignificant and impertinent Medicines to the -Diminution of his divine Power? There Questions are not ludicrous, -but _calm and sedate Reasoning_, which _Bishop Smalbroke_[210] does -not disapprove of. Therefore a grave, rational, and substantial Answer -is expected to them, such as will be a Vindication of the Wisdom and -Power of _Jesus_, without any Diminution of the Miracle. - -Should our _Divines_ say, that this Matter was an Act of unsearchable -Wisdom and must be left to the Will of our Saviour, and not curiously -pry'd into, any more than some other Dispensations of Providence, that -are past finding out: This Answer, which I believe to be the best, -that can be given, will not do here. The Miracles of _Jesus_ are, as -our _Divines_ own, Appeals to our Reason and Senses for his Authority; -and by our Reason and Senses they are to be try'd, condemn'd or -approved of. If they will not abide the test of Reason and Sense, they -are to be rejected, and _Jesus_'s Authority along with them. Therefore -a more close, pertinent and serious Answer is to be given to the said -Questions; which as I believe to be impossible, consistently with the -Letter; so our _Divines_ must of necessity go along with me to the -Fathers for a mystical and allegorical Interpretation of the Story of -this Eye-Salve; or the Miracle will fall to the Ground, and _Jesus_'s -divine Power be in great danger with it. - -St. _Cyril_, (who is one of _Bishop Smalbroke_'s Greek Commentators, -that should strictly adhere to the Letter) signifies, as I before -observ'd, that _Jesus_'s Use of this Clay and Spittle would be an -Absurdity, if it was not to be accounted for, from the Mystery. - -_Eusebius Gallicanus_, treating on this Miracle, says[211]; "that our -Saviour apparently manifests that his Miracles are of a spiritual and -mystical Signification, because in the Work of them, he does somewhat -or other, that literally has no Sense nor Reason in it. As for -Instance, in the Cure of this blind Man, what occasion was there for -_Clay and Spittle_ to anoint his Eyes, if it was not of a mystical -meaning, when with a Word of his Mouth, _Jesus_ could have cured him? -Let us then set aside the Letter of the Story, and Search for the -Mystery, and consider who is meant by this Blind Man, _&c._" - -_Origen_ too, upon occasion of this Miracle, and its Absurdity -according to the Letter, says[212]; "that whatever _Jesus_ did in the -Flesh was but a Type and Figure of what he would do in Spirit, as is -apparent from the Miracle of his curing a blind Man, which nobody -knows why it was so done, if it be not to be understood of a mystical -Ointment to open the Eyes of the blind in Understanding." - -And who then is this blind Man mystically? St. _Augustin_[213], St. -_Jerome_[214], _Eusebius Gallicanus_[215], St. _Theophilus_ of -_Antioch_[216], _Origen_[217], St. _Cyril_ of _Alexandria_[218], and St. -_Theophylact_[219], (Four of them, _Bishop Smalbroke_'s Greek and -literal Commentators!) say, this _blind Man_ is a Type of Mankind of all -Nations, who in the Perfection of Time signified by the Sabbath[220] in -the Story, is to be cured of this Blindness in Understanding. - -And what is Mankind's Blindness here signified? St. _Augustin_[221], -St. _Cyril_[222] and St. _Theophylact_[223], say, it is Ignorance, -Error and Infidelity, or the want of the intellectual Sight and -Knowledge of God and his Providence. _Origen_[224], St. _John_ of -_Jerusalem_[225], and St. _Theophylact_[226], (Still _Bishop -Smalbroke_'s literal and Greek Commentators!) tell us the Reason of -this spiritual Blindness of Mankind, that is, because they adhere to -the Letter of the Scriptures. - -And how will _Jesus_, or right _Reason_ and _Truth_, which are his -mystical Names, cure Mankind of this his spiritual Blindness? By his -mystical _Spittle_ temper'd with mystical _Dirt_. And how shall we do to -understand this mystical Ointment, so as to make it a proper Medicine -for Mankind's spiritual Blindness? St. _Theophilus_ of _Antioch_[227], -has an allegorical Interpretation of this _Clay_ and _Spittle_ of our -Lord; but as it is hard to apprehend his meaning, I shall not here -insist on it. _Origen_ says[228], that the anointing of the blind Man's -Eyes with _Spittle_, is to be understood of the Unction of the _Spirit_ -of Christ. But this does not give us rightly to understand the Metaphor -and Figure. St. _John_ of _Jerusalem_ says, that by the _Clay_ and -_Spittle_ is meant[229] _perfect Doctrine_, which in Truth may open the -Eyes of Mens Understanding: But what is _perfect Doctrine_? Why, to help -the Fathers out here, without departing from their Opinions, by the -_Spittle_ of Jesus must be understood the _Water_ of the Spirit -instill'd into the _Earth_ of the Letter of the Scriptures, which -temper'd together, does, in the Judgment of them all, make _perfect -Doctrine_ to the opening of the Eyes of our Understanding in the -Knowledge of the Providence of God of all Ages; which Knowledge, Light, -Sight, or Illumination, Mankind has hitherto wanted. - -St. _Irenæus_[230], gives an excellent and mystical Reason, by -himself, for the use of this Ointment of _Clay_ and _Spittle_, to the -Cure of this blind Man, which I shall not stay to illustrate, but only -have cited it for the Meditation of the Learned and Curious. - -The Story of the blind Man, as St. _John_ has related it, is long, and -would take up more time, than I have to spare at present, to go thro' -all the Parts of it. What I have done at present is enough to awaken -others to the Consideration, not only of the Absurdities of the -Letter, but of the mystical Interpretation of the rest. - -The Miracle, which consisted literally in the Cure of a blind Man by -the use of an Ointment made of _Dirt_ and _Spittle_, is absurd, -sensless and unaccountable; but in the Mystery, there is Wisdom and -Reason. And the Cure of Mankind of the Blindness of his Understanding, -by the _Spirit_'s being temper'd with the _Letter_ of the Scriptures, -which is the mystical _Eye-Salve_, will not only be a most stupendous -Miracle, but a Proof of _Jesus_'s _Messiahship_ beyond all -contradiction, in as much as by such an opening of the Eyes of our -Understandings, which have been hitherto dark, we shall see, how he is -the Accomplishment of the Law and the Prophets. And so I pass to a - -10. Tenth Miracle of Jesus, _viz._[231] _That of his turning Water -into Wine, at a Marriage in_ Cana _of_ Galilee. This is call'd the -beginning of _Jesus_'s Miracles; but whether it is to be understood of -the _First_ of his whole Life, or of the _First_ that he wrought in -_Cana_ of _Galilee_, is not agreed amongst _Divines_. I shall not -enter into the Dispute, which as it is of no Consequence to my Cause -in hand; so I shall pass it by, and not urge any Arguments for or -against either side of it. - -Tho' I would not for the World be so impious and profane as to -believe, what is contain'd and imply'd in the Letter of this Story; -yet I am still too grave to handle it as ludicrously as I ought; and -it is now against the grain, that I write so freely, as I shall -against it, being unwilling, not only to put the _Clergy_ out of all -Temper, but, to give _Scoffers_ and _Infidels_ so great an Advantage -against their Ministry of the Letter. Some may wonder that I, who have -gone so far in the ludicrous display of the gross Absurdities of some -other Miracles, should boggle at this. But to be ingenuous, and speak -the Truth sincerely, I am still a Christian (for all what the -_Bishop_ of St. _David_'s,[232] _Archdeacon Stubbs_, and others would -make of me) upon the Principles of the Fathers, and have a greater -Veneration for the Person of the Holy _Jesus_, than to be forward to -make such sport with him, his Mother, and his Disciples, as this Story -affords Scope for. And if it was not for the necessity of turning the -_Clergy_'s Heads to the Consideration of Mysteries; this Miracle -should have been pass'd by in silence. - -There were some antiently, whom St. _Chrysostom_[233] writes of, -whether _Jews_, _Gentiles_, or _Hereticks_, I know not, who took great -offence at the Story of this Wedding, accounting it, from what is -related in St. _John_, as a riotous Feast, and that _Jesus_ and his -Mother, and his Disciples, not only bore a part in the Revellings, but -were most to blame for them, or he should not have countenanced them -with his Presence, much less promoted them, by the Change of a large -quantity of Water into Wine for the use of a Company, who were already -_drunk_ with it. But I, with St. _Chrysostom_, am inclined to -believe, that, if _Jesus_ did grace this Wedding with his Presence, -there was no Excess encouraged, or so much as suffer'd at it. If he -did accept of the Invitation of the Bridegroom, it was for an -Opportunity, not so much to turn _Water_ into _Wine_, as to make a -proper Discourse to the People of conjugal Duties; and, as he was a -Searcher of the Hearts, secretly to admonish the Married of the Sin -and Mischief of Adultery; tho' we read not of a seasonable and good -Word spoken at it. - -And the Empress _Eudocia_, a nursing Mother of the Church, has given -us a Poetical, and I hope a fictitious Description of this Wedding. -She makes a sumptuous and voluptuous Feast of it; and writes[234] of -_Musick_ and _Dancing_ in abundance, enough to make us think of such -Mirth and Pastime here, as was unbecoming of a Company of Saints to be -present at. Whether it was, that this _Empress_, being only -accustom'd to the Excesses of a Court, could form no meaner -Conceptions of a Country Wedding; or whether she had any -extra-scriptural Authority for what she writ, I know not: But I -believe, that, if _Jesus_ was at all at a Marriage-Feast, the whole -was conducted with Decency, Order, and Sobriety; and if he there -wrought any Miracle, it was to manifest his Glory, to the Conversion -of some, and Confirmation of the Faith of others. - -And our _Translators_ of the _Bible_ too have given occasion to -suspect somewhat of Excess at this Wedding; or they need not have made -the Waterpots to hold two or three Firkins apiece. If I had been the -Translator, they should not have held above two or three _Pints_ -apiece, which Measure is as agreeable to the Original as _Firkin_; -neither can I imagine, that _Jesus_, if he did convert Water into -Wine, would do it in so large a Measure, for fear of an intemperate -abuse of it, but only gave the Company a cast of his miraculous Power, -and a little Taste of his Love and Good-will to them. - -Such are the Conceptions, that, to the Honour of _Jesus_, I am willing -to form of this _Wedding_; and wish that the Letter of the Story did -suggest no worse Thoughts of it to us. I should be pleas'd, if no -_Infidel_ really could, what I, but for the sake of the Mystery most -unwillingly should, write any ludicrous Descants on it. But if this -Story had been related of _Apollonius Tyranæus_, as it is of our -_Jesus_, I would have ridicul'd and satiriz'd it to the utmost of my -Power, and have render'd him and his Disciples of all Nations, as -contemptible as I could, for the Belief of it; and I don't doubt, but -our Christian _Priests_ would have given me ample Praises and -Commendations for so doing. It is said of _Apollonius_, that for the -Entertainment of his Friends, he commanded variety of nice Dishes of -Meat, together with Bowls of choicest Wines, all on a sudden to descend -upon his Table and range themselves in good Order. Whether there was any -Truth in this Miracle of _Apollonius_, is not the Question; but Mr. -_Chandler_[235] could see a Fault in it, (tho' none in _Jesus_'s Wine at -this Wedding) as if it was done for the Pleasure of luxurious Appetites, -tho' we read of no Intemperance at it, which can't be said of the -_Wedding-Feast_ before us. Our _Divines_ I suppose, no more than -myself, believe any thing of the said Miracle in _Apollonius_; but, if -it was really wrought, I fancy, I could have lampoon'd him for it, and -would have made it a diabolical Work, like that, as Fables go, of the -Feastings of _Wizards_ and _Witches_; and our _Divines_ (passing by -_Jesus_'s _Wine_ here) would readily, as they are Believers of the -Storys of Witchcraft, have struck in with me. - -But setting aside that miraculous Story of _Apollonius_, which has but -_one_ Voucher; the Case before us is _Jesus_'s _turning Water into -Wine_ for the use of Men, who had before _well drank_. How shall I -force Nature and Faith to ridicule this Story? How shall I lay aside -that profound Veneration for the Holy _Jesus_, which Conversation with -the Fathers, more than the Prejudice of Education has begotten in me, -and ludicrously here treat him and his Miracle too, as is incumbent -upon me, to make way for the Mystery? In short, I can't do it, in my -own Name; but having met with a satirical Invective of a supposed -Jewish _Rabbi_ to this purpose, I here publish it, that our _Clergy_, -as well as myself, may think of an Answer to it, and so prevent that -Mischief it may do by being handed about among _Jews_ and _Infidels_, -in Manuscript. It is as follows; - - "You Christians pay Adoration to _Jesus_, whom you believe to be a - divine Author of Religion, sent of God for the Instruction, - Reformation and Salvation of Mankind, and what induces you to this - Belief of him, is, (besides some obscure Prophecies, which you can't - agree upon, and which neither your selves, nor any body else - understands the Application of) the History of his Miracles: But I - wonder, you should have a good opinion of him for his Miracles, - which, if he wrought no better than what are recorded of him, by - your _Evangelists_, are, if duly consider'd, enough to alienate your - Hearts from him. I can't spare time now to examine into all of them, - but according to the cursory Observation I have made on them, there - is not one so well circumstanced, as to merit a considerate Man's - belief, that it was the Work of an omnipotent, all-wise, just and - good Agent. Some of them are absurd Tales, others foolish Facts, - others unjust Actions, others ludicrous Pranks, others jugling - Tricks, others magical Enchantments; and if many of them had been - better and greater Operations than they are, and of a more useful - and stupendous Nature than they seem to be; yet the first Miracle - that he wrought, _viz._ that of his _turning Water into Wine_ at an - extravagant and voluptuous Wedding at _Cana_ of _Galilee_, is enough - to turn our Stomachs against all the rest. It is in itself enough to - beget in us an ill opinion of _Jesus_, and to prepossess us with an - aversion to his Religion, without farther Examination into it. It is - enough to make us suspect his other Miracles, of what Name soever, - to be of a base, magical, and diabolical Extraction; or he had never - set up for a divine worker of Miracles with so ill a grace. Would - any sober, grave, serious and divine Person, as you Christians - suppose _Jesus_ to have been, have vouchsafed his Presence at a - Wedding; where such Levities, Diversions and Excesses (in our Nation - of the _Jews_, as well as in all others) were indulg'd on such - Occasions, as were not fit to be seen, much less countenanc'd by the - _Saint_, you would make of him. If your _Jesus_, his Mother, and his - Disciples had not been merry Folks in themselves, they would have - declined the Invitation of the _Bridegroom_; nay, it they had been - at all graver and more serious People than ordinary, no Invitation - had been given to such _Spoil-Sports_: But boon Companions they - were, and of comical Conversation, or there had been at a Wedding no - Room for them. You Christians may fancy, what you please, of _Jesus_ - and his Mother's Saintship; but the very Text of the Story implies, - they were Lovers of good Fellowship and Excess too, upon occasion; - or he had never, upon her Intimation, turn'd so large a quantity of - Water into Wine, after all or most of the Company were far gone with - it. You may suppose, if you please, that all were sober, and none - intoxicated, and that the Want of Wine proceeded from the abundance - of Company, rather than excess in drinking; but why then did _John_ - the _Evangelist_ use the word [Greek: methysthasi], which implies, - they were more than half Seas over? And if _Jesus_ and his Mother - had not both a mind to _top_ them up; the one would not have - requested, nor the other have granted a Miracle to that purpose. - Whether _Jesus_ and his Mother themselves were at all _cut_, as - were others of the Company, is not so certain. She might be an - abstemious Dame for ought we know; tho' if old Stories are true of - her familiarity with a _Soldier_, of whom came her _chara Deûm - Soboles_, in all probability she would take a _Dram_ and a _Bottle_ - too. But it looks as if _Jesus_ himself was a little _in_ for't, or - he had never spoke so waspishly and snappishly to his Mother, - saying, _Woman, what have I to do with thee_? _mine Hour is not yet - come_: which was very unbecoming of a dutiful Son, who, excepting - when he ran away from his Parents, and put them to[236] _Sorrow_ and - _Trouble_ to look him up, was, and is still in Heaven, say the - _Roman Catholicks_ a most obedient Child. You modern Christians may - put what Construction you can upon the words above of _Jesus_ to his - Mother, to salve his Credit; but the Fathers of your Church[237] - confess them to be a sharp and surly Reply to her, which, if it did - not proceed from the natural badness of his Temper, derived, _ex - traduce_, from his supposed Father yet, was certainly the effect of - Drinking, and that's the more likely, because it is a _broken_ and - _witless_ Sentence, such as _Fuddlecaps_ utter by halves, when the - _Wine's in_, and the _Wit's out_. Your modern _Commentators_ are - sadly puzzled to make good Sense of this broken and abrupt Sentence - of _Jesus_, and a pertinent Reply of it, to what his Mother said to - him, _they have no Wine_: If you will bear with me, I'll help you - out at this dead lift, and give you the true meaning of it _thus_. - _Jesus_'s Mother being apprised of a deficiency of Wine, and - willing, as well as the _Bridegroom_, that the Company should be - thorowly merry before they parted, intimates to her Son, (whom she - knew to be initiated in the Mysterys of _Bacchus_) _that they had no - Wine_: But before she could finish her Request to him, He, mistaking - her meaning, imagines, she was cautioning against drinking more - Wine, and exhorting him to go home; whereupon he takes her up short - and quick, saying, _Woman, what have you to do with me?_ (for that - too is the _English_ of the _Greek_) I'll not be interrupted in my - Cups, nor break Company; _for mine Hour is not yet come_ to depart: - But after he rightly apprehended her, he goes to work, and rather - than the Company should want their fill, by trick of Art, like a - _Punch-maker_, meliorates Water into what they call'd Wine. That - this is the obvious Interpretation, and natural Paraphrase of the - Words before us, shall be try'd by the Absurd Comments now-a-days - put upon them, that are enough to make a considerate Man laugh, if - not hiss at them. - - "Some antient Hereticks[238], very gravely inferr'd from this - Expression, _Woman, what have I to do with thee_, that _Mary_ was - neither a Virgin, nor _Jesus_ her Son; or he had never accosted her - with such blunt Language, that implys, they could not be so akin to - each other. This was a perplexity to St. _Augustin_, and gave him - some trouble to explain the Expression, consistently with her - Virginity (for all she cohabited with the old Carpenter) and his - Filiation. But this being a quibble, that has been long since - dropt, I shall not revive, nor insist on it. But that the - Expression above do's suppose a little Inebriation, in _Jesus_, I - may avert, neither is there a better Solution to be made of it. - - "The Fathers of your Church, being sensible of the absurdity, - abruptness, impertinence, pertness, and senslesness of the Passage - before us according to the Letter, had recourse to a mystical and - allegorical Interpretation, as the only way to make it consistent - with the Wisdom, Sobriety and Duty of the Holy _Jesus_. But you - _Moderns_, abandoning Allegories and Mysteries on Miracles, have - endeavour'd, I say, to put other Constructions upon it, as may - comport with the Letter and Credit of Jesus: But how insipid and - sensless they are, I appeal to a reasonable Man, who will give - himself the trouble to consult them, upon the Place, and save me - the Pains of a tedious and nauseous Work to recount them for him. - - "But to Humour the Christian Priesthood at this Day, I will suppose - that _Jesus_, and his Mother, and Disciples, tho' Fishermen, to - have been all sober, grave and serious at this Wedding, suitably to - the Opinion that their Followers now would have us to entertain of - them. But then it is hard to conceive them, less than Spectators - and even Encouragers of Excess and Intemperance in others; or - _Jesus_, after their more than sufficient drinking for the - satisfaction of Nature, had never turn'd Water into Wine, nor would - his Mother have requested him to do it, if, I say, they had not a - mind, and took Pleasure in it too, to see the Company quite - _stitch'd up_. - - "A sober, prudent and wise Philosopher or _Magician_, in the place - of _Jesus_, if he had an Art or Power to turn Water into Wine, - would never have exercised it upon such an occasion; no, not to - please his best Friends, nor in obedience to the most indulgent - Parent. What would he have said in such a Case? That the Company - had drank sufficiently already, and there was no need of more Wine: - The Bridegroom had kindly and plentifully entertain'd his Guests, - and he would not for the Honour of God, who had endow'd him with a - divine Power, be at the Expence of a Miracle to promote the least - Intemperance. Whether such a Speech and Resolution in _Jesus_, upon - this occasion, would not have been more commendable, than what he - did, let any one judge. - - "If I was a Christian, I would, for the Honour of _Jesus_, renounce - this Miracle, and not magnify and extol it as a divine and good - Act, as many now-a-days do. I would give into, and contend for the - Truth of _that Gloss_, which the _Gentiles_ of old[239] by way of - Objection put upon it, _viz. That the Company having exhausted the - Bridegroom's Stock of Wine, and being in Expectation of more_; - Jesus, _rather than the Bridegroom should be put to the Blush for - deficiency, palm'd a false Miracle, by the help of the Governour of - the Feast, upon a drunken Crew; that is, having some spirituous - Liquors at hand, mingled them with a quantity of Water, which the - Governour of the Feast vouch'd to be incomparable good Wine, - miraculously made by_ Jesus: _and the Company being, thro' a - vitiated Palate, uncapable of distinguishing better from worse, and - of discovering the Fraud, admired the Wine and the Miracle; and - applauded_ Jesus _for it, and perhaps became his Disciples upon - it_. If I, I say, was a Disciple of _Jesus_, I would give this - Story such an old turn for his Credit. And I appeal to indifferent - Judges, whether such a daubing of the Miracle, to remove the - Offence of _Infidels_ at this Day, would not be politically and - wisely done of me. Whether modern Christians may be brought into - such a Notion of this supposed Miracle, I know not; but really - there is room enough to suspect such a Fraud in it. - - "But supposing _Jesus_'s Change of Water into Wine to have been a - real Miracle; none commission'd of God for the Reformation and - Instruction of Mankind would ever have done it here. Miracles (as - Mr. _Chandler_[240] says excellently well) _must be such things, as - that it is consistent with the Perfections of God, to interest - himself in_; and again, _they must argue not only the Power of God, - but his Love to Mankind, and his Inclination to do them good_; - which this of _Jesus_ is so far from, that it has an evil Aspect - and Tendency, as is above represented; consequently it is to be - rejected, and no longer esteem'd a divine Miracle; neither is - _Jesus_ to be received as a Revealer of God's Will for it, as Mr. - _Chandler_ will bear me witness. - - "No doubt on't, but you Christian Priests would have us _Jews_ and - _Infidels_, to believe the whole Company at this Wedding, for all - what is intimated by St. _John_ to the contrary, to consist of - sober and demure Saints. I will suppose so; but then, what occasion - had they at all for Wine? What reason could there be for God's - Power to interpose and make it, especially in so large a quantity, - for them? I can conceive none. If any of the Company had been taken - with fainting Fits; and _Jesus_ for want of a Cordial Bottle, had - created a chearing Drain or two, I could not have found fault with - it; tho' even here, if he had restored the _Patient_ with a word of - his Mouth, it had been a better Miracle, than making of Wine for - him: But that he should make for a Company of Sots, a large - quantity of Wine, of no less than twelve or eighteen Firkins of - _English_ Measure, enough to intoxicate the whole Town of _Cana_ of - _Galilee_, is what can never be accounted for by a Christian, who - should, one would think, wish this Story, for the Reputation of - _Jesus_ expunged out of the New Testament. - - "Besides, if _Jesus_ had really and miraculously made Wine, which - no Power or Art of Man could do, he should, to prevent all - suspicion of deceit in the Miracle, have done it without the use of - Water. You Christians say, he is the original Cause of all Things - out of nothing; why then did he not[241] create this Wine out of - nothing? why did he not order the Pots to be emptied of their - Water, if there was any in them, and then with a word of his Mouth - command the filling them with Wine instead of it? Here had been an - unexceptionable Miracle, which no _Infidels_ could have cavil'd at, - for any thing, but the _needlessness_ of it. But this subject - Matter of Water spoils the Credit of the Miracle. The Water-Pots, - it seems, are to be fill'd, before _Jesus_ could do the notable - Feat; is not this enough to make us think, that Jesus was but an - artificial _Punch-maker_? Could not he create Wine without Water - for a Transmutation? Yes, you'll say he could: what was the Reason - then, that he did not? This is a reasonable Question to a learned - Priesthood: and a rational Answer should be given to it. And a - Question too it is that heretofore has been under debate. Some said - that the Water might be used to abate of the[242] immensity of the - Miracle, which otherwise for its greatness might have surpass'd all - Belief. But this Reason will not do. A Miracle can't be too great - in itself, if well attested, to transcend Credit: but it may easily - be too little to conciliate the Faith of a Free-Thinker. The - Fathers of your Church fetch'd a Reason, for the use of Water here, - from the Mystery; but since Mysterys on Miracles are set aside by - the Priesthood of this Age, they are to assign another and good - Reason of their own; or this Miracle is to be rejected, as a Piece - of Art and Craft in the Operator, if for no other Reason than - this, that _Jesus_ used Water to make Wine. - - "All that I have to say more to this Miracle, is, that it is to be - wish'd, if Jesus could turn Water into Wine, that he had imparted - the Secret and Power to his Disciples of the _Priesthood_ of all - Ages since, which would have been of greatest Advantage to them in - this World. He has empower'd them, they say, to remit Sins, which - few old Sinners think themselves the less in danger for: And he has - enabled them, some say, to transubstantiate Bread into Flesh, and - Wine into Blood, which none but foolish and superstitious Folks - believe they ever did: And he promised to invest them with a Power - to do greater Miracles than himself, even to remove Mountains, and - to curse Trees; but I thank God, they never were of so strong a - Faith, as to put it in Practice, or we might have heard of the - _natural_ state, as well as we do now of the _civil_ state of some - Countrys, ruin'd and overturn'd by them. But this Power to - transmute _Water into Wine_, without Labour and Expence, would have - been of better worth to them, than all their other Priestly - Offices. Not, that our Conduits would thereupon run with Wine, - instead of Water; or that Wine would be cheaper and more plentiful - than it is now, excepting among themselves, if they could withal - curse Vineyards. They would make the best Penny they a could of - their divine Power. And as surely as they can now fell the - Waterdrops of their Fingers at a Christening, at a good Rate, they - would set a better Price on their miraculously made Wine, and give - a notable Reason for its dearness, _viz._ that Miracles should not - be _cheap_, which would bring them into Contempt, and lessen the - Wonder and Admiration of them." - -So ends the Invective of a suppos'd Jewish _Rabbi_ against this -Miracle; which our _Divines_, as well as myself, are to consider of an -Answer to. Whether they shall think themselves able to answer the -rational Parts of it, consistently with the Letter, I know not; but I -own myself unable, and believe it impossible for them, to do it: And -therefore they must of necessity go along with me to the mystical -Interpretation of the Fathers; or this Miracle will turn to the -dishonour of _Jesus_, and disadvantage of his Religion. - -_Justin Martyr_[243] says, it is absurd to take the Stories of the -Marriages and Concubinages of the _Patriarchs_ of the Old Testament in -a literal Sense. And indeed, literally consider'd, they are some of -them too luscious Tales to be related by divine and inspired Penmen: -whereupon he, as well as St. _Paul_ and _Philo-Judæus_[244], turn -these Stories for the Honour of God and Edification of his Church, -into an Allegory. Consequently, if _Justin_ had had an occasion to -speak of this Marriage before us, there's no doubt on't, but he would -have made Mystery of all and every Part of it. - -To the same purpose _Origen_[245] says, "That since the Law is a shadow -of good Things to come, and writes sometimes of Marriages and of -Husbands and Wives; we are not to understand it of Marriages according -to the Flesh, but of the spiritual Marriage between Christ and his -Church. As for Instance, _Abraham_ had two Sons, _&c._ here we ought not -to confine our Thoughts to carnal Marriages, and their Offsprings; but -to extend them to the Mysteries here signified. And there are almost a -thousand other places in Scripture about Marriages; but in every place -(_unusquisque Locus castum & divinum de Nuptiis continet Intellectum -secundum Expositionem moralem_) is to have a divine, moral, and mystical -Construction put on't. Whoever therefore reads the Scriptures about -Marriages, and understands no more by them, than carnal Marriages; he -errs, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the Power of God." From hence may -be easily concluded, what was _Origen_'s opinion about this Marriage in -_Cana_ of _Galilee_, if there were no other Passages in him for a -Confirmation of it. But to come closer to the Purpose. - -St. _Augustin_[246] says, there is Mystery signified in the Story of -this Marriage, as in all _Jesus_'s Miracles, which it becomes us to -open and search for; till, if possible, we are _inebriated_ with the -spiritual and invisible Wine, that _Jesus_ made at this Feast. And -again[247] says, Let us then consider the several Particulars of the -Story, and what is meant by the six Waterpots; and the Water that is -turn'd into Wine; and the Governor of the Feast; and who are the -Bridegroom and the Bride; and who is the Mother of _Jesus_ in a -Mystery; and what is to be understood by the Marriage. - -And again, says St. _Augustin_[248], there is Mystery in this Marriage, -or _Jesus_ upon no invitation had gone to it. The Bridegroom is our Lord -himself, to whom it is said thou hast reserv'd the good Wine of the -Gospel _until now_, that is, until the typified Time of the Celebration -of this mystical Marriage, which according to St. _Augustin_[249] is to -be on the sixth Age of the World, signified by the six Water-Pots, -holding two or three Firkins apiece, that is, all Mankind, as they are -divided into the _two_ sorts of _Jews_ and _Gentiles_, or into _three_, -as they are descended of the _three_ Sons of _Noah_. - -And in another Place, the same St. _Augustin_ interpreting this Story, -says[250] thus; "Our Saviour is invited to a Marriage; what can that -mean but that the Holy Spirit is courted and invocated by the Church, -wishing to be espoused to him? _Jesus_ comes with his Disciples, that -is, into a holy Place of a Company of Saints. _Mary_ the Mother of our -Lord signifies to him, _that they have no Wine_; so the Church makes -known to him, the Deficiency of the Spirit, which she waits for the -Power of. And if _Jesus_ calls _Mary_, a Woman; he means the Church, -who by Transfiguration may be a Virgin, the Mother, the Spouse of -Christ, and a Whore too." - -And again St. _Augustin_ explaining[251] what is meant by the Water, -and the Wine that it wou'd be turn'd into, at the Time of the -spiritual Celebration of this Marriage of Christ with his Spouse of -the Church, says plainly enough, that by _Water_ is meant the Letter -of the Scriptures; and by the best _Wine_ is to be understood -spiritual Interpretations, which would transport the understandings of -Men with divine knowledge; and warm their Hearts and Affections into a -spiritual _Inebriation_; after the similitude of Wine natural. - -St. _Theophilus_ of _Antioch_, a most antient Greek Commentator (who -according to _Bishop Smalbroke_ should strictly adhere to the Letter) -says[252], that by this Marriage is meant the Conjunction of Christ -and his Church, as it is the Tradition of the Old and New Testament. -And that _Jesus_ himself is the Bridegroom; and _Moses_ the Governor -of the Feast. - -Other Fathers, such as St. _Cyril_, St. _Theophylact_ and St. _Jerome_ -are of the same mind about the mystical Interpretation of this -Marriage, as might be prov'd by Passages out of them, if I had room -here to cite them. But I must observe here, that according to the -Fathers, the Story of this Marriage is but another Emblem of the -Marriage of the Lamb with the Bride of the _New Jerusalem_, spoken of -in the _Revelations_, to which all the Fowls of the Air will be -invited, that is, spiritual and heavenly minded Christians, who[253] -soar and fly aloft in their divine and sublime Contemplations on the -anagogical Sense of the Scriptures, which will exhibit those -intellectual Dainties, they are there to be entertain'd with. - -What I have here said out of the Fathers to the Story of this -Marriage, is enough to quicken our _Divines_ to search for the like -mystical Interpretation of the whole. The Part of it that's most -difficult to be spiritually expounded, is that saying of _Jesus_ to -his Mother, _Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine Hour is not yet -come._ For the clear interpretation of which, I own, I meet with -little in the Fathers. But St. _Augustin_[254] assures us, there's -latent Mystery in the words. How then shall we come at it? Why, if we -cast away the _Interrogation_, and look upon the Sentence, as -ellyptical, like an infinite number of prophetical ones, the Sense -paraphrastically, and agreeably to the rest of the Mystery, arises -thus: In answer to the Woman of the Church's Expectation of the Wine -of the Spirit; _Jesus_ will tell her or make her to understand of what -importance it is to her (and himself) to be supply'd with that -mystical Wine to her Edification, which it was not his time to pour -forth upon the Church, till the Celebration of his Nuptials with her. - -And thus have I done with the Miracle of _Jesus_'s turning Water into -Wine at a Marriage of _Cana_ of _Galilee_. Whether it be not an absurd -and offensive Story according to the Letter, let any one judge. If -the supposed Jewish _Rabbi_ has forced a worse Sense upon it, than it -will naturally bear, our _Clergy_ may expostulate with him for it, -which they hardly will any otherwise than by Exclamations against him, -without Reason and Authority. But in the mystical Operation of this -Miracle at the Marriage of Christ with his Church, there will be the -Wisdom and Power and Goodness of God visible. And it will be a -demonstration of _Jesus_'s _Messiahship_, in as much as the Water of -the Letter of the Law and the Prophets can't be turn'd into the Wine -of spiritual Interpretations, but we must discern how he is the -Accomplisher and Fulfiller of them. And so I pass to an - -11. _Eleventh_ Miracle of Jesus, _viz._[255] That of his healing a -Paralytick, for whom the Roof of the House was broken up to let him -down into the Room where _Jesus_ was. - -And this Story (without excepting that of the Pool of _Bethesda_) is -the most monstrously absurd, improbable and incredible of any -according to the Letter. There is not one Miracle of _Jesus_ -specifically related, that does not labour under more or less -Absurdities, either in Substance or Circumstance: But this, for number -and greatness of Absurdities, I think surpasses them all: And the -Absurdities of it too are so obvious and stare a Man in the Face, that -I wonder they are hitherto overlook'd; and that considerate and -intelligent Persons have not before now hesitated and boggled at them. -If Interest had not blinded the Eyes of our learned _Clergy_, they -would easily have descry'd the Incredibilities and Absurdities of this -Story; and in another _Impostor_'s Case presently have pointed them -out to the ridicule of his Admirers and Adorers. - -If a Man was to torture his Brains for the Invention of a romantick -Tale of improbable and surprizing Circumstances, that he might, -withal, hope to palm for a Truth, if it was but for a Week or a Day, -upon the Faith and Understanding of the Credulous; he could never have -presumed, I think, so far upon the weakness of their Intellects, as to -imagine any thing so grossly and notoriously contradictory to Sense -and Reason, would have gone down with them, as is _this_ before us, -which has pass'd currently thro' many Ages of the Church, has been -read with attention by the Learned, and revered by the rest of -Christians, without any exception, hesitation, or doubt of the Truth -of it. In short, so palpable is the falsity of the Story of this -Miracle, that it requires no Sagacity to detect it; and was it not for -the sake of the Mystery more than to expose the Folly of the _Clergy_ -in believing of it, I had never bestow'd the following Pains on it. - -The People, it seems, so press'd and throng'd about the Door of the -House, where _Jesus_ was, that the Paralytick and his Bearers could -not get near it. What did they so throng and press for? Was it to see -_Jesus_, who was _without Form and Comeliness_, according to the -Prophet _Isaiah_; or, who was one of the most graceful of the Sons of -Men, as _Painters_ and _Publius Lentulus_ do describe him? This could -not be the Reason of the Croud. Tho' a Person extraordinary, either -for Beauty or Deformity may attract the Eyes of the People, and -occasion too a Throng about him; yet this could be no Reason for a -_Press_ about _Jesus_, at _Capernaum_, where he dwelt, and was -commonly seen and well known. - -Was it then to hear him preach? Nor this neither. Tho' an excellent -Preacher does sometimes, and a very indifferent one does oftener draw -multitudes after him; yet _Jesus_, as a Prophet, was without Honour -at _Capernaum_, his own Country; consequently, it is not to be -supposed that, for his Doctrine, he was so much follow'd here, tho' we -read, that he _preach'd the Word unto them_. - -Was it then to behold him working of Miracles and curing of the -diseased? This is the likeliest Reason of the Crouds and Throng about -him. And perhaps it was a Day appointed beforehand for his healing of -the diseased, which might occasion a more than ordinary Concourse of the -People. But then this Reason would have induced the People to make way -for the _Lame_, _Blind_, and _Paralyticks_ to come to _Jesus_; for they -frustrated their own Hopes and Expectations of seeing Miracles wrought; -and acted more unreasonably than ever Mob did, or can be supposed to do. - -But whatever was the Reason of this tumultuous Crouding, which is hard -to be accounted for; it's said, the poor _Paralytick_ with his Bearers -could not get to the Door of the House for the _Press_, and therefore -in all haste is he haul'd to the Top of the House, and let down, thro' -a breach of the Roof, into the Room where _Jesus_ was. What need was -there of such Haste and Pains to get to _Jesus_ for a Cure? It was but -waiting a while, not many Hours, and in all probability the Tumult -would be appeas'd, and access easily had to him. But that the Bearers -of the poor Man should enterprise a trouble and difficulty, that could -not require less Time, than the Tumult could be supposed to last, is a -little strange and somewhat incredible. - -St. _Chrysostom_ says[256], that the _Paralytick_ saw that the -Market-place or Street was throng'd with People, who had obstructed -all Passage to the House, where _Jesus_ was; and yet he did not so -much as say to his Friends and Bearers, "What's the Reason of this -Tumult? Let's stay till it is appeas'd, and the House clear'd of the -People, who ere long will depart; and then we shall privately and -quietly get admittance to Jesus," But why did he not say so? Any one -beside himself and his Bearers, if they had any Reason and Senses -about them, would have so argued. St. _Chrysostom_ says, it was their -_Faith_ that made them in such haste to get to _Jesus_: But I should -have thought their _Faith_ might have work'd _Patience_, and disposed -them to stay till Jesus could come out to them, or they get in to him: -And it is an Addition to the strangeness and incredibility of this -Story, that it did not. - -But supposing this _Paralytick_ in such haste and danger of Life, that -he could not wait the dispersion of the Tumult, but, for want of a free -entrance at the Door, is, cost what it will, to be rais'd to the top of -the House, and a breach must be there made for him. The Question is, -whether such an Enterprize was or could be feisable and practicable? I -have no Conception of the possibility of it. If they could not get to -the Door of the House for the Press; of consequence they could not come -at the Sides of it. How should they? over the Heads of the People? -That's not to be imagined; consequently here's another difficulty in the -Story, that renders it yet more strange and incredible. - -But, without questioning the possibility and easiness of getting the -_Paralytick_ and his Couch over the Heads of the Mob, to the sides of -the House; thither he is brought, where we now behold him and his -Bearers with their Pullies, Ropes, and Ladders (that were not at hand, -nor could suddenly be procured) hauling and heaving him to the top of -the House. Of what height the House was, is not of much Consequence. -Some for the Credit of the Story may say[257], it was a _very low -one_; tho' antient and modern _Commentators_ are pretty well agreed, -that it was an _upper-Room_, where _Jesus_ was; consequently the House -was at least two Stories high: But if it was much higher, I'll allow -that Art and Pullies (which they wanted for the present) would raise -the Man and his Bed to the top of it: So we will not dispute nor -differ upon that matter. On the top of the House then, we are now to -behold the _Paralytick_ and his Bearers with their Hatchets and -Hammers, _&c._ (which they forgot to bring with them, for they could -not think of any use they should have of them) uncovering the Roof of -the House; breaking up _Tiles_, _Spars_, and _Rafters_, and making a -Hole, capacious enough for the Man and his Bed to be let thro'. An -odd, strange, and unaccountable Work _this_, which, if they had not -been cunning Fellows, would hardly have enter'd into their Heads to -project. But at work they are, when it was well, if Jesus and his -Disciples escaped with only a broken Pate, by the falling of Tiles, -_&c._, and if the rest were not almost smother'd with the Dust; for it -was over their Heads that the breach was made. Where was the good Man -of the House all this while? Would he suffer his House to be thus -broken up, and not command them to desist from their foolish and -needless Attempt, till the Mob was quell'd, and there was a free -entrance at the Door of his House, which could not be long first? Is -there nothing in all this, of difficulty and obstruction in the way of -the belief of this Story? - -Some modern _Commentators_, being aware of these difficulties in this -Story, and willing to reconcile Men to the earlier belief of it, say, -as _Drusius_[258] did, that the Houses of _Judæa_ were _flat-roof'd, -and not ridg'd_: And Doctors, _Lightfoot_ and _Whitby_[259] say, there -was a Door on their flat Roofs, by which the _Jews_ used to ascend to -the top of their Houses, where they discours'd on the Law and -religious Matters; and that it was thro' such a Door, by a little -widening of the sides of it, that the _Paralytick_ was let down in the -presence of _Jesus_. To which Opinion I would yield, if it was not -liable to these Objections, _viz._ that it is not reconcilable to what -St. _Luke_ says, of _their letting the Paralytick down thro' the -Tiling with his Couch, in the midst, where Jesus was_; nor hardly -consistent with what St. _Mark_ says of their _uncovering_ and -_breaking up the Roof of the House_: which Expressions the -_Evangelists_ had never used, if there had been a Door for him to -descend by. But to indulge _Lightfoot_ and _Whitby_ in their Notion; I -may ask them, what occasion was there then of widening the doorway, -and breaking down the sides of it? They'll say, because the Passage -otherwise was too narrow, for the Man's Couch to get thro'. Why then -did not they take him out of his Couch, and let him down in a Blanket, -a Chair, or a Basket? Or rather, why did not _Jesus_, to prevent this -Trouble and Damage to the House, ascend thro' this Door, to the Top of -it, and their speak the healing Word to this poor Man? To say, that -_Jesus_ could not or would not go up to the Paralytick, I would not, -for Fear of an Imputation of Blasphemy against me. Our _Divines_ -therefore are to look for, what they'll hardly find, an Answer to the -said Question, which will consist with the Wisdom, the Goodness and -Honour of _Jesus_; or here will be another and insuperable Bar to the -Credibility of this Story. - -In short, there are more and greater Difficultys affecting the Credit -of this Miracle, on the side of _Jesus_, than any before urg'd. Could -not he, as it was antiently[260] objected, have made the Access to -himself more easy? Could not he, to prevent all this Trouble and Pains -of getting to the Top of the House, and of breaking up the Roof of it, -have desired or even forc'd the People to make way for this poor Man -and his Bearers? This was not impossible for him to do. If it was hard -for another; it was not for him, who was omnipotent. He that could -drive his Thousands before him out of the Temple; and draw as many -after him into the wilderness, might surely, by Force or Persuasion -have made the People, how unreasonably mobbish soever, to retreat. And -why did he not? Without a good and satisfactory Answer, which I can't -conceive, to this Question, here is the most unaccountable and -incredible part of the whole Story, that reflects on the Wisdom, the -Power and Goodness of _Jesus_. If there had been no other absurd -Circumstances of it, this is enough to spoil its Credit, so far as -that I believe it impossible for _Ministers_ of the _Letter_, with all -their Wit, Penetration and Sagacity to get over it. - -Believe then the Story of this Miracle, thus taken to Pieces, who can? -It is such an Accumulation of Absurdities, Improbabilities, and -Incredibilities, that a Man of the most easy Faith, if he at all -think, can't digest. It's not credible, I said, to suppose, the People -of _Capernaum_, where _Jesus_ dwelt, and was well known and little -admired, would at all _press_ to see or hear him: And if the occasion -of their Concourse was to behold his Miracles; it is less-reasonable -to think they would tumultuate to their own disappointment; but rather -make way for the diseased, for the satisfaction of their own -Curiosity, to come to him: And if they did mob it to their own -disappointment, about the Door of the House; it was next to -impossible for the poor Man and his Couch to be heav'd over their -Heads, and rais'd to the top of it: More unreasonable yet to think, -the master of the House would suffer the Roof of it to be so broken -up: But most of all against Reason to suppose, _Jesus_ would not give -forth the healing word, and prevent all this Labour, or by his divine -Power disperse the People, that the _Paralytick_ might have present -and easy access to him. - -Whether all this be not absolutely shocking of the Credit of this Story, -let my Readers judge. In my Opinion, no Tale more monstrously romantick -can be told. I don't here question _Jesus_'s Power to heal this -Paralytick, nor the miraculousness of the Cure of him: The trouble of -that Question is saved me, by the many other incredible Circumstances of -the Story, which are such a Contradiction to Sense and Reason, as is not -to be equall'd, in any thing, that's commonly receiv'd and believ'd by -Mankind. _Cicero_ says, that there is nothing so absurd, which some of -the Philosophers have not held. And they might and did, some of them, -hold gross Absurdities. But the Letter of the Story of this Miracle -before us, which is the Object of the Faith of our learned Priesthood -at this Day is a Match for the worst of them. - -But as absurd, as this Story is, I expect that our _Clergy_ will be -disgusted at my ludicrous display of it; and that Arch Deacon _Stubbs_ -in particular will again be ready to exclaim against me, and say, that -this is turning a _miraculous Fact_ and a _divine Testimony_ of our -Religion into Ridicule. Whereupon it is to be wish'd, _that -Arch-Deacon_ would write, what would be a Pleasure to see, a -Vindication of this Story. If he can account for the possibility and -credibility of the Letter of it, he shall have my leave to make -another dull Speech in _Convocation_ against me. And it is not -unlikely, but he may say as much for it, as another Man: For as the -Story is senseless, so it is the better suited to his Head and Brains. -But if he don't, I much question, whether any other Clergyman of more -Wit will, appear in Defence of it. - -So absurd is the Letter of this Story, that for the Honour of _Jesus_, -and Credibility of his Gospel, it is absolutely necessary to turn it -into Allegory. To the Fathers then, let us go for their help in this -Case. If they did not read me a better Lecture upon this Miracle, than -do our modern _Commentators_, I should be almost tempted to renounce my -Religion upon it: But as they have rationally and rightly instructed me -in its true meaning, so I retain my Christian Faith, and admire the -Sublimity of the Mystery, which I am now to give an account of. - -By this _Paralitick_, St. _Hilary_[261] says, is to be understood -_Mankind_ of all Nations, which opinion too the Fathers held of the -_Paralitick_, who was heal'd at the Pool of _Bethesda_. And by his -Palsy is not meant any bodily Distemper, but the spiritual Palsy of -the Soul, that is, as St. _Augustin_[262] and St. _Jerome_[263] -interpret, a dissoluteness of Morals, and an unsteadiness of Faith and -Principles, which is the Condition of Mankind at present, who want -_Jesus_'s help for the Cure of it. _Eusebius Gallicanus_[264] says, -our Saviour's words signify, that it is not a bodily but a spiritual -Disease here meant; or he had never said to the Paralytick, _Son, thy -Sins are forgiven thee_, which words respect the inward Man, and -demonstrate the Palsy here to be a disease Of the Soul. - -The Man sick of the Palsy had _four Bearers_. And who are they -mystically in this Case? Why, the Fathers[265] understand by them the -_four Evangelists_, on whose Faith and Doctrine Mankind is to be -carry'd unto Christ; for no Soul can be brought unto him, for the -Sanation of his Sins and Errors, but by these _four_. - -But to the top of the House is Mankind, thus paralytically diseased, -to be carry'd by the four Evangelists, his Bearers. And what then is -this House and its Top? The House of _Jesus_ is the intellectual -Edifice of the World, otherwise call'd Wisdom's House; of the -beautiful Buildings of which the Scriptures prophetically treat: -therefore to the _sublime Sense_ of the Scriptures, call'd the -Top[266] of the House, is Man to be taken: He is not to abide in the -_low and literal Sense_[267] of them, where People _press_ and strive -in vain to come to _Jesus_: But if he is taken to the Sublimity of the -Scriptures and there _open_[268] _the House_ of Wisdom, he will -presently be admitted to the Presence and Knowledge of _Jesus_. - -Venerable _Bede_, who is altogether a Transcriber of the Fathers, for -which Reason I cite him among the Fathers, says[269], that by the -_Tiles_ of the House spoken of in St. _Luke_, is meant the _Letter_ of -the Scriptures, which is to be laid open for the manifestation of Christ -and of divine Mysteries to the healing of Man's spiritual Palsy, the -unsteadiness and dissoluteness of his Morals and Principles. - -So much, in short, then to the mystical Interpretation of the Story of -this Miracle. The literal Sense of it is so encumber'd with romantick -Circumstances, as are enough to turn a Man's Heart against -Christianity it self: But in the Mystery there will be a most -stupendous Miracle, which will be not only an Argument of _Jesus_'s -divine Power, but of his _Messiahship_, as certainly as his House of -Wisdom, of which the Scriptures write, is open'd to the Manifestation -of his Presence, and to the Cure of Mankind of his paralytical -Disease, call'd an instability of Faith and Principles. - -And thus have I, in this _Discourse_, taken into Examination three more -of _Jesus_'s Miracles; which I submit to the Judgment of my Readers, -whether the literal Story of them does not consist of Absurdities, -Improbabilities and Incredibilities according to the Proposition before -us; and whether there is not a necessity, for the Honour of _Jesus_, to -turn them into prophetical and parabolical Narratives of what will be -mysteriously and more wonderfully done by him. - -My next _Discourse_, if my mind hold, shall treat on the three Stories -of _Jesus_'s raising of the dead, _viz._ of the Widow of _Naim_'s Son, -of _Jairus_'s Daughter, and of _Lazarus_; after which I will give the -literal History of Christ's Resurrection, that sandy Foundation of the -Church, a Review; and so conclude my Discourses on the Miracles of our -Saviour. - -To run thro' all the Miracles of _Jesus_, and handle them in the manner -I have done the foregoing, would be a long and tedious Work. But if our -_Divines_ shall think, I have selected only those Miracles, which are -obnoxious to Cavil and Ridicule; and have omitted others, that literally -are a more unexceptionable Testimony of _Jesus_'s divine Power, and -Authority; I will, for their Satisfaction take more of them to Task, and -give the Letter of their Stories, the like ludicrous treatment. If I -mistake not, the Miracles already spoken to, together with those of -_Jesus_'s raising of the dead, and of his own Resurrection, are the most -famous and remarkable of any others: And according to the Observation I -have made on the rest, they are no less but rather more liable to -Ridicule and Exception. But if any are of a contrary Opinion, and will -let me know, which in their Judgment are more unexceptionable Miracles, -I will vouchsafe them an Examination. I am sure there is not one -Miracle, which the Fathers of the Church did not turn into Allegory; and -if we don't at this Day make mystical Operations of them, they will none -of them according to the Letter, stand their Ground, nor abide the Test -of a critical Inquiry into them. - -I don't expect, that this _Discourse_ will be any more pleasing and -acceptable to the _Clergy_, who are _Ministers_ of the _Letter_ of -_Jesus_'s Miracles, as well as of the Prophecies of him, than any of my -former: But their Displeasure in the Case will give me no Disturbance, -nor am I concern'd about any Resentment, they can make of it. If they -are offended at these _Discourses_, they should as they came forth, have -written solid Confutations of them, and so have prevented my Publication -of any more of this kind: But instead of serious and potent Reasonings -against me, I have met with little else but oral Railings, Exclamations, -Defamations, and attempts for Prosecution; which have been so far from -terrifying me, that they give me a secret Pleasure, and animate me to -proceed in the Undertaking in hand. - -I did not much question but the _Bishop_ of St. _Davids_, whom I look'd -upon as a Person of Ingenuity and Learning, would, before this Time, -have publish'd somewhat in Confutation of one or other of my former -_Discourses_. Whether he was not obliged to it, or to make me some -publick Reparation of the Injury done to my Reputation, by his -slanderous Sermon, I appeal now to the worshipful _Societys_ for -Reformation of Manners; to whom, and to other Civil Magistrates, I hope -his Sermon, without Reason, will be a Caution, that no Pulpit-Invective -move them to prosecute or think the worse of any Author. - -Liberty of thinking, writing and judging for our selves in Religion is -a natural, a Christian, and a protestant _Right_: It is a _Right_ that -the Magistrates as well as the Subjects are interested in, and are to -see to the Conservation of, or their Understandings as well as their -Purses will be ridden and oppress'd by an ignorant and tyrannical -Priesthood. I urge not this for my own security against Prosecution -for Infidelity and Blasphemy, declaring that if the _Bishops_ of -_London_, St. _Davids_, or _Arch-Deacon Stubbs_, who are zealous for -Persecution, will but engage me on the Stage of Controversy, and make -good their Accusations against me, I will submit to the worst -Punishment, that can be inflicted on the worst Offender. - -In the mean time I will go on with my Undertaking, to the advancement -of Truth, and demonstration of the _Messiahship_ of the Holy _Jesus_, -to whom be Glory for ever, _Amen_. - - ~_FINIS._~ - -FOOTNOTES: - -[205] John. ix. - -[206] Quid Lutum i linere opporet? hoc potius eæcum reddere, quis -unquam hoc pacto curatus est? _In Loc. Johan._ - -[207] Quam ob causam dicet aliquis, cum omnia solo Verbo præstare -possit, nulloque negotio, Lutum quidem sputo macerat? _In Loc. Johan._ - -[208] Sed Rationem quandam mysticam habet Vis Rei istius de sputo. -_Ibid._ - -[209] Ei autem qui cæcus fuerat a Nativitate, jam non per sermonem sed -per operationem præstitit visum; non vane, neque prout evenit, hoc -faciens, sed ut ostenderet manum Dei, eam quæ ab initio plasmavit -Hominem, _&c._ Contra Hæres. L. v. c. 15. - -[210] _See his Sermons before the Societys for Reformation._ p. 12. - -[211] Ipse Salvator noster apertissime ostendit, quod ejus Miracula -Aliquid significent, dum ea faciendo, aliquid agit, quod Ratione -carere videatur. Nisi enim aliquid significaret, quid necessarium -fuit, in hujus cæci Illuminatione, ut Lutum faceret, quo oculos ejus -liniret, cui solum dicere sufficiens erat. Quæramus igitur -significationem, & videamus quid cæcus iste significet. _In Homil. -quarta post quartam Dominicam._ - -[212] Similitudo erat & Typus futurorum unumquodque quod fiebat in -Corpore. Veluti nescio quis à Nativitate cæcus Visum recuperavit. Vere -autem cæcus iste erat à Nativitate Gentilium Populus, cui Salvator -reddidit Visum, Saliva sua ungens oculos ejus & mittens ad _Siloam_, -quod interpretatur missus, mittebat quippe illos quos spiritu unxit ad -Apostolos. _In Isai._ c. vi. - -[213] Genus humanum est iste cæcus. _In Loc. Johan._ - -[214] Cæcus humanum Genus significatur. _In Com. Johan._ - -[215] Cæcus iste a Nativitate, Genus humanum esse videtur à primo -homine.----Hæc enim cæcitas non Corporis sed Animæ est. _In Loc. supra -laudat._ - -[216] Per cæcum naturaliter non videntem & illuminatum significat -Genus humanum. _In Loc. Johan._ - -[217] Vere autem cæcus iste erat a Nativitate Gentilium Populus. _In -Isai._ c. vi. - -[218] Cæci hujus Curationem in figuram & typus vocationis Gentium -accepimus. _In Loc. Johan._ - -[219] Intellige hoc Miraculum spiritualiter. Nam cæcus quidem erat -omnis homo à Nativitate, id est, ab Initio Mundi. _In Loc. Johan._ - -[220] In Sabbato est figura ultimi Temporis. _St. Cyril in Loc. Johan._ - -[221] Cæcitas est Infidelitas. _In Loc._ - -[222] Cæcus qui destituitur divino Lumine. _De Adorat._ p. 414. - -[223] Cæcus qui sedet in tenebris omnis Ignorantiæ, & non potuit -videre Conditorem Mundi. _In Loc. Johan._ - -[224] Literam Legis sequentes, in Errores, Superstitiones & -Infidelitatem incurrunt. _In Matt. Tract._ xxvi. - -[225] Cæcus iste est cæcus in Litera, & hoc statu Sanari non potest. -_In Marc._ c. viii. - -[226] Cæci qui imperiti Scripturarum. _In Loc. Johan._ - -[227] Lutum vero factum de Saliva oris Domini, ac positum super oculos -cæci, significat hic, quod naturæ deerat, opere suo implere Figulum. -_In Loc. Johan._ - -[228] Saliva sua ungens Oculos cæci & mittens ad _Siloam_ quod -interpretatur _Missus_, mittebat quippe illos, quos spiritu unxit. &c. -_In Isa. c._ vi. - -[229] Saliva est perfecta Doctrina. _In Marc._ c. viii. - -[230] Ei autem qui cæcus fuerat à Nativitate, jam non per sermonem sed -per operationem præstitit Visum; non vane neque prout evenit hoc -faciens, sed ut ostenderet manum Dei, eam quæ ab Initio plasmavit -hominem. Quapropter expuit in Terram, & fecit Lutum, & superlinivit -illud Oculis, ostendens antiquam Plasmationem, quemadmodum facta est, -& manum Dei manifestans his qui intelligere possunt, per quam è Limo -plasmatus est homo. _Cont. Hæreses. L._ v. _c._ 15. - -[231] John ii. - -[232] _See his Speech in Convocation, printed in the_ Post-Boy _of_ -March _the 30th_. - -[233] Rursus hoc in loco calumniantur nonnulli hunc ebriosorum fuisse -Conventum, _&c._ _In Loc. Johan._ - -[234] - - Pueri aut Saltatores volutabantur, in his autem - Tibiæ, Lyræque Vocem habebant. Mulieres autem - Cantum accipientes, volvebantur per medias - Quæcunque optimatum erant uxores atque filiæ. - Illi vero ad Saltationem & desiderabilem Cantum - Conversi delectabantur, &c. - In _Homero-Centon._ - - -[235] _Vindication of the Christian Religion._ p. 82. - -[236] Luke ii. 48. - -[237] Christus asperius respondit, quid tibi & mihi, Mulier? _St. -Chrysost. in Loc. Johan._ Vide & _Theopolact. in Loc._ - -[238] Vide Sanctum Augustinum. _In Loc. Johan._ - -[239] Apud St. Chrysostomum _In Loc. Johan._ - -[240] _Vindication of the Christian Religion_, p. 82. - -[241] Sed quanam gratia, antequam implerentur, non fecit Miraculum, -quod longe fuisset admirabilius? Siquidem aliud est subjectæ Materiæ -qualitatem mutare, aliud ipsam substantiam ex nihilo facere. _Chrysos. -in Loc._ - -[242] Sæpe obest Magnitudo, ne Miracula creditu sint facilia. -_Theophylact. in Loc._ - -[243] In Dialog. cum Tryphone, _p._ 364. - -[244] In Lib. de Abrahamo. - -[245] _In Matt. Tract._ xxii. - -[246] Aliquid enim & in ipsis factis innuit nobis, puto, quia non sine -causa venit ad Nuptias. Excepto Miraculo, aliquid in ipso facto -Mysterii & Sacramenti latet. Pulsemus ut aperiet & de Vino invisibili -inebriet nos. _In Loc. Johan._ - -[247] Nihil dicemus, quid sibi velint Hydriæ, quid Aqua in Vinum -conversa, quid Architriclinius, quid Sponsus, quid Mater Jesu in -Mysterio, quid ipsæ Nuptiæ? _Ibid._ - -[248] Per hoc invitatus Dominus venit ad Nuptias, ut ostenderetur -Sacramentam Nuptiarum,----Illarum Nuptiarum Sponsus Personam Domini -figurabat, cui dictum est, servasti bonum Vinum usque adhuc, Bonum -Vinum id est Evangelium servasti usque adhuc. _Ibid._ - -[249] Sex Hydriæ sunt sex Ætates Temporum capientes Prophetiam -pertinentem ad omnes gentes sive in duobus generibus hominum, id est, -Judæis & Græcis, sive in tribus propter Noe tres Filios. _Ibid._ - -[250] Vocatur Salvator ad Nuptias, hoc est, Ecclesiæ voto spiritus -sanctus invocatur----Venit cum Discipulis suis, id est, in Loco sancto, -Turba sanctorum. Mirabilia Dei Maria Mater expectat, hoc est, Virtutem -Christi expectat Ecclesia.----Maria ait, ecce Vina deficiant, hoc est, -Vinum Spiritus Ecclesia optat excipere.----Numquid Mulierem dicit Jesu -Mariam, quæ Virgo post Pactum inventa est? Sed Ecclesiam alloquitur, quæ -non solum Mulier, sed meretrix nuncupatur. _In Sermon_ xcii. _Append._ - -[251] Vinum multis Locis accipimus Scripturas Sanctas meracissimum -Vigorem coelestis sapientæ continentes; quibus incalescant sensus & -inebrientur Affectus. Operante Christo in Cana Galileæ Vinum defecit & -Vinum sit, id est, Umbra removetur & Veritas præsentatur. Recedit Lex, -Gratia succedit. Carnalia spiritualibus commutantur. Bonum quidem -Vinum est vetus Testamentum, sed sine spirituali Intellectu vanescit -in Litera. _In Sermon_ xc. _Append._ Sed illud quod in Litera Legis -aquam sapiebat, dum spiritualiter intellgi fecit, aquam in Vinum -convertit. _In Sermon_ xci. _Append._ - -[252] Per Nuptias, Conjunctionem Christi Ecclesiæ, hoc est Veteris & -Novi Testamenti Traditionem debemus accipere. Sponsus est Christus. -Architriclinius est Moses. _In Loc. Johan._ - -[253] Voluores Coeli sunt verè puri & ad cælestis sapientiæ -Cognitionem evolare parati. _Clem. Alex. Strom. L._ iv. - -[254] Quid mihi & tibi est, Mulier? Procul dubio, Fratres, latet ibi -aliquid Mysterii. _In Loc. Johan._ - -[255] Matt. ix. Mark ii. Luke v. - -[256] Paralyticus reppletum videret Theatrum, Aditus Interclusos, -Portum obseptum,----Non tamen dixit Propinquis suis, quid hoc Rei est? -Expectemus quousque Domus evacuetur, Theatrum dimittatur, recedent, -qui congregati sunt, poterimus privatim ad ilium accedere. _In Homil. -de hoc Paralyt._ - -[257] Dicet aliquis valde dimissum fuisse Locum, à quo per Tegulas -deposuerunt Paralytici Lectum. _Johan. Nepot. Hieros. in Loc. Luc._ - -[258] Judæorum Tecta plana erant, & non in Coniformam lastigiata. _In -Loc. Luc._ - -[259] _In Loc. Marci._ - -[260] Numquid enim facilem illi potuit Accessum redere? _Apud -Chrysostom. de hoc Paralyt._ - -[261] In Paralytico Gentium universitas offertur me denda. _In Loc. -Matt._ - -[262] Paralyticus potest intelligi Anima dissoluta Membris, id est, -bonis operibus. _Inter. Quæst. Evang._ - -[263] Paralysis Typus est Torporis, quo piger jacet in Malitia Carnis, -habens desiderium Salutis, & Torporis Ignavia & duplis Cogitationibus, -ac si enervatus Membris ostendit. _In Loc. Marci._ - -[264] In hoc enim quod ait, remittuntur tibi Peccata, interiorem -hominem, id est, spiritum paryliticum esse demonstrat. Hoc enim non -dixisset, si ad Corporis Infirmitatem respexisset. Non ideo Corpus -sanatur, quia Anima a peccatis liberatur. _In Homil. in Dominic._ xix. -_post Pentecost_. - -[265] Sed qui sunt isti quatuor, qui hunc Paralyticum portant & Domino -offerunt. Per hos enim nescio, qui melius quam quatuor Evangelistæ -intelligi possunt. Nulla enim Anima nisi per istos Domino offertur, -nulla Anima nisi per istorum fidem sanatur. _Euseb. Gallican. ibid._ Sum -Paraliticus, quia non operantur & immobiles sunt Vires Animæ meæ ad -bonum, sed si a quatuor Evangelistis gestatus & adductus fuero ad -Dominum, tunc audiam, remittuntur Peccata. _Theophylact. in Loc. Marci._ - -[266] Tectum Domus qua Christus docet, ascendendum, id est, Sacræ -Scripturæ Sublimitas est appetenda. _Bedæ in Loc. Lucæ._ - -[267] Non utique in Infirmis exterius, qua turbæ tumultuantur -remanendum, sed Tectum Domus, &c. _Ibid._ - -[268] Patefacto Tecto ægerad Jesum summittitur, quia reseratis -Scripturarum Mysteriis, ad Notitiam Christi pervenitur. _Bedæ in. Loc. -Marci._ Est Paralysis interior, ut pervenias ad Christum (forte enim -latet Medicus & intus est, hoc est, iste verus Intellectus in -Scriptoris occultus est) exponendo quod occultum est aperi Tectum, & -depone Paraliticum. _Augustin. In Serm._ XLVI. _Sect._ 13. Impediri -turbis nisi Tecta id est operta Scripturarum aperiat, ut per hæc ad -Notitiam Christi perveniat. _Ejusdam in Quæst. 4ta in Evangel. Lucæ._ - -[269] Et bene Domus Jesu juxta alterius Evangelistæ Narrationem tegulis -esse contecta reperitur, quia sub contemptibili Literarum Velamine, si -adsit, qui reseret, divina spiritualis Gratiæ Virtus invenietur. -Denudatio etenim Tegularum in Domo Jesu, Apertio est, in utilitate -Literæ, sensus spiritualis ac arcanorum coelestium. _In Loc. Marci._ - - - - - A FIFTH - DISCOURSE - ON THE - MIRACLES - OF OUR - _SAVIOUR_, - - In VIEW of the Present - Controversy between INFIDELS - and APOSTATES. - - ----_Ridiculum acri - Fortius & melius magnas plerumq; secat Res._ - - The Second Edition. - - By THO. WOOLSTON, B.D. sometime - Fellow of _Sidney-College_ in _Cambridge_. - - _LONDON_: - - Printed for the Author, and Sold by him - next door to the _Star_, in _Aldermanbury_, - and by the Booksellers of _London_, and - _Westminster_, 1728. - - [Price One Shilling.] - - - - -[Illustration] - - TO THE - Right Reverend Father in God - _THOMAS_, - Lord BISHOP of _Bangor_. - - -MY LORD, - -Whatever we poor _Authors_ may sometimes pretend to, by the Dedication -of our Works to _Great_ Men; it's certain we aim at nothing less than -Rewards and Preferments, whether we deserve them or not: That this is -my Design in _Dedications_, is so apparent, that it's to no Purpose to -deny or dissemble it. - -Wherefore else have I made Choice of some of our Learned and Wealthy -_Bishops_ for the Patrons of these _Discourses_, which I foresaw -would be grateful to their nice and critical Palates? Wherefore else -have I been so profuse of such Compliments on their _Lordships_, as I -was sure, they would take great Pleasure in? Wherefore else, _My -Lord_, do I inscribe _this_ to your _Right Reverend_ Name, but that I -expect your Approbation of it, and hope for a Recompence, equal to the -Honour, that is here done you. - -Some, who are envious, _My Lord_, of my good Fortune in _Episcopal_ -Patrons, will not believe that I have receiv'd so much as one _Purse_ of -_Gold_ for any of my _Dedications_; but I would have such Malignants to -know, that the less I have receiv'd, the more there is behind: And I can -moreover assure them, that their _Lordships_ have it in their Heads and -their Hearts too, highly to advance me in the World; and if their -Endeavours for my Promotion fail not, I shall be a very _Great_ Man. - -Such primitive Doctrine, _My Lord_, as I have reviv'd, must, in the -Judgment of our _Bishops_, be deserving of their distinguish'd -Favours: And if they should Design for me such a _mystical_ Crown of -Glory, as the _Gentile Priests_ help'd some of the Fathers of the -Church to; I profess without Dissimulation, that, for all my Love to -_Mysteries_, it will be more than I am ambitious of: But if the Honour -is forc'd on me, it will be my Duty to their _Lordships_, to sound an -_allegorical_ Trumpet of their Fame, that their Names, which, might -otherwise be soon forgotten, may be everlastingly remember'd for their -Love and Good-will towards me. - -But the chief Foundation, _My Lord_, of my Merits lies, they say, in my -Treatment of the Miracles of our Saviour, after the Manner you handled a -Scripture-Prophecy, of a _Man's kicking a Serpent on the Pate, for -biting him by the Heels_: And if your _Lordship_ got a -_Welsh-Bishoprick_ upon it, what may not I expect for my more -meritorious Works of the same kind? The Great _Mr. Scheme_ has -celebrated your Praise for that Effort of your Wit: And I must needs -say, to your _Lordship_'s Applause, that were not your Thoughts -unhappily shackled with Interest and Subscriptions, (an Unhappiness you -sadly lament!) you would endeavour to make as pleasant Work with the -_Letter_ of the _Old_, as I can do with that of the _New_ Testament. - -I have not here Room, _My Lord_, for a sufficient and deserv'd -_Encomium_ on your _Use and Intent of Prophecy_; therefore must be -content to say of it, in short, that it is a most curious Piece of, -what the Fathers call, _Engastromuthism_; or such a singular Specimen -of a Webb, spun out of a Man's own Bowels, as one of fewer Brains in -his Head can hardly equal. - -It was wisely done of your _Lordship_ to caution your Readers against -taking your _Book_ for an Answer to Mr. _Grounds_; otherwise it had not -been impossible, but some others as well as the _Worshipful Benchers_ of -the _Temple_ might have mistaken the _Use_ and _Intent_ of it. - -After I had gone thro' your _beautifully-printed_ Work, I wish'd, _My -Lord_, for another _Decoration_ of it, that some Annotations out of -the Fathers had been subjoin'd to it. How would your Notions then and -Theirs about Prophecy have stood as a _Foil_ to each other! How should -I then have admired the Difference between a _Rich_ Bishop and a -_Poor_ Father as to Wit and Sense! How should I then have contemplated -the Usefulness of Ecclesiastical Wealth in our _Clergy_ for the -Understanding of the Inspirations of the poor old Prophets! - -When your _Lordship_ is call'd upon for another Edition of your _Book_, -vouchsafe me the Favour of making some marginal Remarks on it, which -shall not be without their good Use. As you know, savoury Sawce makes -some sort of Food go down the better; so a little more of that Salt, -which Mr. _Scheme_ has too sparingly sprinkled on your _Work_, will give -your _Readers_, a right Relish of it: But whether I am indulg'd this -Favour or not; I than take another opportunity, according to Promise -elsewhere made, of testifying to the World, how much I am, - -[Sidenote: October 25. 1728.] - - _My LORD, - The Admirer of - Your_ Use _and_ - Intent _of Prophecy_, - _Thomas Woolston_. - - - - -[Illustration] - - A FIFTH - DISCOURSE - ON THE - MIRACLES - OF OUR - _SAVIOUR_, &c. - - -According to Promise in my last _Discourse_, I am in _this_ to take -into Examination the three Miracles of _Jesus_'s raising the dead, -_viz._ Of _Iairus_'s Daughter[270]; of the Widow of _Naim_'s Son[271]; -and of _Lazarus_[272]: The literal Stories of which I shall show to -consist of Absurdities, Improbabilities and Incredibilities, in Order -to the mystical Interpretation of them: And because some of our -_Bishops_ and _Clergy_ were a little disgusted at the ludicrous -Treatment of the _Letter_ of some foregoing Miracles, I will handle -these with the more Caution; being as unwilling, as any Man of my -primitive Faith can be, to offend weak Brethren. - -Whether _Jesus_ rais'd any more from the dead, besides the foresaid -three Persons is uncertain from the Evangelical History. St. -_Augustin_[273] thinks, he rais'd many others; and he founds his -Opinion on the modest _Hyperbole_ of St. _John_, who supposes[274] -_the World it self could not contain the Books that might be Written -of Jesus_. And _Eusebius Gallicanus_, of whose Mind entirely I am, -says[275] the Reason lies in the Mystery, why these _three_, and no -more than these _three_ Miracles of this Kind are recorded by the -_Evangelists_. But since our _Divines_ are averse to Mysteries on -Miracles, I would gladly know their Opinion, whether _Jesus_ rais'd -any others from the dead, or not: I have made some search into modern -Writers for their Opinion in this Case, but can't find it: And unless -I knew their Opinion, it would be lost Labour to argue against either -Side of the Question, and much more against both Sides of it: But I -can assure our _Divines_, that, which Side of the Question soever they -should hold, the Consequence upon the Argument would be neither better -nor worse, than that they must of necessity espouse the mystical and -allegorical Interpretation of these Miracles, or grant that _Jesus_ -literally rais'd none from the dead at all. - -But waving that sort of Argument for the present against the _Letter_; -these three Miracles are reputed the greatest that _Jesus_ wrought: -And I believe, it will be granted on all hands, that the restoring a -Person, indisputably dead, to Life again, is a stupendous Miracle; and -that two or three such Miracles well circumstanced, and credibly -reported, are enough to conciliate the Belief of Mankind, that the -Author of them was a divine Agent, and invested with the Power of God, -or he could not do them. But God knows, (and for the sake of the -Mystery, I am not sorry to say it) this is far from being the Case of -these three Miracles before us, or of any one them. - -That these three Miracles are not equally great, but differ in Degree, -is visible enough to any one, that but cursorily reads, and compares -theirs Stories one with another. The Fathers of the Church[276] have -taken Notice of such a Difference amongst them. The greatest of the -three, and indeed, the[277] greatest Miracle, that _Jesus_ is suppos'd -to have wrought, is that of _Lazarus_'s Resurrection; which, in Truth, -was a most prodigious Miracle, if his Corps was putrified and stank; -or if there were no just Exceptions to be made to the Credibility of -the Story. Next to that, in magnitude, is _Jesus_'s raising of the -Widow's Son, as they were carrying him to his Burial: And a great -Miracle it was to bring him to Life again; if none before or since had -been mistaken for dead, and carried to their Graves alive; or if no -Impostor and his Confederates could frame such a seemingly miraculous -Scene, as is that whole Story, to his own Glory. The least of the -three is that of his raising _Jairus_'s Daughter, which in Appearance -is so far from a Miracle, that according to the Story itself, she was -but asleep, or by the Shrieks of By-standers frighted out of her -Senses for the present. - -But however it really might be with these three supposed dead and -revived Persons; the Case of none of them was well enough -circumstanced to serve the Purpose of our _Divines_. I am apt to -believe with the Fathers, that _Jesus_ actually did raise the dead; -but then, as these Miracles are only recorded for the sake of the -_Mystery_, I affirm that none of them, as to the _Letter_, will abide -the Test of a critical Examination, nor stand its Ground against such -Exceptions as may be made to them. If _Jesus_ was to raise any dead -Bodies to Life, for a Testimony of his divine Power and Authority, he -would and should have made Choice of other dead Persons, under other -Circumstances of Death; and the History of their Resurrection should -have been more credibly and carefully transmitted to Posterity, so as -there should have been no Room left to make a reasonable Doubt of the -Truth of it. But this, I say, is not the Case in the Resuscitation of -any of these Persons, as will appear from the following Remarks and -Observations upon them. And - -1. Observe, that the unnatural and preposterous Order of Time, in -which these Miracles are related, justly brings them all under -suspicion of Fable and Forgery. The greatest of the three is -indisputably that of _Lazarus_'s Resurrection; but since this is only -mention'd by St. _John_, who wrote his Gospel after the other -_Evangelists_, and above sixty Years, according to the best -Computation, after our Lord's Ascension; here is too much Room for -Cavil and Question, whether this Story be not entirely his Invention. -What could be the Reason that _Matthew_, _Mark_, and _Luke_, who all -wrote their Gospel's before _John_, and many Years nearer to the Death -of our Saviour, should omit to record this remarkable and most -illustrious Miracle of _Lazarus_? They could not forget it, nor be -ignorant of it, if the Story had been really true; and to assign any -other Reason than Ignorance or Forgetfulness, is hard and impossible. -To aggrandize the Fame of their Master, for a Worker of Miracles, was -the Design of all the _Evangelists_, especially of the three first, -who may be presumed to make a Report of the greatest, if not of all, -that _Jesus_ wrought: But that there should come after them an -_Evangelist_ with an huge and superlatively great Miracle, and meet -with Credit for it, is against all Sense and Reason; neither is there -any Story, so disorderly told, in all History, that _Critics_ will -admit of the Belief of. The first Writer of the Life of an _Hero_, to -be sure makes mention of all the grand Occurrences of it, and leaves -no Room for _Biographers_ afterwards, but to enlarge and paraphrase -upon what he has written, with some other Circumstances and Additions -of less Moment. If a third or a fourth _Biographer_ after him shall -presume to add a more illustrious Transaction of the _Hero_'s Life, it -will be rejected as Fable and Romance, tho' for no other Reason than -this, that the first Writer must have been appris'd of it, and would -have inserted its Story, if there had been any Truth in it. And -whether St. _John_'s Story of _Lazarus_'s Resurrection, that Miracle -of Miracles, ought not to be subjected to the like Criticism upon it, -_Christians_ may consider, and _Infidels_ will judge. - -What then was the Reason, I ask again, that the three first -_Evangelists_ neglected to record this renown'd Miracle of _Lazarus_? -And why too (may I enquire here) did not _Matthew_ and _Mark_ mention -the Story of the Widow of _Naim_'s Son, as they could not but know of -it, if true, more certainly than _Luke_, the Companion of _Paul_, who -alone has made a Report of it? _Grotius_ says,[278] _it may seem -strange that this illustrious Miracle of the Widow's Son_ was omitted -by _Matthew_ and _Mark_: And what is the Reason that _Grotius_ gives -for this strange Omission? Why, he tells us[279] _that these two -Evangelists were content with one miraculous Instance of this Kind, by -which Christians might judge of_ Jesus'_s Power in others also_. And -is this Reason sufficient? True it is, they were content with one -Instance; but if they had made a Report of two or three more of the -same sort, no body would have thought their History of _Christ_ -overcharg'd with impertinent and tautological Repetitions. But one -Instance of a Person rais'd from the dead, they were, says _Grotius_, -content with: And I'll grant one to be sufficient: But which then -should they, as wise and considerate _Historians_ have made Choice of, -the greatest or the least Miracle? The greatest, to be sure, and that -was of _Lazarus_, or of the Widow's Son, if they knew of either. But -instead of either of these, they tell us the Story of _Jairus_'s -Daughter, that is[280] an imperfect and disputable Miracle, in -Comparison of the other two, which consequently they knew nothing at -all of, or they would have preferr'd the Report of them. - -If _Matthew_, the first Writer, had recorded only the Story of -_Lazarus_, whose Resurrection was the greatest Miracle; and if _Luke_ -had added _that_ of the Widow of _Naim_'s Son; and _John_ lastly had -remember'd us of _Jairus_'s Daughter, which the other _Evangelists_, -not through Ignorance or Forgetfulness, but studying Brevity, had -omitted, then all had been well; and no Objection had hence lain -against the Credit of any of these Miracles, or against the Authority -of the _Evangelists:_ But this unnatural and preposterous Order of -Time, in which these Miracles are recorded (the greatest being -postponed to the least) administers just Occasion of suspicion of the -Truth and Credibility of all their Stories. And it is lucky for -Christianity, that _Jews_ and _Infidels_ have not hitherto hit upon -the _Absurdity_ of this preposterous Narration, or they might have -form'd a cogent Objection against these Miracles thus, saying; - - "_Jesus_, it is manifest, rais'd not the dead at all. The only - Person, that Christians can reasonably pretend, he did raise, was - _Jairus_'s Daughter, whom _Matthew_ writes of; and she, according to - the Story was only in a Sleep, or an Extacy, when _Jesus_ revived - her. But the _Galileans_, who were after a Time call'd _Christians_, - finding their Account in a Resurrection-Miracle; _Luke_, for the - former Advantage of the Cause, devised another Story of better - Circumstances, in the Widow of _Naim_'s Son: But this not being so - great a Miracle, as the Church still wanted; _John_, when no body - was alive to contradict and expostulate with him for it, trumps up a - long Story of a thumping Miracle, in _Jesus_'s raising of _Lazarus_, - who had been not only dead, but buried so long that he stank again. - But to prove the Story of this Miracle to be false and fabulous, we - need say no more than that it was last recorded. If there had been - any Truth in it, the first _Evangelist_ would have remember'd us of - it. - - "We don't suppose, that you Christians, because of your Prejudices, - will subscribe to this Account, that we thus give of the Rise of - these Miracles: But this is certain, that if these three Miracles - had not been reported of _Jesus_, but of _Mahomet_, in the same - disorder of Time, by three different Historians, you would - presently have scented the Forgery and Imposture: You would justly - have affirm'd that the three Stories were apparently three Fables - and Falsehoods; and that the three Historians visibly strove to - outstretch each other: That the _first_ was sparing and modest in - his Romance; and the _second_, being sensible of the Insufficiency - of the former's Tale, devises a Miracle of a bigger Size; which - still not proving sufficient to the End proposed; the _third_ - Writer, rather than his Prophet's Honour should sink for want of a - Resurrection-Miracle, forges a Story of a monstrously huge one; - against which it is, and always will be Objection enough, that it - was not related by the first Historian. So would you Christians - argue against these three Miracles in another Impostor's Case; and - there is not a judicious _Critic_ in the Universe, that would not - approve of the Argument, and applaud the Force of it, tho' you will - not endure the Thoughts of it in the Case of your _Jesus_. - - "But to come nearer home to you; supposing _John_ (who was then - above a Hundred, and in his Dotage) had not reported this Miracle - of _Lazarus_; but that _Clement_ (joining it with his[281] - incredible Story of the Resurrection of a _Phoenix_) or _Ignatius_, - or _Polycarp_, or the Author of the _Apostolical Constitutions_ had - related it; would not your Christian _Critics_ have been at work to - explode it? There is not an antient extra-evangelical Tradition of - any Note about _Jesus_, that some or other of your _Critics_ have - not boggled at; but such a Story as this of _Lazarus_ would have - been received by none. I question, whether Mr. _Whiston_ would not - have rejected the _Constitutions_ upon such a Story in them; or if - his Fancy for some other Things in them had overcome his Reason - against this; yet _Bishop Smallbroke_, who has written against the - Canonicalness of the _Constitutions_, with his judicious - Animadversions upon this Story, would absolutely have overthrown - their Authority. And what would he have said here? Not only that - the Miracle smells rankly of Forgery and Fraud, or the - _Evangelists_, especially _Matthew_, had never forgotten to record - it; but he would have reminded us of intrinsic Notes (_hereafter to - be mention'd_) of Absurdity, and Incredibility, that would for ever - have cashier'd the Belief of it. And whether we _Infidels_ ought - not to take the same Liberty to criticize on _John_'s Gospel, which - you do on your Apostolical Fathers, who wrote before him, let the - impartial and unprejudiced judge: If in justice we ought to take - it; we are sure we could give two or three notable Reasons (but - that We will not now put Christians out of Temper with them) why - _John_ may be suspected of a Mistake or Fraud in this Miracle, - rather than any other Christian Writer of the _first_ or _second_ - Century." - -To such an unhappy Objection, arising from the unnatural and -preposterous Order of Time, in which they are recorded, are these -three Miracles before us obnoxious. And I am thinking how Ministers of -the Letter will be able to get over it. As for my self, who am for the -mystical Interpretation of these Miracles, I have a solid and -substantial Answer at hand to the foresaid Objection, an Answer that -curiously accounts for the Order of Time in which these Miracles are -related; but my Answer will not please our _Divines_, nor stand them -in any stead; therefore they must look up another good one of their -own, that will comport with the _Letter_; or the said Objection, -improved with another presently against _Lazarus_'s Resurrection, will -be too hard, not for Christianity it self, but for their Ministry. - -_Grotius_, being aware of the foresaid Objection, has given us such -a[282] Solution of it as then occurr'd to his Thoughts. Dr. _Whitby_, -not being satisfied with _Grotius_'s Solution, has given us[283] -another: But how weak and insufficient both their Solutions are, I -will not spare Time to consider, till some _Writer_ shall appear in -Defence of the Sufficiency and Strength of one or other of them. And -so I pass to a - -2. Second Observation, by Way of Objection to the _Letter_ of these -Miracles, and that is, by enquiring, what became of these three -Persons after their Resurrection? How long did they live afterwards? -And of what Use and Advantage were their restored Lives to the Church -or to Mankind? The Evangelical and Ecclesiastical History is entirely -silent as to these Questions, which is enough to make us suspect their -Stories to be merely romantick or parabolical; and that there were no -such Persons rais'd from the dead; or we must have heard somewhat of -their Station and Conversation in the World afterwards. It's true, -that _Ephiphanius_[284] says, what he found among Traditions, that -_Lazarus_ lived thirty Years after his Resurrection: But how did he -spend his Time all that while? Was it to the Honour of _Jesus_, to the -Service of the Church, and Propagation of the Gospel? Of that we know -nothing; tho' in Reason and Gratitude to _Jesus_, his Benefactor, it -ought to have been so spent; and if it had been so employ'd, History -surely would have inform'd us of it. According to the Opinion of -_Grotius_, in a Citation above, _Lazarus_ for the rest of his restored -Life absconded, and skull'd about the Country for Fear of the _Jews_, -who lay in Wait for him; which is a Suggestion, not only dishonourable -to _Jesus_, as if the same Power, that rais'd him from the dead, could -not protect him against his Enemies; but reproachful to _Lazarus_ -himself, who should have chosen to suffer Death again, rather than not -bear an open Testimony to _Jesus_, the Author of his Resurrection. -However it was, we hear no more of _Lazarus_, than that he lived -thirty Years afterwards, which Tradition, without other Memorials of -his Life, brings the Miracle more under suspicion of Fable, than if he -had dy'd soon after it. And of _Jairus_'s Daughter, and of the Widow -of _Naim_'s Son, which is astonishing, we read nothing at all. Does -not this Silence in History about them, make their Miracles -questionable, and but like _Gulliverian_ Tales of Persons and Things, -that out of the Romance, never had any Being. - -_Jesus_ did but[285] _call a little Child, and set him in the midst_ -of his Disciples; and that Act was remember'd in the Piety and -Zeal[286] of _Ignatius_, who made a renown'd Bishop. But the Favour -and Blessing conferr'd on these three rais'd Persons was exceedingly -greater; and one might have expected, that _Lazarus_ and the Widow's -Son would have been eminent Ministers of the Gospel. But instead of -that, their Lives afterwards were pass'd in Obscurity, or, what's as -bad, Ecclesiastical History has neglected a Report of them. What can -any one hereupon think less, than that the Favour of the Miracles was -lost on undeserving Persons, which I abhor the Thoughts of; or that -their Stories are but Parables, which I rather incline to. - -Ministers of the _Letter_ may here say, "That the Ecclesiastical History -of the Apostolical Age is very scanty; and that many Memorials of other -Persons and Transactions are lost and buried in Oblivion: Which unhappy -Fate has attended the after-Lives and Actions of these rais'd Persons, -or undoubtedly we should have had a famous Record of them." This is not -impossible; tho' in the Wisdom of Providence it is hardly probable, but -that some more Remembrance must have been left of one or other, if not -of all the three Persons; in as much as such a Remembrance of them would -now-a-days have no less gain'd a Belief of the Miracles, than this -Historical Silence tends to the Discredit of them. - -It's somewhat strange, that we hear no more of the after-Fame and Life -of any of the diseased Persons, whom _Jesus_ miraculously cured; -excepting of the Woman, heal'd of an Issue of Blood; who, tho' she -_spent_ ALL _she had, even_ ALL _her Living_ upon _Physicians_; yet -out of the Remains of it erected, says[287] _Eusebius_, at _Cæsarea -Philippi_, two most costly Statues of Brass, to the Memory of _Jesus_ -and of herself, and of the Miracle wrought by him; which Dr. -_Whitby_[288] as if he was tainted with Infidelity, endeavours to make -an idle Tale of. But excepting, I say this Story of this Woman, we -hear nothing of any other heal'd Person; which is Matter of some -Speculation: But that the Persons rais'd from the dead should not at -all be mention'd in History for their Labours and Lives afterwards to -the Honour of _Jesus_, is absolutely unaccountable. Whether such a -profound Silence in History about them be not shocking of the Credit -of the Miracles, let our _Divines_ consider. I am of Opinion that if -_Jesus_ really rais'd these Persons from the dead; this and no other -Reason, in the Providence of God, can be given for the Silence of -Ecclesiastical History about them afterwards, than to make -_dead-letter'd_ Stories of their Miracles, in order to turn our Heads -entirely to the Consideration of their mystical Signification, without -which the _Letter_, for the Argument before us, is deserving of no -Regard nor Credit. But - -3. By way of Objection to the _Letter_ of these three Miracles, let us -consider the Condition of the Persons rais'd from the dead; and -whether they were at all proper Persons for _Jesus_ to work such a -Miracle upon, in Testimony of his divine Power. If they were improper -Persons according to the _Letter_, it's not credible that He, who was -the Wisdom of God, would raise them; or if he did, it was because they -were the properest to make mystical Emblems of their Stories. - -That _Jesus_ ought to have rais'd all that dy'd, where-ever he came, -during the Time of his Ministry, none, I presume, can hold. Two or three -Instances of his almighty and miraculous Power of this Kind will be -allow'd to be sufficient: But then they must be wisely and judiciously -made Choice of, out of a vast Number of Persons, that must needs die in -that Time. Where then was his Wisdom and Prudence to chuse these three -Persons above others to that Honour? Why were all of them, or indeed any -one of them preferr'd to other Persons of a different Age and Condition -in the World? Nay, if the _Letter_ of their Stories is only to be -regarded, were not all these three Persons almost the improperest and -most unfit of any for _Jesus_ to exercise that Power on? - -_Jairus_'s Daughter was an insignificant _Girl_ of twelve Years old: And -there could be no Reason for raising her, but to wipe sorrow from the -Hearts, and Tears from the Eyes of her Parents, who ought to have been -better Philosophers, than immoderately to grieve for her. And was here a -good Reason for _Jesus_ to interpose with his Almighty Power? No -certainly; a Lecture of Patience and Resignation this Case had been -enough. And tho' _Jesus_ could raise her from the dead; yet for as much -as that Favour was to be conferr'd but on a few; and his Miracles ought -to be useful as well as conspicuous, she should have been pass'd by, as -an improper Object of his Power, in Comparison of many others, presently -to be named. If therefore a better Reason, than what's discernible in -the _Letter_, is not to be fetch'd from the Mystery; I can't suppose -that _Jesus_, the Wisdom of God would raise this _Girl_; but that the -modern Belief of her Resuscitation, exclusive of the mystical -Signification, is, as shall be by and by argued, altogether groundless. - -The Widow of _Naim_'s Son too was but a [Greek: neaniskos] _Youth_, -and whether any thing older than the _Girl_ above is doubtful; but his -Life certainly was of no more Importance to the World after, than -before his Resurrection. And why was he then one of the _three_ to be -rais'd from the dead? Why had he this Honour done him, before others -of greater Age, Worth, and Use to Mankind? Some will say, for the -Comfort or his sorrowful Mother. And is this Reason sufficient? A -Discourse on the Pleasures of _Abraham_'s Bosom, where she would e'er -long meet her Son, had been enough to chear her Heart. If therefore -the Fathers don't help me to a solid mystical Reason, why the Son and -_only Son_ of a Widow was to be rais'd by _Jesus_, as they were -carrying him to his Burial, I'll not believe, He would raise this dead -_Boy_ rather than many others, for the Manifestation of his Power; but -that the Story of his Resurrection, as shall soon be reasonably -proved, was all Sham and Cheat. - -_Lazarus_ indeed was _Jesus_'s Friend, whom he Loved; and as I will -not question but _Jesus_'s Affection was wisely and deservedly placed -on him; so here, to Appearance, was a better Reason for the raising of -him, than of either of the other Two. But even this Reason, supposing -_Jesus_ was to raise but three Persons, is not sufficient against the -Cases of many others, that may be put for the Manifestation of his -Power, for the Illustration of his Wisdom and Goodness, and for the -Conversion of Unbelievers: Consequently, if this Story of _Lazarus_ be -not parabolical, the litteral Fact is disputable, and obnoxious to -such Exceptions presently to be observed against it, as will not be -easily got over. - -_Jesus_ rais'd the dead, and wrought other Miracles, say our _Divines_ -often, not only to manifest his own Power and Glory, but his Love to -Mankind, and his Inclination to do them good: For which Reason his -Miracles are useful and beneficial as well as stupendous and -supernatural Acts, on purpose to conciliate Men's Affections as well -as their Faith to him. On this Topick our _Divines_ are copious and -rhetorical, when they write on _Jesus_'s Miracles, as if no more -useful and wonderful Works could be done, than what he did. And I do -agree with them, that (what Reason bespeaks) the Miracles of a -pretended Author of Religion ought to be both as useful and great as -well as could be. But such were not _Jesus_'s Miracles according to -_Letter_, and least of all his Acts of raising the dead. For if we -consider the Persons rais'd by him, we shall find, he could hardly -have exerted his Power on any of less Importance to the World, both -before and after their Resurrection. A young _Girl_ indeed is fitter -to be raised than a decripid old Woman, who by the Course of Nature -was to return to Corruption again, as soon as restored to Life: And a -_Boy_ rather than an infirm old Man for the same Reason: And _Lazarus_ -the Friend of _Jesus_, perhaps, and but perhaps, rather than his -profess'd Enemy. But what are these three Persons in Comparison of -many others of other Circumstances? Instead of a _Boy_, and a _Girl_ -and even of _Lazarus_, who were all of no Consequence to the Publick, -either before or since; I should think, _Jesus_ ought to have rais'd -an useful Magistrate, whose Life had been a common Blessing; an -industrious Merchant, whose Death was a publick Loss; a Father of a -numerous Family, which for a comfortable Subsistance depended on him. -Such dead Objects of _Jesus_'s Power and Compassion could not but -offer themselves, during the Time of his Ministry, and if he meant to -be as useful as he could, in his Miracles, he would have laid hold on -them. If a few Persons only were to be rais'd from the dead, the -foresaid were the properest, whose Resurrection and Return to Life -would have begotten the Applause as well as the Wonder of the World; -would most extensively have spread _Jesus_'s Fame; and would have -gain'd him the Love and Discipleship of all that heard of his being -so great a Benefactor to Mankind. Such Instances of his Power would -have demonstrated him to be a most benign as well as a mighty Agent; -and none in Interest or Prejudice could have open'd their Mouths -against him, especially if the Persons rais'd from the dead were -selected upon the Recommendation of the People of this or that City. -But that an insignificant _Boy_ and a _Girl_, (forsooth!) and the -obscure _Lazarus_, are preferr'd by _Jesus_, to such publick and more -deserving Persons is unaccountable. Their Story therefore, upon this -Argument, savours of Romance and Fraud; and unless the _Mystery_ help -us to, what the _Letter_ can't, a good reason for _Jesus_'s Conduct -here, the Miracles may be hence justly question'd, and the Credibility -of their Report disputed. - -But now I am speaking of the Fitness and Unfitness of deceased Persons -to have this grand Miracle wrought on them; it comes into my Head to -ask, why _Jesus_ rais'd not _John_ the Baptist to Life again? A Person -of greater Merits, and more Worthy of the Favour of _Jesus_ and of -this Miracle, could not be. If _Jesus_ could raise any from the dead -he would surely have raised him; and why did he not? This is a -reasonable Question and an Answer should be thought on for it. Was it -a Thing out of _Jesus_'s Power? Not so; He was Omnipotent, and could -by Force or Persuasion have rescued _John_'s Head out of the Hands of -his Enemies; and the tacking it again to his Body, and the infusing -new Life into him was no more difficult to _Jesus_, than the -Resuscitation of a stinking Carcass. If _Jesus_ had here exerted his -Power, and rais'd his dearest Friend and choicest Minister for the -Preparation, if not Propagation of the Gospel, none could question his -Ability to raise any others, tho' he had rais'd no more. But in as -much as _John_ the _Baptist_, one of his singular Merits and Services -to _Christ_, was overlook'd and neglected by him; and three useless -and insignificant Persons had this Honour done them, the Facts may -reasonably be called into question, and, if the Mysteries don't solve -the Difficulty, their litteral Stories may hence be accounted foolish, -fictitious and fabulous; especially if we consider, - -4. That none of these three rais'd Persons had been long enough dead -to amputate all Doubt of _Jesus_'s miraculous Power in their -Resurrection. As to _Jairus_'s Daughter, she was but newly expired, if -at all dead, when _Jesus_ brought her to Life again. _Jesus_ himself -says, she was but asleep. And according to _Theophanes Cerameus_[289], -and _Theophilact_[290] there is Room to suspect that this _Girl_ was -only [Greek: Katochos] _beside herself_. And it is not impossible, but -the passionate Skreams of the Feminine By-standers might fright her -into Fits, that bore the Appearance of Death; otherwise why did -_Jesus_ turn there inordinate Weepers out of the House, before he -could bring her to her Senses again? And why did he tell her Parents, -that she was only in a sleep, but to Comfort them with the Possibility -of his awakening her out of it? Is not this destructive of the -Miracle, and making no more of it, than what another Man might do? And -is there not some Probability, that here's all of this Story? But -supposing she was really dead, yet for the sake of an indisputable -Miracle in her Resurrection, it must be granted, that she ought to -have been much longer, some Days if not Weeks, dead and buried. - -As to the Widow of _Naim_'s Son, there was somewhat more of the -Appearance of Death in him, than in _Jairus_'s Daughter. He was -carried forth to his Burial, and so may be presumed to be really a -dead Corpse. But might not here be Fraud or Mistake in the Case? -History and common Fame affords Instances of the mistaken Deaths of -Persons, who sometimes have been unfortunately buried alive, and at -other Times happily, by one Means or other, restored to Life: And who -knows but _Jesus_, upon some Information or other, might suspect this -Youth to be in a lethargick State, and had a Mind to try, if by -chafeing, _&c._ he could not do, what successfully he did, bring him -to his Senses again: Or might not a Piece of Fraud be here concerted -between _Jesus_, a subtil Youth, and his Mother and others; and all -the Formalities of a Death and Burial contrived, that _Jesus_, whose -Fame for a Worker of Miracles was to be rais'd, might here have an -Opportunity to make a shew of a grand one. The Mourning of the Widow, -who had her Tears at Command and _Jesus_'s casual meeting of the -Corpse upon the Road, looks like Contrivance to put the better Face -upon the Matter. God forbid, that I should suspect, there was any -Fraud of this Kind here; but of the Possibility of it, none can doubt. -And where there is a Possibility of Fraud, it is Nonsense, and mere -Credulity to talk of a real, certain and stupendous Miracle, -especially where the Juggler and pretended Worker of Miracles has -been detected in some of his other Tricks. All that I have to say here -to this Matter, is, that if _Jesus_ had a Mind to raise the Son of -this Widow, in Testimony of his divine Power, he should have suffer'd -him to have been buried two or three Weeks first; otherwise, if the -Mystery don't account for _Jesus_'s stopping the Bearers of the Corpse -upon the Road, here is too much Room for suspicion of Cheat in the -Letter of the Story. - -_Lazarus_'s Case seems to be the less exceptionable of the three. He -had been buried _four Days_, and supposed to be putrified in the -Opinion of his Sister _Mary_, and of modern Christians: And if so, his -Resuscitation was a most grand and indisputable Miracle. And I could -have wish'd, if I had not loved the _Mystery_ rather than the -_Letter_, that no Cavil and Exception could have been made to it. -Whether _Lazarus_, who was _Jesus_'s Friend and beloved Disciple, -would not come into Measures with his Lord, for the Defence of his -Honour, and Propagation of his Fame, _Infidels_, who take Christianity -for an Imposture, will not question: And whether he would not consent -to be interr'd alive, in a hollow Cave, where there was only a Stone -laid at the Mouth of it, as long as a Man could fast, none of them -will doubt. Four Days was almost too long for a Man to fast without -danger of Health; but if those _four Days_ are number'd according to -the Arithmetick of Jesus's _three Days_ in his Grave, they are -reducible to two Days and three Nights, which Time, if no Victuals -were secretly convey'd with him, a Man might fast in _Lazarus_'s Cave. -As to the _stinking_ of _Lazarus_'s Carcass: that, _Infidels_ will -say, was but the Assertion of his Sister beforehand, like a Prologue -to a Farce. None of the Spectators at his Resurrection say one Word of -his stinking. And as to the Weepings and Lamentations of _Jesus_ and -of _Lazarus_'s Sisters, they will say that was all Sham and -Counterfeit, the better to carry on the Juggle of a feign'd -Resurrection. And what's worst of all, they will say, that tho' -_Jesus_ did call _Lazarus_ forth with a _loud Voice_, as if he had -been as deaf as a dead Man; yet his _Face was bound about with a -Napkin_, so that the Spectators could not discern what was of the -Essence of the Miracle, the Change of his Countenance from a dead to a -live one, which is a plain Sign, that it was all Fraud and Imposture. - -God forbid, that I should have the same sense with _Infidels_, of this -Matter; but to be just to their Suggestions and Imaginations here, I -must needs say, there are some other unhappy Circumstances, presently -to be consider'd, in this Story, which, if they are not emblematical, -make it the most notorious Cheat and Imposture that ever was put upon -Mankind. In the mean Time, from what is here argued, it is plain, that -_Lazarus_ was not so long dead and buried, as that there is no Room to -doubt of the Miracle of his Resurrection. - -Now whether these Arguments against these three Miracles, drawn from -the Shortness of the Time, in which these Persons lay for dead, have -any Force in them, let our _Divines_ consider. If nothing of all this -is in their Opinion affecting of the Credit of the Miracles; yet they -must allow, that _Jesus_, if he could raise the dead, might have made -Choice of other Instances of Persons, more unquestionably dead, who -had lain longer in their Graves, and were in a visible State of -Putrefaction. And if this grand Miracle of raising the dead was to be -wrought by _Jesus_ for the Manifestation of his Glory, and in -Testimony of his Authority; he should have exercised his Power on some -such Persons, nominated by the Magistrates of this or that City, who -with the People should be present at the miraculous Operation, -beholding the putrified Bodies, (without a Napkin before their Faces) -and how they were suddenly enliven'd and invigorated with new Flesh, -after the Similitude of their pristine Form, when in Health and full -Strength. Because that _Jesus_ rais'd not some such Persons to Life, I -must take the Stories of the three Miracles before us to be but -typical of more mysterious Works; or believe them for the Arguments -above to be downright Cheats and Fables. And what is enough to induce -a modern _Divine_ to this Opinion. Is - -5. The Consideration, that none of these rais'd Persons did or could, -after the Return of their Souls to their Bodies, tell any Tales of -their separate Existence otherwise the Evangelists had not been silent -in this main Point, which is of the Essence of Christianity. Are not -our _Divines_ here reduced to an unhappy _Dilemma_, either to deny the -separate Existence of the Soul, or the precedent Deaths of these -rais'd Persons? As Christians, We profess to believe both, which -seemingly are incompatiable; or the Evangelists had made such a -Relation, as their return'd Souls had given of the other World. Was -any Person, in this Age, to be rais'd to Life, that had been any time -dead; the first Thing that his Friends and Acquaintance would enquire -of him, would be to know, where his Soul had been; in what Company; -and how it had fared with him; and Historians would certainly record -his Narrative. The same Curiosity could not but possess People of old, -when these Miracles were wrought; and if the rais'd Persons had told -any Stories of their separate Existance, the Evangelists no less -unquestionally would have reported them, in as much as such a Report -would have been, not only a Confirmation of that Doctrine; which is of -the Essence of our Religion; but an absolute Confutation of the -_Sadducees_ and _Sceptists_ of that Age, and of the _Materialists_ of -this. But this their Silence in this Case is of bad Consequence, -either to the Doctrine of the Soul's Existence in Separation from the -Body, or to these Miracles themselves, since we must hereupon almost -necessarily hold, that these rais'd Persons were not at all dead, or -that their Souls dy'd with them. - -The Author of a Sermon, ascrib'd to St. _Augustin_ tells us[291] that -_Lazarus_ after his Resurrection made a large Report of _Hell_, where -he had been: But as this is a mere Fiction of that Author, without the -least Authority from Scripture; so I presume it will be accounted a -_Blunder_ in him, to suppose the Soul of _Lazarus_, the Friend and -beloved of _Jesus_, was in Hell. The Soul of _Jesus_ indeed, for -Reasons best known to himself, upon his Death, descended into Hell, -when some think he should rather have gone, with the penitent Thief, -into Paradise. But the Thoughts, that any of _Jesus_'s Friends should -go to Hell, I suppose will not be born with; or what will become of -the Preachers of this Age, who would be accounted Men or that -Denomination. And if _Lazarus_'s Soul had been in Paradise, it was -hardly a good Work in _Jesus_ to recall it, for thirty Years -afterwards, to the Miseries and Troubles of this wicked World. I wish -therefore our _Divines_ could determine, where _Lazarus_'s Soul was -for the four Days of his Burial; because I can't possibly conceive any -thing else, than that he was not really dead, or that his Soul dy'd -with him, or went to a bad place, otherwise after his Resurrection he -had never absconded for fear of the _Jews_, as if he was unwilling to -die again, and return to the Place from whence he came. - -But however it was with the Souls of these rais'd Persons before their -Re-union to their Bodies, here is another Difficulty and Objection -against these Miracles; and how will our _Divines_ get over it? -Perhaps they may say, that tho' these rais'd Persons were before -really dead; yet their Souls were not as yet gone to their Places -prepared of God for them, but continued hovering about their Bodies, -like the Flame about the Snuff of a Candle, with desires - - ----_iterumq; reverti - Corpora_---- - -to be again rejoin'd to them. And withall my Heart let this Answer pass, -if our _Divines_ and _Infidels_ can so agree upon it. As for my own -Opinion, it is this, that these Miracles of _Jesus_ are Parables, and -that it was beside the Purpose of the Parable, and of the _Evangelists_ -to say any thing of the Place and State of the Soul upon its Separation -from the Body; otherwise the Letter of their Stories is manifestly -obnoxious to the Objection above, or the Deaths of these pretended -rais'd Persons, upon Christian Principles, are questionable. But - -6. And lastly, Let us consider the intrinsick Absurdities and -Incredibilities of the several Stories of these three Miracles. And -such Absurdities shall we find in them, that, if they had been -intended as Testimonies of _Jesus_'s divine Power, had never been -inserted in their Narratives. - -As to _Jairus_'s Daughter, and her Resurrection from the dead, St. -_Hilary_[292] hints, that there was no such Person as _Jairus_ whose -Name was fictitious, and coin'd with a spiritual Signification for the -Use of the Parable; and he gives this Reason, and a good Reason it is, -why he thought so, because it is elsewhere[293] intimated in the -Gospel, that none of the Rulers of the Synagogues confessedly believed -on _Jesus_. Is not here then a stumbling-Block at the Threshold of the -Letter of this Story? But why did _Jesus_ say, this Girl was but in a -Sleep? If he was going to work a Miracle in her Resuscitation, he -should not have call'd Death, _Sleep_; but if others had been of a -contrary Opinion, he should first have convinced them of the Certainty -of her Death, before he did the great Work on her. And why did he -charge the Parents of the Girl not to speak of the Miracle? If he -meant it as Testimony of his divine Power, he should rather have -exhorted them, in justice to himself to publish it, and make it well -known. And why, as St. _Ambrose_[294] puts the Question, did he turn -the People out of the House, before he would raise her? The more -Witnesses are present at a Miracle, the better it is attested, and the -more readily believed by others; and who should be present at the -Miracle rather than those who were incredulous of _Jesus_'s divine -Power? Are not all these Circumstances, so many _Absurdities_, which, -if they are not to be accounted for in the _Mystery_, are so far -destructive of the _Letter_, as that it is Nonsense and Folly in our -_Divines_ to talk of a Miracle here, against _Jesus_'s express Word -and Prohibition to the contrary. - -As to the Story of the Widow of _Naim_'s Son, excepting what is before -observed of the shortness of the Time, in which he lay dead, and of -the Unfitness of his Person to be rais'd before an Husband and Father -of a Family, to the Comfort of his Wife and Children, (which are -enough to overthrow the Credulity of the Miracle) I have here no more -Fault to find in the Letter of it. - -But the long Story of _Lazarus_ is so brimful of Absurdities, that, if -the Letter alone is to be regarded; St. _John_, who was then above a -hundred, when he wrote it, had lived beyond his Reason and Senses, or -he could not have committed them. - -I have not Room here to make Remarks on all these Absurdities, which -would be the Work of a Volume; but shall single out three or four of -them at present, reserving the rest for another Opportunity, when the -whole Story of this Miracle will appear to be such a Contexture of -Folly and Fraud in its Contrivance, Execution, and Relation, as is not -to be equall'd in all Romantick History; and our _Divines_ will find -themselves so distress'd upon the Dissection and Display of it, as -that they must of Necessity allow this Story to be but a Parable; or, -what's most grievous to think on, give up their Religion upon it. - -_First_ then, observe that _Jesus_ is said to have _wept_ and -_groan'd_ for the Death of _Lazarus_: But why so, says[295] St. -_Basil_? Was not this an _Absurdity_ to weep at all for the Death of -him, whom he could, and was about to recover to Life again? Another -Man may as reasonably grieve for the Absence of his Friend, whose -Company and Presence he can retrieve in an Instant, as that _Jesus_ -should shed Tears for _Lazarus_ in this Case. If _Jesus_ could not or -would not raise him from the dead, he ought not, as a Philosopher, who -knows Man is born to die, to betray so much Weakness as to weep for -him. Patience and Resignation unto God upon the Death of our dearest -Friends and Relations is what all Philosophers have rightly taught; -and _Jesus_, one would think, should have been the most Heroical -Example of these Graces; and how came he to fail of it here? A Stoical -Apathy had better became him than such childish and effeminate Grief, -which not only makes him a mean and poor-spirited Mortal; but is a -gross _Absurdity_ and _Incredibility_ upon Consideration of his Will -and Power to fetch _Lazarus_ to Life again. If there be not, -according to the Fathers, Mystery in these Tears of _Jesus_, they are -a foolish and unnatural Prelude to a Farce, he was acting in the -pretended Resuscitation of _Lazarus_. - -Some antient Catholicks, not being apprised of the Mystery, were so -offended at these Words, _Jesus wept_, that, as _Epiphanius_[296] -says, they expung'd them out of their Bibles; and I wonder, they have -not, before now, disturb'd the Faith of Ministers of the Letter, to -the utter Rejection of the Miracle. - -_Secondly_, Observe that _John_ says, it was with _a loud Voice_, that -_Jesus_ call'd _Lazarus_ forth out of his Cave. And why, I pray, a -louder Voice than ordinary? Was dead _Lazarus_ deafer than _Jairus_'s -Daughter, or the Widow's Son? Or was his Soul at so great a Distance -from his Body, as he could not hear a still and low Voice? Some such -silly Reason as _this_ must be given for this _loud Voice_ here; but -how absurd it is according to the Letter, Infidels will judge, till -Christians can assign a better. The dead can hear the Whisper of the -Almighty, if Power go along with it, as soon as the Sound of a -Trumpet. St. _John_ then should not have written of a _loud Voice_, -unless he meant to adapt his Story to the Capacities and Conceptions -of the Vulgar, who have no Apprehensions of God's Power, out of -sensible and human Representations of it. - -_Thirdly_, Because that a Miracle should be well guarded against all -Suspicion of Fraud, I was thinking to make it an _Absurdity_, that the -Napkin, before _Jesus_ rais'd _Lazarus_, was not taken from his Face, -that the Spectators might behold his mortified Looks, and the miraculous -Change of his Countenance from Death unto Life. What _Infidels_ think of -this Circumstance I know not: I hope it is not with them a Token of -Fraud and Imposture; tho' I must needs say, that if the Fathers did not -let me in to the Mystery of the Napkin about _Lazarus_'s Face when -_Jesus_ call'd him forth, I should not my self like it. - -_Fourthly_, and lastly, Observe, St. _John_ says, v. 45. that _many of -the Jews, who had seen the Things that Jesus did_ here; _believed on -him_; and _some of them_, v. 46. who did not believe, _went their Ways -to the Pharisees and told them what Things Jesus had done_ in this -pretended Miracle, and how the Business was transacted: Whereupon the -Chief Priests and Pharisees were so far incens'd as v. 53. _from that -Day forth they took Council together to put him to Death_; and Ch. -xii. 10. _consulted, that they might put_ Lazarus _also to Death_. -Jesus _therefore_ (and his Disciples and _Lazarus_ fled for it, for -they) v. 54. _walk'd no more openly among the Jews_, but _went thence -into a Country near to the Wilderness_ (a convenient hiding Place) -_and there continued with his Disciples_; otherwise in all Probability -they had been all sacrificed. - -I dare not argue upon these Circumstances, neither would I, for the -Honour of _Jesus_ have mention'd them; but that my old Friend, the -Jewish _Rabbi_, who help'd me to the Satirical Invective against -_Jesus_'s Miracle of _turning Water into Wine_, has hence form'd an -Objection against _Lazarus_'s Resurrection, and sent me a _Letter_ -upon it, desiring me to publish it, and exhort the _Clergy_ to answer -it; otherwise he would clandestinely hand it about to the Prejudice of -our Religion: Whereupon I, rather than Christianity should so suffer, -do here publish it, and it is as follows. - - "_Sr._ When we last discours'd on _Jesus_'s Miracles, I promised to - send you my Thoughts on _Lazarus_'s Resurrection, which I look upon - as a notorious Imposture, and for the Proof of it, need go no - farther, than to the Circumstances of its Story, which your - _Evangelist_ has related. - - "If there had been an indisputable Miracle wrought in _Lazarus_'s - Resurrection; why were the _Chief-Priests_ and _Pharisees_ so - incens'd upon it, as _to take Council to put both Jesus_ and - _Lazarus_ to _Death for it_? Where was the Provocation? I can - conceive none. Tho' the _Jews_ were ever so canker'd with Malice - and Hatred to _Jesus_ before; yet such a most stupendous Miracle - was enough to stop their Mouths, and turn their Hearts: Or if their - Prejudices against _Jesus_ were insuperable, and they hated him but - the more for the Number and Greatness of his Miracles; yet why is - poor _Lazarus_, inoffensive _Lazarus_, upon whom this good and - great Work was wrought, an Object of their Hatred too? Your - _Divines_ are to give a credible and probable Account of this - Matter, such a one as will comport with Reason and Sense; or we - shall conclude, that it was _Fraud_, detected in this pretended - Miracle, which justly provok'd the Indignation of our Ancestors. - - "To say, what is all you can say, that it was downright Inhumanity, - Barbarity and Brutality in the _Jews_ to hate _Lazarus_ as well as - _Jesus_, will not do here. Tho' this may pass with many Christians, - who are ready to swallow, without chewing, any evil Reports of our - Nation; yet it can't go down with reasonable and unprejudic'd Men, - who must have other Conceptions of human Nature in all Ages and - Nations, than to think it possible, that a Man, in _Lazarus_'s - Case, can be hated and persecuted for having had such a good and - wonderful Work done on him. And why then was he hated and - persecuted? I say, for this, and no other Reason, than because he - was a Confederate with _Jesus_ in the wicked Imposture, he was - putting upon Mankind. - - "But supposing, what is never to be granted, that the _Jews_ of old - were so inhuman, brutish, and barbarous as to hate and persecute - _Lazarus_ as well as _Jesus_ for this Miracle; yet why did _Jesus_ - and his Disciples, with _Lazarus_, run away and abscond upon it? - for they v. 54. _walk'd no more openly among the_ Jews, _but went - thence into a Country near to the Wilderness, and there_ Jesus - _continued with his Disciples_. Is not here a plain Sign of Guilt - and of Fraud? Men, that have God's Cause, Truth and Power on their - Side, never want Courage and Resolution to stand to it. And - however your Christian _Priests_ may palliate the cowardly and - timerous Conduct of _Jesus_ and his Confederates in this Case; yet - with me, it's like Demonstration, that there was a discover'd Cheat - in the Miracle, or they would undauntedly have faced their Enemies, - without Fears And Apprehensions of Danger from them. - - "Our Ancestors then, who unquestionably detected the Fraud, were in - the right on't to prosecute with Severity, the whole Party - concern'd in it: And if they had aveng'd the Wickedness of it upon - _Lazarus_ as well as they did upon _Jesus_, I should have commended - them for it. Whether such a monstrous Imposture, as was this - pretended Miracle, happily discover'd does not call aloud for - Vengeance and most exemplary Punishment; and whether any Nation of - the World would suffer the like with Impunity, let any Man judge. - - "For all the Reports of your Gospels, it is unnatural to hate a - miraculous Healer of Diseases; and there must be somewhat supprest - about the Inveteracy of the _Jews_ to _Jesus_, or his healing - Power, if it was so great as is imagined, must have reconciled them - to him: But that they should hate not only _Jesus_ for raising the - dead, but the Person rais'd by him, is improbable, incredible, and - impossible. - - "If Historians can parallel this Story of the Malignity of the - _Jews_ towards _Jesus_ and _Lazarus_ upon such a real Miracle, with - any Thing equally barbarous and inhuman, in any other Sect or - Nation; we will acknowledge the Truth of it against our ancient - Nation: Or if such Inhumanity, abstractedly consider'd, be at all - agreeable to the Conceptions any one can form of Human Nature in - the most uncivilis'd and brutish People, we will allow our - Ancestors, in this Case, to have been that People. - - "Was such a real and indisputable Miracle, as this of _Lazarus_ is - supposed, to be wrought at this day in Confirmation of - Christianity, I dare say, it would bring all us _Jews_, to a Man, - into the Belief of it: And I don't think it possible, for any - People to be so begotten, byass'd, and prejudiced, as not to be - wrought on by it. Or if they would not part with their Interests - and Prejudices upon it, they would have more Wit and Temper, than - to break forth into a Rage against all or any of the Persons - concern'd in it. And, for my Life, I can entertain no worse - Thoughts of our old Nation. - - "Supposing God should send an Ambassador at this day, who, to - convince Christians of the Mischiefs and Inconvenience of an - _Hireling Priesthood_, should work such a Miracle as was this of - _Lazarus_'s Resurrection, in the Presence of a multitude of - Spectators; how would your _Bishops_ and _Clergy_ behave themselves - upon it? Why, they would be as mute as Fishes; or if they did fret - and grieve inwardly for the Loss of their Interests; yet they would - have more Prudence (ask them else,) than to show their Anger - openly, and persecute both _Agent_ and _Patient_ for it. Wherefore - then are they so censorious and uncharitable as to preach and - believe another Notion and Doctrine of our Ancestors? - - "But if a false Prophet, for the subversion of an _Hireling - Priesthood_, should, in spite to the _Clergy_, counterfeit such a - Miracle, and be detected in the Operation; how then would Priests - and People, Magistrates and Subjects behave upon it? Why, they - would be full of Indignation, and _from that day forth would take - Council to put_ the Impostor and his Confederate to Death, of which - they would be most deserving; and if they did not abscond and fly - for it, like _Jesu_ and his Disciples _to a Wilderness in the - Country_ to hide themselves, the Rage of the Populace would hardly - wait the Leisure of Justice to dispatch and make terrible Examples - of them. Was not this exactly the Case of _Jesus_'s Imposture in - the Resurrection of _Lazarus_; and of the Punishment he was - threaten'd with, and afterwards most justly underwent for it? - - "Mankind may be in some Cases very obdurate, and so hard of Belief, - as to stand it out against Sense, Reason and Demonstration: But I - will not think worse of our Ancestors than of the rest of Mankind; - or that they any more than others would have withstood a clear and - indisputable Miracle in _Lazarus_'s Resuscitation. Such a manifest - Miracle, let it be wrought for what End and Purpose, we can - possibly imagine, would strike Men with Awe and Reverence; and none - could hate and persecute the Author of the Miracle; least He who - could raise the dead, should exert his Power against themselves, - and either wound or smite them dead with it. For which Reason, the - Resurrection of _Lazarus_, on the certain Knowledge of our - Ancestors, was all Fraud, or they would have reverenc'd and adored - the Power of him, that did it. - - "It may be true, what _John_ says, that _many of the Jews, who had - seen the Things that Jesus did, believed on him_, that is, believed - that he had wrought here a great Miracle: But who were these? the - ignorant and credulous, whom a much less _juggler_ than Mr. - _Fawkes_ could easily impos'd on. But on the other hand, it is - certain, according to _Christian Commentators_, that _some of them_ - did not believe the Miracle, but _went their ways to the Pharisees - and told them what Things Jesus had done_, that is, told them, - after what manner the Intrigue was managed; and complain'd of the - Fraud in it. How they came to suspect and discover the Fraud, was - not _John_'s Business to relate; and for want of other ancient - Memorials, we can only guess at it. Perhaps they discern'd some - motion in _Lazarus_'s Body, before the Word of Command, to _come - forth_, was given; perhaps they discover'd some Fragments of the - Food, that for _four days_ in the Cave, he had subsisted on. But - however this was, they could not but take Notice of the _Napkin - about his Face_ all the while; which _Jesus_, to prevent all - suspicion of Cheat, should have first order'd to be taken off, that - his mortify'd Countenance might be view'd, before the miraculous - Change of it to Life was wrought. This neglect in _Jesus_ (which I - wonder _John_ had no more Wit than to hint at) will be a lasting - Objection to the Miracle. _Jesus_ was wiser, than not to be aware - of the Objection, which he would have obviated, if he durst, by a - Removal of the Napkin, to the satisfaction of all Spectators there - present. Because this was not done, we _Jews_ now deny, there was - any Miracle wrought; and, whether our Unbelief upon this - Circumstance be not well grounded, we appeal to Christian Priests - themselves, who must own, that if there was a Miracle here, the - Matter was ill conducted by _Jesus_, or foolishly related by his - _Evangelist_." - - "It is a sad Misfortune, that attends our modern enquiry after - Truth, that there are no other Memorials extant of the Life and - Miracles of _Jesus_, than what are written by his own Disciples. - Not only old Time has devour'd, but Christians themselves, (which - in the Opinion of the impartial makes for us) when they got Power - into their Hands, wilfully destroy'd many Writings of our - Ancestors, as well as of _Celsus_ and _Porphiry_ and others, which - they could not answer; otherwise I doubt not but they would have - given us clear Light into a the Imposture of _Lazarus_'s - Resurrection: But if _Jesus_, according to his own _Evangelists_, - was arraign'd for a _Deceiver_ and _Blasphemer_, in pretending to - the Sonship and Power of God by his Miracles; in all Probability - this Piece of Fraud in _Lazarus_ was one Article of the Indictment - against him; and what makes it very likely, is that the _Chief - Priests_ and _Pharisees_, from the Date of this pretended Miracle, - _took Council together to put him to Death_, not clandestinely or - tumultuously to murder him, but judicially to punish him with - Death, which, if they proved their Indictment by credible and - sufficient Witnesses, he was most worthy of. - - "As it is plain from the Story in _John_, that there was a Dispute - among the By-standers at _Lazarus_'s Resurrection, whether it was a - real Miracle or not; so it is the Opinion of us _Jews_, which is of - the Nature of a Tradition, that the _Chief-Priests_ and civil - Magistrates of _Bethany_, for the better Determination of the - Dispute and quieting of the Minds of the People, requir'd that - _Jesus_ should re-act the Miracle upon another Person, there lately - dead and buried. But _Jesus_ declining this Test of his Power, the - whole Multitude of Believers as well as of Unbelievers before, - question'd the Resurrection of _Lazarus_; and were highly incens'd - against both him and _Jesus_ for the Deceit in it. And this was - _one_ Reason among others of that vehement and Universal Outcry and - Demand, at _Jesus_'s Tryal, for his Crucifixion. I'll not answer - for the Certainty of this Tradition or Opinion, but as the - Expedient was obvious, so it has the Face of Truth and Credibility; - and for the Proof of it, I need only appeal to Christian _Priests_ - and _Magistrates_; whether, under a Dispute of a Miracle of that - Consequence, they would not require, for full Satisfaction, it - should be acted over again; and, if the _Juggler_ refused, whether - there would not be a general Clamour of People of all Ranks for his - _Execution_. - - "_Matthew_, _Mark_ and _Luke_, who knew as much of this - Sham-Miracle as _John_, had not the Confidence to report it; - because, when they wrote, many Eye-Witnesses of the Fraud were - alive to disprove and contradict them; therefore they confined - their Narratives to _Jesus_'s less juggling Tricks, that had pass'd - more current: But after the _Jewish_ State was dissolved, their - judicial Records were destroy'd, and every Body dead that could - confute him, _John_ ventures abroad the Story of this Miracle; and - if the good Providence of God had not infatuated him, in the - Insertion of the Circumstances here observed, it might have pass'd - through all Generations to come, as well as it has done for many - past, for a grand Miracle. - - "Thus, _Sir_, have you a few of my Thoughts on the pretended - Miracle of _Lazarus_'s Resurrection. I have more to bestow on it, - but that I would not be tedious. There's no need to argue against - the other two Resurrection-Stories. You know _omne majus includit - minus_, and if the greatest of the three Miracles be an Imposture, - the two less ones of Consequence are Artifice and Fraud. And rather - than the Miracle of _Lazarus_ shall stand its Ground, I'll have - t'other Bout at it from some other Circumstances; the Consideration - of which will make it as foolish and wicked an Imposture, as ever - was contrived and transacted in the World; such a _wicked - Imposture_ of most pernicious Consequence to the Welfare of the - Publick, that it is no Wonder, the People, by an unanimous Voice, - call'd for the Releasement of _Barabbas_, a Robber and Murderer, - before _Jesus_. I don't suppose these Arguments against this - Miracle will be convincing of your Christian _Clergy_, who are - hired to the Belief of it. But however, a _Bishop_ of many - _thousands_ a Year to believe, can't in Conscience deny, that the - Arguments above are a sufficient Justification of our _Jewish_ - Disbelief of it. - - "If you, Sir, should write a Discourse gainst the Letter of the - Story of _Jesus_'s Resurrection, I beg of you to accept of a few of - my Conceptions on that Head, which, I promise you, shall be out of - the common Road of thinking. Your _Divines_ think they have - exhausted that Subject, and absolutely confuted all Objections that - can be made against it, but are much mistaken. Sometimes we _Jews_ - dip into their Writings on this Head, and always smile with - Indignation at their foolish Invectives against the Blindness of - the Eyes, and Hardness of the Hearts of our Ancestors. If they - would but favour us with a Liberty to write for our selves, a - reasonable Liberty, which in this Philosophical Age we don't - despair of, especially under so wise just and good a Civil - Administration, as this Nation is happily bless'd with, we would - cut them out some more Work, which they are not aware of. In the - mean Time I am your assured Friend," - - _N.N._ - -So ends the Letter of my Friend, the _Jewish Rabbi_, which consists of -_calm_ and _sedate_ Reasoning, or I would not have publish'd it; for I -am resolv'd he shall no more impose upon me with his ludicrous and -bantering Stuff, like his Satirical Invective against _Jesus_'s -Miracle of _turning Water into Wine_, so offensive to our Godly -_Bishops_. And because it consists of _calm_ and _sedate_ Reasoning, -which _Bishop Smalbroke_ allows of, I hope his _Lordship_ will take it -into Consideration, and write an Answer to it, which I, without the -Help of the Mystery, can't do. - -If the foresaid _Letter_ be offensive to our _Clergy_, who don't judge -it meet that the _Jews_ should take this Liberty to write against the -Miracles of our Saviour, and in Vindication of their own disbelief of -Christianity, I beg of them, for the Love of _Jesus_, not to let their -Displeasure be visibly seen; because the _Jews_ will then laugh in their -Sleeves, and perhaps openly insult and triumph upon it: But if they will -privately acquaint me with their Displeasure at it, I'll promise them -to hold no more Correspondence with such _Jewish Rabbies_; neither will -I ever hereafter publish any other Objections against _Christ_'s -Religion and Miracles, than what come from the _Hotentots_ and -_Pawawers_: and then it will be strange, if our dignified _Clergy_, of -most grave and demure Looks, can't solidly confute the worst, that such -ignorant and illiterate People can urge against them. - -And thus have I done with my Objections against the Letter of these -three Miracles. If our _Divines_ shall think there is little or -nothing of Force in them; then an Answer, which I should be glad to -see, may the more easily be made to them. As for my part, without -being conceited of the Acuteness and Strength of any of the -Objections, I think it impossible satisfactorily to reply to them, -without having Recourse to the Opinions of the Fathers, that these -three Miracles, whether they were ever litterally transacted or not, -are now but emblematical Representations of mysterious and more -wonderful Operations to be perform'd by _Jesus_. - -To the Fathers then let us go for their mystical Interpretation of -these Miracles. St. _Augustin_, in his Introduction to a Sermon on the -Widow of _Naim_'s Son, says[297] thus, "There are some so silly as to -stand amazed at the corporal Miracles of _Jesus_, and have no -Consideration of his greater and spiritual Miracles, signified by -them: but others who are wiser can hear of the Things that _Jesus_ did -on Men's Bodys, without being astonish'd at them, chusing rather to -contemplate with Admiration his more wonderful Works on Men's Souls; -after the similitude of bodily Miracles. And these are the Christians -that conform their Studies to the Will of our Lord; who would have his -corporal Miracles, spiritually interpreted: For He wrought not -Miracles in the Flesh, for the sake of such Miracles abstractedly -consider'd; but that, if they were surprising to some Mens Senses, -they should be more astonishing to the Understanding of others, who -apprehend the spiritual Meaning of them. And they who by Contemplation -can attain to the mystical Signification of _Jesus_'s Miracles, are -the best Scholars and most learn'd Disciples in his Church and School. -And, (_speaking of the Absurdity of Jesus's cursing the Figtree -according to the Letter_) presently after says, that this he observ'd, -that he might persuade his Hearers to think, that our Lord _Jesus_ -therefore wrought Miracles, that he might signify somewhat by them, -which he would have his Disciples to learn and consider of. Come now, -_says he_, and let us see what we are mistically and spiritually to -understand by the Stories of the three Persons rais'd from the dead." - -There are two Ways, that the Fathers took in the moral and mystical -Interpretation of these Miracles: One was from the Number _three_, and -their Difference in Magnitude. According to which they said with St. -_Augustin_[298] that these three sorts of dead Persons, so rais'd to -Life, are Figures of three sorts of Sinners, whom _Jesus_ raiseth from -the death of Sin to the Life of Righteousness. They who have conceiv'd -Sin in their Hearts, and have not brought it forth into Act; are -figured by _Jairus_'s Daughter, who lay dead in the House of her -Father, and was not taken forth to her Burial. Others, who after -Cogitation and Consent, pass into actual Sin are figured by the Young -Man, carried towards his Grave. But those Sinners, who are habituated -and long accustom'd to Sin, are like _Lazarus_ bury'd, and in a -stinking Condition under the Corruption of it; whom _Jesus_, for all -that, with the _loud Voice_ of the Prædication of his Gospel, will -call forth out of the Death and Grave of their Sins to a new Life. So -does St. _Augustin_ make these three dead Persons and their -Resurrections, Emblems of the said three Sorts of Sinners, who are -dead in Trespasses and Sins, and by the Power of _Jesus_ quicken'd to -a Life of Righteousness. And to this Opinion of St. _Augustin_, do St. -_Ambrose_, _Eusebius Gallicanus_, and Venerable _Bede_ agree. And -according to this Notion of these Miracles they descend to a -particular Explication of the several Parts of their Stories. As to -give you two or three Instances. - -The People who were turn'd out of the House, upon the raising of -_Jairus_'s Daughter, which is an _Absurdity_ according to the _Letter_ -are, says[299] _Bede_, a Multitude of wordly and wicked Thoughts, -which, except they are excluded from the Secrets of the Heart, are a -Hindrance of the Resurrection of a Sinner to a new Life. - -The Bearers of the Young Man[300] to his Burial are Vices, evil -Spirits, Hæreticks, and Seducers; and the _Widow_, his Mother, to whom -he was restored, is the _Church_, who mourns for the Death of such -Sinners, as are typified by that Young Man. - -_Jesus_'s _weeping_ for dead _Lazarus_, which is an _Absurdity_ -according to the _Letter_, is a Sign[301] of the deplorable State, -that habitual Sinners are in, enough to excite the Sorrows and -Mournings of good Christians, who have the Spirit of _Christ_, for -them. And the Stone that lay at the Grave of _Lazarus_, is[302] a -figure of the Hardness of the Heart of such a Sinner which must be -taken away before _Jesus_ will call him to a new Life. So do the -Fathers moralise and allegorise every Minute Circumstance of these -three Miracles, as any one, who will consult them, may find, and save -me the Trouble of a tedious Recital of their Authorities. - -But the other mystical Way of interpreting these three Miracles is by -making them Types of three great Events at the Time of _Christ_'s -spiritual Advent. Accordingly the raising of _Jairus_'s Daughter is a -Type of the Conversion of the _Jews_ at that Day, as _Eusebius -Gallicanus_[303] and venerable _Bede_[304] and others expound it. By -_Jairus_, the Ruler of a _Synagogue_; is meant _Moses_[305]; and by -his Daughter is to be understood the _Jewish Church_, which, being at -present in a State of Spiritual Death, will be revived and converted -in the Perfection of Time. And to the mystical Resurrection or -Restitution of the _Jewish Synagogue_, call'd _Jairus_'s Daughter, -will _Jesus_ come[306] at the same Time he heals the Woman of the -Church of her Issue of Blood. And this is the Reason that the Stories -of these two Miracles are blended together by the _Evangelists_, with -their synchronical Numbers of the Age of the _Girl_ and of the Disease -of the Woman; because they are Types of that blessed Scene of Affairs -at the Conversion of the _Jews_, when the Fulness of the _Gentiles_ is -come in. Concerning which blessed state of the Church, _Origen_[307] -says, _Jesus_ wrought many Miracles, by Way of Type and Figure. - -Among all the Miracles that _Jesus_ wrought, and are recorded by the -_Evangelists_, I think, as far as I have had Occasion to observe, the -Fathers are most scanty in their Interpretations of that of the Widow -of _Naim_'s Son: Excepting what is before noted of his being a figure of -a Sinner dead in actual, tho' not habitual Sin, I find very little. But -if _Origen_'s Comments on this Miracle had been extant, I dare say he -would have given us this following Interpretation of it. This Widow, he -would have call'd the Church; and her _only Son_ or masculine Offspring, -he would have call'd the _Spiritual Sense_ of the Scriptures, which is -now dead, and that the _Ministers_ of the _Letter_, who are his Bearers, -are for interring him within the _Earth_ of the _Letter_: But _Jesus_, -upon his Spiritual Advent will put a stop to the Intention of such -Bearers, by reviving the _Spiritual Sense_ of the Scriptures; and by -restoring it, like a _quicken'd Son_, to the Comfort of his Mother, the -Church; who has been in a sorrowful and lamentable Condition upon the -Death and Want of it: This, I am sure, would be _Origen_'s -Interpretation of this Miracle, which, if I had Room here, by a little -Circumlocution, I could prove. - -As to _Lazarus_'s Resurrection, it is in the Opinion of the Fathers[308] -a Type of the general and mystical Resurrection of Mankind in the -Perfection of Time. But this is a most copious Subject; and unless I -could here throughly handle it, I had much better say nothing. - -And thus have I done with the three Resurrection Stories. If the -_Convocation_, next Session, would determine by an Orthodox Vote, -whether _Jesus_ rais'd any more, than the said three Persons, from the -dead or not; I would present them with a new and more entertaining Chain -of Thoughts against these Miracles; such a Chain of Thoughts, as, upon -the Conclusion, let them hold which Side of the Question, they please, -will necessarily induce us to hold the mystical Meaning of these -Miracles, or to grant that _Jesus_ rais'd none from the dead at all. - -My next and last _Discourse_ on _Jesus_'s Miracles shall be against -the Letter of the Story of his own Resurrection, in which, if our -_Bishops_ will keep their Temper and Patience, till I publish it, I'll -cut out such a Piece of Work for our _Boylean Lectures_, as shall -hold them tug, so long as the _Ministry_ of the _Letter_ and an -_Hireling Priesthood_ shall last. If _Christ be not risen_, then, -according to the Inference of St. _Paul_, _is their Preaching vain_; -and why should the People be any longer charg'd with the Maintenance -of an ignorant and idle Order of Men, to no Use and Purpose? - -If I had not had Experience of it, I could never have believed that, for -all the ludicrous Nature of these _Discourses_, our _dignified Clergy_ -could have been so foolish or malicious as to prosecute me for an -_Infidel_ and _Blasphemer_ upon them. How a Man may be mistaken in -himself! I took my self for a real Advocate for the Truth of -Christianity; and was so vain as to imagine these Discourses tended to a -Demonstration of _Jesus_'s Messiahship: And tho' the _Bishop_ of -_London_ may be of a contrary Opinion, yet I am still so conceited of my -Ability to defend our Religion, that I'll stake my Life against his -_Bishoprick_, which I'll not be troubled with, if I win it, that he -can't form an Objection against Christianity, which I can't solidly -confute, and make our Readers merry too, with his Weakness and -Impertinence in it. But perhaps it may be unbecoming of his Lordship's -Character, and against the Grain, to make an Objection to that -Religion, which he finds much _temporal_, as well as some _spiritual_ -Comfort in the Profession of; I will therefore descend to another -Proposal, _viz._ If he'll but publish an Answer to the _Jewish Rabbi_'s -Letter in this Discourse, and vouchsafe me the pleasure of a Reply to -him; then (to save the Civil Magistrate's Trouble) I will suffer any -Punishment that in his Clemency he shall think fit to inflict on me, for -what's past. Oh, what a Hazard do I here run of Life or Liberty! - -Some Christians, in my Case, would think it a sad Misfortune to be -odiously represented as an _Infidel_ and _Blasphemer_; but I, in -Temper and Principle, despise such Obloquies, Slanders and -Defamations; and would not give a Rush to remove them, so long as I -had the Answer of a good Conscience that I was undeserving of them: -But considering, that it is the Duty of a Christian to seek the Peace -and Friendship of all about him, and especially of our good _Bishops_, -who, in Compassion to the Danger they think my Soul is in, have taken -zealous and laudable Pains with the _Civil Magistrate_ for my -Conviction and Conversion; I do here, for the sake of a Reconciliation -with their _Lordships_ and other good People, make a formal and -solemn Confession of my Christian Faith, which tho' I don't express in -the Words of the _Apostical_, _Nicene_ or _Athanasian_ Creeds; yet -will do it in such Terms as will be a Demonstration that at the Bottom -I am found as a _Roch_. Be it known then to all Christian People, that - -_Imprimis_, I believe upon the Authority of the Fathers, that the -Ministry of the Letter of the _Old_ and _New_ Testament is downright -_Antichristianism_. - -_Item_, I believe upon the Authority of the Fathers, that the Miracles -of _Jesus_, as they are recorded by the Evangelists, _litterally_ -understood, are the _lying Wonders_ of Antichrist. - -_Item_, I believe upon the Authority of the Fathers, that all opposition -and Contradiction to spiritual and allegorical Interpretations of the -Scripture, is the Sin of _Blasphemy_ against the Holy Ghost. - -_Item_, I believe upon the Authority of the Fathers, that the -_Ministry_ of the _Spirits_ or allegorical Interpretations of the Law -and the Prophets will be the Conversion of _Jews_ and _Gentiles_. - -_Item_, I believe upon the Authority of the Fathers, that the -_Ministry_ of the _Letter_, and an Hireling-Priesthood have been the -Cause of the Infidelity and Apostacy of these latter Times. - -_Item_, I believe upon the Authority of the Fathers, that the Spirit -and Power of _Jesus_ will soon enter the Church and expel -Hireling-Priests, who make Merchandise of the Gospel, out of her, -after the manner he is suppos'd to have driven the _Buyers_ and -_Sellers_ out of the Temple. - -These are a few Articles of that Faith, once deliver'd to the _Saints_ -of the primitive Church, which I firmly believe, and will earnestly -contend for. Now I appeal to the Christian World, whether a Man of -such a Faith, like Heart of Oak, can be an Infidel or Blasphemer. Upon -this ingenuous Confession of my Faith, which I make by way of -Atonement for my past supposed Errors and Offences, I hope the -_Bishops_ and all good Christian People will be reconciled to me. - -St. _James_ says, that _Faith without Works is dead_, and how a Man -ought to show his Faith by his Works, without which Faith is an empty -and airy Nothing. Accordingly I am making what haste I can to show the -Sincerity of my Faith by these my _Works_ and _Discourses_ of this -Kind. And by the Grace of God, I hope our Bishops will find me as -unmoveable as a Rock in the said Faith. - -According to the foresaid Articles of this my Faith, I am so fully -convinced, not only of the Error of the _Ministry_ of the _Letter_, -but of the Mischiefs and Inconveniences of an _Hireling-Priesthood_, -that, having set my Shoulders to the Work, I am resolv'd, by the Help -of God, to endeavour to give _both_ a Lift out of this World. This is -fair and generous Warning to our _Clergy_ to sit fast, and look to -their own Safety, or they may find me a stronger Man than they may be -aware of. And tho' I don't expect long to survive the Accomplishment -of so great and glorious a Work; yet I am delightfully ravish'd and -transported with the Forethought and Contemplation of the Happiness of -Mankind, upon the Extinction of Ecclesiastical _Vermin_, out of God's -House; when the World will return to its _Primogenial_ and -_Paradisaical_ State of Nature, Religion and Liberty; in which we -shall be _all taught of God_, and _have no need_ of a foolish and -contentious Priest, hired to harangue us with his Noise and Nonsense. -Which blessed State of the World God of his infinite Mercy hasten, for -the sake of our Spiritual Messiah, Mediator and Redeemer _Jesus -Christ_. To whom be Glory for ever, _Amen_. - - - ~_FINIS._~ - -[Illustration] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[270] Mat. ix. Mark v. Luke viii. - -[271] Luke vii. - -[272] John xi. - -[273] Quot autem mortuos visibiliter suscitaverat quis novit? non enim -omnia quæ fecit scripta sunt. _Johannes_ hoc dicit, multa alia fecit -Jesus, quæ si scripta essent, arbitror totum Mundum non posse Libros -capere. Multi ergo sunt alii sino dubio suscitati, sed non frustra -tres commemorati. _In Serm._ xcviii. - -[274] John xxi. 25. - -[275] Non autem vacat a Mysterio, quod, cum plures Dominus -suscitaverat, tres tantum Evangelistæ eum suscitasse scripserunt. _In -Homil. Feriæ quintæ post Dominis. 4tam._ - -[276] Suscitaverat Dominus filiam Jairi Principis Synagogæ, sed adhuc -mediante morte, adhuc viante Spiritu, adhuc Anima Claustra Tartari -nesciente. Suscitavit & unicum Matris filium, sed sic ut retineret -Pheretrum, ut anticiparet Sepulchrum, ut Corruptionem suspenderet, & -præveniret fætorem; ut ante mortuo Vitam redderet, quam tota mortuus -jura Mortis intraret. Circa Lazarum vero quod geritur totum singulare -est, quem circa Vis tota Mortis impleta est. _In Pet. Chrysol. Serm._ -lxiii. - -[277] Inter omnia Miracula quæ fecit Dominus noster Jesu Christus, -Lazari Resurrectio præcipue prædicatur. _St. August. in Loc. Johan._ - -[278] Mirum videri potest Historiam hanc tam illustrem a Matthæo & -Marco omissam. _In Loc. Luc._ - -[279] Sed videtur mihi horum uterq; contentus fuisse uno Exemplo -redditæ Vitæ in Jairi filia ex quo similia alia possunt intelligi. _In -Loc. Luc._ - -[280] Nondum perfecta Mors est in Puella. _St. August._ in Serm. xcviii. - -[281] In Epist. prima ad Corinth. Cap. xxv. - -[282] Quæri solet, cur hanc tam nobilem Historiam priores Evangelii -scriptores non attigerint. Mihi hoc succurrit, cum illi scriberent, -vixisse resuscitatum Lazarum, & periculum ei fuisse a judæis, si quod -illi acciderat, palam vulgaretur. Nam etiam mox narratur C. xii. 10, ob -hoc ipsum structas ei insidias. Quare visum illis hoc ad tempus -subticeri posse, cum alia Exempla resuscitatorum suppeterent. At mortuo -Lazaro, cum jam nemini Periculum ex rei Narratione fieri posset, additum -hoc a Johanne in hac quasi prætermissorum Collectione. _In Loc. Johan._ - -[283] The last of the three _Evangelists_ writing but fifteen Years -after our Lord's Ascension, might think it needless so mention a -Miracle concerning a Person, living so near _Jerusalem_, where there -was so great a Fame thereof, and so many living Witnesses. St. _John_, -writing his Gospel, say the Ancients, above sixty Years after our -Lord's Ascension, when by the Deaths of the Person, and most of the -Witnesses that were present at his Resurrection, the Memory and Fame -of it might be much impair'd, had great Reason to perpetuate the -Memory of it, by this large Rehearsal of it. _In Loc. Johan._ - -[284] Quin & illud inter traditiones reperimus triginta tum Annos -natum fuisse Lazarum, cum a mortuis excitatus est; atq; idem ille -postea triginta aliis annis vixit. _In Hæres._ lxvi. _Sect._ 34. - -[285] Matt. xviii. 2. - -[286] In Nicephor. Callist. Eccl. Hist. L. ii. c. 35. - -[287] In Eccl. Hist. L. vii. c. 18. - -[288] In Loc. Matthæi. - -[289] Puellam ex illo Tumultu plangentium stupore correptam esse, non -vero defunctam. _In Homil. de Juri filia._ - -[290] In Loc. Matthæ. - -[291] Atque ut miraculum divinæ Virtutis accresceret, dum Convivis -interrogantibus tristia Loca pænarum, sedesq; alta nocte semper -obscuras, Lazarus indicat diligenti narratione per ordinem. Diu -quæsiti longisq; temporibus ignorati invenerunt tandem Inferi -Proditotem. _In Serm._ cxvi. _Append. St. August._ - -[292] Princeps hic, Lex esse intelligitur, quæ Dominum orat pro Plebe, -quam ipsa Christo prædicata ejus Adventos Expectatione nutriverat, ut -Vitam mortuæ reddat. Nam nullum Principem credidisse legimus, ex quo -Persona hujus principis orantis merito in Typum aptabitur. _In Loc. -Matt._ - -[293] John vii. 48, and xii. 42. - -[294] Quæ tamen tantæ diversitatis Causa? Supra publice Viduce filius -suscitatur, hic removentur plures arbitri. _In Loc. Luc._ - -[295] Qua igitur Ratione, qui tanta hæc erat facturus, id quod evenit, -judicasset merito Lacrymis esse prosequendum? _In Homil. de Gratiarum -Actione._ - -[296] _Lacrymatus est Jesus_, quod aliquando erasum fuisse a -Catholicis quibusdam scribit Epiphanius. Vid. _Drusium in Loc. Johan._ - -[297] Quidam corporalia ejus Miracula stupentes, majora intueri non -norunt. Quidam vero ea, quæ gesta audiunt in Corporibus nunc amplius -in Animis admirantur.----Dominus enim noster Jesus Christus ea quæ -faciebat corporaliter, etiam spiritaliter volebat intelligi; neque -enim Miracula propter Miracula faciebat, sed ut illa quæ faciebat, -mira essent Videntibus, vera essent Intelligentibus.----Alii & facta -mirati & intellecta assecuti. Tales nos esse debemus in Schola -Christi.----Hoc dixi (de ficu arefacta) ut persuaderem Dominum Jesum -Christum ideo Miracula fecisse, ut aliquid illis Miraculis -significaret; ut excepto eo, quod mira & magna & divina erant, aliquid -inde etiam disceremus. Videamus ergo quid nos discere voluit in tribus -mortuis, quos suscitavit. _In Serm._ xcviii. - -[298] Ista tria Genera Mortuorum, sunt tria Genera Peccatorum, quos -hodie suscitat Christus.----Sunt ergo instar filiæ Synagogæ Principis, -qui peccatum intus in Corde babent, in facto nondum habent. Condemnatur -Consensus ad Iniquitatem; respiratur ad Salutem atq; Justitiam. Surgit -mortuus in Domo, reviviscit Cor in Cogitationis Secreto. Facta est ista -Resurrectio Animæ mortuæ intus intra Latebras Conscientiæ, tanquam intra -Domesticos Parietes.----Alii post Consensum eunt in factum, tanquam -efferentes mortuum, ut quod latebat in Secreto, appareat in publico. -Nonne illi juveni dictam est, _Tibi dico, surge_ & redditus est Matri; -sic qui jam fecerit, si forte admonitus & commotus Verbo Veritatis ad -Christi Vocem resurgit, vivus redditur Ecclesiæ.----Qui autem faciendo -quod malum est, etiam mala Consuetudine se implicant, tales Consuetudine -maligna pressi, tanquam sepulti, ita sepulti ut de Lazaro dictum est, -jam _putet_. In Serm. xcviii. - -[299] _Cum ejecta esset Turba, intravit._ Moraliter non resurgit -Anima, quæ intrinsecus jacet mortua, nisi prius a secretioribus Cordis -excludatur inopportuna sæcularium Cogitationum Multitudo. _In Loc. -Matt._ - -[300] Mali isti Portitores, qui ad sepeliendum hominem ferunt, sunt -Vitia & maligni spiritas, Hæretici & seductores. Hos enim nisi Dominus -sisteret, quoscunq; semel acciperent, sepulturæ & æternæ Damnationi -traderent. Suscitatus igitur Adolescens sedet, loquitur & Matri -redditur, quia ad Penitentiam conversus in Ecclesiæ pace quiescit, Dei -Magnalia loquitur, sua peccata confitetur; & Ecclesiæ reconciliatur. -_Euseb. Gallic. in Homil. Feriæ quinta post Domin. 4tam._ - -[301] _Et lacrymatus est Jesus._ Lacrymemur igitur & nos pro omnibus -illis, quos in Fætore Vitiorum jacere sentimus. _Euseb. Gallic. in -Homil. Feriæ 5ta post Domin. 4tam._ - -[302] Lapis autem revolutus a Monumento significat Infidelitatis -Duritiam ab Hominum Corde submotam. _Theop. Antioch. in Loc. Johan._ - -[303] Quod enim tunc temporis factum est in una Puella, hoc in sine -Temporum futurum est, ut fiat in tota Sonagoga. _In Homil. Feriæ 5ta -post Domin. 4tam._ - -[304] Synagoga circa finem sæculi erit restituta saluti. _In Loc. Matt._ - -[305] Jairus illuminatus vel illuminans, Moses intelligitur. _Bed._ in -_Loc. Mat._ - -[306] Ad hanc ergo Principis filiam dum properat Dei Verbum, ut salvos -faceret filios Isræl, sancta Ecclesia de Gentibus congregata, quæ -inferiorum Lapsu Criminium deperibat, paratam aliis fide præripuit -Sanitatem. _St. Ambros. in Loc. Luc._ Quod vero post restitutam -immundæ Mulieri Valetudinem, defuncta Puella a mortuis restituitur; ne -hoc quidem ab exquisita Allegoria alienum. Nam Reliquiæ salvæ fiant, -juxta Apostolum, cum ingressa fuerit Gentium Plenitudo. _Theop. Ceram. -in Homil. de Jairi filia._ - -[307] Quarum Rerum Causa multa fuere Jesu Miracula. _In Johan. Cap. XI._ - -[308] Per Lazarum Genus humanum ostenditur. _Theop. Antioch. in Loc. -Johan._ Nostra Resurrectio figuratur per Lazari -Resurrectionem.----Spelunca sive Sepulchrum Lazari Litteram Legis -umbratilem designat.----_Magna Voce clamavit Jesus_, id est, Prædicatio -Evangelii per quam humana Natura Peccatorum Vinculis & in Sepulchro -Infidelitatis jacens vocatur ad Vitam. _Theop Ceram. in Homil. de -Lazaro._ - - - - - BOOKS _written by Mr._ WOOLSTON, _and Sold by him next Door below - the_, Star _in_ Aldermanbury, _and by the Booksellers of_ London - _and_ Westminster. - - -I. The old Apology reviv'd, _&c._ - -II. Dissertatio de Pontii Pilati Epistola ad Tiberium circa Res Jesu -Christi gestas. - -III. Origenis Adamantii Epistolæ duæ circa Fidem vere orthodoxam & -scripturarum Interpretationem. - -IV. The exact Fitness of the Time of Christ's Advent. demonstrated by -Reason, against the Objections of the old Gentiles, and modern -Unbelievers. - -V. Four Free-Gifts to the Clergy, or Challenges to a Disputation on -this Question, Whether the Hireling Priests of this Age, who are all -Ministers of the Letter, be not Worshippers of the Apocalyptical Beast -and Ministers of Anti-Christ. - -VI. An Answer to the said four Free-Gifts. - -VII. Two Letters to Dr. _Bennet_, on this question, Whether the People -call'd _Quakers_, do not the nearest of any other Sect in Religion, -resemble the Primitive Christians in Principle and Practice. - -VIII. An Answer to the said two Letters. - -IX. The Moderator between an Infidel and an Apostate: or the -Controversy between the _Grounds_ and his ecclesiastical Opponents, -set in a clear Light, _&c._ - -X. Two Supplements to the Moderator, _&c._ - -XI. A Defence of the Miracle of the _Thundering Legion_, against a -Dissertation of _Walter Moyle_ Esq. - -XII. Five Discourses on the Miracles of our Saviour. - - - - - A SIXTH - DISCOURSE - ON THE - MIRACLES - OF OUR - _SAVIOUR_, - - In View of the Present Controversy between - INFIDELS and APOSTATES. - - _Jamque Opus exegi_,---- - - The SECOND EDITION. - - By THO. WOOLSTON, B.D. sometime - Fellow of _Sidney-College_ in _Cambridge_. - - _LONDON_: - Printed for the AUTHOR, and Sold by him - next Door to the _Star_, in _Aldermanbury_, and - by the Booksellers of _London_ and _Westminster_. - - MDCCXXIX. - - [_Price One Shilling._] - - - - -[Illustration] - - TO THE - Right Reverend Father in GOD, - JOHN, - Lord Bishop of _Oxford_. - - -MY LORD, - -When _the following_ Discourse _was finish'd and ready for the_ Press, -_I consider'd to what_ Bishop _the_ Dedication _of it would be most -acceptable_ (_for I am resolv'd that none but_ Bishops _as yet shall -have the Honour of my_ Dedications) _and I had not long ponder'd upon -the Matter, before I hit upon your_ Lordship, _who must needs be -pleas'd with this_ Discourse, _because of the Advantage, that you, as -well as my self, in the End, will reap by it_. - -BY _Virtue of your_ Professorship _at_ Oxford, _you_, my Lord, _are a_ -Moderator _at theological Disputations, as I am here: And whether the -Execution of your Office be as troublesome as mine is, I know not: But -if the Design of this_ Discourse _takes Place, we shall find that -modern Controversies about Religion are all vain; and thereupon be_ -both _of us soon eas'd of the Trouble of our_ Moderations _at them_. - -IT _may be_, my Lord, _you are not so weary of your_ Moderatorship, -_as I am: Besides, that you are better paid for your Pains, your -Disputants are more amicable, and, in the midst of their Disputes, -more tractable: Tho' they may warmly contend, at the present, for and -against the Point in Debate; yet like_ Lawyers _who are no less -zealous for their_ Clients _in the Day, they commonly agree to drink a -Bottle together at Night, and go to Bed, good Friends. And this is -very well done of them._ - -BUT _my Disputants_, my Lord, _call'd_ Infidels _and_ Apostates, _at -whose Controversy I have the Trouble, by the Appointment of the -Fathers, to preside, are more stubborn, turbulent and refractory. What -ill Treatment they would give each other, if it was in their Power, I -know not: But my_ Apostates, _since they can't be aveng'd on their -Adversaries, are full of Resentment against their_ Moderator, _because -I am not altogether partial to their Side; and how I shall escape -their Indignation, God alone knows_. - -WHATEVER _the_ Clergy, my Lord, _whom I dignify with the Title of_ -Apostates, _may think, I look upon my self as a notable_ Moderator -_of the Controversy; I have shewn them all the Favour I can in it, and -would have brought them off with Honour, but for a_ little Flaw, _here -discover'd, in the Foundation of their Church, which, for the -Determination of our Disputes, must be confess'd and granted_. - -IF _your_ Lordship, _upon reading this_ Discourse, _should be of the -same Mind with me, I beg of you to stroak the_ Clergy _into Temper, -Patience and Compliance: Tell them, they have been long orthodox and -glorious Victors over_ Infidels, _and that it would be now an Act of -Generosity to yield to them in a_ small Point; _upon which such a -Pacification would ensue, as nothing hereafter would be able to -dissolve_. - -BUT _I have another Favour_, my Lord, _here to crave of you_, viz. -_that you would be pleas'd to persuade my old Friend, the_ Bishop _of_ -London, _to stay at Home this_ Lent, _and keep to his_ Prayers _and_ -Fasting, _for the casting out a certain_ Kind _of ----, that by Fits -he's unhapily troubled with; or upon the Publication of this_ -Discourse, _I shall be in Danger of being soon knapp'd for it_. - -IF _your_ Lordship _will do me that Favour, then I will do you as good -a Turn; and praise you for your Doctrine of_ Passive Obedience, -_preach'd at the_ Coronation: _Tho' many may laugh at your Revival of -that Doctrine, saying the_ Clergy _upon an Occasion, which our most -excellent_ Sovereign _will never give them, would again have Recourse -to their_ Reserves _and_ Distinctions; _yet I say it was well done of -your_ Lordship _to preach it, that the Tongues and the Hands (to say -nothing of the Hearts) of the_ Clergy _might go together in -Subscriptions to_ Articles _and_ Homilies; _and so avoid that -Prevarication and Inconsistency, which some now have no more Wit than -to charge them with_. - -SO _not questioning your_ Lordship's _Approbation of this_ Discourse -_and the_ Dedication; _nor doubting but you'll make me as bountiful a -Recompence for it, as any of my other Episcopal Patrons have done; I -subscribe my self_, - -[Sidenote: _Feb. 15th 1728-9_] - - My Lord, - The Admirer of your - Passive Obedience Sermon, - _Thomas Woolston_. - - - - -[Illustration] - - A SIXTH - DISCOURSE - ON THE - MIRACLES - OF OUR - _SAVIOUR_, &c. - -Here goes my sixth and last _Discourse_ on _Jesus_'s _Miracles_; the -Subject whereof is the literal Story of his own Resurrection; which, -according to the Proposition in Hand, I am to shew to consist of -Absurdities, Improbabilities and Incredibilities. And I hope our -_Bishops_ will quietly permit the Publication of this _Discourse_, -especially if I assure them that I mean nothing worse by it, than to -make way for the understanding what the Fathers write of the mystical -Resurrection of _Jesus_ out of the Grave of the Letter of the Law and -the Prophets; of which mystical Resurrection of our _spiritual Jesus_, -the Evangelical Story of the Resurrection of a _carnal Christ_ is but -mere Type and Shadow. - -I am so far from designing any Service to Infidelity by this -_Discourse_, that I aim at the Accomplishment of some of St. _John_'s -Apocalyptical Visions. The Fathers say that a _Church_, built on the -Letter of the Scriptures, particularly on the Letter of _Jesus_'s -Miracles, is _Babylon_; and that antiliteral Arguments and mystical -Interpretations will be the Downfal of her. Whether there is any Truth -in this Opinion of the Fathers, I am minded to make the Experiment; -and tho' I should bring the old House of the Church over my Head, and -be crush'd to Pieces in its Ruins, I can't forbear it: But however, I -would advise the _Clergy_ to make Haste and _come out of Babylon_, for -Fear of the worst; or they, who upon the Authority of the Fathers are -_the Merchants of Babylon_, will _weep_[309] _and mourn_ upon her -Fall, because _none will buy their Merchandize_ of the Letter _any -more_. Dear _Jesu_, that such a _Student_ as I am in the _Revelations_ -of St. _John_, and an Interpreter of them too, upon the Authority of -the Fathers, should be charg'd with Blasphemy and Infidelity! - -So to Work I went; and I had not been long musing by myself, how to -sap this Foundation of the Church, before I was sensible of my own -Insufficiency for it. Whereupon I sent to my old Friend, the _Jewish -Rabbi_, for his Thoughts on this grand Miracle of _Jesus_'s -Resurrection, which he gave me some Promise of. But I desired him to -forbear all Ludicrousness, Satire and Banter, for fear of Offence: For -tho' our _Clergy_ liked Volumes of Jests and Facetiousness, if they -were discharg'd against _Jews_, _Turks_, and _Infidels_; yet when they -were levell'd at _Ministers_ of the _Letter_, the _Case was alter'd_, -as quoth _Plowden_, and they were not to be borne with. Therefore he -was to remember that Decency, Seriousness and Calmness of Argument, -required by the _Bishop_ of _London_[310] or I durst not print it. - -In Compliance with my Desires he sent me the following _Letter_, -which, having purg'd it of a few _Puns_ and _Cunundrums_, because all -Appearance of _Wit_, as of _Evil_, was to be abstain'd from, I here -publish, and it runs thus. - -_SIR_, - -According to your Request, I here send you my Thoughts on _Jesus_'s -Resurrection, in which I shall be shorter than I would be, because of -the customary Bounds of your _Discourses_. - -The Controversy between us _Jews_ and you _Christians_ about the -_Messiah_ has hitherto been of a diffusive Nature: But as the Subject of -_this_ is the Resurrection of your _Jesus_; so, by my Consent, we'll now -reduce the Controversy to a narrow Compass, and let it turn intirely on -this grand Miracle and Article of your Faith. If your _Divines_ can -prove _Jesus_'s Resurrection against the following Objections, then I -will acknowledge him to be the _Messiah_, and will turn Christian, -otherwise he must still pass with us for an Impostor and false Prophet. - -I have often lamented the Loss of such Writings, which our _Ancestors_ -unquestionably dispers'd against _Jesus_, because of the clear Sight -they would give us, into the Cheat and Imposture of his Religion. But -I rejoice and thank God, there is little or no Want of them, to the -Point in Hand. For I had not long meditated on the Story of _Jesus_'s -Resurrection, as your _Evangelists_ have related it, but I plainly -discern'd it to be the most notorious and monstrous Imposture, that -ever was put upon Mankind. And if you please to attend to my following -Arguments, which require no Depth of Judgment and Capacity to -apprehend, I am persuaded that you and every one disinterested, will -be of the same Mind too. - -To overthrow and confute the Story of this monstrous and incredible -Miracle, I was thinking once to premise an Argument of the Justice of -the Sentence denounc'd against and executed upon _Jesus_, who was so -far from being the innocent Person, you Christians would make of him, -that, as may easily be proved, he was so grand a _Deceiver_, -_Impostor_ and _Malefactor_, as no Punishment could be too great for -him. But this Argument (which I reserve against a Day of perfect -Liberty, to publish by it self in Defence of the Honour and Justice of -our _Ancestors_) would be too long for the Compass of this Letter; and -therefore I pass it by, tho' it would give Force to my following -Objections; it being hard and even impossible to imagine, that God -would vouchsafe the Favour of a miraculous Resurrection to one, who -for his Crimes deservedly suffer'd and underwent Death. - -But waving, I say, that Argument for the present, which of itself -would be enough to prejudice a reasonable Man against the Belief of -_Jesus_'s Resurrection; I will allow _Jesus_ to have been a much -better Man, than I believe him to have been; or as good a one in -Morals as your _Divines_ do suppose him; and will only consider the -Circumstances of the Evangelical Story of his Resurrection; from -which, if I don't prove it to have been the most bare-fac'd Imposture -that ever was put upon the World, I deserve for the Vanity of this -Attempt, a much worse Punishment, than he for his Frauds endured. - -I have sometimes wonder'd, considering the Nature and Heinousness of -_Jesus_'s Faults, for which he dy'd, that our _Chief Priests_ and -_Pharisees_ had any Regard to his Prediction (which was so like a -Bambouzlement of the Populace) that he was to rise again the _third Day_ -after his Crucifixion. There's no other Nation in the World, which would -not have slighted such a vain Prognostication of a known Impostor. Let -him foretell with ever so much Confidence his speedy Return to Life, I -dare say, any other Magistrates of ordinary Prudence would have despised -him for a presumptuous _Enthusiast_: But, when I reflected on the -Imposture of _Lazarus_'s Resurrection, and of what pernicious -Consequence it had like to have proved to the Peace and Welfare of our -Nation, if it had not been happily discover'd, my Wonder here ceas'd; -and I as much admire now the Wisdom, Caution and Circumspection of our -_Chief Priests_ against all possible Fraud and Deceit in the foretold -Resurrection of _Jesus_. Tho' _Jesus_ himself, the Head of the -Confederacy, and prime Projector of the design'd Cheat in the Case of -_Lazarus_ was cut off, yet his Associates were still numerous; and it -was not impossible, but they might concert a Project of a counterfeited -Resurrection of him, in Accomplishment of his Prophecy, that might be of -more fatal Consequence, and tend to such Confusions and Distractions -among the People, as would not be soon quell'd and quieted. Whereupon -our _Chief Priests_ very prudently consider of Precautions against Cheat -here, and wisely make Application to _Pilate_ the _Governour_, that -proper and effectual Measures may be taken against a false and feign'd -Resurrection, for Fear of the ill Effects of it. And one of them, as -the _Spokesman_ of their Company, seems, according to _Matthew_, Ch. -xxviii. to have made the Speech following. - - _SIR_, "We remember that this Deceiver and Impostor _Jesus_, who was - yesterday crucified, and justly suffer'd Death for his Blasphemy and - many Delusions of the People (that were of bad Consequence, and - might have been of much worse, if he had not been timely brought to - condign Punishment) said repeatedly before, that notwithstanding the - Death he was to undergo he should rise again to Life the _third Day_ - after. It is not that we are at all apprehensive of such a wonderful - and miraculous Event, which knowing him to have been a false Prophet - as well as a deceitful Juggler, we have no Fears nor Belief of. But - as it is not long since, that the Inhabitants in and about _Bethany_ - had like to have been fatally deluded and imposed on by him, in the - pretended Resuscitation of _Lazarus_, one of his Disciples and - Confederates in Iniquity; so it is not altogether impossible nor - improbable but his Disciples and Accomplices, who are many, may - project a feign'd Resurrection of _Jesus_ (in Accomplishment of his - Prediction) by stealing his Body away, and pretending he is risen - from the dead. Should such a Sham-Miracle be contrived amongst them, - and cunningly executed, it would be [Greek: planê] (_not an Error - but_) an Imposture of worse Consequence to our Nation and Religion, - than the former in _Lazarus_ could have been, if it had never been - detected: We crave therefore the Favour of your _Excellency_, to - give Command for the making his Sepulchre sure, till the _third_ Day - is past, that neither his _dead_ Body may be taken away, and a - Resurrection pretended; nor a _living_ one slipt into its Place, and - a Miracle counterfeited on that Day, when we will be present at the - opening of the Sepulchre, and give Satisfaction to the People of his - being a false Prophet." - -Whether _Pilate_ was at all intent on the Prevention of Fraud in this -Case, or would not willingly have connived at it, to increase the -Divisions and Distractions of our then unhappy Nation, may be -question'd: But the Request of our _Chief Priests_ was so reasonable, -and their Importunities so urgent, that he could not resist them; and -therefore order'd them a _Watch_ for the Sepulchre, which they might -make as sure, as they could, against Fraud and Imposture, till the -_third Day_. - -Whereupon our _Chief Priests_ deliberate, what Measures were fittest -to be taken to this Purpose. And as I can't, and don't believe any Man -else can, devise any better for the Security of the Sepulchre against -Fraud, than what they took; so I admire and applaud their Prudence, -Circumspection, and Precaution in the Case. They _seal'd the Stone_ at -the Mouth of the Sepulchre, and placed a Guard of Soldiers about it; -which were _Two_ such certain Means for the Prevention or Detection of -Cheat in a Resurrection, as are not to be equall'd by any other. - -They _seal'd the Stone_ of the Sepulchre, which, tho' it was no Security -at all against Violence, yet was an absolute one against Fraud. How the -_Stone_ which fitted the Mouth of the Sepulchre, as a Door does the -Entrance into a Room, was seal'd, I need not describe. The Use and -Manner of sealing the Doors of Closets, of Chests, and of Papers is -common; and as it is an obvious Expedient, for the Satisfaction of the -Signators, against Deceit; so it has been an antient as well as a modern -Practice. _Darius_, King of _Babylon_,[311] seal'd the Door of the Den -of Lions, wherein _Daniel_ was cast, with his own Signet: And wherefore -did he so? For the Satisfaction of himself and of his Courtiers, when he -came again to open and compare the Signature with his Signet, that no -Art nor Artifice had been used for the Preservation of _Daniel_. So our -_Chief Priests_ seal'd the Stone of _Jesus_'s Sepulchre, which they -design'd to be present at the opening of, on the _third Day_, the Time -appointed by _Jesus_ for his Resurrection, and then give ample -Satisfaction to the People, that there was a real, or could be no -Resurrection of his Body. Wherefore else did they _seal_ the Stone of -his Sepulchre? - -Your _Grotius_[312] thinks, that _Pilate_'s Seal was affix'd to the -Stone of the Sepulchre; but, as I believe, _Pilate_ little concern'd -himself about the Prevention of Deceit here; so I much question it. It -is more reasonable to think that the _Chief Priests_ and other Civil -Magistrates of _Jerusalem_ with their several Seals, which could not -be open'd, but by themselves, without Suspicion of Fraud, sign'd the -Stone, and intended to be present, on the Day appointed, at the -opening of the Sepulchre; not doubting, what no body could question, -but _Jesus_ would wait their coming, and arise to Life, if he could, -in the Sight of themselves, and of a vast Concourse of People, that -were sure to attend on them to behold the Miracle. Such a Resurrection -would have been of Satisfaction to the whole Nation; and such a -Resurrection, reasonably speaking, _Jesus_ would, if he could, have -vouchsafed in Accommodation to the _sealing_ of the _Stone_. - -But, notwithstanding this Precaution, in sealing of the Stone, the -best that could be taken against Fraud, _Jesus_'s Body was privately -slipt off, early in the Morning of the Day before, and a Resurrection -pretended by his Disciples; and you would have us and our Ancestors to -believe, there was no Deceit in the Case; tho' confessedly none of the -_Sealers_ of the Sepulchre were present: Who can believe it? Was, or -can there be, any Imposture more against Sense and Reason palm'd upon -the Understandings of Mankind? If there had been a real Resurrection, -the _Sealers_ of the _Stone_ would have been the _Openers_ of the -Sepulchre; wherefore else was the _Stone seal'd_? - -A Question, that here arises, is, On what Day, and what Time of the Day, -did our _Chief Priests_, the Sealers of the Stone, expect, what they -could not think would ever come to pass, _Jesus_'s Resurrection? Or what -was the Extent of the Time meant by _Jesus_, when he said that after -_three Days_, or on the _third Day_ after his Passion, he should rise -again? If any Impostor or Prophet like _Jesus_ should in this Age so -predict his Resurrection, and be executed on _Friday_, the Day for his -Resurrection would be presumed to be _Monday_, and not _Sunday_ Morning -before Day. And I humbly conceive former Ages and Nations, and our -Nation in particular did compute after this Fashion. Accordingly on -_Monday_ our _Chief Priests_ I don't doubt, intended to be present at -the opening of the Seals of the Sepulchre, and to behold the Miracle: -But _Jesus_'s Body was clandestinely moved off early on _Sunday_ (the -Day before _that_ signified and predicted for his Resurrection) to the -Laughter more than the Surprize of our Ancestors, at the Notoriety of -the Fraud committed, and at the Vanity of a Resurrection pretended upon -it. And I may appeal even to your _Chief Priests_ of the Church, -whether here's not another Note of Cheat and Imposture; and whether the -Disciples were not afraid to trust _Jesus_'s Body, its full time, in the -Grave; because of the greater Difficulty to carry it off afterwards, and -pretend a Resurrection upon it. - -But because your _Divines_ (who have singular Knacks at making two -Nights and a full Day, that _Jesus_ was buried, to be _three Days_ and -_three Nights_; and whose various Ways of Computation I always smile -at) do assert that _Sunday_ was the _third Day_, on which, in -Accomplishment of _Jonah_'s Prophecy, and of his Own Prediction, he -was to rise again; I will suppose so with them, and will, if they -please, grant that our _Chief Priests_, and the _Sealers_ of the -Sepulchre, expected his Resurrection on that Day, and intended, for -the opening of the Seals, to be present at it. - -But at what Time of the Day were they to come or could be expected at -the Sepulchre? Not long before Noon. But _Jesus_'s Body was gone -betimes in the Morning, before our _Chief Priests_ could be out of -their Beds; and a barefac'd Infringment of the Seals of the Sepulchre -was made against the Laws of Honour and Honesty, and a Resurrection -confidently talk'd of by the Disciples; and yet your Christian -Priesthood at this Day would have us to believe, there was no Fraud -and Deceit in all this! O most monstrous! - -If our _Chief Priests_ had trespass'd upon _Jesus_'s Patience, and -would not attend at the Sepulchre for the opening of the Seals, on the -Day and Time appointed; if they had been for confining him longer in -the Grave than was meet, according to Prophecy, then his Resurrection, -without their Presence, had been excusable and justifiable. But this -his pretended Rising to Life, not only a Day before the _Chief -Priests_ could imagine he would, or earlier in the Morning than he -should, for the Sake of their requisite Presence, is, together with -the Fracture of the Seals against the Law of Security, such a manifest -and indisputable Mark and Indication of Fraud, as is not to be -equall'd in all or any of the Impostures, that ever were attempted to -be put upon the World. - -In short, by the sealing of the Stone of the Sepulchre, we are to -understand nothing less than a Covenant enter'd into between our _Chief -Priests_ and the _Apostles_, by which _Jesus_'s Veracity, Power and -_Messiahship_ was to be try'd. Tho' we read not of the Apostles giving -their Consent to the Covenant, yet it was reasonably presum'd and could -not have been refus'd, if ask'd. The Condition of the seal'd Covenant -was, that if _Jesus_ arose from the dead in the Presence of our _Chief -Priests_, upon their opening the Seals of the Sepulchre, at the Time -appointed; then was he to be acknowledg'd to be the _Messiah_: But if he -continued in a corrupt and putrified State of Mortality, then was he to -be granted to be an _Impostor_: Very wisely and rightly agreed! And if -the Apostles had stood to this Covenant, Christianity had been nipt in -its Bud, and suppress'd in its Birth. But they had other Views, and -another Game to play at all Adventures. The Body was to be removed and a -Resurrection pretended, to the Delusion, if possible, of all Mankind, in -which they have been more successful than could be imagin'd upon a -Project that had so little Sense or Reason, so little Colour of Truth or -Artifice in the Contrivance and Execution of it. Our _Chief Priests_ -were apprehensive at first of their stealing the Body away, and -pretending a Resurrection: But after the _sealing_ of the _Stone_, those -Fears vanish'd; because upon the stealing the Body, away against such -Security and Precaution, the Fraud would be self-evident, and want no -Demonstration and Proof of it. But, for all this Precaution, I say, the -Body was in a barefaced Manner taken away, a Resurrection talk'd of, and -to the Amazement of every one, who can think freely, has been believed -thro' all Ages of the Church since. Upon the whole then, I think, you -may as well say, when a seal'd Closet is broken open, and the Treasure -gone without the Privity of the Signators, that there's no Wrong done; -as that in the Resurrection of _Jesus_, there was no Fraud. The Cases -are equal and parallel. What then can your Christian _Priests_ say to -this demonstrative Argument of a manifest and bare-faced Cheat in -_Jesus_'s Resurrection? I have been thinking, what they will or can say; -and upon the maturest Consideration I don't find they can make any other -than one or more of these shuffling Answers to it, _viz._ - -1. That it was impossible for the Disciples to steal the Body of -_Jesus_ away, because of the Watchfulness of the Guards, and therefore -there was a real Resurrection, tho' the _Chief Priests_ and _Sealers_ -of the Sepulchre were not present at it. - -2. That, tho' the _Chief Priests_ and _Sealers_ of the Stone of the -Sepulchre were not present, as I say they ought to have been, to -behold the Miracle; yet his Resurrection was afterwards made as -manifest to them, as if they had been there present. - -3. That if _Jesus_ did not really arise from the dead, the Belief of -his Resurrection could never have been so propagated at first, nor -would have been retain'd in the World for so many Ages since. - -I can think of no other Answers, and believe it impossible for your -Christian _Priests_ to form any other, to the foresaid Argument of -Fraud in _Jesus_'s Resurrection: But how weak, frivolous and -insufficient they all and every one are, will appear upon a little -Examination into them. - -1. Then, against the aforesaid demonstrative Argument of Fraud, it may -be pretended, _That it was impossible for the Disciples to steal the -Body of_ Jesus _away, because of the Watchfulness of the Guards; and -therefore there was a real Resurrection, tho' the_ Chief Priests, -_the_ Sealers _of the Sepulchre were not present at it_. - -To which I reply, and confess, that if it was impossible to evade the -Guards of the Sepulchre, then there was a real Resurrection; but if -there was but a bare Possibility of evading them, then this Answer is -of no Force. And I am of Opinion, that the Thing was not only -possible, but easy, feasible, and practicable. Tho' the _Roman_ -Soldiers were of as much Fidelity and Integrity as any of their -Profession; yet it is well known, that such Creatures are subject to -Bribery and Corruption, if the Disciples had any Money to tempt them -with: Or if their Faithfulness to their Trust was untainted; yet it is -not improbable, but their Officers, at the Direction of _Pilate_, who -found his Account in the Distractions of our Nation, might give them -the Hint to wink hard at the Commission of such a Fraud. But not to -insist on either of these Ways to evade the _Watch_; our Ancestors -said, what your _Evangelist_ has recorded, that the Disciples taking -the Opportunity of the Sleep of the Guards, carry'd the Body of -_Jesus_ off; which was a thing both possible and probable. - -Of what Number the _Watch_ did consist is uncertain. Your _Whitby_[313] -says they were _sixty_; but he has no Reason nor Authority to think, -they were so many. If they had been to be a Guard against Violence, I -could easily have believed they were more; but in as much as they were -only a _Watch_ against Fraud, and against any casual defacing of the -_Seals_ on the Stone, before the _Chief Priests_ came to open the -Sepulchre, _three_ or _four_ Soldiers were sufficient, and I don't -think, there were any more set to this Purpose. - -It is not then at all improbable, that so few Soldiers should be fast -asleep at that time of Night, or so early in the Morning, when the -clandestine Work was done; especially after keeping such a _Gaudy-day_ -as was the Feast of the Passover, which, like the Festivals of other -Nations, was celebrated with Excess. Foot Soldiers then, you may be -sure, upon the Bounty of one or other, did no more want, than they -would scruple to take their _Fill_, which like an Opiat, lock'd up -their Senses for that Night, when the Disciples, being aware of the -lucky Opportunity, carry'd the Body of _Jesus_ off safely. - -And where's the Absurdity to suppose, that the Disciples themselves -might contrive the Intoxication of the Guards? _Herodotus_ tells us a -Story of a Deadbody's being stolen away by such an Artifice. And I -don't think the Disciples of _Jesus_ either so foolish or -conscientious, as not to take the Hint, and enterprize the like Fraud. -_Peter_, who, upon Occasion, could _swear_ and _curse_ like a -_Trooper_, would hardly scruple to fuddle a few _Foot-Soldiers_. But -which way soever it came to pass, the Watch were asleep, which is -neither hard to conceive nor believe; and then the Disciples executed -_that_ Fraud, which has been the Delusion of Nations and Ages since. - -Your _Evangelists_ would hint that the _Chief Priests_ gave Money to -the Soldiers to say, they were asleep, when the Disciples stole the -Body of _Jesus_ away, as if they were brib'd to a false Testimony; but -there neither was nor could be any such thing. If there had been a -real Resurrection to their Astonishment and Amazement, as it is -represented in your Gospels, no Money could so soon have corrupted -them to a false Witness, being under such Fears of God and of _Jesus_. -I don't doubt but our _Chief Priests_ might reward the Soldiers for -speaking the Truth, and exhort them to persist in it, with a Promise -to _secure_ them against the Anger of _Pilate_ for their sleeping and -Neglect of their Duty. - -Here then is no _Answer_ to the foresaid Argument or Objection against -_Jesus_'s Resurrection. It was not at all impossible for the -Disciples, who stole the Body away, to avoid the Guards, who were and -may reasonably be supposed to be lull'd asleep, when the Disciples did -it. Neither is there any more Force in the - -2. Second Answer to it, _viz. That tho' the Chief Priests, the Sealers -of the Stone of the Sepulchre, were not present, opening the Seals and -beholding the Miracle; yet his Resurrection was afterwards made as -manifest to them, as if they had been there present_. - -Ay, this is somewhat like an Answer, if there be any Truth in it. A -Manifestation of _Christ risen_ afterwards to our _Chief Priests_ would -have been equivalent to their Presence at and Sight of the Miracle. But -how was his Resurrection manifested to them? did _Jesus_ ever afterwards -appear personally to them, to their Satisfaction, that he was the same -Person, whom they crucified and put to Death for a Deceiver and false -Prophet? No; this is not once affected by your _Evangelists_ or ever -insinuated by any antient or modern Writer. How then was _Jesus_'s -Resurrection made manifest to our Chief Priests? Why; your _Divines_ -say, what is all that can be said here, that the Words of the Disciples, -who, being Men of Honesty, Simplicity and Integrity, would not lye, are -to be taken for it. Very fine, indeed! our Chief Priests are to take the -Words of the Disciples for _Jesus_'s Resurrection, and look upon them as -Men of Veracity, when they knew and experienc'd them to be grand Cheats, -not only in stealing the Body of _Jesus_ away, but in the _known -Imposture_ of _Lazarus_'s Resurrection, or your _Evangelist_ had never -implicitly called it so. When therefore Deceivers will not be _Lyars_; -nor Thieves _Dissemblers_ of the Fact they are accused of, I will own -_Jesus_'s Resurrection to have been manifest enough to our _Chief -Priests_. There's no need of more Argument here: He that bellows more -Words on it, loses Time. - -It has been a constant Objection of us _Jews_, against the -Resurrection of _Jesus_, that he appear'd not personally afterwards to -our _Chief Priests_, to _Pilate_ and to others his Crucifiers and -Insultors, to upbraid them with their Infidelity and ill Treatment of -him. Whether _Jesus_ would not have done so, if he really arose from -the dead; and whether he ought not in Reason, for the Conviction and -Conversion of Unbelievers, to have done so, with me is no Question. -_Celsus_ of old[314] in the Name of the _Jews_ made the Objection; and -_Olibio_, a late _Rabbi_[315] has repeated it. But in all my Reading -and Conversation with Men or Books, I never met with a tolerable -Answer to it. _Origen_ and _Limborch_, the Writers against _Celsus_ -and _Olibio_, gently slide over the Objection, as if it was too hot or -weighty to be touch'd and handled by them. To recite the poor, short -and insufficient Answers of those two Great Authors, to the Objection, -would be the Exposing of them, and giving such Strength to the -Objection, which it don't want. Therefore I will leave the Objection, -which _Origen_[316] owns to be a considerable one, to the Meditation -of your modern Advocates for Christianity; and when they can prove, -that _Jesus_, after his Resurrection did personally appear to his -Crucifiers, the _Chief Priests_ and _Sealers_ of the Sepulchre, to -their Confutation; or that, according to the Law of Reason, he ought -not to have appear'd to them, then I will turn _Christian_, and grant, -that in the Argument above, which proves plain Fraud in the -Resurrection, there's no Force nor Truth. In the mean time _Jesus_'s -Non-Appearance to the _Chief Priests_ is a Confirmation, that he did -not arise from the Dead, but that his Body was stolen away, or he -would have waited in the Grave, the coming of the Sealers of the -Stone, and their regular opening of the Sepulchre, to the Conviction -and Conversion of all there present, and Confirmation of the Faith of -all Ages and Nations since. But, - -3. A third Answer to the foresaid Argument of Fraud in the Resurrection -of _Jesus_, drawn from the Nature, Use and Design of sealing the Stone -of the Sepulchre, is, _that tho' the_ Sealers _of the Sepulchre were not -present, opening the Seals and beholding the Miracle; yet_ Jesus _did -certainly arise from the Dead, or the Belief of his Resurrection could -never have been at first propagated by the Apostles, nor would for so -many Ages of the Church since have stood its Ground_. - -Here's as little Reason in this Answer as in either of the two former. -Who knows not, that many Errors in Philosophy, and as many Frauds in -Religion have been sometimes accidentally, sometimes designedly -espoused and palm'd upon Mankind, who in Process of Time become so -wedded to them thro' Prejudice and Interest, that they will not give -themselves Leave to enquire into the Rise and Foundation of them. -False Miracles have been common Things among Christians; and as the -Resurrection of _Jesus_ is their grand and fundamental one, so it is -not at all difficult to account for the Rise, Propagation and -Continuance of the Belief of it. - -Why it has been believed thro' these latter Ages of the Church, is no -Wonder at all. The Priests had their Interest in it; the ignorant and -superstitious had their Comfort in it; and the wise and considerate, -for fear of Persecution, durst not enquire into the Grounds of it. - -The only Difficulty here is to know, upon what Principle, the Project -and Story of _Jesus_'s Resurrection was at first devised. And whether -it was Ambition or Revenge upon our ancient and Pharisaical -Priesthood, that prompted the Apostles to it, is all one to me. Such -bad Principles too often put Men upon desperate Attempts. But -however, an Imposture it was, for the Argument above. To say the -Apostles and Confederates in the Fraud, would not have stood to it, -and have dy'd for it, if the Resurrection had not been real Fact, -signifies nothing. Many Cheats and Criminals, besides them, have -asserted their Innocencey, and deny'd their Guilt in the utmost -Extremity of Death, without the like Views of Honour and Fame. The -only Thing that's surprizing and astonishing in this Sham-Miracle, is, -that tho' it was the most manifest, the most bare-faced, and the most -self-evident Imposture that ever was put upon the World; yet it has -been the most fortunate and successful, having past thro' many Ages -and Nations with Reputation and Renown; and might have continued for -as many Generations to come, but for the Argument above, that -perfectly and clearly overthrows its Credit. - -But some may say here, where was the Wisdom and Providence of God, all -this while, to suffer so many Ages and Nations to labour under such a -Delusion? Why, I'll tell you; The Providence of God in it was, "To -humble Mankind, in the End, for their vain Ostentation of Wisdom, -Learning and _Science falsly so call'd_; "To shame them for their -Madness and Wickedness to persecute one another for different Opinions -in that Religion, whose very Foundation is false and groundless; "To -caution them against a blind and implicit Faith for the future; -against believing any thing out of the Sight and Reach of their -Understandings; "To admonish them of the Necessity of Liberty to -think, speak and write freely about Religion, for the Correction of -Errors and Discovery of Truth; and, lastly, "To reduce the World, when -it should be ripe for it, to the golden Religion of Nature, which upon -the Testimony of our old _Cabalistical_ Doctors, and of your _Jesus_ -himself, is the _End of the Law and the Prophets_. - -And thus have I spoken to the _Answers_, which your _Christian -Priesthood_ may be presumed to make, to the foresaid Argument of Fraud -in _Jesus_'s Resurrection, drawn from the Design of our _Chief -Priests_ in sealing of the Stone of his Sepulchre. I should not have -concern'd my self to speak to these their supposed _Answers_, but to -save them the Trouble of making them, and the Imagination of there -being some Force in them. - -As to the Stories in your _Evangelists_ of _Jesus_'s several Appearances -after his pretended Resurrection, sometimes to the Women, and at other -Times to his Disciples, I am not at all obliged to refute them. If these -Appearances had been more frequent, better circumstanced, and more -solemnly averr'd, they would have wanted no Confutation. There's no -Doubt on't, but the Disciples, who, for the Argument above, -unquestionably stole _Jesus_'s Body away, in order to pretend a -Resurrection, would talk much of his appearing to them, and of the -Conversation afterwards, they had with him. And if they had told better -and more plausible Tales of their Sight of and Conversation with him, it -would be nothing to the Purpose; _better_, I say, _and more plausible -Tales_ than those upon Record, which for Absurdity, Nonsense and -Incoherence carry their own Confutation along with them. - -Whoever blends together the various History of the four _Evangelists_, -as to _Jesus_'s Appearances after his Resurrection, will find himself, -not only perplex'd how to make an intelligible, consistent, and -sensible Story of it; but must, with _Celsus_[317] needs think it, if -he closely think on't, like some of the confused and incredible -womanish Fables of the Apparitions of the Ghosts of deceased Persons, -which the Christian World in particular has in former Ages abounded -with. The Ghosts of the Dead in this present Age, and especially in -this Protestant Country, have ceas'd to appear; and we now-a-days -hardly ever hear of such an Apparition: And what is the Reason of it? -Why, the Belief of these Stories being banish'd out of Mens Minds, the -crafty and vaporous forbear to trump them upon us. There has been so -much clear Proof of the Fraud in many of these Stories, that the wise -and considerate Part of Mankind has rejected them all, excepting -_this_ of _Jesus_, which, to Admiration, has stood its Ground. It's no -Wonder indeed, that the _Clergy_, who are more incredulous than other -Folks as to Stories of Apparitions, do stick to _this_ of _Jesus_, the -only one excepted out of all others. It is a sweet Morsel of Faith, -and they readily swallow and digest it, because they live by it; -otherwise this Story of _Jesus_'s Appearances after Death had hardly -escaped the Fate of other Apparitions; nay, would have been rejected -one of the first of them; there being hardly one, I dare say it, among -all the Stories of Apparitions, were they to be collected together; -that's more absurd and incredible than _this_ of _Jesus_. - -I have not Room here to make any Remarks on your Evangelical Story of -_Jesus_'s Apparitions after his Death; and if I had, I durst not do it, -for fear of an offensive Ludicrousness, and of transgressing the Rules -of _Decency_, _Sobriety_ and _Sedateness_ of Argument, you have confined -me to. But however; I can't read the Story without smiling, and there -are two or three Passages in it, that put me in Mind of _Robinson -Cruso_'s filling his Pockets with Biskets, when he had neither Coat, -Waste-coat, nor Breeches on. Sometimes I think your _Evangelists_ wanted -Wit to adapt their Tale to Sense, and to accommodate the Transaction to -Nature; and sometimes I think them crafty, and were minded, like _Daniel -de Foe_ in his aforesaid _Romance_, to put the Banter upon the Credulity -of Mankind, with some disguised and latent Absurdities, that, in the -Conclusion and Discovery, they might be heartily laugh'd at for the -Belief of them. I dare not, I say, so much as hint at one of these -Absurdities, lest I should be unwarily tempted to crack a Jest on it. -But the Time, I hope, is coming, when I shall use more Freedom. And -should your Priesthood, in Proof of _Jesus_'s Resurrection, urge any of -these Stories of his corporal Presence and Appearance after it, then I -trust, they'll permit me to make as merry Descants on them, as your -_Bishops_, when Academical _Jesters_, used to do on other Men's Bulls -and Blunders. - -In the mean time I depend on the foregoing single, sober and sedate -Argument of Fraud in this grand Miracle, which I found on the Nature -and Design of sealing the Sepulchre; and for Confirmation of my -Opinion and Proof of Fraud in it, will conclude this Letter with a -parallel Case and Story. Not many Years since, one Dr. _Emms_, of the -Society of the _French_ Prophets, who in their Inspirations were, like -_Jesus_ and his Disciples of old, Declaimers against the Pharisaical -Priesthood of this Age, did by himself, or some of his Fraternity did -for him, predict his Resurrection on a certain Day, when there was a -Concourse of People about his Grave in vain to behold the Miracle, as -there would have been about _Jesus_'s Sepulchre, if he had lain in it, -his full Time. But supposing in this Case, that the Magistrates and -Priesthood of this City, to prevent a Cheat and Delusion of the -People, had interr'd the _Doctor_ in a Church-Vault, and seal'd the -Door of it against the Day appointed for his Resurrection, commanding -a _Night-Watch_ to look to the Vault, that no Violence or Deceit be -used: This would have been a wise Precaution against Fraud, as was in -the Case of _Jesus_. But what if his Fraternity, having a Mind, like -_Jesus_'s Disciples, to bambouzle the People and Priesthood, had, some -of them drawn the Watch aside to a _Gin-shop_, whilst others carry'd -the Body off, pretending a Resurrection? What would all reasonable Men -have said here? That it was an impudent and bare-fac'd Imposture. But -to carry on the Farce; supposing, the _Doctor_'s Fraternity had -afterwards averr'd that they had seen and convers'd with him alive, -several Times, as before his Death; and had told particular Stories of -their Conversation with him; as _first_ of all, how he appear'd to -some of their Women (who were admonish'd of the Certainty of his -Resurrection by a Youth or an Angel or two, they could not tell -whether, but they were as like to Angels, which they never saw before -in their Lives, as Youths could be) who knew him, not by his -Countenance, for _their Eyes were holden_, but by his Talk on -Scripture Prophecy, which was his usual Cant before his Death. And at -another Time he appear'd to his old Acquaintance, who knew him, not by -the Features of his Face, but by an habitual Motion and Action of his -Hand in _breaking of Bread_. And at another Time he was corporally -present, but _they thought, they saw a Spirit_. About _eight Days -after that_, he appear'd among more of his old Friends, but for all -their former Intimacy with him, some of them _doubted_ whether it was -the _Doctor_ or not. At another Time he came to them in _another Form_ -and Shape, unlike to his pristine one, but they were sure it was _He_ -by his Exposition of the Scripture. At another Time, when they were -assembled together and the Doors were lock'd, _for fear of the -Clergy_, the _Doctor_ slipt unexpectedly into their Company, either -from behind a Curtain, or miraculously enter'd at the Key-hole. And -the last Time he appear'd, there was one of his intimate Friends had -not known him, but by a _Sore_ in his Breast, which the Power of God, -in his Resurrection, did not heal: After which, they said, he -_vanish'd away, was taken up into Heaven_, and they saw him no more. -Supposing, I say, the _French_ Prophets had told such like Stories of -_Doctor Emms_'s Resurrection and of his Appearances to them; what -would your Priests and all other wise Men have said to it? Why, that -it was all idle Tales, manifest Lyes, Sham, and Imposture; and that if -the _Doctor_, in Confutation of the Errors of our Priests, had risen -to Life, God would have kept him in his Sepulchre, his full time, and -have rais'd him in the Presence of Priests, Magistrates and People; -and that he would have walk'd afterwards publickly in the Streets -without Danger, to the Satisfaction of all, who knew him, that he was -the same _Emms_ who died and was bury'd: _Without Danger_, I say, from -the Populace, who would have been so far from affronting him, that -they would have almost adored him for the miraculous Favour God had -done him, in his Resurrection from the Dead; and that he would never -have skulk'd about, and absconded himself for _forty Days_ together, -before he was pretendedly translated; and therefore there was nothing -but notorious Deceit and Imposture in all these Pretences. - -I need not make the Application of this Case and Story, which your -_Priests_ know how to do for me. To say here, that there's none would -be so desperate to engage in such a Fraud, as is the supposed Case of -Dr. _Emms_ above, is a Mistake. Many Thousands for their Diversion -would enterprise it; and the Stories of the Apparitions of Ghosts, -which are almost all the Frauds of the Crafty to delude the Ignorant, -do prove it. I my self would be forward to concert such an Intrigue, -if it were but to put the Banter upon the _Clergy_, to ruffle their -Tempers, and secretly to laugh at them. Nothing would deter me from -it, but Fears of the Civil Magistrate, which was not the Danger of the -Disciples of _Jesus_, because _Pilate_, for the Sake of Rule over the -_Jews_, was a Countenancer of every Faction amongst them; and -particularly[318] _Tiberius_, upon _Pilate_'s Representation of the -Matter, soon commanded that the Disciples of _Jesus_ should not be -molested, nor call'd into Question: So the Disciples stood to the -Fraud, told the Story of _Jesus risen_ so often, till they believed it -themselves, and drew Multitudes into the Belief of it: Which Belief -must have continued thro' all Generations to come, but for my Argument -of Fraud, before urg'd and argued. - -Here, Sir, before I conclude this Letter, I think it my Duty however to -give you my Opinion of the Religion, that _Jesus_ and his Disciples -were for introducing into the World. Tho' I believe, what I have proved, -his Resurrection, to be a Piece of Fraud, and his other Miracles to have -been all Artifice; and tho' our _Chief Priests_ and ancient Nation are -justifiable in the Sentence, that was pass'd and executed upon _Jesus_; -yet I must do him and his Disciples the Justice, to own, that the -Doctrine they taught was, for the most Part of it, good, useful and -popular, being no other than the Law and Religion of Nature, which, all -Nations being wearied with their own Superstitions, and sick of the -Burthen of their Priests, ran apace into. Accordingly one[319] of your -ancient Fathers says, that they _who lived according to the Law of -Nature, were true Christians_. And I must needs say, that if Christians, -in Process of Time, had not sophisticated this primitive Religion of -_Jesus_; if they had not built their systematical Divinity upon him, and -brought strange Inventions of Men into his Worship; if, lastly, they had -not again subjugated and entangled themselves with another and worse -Yoke of Bondage, to an intolerable and tyrannical Priesthood of the -Church, the World might have enjoy'd great Happiness under _Jesus_'s -Religion, even _that Happiness_ which is now only to be expected upon a -Disproof of his miraculous Resurrection, that has been the Foundation of -a most confused Superstructure of wild Doctrines and Opinions: Or more -truely speaking, _That Happiness_ of the State of Nature, Religion and -Liberty, which may be look'd for upon the coming of our _Messiah_, the -allegorical Accomplisher of the Law and the Prophets; whose Advent, upon -the Tradition of our _Cabalists_, will be towards the latter End of the -_Sixth_ grand Age of the Creation, to remove from our Faces and our -Hearts the Veil of the Letter; and in the mean while I adhere to the -umbratical Rites, Ceremonies and way of Worship, derived from our -Forefathers. - -Thus, Sir, have I finish'd my _Letter_ on _Jesus_'s Resurrection; and -whether I have not said enough to justify our _Jewish_ Disbelief of -that Miracle, let your _Chief Priests_ judge. I don't expect my -Argument against it will be convincing of any of your Preachers. They -have a potent Reason for their Faith, which we _Jews_ can't come at; -or I don't know but we might believe with them. - -I trust you'll meet with no Molestation for the Publication of this -_Letter_; neither do I think, it was any thing of mine, inserted in -your Discourses, that at any time brought Trouble on you. It was your -own Imprudence to rave, as you do, against _Ecclesiasticks_. What need -had you to talk of the Mischiefs and Inconveniences of an Hireling -Priesthood? What Occasion had you to call them Ecclesiastical Vermin, -and to speak of the Happiness of Mankind upon their Extinction? These -things are very provoking. And here's the true Source, in my Opinion, -of all your Troubles! - -Tho' I have here shewn, that _Christ is not risen_, yet I have more -Wit than to make the Inference of St. _Paul_, that _their Preaching is -vain_. Their Oratory is still useful, if it be but to tickle the Ears -and amuse the Understandings of the People about Doctrines they -underhand not, whether true or false. And such an Order of Men, as are -your Priesthood, are, by their Habit of long Robes, an Ornament to -Society; and it is an Honour to the Country to have them well fed and -clad. Had I Room for it, I could write a curious _Encomium_ in Praise -of them, and tell the World of what Use and Advantage they have been, -in all Ages. O what Wars and Persecutions might have been rais'd in -the World, but for their pacifick Tempers! How would Sin and -Immorality have broke in upon Mankind, like a Deluge, but for the -Goodness of their Lives, and the Excellency of their Precepts! How has -the Increase and Multitude of their warm Sermons been the Ruin of -_Satan_'s hot and divided Kingdom of Darkness and Error! It's owing to -their Pains and Labours, that every Age, for many past, has been -improving in Virtue, till the present, which for Piety and good Morals -is that perfection of Time, which is not to be meliorated but by the -Restitution of the golden Age. - -So could I enlarge in Praise of your _Clergy_; and so should you have -done; and then you might have disputed, as you do, against any -Doctrines, Miracles and Articles of Faith, without Molestation. Try, if -you can't correct that fundamental Error, you have committed. Assert -still, if you can, with Dr. _Rogers_, the Necessity of an establish'd -Priesthood, well paid, for the Service of the _King_ and the Country, -under all Changes of Religion; which may be a Means to retrieve their -Favour, and will beget in me a better Opinion of your Prudence, than at -present is entertain'd by your _Assured Friend_ N. N. - -So ends the Letter of my Friend, the _Jewish Rabbi_, in which, to my -Comfort, he has conform'd himself to the Rules of _Sedateness_, -_Decency_ and _Sobriety_ of Argument, prescrib'd by the two great -_Bishops_ of _London_ and St. _David_'s. If the Weight and Solidity of -his Argument don't grieve the _Clergy_, I am in no Pain for the Levity -and Ludicrousness of it. And whether the Weight and Nature of his -Argument against _Jesus_'s Resurrection will at all startle and -surprize them, I know not; but I profess for my self, that I might -have study'd long enough for such an Argument against it, as this -_Rabbi_, with his great grey Beard, has presently hit of. He told me -beforehand, that his Thoughts on _Jesus_'s Resurrection should be out -of the common Road of thinking; and I must needs say, he has been as -good as his Word, or no Man ever kept his Promise. - -There are two Things very remarkable in his Argument: The _one_ is, -the Use and Design of sealing the Stone of _Jesus_'s Sepulchre, which -he lays great Stress on, to the Proof of Fraud in his Resurrection; -and the _other_ is, his Application of these Words, _the last Error_ -(or as he reads Deceit or Imposture) _will be worse than the first_ -or former, in which he makes the _Chief Priests_ in their Speech to -_Pilate_, to refer to _Lazarus_'s Resurrection as the former known -Imposture. If his Application be just and true, the Consequence is, -that the Resurrections of _Jesus_ and _Lazarus_ are both Impostures. -It grieves me to the Heart to think of this Consequence, which our -_Divines_ are to see to, and evade, if they can. No sooner did I read -his Application of the foresaid Words, but I run to our _Commentators_ -for another and better Exposition of them: But alas! to my Sorrow, -they made nothing of them, but a sort of a _proverbial Expression_, -which the _Chief Priests_ must have spoil'd and knock'd out of Joint. -Being then under great Trouble for the Truth of Christianity, and the -Certainty of these two grand Miracles, I refer the Matter to our -Learned _Clergy_, desiring them to be as speedy as they can in another -and more proper Interpretation of the foresaid Words, or _Jews_ and -_Infidels_ will run away with them in the _Rabbi_'s Sense, to the -Confutation of our holy Religion. - -I consider'd lately, that _Easter_ drew nigh, when it was usual for -our _Divines_ in their Pulpits, to insist on the Proof of _Jesus_'s -Resurrection; and therefore I hasten'd the Publication of this -_Discourse_, that they might have these two peculiar Texts, _viz._ of -_sealing the Stone_ of the Sepulchre, and of _the last Error_ or -Imposture _will be worse than the first_, to treat on. He that -produces a Sermon or Sermons, wresting the foresaid Texts out of the -Hands of my _Rabbi_, and putting another Sense on them, to the Credit -of _Jesus_'s and _Lazarus_'s Resurrection, - - _Erit mihi magnus Apollo_, - -and by my Consent shall be the next _Arch-Bishop_ of _Canterbury_. - -But my Heart aches a little for our _Divines_, and I almost despair of -their clean Solutions of the foresaid two Difficulties. What must they -do then? Why, they must give up their _Religion_ as well as their -_Church_, or go along with me to the Fathers for their mystical -Interpretation of the whole Story of _Jesus_'s Resurrection. - -That the Fathers, without questioning their Belief of _Jesus_'s -corporal Resurrection universally interpreted the Story and every Part -of it mystically, is most certain. St. _Hilary_[320] enumerates many -Particulars of the Story, and intimates what they are typical and -figurative of, as any one may see by the Citation referr'd to, which I -have not Room to translate and illustrate. - -St. _Augustin_[321] says, that _Jesus_'s Resurrection from the Dead at -that time, was to exhibit an Image and Resemblance of his future and -mystical Resurrection. And elsewhere says[322] that it's a holy Pleasure -to consider and search for the things signified by the Story of it. - -That _Origen_ is of the same Opinion, no body need question. A -Multitude of his Testimonies might be produced to this Purpose, but I -shall mention only one[323], wherein he asserts, that by the Sepulchre -of _Jesus_ is to be understood the _Letter_ of the Scriptures, in -which, as in a Rock, he is reposited. - -St. _John_ of _Jerusalem_[324] by the Crucifiers of _Jesus_ -understands false Teachers, meaning _Ministers_ of the _Letter_ to be -sure, because he himself was a great Allegorist. - -St. _Hilary_ says that[325] _Barabbas_ is a Type of _Antichrist_; and -by _Antichrist_, as I have elsewhere shewn out of the Fathers, is -meant the _Letter_ of the Scriptures, which modern Commentators and -Crucifiers of _Jesus_ would prefer to the Spirit. For these are the -two, _Letter_ and Spirit, the _Christ_ and _Antichrist_, that are -contrary one to another. - -St. _Jerom_[326] says, that by the _Vail_ of the _Temple_ rent at -_Jesus_'s Resurrection, is to be understood the opening the _Vail_ of -the _Letter_ of the Law and the Prophets for the Manifestation of the -divine Mysteries contain'd in them. And by the rending of the Rocks -according[327] to him is to be understood the Apertion of the Oracles -of God, that were before as hard as a Rock, till his spiritual -Resurrection for the Illustration of them. And by the Earthquake, He -says is meant the Shaking of the[328] Hearts of Men, and preparing -them, by a Dereliction of their old Errors, for the Susception of the -true Knowledge of God. - -As to the Time that _Jesus_ was dead and bury'd, which modern -_Divines_ call _three Days_ and _three Nights_, St. _Augustin_ -says[329] that according to the Scripture he was not so long dead and -buried. Many, says[330] he, have put various Constructions on the Time -of _Christ_'s Burial, endeavouring to make three Days of it: But we, -without slighting any of their Opinions, are for a mystical -Interpretation, and suppose, that by the three Days are to be -understood Three Ages of the World. - -The Day would fail me to collect all the Passages out of the Fathers, -in Interpretation of one or other of the Parts of the Story of -_Jesus_'s Resurrection, but what I have here said in a few Citations, -is enough to show, that they look'd upon the whole Story, as -emblematical of his spiritual Resurrection out of the _Grave_ of the -_Letter_ of the Scriptures, in which he has been buried about _three -Days_ and _three Nights_, according to that mystical Interpretation of -prophetical Numbers which I have learn'd of them. - -And thus have I done with the Miracle of _Jesus_'s Resurrection, -which, by the Help of my Friend the Jewish _Rabbi_, I have shewn, -according to the Letter, to consist of the greatest Incredibilities. -And with this I conclude my _Discourses_ on his Miracles, intending to -treat on no more of them, unless I am invited or provoked to it. I had -once an Inclination to make another _Discourse_ on _Jesus_'s -miraculous Conception, and on his feeding his Thousands, in the -Wilderness, with a few Loaves and Fishes; but upon a little -Consideration on the Letter of those two Stories, I found myself too -grave for the Work; and my _Rabbi_'s Thoughts are too gay and wanton; -therefore it must be omitted, till the _Clergy_ importune me to it, -and signify their Curiosity to see it perform'd by me. - -My Discourses hereafter, if God spare me Life and Liberty, which under -his Providence I don't despair of, to publish another Volume, shall -treat on some historical Passages of the New Testament, such as, "On -the Stories of _Jesus_'s Birth; and the Appearances of Angels to the -Shepherds keeping Watch over their Flocks by Night: "The Journey and -Presents of the Wise Men to _Jesus_: "The Slaughter of the Innocents -at _Bethlehem_, and of _Herod_'s Cruelty: "The Travels of _Joseph_ -with the Child _Jesus_ and his Mother into _Egypt_: "The Disputation -of _Jesus_ with the _Doctors_ in the Temple, and his Elopement from -his Parents: "His riding on an Ass to _Jerusalem_; and on other such -like Passages of his Life. For I am resolv'd to give the Letter of the -Scripture no Rest, so long as God gives me Life and Abilities to -attack it. _Origen_[331] _says_, that _when we dispute against -Ministers of the Letter, we must select some historical Parts of -Scripture, which they understand literally, and shew that according to -the Letter, they can't stand their Ground, but imply Absurdities and -Nonsense_. And how then is such a Work to be perform'd to best -Advantage? Is it to be done in a grave, sedate, and serious Manner? -No, I think Ridicule should here take Place of sober Reasoning, as the -more proper and effectual Means to cure Men of their foolish Faith and -absurd Notions. As no wise Man hardly ever reprehends a Blunderbuss -for his Bull, any other way, than by laughing at him; so the Asserters -of nonsensical Notions in Theology should, if possible, be satirized -and jetted upon, or they'll never be put out of Countenance for, nor -desert their absurd Doctrines. And there never was a polemical Divine, -that, if he had an Opportunity and Advantage over the Weakness of his -Adversary, did not take such a ludicrous and merry Course with him. - -But on such historical Passages of the Gospel as before mention'd, do -I trust to publish another Volume of _Discourses_, like to these on -_Jesus_'s Miracles; and at present pass to my third general Head, at -first proposed to be spoken to, and that is, - -III. To consider what _Jesus_ means, when he appeals to his Works and -Miracles, as to a Testimony and Witness of his Authority; and to show -that he did not properly and ultimately refer to these done in the -_Flesh_, but to those mystical ones he would do in the _Spirit_, of -which those done in the Flesh are but mere Types and Shadows. - -And on this Head I shall be short, there being no Occasion of many -Words on it. The _Bishop_ of _London_[332] has collected many Sayings -of _Jesus_, wherein he seems to appeal to the Works he then did and -had done in Flesh, as to a Witness of him. But why might not _Jesus_ -then prophesy, and mean the spiritual Works which _He-in-us_ would do? -It is the known Way of the Prophets to speak of Things to come, as if -they were already past, because such Prophecies are not to be -understood, till their Accomplishment: Even so did _Jesus_ prophesy, -when he appeal'd to his Works, as I could prove from the Nature and -Manner of his Expressions, but that the Argument would be dry and -tedious: And therefore I refer the Matter entirely to the Fathers, who -asserted that _Jesus_ prophesied in his _Miracles_ as well as in his -_Parables_, and that the Works he then did in the Flesh were but Types -of his mysterious Operations, that would be the Demonstration of his -Authority and Messiahship. Hence it is that _Origen_[333] says that -_Jesus_'s first coming was but a Type and Shadow of his spiritual -Advent and that his[334] true Miracles, by which his Authority is to -be proved, are spiritual: Hence it is that St. _Hilary_ repeatedly -says[335] that _Jesus_'s Works were significative and predictive of -mysterious Operations, which we were especially to look to. And Hence -it is that all the other Fathers interpreted the Miracles of _Jesus_ -in a mystical and allegorical Sense. - -The Question then is, to what Miracles did _Jesus_ truly and properly -appeal, in the Opinion of the Fathers, for his Authority and -Messiahship? Was it to the Typical or Antitypal Works? was it to the -_Shadow_ or to the _Substance_ of his Operations? To his substantial -Operations, to be sure, which are and will be his spiritual ones upon -the Soul, that are greater than those once done on Men's Bodies, and -which will be a proper Proof of his divine Power. And to declare my -Opinion freely, I am only for such a spiritual _Messiah_, who will -cure the _Errors_ call'd the Diseases of Mankind, which _Jesus_ of -_Nazareth_ has not as yet done. - -But not to dispute this Point with _Bishop Gibson_, I will leave him -in the Enjoyment of his Opinion of his literal _Messiah_, and -miraculous Operator on Men's Bodies; if he'll but indulge me in the -Belief of my spiritual _Messiah_ to come for the healing of modern -Distempers call'd the Sins and Errors of Mankind. And in the mean time -let us draw the Comparison between his _literal_ and my _spiritual_ -Jesus; and let the World judge, to whom the Preference is to be given -for Power and Authority. - -Bishop _Gibson_ is for _Jesus_ of _Nazareth_'s Messiahship, because he -cured the _bodily Blindness_ of many miraculously; And a good Work it -was: But I am for the Messiahship of a spiritual _Jesus_ to come, who -will open the _blind Eyes_ of our Understandings to discern Truth from -Error, which will be a most glorious Operation, that his _Jesus_ of -_Nazareth_ has not as yet done. - -Bishop _Gibson_ is for _Jesus_'s Messiahship, who once cured _bodily -Deafness_ in many, which was indeed well done of him: But I am for the -Messiahship of a spiritual _Jesus_ to come, to heal the _Deafness_ of -our Souls, or their _Dulness_ in Apprehension of sublime Mysteries, -which will be a divine Work, that his _Jesus_ has not as yet done. - -Bishop _Gibson_ is for _Jesus_'s Messiahship, because he cured Men's -bodily _Lameness_, for which I do praise him: But I am for a spiritual -_Jesus_'s Messiahship, who will heal Mankind of their _Halting_ -between two and more Opinions; a more blessed Work, that _Jesus_ of -_Nazareth_ has not as yet done for us! - -And so, comparing all other Diseases of Body and Soul together, I am for -the _Jesus_, who will heal the Diseases of the Soul; and have a much -less Regard for _Bishop Gibson's Jesus_, who cured the Diseases of a few -Men's Bodies; but for all that, am not angry with the _Bishop_ for his -high Veneration of his _Jesus_, neither would I by any Means have him -prosecuted and punish'd for not being of the same Mind with me. - -But, because the _Bishop_ suspects me of Infidelity, in that I have -ludicrously treated some of the Miracles of his _Jesus_, which by the by -he has not vindicated from the Absurdities and Incredibilities I charged -them with; I will humour the _Bishop_, and supposing _Jesus_ wrought -literally those Miracles which are allegorically interpreted by me, will -in those very Miracles compare his _literal_ and my _spiritual_ Jesus -together; and appeal to all Men of Consideration, which is the most -worthy of the Title and Honour of the true _Messiah_. - -Bishop _Gibson_ is for his _Jesus_'s Messiahship, who miraculously -drove the _Buyers_ and _Sellers_ out of the Temple, just as if a Man, -was God to invest him with Power, should furiously drive the -_Butchers_ and _Grasiers_ with their Cattle, to the Confusion of their -several Properties, out of _Smithfield_: A notable Miracle That! But I -am for the spiritual _Jesus_'s Messiahship, who according to the Form -of that typical Story, will at his Coming expel Ecclesiastical -Merchants out of his Church, who make Merchandise of the Gospel, -selling their _Bulls_ and _Beasts_, and _Fatlings_ of the Letter: A -most glorious and beneficial Work to Mankind will this be! And to -prepare Mens Souls for the Susception of such a spiritual _Jesus_, I -intend to publish a _Discourse_ of the Mischiefs and Inconveniencies -of an _Hireling Priesthood_, wherein it shall be proved, that Mankind -can't be either good, wise or happy under the Kingdom of this -_Messiah_ to come, without an Abolition and Extirpation of them. - -Bishop _Gibson_ is for the Messiahship of his _Jesus_, who _cast the -Devils out of the Madmen, and permitted them to enter into the Herd of -Swine_, that _ran violently down a Precipice, and were choak'd in the -Sea_: How great a Miracle it was thus to cure the Madmen, the _Bishop_ -may know best, being perhaps better acquainted with the Devil than I -am; but was it not for Pity to the _Swineherds_, for their Losses, I -could even now laugh at the Thoughts of the Hoggs running and tumbling -down-hill, as if the _Devil_ drove them: But leaving the Bishop -_calmly_, _decently_, and _seriously_ to admire the Wisdom and Justice -of his _Jesus_ in that Act, I am for the spiritual _Jesus_, who, -according to the typical Form of that Story, exorcis'd the furious and -diabolical Tempers out of the _Jews_ and _Gentiles_ of old, whom no -Chains of Reason could hold from doing Violence to the Christians, -till they were converted; and tho' He permitted the like persecuting -and diabolical Spirits to enter into Ecclesiastical Swine; yet will -they be precipitated into the _Sea_ of the Knowledge of God, wherein -they will be absorpt with divine Visions and Contemplations. O most -glorious Work! that bespeaks the Wisdom, Power and Goodness of our -spiritual _Jesus_, from the Beginning to the End of it. - -Bishop _Gibson_ admires his _Jesus_, for his Transfiguration on Mount -_Tabor_, tho' neither He nor any Body else can tell, wherein lay the -Miracle, nor into what various Figures and Shapes _Jesus_ was -transform'd: But I am for the spiritual _Jesus_, whose glorious -Transfiguration, after _six_ grand Days of the Creation, will be -conspicuous, when with the Eyes of our Understanding we shall behold -him metamorphosed into the Forms of all the Types of him under the -Law. I am now ravish'd with the intellectual View of this -Transfiguration; and believe, was I to set about it, I could give -others (except the Bishop) an Idea and Conception or it to their -Astonishment at the Glory of _Jesus_ in it. - -Bishop _Gibson_ is for the Messiahship of _Jesus_ of _Nazareth_, -because he cured a _Woman of an Issue of Blood_, after she had spent -all she had upon Physicians to no purpose, which might be, or might -not be a Miracle, for any thing he can argue upon it: But I am for the -spiritual _Jesus_'s Messiahship, who, at his Coming, will, according -to that typical Story, cure the _Woman_ of the Church of her _Issue of -Blood_, that is shed in Persecution and War, which her Ecclesiastical -Physicians of the _Clergy_ have not been able to stop, tho' they have -receiv'd large Fees and Stipends of the Church to that Purpose. Will -not this be a desirable and beneficial Work to all Nations? And who -knows not, (excepting the _Bishop_) that it is of the Office of the -true Messiah, to give _abundance of Peace_ to Mankind, to _make the -Lion to lye down with the Lamb_; and to induce Men to _break their -Swords into Plough-shares_, and _their Spears into Pruning-hooks_; and -to _make Wars to cease_ in all the World. Which Prophecies are so far -from being fulfill'd by _Jesus_ of _Nazareth_, that there has been -nothing but Wrangling and Jangling, and Scolding and Fighting about -him ever since. I wonder the Want of the Accomplishment of the -foresaid Prophecies has not long before now occasion'd the Rejection -of _Jesus_'s Messiahship, or of the Authority of the Prophets. - -Bishop _Gibson_ is for his _Jesus_'s being the Messiah, because he -cured an old _Woman_ of a _Spirit_ of, no body knows what, -_Infirmity_; consequently little or nothing is to be laid for the -Greatness of that Miracle. But I am for the spiritual _Jesus_'s -Messiahship, who, according to the Figure of that literal Story, is to -heal the _Woman_ of the Church of her _Infirmity of the Spirit_ of -Prophecy, which _Jesus_ of _Nazareth_ has not done for her, or there -would not be so many Disputes about Prophecies and their -Interpretations, so far, as there is hardly one Prophecy that -Christians are agreed about the Sense of. It is the grand -Characteristick of the true _Messiah_, that he's to restore Prophecy -and the Way of Interpretation of the Prophets, upon the allegorical -Scheme too. I speak this, not only upon the Authority of the Prophets -themselves, but upon an almost infinite Number of Testimonies of -ancient _Jews_ and _Fathers_; accordingly I expect the Advent of a -spiritual Messiah, who alone can do it, to heal the Church of her -present _Infirmity_, and to restore the Art and Gift of Prophecy. - -Bishop _Gibson_ is an Admirer of _Jesus_ of _Nazareth_, because he -told a poor Whore of _Samaria_, her Fortune of _having had five -Husbands_, and being then an Adulteress with another Man; which, -according to the Letter, is such a poor sort of a Miracle, that I can -hardly think of it without blushing: But I am an Adorer beforehand of -the spiritual _Jesus_ who, according to that Type, will out of the Law -and the Prophets, allegorically interpreted, tell the present -heretical and adulterous Woman of the Church _all that she has done_, -and how she has been wedded to the sensible Things of the _five_ Books -of _Moses_, and is now an Adulteress with the _Anti-Christ_ of the -Letter. Such an Information of the Church will be a most stupendous -and miraculous Work, and a Demonstration of our _Jesus_'s Messiahship -beyond Contradiction, in as much as it will be agreeable to the -Opinion, that all Antiquity entertain'd of the true _Messiah_, _viz._ -that he was to let us into the Sight, Knowledge and Understanding of -the Wisdom and Beauty of Providence thro' all Ages of the World. - -Bishop _Gibson_ admires _Jesus_ of _Nazareth_ for _his cursing the -Figtree; for not bearing Fruit out of Season_: Shame on that Miracle, -according to the Letter, and on all Admirers of it! But I am for the -spiritual _Jesus_, who, at his coming to the Figtree of his Church, -will make its present unfruitful State to _wither away_, and cause it -to produce the Fruits of the Spirit, and allegorical Interpretations -of the Scriptures, that are compared to sweet and ripe Figs. For such -his Advent to this miraculous and beneficial Purpose I daily pray and -say too, Blessed are all those who love his Appearance! - -After this Fashion could I go thro' the other Miracles, I have treated -on in these _Discourses_; and upon the Comparison set plainly before -the Eyes of my _Readers_ the Difference between the _literal_ Miracles -of Bishop _Gibson's carnal_ Jesus and the _allegorical_ ones of my -_spiritual_ Jesus, as to Stupendousness, Use and Excellency: But what -I have here done in the seven Instances above, is enough to induce us -to believe, with the Fathers, that _Jesus_'s first Coming in the -_Flesh_ was but a Type and Shadow of his second Advent in the -_Spirit_; and that _Jesus_ of old, when he appeal'd to his Works then -done, as to a Witness of his Authority, did only prophesy, and refer -ultimately to his mystical Operations, that are alone the Proof of his -Godlike and divine Power. Bishop _Gibson_ says[336] of me, that -_pretending to raise the Actions and Miracles of our Saviour to a more -exalted and spiritual Meaning, I have labour'd to take away the -Reality of them, and by that to destroy one of the principal Evidences -of Christianity_. But I presume now, he'll be sensible of the Rashness -and Incogitancy of that Accusation. If he be not, I shall say of him, -in Case he write any more for _Jesus's literal_ Miracles in Opposition -to his _allegorical_ ones that he's like the Dog in the Fable (the -Bishop will excuse the Coarseness of the Comparison) that let go the -_Substance_ of his Mutton, and catch'd at the Shadow, and so, like a -foolish _Cur_ as he was, lost both. - -And thus have I done with the _Three_ general Heads at first proposed -to be handled in these _Discourses_. Now whether I am, upon the whole, -an _Infidel_, or _Believer_ of Christianity, the World is to judge. -I'll make no more solemn Declarations of my Belief of it, much less at -this Juncture of Time, when I am under Prosecution for Infidelity; -because it would be a sneaking, tame, and cowardly Act in me, and such -an Argument of that Meanness of Spirit, as I abhor and detest. My -_Works_ shall speak for me, in which, being conscious of the Innocency -of my Intentions, and of the Usefulness of my Design, I mean to -proceed; not doubting but some of our _clergy_, upon two or three -more _Discourses_ against the Letter of the _New Testament_, will find -me out, what I am, and whether I am not a true Professor of the -Religion of the spiritual and holy _Jesus_. - -In the mean Time I'll not compound the Difference depending between -Bishop _Gibson_ and my self, upon any other Terms, than his making me -ample Satisfaction for the Injuries done to my Reputation and low -Fortunes. Tho' he may thirst after my Life, or at least, my Liberty; -yet under the Providence of God I fear not the Loss of either. God be -prais'd, this Kingdom is bless'd with such a Civil Administration for -Wisdom, Justice and Mercy, as no Nation of the World can equal. Our -Magistrates are all Philosophers, Lovers of Truth, and of an Enquiry -into it; and so tender of the religious as well as of the civil Rights -of the Subject, that I have nothing to dread from them. - -There is somewhat _popular_ indeed, tho' nothing true nor rational, in -the Clamour and Accusations of the _Clergy_ against me. Bishop _Gibson_ -would insinuate[337] that my _Discourses_ on _Miracles_ strike _at the -Foundation of civil Society_; but by an unnatural Consequence of his -own making. I confess, it is an heinous Crime to write any Thing that -tends to the Subversion or Prejudice of the civil Society: But how will -the _Bishop_ make me guilty of it? If the _Clergy_ will not be -Disturbers of the Peace of the Publick upon my _Discourses_; it's -certain, that the Quiet of the World, which I wish and aim at, will be -inviolably kept and preserv'd for all me. My Followers indeed, when I -walk the Streets of this City, are _numerous_; and if any of them should -break the Peace, what serves my _Lord Mayor_'s Power for, but to -chastise them for it? As for my self and my Adherents at home, which, as -yet, are _without Number_, we are all _Quietists_ and should act against -our Consciences and Religion, if we should injure any Man in his Person -and Property. But I smile to see a _Clergyman_ all on a sudden, like the -_Bishop_, so tender of the Welfare of the Publick, when -_Ecclesiasticks_, in all Ages past, have been the _Bane_ of Society and -the _Pest_ of Mankind, as appears from the Wars and Persecution they -have rais'd in the World; and from that Strife, Variance and Discords, -they have occasion'd in Cities and Families. And with Submission to the -_Bishop_, who I hope will not be angry for my saying it, I am sure, the -_Clergy_ at this Juncture, are like an _high-mettal'd blind Horse_, -that were they not ridden by the Civil Authority with a strait Rein, -would be oppressing and trampling upon all, that flood in the Way of -their Interests, to the Disturbance of _Civil Society_. - -_Profaneness_ too does the _Bishop_ charge me with. But why so? Because -I ridicule the Nonsense and Absurdities of _Jesus_'s Miracles according -to the Letter, which he venerates. Very fine indeed! The _Bishop_ would -worship the _Head_ of an _Ass_, and a wiser Man than himself, without -the Charge of Profaneness, must not laugh at his foolish Superstition. - -And _Blasphemy_ lastly does the _Bishop_ accuse me of: And this is a -sad _Bugbear_ Word, that has frighted Abundance of People into -dreadful Apprehensions of my Guilt, even to the Abhorrence of me. But -the _Bishop_ should first have defined, what is meant by _Blasphemy_, -and have proved me guilty of it, before he had made his Exclamations: -Or the _Turks_ may say that a Jest upon their _Alcoran_, in which -there are no Contradictions, is as much a _Blasphemy_, as any -Ludicrousness upon the _Gospels_, which are full of Inconsistencies. -That there is such a Sin or Error, call'd _Blasphemy_, according to -the Scriptures, is certain: But our _Divines_ are undetermined about -the Nature of it. I intend to take my Opportunity to treat on the Sin -of Blasphemy, and to prove, _Ministers_ of the _Letter_ are the only -Persons that can be guilty of it. _Ministers_ of the _Letter_, upon -the Authority of the Fathers, are the Worshippers of the -_Apocalyptical Beast_; and anti-allegorical Expositions are that -_Blasphemy_, St. _John_ writes of, which the _Beast_ and his -Worshippers will open their Mouths in, against the most High. This -shall be proved as clear as the Light. But when I do it, I would not -have any think, it is with an Intention to bring the Bishops of -_London_, _Litchfield_, and St. _David_'s, or any other _Divines_, -under Prosecution for that heinous Sin: No, my God is omnipotent, -omniscient and omnipresent; and knows how and when to reckon with such -Blasphemers, without calling upon the Civil Magistrate to do it for -him. Should I importune the Civil Authority to execute Vengeance upon -them, I should make a foolish _Calf_ or a Senseless _Idol_ of my God, -that was unable, or knew not how, nor when to vindicate his own Cause. -Surely the _Bishop_ of _London_, upon his Prosecution of me for -_Blasphemy_, must think his God now _asleep_ or _gone a Journey_ from -Home; or he would not be for taking God's own Work out of his Hands, -and committing it to the Care of the Civil Magistrates. - -The _Bishop_ moreover should consider, that the Words _prophane_ and -_blasphemous_ are of no Use and Signification among Philosophers, who in -Disputation never cast them at each other, however they may differ in -Opinion. Philosophers are all supposed to be such profound Venerators of -the Deity, as they would not be guilty of _Prophaneness_ and _Blasphemy_ -for the whole World. If any of our School of _Free-Thinkers_ should say -of his Opponent that he's _prophane_ and _blasphemous_, he would be -reprimanded for want of Wit, Temper and good Manners; and be told that -he's like a _Billingsgate Scold_, who has Recourse to impertinent bad -Language, when her Reason fails her for better Rhetorick. - -But it may be, for ought I know, the _Bishop_ has some Design in his -Accusations against me for _Profaneness_ and _Blasphemy_; but I hope -it is a better than to prejudice the Civil Magistrate, or to incense -the Populace. - -According to the Fathers I am so far from being a Blasphemer, that -they say, _Christ_ upon the literal Interpretation of his Miracles is -metamorphosed into the False-Christ, call'd _Anti-Christ_. Whether -there is any Truth in this their Opinion I can't be positive, till the -Experiment is fully made. But if our _Clergy_ will keep their Temper, -and grant me a clear Stage of Battle, I'll try it out; and see whether -I can't, by the Club of Reason and primitive Authority, give their -_Anti-Christ_ a fatal Blow: Who knows but I may give Peace to the -Church, and reconcile all Parties by it? - -However this may be; I am sure, no Man can wish for a greater -Advantage over his Enemy, than I have over the _Bishop_ in this -Controversy: But he shall find me a generous Adversary, who will make -no worse Use of my Advantage over him than now and then to put him in -Mind of his _Pastoral Letter_, and of the Prosecution; unless I should -be tempted, ere long, to publish my _Moderatorial_ Letter, like his -_Pastoral_ one, to the People of _London_ and _Westminster_, with -_Ten_ wholesome Rules in it, not only to caution them against false -Prophets and false Teachers, without forgetting the _Bishop_ of the -_Diocese_, but to direct them to the Ecclesiastical Fountain of the -growing Sins, Errors and Infidelity of the Age, which the _Clergy_ -know I am of Ability to lay open. - -When I began the Publication of these _Discourses_, I own, I laid a -_Trap_ for some considerable _Clergyman_; but little imagined, the -great _Bishop_ of _London_ would be caught in it. But now I have taken -hold of him, I'll not release him out of the Controversy, till he has -sorely repented of his Ignorance or Malice in calling me a _Writer, in -Favour of Infidelity_. - -So much at present for the Bishop of _London_. I have been the quicker -of late in the printing of _this_, because I am given to understand, -the _Bishop_ of St. _David_'s stays for it, intending to make but one -Work of it, and answer all _six Discourses_ together. I hope my -_Rabbi_'s Letter here will be thought by him, a good Payment for his -Patience. And now I shall be in Expectation of his Mountainous -Production, and where I shall hide myself from the terrible Strokes of -his Pen, I have not as yet consider'd. - -I am not a little pleas'd to see a _Couple_ of Dissenting Preachers, -_viz._ Dr. _Harris_ and Mr. _Atkinson_, lifted into the Controversy -against me. If they had kept their Necks out of the Collar, they might -have dissembled and pretended, that, upon the Conclusion of the Battle, -when it would have appear'd, I am a real Contender for Primitive -Christianity, they had a better Understanding of the Fathers, and a -clearer View of my Design, than to suspect me of Blasphemy and -Infidelity: But now they are engag'd with equal Spite, Ignorance and -Defamations against me, they must take their Share of the Fate and -Shame, with the _Clergy_, upon the Conclusion of the Controversy. - -There's no Body can think it worth my while to bestow a Six-penny -_Pamphlet_ upon either of these _Gentlemen_, but for all that, they -shall not be altogether slighted and neglected by me. I have made a -Collection of their Rhetorical Flowers, which occasionally shall be -presented the Publick, to the Admiration of their Wit, Reason, -Learning and Eloquence. And at present only take Notice, that they are -_both_ for the Persecution of me; but not so much for my Opinions, as -the Indecency, Irreverence, and Immorality of my Stile; forsooth! -which is just such a Distinction, as may be easily stretch'd to the -Justification of the Persecution of all Authors, whom the Priesthood -in Power shall not like. Mr. _Atkinson_'s Argument for the Persecution -of me, is much the same with that, which _John Calvin_ used for the -Persecution of that great Philosopher _Servetus_; the Injustice and -Cruelty of whose Death and Sufferings is a greater Reproach to the -Name of _Calvin_, than the Martyrdom of any _Protestant_ can be to the -Memory of any Popish Prelate. - -To conclude, what I have written, in these _Six Discourses_, is with a -View to the Glory of God, the Advancement of Truth, the Happiness of -Mankind, the Demolition of _Babylon_, the Edification of _Jerusalem_, -and the Demonstration of the Messiahship of our Spiritual _Jesus_, to -whom be Glory for ever. _Amen._ - - - ~_FINIS._~ - -[Illustration] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[309] Revelations, Chap. xviii. 11. - -[310] _In his Pastoral Letter_, P. 35. - -[311] Daniel, Chap. vi. 17. - -[312] Adducor ut credam Pilati Annulo & hunc Lapidem signatum. _In -Loc. Matt._ - -[313] _Upon the Place in_ Matthew. - -[314] Si Jesus volebat re vera declarare suam divinam Potentiam, -debuerat suis Insultatoribus, ipsique Præsidi qui capitalem sententiam -contra se tulerat, denique cæteris omnibus se ostendere. _In Orig. -Lib._ ii. _contra Celsum_. - -[315] In _Limborchii_ Amica Collatione cum Judæo. - -[316] Magna sane Res & miranda occurrit hoc loco, quæ non solum -aliquem ex vulgo Credentium exercere posset, sed perfectiores etiam; -cur non Dominus post Resurrectionem æque ac superioribus temporibus -conspiciendum se præbuerit. _In Lib._ ii. _cont._ Celsum. - -[317] Quamvis Celsus has Jesu post Resurrectionem Apparitiones -conferre conetur cum vulgaribus Spectris & Visionibus. _In Origen. -Lib._ ii. _contra Celsum_. - -[318] Comminatus est periculum Accusatoribus Christianorum. _Tertul. -Apol. Cap._ v. - -[319] Justin Matyr. _In Apol._ ii. - -[320] Quod autem a Joseph, rogato Pilato ut Corpus redderet, & sindone -involvitur, & in Monumento novo in Petra excisa reponitur, & Saxum -Ostio Monumenti advolvitur: Quanquam sit Ordo Gestorum, & sepeliri eum -erat necesse, qui resurrecturus erat a mortuis, tamen non sine Rerum -aliquarum Momento expressa sunt singula. Joseph Apostolorum habet -speciem: & idcirco quanquam in duodecem numero Apostolorum non fuerit, -Discipulus Domini nuncupatur. Hic munda sindone corpus involvit; & -quidem in hoc eodem linteo reperimus de coelo ad Petrum universorum -Animantium genera summissa. Ex quo forte non superflue intelligitur -sub lintei hujus nomine consepeliri Christo Ecclesiam: quia tum in eo, -ut in Confusione Ecclesiæ mundorum atque immundorum Animalium fuerit -congesta diversitas. Domini igitur Corpus tanquam per Apostolorum -doctrinam in vacuam & novam requiem Lapidis excisi, _viz._ in pectus -duritiæ Gentilis quodam doctrinæ opere excisum Christus infertur, rude -scilicet & novum, & nullo antea ingressu timoris Dei pervium. Et quia -nihil præter cum oporteat in pectora nostra penetrare, Lapis Ostio -advolvitur: ut quia nullus antea in nos divinæ Cognitionis Auctor -fuerat illatus, nullus absque eo postea inferatur. Metus deinde -furandi Corporis, & Sepulchri Custodia atque Obsignatio, Stultitiæ -atque Infidelitatis Testimonium est; quod signare Sepulchrum ejus -voluerint, cujus præcepto conspexissent de Sepulchro mortuum -suscitatum. _In Loc. Matt._ - -[321] Ad hoc enim Dominus hodie resurrexit, ut Imaginem nobis futuræ -Resurrectionis ostenderet. _In Serm._ clxviii. _Append._ - -[322] Quid singula significent, quærere sanctæ quidem Deliciæ sunt. -_In Johan. Evang. C._ xx. _Tract._ 120. - -[323] Monumentum Christi est divina Scriptura, in qua Divinitatis & -Humanitatis ejus mysteria densitate Litteræ veluti quadam muniuntur -Petra. _In Diversos Homil._ 2. - -[324] Ne putes, tunc solummodo traditus est Christus Principibus -Sacerdotibus & Scribis.----Quando enim vides Scripturas Prophetarum & -Evangelii & Apostolorum traditas esse in Manus falsorum Sacerdotum & -Scribarum; num intelliges quia Verbum Veritatis traditum est -Principibus iniquis & Scribis? _In Mat. C._ xx. - -[325] Interpretario autem Nominis Barabbæ est Patris Filius: Jam -itaque Arcanum Infidelitatis futuræ ostenditur, Christo Patris Filium -præferendo, Antichristum scilicet hominem Peccari & Diaboli filium, -potiusque adhortantibus principibus suis eligunt, Damnationi -reservatum, quam Salutis Authorem. _In Loc. Matt._ - -[326] Velum Templi scissum est, & omnia Legis Sacramenta, quæ prius -tegebantur, prodita sunt atque ad Gentium Populum transierunt. _In -Loc. Matt._ - -[327] Petræ scissæ, id est, universa Vaticinia Prophetarum. _In Epist. -ad Hedibriam._ - -[328] Sed mihi videtur Terræ Motus & reliqua typum ferre credentium, -quod pristinis Errorum vitiis derelictis, & Cordis emollita duritia, -postea agnoverint Creatorem. _In Loc. Matt._ - -[329] Ipsum autem triduum, non totum & plenum fuisse Scriptura Testis -est. _In Libro 4to de Trinitate, Sect. 10._ - -[330] De tribus diebus, multi sancti multa hinc senserint atque -dixerint----Sed nos neutram eorum vacantes sententiam; melius tamen, -si placet in his spiritualem requiramus Intellectum, tres Dies tria -Tempora Sæculi ponentes. _In Serm. de Symbolo._ - -[331] Cum disputamus adversus eos, & cum conquirimus advicem, tunc -quærimus locum Dogmatis illius in litera Legis Historiæ, & ostenditur -secundum Historiam stare non posse. _In Psal._ xxxvi. - -[332] _Pastoral Letter_, P. 25. - -[333] Adventus quidem Christi unus in Humilitate completus est, alius -vero speratur in Gloria. Et hic primus Adventus in Carne, mystico -quodam Sermone in Scripturis Sanctis Umbra ejus appellatur. _In Jesu -Novo Homil._ viii. - -[334] Vera Christi Miracula & Sanatio Infirmorum est spiritualis. _In -Matt. C._ xxv. - -[335] Hæc licet in præsens gesta sunt, quid tamen in futurum -significent contuendum est. _In Matt. C._ x. _S._ 1. Christi Gesta -aliud portendunt. _C._ xii. _S._ 1. Peragunt formam futuri gesta -præsentia. _C._ xxi. - -[336] _Pastoral Letter_, P. 3. - -[337] _Pastoral Letter_, P. 35. - - - - - _BOOKS written by Mr._ WOOLSTON, _and Sold by him next Door below - the_ Star _in_ Aldermanbury, _and by the Booksellers of_ London - _and_ Westminster. - - -I. The Old Apology reviv'd, _&c._ - -II. Dissertatio de Pontii Pilati Epistola ad Tiberium circa Res Jesu -Christi gestas. - -III. Origenis Adamantii Epistolæ duæ circa Fidem vere orthodoxam & -Scripturarum Interpretationem. - -IV. The exact Fitness of the Time of Christ's Advent demonstrated by -Reason against the Objections of the old Gentiles, and modern -Unbelievers. - -V. Four Free-Gifts to the Clergy, or Challenges to a Disputation on -this Question, Whether the Hireling Priests of this Age, who are all -Ministers of the Letter, be not Worshippers of the Apocalyptical -Beast, and Ministers of Anti-Christ? - -VI. An Answer to the said Four Free Gifts. - -VII. Two Letters to Dr. _Bennet_ on this Question, Whether the People -call'd _Quakers_ do not the nearest of any other Sect in Religion, -resemble the Primitive Christians, in Principle and Practice? - -VIII. An Answer to the said two Letters. - -IX. The Moderator between an Infidel and an Apostate: Or the -Controversy between the _Grounds_ and his Ecclesiastical Opponents, -set in a clear Light, _&c._ - -X. Two Supplements to the Moderator, _&c._ - -XI. A Defence of the Miracle of the _Thundering Legion_, against a -Dissertation of _Walter Moyle_, Esq.; - -XII. Six Discourses on the Miracles of our Saviour. - -XIII. His Defence of those Discourses, against the Bishops of St. -_David_'s and _London_. - - - - -[Illustration ] - - Mr. _WOOLSTON_'S - - DEFENCE - - OF HIS - - DISCOURSES, _&c._ - -[Illustration] - - - - - Mr. _Woolston_'s Defence - - OF HIS - - _DISCOURSES_ - - ON THE - - MIRACLES - - OF OUR - - SAVIOUR, - - Against the _Bishops_ of St. DAVID_'s_ - and LONDON, and his other - _Adversaries_. - - PART I. - - _Res Religionis non Verberibus sed Verbis est peragenda._ - Lactant. - - _London_: Printed for the Author, and - Sold by him, next Door to the _Star_ in - _Aldermanbury_, and by the Booksellers of - _London_ and _Westminster_, 1729. - - [Price _One Shilling_.] - - - - -[Illustration] - - TO THE - - QUEEN. - - -Madam, - -_Not long since the_ Bishop _of_ St. David_'s presented to Your_ -Majesty _his_ Vindication; as _I would have done this my_ Defence, _if -I had known how to get Access to Your Royal Presence_. - -_Your_ Majesty _will perceive, that here's a sad War broke out -between the_ Bishop _and my self, about_ Miracles; _which, in all -probability, will cost a large Effusion of Words; and, unless Your_ -Majesty _can accommodate the Difference, will hardly be terminated -without the Slaughter of many Notions and Arguments_. - -_The_ Bishop _is for making Your_ Majesty _the Arbitress of our -Controversy, which I consent to; and he talks of Your singular -Qualifications to preside at it, which I as certainly believe, as that -a_ Bishop _will not lye nor flatter_. - -_Had I known before of Your_ Majesty's _Abilities at this Controversy, -I should have gone near to have applauded You for them; and the World -would readily have believed my Praises of You to be just, because I -had no Bishoprick nor_ Translation _in View for them_. - -_If Your_ Majesty _has no extraordinary Talent at this Controversy, I -trust, You are wiser than to think the Better of Your self for the_ -Bishop_'s Compliment. You'll not be vain; tho' he is fulsome._ - -_But the Bishop_, Madam, _has done me wrong. He would insinuate, that -I am disaffected to the_ King's _Title and Government; which is -entirely false. I Love and Honour Your whole Royal Family, and often -pray for Your_ Majesty _too_, without Pay, _which is more than any_ -Bishop _in_ England _has done for You_. - -_And what are my Prayers for Your_ Majesty? _That God may prolong Your -Days to the comfort of Your Royal Progeny, and the Joy of these -Nations; That the Felicity of Your Life may be uninterrupted by -Enemies and Misfortunes; and That after a good old Age, when Life is -no longer desirable to the happyest Princes, You may be transferr'd to -an heavenly and immortal Crown of Glory. This is the hearty and -voluntary Prayer of_, - -[Sidenote: London, September 27, 1729.] - - Madam, - _Your Majesty's_ - _most humble_, - _most obedient_, - _and faithful Servant_, - Thomas Woolston. - - - - -[Illustration] - - A - - DEFENCE - - OF THE - - DISCOURSES on _Miracles_. - - -At Last, one Volume of _Bishop Smalbroke_'s mountainous Work, that the -_Press_ has been so long pregnant with, is brought forth: And I don't -doubt, but it answers the Expectations of the _Clergy_, who will extol -it to the Skies, and applaud it to the Populace, as an absolute -Confutation of my _Discourses_; but I would advise them, if it be not -too late, not to be too profuse in their Commendations of it, for fear -that an Occasion should be given them to blush for their want of -Judgment. We have had Instances of Books before now (and one very -remarkable, in the Case of _Boyle_ against _Bently_) that have met -with a general Approbation, till they have been sifted into, and upon -Examination found empty; and it is not impossible, but _this_ of the -_Bishop_ before us, may meet with the same Fate. - -I had conceived a great Opinion of this _Bishop_'s Learning and -Abilities, and, if he had not sent[338] two simple _Harbingers_ -before-hand, should have been so apprehensive of his Acuteness, that -nothing, but a thorough Persuasion of the Goodness of my Cause, and of -my Power to defend it, could have kept me from Flight before him. But -I stand my Ground, and shall, against greater Adversaries than this -_Bishop_, who has more weakly and maliciously attack'd me, than you'd -have been expected from one of his reputed Candour and Learning; and -given me greater Advantages to insult and triumph over him, than I -could wish or desire. - -Many other little _Whifflers_ in Divinity have before attack'd me with -their _Squibs_ and _Squirts_ from the _Press_, but I despised them -all, as unworthy of my particular Regard and Notice, reserving my self -for Defence against this _Bishop_'s grand Assault; when, by the by, I -might have an Opportunity to animadvert on one or other of them. Some -of these _Whifflers_, like Men of Honour, have set their Names to -their Works; others very prudently have concealed their Names, which, -upon the best Enquiry I could make, I have not been able to discover, -or I had given them a Rebuke for their Impudence and Slanders. It may -be wonder'd, that any polemical Authors, especially when they write on -the orthodox and establish'd Side of the Question, should conceal -themselves, and that they are not tempted with the Hopes of Reward and -Applause to make themselves known. I will say what I think here, that -it's never Modesty in such _anonymous_ Authors (for we _Scribblers_ in -Divinity, whatever we may pretend, have always a good Conceit of our -selves) but Apprehensions of a sharp Reply to their Dishonour. And -this is the true Reason, why some of my Adversaries industriously -conceal themselves, knowing that they are guilty of wilful and -malicious Lies and Calumnies, which I should chastise them for. But, -as their Names are supprest, they know, it's to no Purpose for me to -expose their Malice, because no body can be put to shame for it. - -The _Bishop_ of St. _David's_ acts here a more glorious Part: He comes -not behind me, like other _Cowards_, to give me a secret Knock on the -Pate, but like a courageous Champion, looks me in the Face, and -admonishes me to stand upon my Guard. This is bravely done in him! And -I have no Fault to find, but that he is providing himself with -_Seconds_ in the Controversy, I mean the _Civil Powers_, and calling -upon them to destroy me, before the Battle is well begun, and whether -he gets the better of me or not. This is not fairly nor honourably -done of the _Bishop_, and I have Reason to complain of it. Tho' I -think my self equal, if not superior in the Dispute, to any of our -_Bishops_, yet I am not a Match for the _King_'s Power, neither would -I lift up my Hand, or use my Pen against him for all the World. If the -_Bishop_ will yield to a fair Combat, and desire the Civil Authority -to stand by and see fair Play between us, I will engage with him upon -any Terms. But to make the _Civil Powers_ Parties in our Quarrel, and -to bespeak them, right or wrong, to favour his Side, is intolerable, -and what we spiritual Gladiators ought to abhor and detest. - -I liked the _Bishop_, when he proposed to the _Queen_ to be _Arbitress_ -of our Controversy. As I will not here question her Qualifications to -judge in it, so the first Opportunity I have of waiting on her -_Majesty_, I will join my Requests to her to accept of the Trouble and -Office. After she has fix'd the Terms of Disputation, and thought of a -proper Reward for the _Victor_, or a Punishment for the _Conquer'd_, -then will we proceed, and either dispute the Matter from the Press, or -scold it out in the Queen's Presence, as she shall think it most -conducive to the Edification of herself, and of her Court-Ladies. - -But the _Bishop_'s Proposal here, and Compliment on the _Queen_, is but -the Copy of his Countenance. He'll submit to no Arbitration: No, no, -he's for having the Civil Powers to be immediate Executioners (without -further hearing what I have to say for my self) of his Wrath and -Vengeance upon me. He's for having them to take it for granted, that he -has proved me an _Infidel_ and _Blasphemer_, and would have them to -inflict some exemplary Punishment upon me, so as to incapacitate me for -ever writing more. Wherefore else does he say thus?[339] "Indeed a more -proper Occasion cannot possibly happen in a Nation, where Christianity -is establish'd by human _Laws_, to invigorate the Zeal of the -Magistrate, in putting the Laws in Execution against so flagrant a Sort -of Profaneness, that tramples with such Indignity on the Grounds of the -_Christian_ Faith; and to convince the World that the _Minister_ of that -_God_, who is so highly affronted, _bears not the Sword in vain_. And -certainly the Higher Powers have great Reason to exert their Authority -on this and the like Occasions." - -I was astonish'd at this Passage, with some others, in the _Bishop_'s -_Dedication_, and could hardly believe my Eyes when I read it; that a -Scholar, a Christian, and a Protestant Bishop, should breath so much -Fury and Fire for the kindling again of _Smithfield_ Faggots! That any -Thing of human Shape should so thirst after that Destruction of another, -which would turn to the Ruin of his own Reputation and Honour! Does the -_Bishop_ believe that he has clearly confuted me, or does he not? If he -believes, and others know that I am absolutely confuted, then there's an -End of the Controversy, the Danger of my _blasphemous_ Books is over; -and why should I undergo any Punishment, which would move the Compassion -of many, and give a greater Reputation to my Writings than they do -deserve? Does the _Bishop_ think he has confuted me? This is Honour and -Triumph enough to him; who, of all Men, should not desire me to be -otherwise punish'd, for fear of getting the Character of a merciless and -implacable Conqueror. Am I in my own Opinion confuted and baffled? This -would be Pain and Mortification enough, even worse than Death. For, -however we polemical _Writers_ may pretend a Readiness to part with our -Errors upon Conviction, as if we could easily yield to our Adversaries, -yet it goes to the Hearts of us to be out-done in Reason and Argument. -As it is said of _Bishop Stillingfleet_, that, being sensible of his -Insufficiency to contend with Mr. _Lock_, he grieved and pined away upon -it: So I, upon Supposition the Bishop of St. _David's_ has confuted me, -must not only necessarily afflict my self, but undergo the Shame of the -Reproaches of the People, for my wicked and impotent Efforts to subvert -their Religion: And what would the _Bishop_ have more? He could desire -no more, if he had absolutely confuted me: But it's plain he dares not -trust to his own Confutation of me; it's plain he's afraid of, what he -is conscious may be made, a smart Reply to him, and therefore he calls -upon the Civil Magistrate for his Help to prevent it. - -After that the _Bishop_ of _London_ had publish'd his _Pastoral -Letter_, and it was reported that the _Bishop_ of St. _David's_ was -preparing a strenuous Vindication of the _litteral_ Story of _Jesus_'s -Miracles, I concluded that the Prosecution would immediately be -dropp'd, and that the Clergy were betaking themselves to that -Christian, Rational, and Philosophical Course of Confutation, and -would no longer make use of Persecution, which is the Armour of hot, -furious, and ignorant Bigots. And there is one Passage in the -_Bishop_'s _Pastoral Letter_, which I interpreted as a Grant of full -Liberty; but, whether I am apt to mistake the Sense of the Fathers of -the _Primitive_ Church or not, I find I did misconstrue the Words of a -Father of our _English_ Church, and turn'd them to another and better -Purpose than he aim'd at. His Words are these[340] "And as to the -_blasphemous manner_, in which a late Writer has taken the Liberty to -treat our Saviour's Miracles, and the Author of them; tho' I am far -from contending, that the Grounds of the Christian Religion, and the -Doctrines of it, may not be discuss'd at all Times in a calm, decent, -and serious Way (on the contrary, I am sure that the more fully they -are discuss'd, the more firmly they will stand) yet I cannot but think -it the Duty of the Civil Magistrate, at all Times, to take Care that -Religion be not treated in a _ludicrous_ or _reproachful_ Manner, and -effectually to discourage such Books and Writings as strike equally at -the Foundation of all Religion, _&c._" What the _Bishop_ of _L._ here -says, of his _thinking it the Duty of the Civil Magistrate at all -Times, to take Care that Religion be not treated in a ludicrous -manner_, I understood as an Excuse for what he had done in stirring up -the Civil Magistrate to a Prosecution of me; and that now, like a -Philosopher, he was for letting Truth and Religion to take its Course, -and for leaving it to a free Discussion, whether in a _ludicrous_ or -in a _calm_, _decent_ or _serious_ Way. But I confess, I have mistaken -the _Bishop_'s Words, finding by Experience, that (for all the -natural Import of his Expression, that Liberty should be used to -discuss the Grounds of Religion in a _serious_ Manner) he'll no more -suffer it, if he can help it, to be contested in a _serious_, than in -a _ludicrous_ Way; wherefore else did he move for the Prosecution of a -late _London Journal_, which was all _calm_, _decent_, and _serious_ -Argument. And the Bishop of St. _David's_ his furious _Dedication_ -now, confirms me in this Opinion, that our _Clergy_ (for all their -preaching up Liberty with as much Force and Strength of Reason as any -Men, and for all their Invitations to _Infidels_, to say and print -their worst against Christianity) will by no means, if they can hinder -it, suffer any Attacks to be made upon their Religion, nor cease their -Importunities and Solicitations of the Civil Magistrate to -Persecution. Blessed be God, the _Bishops_ are not my _Judges_ as well -as my _Accusers_, or I know, what would become of me. - -Mr. _Atkinson_, a little Writer against me, says,[341] "That I call -the pretended Divines of the Church my Prosecutors, when they were not -my Prosecutors. And _again_, That there was no need of my Supposition, -that the _Clergy_ would have more Wit than to prosecute me again for -this _Discourse_; for he did not know that they had been concern'd in -any Prosecution of me." And again he says, "If the Civil Magistrate -thinks it his Duty to chastise me for my Sin and Folly, I am to blame -my self, and not the _Clergy_, till I can prove the Zeal of our -Christian Government to be excited by the malign Influence of the -_Clergy_." Mr. _Atkinson_ is thus far certainly in the right on't, -that, strictly speaking, the _Clergy_ are not my Prosecutors, but the -King, who, in all probability, knows no more of my Books than the Man -in the Moon. But whether Mr. _Atkinson_ could be so ignorant, as not -to know the _Clergy_ were the grand Instigators to Prosecution, let -others judge. If he really was such a poor _Ignoramus_, I have no more -to say: Otherwise, his Expressions above, will be look'd upon as the -vilest Piece of Hypocrisy and Prevarication that can be, purposely -utter'd to take off the _Odium_ of the Prosecution from the _Clergy_, -and to cast it upon the Civil Government; which, whether Mr. -_Atkinson_ believes it or not, had never, but for the Solicitations of -the _Bishops_, given me any Trouble. Mr. _Atkinson_ above, acts the -Part of the Popish Clergy of _France_, upon the Revocation of the -Edict of _Nantes_. After that the King, upon the urgent Importunities -of the Clergy, had resolv'd to revoke that Edict; the Clergy were for -excusing themselves to the Protestants, and laying the Blame only on -the King, saying, _The King was bent and resolv'd on't, and they could -not help it_; which was such Jesuitical Prevarication in the Popish -Clergy, that the Protestants could not forbear _roguing_ them for it. -Mr. _Atkinson_ knows how to apply this Story; which I had not told, -but for the Use of the Bishop of _L._ who, upon a certain Occasion -could say, that it was not He, but the _Government_ that prosecuted -Mr. _Woolston_. If Mr. _Atkinson_ was really so ignorant as he seems -to be, I suppose he is now of another Mind, upon reading the _Bishop_ -of St. _David's_ Dedication; and convinced that the Prosecution -against me was began and carried on at the _malign influence_, as he -calls it, of the Clergy. - -I will here use no Arguments for Liberty of Debate, which Subject has -already been copiously handled, and wants nothing, that I can add unto -it. But before I enter into the Body of the _Bishop_'s Book, and upon -a profess'd Defence of my Discourses against him, let us consider the -manifest Lies, Prevarications, and wicked Insinuations in his -_Dedication_, whereby he would move the Secular Powers to a severe -Punishment of me. I will pass by the _Motto_ of his Book, _viz. But -Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of Man with a -Kiss_; Whereby he would signify and intimate, not to _Scholars_ (for -they have more Wit than to think the worse of me for his Abuse of -Scripture) but to the ignorant Multitude, that I am another _Judas_, a -Traitor and Rebel to _Jesus_. Commonly _Mottos_ of Books are suited to -their Authors, and the Design of them; whether the _Bishop_ will be -willing to take this _Motto_ to himself or not, I will upon another -Occasion give it a pleasant and pertinent Turn upon him. At present I -shall only say, what the Learned will observe, that _this_ is of a -wicked and malicious Use and Intention, of no less, than to create in -the Minds of the People an Hatred and Detestation of me; of no other, -than by dressing me up, as it were, in a Bear's Skin, to excite the -Ecclesiastical and merciless Mob to worry and destroy me. Such has -been the roguish Artifice of priests of all Ages, to represent their -Adversaries, whom they would destroy, under odious and borrow'd Names, -that their Persecutions of them might be thought the less cruel. But -passing this by for the present, the - -I. First wicked and wilful Misrepresentation that the _Bishop_, in his -Dedication, has made of me, is that of being an _Infidel_, and an -_Apostate_ Clergyman. Wherefore else does he say thus to the Queen: -"What is now presented to your Royal View, is an Apologetical Defence -of our holy Religion, against one of the most virulent Libels on it, -by an _Apostate Clergyman_, that has appear'd in any Christian -Country; and in Comparison of which, other _Infidels_ have acted a -modest Part." And again he calls my _Discourses_, "A flagrant Sort of -Profaneness, that tramples with Indignity on the Grounds of the -Christian Faith." And again he signifies, "That I am warmly engaged in -subverting the Christian Religion, and active in propagating -Infidelity." This is all wilful and downright Calumny, to incense the -Queen and the Government against me. The _Bishop_ knows in his Heart -that I am no _Infidel_, but a Believer of Christianity, -notwithstanding my _Discourses_ on Miracles, that have occasion'd such -a Clamour against me. In my _Discourses_, I have repeatedly and most -solemnly declared, that my Designs are not to do Service to -Infidelity, but to advance the Glory of God, the Truth of -Christianity, and to demonstrate the _Messiahship_ of the holy -_Jesus_. If I have sometimes ridiculed the litteral Story of our -Saviour's Miracles, I have profess'd as often that it was with Design -to turn Men's Hearts to the mystical Interpretation of them, on which -alone _Jesus_'s Authority and Messiahship is founded. I could collect -a great Number of Passages out of my _Discourses_ to this Purpose, if -it would not be wasting of Time and Paper. And do all these solemn -Declarations of my Faith, and of the Integrity of my Heart, and of the -Sincerity of my Intentions, stand for nothing? Why should not my Word -here be taken? I can think of no other Reason, than because some other -Folks are accustom'd to dissemble and prevaricate with God and Man in -their Oaths and Subscriptions, therefore I may be suspected here of -Hypocrisy, notwithstanding my Professions to the contrary. - -Besides, the _Bishop_ knows by my other Writings, that I am certainly -a Christian, and a true Believer of the Religion of Christ, though I -may have some different Conceptions from other Men about it. It has -been my good Luck before, not only to publish more Treatises purposely -and professedly in Defence of Christianity, than any _Bishop_ in -_England_; but some of them are of such a Nature, as it's impossible -for a Man to write without being a Christian, and impossible for him -to depart from the Principles of them. This is my good Fortune and -Happiness at this Juncture. The _Bishop_ has perused, I see, some of -my other Writings, and particularly, my _Old Apology for the Truth of -Christianity revived_; and to his Praise, as well as my Comfort be it -spoken, he apprehends and rightly relishes it. And as I was well -pleased with his Representation of the Design of that Book, from the -Principles and allegorical Scheme of which, he says (in Twenty-four -Years since) I am not departed; so I would appeal to his Conscience, -Whether a Man, who wrote, as I did then, of the Typical and Antitupal -Deliverance of the _Jewish_ and _Christian_ Church, can possibly be an -Infidel, or ever depart from the Christian Faith? If the _Bishop_ has -Ingenuity equal to his Penetration into that Book, he must own and -confess to the World, that I was then, and am still a Christian, a Man -of fix'd and unalterable Principles from that Day to this. - -The _Bishop_ would be thought in his _Preface_ to enumerate all my -Writings; but there are three others, whether wilfully or negligently -omitted by him, I know not, that are direct Defences of the Truth of -Christianity; and there is not a learned _Clergy-man_ in _England_ (I -humbly presume to say it) who can read them, and not applaud them. If -the _Bishop_ will be pleas'd to read one of them, _viz. The Defence of -the Miracle of the Thundering Legion_, and say it from his Heart, that -I might write that Book, and believe the Ecclesiastical Story of that -Miracle, and yet be no Christian, then I will yield to his Accusation -against me for Infidelity. - -But why do I trouble my self thus to assert and vindicate my Belief of -Christianity? The _Bishop_ would readily come into the Acknowledgment -of my being a sincere Christian, but for his Interests and Prejudices, -and other political Considerations, which influence him and the -_Clergy_ so to decry and defame me, that, if possible, I must be -destroy'd, or at least have my Mouth stopp'd. - -In short then, it is not because I am an _Infidel_, that the _Clergy_ -so exclaim against me and my _Discourses_; but because, as a -Christian, I have particular Designs in view, which, if I can compass, -will tend to their Dishonour, and the Ruin of their Interests; and -therefore, by Defamations and Prosecutions, they will, if they can, -in time put a stop to them. The Designs that, for the Truth of -Religion, and Good of Mankind, I have in view, and which, maugre all -Opposition, Terrors, and Sufferings, I will pursue to the utmost of my -Power, are these three. - -1. To restore the Allegorical Interpretation of the Old and New -Testament, that is call'd, say the Fathers, the sublime Mountain of -Vision, on which we shall contemplate the Wisdom and Beauty of the -Providence of God; and behold the glorious Transfiguration of _Jesus_ -with _Moses_ and _Elias_, that is, the Harmony between the Gospel and -the Law and the Prophets, agreeably to _Jesus_'s typical -Transfiguration. And this is such a glorious and beatifick Vision, -that it's enough to ravish our Hearts with the Hopes and Desires of -attaining to it. The old _Jews_ say, that the allegorical -Interpretation of the Scriptures will lead us to the sight of God and -convert even _Atheists_. The Fathers say, that the allegorical -Interpretation will be the Conversion of the _Jews_ in the Perfection -of Time; and St. _Augustin_ speaks of a great allegorical -_Genius_,[342] that will be sent to that Purpose. I believe all this, -and being convinced of the Truth of it, I am much addicted to -Allegories. And it is plain enough, and wants no Proof, that the -Revival of the allegorical Scheme, which I am fond of, portends Ruin -to the _Ministry of the Letter_; and will be such an Argument of the -Ignorance and Apostacy of our _Clergy_, that it's no wonder they -defame, calumniate, and persecute me for my Attempts towards it. - -_Origen_ says,[343] that _litteral Interpreters will run into -Infidelity_, which is a Saying I am well pleased with, and thereupon -will try if I can't turn the Tables upon our _Clergy_; I'll try if I -can't shift from my self the present Load of Reproaches for Infidelity, -and lay it upon them. What would the Wife and the Learned then say? That -the great _Bishops_ of _London_ and St. _David's_ had caught a _Tartar_. - -I have indeed ludicrously treated the Letter of the Scriptures (in my -_Discourses_) which by the said _Bishops_ is falsly called -_Blasphemy_: But should they either _ludicrously_ or _sedately_ write -against the allegorical Sense of them, I could prove _that_ to be -real _Blasphemy_. However, I would not complain to the Civil Powers -against them; no, it's God's peculiar Prerogative to punish that Sin, -which ought not to be committed to the Care of the Civil Magistrate. - -But what need I _ludicrously_ to handle the Letter of our Saviour's -Miracles? Because some Sort of Stories are the proper Subjects of -_Ridicule_; and because, _Ridiculum acri fortius & melius_, Ridicule -will cut the Pate of an Ecclesiastical Numbskull, which calm and -sedate Reasoning will make no Impression on. - -To speak then the Truth in few Words. As I am resolv'd at any Rate to -run down the _Letter_, in order to make way for the _Spirit_ of the -Scriptures, so certainly will our Clergy, for their Interests and -Honour, as Ministers of the Letter, vilify and reproach me, and pursue -me with an implacable Hatred: But I should think it meet for them to -use a little more Temper in their Revilings, for fear the Torrent of -Reproaches should sometime or other turn on them. It is asserted and -predicted by the Fathers that, after a certain Time of the Church's -Apostacy to the _Letter_, the _Spirit of Life_, or the allegorical -Sense will re-enter the Scriptures, to the Advancement of divine -Knowledge and true Religion; in the mean while the _Clergy_ will do -well to see to it. But, - -2. The Second Design which, as a Christian, I have in View, and which -occasionally I write for, is an universal and unbounded Toleration of -Religion, without any Restrictions or Impositions on Men's -Consciences; for which Design, the _Clergy_ will hate and defame me, -and, if possible, make an Infidel of me, as well as for the former. -Upon an universal Toleration the World would be at quiet: That Hatred -of one another, which is now so visible among different Sects, would -then be terminated by a Unity of their Interests, when they are all -upon the Level in the Eye of the Civil Magistrate, who would choose -Men to Places of Trust, not for their Faith and Affection to -Theological Doctrines, but for their Abilities to serve the Publick. -In this Case, Ten thousand different _Notions_ in Religion would no -more obstruct the Welfare of the Community, than so many different -_Noses_ do the Happiness of this City. The Variety of their -Theological Opinions, would be the Diversion and Amusement of each -other; and so long as it was out of their Power to oppress, they could -not hate one another for them. Such a Toleration, the _Clergy_ would -persuade us, tends to Confusion and Distraction, as if Men would go to -_Loggerheads_ upon it. But this is one of their Mistakes; there would -be a perfect Calm upon it, if such Incendiaries as they are did not -disturb the publick Tranquillity. They'll tell us again, that such a -Toleration makes Way for Dissoluteness of Morals, and would let in Sin -like a Deluge upon us; but this is another of their Errors. Such a -Toleration would promote Virtue, in as much as different Sects of -Religion are a Check upon each other against Looseness of Morals, -because every Sect would endeavour to approve itself above others, by -the Goodness of their Lives, as well as by the Excellency of their -Doctrine. But the _Clergy_ will never hearken to such a Toleration, -because it would be the Downfall of Ecclesiastical Power; for which -Reason, among many others, I am - -3. For the Abolition of an hired and establish'd Priesthood. And for -this, if for nothing else, I am sure to be prosecuted with Hatred and -Violence, and loaded with the Calumnies and Reproaches of Infidelity -and Blasphemy: And the _Clergy_, if possible, will have my Mouth -stopp'd, and my Hands tied, before I proceed too far in my Labours -and Endeavours to this End. - -And why should not the _Clergy_ of the Church of _England_ be turn'd -to Grass, and be made to seek their Fortune among the People, as well -as Preachers of other Denominations? Where's the Sense and Reason of -imposing Parochial _Priests_ upon the People to take care of their -Souls, more than Parochial _Lawyers_ to look to their Estates, or -Parochial _Physicians_ to attend their Bodies, or Parochial _Tinkers_ -to mend their Kettles? In secular Affairs every Man chooses the Artist -and Mechanick that he likes best; so much more ought he in Spirituals, -in as much as the Welfare of the Soul is of greater Importance than -that of the Body or Estate. The Church-Lands would go a good, if not a -full Step, towards the Payment of the Nation's Debts. - -I have promised the World, what, by the Assistance of God, and the -Leave of the Government, shall be publish'd, a _Discourse_ on the -Mischiefs and Inconveniencies of an Hired and Establish'd Priesthood: -In which it shall be shewn, - -I. That the Preachers of Christianity in the first Ages of the Church -(when the Gospel was far and near spread, and triumph'd over all -Opposition of _Jews_ and _Gentiles_) neither received nor insisted on -any Wages for their Pains, but were against preaching for Hire; and, -as if they had been endew'd with the Spirit of Prophecy, before an -Hireling Priesthood was establish'd, predicted their Abolition and -Ejection out of Christ's Church. - -II. That since the Establishment of an _Hire_ for the Priesthood, the -Progress of Christianity has not only been stopt, but lost Ground; the -Avarice, Ambition, and Power of the Clergy having been of such -unspeakable Mischief to the World, as is enough to make a Man's -Heartake to think, read, or write of. - -III. That upon an Abolition of our present establish'd Priesthood, and -on God's Call of his own Ministers, the Profession of the Gospel will -again spread; and Virtue, Religion, and Learning, will more than ever -flourish and abound. - -The Clergy are forewarn'd of my Design to publish such a _Discourse_; -and this is the secret Reason, whatever openly they may pretend, of -their Accusations against me for Blasphemy and Infidelity. Their Zeal -and Industry will be never wanting to prevent the Publication of this -_Discourse_; neither need I doubt of Persecution, if they can excite -the Government to it, to that End. - -In my first Discourse on Miracles, I happen'd to treat on that of -Jesus's driving the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple; which, upon -the Authority of the Fathers, I shew'd to be a Figure of his future -Ejection of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons out of his Church, for -making Merchandise of the Gospel. The _Bishop_ has taken me and that -Miracle to task; and if ever any Man smiled at another's Impertinence, -I then heartily laugh'd when I read him. I begg'd of the _Bishop_ -before-hand[344] not to meddle with that Miracle, because it was a hot -one, and would burn his Fingers. But for all my Caution; he has been -so Fool-hardy, as to venture upon it; but has really touch'd and -handled it, as if it was a _burning Coal_. He takes it up, and as soon -drops it again to blow his Fingers; then endeavours to throw a little -Water on _this_ and _that_ Part of it to cool it, but all would not -do. The most fiery Part of it, _viz._ that of its being a Type of -Jesus's future Ejection of mercenary Preachers out of the Church, he -has not, I may say it, at all touch'd, except by calling it[345] _my -allegorical Invective against the Maintenance of the Clergy_; which is -such a Piece of _Corinthian_ Effrontery in the _Bishop_, that was he -not resolv'd to lye and defame at all Rates, for the Support of their -Interests, he could never have had the Face to have utter'd. If the -_Bishop_ had proved that _that_ Miracle (which litterally was such -a----, as I dare not now call it) neither was nor could be a Shadow -and Resemblance of Jesus's Ejection of hired Priests out of the Church -at his second Advent, and that the Fathers were not of this Opinion, -he had knock'd me down at once. As he has done nothing of this, so he -might have spared his Pains in Support of the Letter of this Story. -But I shall have a great deal of Diversion with the _Bishop_, when I -come, in a proper Place, to defend my Exposition of that Miracle. In -the mean Time, as the Bishop has publish'd one of the Articles of my -Christian Faith, thinking to render me odious for it; so here I will -insert another, _viz._[346] "I believe upon the Authority of the -Fathers, that the Spirit and Power of Jesus will _soon_ enter the -Church, and expel Hireling Priests, who make Merchandise of the -Gospel, out of her, after the manner he is supposed to have driven the -_Buyers_ and _Sellers_ out of the Temple." - -Now upon all this, whether the _Bishop_, modestly speaking, has not been -unjust, uncharitable, and insincere, to represent me as an _Infidel_, I -appeal to all learned and ingenuous Gentlemen. I am a Christian, though -not upon the _litteral_ Scheme, which I nauseate, yet upon the -_allegorical_ one. And by the following easy and short Argument it may -be proved that I am most certainly a Christian. I heartily and zealously -contend for the allegorical Interpretation of the Scriptures, which the -_Bishop_ allows to be true of me; consequently I must, and do believe -the Scriptures to be of divine Inspiration, or I could not think there -were such Mysteries and Prophecy latent under the Letter of them. -Whether then a Believer of the divine Inspiration of the Scriptures can -be an Infidel (O most monstrous Paradox!) or any other than a Christian, -judge Readers. Nay, if _Origen_'s and St. _Augustin_'s Testimony on my -Behalf may be admitted, I am more truly a Christian and Disciple of the -Holy Jesus, than any _litteral Schemist_ can be. _Origen_ says,[347] -That the Perfection of Christianity consists in a mystical -Interpretation of the Old and New Testament, of the Historical, as well -as other Parts of it. And St. _Augustin_ says,[348] That they who attain -to the Understanding of the spiritual Signification of Jesus's Miracles, -are the best Doctors in his School. The _Bishop_ understands this -Argument as well as any Man, and therefore I charge it home upon him, as -a wilful and malicious Slander, to call and account me an Infidel in his -_Dedication_, on purpose to incense the Government against me at this -Juncture. - -But the _Bishop_ moreover calls me, as above, an _Apostate Clergyman_; -And why so? Because I have deserted the _Ministry of the Letter_, and -betaken my self to the _Ministry of the Spirit_ of the Scriptures. -That's like the Wit and Reasoning of his Pate! The _Bishop_ is old -enough, and has read enough to know that _Apostacy_, in the Sense of -the Fathers, is a Desertion of the _Ministry of the Spirit_, and a -Falling into the _Ministry of the Letter_ of the Scriptures; whereupon -I make bold to retort upon the _Bishop_, and say of him, and his -Episcopal Brethren, that they are _Apostate Bishops_. - -But to humour the _Bishop_ in his fond _Dedication_, I will suppose my -self to be, what I am the farthest of any Man living from being, an -_Infidel_ and _Apostate_; yet - -II. The _Bishop_ is a wilful Calumniator, or, at best, an unhappy -Misrepresenter of me, and of other Infidels, saying in his -_Dedication_, that our Design is _To sap the Foundation of all -Government_, and----_That we were pursuing such Methods, as have a -natural Tendency to introduce Confusion_. If this was true of us -Infidels (for now I speak of my self as one of them) it behoves Civil -Governors to look about them, and to punish and suppress us with all -speed; and we should be the most unreasonable Men alive, if we -complain'd of Persecution, or call'd it hard Usage. And the _Bishop_ -of _London_, and other _Divines_ (like this _Bishop_) do commonly -declaim on the Danger of Infidelity to Civil Society, but this is all -Ecclesiastical Cant and Jargon. I thought I had given[349] the -_Bishop_ of _London_ so much on this Head of Complaint against -Infidelity, as I could not suppose the _Bishop_ of St. _David's_ would -ever have repeated it. It is true, what the _Bishop_ says, that -_Religion is the firmest Support of Government_, and _Christianity -especially lays the greatest Obligations, on Men's Consciences, of -Obedience to the Civil Powers_. I believe all this, and that the -better Christians Men are, the more quiet, peaceable, and useful -Subjects, and the greater Friends would they be to the Civil -Authority. But does it follow from hence, that we _Infidels_, because -we have rejected the Belief of some systematical Divinity, as the -_Clergy_ are fond of, should consequently be Enemies to the Civil -Government, and Foes to the Peace, Order, and Welfare of Society? O -fie upon the Drawers of such Consequences! We are, I believe, a -numerous and growing Sect in these Nations, though I am acquainted -with none, no, not so much as with the Great Mr. _Grounds_: But I -could never perceive that any of us, in Principle, were against Civil -Government, and the Welfare of the Community; or were for _Confusion_, -for setting the People together by the Ears, to the Disturbance of the -publick Peace and Tranquillity. No, no, our Interests in the World, as -well as other Men's, oblige us to consult the publick Welfare; and -our Consciences, from the Religion of Nature, bind us to Obedience to -Government; and, was it not agreeable to our Inclination, the -Necessity of Affairs would force us to be as quiet and obedient as are -any Christians: And I thank God, we have hitherto behaved our selves -very peaceably, clear of all Suspicion of Treason and Rebellion to any -Prince or State. The _Bishop_ hints at Experience to the contrary, but -it will puzzle him to give an Instance. One would think, by this -common Harangue, of _Ecclesiasticks_ against us _Infidels_, that -Christians, especially the Priesthood, being, as the _Bishop_ says, -both _under the Penalties of human Laws, and the stronger Impressions -of a future State_, were of a Lamb-like Nature, and never given to -disturb the Civil Authority: And I will own the Christian _Laity_ -might be acquitted here, but for the _Clergy_, who have been -repeatedly the _Pest_ and _Bane_ of human Society, the Trumpeters of -Sedition and Rebellion, and mere Make-bates in Cities and Families. -And I dare say, that if the Civil Powers don't curb, and keep our -_Priesthood_ in awe, they will upon this present Occasion be the -Disturbers of the publick Peace. So little Sense and Truth is there -in the _Bishop_'s present Invective against us Infidels! If he had not -been infatuated to a Forgetfulness of the _Rogueries_ of Priests, in -all Ages, against the Civil Powers, he could never have insinuated -such a groundless and senseless Charge against us, to the Provocation -of the Civil Magistrate to fall on us. But - -III. The _Bishop_ calumniates us Infidels (for against his Conscience, -whether I will or not, he will have me to be one of them) not only for -being Enemies to Government in general, which he will have us to -advance Principles destructive of; but insinuates and asserts that we -are disaffected to the particular and present Government of these -Kingdoms, saying, that as "we are active in propagating Infidelity, we -do in the last Resort, not only insult the Title of _Defender of the -Faith_, but undermine the undoubted Right of his Majesty and his Royal -Family to the Crown of these Realms, as it is founded on the -Profession of _Christianity_, reform'd, and now legally settled among -us; and therefore Persons of that Character may well be consider'd, as -equally false to the Author of our Faith, and to the present -Government.----Therefore in a just Sense of that Allegiance which is -due to the King, and for the Security of your Majesties, and the -Royal Family, and thereby of the Publick it self, as well as out of a -deep Concern for the Honour and Preservation of our most holy Faith, -the ensuing Treatise is now offer'd, under your Majesty's Protection, -to the View of the Publick." This is all such foolish and manifest -Slander, that I can't but think the _Bishop_ mad with Rage and -Indignation at me, when he writ it. I dare say the _Queen_, who is -firmly attach'd to the Interests of the Christian and Protestant -Religion, did, when she read all this, almost grieve for the _Bishop_, -and pity him for his Weakness and Ignorance. It is a _Maxim_ among all -Parties, that _Infidels_ are heartily affected to the present -Establishment of the State; yea, so far a _Maxim_, that _Jacobites_ -and _High-Church-men_ are apt to accuse all the well-affected to the -Government, of Infidelity. From none of the Writings or Practice of -Infidels, much less of my self, could the _Bishop_ gather any of these -his _childish_ Surmises. The Government, since the Succession of the -Illustrious House of _Hanover_, has been twice attempted to be -disturb'd, and both times by profess'd Christians. The Rebellion at -_Preston_ consisted of _Papists_ and _High-Church-men_, and tho' -there were but few _Clergy-men_ in Arms, yet they were join'd with the -Prayers and Wishes of many Thousands of the _Clergy_, and even, as it -was suspected, of some _Oxonian Bishops_. Bishop _Atterbury_'s Plot -too consisted of Rebellious Christians, without the least intermixture -of us _Infidels_, who are the more zealously affected to the -Government, because of the Danger it is sometimes in from the -_High-Church Clergy_. Away then with the _Bishop_'s Slander, which, -for all we may be Unbelievers of Christianity, our Civil Magistrates -will laugh at and deride him for. But, - -IV. Another Misrepresentation, more foolish and absurd than the former, -that the _Bishop_ has made of us _Infidels_, is, that we are making Way -for Popery and Slavery: For thus he says of us, "Nothing is more -demonstrable, than that those Adversaries (meaning us _Infidels_) of the -Christian Religion, who are now so busily employ'd in infusing Doubts -into some weak Minds, in giving an Indifference and Coldness to other -well-meaning Persons, and in making others, that are viciously inclin'd, -actual Proselites to Infidelity, are pursuing such Methods as have a -natural Tendency to introduce Confusion, and thereby betray us into -_Popery_." And again he says of Infidels, "That in Consequence of their -own Infidelity, and their wicked Diligence in spreading that Infection, -are bringing in upon us the real Persecutions of the Church of _Rome_; -who likewise, whilst they rail so plentifully at the most rational -Religion in the World as Superstition, give great Advantages towards -restoring the insupportable _Superstitions_ of that Communion. These are -the Persons indeed that appear in favour of an unbounded Liberty, but -God grant it may not terminate in an absolute _Slavery_." _Risum quis -tenerat?_ Who in his Wits could write such Stuff? And who without -Impatience can read it? I was going about a particular Dissection of -these two Paragraphs, and to lay open the Wit, Sense, and Oratory of the -_Bishop_, to the Contemplation of his Admirers; but I find it -unnecessary, as well as tedious to do it: The very transcribing of them, -and exposing them to View, is enough to render him ridiculous. If there -be no more danger of Popery, Slavery, Superstition, Tyranny, and real -Persecution from our _Clergy_, than from us _Infidels_, the Nation is -safe. _Infidels_ find too much Inconvenience in the Power, Craft, and -Follies of a Protestant _Clergy_, to make Way for _Popery_; which, as -the _Bishop_ rightly says, is a _Complication_ of Errors. There are, -what the _Bishop_ should have thought of, many Protestant Priests for an -Accommodation with the Church of _Rome_; and, if I mistake not, upon -such easy Terms as _this_, _viz._ If she'll but part with some of her -Superstitions that are of no Use to her; our _Clergy_ will admit of -others as will be of Advantage to them. But _Infidels_ are -irreconcilable Enemies to the Church of _Rome_, and so far from Wishes -and Endeavours to restore Popery, that it is mere Nonsense to charge -them with either direct or consequential Designs so to enslave Mankind. -But - -V. The _Bishop_ says, that we Infidels (for I am one it seems) _labour -industriously to root out all Sense of Virtue and Religion among us_. -This is sad indeed, if true; and very bad Men should we be, and -deserving of the worst Punishment. But this wants Proof. How does he -know that we are for rooting out all Sense of Virtue and Religion -amongst Men? Does it appear so by our Writings or our Practices? Does he -find in our Books any Exhortations to Looseness and Immorality? Nothing -of this I am sure. Is he then so well acquainted with Infidels, as to -know them to be of more depraved and debauch'd Lives than profess'd -Christians? Nor this neither. I have not as yet heard that any of my -Disciples have been hang'd, lamenting his Misfortune of reading my -_Discourses_, as what encouraged him to Sin, and brought him to the -Gallows. No, those unhappy People, hitherto, die in the Faith and -Communion of the Church, either of _England_ or of _Rome_, and hope to -be saved through the Merits of their Saviour, Neither do, I hear of any -Gentleman, old or young, who has given a greater Loose to his Lusts and -Passions, since he read my Books. Such News would trouble me. - -But because of this Out-cry of the _Bishop_, and of other Preachers -against us, that we labour industriously to root out all Sense of -Virtue and Religion amongst Men, I wish (for Proof) that _Infidels_ -were distinguishable from Christians, that a Comparison might be made, -and the Difference discern'd between them, as to true Religion and -Virtue. Tho' I am one of little Acquaintance with Infidels, yet it is -my Opinion that, on this Score, they may vie with, and, all things -consider'd, do surpass Christians. One would think, by the _Bishop_'s -Insinuation above, that none but _good_ People were of his Christian -Faith; and that all Infidels were profligate Sinners; but he knows -better, and what's more, he should have been more ingenuous than to -charge _Infidels_ with _Labours to root out all Sense of Virtue and -Religion amongst Men_, if it was but in Regard to that learned -Gentleman who is supposed to be at the Head of Infidelity, and who, -they say, is as exemplary for all social Virtues, as any _Bishop_; and -dislikes Vice and Immorality as much as any Saint can do. - -Whatever be the _Virtue_ and _Religion_ of _Infidels_, it is all -genuine, natural, and sincere; and consequently more Praise-worthy than -_that_ of hired Priests, who may be suspected of Hypocrisy, because of -their Interests. I heard a wild Spark say, that he could be as grave as -the _Bishop_ of _London_, if he was but as well paid for it. Whether he -believ'd the _Bishop_ would have been as loose as himself, but for his -_Hire_, I can't tell. But this is certain that, what can't be said of -Infidels, there are Priests who put on the Face and Form of Godliness, -and want the Life and Power of it; who lift up their Hands and Eyes unto -God, when their Hearts are far from him; and were not their Interests -more than their Faith, a Restraint to their Lusts, it is commonly -believ'd they would be a Company of loose _Blades_. - -What a Pother is here of the Danger and Mischief of Infidelity to -Church and State? Do but take away the Cause of Infidelity, and the -Effect ceases. And what is the Cause of Infidelity? Why, what _Origen_ -predicted, I experience to be true, that the _Ministry of the Letter_ -is the Cause of it; and I appeal to Mr. _Grounds_, Whether litteral -Expositions on the Scripture, and the absurd Doctrines which the -_Clergy_ have built upon the _Letter_, have not been one Cause of his -calling into Question, the Truth of Christianity, and the divine -Inspiration of the holy Scriptures? But this is not the only Cause of -Infidelity; there are other grand ones, which Dr. _Moore_ writes of, -saying thus:[350] "That Men are exceedingly tempted to think the whole -Business of Religion is at best but a Plot to enrich the Priests, and -keep the People in awe, from observing that they, who make the -greatest Noise about Religion, and are the most zealous therein, do -neglect the Laws of Honesty and common Humanity; that they easily -invade other Men's Rights; that they juggle, dissemble, and lye for -Advantage; that they are proud, conceited, love the Applause of the -People, are envious, fierce, and implacable, unclean and sensual, -merciless and cruel; care not to have Kingdoms flow in Blood, for -maintaining their Tyranny over the Consciences of poor deluded Souls." -If then there is any Danger of any kind in Infidelity, let the -_Clergy_ take the Blame and Shame of it to themselves, and not lay -that Fault, which is their own, upon other Men. - -But observing that Dr. _Moore_ above speaks of Priests, their -_neglecting the Laws of Honesty_ and _common Humanity_, as a Cause of -Infidelity, I must here do a piece of Justice to Infidels, who place -the very _Essence_ of all Religion (as I believe the Essence of -Christianity consists) in _common Honesty_. If they keep to their -Principles, and act agreeably, they will work such a Reformation in -the World for the better, as the _Priests_ of all Ages have not been -able to do. The _Clergy_ have made such a Noise in the World about -_Faith_ and _Doctrine_, that the People hardly think they need be -_Honest_ to be good Christians and even many _Clergy-men_ are -conceited of their being _orthodox_ and _sound Divines_, though by -their Dishonesty, Profuseness, and Neglect of a Provision for their -Families, they have, in the Judgment of[351] St. _Paul_, deny'd the -Faith, and are worse than Infidels. - -And thus have I consider'd the Slanders and Misrepresentations of my -self and Infidels, contain'd in the _Bishop_'s _Dedication_ to the -_Queen_, which entirely is such a Piece of Fury, Railing, and -Impertinence, as a Man shall hardly meet with. Surely he was not awake -when he wrote his _Dedication_, it is so like the _Dream_ of a -disorder'd Brain which consists of confused Notions, and scatter'd -Ideas, that are never to be so compacted together, as to make tolerable -Sense, Reason, and Truth. If I had not met with much such flaming Stuff -in the Body of his Book, I should have suspected that some-body, more a -Foe than a Friend to him, had palm'd it upon him, and over-persuaded him -to print it, as what would recommend him to her Majesty's Favour. - -Whether he'll merit a _Translation_ to an _Arch-Bishoprick_, for this -Dedication, with me is no Question. For all he may take me for his -Enemy, I wish him _translated_, as certainly as the Government has -_transported_ some other Folks, who are no more the Bane of Society. -_Buggs_ in a House, and _Caterpillars_ in a Garden, are not a greater -Grievance, than some sort of Ecclesiastical _Vermin_ in Christ's -Church and Vineyard. - -That the _Bishop_ himself admires his _Dedication_, and is pleas'd -with it, I don't doubt. Like as _Bears_ are fond of their ill-favour'd -_Cubbs_, so the Brats of some Men's Brains, as well as those of their -Bodies, are pleasing to than; and however deform'd and irrational in -themselves, are hugg'd by them as so many Wits and Beauties. But -whether many, beside the _Bishop_ himself, will like his _Dedication_, -is a great Question. I don't doubt, but there may be some for -Persecution as well as the _Bishop_, and so far may approve of the -_Dedication_: But whether there is any one that can think, he has not -greatly injured _Infidels_, and made a false Representation of them, -for being Enemies to our Civil Government, and to our present -Establishment, can't surely be question'd. If he be not look'd upon -here, by all Mankind, as a wilful and malicious Misrepresenter of -them, I shall much wonder at it. - -But what's the _Dedication_ to the Book it self, will some here say? -Tho' the _Bishop_ may have made some Slips in his _Dedication_ which -betray Weakness and Ignorance; yet his following Performance may be -Strenuous and Nervous, and a compleat Confutation of my _Discourses_. I -answer, that such a Dedication bodes ill to the Book; and a Man may as -well expect to find the inside of a House beautiful and richly adorn'd, -when the Porch and Entrance into it is mean and nasty; as that an -admirable Treatise for Wit, Reason, and Learning, should follow upon -such a poor, simple, and insipid _Dedication_. Commonly Authors take -more care in their _Dedications_, than in their following Treatise; that -is, they see better to the Accuracy of their Expressions, the Exactness -of their Stile, and Beauty of their Thoughts; and if they err at all in -them, it is only in Flattery, and excess of Compliments on their -Patrons. Such Care too, after the best manner he was able, has the -_Bishop_ taken in his _Dedication_ above; and whatever his Readers and -Admirers may think, the _Dedication_ is the best Part of the Book. The -Exceptions I have taken at the _Dedication_ are but small, in Comparison -of the Faults I shall find and expose in the _Book_ it self; which is -such a Complication of Impertinence and Errors, of Rage and Confidence, -and of Calumnies and Reproaches, as is not to be equall'd; and is so -far from deserving the Character of a Confutation of my _Discourses_, -that it has done them Service; and will be, after the Animadversions I -shall make on it, a Confirmation of the Goodness, Usefulness, and -Excellency of my Design in them. - -I have not here room to make a compleat Dissection of the _Bishop_'s -Work, and to display its Insufficiency, in answer to my _Discourses_; -neither was it my Design in this _first Part_ of my _Defence_ to do -it. But however, I will spare a Place here for a short Character and -Representation of his Performance, which take as follows. - - "The _Bishop_'s sole Aim and Design is to vindicate the _litteral - Story_ of our Saviour's Miracles, against my rational and - authoritative Objections to it. And to this Purpose he wrangles with - me, where he can, about the Sense of this and that Citation out of - the Fathers; and after he has forc'd another Sense on it, than the - Words do naturally bear, then he insults me for a Misrepresentation. - And where he meets with a plain Testimony out of the Fathers, which - he can't mangle nor strain to his Purpose, he fluently passes by it; - tho' he would have his _Readers_ to believe, he has vindicated the - litteral Story against my Authorities, and shewn that the Fathers - were all on his Side. - - "He complains of my Mutilations of the Fathers, and of making too - curt Citations out of them; which is true, but more to my own - Disadvantage than to his. But, what is Matter of grand Triumph to - the _Bishop_, is, that I have quoted _spurious_ Works of the - Fathers for _genuine_ ones. And here he takes great Pains, and - wastes Time and Paper, to prove that _this_ and _that_ Book does - not belong to the Author under whose Name I cite it; and then has a - Fling at me for want of Skill in _Criticism_. But can the _Bishop_ - be so weak, as to think, I did not know when I quoted a _spurious_ - Work? Supposing the _Book_ I quoted do not belong to the reputed - Author, but to some other Writer, what's that to the Question - between us? The Citation is no less the Testimony of Antiquity, and - it's no matter whose Name it bears. If the _Bishop_ had thought a - little on this, he might have spared some Sheets of Paper, which he - has in vain wasted, to the Loss of his Readers Time and Money. - - "Again, where my rational Arguments against the _Letter_ seem to - the _Bishop_ to be weak and inconclusive; there, to do him - Justice, he handsomly turns upon me with his Reasoning, and - admonishes me of my Spitefulness against the _Letter_, or I would - never use such a slight Argument. But where I pinch and bear hard - upon the _Letter_, and the Jest is not to be digested, there, - instead of Reasoning against me, he makes a hideous Out-cry of - Buffoonery, Blasphemy, and Infidelity; and calls upon the Civil - Magistrate for his Help, or their Religion, and their _All_ is in - Danger, through the impious Writings of untoward Infidels. - - "The _Bishop_ in some Cases gives up the Cause, and seems himself - to be almost ashamed of the _Letter_; and for the Maintenance of - the Honour of _Jesus_, and the Dignity of his miraculous Operation, - flies to Allegory; allowing that _this_ and _that_ Miracle might be - typical and figurative of somewhat else, as his Thoughts did - suggest to him. But here he discovers his poor Talent at - Allegories, making no more Resemblance between the _Type_ and - _Antitype_, than between an _Apple_ and an _Oyster_. - - "I am repeatedly charg'd by the _Bishop_ with Infidelity, for - writing against the _Letter_, tho' I am as grave as a Judge at the - allegorical Interpretation; and he can't but know that Infidelity - and Allegorism are incompatible in the same Person. To prove me an - Infidel, he should have shewn that I meant to pour Contempt upon - the allegorical, as well as litteral Sense of Jesus's Miracles; but - he has not once hinted at this. A certain great Writer, call'd Mr. - _Grounds_, plays a double Game upon the _Clergy_, he laughs at the - _allegorical_ as well as _litteral_ Scheme, and distresses the - _Clergy_ with his Objections against both. But I have not done so; - I really am, or seem to be, a sincere Contender for the allegorical - Sense. And to make an _Infidel_ of an _Allegorist_, is more - difficult and impossible than to make a _Monkey_ of a _Bishop_. - - "The _Bishop_, as a _Minister of the Letter_, has spoken too - favourably of the allegorical Scheme; he has treated it with too - much Respect, both as to the Origin and Use of it, and done enough - to sap the Foundation of his Church; for which, I am afraid, he'll - meet with a Reprimand from his Episcopal Brethren. The _Bishop_ of - _Lichfield_ is the Man for my Money, to write against the - allegorical Scheme; he tells us, that[352] _St._ Paul _suffer'd in - the Esteem of the Jewish Christians for his Neglect of Allegories; - and seems to be brought into the Use of them against his own good - liking_. And again,[353] _It seems to have been in compliance with - Jewish Christians, who were affected with allegorick - Interpretations, that St._ Paul _used that way_. Which is as much - as to say, St. _Paul_ was more a _Minister of the Spirit_, than of - Inclination he was disposed to be, or, in truth, ought to have - been; and that, if he took upon him the Ministry of the Spirit for - the present, it was only craftily and politically done of him, to - catch the _Jews_ in their own Snare of Allegories. He was - consenting that the Preachers of the Gospel, in future Times, - should desert the _Ministry of the Spirit_, and betake themselves - to the _Letter_ of the Scriptures, as what is more agreeable to - Truth, and conducive to the Defence and Propagation of - Christianity. Such a _Craftsman_ was the inspir'd St. _Paul_, in - the Opinion of the _Bishop_ of _Lichfield_! However, the _Bishop_ - of St. _David's_ ought to be of the same Mind; he should assert, - that the _Ministry_ of the _Spirit_ was all apostolical Craft and - antient Error; and that the present Generation of Priests, being - wiser, more learned, and more sincere than the Primitive and - Apostolical ones, do adhere to the _Ministry of the Letter_. - Because the _Bishop_ has not gone thus far by much, he leaves more - room, than he should, for the Revival of the _Ministry of the - Spirit_; that is, of the spiritual and allegorical Interpretation - of the Scriptures. - - "The _Bishop_ often reproves me for my primitive Interpretation of - _this_ and _that_ Text of Scripture, and then palms his own forc'd - Sense on us, for natural and genuine, contrary to the Judgment of - all Antiquity. - - "He is so _grave_, serious, and sedate at some simple Doctrines and - Arguments, that his _Readers_ must of necessity laugh, if not scoff - at him. Was I _ludicrously_ to handle the said Doctrines, my - _Readers_ would hardly smile. Such a wide Difference is there - between the _Levity_ of a Buffoon (as he is pleased to call me) and - the _Gravity_ of an Ass, to the exposing of Religion to the - Ridicule and Contempt of Mankind. - - "Lastly, He entirely mistakes the Design of my _Discourses_; he - knows not what I aim and drive at. There's one Paradox runs through - his whole Book, _viz._ That the litteral Story of our Saviour's - Miracles must of necessity be true, or I should have no Foundation - to build Allegories upon; which is a gross Mistake of other Writers - against me, as well as of himself. Who knows not that the profest - Parables of _Jesus_ have nothing of _Letter_ in them, yet are a - good Foundation for Allegory? And let me tell him here again, that - whatever was true, more or less, in the litteral Story of _Jesus_'s - Miracles, there is absolute Necessity, for the Honour and Credit of - them, to have Recourse to the Mystery; or litterally they are, and - shall be farther proved such----Stories, as I dare not at present - call them." - -Thus have I given a brief Account of the _Bishop_'s mighty and pompous -Performance; like to which he has promis'd us another Volume, that I -shall long for the publication of, next _Winter_. This my brief -Account is but introductory to future and larger Defences of my -_Discourses_ on Miracles; which, by the Help of God, and Permission -of the Civil Authority, shall be likewise publish'd. - -I have not, I say, room here so much as to defend my self on any one -Miracle; and if I had, I would not do it. For as I can't do it without -writing in the same Stile and Strain for which I am prosecuted, so I -will do nothing that may be interpreted as an Act in Defiance and -Contempt of the Power of the Civil Magistrate. I did indeed publish -two _Discourses_ after the Commencement of the Prosecution, because I -imagined that our _Bishops_ were more in Jest than in Earnest; or if -their Passions were raised for the present, I thought, that after a -little Consideration of the unreasonableness of Persecution in -general, they would cool upon it, and drop the Prosecution. But since -they are in Earnest, and I must answer to the Civil Powers for some -supposed Crimes in my _Discourses_, I'll not repeat here the like -Acts, but be quiescent in respect to the said Powers, to whom -Reverence and Obedience is justly due. For, tho' I look upon the -Ecclesiastical Power as an Usurpation on the Consciences of Mankind, -yet the _Civil_ is Sacred, is God's Ordinance, and ought to be -regarded as such. But if I survive the Prosecution, and escape with my -Life and Liberty, which I don't despair of, under so wise, just, and -good a Magistracy as this Nation is bless'd with, the _Bishop_ may -expect a strenuous Defence of my self against his weak Assaults on me. - -If our _Bishops_ were any thing _Heroical_, they would stop the -Prosecution, and let the Controversy take its free Course. If they had -any Sense of Honour and Reputation, any Regard for their Learning, -they would set any Adversary of their Church at Defiance, and disdain -the Assistance of the Civil Magistrate to punish him, whom they could -not confute. It is the Office of the _Bishops_ and _Priests_ of the -Church, or I know not what is, to convert _Infidels_, to refute -_Hereticks_, and by Reason and Argument to put to Silence all -_Gain-sayers_. Wherefore have they a liberal and academical Education, -but to qualify them for this Work? Wherefore do they receive large -Revenues of the Church, but to oblige and encourage them to it? -Nothing more unreasonable, than that Men should receive Wages, when -they don't their Work. What will the People say hereupon less, than -that an Army of at least Twenty thousand Blackguards of the Church are -hired to little or no Purpose? The meanest of the People may as well -be taken to Church Preferments, as our reputed learned Divines. They -can discharge other Ecclesiastical Offices; and when they are -distress'd with an Objection to their Religion, can do no worse than -call upon the Civil Magistrate for his Aid and Assistance. But after -all, I am inclin'd to think our _Bishops_, in Honour, would forbear -Persecution, but for their Interests, call'd their _All_, which depend -on the Issue of this Controversy. - -However, not to urge the Argument for Liberty of Debate any farther, -which has been already by others treated on to Perfection, and will be -again returned, I doubt not, by some body else, on occasion of this -_Bishop_'s _Dedication_, I can't but take Notice here how unpolitick, -as well as unchristian, some Dissenters are in this Controversy, -being, such as Dr. _Harris_, and Mr. _Atkinson_, no less for -Persecution than the _Clergy_. If they had a Regard to their own -Interests and Liberties, they would be silent. Infidels (of whom I am -none) should be consider'd as Dissenting Brethren, whom they should -not be forward to oppress, for fear in time, and by degrees, it should -come to their own Turn. Our _Dissenters_ indeed, collectively, are -vastly numerous, and a potent Party, but may trust too much to their -own Strength and Numbers. Taking them separately, they may possibly -be Extinguish'd by Ecclesiastical Art and Craft. If Blasphemy is a -just Pretence for the Prosecution of me, the _Clergy_, upon Occasion, -can urge the same Crime against them. I'll tell them a Story. The -_Calvinists_ and _Socinians_ were once equally tolerated in _Poland_, -and if they had been fast Friends to each other, the _Papists_ could -never have suppress'd them: But the _Calvinists_ joining with the -_Papists_, and urging them to complain against the _Socinians_ for -Blasphemy, in denying the Divinity of the Son of God, moved the Civil -Authority to a Banishment of them; and the _Socinians_ had not been -long suppress'd, before the _Papists_ accus'd the _Calvinists_ of no -less Blasphemy, in denying Adoration to the Virgin _Mary_; and so they -were sent packing too; otherwise they might both have enjoy'd their -Liberty to this Day. The Application of the Story is easy. So if all -we _Dissenters_ from the Church, whether we like one another's -Principles or not, don't hold together for the Preservation of our -Liberties, it's easy for Ecclesiasticks to feign an Accusation of -_Blasphemy_ against any of us. We have no Security, but in the Wisdom -and Goodness of an excellent Government, which, if the _Clergy_ -should ever get on the Back of, its hardly a Question, whether they -would not drive, _Jehu_ like, most furiously. - -But to return to my _Bishop_. I once thought he would never have been -drawn into this Controversy. Sometime after the Publication of my -Third _Discourse_, which, for a visible Reason, I dedicated to him, -and invited him to Battle, I ask'd a dignify'd _Clergy-man_, Whether -the _Bishop_ would write against me? He answer'd, No: Whereupon I -concluded, that he had a Scent of somewhat, not here to be mention'd. -But my repeated Provocations of him afterwards, have forc'd him, -against Inclination, to engage me. His Passion got the better of his -Reason, or he had been certainly quiescent: And the Violence of his -Passion is so visible thro' his whole Book, that it's God's great -Mercy it did not throw him into a Fever and Convulsions, to the Danger -of his Life and Health. - -I own here again, what I have done before, that I did lay a Trap for -our _Clergy_; but little imagined that two such great _Bishops_, as of -_London_ and St. _David's_, would, to my Pleasure and Satisfaction, -have been caught in it. If I had not baited my Trap well with -_Ridicule_, I dare say, they would have kept themselves clear of it. - -But when I experienc'd the hard Usage the Bishops had given me upon my -_Discourses_, and the Fury with which they attack'd me, it surprised me, -and brought to my Mind _Origen_'s Prediction[354] of this _very_ War and -Controversy of the _Spirit_ against the _Letter_ of the _Scriptures_, -and of the Violence it would be carried on with. For all my Veneration -for the Authority of the Fathers, I did here suspect the Truth of -_Origen_'s Prediction, believing him to be mistaken, and that the -Controversy would be manag'd in a _calm_, _decent_, and _sedate_ Manner; -and so it had been, but for the Interests of the _Clergy_ that are at -Stake in it, which I was not aware of. Finding then the Truth of -_Origen_'s Prediction contrary to my Expectations, I had the Curiosity -further to consult the Fathers about the Issue of this Controversy; and -they presently, with their mystical Fingers, pointed to a Prophecy of it -in the _Revelations_ of St. _John_; but, to say no more at present, -assur'd me, that the _Spirit_ would get the Better of the _Letter_ in -the Conclusion of it. Tho' I am accounted an Infidel, I am so easy and -credulous a Christian as to believe all this; and I thank God have so -much Courage in me, as to try the Truth of it. - -But I must observe here, that besides my two _Bishops_, of _London_ and -St. _David's_, (and some other inconsiderable _Triflers_) there are two -_anonymous_ Authors against me, whose Works have acquir'd some Fame. The -One is intitled, _The Miracles of Jesus vindicated_, in _Three Parts_. -If I could have gotten to the certain Knowledge of the Author, I should -have been tempted to have had a Bout with him; and to have expostulated -with him, both with Regard to his Arguments and good Manners. I would -have taught him a better Use, and a more proper Application of the Words -_Dishonesty, and want of Honesty_, than to reproach me with them. Common -Fame says, Dr. _Pearse_, of St. _Martin's_, is the Author; but I am apt -to think, the _King_'s Parish Priest, and other City _Divines_, have -more Wit and Craft than to upbraid me as above, for fear a just Charge -of _Dishonesty_, for their Extortions and Exactions on the People, -should be retorted on them. Upon the Publication of the _First Part_ of -the foresaid Treatise, my _Jewish Rabbi_ comes to me in all haste, -saying to me, "Look you here, do you see how this Author has new vampt -the old _mumpsimus_ Argument of _Jesus_'s Resurrection? Do you observe -how imperfectly, here and there, he answers my Objections to it; and -silently slips by some knotty Pieces of them, that were too hard for him -to untie?" Yes, _Rabbi_, said I, I do observe all this; (and what I have -observ'd since, he argues, awkwardly and backwardly, for the Certainty -of _Jesus_'s other Miracles, from his Resurrection.) My _Rabbi_ -presently re-inforc'd his Resurrection-Objection against this Author, -and would have had me to print it. No, no, _Rabbi_, said I; you may -print it your self, if you dare. I must wait to hear how Causes will go -in _Westminster-Hall_, next Term, before I involve my self in another -Law-Suit. Besides, _Rabbi_, they say, I don't really thus correspond -with a _Jew_, but do only personate one; and the _Bishop_ of St. -_David's_ hints, that I am answerable to publick Justice for so doing. -Here my Rabbi stampt with Indignation; saying, What if you did personate -a _Jew_? Is it not lawful, and in Use with your _Divines_, to write -Conferences between a Christian and a _Jew_? And do you any more in this -Case? Yes, _Rabbi_, said I, it is lawful to write such like Conferences, -and to make _Jewish_ Objections to Christianity, when they are no -stronger than may be easily dissipated: But when Men write from the -Heart, as you do, and raise a D----l that our _Clergy_ can't easily lay, -it is, they say, intolerable, and punishable; and either you or I, in -the Opinion of the _Bishop_, ought to suffer for it. - -The other considerable _Treatise_ against me, is that of _The Trial of -the Witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus_; which is an ingenious -Piece, and I was well pleased with it. Some time after the Publication -of this _Treatise_, I made my Jewish _Rabbi_ a Visit, when, drinking a -_Dish_ of _Tea_ together, we talk'd it over; and my _Rabbi_ was -pleas'd to deliver his Sentiments of it in this fashion: "Whoever was -the Author of this Treatise, God knows, but he's certainly a Friend to -my Objections against _Jesus_'s Resurrection, which he has fairly -stated; but is so far from fully confuting all of them, that he -discovers a Consciousness, here and there, that they are unanswerable. -It is commonly reported that Bishop _Sherlock_ is the Author of this -_Treatise_, but this Report I look upon as an Artifice of the -Booksellers, to make it sell well; or rather the Author's contrived -_Banter_ upon the _Clergy_, and their weak Christian Brethren, to try -how far they may be imposed on, and drawn into the Approbation and -Admiration of a Treatise, that really makes against them. There is but -very little in this Treatise, to make it reputed a sufficient Answer -to my Objections, excepting the Verdict of the _Jury_, who brought in -the Witnesses of the Resurrection, _Not Guilty_, of either Fraud or -Mistake in it. _Bishop Sherlock_ can't be the Author of this Treatise, -if for no other Reason than this, that _that_ Author is visibly -against that Ecclesiastical Wealth and Power, which the _Bishop_ is -possess'd of, and does think not disagreeable to the Mind of Christ -and his poor Apostles. If any _Bishop_ is the concealed Author of this -Treatise, he must secretly be of the Opinion of the atheistical Pope, -who said, _quantum nobis profuit hæc de Christo Fabula_, what vast -Advantage has the Story of Christ been to us Popes and Bishops." I -readily gave into the Opinion of my _Rabbi_, and wonder'd, _Bishop -Sherlock_ did not so much as by a publick Advertisement clear himself -of being the Author of this Treatise, and so put a Stop to the -Report. It may be the _Bishop_ is above the Scandal of it; but I was -so concern'd for his Reputation, that I drew up a _Vindication_ of him -from the Slander of it; which I had publish'd, but for my _Rabbi_'s -farther Thoughts about the Resurrection of Jesus inserted in it, that -our _Bishops_ might have possibly taken Offence at. So I dropp'd that -Design at present, but hope still for an Opportunity to publish the -said Vindication of the _Bishop_, by which, I don't doubt, but to -merit his Friendship and Favour. - -But whoever was the real Author of the foresaid Treatise, I humbly and -heartily beg of him to publish, what in the Conclusion of it, he has -given us some Hopes of, _The Trial of the Witnesses of the -Resurrection of_ LAZARUS, because my _Rabbi_'s Objections to it are a -Novelty and Curiosity, which, by way of such a Reply to them, I should -be glad to see handled. - -But having here by Chance mention'd my _Rabbi_'s Letter concerning -_Lazarus_'s Resurrection, it brings to my Mind a Challenge I made to -the _Bishop_ of _London_ upon it, _viz._[355] "If he would publish an -Answer to that Letter, and vouchsafe me the Pleasure of a Reply to it; -then (to save the _Civil Magistrates_ Trouble) I would suffer such -Punishment that he in his Clemency should think fit to inflict on me, -for what's past." An ingenuous _Clergy-man_, upon reading this, said, -that the _Bishop_ was bound, in Honour, to accept of my Challenge, or, -what was in his Power, in Generosity, to put a Stop to the -Prosecution. But the _Bishop_ is not of his Mind. And for what Reason -he does not accept of my Challenge, is best known to himself, and -others will conjecture. If he had not condescended to write against me -in his _Pastoral Letter_, I should have imagined, that he thought it -beneath the Dignity of One of his exalted Station in the Church, to -set his Wit (for dignified Priests, for the most part, think their Wit -and Learning proportion'd to their Wealth and Power) against such a -poor Author as I am. But this is not the Reason. It may be, he thinks -his Reputation and Honour secure in the Height of his Grandeur, and -that his Dependents will admire his Learning nothing the less for his -Neglect of my Challenge. However it be, this I will say, that were we -upon the Level in the World as to Fortune, as well as we are to Age -and Education, the Learned would despise him for declining the -reasonable Challenge of one, whom he has injuriously treated and -persecuted. It's to no Purpose to challenge him here afresh; he, being -purpos'd to carry the Matter with an high Hand, has taken other -Measures, and is resolv'd to make use of his Power and Interest to -suppress him, whom with Reason and Argument he can't convince. - -However, I will here make another Proposal to the _Bishop_ of St. -_David's_. Because he thirsts after a very severe Punishment of me, or -he would not be so warm in his Exhortations of the Government to that -Purpose, I'll tell him how he may glut his Revenge, and inflict a -greater Punishment on me, than, in all probability, the Civil Magistrate -will humour him in. If he'll but put a Stop to the Prosecution at -present (which is not out of the Power of our _Bishops_, whatever they -may pretend) and let the Controversy go on, till I have finish'd my -Reply to his _two Volumes_, which shall be done with all Expedition; -then, if his Passion is not allay'd, I will submit to any Punishment, he -in his Wisdom and Justice, without Mercy, shall think fit to have laid -on me, whether it be to Death or Imprisonment. And what would he, or any -implacable Priest, desire more? This Proposal makes him my Judge as -well as my Accuser, and if he be not the most unreasonable Man alive, he -must accept of it. All my Hopes here are, that his Reason may recover -its Dominion over his Passion, against the Conclusion of my _Defence_, -or it will go hard with me. If the _Bishop_ will not comply with this -Proposal, I shall conclude, he's possess'd with the only certain and -allegorical _Satan_, mention'd in my _Discourses_; and I shall be -confirm'd in the Opinion of St. _Hilary_ (whose Testimonies about -Devils, the _Bishop_ has silently pass'd by, without any Charge upon me -for Misrepresentation) that there are no worse _Devils_ in the World, -than the calumniating, furious, and persecuting Tempers of Mankind. The -_Bishop_, by the by, has taken Pains to prove there are other _Devils_, -of an infernal, frightful, and independent Nature, and of a more certain -Existence than _Hobgoblins_; and he gravely asserts, that three of those -_Devils_ enter'd into each _Hog_, that ran violently down-hill; thereby -making the little _Pigs_ to carry as great a Burden as the old _Boars_ -and _Sows_, which should have been better thought of by him. The -_Bishop_, perhaps, for these my Descants, will say I am an Infidel; but -I assure him, it is one of the Articles of my Primitive and Christian -Faith, that the old _Dragon_, _Satan_, the _Serpent_, or the _Devil_, -mention'd in the _Revelations_, is no other than the furious, violent, -and persecuting Spirit in Man; which, upon the World's getting Liberty -of Religion, will be bound and chain'd. And it is the Opinion of -Thousands, as well as of my self, that Mankind will never be Happy, nor -at Rest, till this _Devil_ is exorcised out of the Priesthood, and so of -consequence chain'd up. According to the primitive Way of interpreting -the _Revelations_ of St. _John_, the Time is near at Hand for the -_binding_ this Apocalyptical old _Dragon_ or _Satan_, that has pester'd -the World through all Ages past. All the Honour that I desire, is, by my -Studies and Endeavours to be contributing to so great a Work, for the -Good and Happiness of Mankind. - -To conclude. I have been the more expeditious in printing of this -Discourse, not only for fear the _Bishop_'s _Vindication_ (as it is -call'd) should have a _malign Influence_ upon some People, I don't -mean our _Civil Magistrates_, who are wiser and more learned than to -be guided by such outragious Stuff; but because he should not long -triumph in a Conceit of the Potency and Excellency of his -Performance, as if no Reply could or would be made to it. If I had at -this Time enjoy'd free Liberty of Debate, I should not have thought it -worth my while to meddle with his _Dedication_, which with a Scorn I -should have pass'd by, and left to the Animadversions and Chastisement -of other Enemies to Persecution; but would immediately have enter'd -upon a Defence of my _Discourses_ against him. If I do retrieve my -Liberty, and the free Use of my Pen, and should not publish Defences -of my self, I should deserve (what _one_ said the _Bishop_ of -_London_, for his declining my Challenge, deserv'd) to be piss'd upon -for a vain Pretender to Argument and Authority. - -In the mean time, I have nothing to request of our _Clergy_, but that -Liberty of Debate may be indulg'd us; _that_ Liberty of theological -Disputation, which would be granted, if they did not industriously -labour to obstruct it. When will they cease to disgrace Truth, to -dishonour their Religion, and to disparage their own Education and -Learning; and no longer envy Mankind the blessed Enjoyment of such a -Liberty! - -But their Religion, they say, would be in Danger upon such a Liberty. -How can that be? How can Christianity be in Danger, that has not only -the Omnipotence of God on his Side, but a numerous standing Army of -Priests, hired for the Defence of it? It is not then their Concern for -Religion, that prompts them to so much Zeal here; but their Fears for -their Interests, that depend on the Issue of this Controversy. - -Was I to write against any other honest _Trade_, that is practised in -this City, the Artificers of it, being sensible of the Usefulness of -their Craft, would let me go on unmolested; and only pity and despise me -for the Vanity of my Attempt to subvert them: But the _Clergy_, being -prick'd with a Consciousness of the Mischiefs and Inconveniencies of -their Establishment, do therefore thus winch and kick. - -And who, besides the _Clergy_, are at this time Enemies to Liberty? None -hardly, but their immediate Dependents, whom they can easily infuse -their fiery and furious Notions into. Was it to be voted this Day among -the learned _Laity_, I dare say, the Friends of Persecution would be -found vastly short of the Numbers of their Adversaries. And I hope to -God, the Legislative Authority of these Nations will soon take the -Matter into their Consideration; and either limit or enlarge the Bounds -of Liberty, that honest and well-meaning Men may be no longer harrass'd -and molested, for their sincere Endeavours to serve the Publick. - -No Body, I trust, can complain of any disrespectful Usage, I have here -given the _Bishop_ of St. _David's_, that considers, how he has treated -me in _his Sermon before the Societies for Reformation_; and _in his -Charge to the Clergy of his Diocese_; as well as _in his Vindication_. -It would be sufficient, if I had no other Excuse for my self than -_this_, That Controversy is like a _Game_ at _Foot ball_, in which, if a -_Lord_ will engage with a _Plowman_, and should meet with a Kick on the -Shins, he ought not to complain of the ill Manners of it: So if a -_Bishop_ will dispute with one of lower Degree, he must look for a Rub -on his Intellects, a Rap on his Pate, and if his Adversary cuts him on a -soft Place, he should know how to bear it with Patience. But the -_Bishop_, contrary to this _Game-Rule_ in Controversy, complains[356] of -my _unmannerly_ Treatment of him, and cries out of the Sufferings and -Reproaches he undergoes, as if he was already more than half a Martyr -for Religion. I can't pretend to equal him in Reproaches and Sufferings, -having not so quick a Sense of them; and therefore I am willing, that -good Christian People should pity my poor _Bishop_, rather than me, in a -persecuted and sorrowful Condition. - -How long it will be, before I publish another, and _second_ Part of my -_Defence_, is uncertain, for a Reason, that I need not again mention. -But if it please God, that I enjoy Life, Health, and Liberty, I'll go -on with my Designs. I am resolv'd to give the _Letter_ of the -Scriptures no Rest, so long as I am able by Reason and Authority to -disturb it. If our Ministers of the _Letter_ will not ascend with me, -the sublime and allegorical _Mountain_ of divine Contemplation, they -than have no Comfort nor Enjoyment of themselves in the low _Valley_ -of the _Letter_, if I can disquiet them. Notwithstanding what the -_Bishop_ has written in _Vindication_ of _Jesus_'s Miracles, the -litteral Story of them, by the Leave of God, and of the Civil -Magistrate, shall be afresh attack'd, and perhaps with more -_Ridicule_, than I used before. What should I flinch for? The -litteral Story of _Jesus_'s Miracles is not, in the Opinion of the -Fathers, as well as of my self, agreeable to Sense and Reason; neither -can _Jesus_'s Authority and Messiahship be founded on the _Letter_ of -them. I am not for the _Messiahship_ of a carnal _Jesus_, who cured -the bodily Diseases of Blindness and Lameness; but for Messiahship of -the spiritual _Jesus_, who will cure the Blindness and Lameness of our -Understandings. I am for the Messiahship of the spiritual _Jesus_, who -will expel the mercenary Preachers out of his Church, after the manner -that _Jesus_ in the Flesh is supposed to have driven the Sellers out -of the Temple, which litterally is but a sorry Story. I am for the -Messiahship of the spiritual _Jesus_, who exorcised the furious and -persecuting Devils out of the Mad-men of _Jews_ and _Gentiles_; and -tho' he permitted them to enter into a Herd of Ecclesiastical Swine, -yet will precipitate them into the Sea of Divine Knowledge. I am for -the spiritual _Jesus_, who will cure the _Woman_ of the Church, of her -_Issue of Blood_, that is shed in Persecution and War; which her -Ecclesiastical Physicians, and Quack-Doctors of the _Clergy_, have not -been able to do, tho' they have received large Fees and Revenues to -that End. I am for a spiritual _Messiah_, who will cure the Woman of -the Church of her _Infirmity_, at the Spirit of Prophecy, of whose -Infirmity this Age is her _eighteenth_ Year. So could I write of all -_Jesus_'s Miracles; for the whole Evangelical History is Figure and -Shadow of the spiritual _Jesus_, whom we should _know to be in us of a -Truth, unless we be Reprobates_. The _Clergy_, if they are not -wilfully blind, may hence see my Christian Faith and Principles; and -be assured, that what I do in this Controversy, is with a View to the -Honour of God, the Advancement of Truth, the Edification of the -Church, and Demonstration of the Messiahship of the Holy _Jesus_, to -whom be Glory for ever. _Amen._ - - ~_FINIS._~ - -FOOTNOTES: - -[338] His Sermon before the Societies for Reformation; and his Charge -to the Clergy. - -[339] In his Dedication. - -[340] Page 35. - -[341] _Vindication of three Miracles_, p. 76, 77. - -[342] Cum venerit ergo Elias exponendo Legem _Spiritaliter_, convertit -Corda Patrum ad filios. _De Civit. Dei._ Lib. XX. c. 29. - -[343] Litteram Legis sequentes in Infidelitatem & vanas Superstitiones -incurrunt. _In Matt. Tract._ 26. - -[344] In Dedication of Third _Discourse_. - -[345] Page 177. - -[346] _Discourse_ the Fifth, _p._ 69. - -[347] Inveniatur enim in Christianismo non minor (nequid dicam -arrogantius) fide Ratio & Enarratio Propheticorum ænigmatum, -parabolarumque evangelicarum, aliarumque innumerarum figurarum, quæ -vel in _Gestis_ continentur vel Legibus. _Cont. Celsum. Lib._ I. - -[348] Quidam corporalia ejus Miracula stupentes, majora intueri non -norunt. Quidam vero ea, quæ gesta audiunt in Corporibus, nunc amplius -in animis admirantur,----Tales nos esse debemus in Schola Christi. _In -Serm._ xcviii. - -[349] In _Discourse_ the Sixth. - -[350] _Mystery of Godliness_, B. x. c. 2. - -[351] 1 Tim. v. 8. - -[352] _Defence of Christianity_, p. 347. - -[353] Ibid. p. 353. - -[354] Est adhuc alia Pugna his omnibus violentior; quod ii, quod Legem -secundum Carnem intelligunt, adversantur his, qui secundum spiritum -sentiunt, & persequuntur eos. _In Genesiæ Hom._ vii. - -[355] In Fifth _Discourse_, p. 67. - -[356] In his Preface, _p._ 17, 18. - - - - - Mr. _WOOLSTON_'s - - DEFENCE - - OF HIS - - DISCOURSES - - ON THE - - MIRACLES of our _Saviour_. - - Against the BISHOPS of St. _David_'s - and _London_, and his other Adversaries. - - PART II. - - _Nec Religionis est cogere Religionem, quæ sponte - suscipi debeat, non Vi._ Tertull. - - _LONDON_: - - Printed for the AUTHOR, and Sold by him - next Door to the _Star_, in _Aldermanbury_, and - by the Booksellers of _London_ and _Westminster_. - - MDCCXXX. - - [_Price One Shilling._] - - - - -[Illustration] - - TO THE - - RIGHT HONOURABLE - - Sir _Robert Raymond_, Kt. - - Lord Chief Justice of the Court of - _King's Bench_. - - -MY LORD, - -That I am no Flatterer of _Patrons_, appears by my other -_Dedications_: If therefore I should tell your _Lordship_, what I can -in Sincerity, that I think you as wise and good a Magistrate, as any -of your _Predecessors_ in that _High Court_ of _Justice_, you may be -assured, I don't dissemble. - -Tho' I was so unfortunate, _My Lord_, as to receive a Sentence in your -Court, which I wish'd to avoid; yet I have no worse Opinion of your -Wisdom and Justice. Your Conduct towards me, from first to last, has -rather heighten'd than lessen'd my Esteem and Veneration for you. I -observ'd in you such a Tenderness for our religious Liberties; such an -Aversion to Persecution; and such Moderation towards my self, that if -I had been absolutely acquitted, it would have been but with somewhat -more Satisfaction. - -And if I now write to clear my self of all Suspicions of Infidelity, -for which I was sentenced; your _Lordship_, I humbly presume, will not -think the worse of me. It is not expected that the Innocent should -confess Guilt, in a Compliment to any Court of Justice: Nor does the -Condemnation of the Guiltless, at any time almost, so much affect the -Justice of the Magistrate, as the Honesty of the Evidence: So I, _My -Lord_, know how to lay the Blame entirely on my Ecclesiastical -Accusers, and believe your _Lordship_ will be rather pleas'd than -offended at any good Defence I can make for my self. - -From the Beginning of the Prosecution against me, _my Lord_, I hardly -believed, that any Sentence would be pass'd on me, till the Day I -received it: And the Reason was, not only because the good Tendency of -my _Discourses_ was so visible, that I thought it could not be -overlook'd by the Wise and Learned; but because I imagin'd our -_Bishops_ would have better consulted their Reputation, than to let -Matters come to this Issue. - -That it is a Transgression of the Law of the Land to write against -Christianity, establish'd in it, I'll not question, since I have your -_Lordship_'s Word for it: But for all that, I could wish, for the Sake -of Christianity, that such a Liberty was indulg'd to _Infidels_. -Whatever our zealous _Clergy_ may think, one Persecution of an -_Infidel_ does more Harm to Religion, than the Publication of the -worst _Book_ against it. - -Liberty is so essential, _My Lord_, to the Enquiry after Truth, that -where It is wanted, Truth will want that Splendor, which it receives -from Disputation: And Christianity would be the more tryumphant over -its Enemies, for that unbounded Liberty, they may enjoy to contest it -from the _Press_. I say this, not for the Security of my self; against -future Prosecutions but, from a Heart, full of Zeal for the Religion -of the Holy _Jesus_. - -Ever since the _Reformation_, which was founded on our Natural and -Christian Rights to Liberty of Conscience, has this great Blessing of -Liberty, at Times, been interrupted by Persecutions: But whether any -of them hitherto have done any Service to _Church_ or _State_, your -_Lordship_ is a good Judge. - -However, tho' the Prosecution of my self, which was founded on a grand -Mistake, is attended with no ill Consequence; yet I hope our -_Ecclesiasticks_ will grow cautious by it, and no more sollicit the -most indulgent Civil Magistracy of this Kingdom to the Persecution of -any other, much less of, - -[Sidenote: London May 25. 1730.] - - _My Lord_, - _Your Lordship's_ - _Most Obedient and_ - _Humble Servant_, - Tho. Woolston. - - - - -[Illustration] - - A - - SECOND PART - - OF THE - - DEFENCE, _&c._ - - -It's Time now to publish another _Part_ of my _Defence_, which, in my -former, I gave my _Readers_ some Reason to expect from me. If I should -keep Silence much longer, my _Adversaries_ will be ready to charge me -with Cowardice, or Insufficiency; and say, that I'm either absolutely -confuted by the _Writers_ against me, or so terrified by the Civil -Magistrate's Authority, that I either can't, or dare not, engage -afresh in the same Cause. And I must confess, that if I was not -convinced of the Goodness of my Cause, which is no other than God's, -and of my Ability to defend it, I should chuse to hold my Peace, and -be glad that it has fared no worse with me. - -One Reason indeed why I have been so long ere I publish'd _this_, is -pure Respect to the Civil Powers, whom I am oblig'd, as a Christian, -to honour and reverence, so far as may be, without Disobedience to -God. Had I hastily, and as soon almost as _Sentence_ was pass'd on me, -publish'd _this_, some might have interpreted it, as an Act of -Defiance and Contempt of the Civil Authority, (for there are not -wanting those who will put the worst Construction they can on my -Conduct;) therefore I forbore for a while: And now that I appear again -from the _Press_, it is not without professing a profound Veneration -for our Civil Magistracy, who, I am sure, will never think the worse -of a Man for vindicating his own Innocency, or for writing in a Cause -that, in his Conscience, he is persuaded is most just and good. - -Another Reason why I committed this no sooner to the Press, was to wait -the Publication of the _Bishop_ of _St. David_'s his _Second Volume_, -which he promised us last Winter. I was almost of Opinion, that, in my -former _Defence_, I gave the _Bishop_ such Intimations of my sincere -Belief of Christianity, notwithstanding my _Discourses_ on _Miracles_, -and of the Falseness of his repeated Charge against me for Infidelity, -that I question'd whether he would write again in the same Strain. If -the _Bishop_ is convinced of this his grand Mistake about me, then the -very Foundation of his past and future Work is shaken, and I shall hear -no more of him. But whether he is certainly convinc'd of his Mistake or -not, I am concern'd to go on with these _Defences_ of my self, and to -vindicate the Goodness and Usefulness of the Design of my _Discourses_ -on _Miracles_, against what the _Bishops_ of _London_ and _St. David_'s, -and other _Adversaries_ have written to the contrary. - -But, before I enter upon such a _Defence_ of my self and my -_Discourses_, I must make, what is proper here, a short Preface. It is -well known, that I am for Liberty of Debate, and against all -Persecution or Force, or Impositions on the Consciences of Mankind. -But for all that, there are some _Rules_ in Controversy that we -polemical _Writers_ should observe, and be oblig'd to; or, instead of -discovering and illustrating the Truth we pretend to search for, we -shall but the more darken, obstruct and perplex it. As, - -_First_, We should endeavour to write as plainly and intelligibly as -we can, and never amuse our _Readers_ with Expressions void of Sense, -or with false Reasoning against our _Adversaries_, where we want -what's good and solid. This _Rule_ none can except against: Whether I -am an Observer of this _Rule_, my Readers are to be Judges. As I am to -answer it to God and a good Conscience, I endeavour to observe it; but -much question, whether some of my _Adversaries_ can say so too, or -they would never vent such dark, impertinent and unintelligible Stuff, -if it was not, because they are at a Loss for what's clear and -shining. There's no End of giving Instances out of their Writings to -this Purpose. I shall only mention one, that's repeated amongst them, -and that is, of their pretended Distinction between Popish -_Persecution_ and Protestant _Prosecution_ for Opinions, wherewith -they have amused weak and injudicious Heads. The Wife, I am sure, can -discern no more Difference here, than between a _Rope_ and a _Halter_ -to hang an innocent Man, in which Case too there is a _nominal_ -Distinction without a _real_ Difference. - -_Secondly_, We should be open and sincere in our Opinions, and not -profess with our Mouths to believe, what we disown in our Hearts; nor, -like _Watermen_, that look one way and row another, should we pretend -to have one Design in View, when we are pursuing the quite contrary. -This is a reasonable _Rule_, and ought to be observ'd, or we shall -confound the Understandings of our _Readers_, who will soon lose Sight -of our Arguments, if they apprehend not their Aim and Drift. This -_Rule_, my Adversaries will say, is levell'd at my self, than whom no -body has more dissembled and prevaricated in his Opinions. Have not -you, will they say to me, frequently declared, that your Design in -your _Discourses_ is to make way for the Proof of the Truth of -Christianity, and of the Messiahship of the Holy _Jesus_, when you -mean and intend the Subversion of both? And is not here grand -Hypocrisy, and a Transgression of this Rule? Yes, if I intend the -Subversion of Christ's Religion and Messiahship, here is grand -Hypocrisy, and a Transgression of this _Rule_; and I can't think of -such a Piece of Prevarication without Horror. The Bishop of _St. -David_'s[357] and Mr. _Stackhouse_,[358] in particular, have -animadverted upon me for such Hypocrisy; and if I was guilty of it, in -much gentler Terms than I deserv'd. This Hypocrisy, which they falsely -charge me with, is as heinous a Sin as I can think of; it is as bad as -wilful _Perjury_, as bad as a _Clergyman_'s taking the Abjuration -Oath, with his Heart full of Zeal and Affection for the Pretender, and -worse than his giving his solemn Assent and Consent to Articles of -Religion he believes little or nothing of. I should hardly have -mention'd this _Rule_ to be observ'd in Controversy, if I had been -guilty of the Breach of it. It is somewhat excusable in _Infidels_ a -little to disguise their real Sentiments, for fear of the Danger they -may incur by an open Profession of them: But such a gross and foul -Mask of Hypocrisy, as some think I have here put on, is intolerable, -and must be hateful to _Infidels_ as well as _Christians_, being -obstructive to Truth, which, in all Inquirers after her, loves -Sincerity and Simplicity. No doubt, but my _Adversaries_, some of -them, will still think me a Transgressor of this _Rule_; but my -present and following _Defences_ will absolutely clear me. And if none -of my _Adversaries_ are more guilty of the Transgression of it than -my self, we are all entirely innocent. - -_Thirdly_, In Controversy we should avoid all wilful Misrepresentation -of the Sense of our _Adversaries_, and of the _Authors_ we pretend to -cite. Mistakes and Misapprehensions of one another will sometimes -unavoidably happen, and are then as innocent things as involuntary -Errors. But wilful Perversion and Falsification of another Author's -Words, to the Service of our selves, or to the Prejudice of our -_Adversaries_, is most blameable, and of that ill Consequence to the -Search after Truth, that it will keep us always at a Distance from her. -This then is another good _Rule_ to be observed in Controversy, which -some may wonder I have mention'd, because of that Misrepresentation and -Falsification of Authorities I am charg'd with. And I must confess, my -_Adversaries_ have here made an hideous Outcry against me; which if I -can't acquit my self of, I am the foulest Controvertist that ever -appear'd in Print. The Bishop of _St. David_'s[359] calls my -_Falsification_ of Authorities, an _Immorality_, and speculative -_Forgery_; but if I was so guilty as he would have me thought, he speaks -too favourably of it. He should have deem'd it as great a Crime as -practical _Forgery_ by the Law; and all Philosophers and Lovers of Truth -should wish it might be likewise punish'd. - -But, good Christian Reader, don't too hastily pass thy Judgment on me. -Suspend awhile; it may be, that I may unexpectedly vindicate my self. -The Matter as yet is under Debate, whether my _Adversaries_ or I are -the grand Misrepresenters and Falsifiers of Authorities. One would -think, that my Adversaries, who were bent on the Accusation of me for -the foresaid Crime, should have kept themselves clear of it: But the -_Bishop_ of _St. David_'s[360] is such a resolute _Misrepresenter_, -that he could not find in his Heart faithfully to transcribe the -_Three Heads_ of my _Discourses_; but by a Suppression of some Words, -and the Change of others, has given them an odious and invidious Turn -to my Disadvantage: And he has studied so hard to pervert the Sense of -the Fathers against me, and so tortured his Brain to make me a -Misrepresenter of them, that I should not wonder, if he had labour'd -under a Pain in his Head ever since, and is unable to write more. Tho' -my Word should not be taken for all this at present; yet in the -Sequel of these _Defences_, it will be made manifest. - -It is a great Temptation to our _Bishops_ falsely to accuse and -misrepresent their Adversaries; because they know their Writings don't -equally spread and go together among all their Readers. A _Bishop_'s -Writing going more by itself amongst the _Clergy_, and other Friends -to his Side of the Question, he is tempted to misrepresent his -Adversaries, knowing his prejudiced Readers will take his Report of -them, and credit it. For this Reason, and no other, did the _Bishop_ -of _Litchfield_[361] falsely charge the _Author_ of the _Grounds_ with -odious Assertions, to which there is nothing akin in the Places -seemingly referr'd to, nor in all that Author's Work. - -However, the _Rule_ in Controversy before laid down is a good, useful -and necessary one. I pray God we may all be religious and -conscientious Observers of it, or we shall retard the Discovery of -Truth, and render our Attainment of it difficult, if not impossible. - -_Fourthly_, We should think our selves oblig'd to set our Names to our -Writings in Controversy, especially where it is such a _warm_ one as -is ours at present. The Observation of this _Rule_ would not only -prevent much of the Violation of the _two_ former; but would hinder -abundance of the Dirt of Scandal, Lies and Defamations, that we too -often throw at each other. For what Reason some of the _Writers_[362] -against me have industriously conceal'd their Names, I know full well. -They perhaps would have it thought Modesty, and that they are not -ambitious of the publick Praises they may deserve for their learned -and elaborate Performances. And possibly it may be Modesty in some -Theological Authors to conceal themselves: But where Men have the -Impudence to defame, it's in vain to pretend to the Cloak of Modesty -to cover themselves under. Wherefore then do they sometimes who write -on the establish'd Side of the Question, on which Honour and -Preferment goes, thus conceal themselves? Why, that they might belie -and slander their Adversaries the more securely, without being -expostulated with for their Impudence. It's to no Purpose, they know, -to upbraid an anonymous Author with his Scandal, because he can't be -put to the Blush for it. And a wise Man will not lose his Labour to -expose and confute a libellous Writing, unless he knew whom to charge -with the Guilt of it. It is my Resolution to take no Notice of any -nameless Authors against me, because I, being as it were blindfolded, -engage them at a Disadvantage, whilst they have a full View of me. For -this Reason the _Tryal of the Witnesses_ was pass'd by, or I should -have been tempted to have made some Remarks on it. Let such _Authors_ -come forth into the Light, and it may be, they'll meet with the same -Favour I have done the _Bishop_ of _St. David_'s. In the mean time, I -declare my Abhorrence of Authors their Concealment of their Names, and -I hope all ingenuous _Writers_ in Controversy will do so too; tho' for -no other Reason, than to prevent Misrepresentations, Defamations, and -personal Reflections, which nameless Authors are too often guilty of. - -_Fifthly_, and _lastly_, Others make it a common _Rule_ to be observ'd -in Controversy, that the _Disputants_ should consider each other's -Arguments impartially, without the Byass of Prejudice and Interest. -And a very good _Rule_ this is, if Men would but put it into Practice. -But I shall long despair of such Impartiality in Controversy. Such is -the Power of Prejudice and Interest, that they will influence Men to -believe against the most apparent Reason and Truth. Even Prejudice -will much darken the Eyes of Mens Understandings, but Interest will -put them quite out. O what a horrible Obstacle to the free Enquiry -after Truth, is Interest! Against Demonstration itself will Men -contend for Interest. Interest, upon Occasion, will induce them to -desert the best Opinions, and keep them tight to the worst. This -Experience proves true, and the various Faces of the Church, and -Changes of the _Clergy_ (all for Interest) is a Witness of it. God -forbid that I should judge uncharitably of the Corruption of human -Nature under the Power of Interest; but I believe, that was our -_Legislature_ to do, what they never will, that is, set up the Figure -of a _Calf_ in our Churches, there would be no want of Priests to -worship him, if they were well paid for it; nor of Academical -_Students_ to prove his divine Power and Godship, if the Road to -Preferment lay that Way. For this Reason, among many others, I am for -the Abolition of an hired and establish'd Priesthood, that this grand -Bar of Interest may be removed out of our Way to Truth. And the -_Bishop_ of _London_, that excellent Prelate, as _Bishop Smalbroke_ -calls him (for so do we, like other Creatures, knab one another where -it itches) should by rights be of my Mind, saying,[363] "Where there -is an Unwillingness to part with worldly Interests, there must of -Course be a _Desire_ that the Christian Religion should not be true; -and a _Willingness_ to favour and embrace any Argument that is brought -against it, and to cherish any Doubts and Scruples that shall be -rais'd concerning it." So feelingly does this _Bishop_ speak of the -Power of Interest, by which, as I would conceive, he honestly hints to -the Inhabitants of _London_ and _Westminster_, that the _Bishop_ of -their Diocese, and the _Parson_ of their Parish, are most unfit Guides -in Religion, because of the worldly Interests they may have to deceive -them, and keep them in Ignorance and Error. - -Thus by way of Preface having spoken to the foregoing _Rules_ to be -observed in this Controversy, I come to a close. _Defence_ of myself -against the Charge of Infidelity, and to vindicate the Usefulness of my -_Discourses on Miracles_ for the Proof of the Truth of Christianity, and -of the Messiahship of the Holy _Jesus_, against all my Adversaries. And -the Method I shall take to this Purpose, is this following. - -I. To show the Weakness, Childishness, and Insufficiency of the -Arguments of my _Adversaries_, for the _Letter_ of the Stories of -_Jesus_'s Miracles; and further to prove both _ludicrously_ and -_seriously_ the Absurdities, Incredibilities, and Improbabilities, -that their literal Stories labour under. - -II. To prove, that whether there be any Sense, Truth and Fact, or not, -in the Letter of _Jesus_'s Miracles; yet they are Typical Things, and -ought to be allegorically interpreted, and will receive a mysterious -and more wonderful Accomplishment, after the manner, and to the same -Purpose, that the Fathers and I do apply them, being no other (whether -actually wrought or not) than Figures, Signs and Emblems of his future -and mysterious Operations. - -III. To show that the mysterious and future Accomplishment of these -supposed Works and Miracles of _Jesus_ alone can and will be the Proof -of his Messiahship. - -If I perform well upon these Heads, which are deserving of my -_Reader_'s Review, because of their Pertinency to the Cause in Hand, I -shall not only vindicate myself from the Charge of Infidelity, but -justify the Goodness and Usefulness of my _Discourses_, in order to -the Demonstration of _Jesus_'s Messiahship. And in the midst of my -handling of them, without going out of my Way, I shall, as Occasion -offers itself, take Notice of particular Misrepresentations of the -Fathers, and false Citations out of them, that my Adversaries charge -me with: And Bishop _Smalbroke_ and others had best to look to it, or -their Accusations against me will recoil and return home to them. Then - -I. I should show the Weakness, Childishness and Insufficiency of the -Arguments of my _Adversaries_ for the _Letter_ of _Jesus_'s Miracles; -and further argue both _ludicrously_ and _seriously_ the Absurdities, -Incredibilities and Improbabilities, that their literal Stories labour -under. - -I should, I say, first treat on this Head, which naturally precedes -the two following; but in as much as to handle it to Perfection, I -should write as I did before, and shall run in Danger of Prosecution -for Blasphemy and Infidelity; I must of Necessity wave and postpone -it, unless I could more than dispatch it in the Compass of this _Part_ -of my _Defence_. - -I have heretofore made solemn Professions of my Belief of -Christianity, and most seriously declared in the plainest Terms, that -my Design was not to do Service to Infidelity, but to make way for the -Proof of Christ's Religion and Messiahship; but my Word was not taken, -being look'd upon as a Dissembler, an Hypocrite, and Prevaricator, for -all that. And should I now ever so gravely repeat the like -Asseverations of the Integrity and Sincerity of my Heart, that my -Objections against the Letter of _Jesus_'s Miracles are none against -his Religion, but only intended to turn Mens Heads to the mystical -Interpretations of them; I question much whether I should be believed, -and whether _Bishop Smalbroke_[364] would not say again, _that this is -too thin a Disguise of what seems to be my great and worse Design_. -What then in Prudence must I do in this Case? Why, I must let _This -Head_, which reasonably should precede, rest for a while; and by -treating on the _Second_, tho' out of Place, I must first effectually -convince my Adversaries, that I am no _Infidel_ of wicked Designs to -subvert Christianity, but only the _Ministry of the Letter_; and then, -I conceive, I may safely resume the Consideration of this _First -Head_, and without the Imputations of Infidelity and Blasphemy, write -as _merrily_ or _gravely_ as I please against the Letter. - -Should any say, that this pretended Reason for waving this _First Head_ -for the present, is nothing but Cowardice and Inability to write more on -it, I can't help it. _Ictus Piscator sapit_; I have already suffer'd -much for the ludicrous Treatment of the _Letter_, and it is Wisdom to -keep, if I can, out of the like Danger; neither will I do any thing, -that in Conscience I can forbear, to incur the Displeasure of the Civil -Magistrate. But however, if the _Bishop_ of _London_ would ensure me -against, what the _Bishop_ of _St. David_'s calls, the[365] _Nominal_ -Persecutions of _Protestants_, which I am more afraid of, than of the -_real_ Persecutions of _Papists_, I will soon enter upon this Head; -otherwise for Self-Preservation against the _nominal_ Sufferings of -Fines and Imprisonment, _&c._ I will forbear, promising my Readers, that -in due Time, and on a more proper Occasion, I will resume the _merry -Subject_ of the _Letter_, and handle it to their entire Satisfaction. - -And when I resume _this Head_, I will begin where I before left off in -my _Discourses_ on _Miracles_; that is, with the Resurrection of -_Jesus_, which tho' I believe to have been a miraculous Fact, that -happen'd, yet it was by no means timed and circumstanced, so as easily -and readily to conciliate the Belief of Posterity. God has given to Man -Reason to judge of the Credibility of Events, and the Certainty of -Miracles: And if the Reason of every Man does not disapprove of the -Management of that Event, (supposing it has no figurative Meaning in it) -I am much mistaken, when we come to state a Case, how such a Miracle -ought to be wrought and conducted, to get and preserve the Credit of it. - -Thus having told my Readers, why I postpone my _First Head_, I now -enter upon the _Second_, which is - -II. To shew, that whether there be any Sense, Truth and Fact, or not, -in the literal Stories of _Jesus_'s Miracles, yet they are all -certainly typical Facts, and ought to be allegorically interpreted, -and will receive a mysterious and more wonderful Accomplishment after -the Manner, and to the same Purpose, that the Fathers and I do apply -them, being no other (whether actually wrought or not) than Figures, -Signs and Emblems of his future and mysterious Operations. - -If the Authority of the Fathers would be admitted of, as decisive on -_this Head_, there would soon be an End of all Controversy upon it. -Give me Leave to recite some of their Testimonies to this Purpose, -which I have heretofore urg'd in my _Discourses_. _Origen_ says[366] -That _Jesus_'s Works were _Symbols_ of other Things to be done by his -Power. St. _Hilary_[367] says, That _Jesus_'s Actions bore a -Resemblance of what he would do hereafter. St. _Augustin_[368] says, -That the Facts of _Jesus_ are Signs of somewhat else to be done by -him. And _Eusebius Gallicanus_[369] says, That our Saviour manifestly -shews, that his Miracles are of a spiritual Signification, or in the -Work of them he would not have done somewhat or other, that seems to -want Sense and Reason. These few, out of a Multitude of Citations from -the Fathers that might be produced, are sufficient to the Proof of the -present Proposition, if their Authority might determine our Dispute. -And most pertinent Citations they are too, tho' _Bishop -Smalbroke_[370] says, _that even the Passages cited by me from the -Fathers, that are not falsified, are impertinent_; which is such an -extravagant Stretch against the most glaring Truth, that (to use the -Bishop's[371] own Words against himself) _it betrays a Mind lost to -all Sense of Modesty and Religion_, or he could not have utter'd it. - -And not only the Miracles of _Jesus_ were Signs and Figures of future -Events; but, according to _Origen_,[372] _every thing else that he did_: -From whence we may gather what was _Origen_'s Meaning, when he said[373] -_Christ's first_ Advent in the Flesh is all Type and Shadow of his -_second_, spiritual, and glorious Coming; which being an _Opinion_ that -our _Clergy_ are Strangers to, I desire them to consider of it, and -whether there is any Possibility of Truth in it, because it is contrary -to modern Conceptions about _Christ's second_ Advent. - -Nay further, according to the Fathers,[374] the very Life and -Ministry of _John_ the _Baptist_, so far as it is recorded by the -_Evangelists_, is Type and Figure of another's Ministry before -Christ's spiritual Advent; and I am almost, if not altogether of the -same Mind with them. It is beside my present Business, to insert here -many of their Testimonies to this Purpose: But if the _Bishop_ of _St. -David_'s would spare a little Time, which can't be better employ'd, -and make a Collection of the Opinions of the Fathers about the -_Baptist_'s Ministry, and print it, I dare say he'll thereupon present -the learned World with the most surprizing Curiosity they ever were -entertain'd with. Tho' it is improper for me to do such a Work; yet I -will here tell my _Readers_ what will be the true Meaning of _John's -Preaching Repentance, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand_, when his -Ministry revives, _viz._ "It will be an Exhortation to Ministers of -the Letter, [Greek: metanoein], to reconsider the Matter and Error of -their literal Expositions, and to betake themselves to spiritual and -allegorical Interpretations of the Scriptures, in which allegorical -and spiritual Senses of them consists the _Kingdom of Heaven_." This -I assert upon the Authority of _Origen_,[375] and if the _Clergy_ -please to consult St. _Austin_ and others, they'll find them of the -same Mind. But, this by the by, having no more to say to the -Typicalness of _John_'s Ministry, than whenever his foresaid mystical -Preaching of Repentance shall revive, it can hardly be to a more -viperous Generation of Ecclesiastical _Scribes_ and _Pharisees_, than -are the _Ministers_ of the _Letter_ at this present. - -But against all these, and Ten Thousand more Testimonies of the -Fathers for the allegorical Interpretation of the Writings of the -_Evangelists_, and of _Jesus_'s Miracles in particular, the _Bishop_ -of _St. David_'s says, the Fathers are not of good Authority in this -Case, but, for all them, who were Men of whimsical and volatile -Fancies, we ought to adhere to the _Letter_ of the Story of _Christ_'s -Life and Miracles. This the _Bishop_ asserts roundly and frequently in -express or implicit Terms, as his Readers may observe; and I dare say, -the _Bishop_ himself will not here charge me with a Misrepresentation -of his Opinion, tho', to spare Time and Paper, I quote not his own -Words and large Passages. - -What Reason does the _Bishop_ give, why the Authority of the Fathers for -the allegorical Interpretation of the Evangelical Writings, and of -_Jesus_'s Miracles, in particular, is not to be allow'd of? None at all. -Does he quote so much as a Canon of the Church, or a Vote in -Convocation, or an Act of Parliament, or the consentient Opinion of all -Protestant _Writers_ (which are the extrascriptural Standards of modern -Orthodoxy) for his Opinion? No. Does he then reject the Authority of the -Fathers in all other Cases, as well as in _this_ before us? Nor this -neither. He allows their Authority,[376] as they were good Persons and -credible Witnesses, "In Testimony of _Facts_; "And about the Observation -of the Lord's Day; "And concerning the three Orders of the _Clergy_; -"And about the Government of the Church by Bishops; "And about the Books -received into the Canon of the Scripture;" But as for allegorical -Interpretations of the Scriptures, they are of _little_, and (elsewhere) -of _no_ Authority. Who can forbear smiling, unless the _Bishop_ had -better _evinced_ the Reason of this Difference in their Authority? If -he had rejected their Authority in all Cases, he would have judged more -equally and impartially of it. - -In my Opinion, and I appeal to my _Readers_, whether it ben't their -Opinion, that the _Bishop_ had been an ingenuous and plain Dealer, if -he had express'd himself about the Authority of the Fathers in this -following Manner, saying, "That the Authority of the Fathers is good -in _such_ and _such_ Cases as aforesaid; because their Authority is -agreeable enough to the present Doctrine, Practice and Discipline of -the Church: But the Authority of the Fathers is not good for the -allegorical Interpretation of the _New Testament_, because it is -disagreeable to our Prejudices, and because their allegorical -Expositions of some Miracles, if they should receive such a Sense, -will bring Shame and Reproach to our Ministry. Neither is the -Authority of the Fathers for Toleration, and against Persecution, -good; because it is destructive of Ecclesiastical Power. Nor is the -copious Authority of the Fathers against Preaching for Hire, good; -because it is averse to our Interests. Where the Authority of the -Fathers is agreeable to our Interests, Power, and Prejudices, there -will we be for the Authority of the Fathers: But where the Fathers -are against us, there will we be against them; and why should we not?" -This is the true Sense of the _Bishop_, tho' he is so unhappy as to -want the Talent clearly and plainly to express his Mind. - -But, like many others, who can't write Coherence, nor consistently with -themselves; so the _Bishop_, for all his saying that the allegorical -Interpretations of Scripture by the Fathers are of little or no -Authority, yet almost, if not altogether, contradicts himself, and -grants as much as I desire, saying[377] thus, "With relation to any -Expositions of Scripture made by the Fathers in early Times, they must -be allow'd to have had _some_ Advantage in being near to the Fountain -itself." I ask for nothing more from the Bishop. Why do I contend for -the Authority of the Fathers as Interpreters and Expositors? Only -because they lived nearer to the Days of _Christ_ and his Apostles, -whose Mind and Will consequently they must needs know better, than we at -this Distance: And because (what the _Bishop_ elsewhere grants) those -primitive Ages, as well as the Apostolical one, were in some measure -inspired, upon the credible Testimonies of _Origen_, _Irenæus_, and -_Eusebius_, whose Words I shall not stay here to produce. - -Hence then, in the Authority of the Fathers, I should think, there is -Foundation enough to build allegorical Interpretations on, and -particularly to prove the literal Stories of Christ's Miracles to be -Emblems of future and mysterious Operations; but all this will not do -to pacify and stop the Mouths of my Gainsayers. This Controversy is -_pro Aris & Focis_, for the ALL of the Clergy that is dear to them; -and therefore they will shuffle and trifle for and against any -Argument, rather than yield. Tho' the _Bishop_ of _St. David_'s above -speaks favourably of _Expositions made by the Fathers in early Times_, -and may grant that the Church, in her first Ages was inspired, yet he -will still wrangle against allegorical Interpretations, especially -such as I have made on some Miracles; as for Instance, "On _Jesus_'s -driving the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple; "On his -precipitating the Swine with the Devils into the Sea; "On his healing -the Woman of an Issue of Blood; and the Woman of a Spirit of -Infirmity, _&c._ because the Interests and Reputations of the -_Clergy_, as _Ministers_ of the _Letter_, are touch'd to the quick by -them. So true is that Saying of the _Bishop_ of _London_, which -deserves to be repeated, That "where there is an Unwillingness to part -with Prejudices and worldly Interests, there must of Course be a -_Desire_ that the Christian Religion (_which consists in the Ministry -of the Spirit_) should not be true; and a _Willingness_ to favour and -embrace any Argument that is brought against it, and to cherish any -Doubts and Scruples that shall be rais'd concerning it. - -What must I do here then, since no Authority, no, not the most -primitive, will suffice in this Case? Why, I have nothing left to do, -but absolutely to demonstrate, and make the Matter as plain as a -_Pike-Staff_, that the Miracles of _Jesus_ will certainly receive such -a mysterious Accomplishment, as the Fathers and I have before-hand -interpreted them in. Upon such a Demonstration, if the Mouths of my -Adversaries are not stopt, yet the Eyes of all impartial _Readers_ -will be open'd to behold what a Heap of Impertinence the _Bishop_ of -_St. David_'s and others, have hitherto urg'd against me. - -Now to demonstrate absolutely, that the Stories of _Jesus_'s Miracles -will receive such a mysterious Accomplishment, as I, by the Help of -the Fathers, have understood them in, I must do these _two_ things. - -_First_, show, that the Old Testament is to be allegorically -interpreted, and is already in Part, and will be entirely fulfilled by -_Jesus_, the true _Messiah_, in an allegorical Sense. And thence - -_Secondly_, Infer by a natural, obvious, and necessary Consequence, -that, what we vulgarly call the New Testament is to be allegorically -interpreted also, even in the Manner as I have understood some Parts -of it. - -The _Bishop_ of _St. David_'s allows, that there is better Authority, -tho' not sufficient, for the Interpretation of the _Old Testament_ -allegorically; but supposing it was better than it is, yet there is no -Consequence that the _New_ should be also allegorically interpreted. -Behold his Words, for fear of a Charge of Misrepresentation[378]. "But -besides this ill-founded Imitation of St. _Paul_ (in allegorical -Interpretations of the _Old_ Testament) will his mystical Expositions of -any Passages of the Old Testament support their Pretensions (meaning the -Fathers and mine) to interpret the _New_ in a like mystical manner? No, -it will not.----And therefore (_after a little more Reasoning against -this Consequence, he concludes, that_) this Practice of _Origen_ and -other Fathers, that were mystical Expositors of the _New Testament_, was -very precarious, and without Authority." From which Words of the -_Bishop_, it is plain, that his Opinion is, that whatever Authority -there may be for the allegorical Interpretation of the _Old_ Testament, -there is no Consequence to be thence drawn, that the _New_ is to be -interpreted in a like mystical manner. But in Answer to the _Bishop_, -and in Confutation of his wild and inconsiderate Assertion, I chuse to -treat on the two foregoing Particulars; and the - -_First_ is to show, that the _Old_ Testament is to be allegorically -interpreted, and is already in Part, and will be entirely fulfilled by -_Jesus_ in an allegorical Sense. - -That the _Old_ Testament is to be allegorically interpreted, I have -Authority, even ancient Authority enough, if that would be allow'd to be -sufficient to prove my Point. We have Apostolical Authority and Example -for it. The Passages in the Epistles of St. _Paul_ and _Barnabas_ to -this Purpose are numerous, and so well known, that I need not recite -all, or any of them. And from the Passages in St. _Paul_, that might be -here produced, the Fathers asserted and concluded from his Authority, -that the whole _Old_ Testament was to be allegorized. This I believe the -_Bishop_ will grant, and spare me the Pains of Citations out of them. -And if the _Bishop_, and my other _Adversaries_, were of the same Mind -with the Fathers, on St. _Paul_'s Expressions in relation to allegorical -Interpretations of the _Old_ Testament, my present Dispute with them -would be half over. And what is the Reason that the _Bishop_ and others -will not give into the Opinion of the Fathers on the Apostolical -Passages to this Purpose? Because of their Prejudices to the _Letter_ of -the _Old Testament_, otherwise they would urge St. _Paul_'s Authority -for the _Spirit_ of it, as much as the Fathers or I can do. But being, I -say, prepossess'd of _literal_ Interpretations, and not discerning any -Force and Truth in _spiritual_ ones, they will not allow the mystical -Expositions of Scripture by _Origen_ and other Fathers, tho' made in -Imitation of St. _Paul_, to be of good Authority. And therefore I must -demonstrate to Sense and Reason, or Primitive and Apostolical Authority -will stand me in no stead. - -Again, If Authority for allegorical Interpretations of the _Old_ -Testament would avail any thing, there is ancienter, and I had like to -have said _better_, Authority for them, than _that_ of the Fathers -and Apostles, _viz._ the Authority of the more ancient _Jews_. The -Bishop of _St. David_'s[379] says, "The Christian Fathers (and why did -he not say the _Apostles_ too?) derived this allegorical Practice from -the Jewish Interpreters." He owns[380] "that _Philo Judæus_ was a -great mystical Writer as his Works which are extant testify"; and[381] -confesses that "there is Reason to believe, that this mystical Way of -expounding Scripture was of greater Antiquity than _Philo_ himself, -even amongst the _Essens_ and _Therapeuts_, whom _Philo_ writes of, -and who had amongst them several ancient Books of their Predecessors -or Founders, full of allegorical Interpretations." Thus far the -_Bishop_ says well and truly. And what Observation should he, as a -Lover of Antiquity, have made hereupon? Should he not have said, _Id -verius, quod prius_; the older any Doctrine was, the more likely to be -true, in as much as Truth precedes Error? - -But could not the Bishop have carry'd his Story of the allegorical -Interpretation of the _Old Testament_ much higher? Yes, he might, and -have told us what I do him now, that the LXX Interpreters were -_Allegorists_, as appears from the Translation itself, and from the -Opinion of the ancient Jews and Fathers of the Church concerning them. -And what's more still, he might, as a Christian, upon the Authority of -St. _Hilary_[382] have derived the allegorical Art of Interpretation -from _Moses_ himself, who received it from God; and instructed the -_Seventy Elders_ in it, from whom it continued thro' all Ages of the -Jewish and Christian Churches, without Interruption, excepting that -Opposition which the later _Caraites_ of the Jews, and _Ministers_ of -the _Letter_ among Christians, have made to it. If this be true, as I -firmly believe it, then the allegorical Method of Interpretation is of -original and divine Right. And it is reasonable to think accordingly, -that it is of _Mosaic_ and _divine_ Extraction, or the Apostles _Paul_ -and _Barnabas_, and the Fathers afterwards, had never been permitted of -God to countenance a Practice, in Imitation of the _Jews_, if it was of -a base, or of any other than _divine_ Original. The Consequence is, -that we at this Day ought to be allegorical Interpreters of the _Old -Testament_, or we set ourselves against all Antiquity, and oppose a -Tradition that's like a Command, derived from _Moses_ and God himself. - -And what can the _Bishop_ of St. _David_'s say to this Consequence? -Why, he'll tell us, tho' the allegorical Method of Interpretation be -as ancient as the _Therapeuts_ and some of their Predecessors, yet, -whatever the _Jews_ and Fathers may say of its Antiquity, it came not -from God and _Moses_, or he would subscribe to it; but took its Rise, -some Ages after the Giving of the Law of _Moses_, tho' he knows not -how nor when. And I am willing the _Bishop_ should please himself with -such an Answer and Opinion, till I have absolutely demonstrated the -Certainty of the allegorical Method, and thence made it manifest, that -it is of Mosaick and divine Original. - -As to that other Account[383] of the Original of mystical Interpretation -of Scripture, or at least of the greater Progress and Improvement of it, -which the _Bishop_ out of _Porphyry_ gives, by saying the Fathers -learned it of the gentile Philosophers, it is the most senseless and -_unscholarlike_ Opinion that a Christian can hold, and I was surprised -to see it come from him. It is true that St. _Clement_ of _Alexandria_, -_Origen_, and others, were very conversant in the Writings of the -_Greek_ Philosophers: And wherefore were they so? Was it to learn -mystical Theology of them? No, but, as St. _Jerom_[384] says, to confirm -the Doctrines of our Religion, and to confute the _Gentiles_ out of -their own Books. For it was asserted by the Fathers, and confess'd by -the _Gentile_ Philosophers, that the Mythology of the _Greeks_, the -hieroglyphical Learning of the _Egyptians_ and the Oneirocritism of the -_Chaldæans_, was all borrowed from the _Hebrews_, and had their Rise -from the mystical and allegorical Interpretation of the Scriptures, as -shall be made manifest, if the _Bishop_ and I go on in this Controversy: -And _therefore_ the Fathers studied the Writings of the _Greeks_, and -made the foresaid Use of them in the Conversion of the _Gentiles_; which -the _Bishop_ can't but know, if he remembers at all, what he has read in -St. _Clement_ of _Alexandria_, and other Fathers. But this, by the by, -with a Hint to the _Bishop_ to consider, whether he, who holds here with -_Porphyry_, or I who hold with the Fathers, writes the most like an -_Infidel_. So much then to the Accounts, which the _Bishop_ of St. -_David_'s has given, of the Origine of the mystical Interpretation of -Scripture. - -The _Bishop_ of _Litchfield_, who is to be looked on as a Writer in -this Controversy, has a large _Chapter_ against the allegorical Way of -Interpretation. I shall comprise his Opinion in a few Words out of -him. He says,[385] _he is not concerned to vindicate the Antiquity, -ascribed by_ Philo, _to the allegoric Way of writing, much less the -Abuse it was carry'd to in After-Ages; no, nor to defend, at all, this -Manner of writing_. And as to St. _Paul_'s allegorizing the -Scriptures, he says,[386] _It seems to be in compliance with the -Demand of the Jewish Christians, who were affected with allegoric -Interpretations, that St._ Paul (_who appears to have been no Fool_) -_above all the other Apostles used that Way, which he was brought into -against his own good liking_. And in another Place he says,[387] _The -Laws and Facts recorded by_ Moses, _are commonly interpreted to -natural, moral, theological and even anagogick Senses, which no one -supposed to have been ever in_ Moses_'s Thoughts, or to be other than -the Exercise of a subtle Wit, for the Instruction and Entertainment of -the Hearers_. Whether this _Bishop_ had his Wits about him, when he -said, _No one supposed the anagogick Senses of the Law to have been -ever in_ Moses_'s Thoughts_, I can't tell; but if he had rubb'd up his -Memory a little, he might have consider'd, what he says in another -Place,[388] that the Anagogical was the accustomed Way of the whole -Nation of the _Jews_ from _Moses_'s Time; and he might have known what -St. _Hilary_, whom I cited before, says, that _Moses_ taught the -Children of _Isræl_ the anagogical and allegorical Way; and whatever -he may think, _Origen_ says,[389] that _Moses_ by the Acuteness of his -Understanding, penetrated into the mystical and anagogical Meaning of -his own Law. And tho' this _Bishop_ says above, that he is not -concern'd to vindicate the Antiquity of the allegorick Way of writing; -yet I am oblig'd to vindicate its Antiquity and Truth, or I can't -write a good _Defence of Christianity_, which should now bring me (to -what I have undertaken) to make an absolute Demonstration of the -Certainty of the allegorical Method of Interpretation, and of -_Jesus_'s Messiahship upon it. - -But before I enter upon a close Proof of this grand Undertaking, I must -beg leave to tell my Readers a Story, which tho' it will for while defer -my undertaken Demonstration, yet it is properly introductory to it. I -had not long drawn up my foregoing Thoughts, (against the two Bishops, -of _Litchfield_ and St. _David_'s) of the Jewish and Christian Antiquity -of the allegorical Method of Interpretation of Scripture, before I -imparted them to my old Friend the _Jewish Rabbi_, who is a Cabalist and -Allegorist, and desired his Sentiments upon them. Whereupon he was so -kind as to send me the following Letter, with a pertinent Objection in -it, against the Messiahship of the _Jesus_ of our _Ministers_ of the -_Letter_; with a pertinent, I say, and lucky Objection, which paves the -Way for my Demonstration of the Certainty of the allegorical Way of -Interpretation, and of the Messiahship of the _Jesus_ of us _Ministers_ -of the _Spirit_; and if I can but prevail upon the two forenamed -_Bishops_, to give me their Assistance in answering the said Objection, -by humouring my Rabbi in it; we shall go a better Step, than has been -hitherto taken, for the Conversion of the _Jews_: And this is -Encouragement enough to such hearty Friends to Christianity as we are, -to set about so great and glorious a Work. The Letter is as follows. - - SIR, - - After condoling with you for the extraordinary Penalty that was - laid on you for my Invective against _Jesus_'s Miracle of _turning - Water into Wine_, which, in my Opinion, you should not have been so - heavily charg'd with, because it was purely _Cabalistical_, and - contains in it nothing better or worse than the Conceptions that we - _Jews_ entertain of _Jesus_ and his Miracles; I here send you my - Thoughts on the short Account you have given of the Antiquity of - the allegorical Method of the Interpretation of Scripture. - - You and the Fathers of your Church are certainly in the right on't, - to make it as old as _Moses_, agreeably to the Opinion, that we - cabalistical _Jews_[390] at this Day entertain of it. If it was of - later Date and original, your Adversaries are oblig'd to assign the - Time _when_, and the Occasion _how_, such a surprising and - extraordinary Method of Interpretation was introduced into the - Jewish Nation. If our Ancestors in the Days of God's inspired - Prophet, _Moses_, heard of none but literal Senses of the Law, and - if neither he nor God himself ever intended they should run into - the allegorical Strain, I ask when and what was _that Incident_ - which turn'd the Heads of our ancient Nation so religiously and - devoutly to it? I can easily conceive how it came to pass, that the - Sect of the _Caraites_ amongst us _Jews_, who now adhere to the - Letter, deserted mystical Interpretations; and why your _Ministers_ - of the _Letter_ have forsaken them; and that was because they don't - relish nor apprehend those divine Mysteries, which _your_ and _our_ - ancient Allegorists so much talk'd of, as veil'd and latent under - the Law of _Moses_. But if this be a good Reason, why they have - forsaken the allegorical Method, it is a much better Reason, why - our Ancestors, of themselves should never have taken it up. And - therefore it is plain to me, that God and _Moses_ upon the - Institution of the Law, at the same Time imparted the allegorical - Method; or it could never afterwards, _by chance_, have enter'd - into the Heads of Men, who have hitherto discern'd so little Use - and Fruits of it. - - The Reason why God by _Moses_ communicated to the _Israelites_, and - by his Providence since has kept up the allegorical Way of - Interpretation of the Scriptures, was to prepare the World for the - Reception of the _Messiah_, who was to be the Accomplisher of them - in an allegorical Sense; and our Ancestors accordingly so much - excercised their Thoughts in divine and mystical Contemplations on - the Law; because, they fancied, they could thereby, as through _a - Glass darkly_, attain to some glimmering Foresight of the Kingdom - of the _Messiah_: For you must know, that our old Cabalists[391] - held (what your _Jesus_ undertook to fulfil) that all Things that - were written in the Law and the Prophets, were, _to a Tittle_, Type - and Prophecy of the _Messiah_, who would be so far the clear - Fulfiller and Illustrater of them, as that Men would then see God - _Face to Face_: And, to be particular, they expected, in the first - Place, that the _Messiah_ would work the Redemption of his Church - after the same manner, and by the like Signs and Wonders that - _Moses_ wrought the Deliverance of the _Israelites_ out of _Egypt_. - - Agreeable to these our old Opinions of the Scripture, and to our - Expectations of a _Messiah_, did the Fathers of your Church - endeavour to prove _Jesus_'s Messiahship, by an allegorical - Explication and Application of the Law and the Prophets to him: But - in as much as they labour'd in vain, proving little or nothing, - this Way, to the Satisfaction of our old _Jews_; and in as much as - your Priesthood have altogether given over this Way of Proof; we - persist in our Disbelief of _Jesus_'s Messiahship, and expect - another for the foresaid grand Purposes. Give me Leave here to make - an Objection, founded on the concurrent and consentient Opinions of - _your_ Fathers and _our_ Ancestors, against the Messiahship of - _Jesus_, which if your Priests can answer, agreeably to their - united Opinions, they will not only make a Convert of me, but open - a Door for the Conversion of our whole Nation. - - "It is agreed between us Jews, and you Christians (excepting two or - three modern Commentators) that the Words of _Deuteronomy_, xviii. - 18. _I will raise them up a Prophet from among their Brethren like - unto thee_, are a Prophecy of the Messiah. From which Prophecy our - Ancestors[392] look'd upon _Moses_ as a Type of the Messiah, _in - all Things_, and expected that the _Messiah_ at his coming would by - way of Antitype, imitate and resemble _Moses_ in all the History of - his Life, just as Face answereth to Face in a Glass, or as a - Substance agrees to its Shadow. And I am well assured that the - Fathers of your Church accordingly held and believed, what they - endeavoured to prove, that there was an exact Similitude between - _Jesus_ in the Christian Church, and _Moses_ in the Jewish. Now if - your Priesthood can perfect that Proof, and show me, either in a - literal or allegorical Sense, an exact Resemblance, Correspondence, - and Likeness between them, I must of Necessity turn Christian. It - may be perhaps a Work of too large an Extent for them to shew this - Agreement between _Jesus_ and _Moses_ in all and every Particular; - I will be content therefore, if they can shew me a Similitude - between them in a small Part of _Moses_'s Life; as for Instance, in - the History of _Moses_'s delivering the _Israelites_ out of - _Egypt_. It was most expressly the Opinion of our Ancestors, that - the Messiah would deliver his People from Bondage, and, if I forget - not, from _Roman_ Bondage, after the Manner, and by the like - Wonders, that _Moses_ delivered his People from _Egyptian_. - _Jerom_,[393] a Father of your Church has recorded _this_ as the - universal Opinion of our Ancestors, and therefore you have the less - Reason to question it. And agreeably to this Opinion of our - Ancestors, the Fathers of your Church asserted, that _Christ_ was - such a _Messiah_, and did deliver his Church from _Roman_ - Servitude, after the same Manner (in a Figure) that _Moses_ - delivered his _Israelites_ out of _Egypt_. Nay, your Apostle - _Paul_[394] seems to assert it, saying, _Brethren, I would not, - that ye should be ignorant, how that all our Fathers were under the - Cloud, and all passed through the Sea, and were all baptized unto - Moses in the Cloud and in the Sea. Now these things were our - Examples or Types._ In which Words _Paul_ apparently alludes to, - and confirms the Opinion of our Ancestors, which he had imbibed - before his Conversion; and intimates that _Jesus_, whom he took for - the _Messiah_, was working a Redemption of his Church after the - Manner of the Deliverance of the _Israelites_ out of _Egypt_. And - so did your Fathers understand these Words of _Paul_, and - accordingly many of them labour'd to shew the Similitude between - the _Israelitish_ and _Christian_ Redemption, in order to the - Conversion of the _Jews_. But they, it seems, labour'd in vain, - shewing no tolerable nor visible Likeness of this sort between - _Jesus_ and _Moses_; and therefore our Nation to this Day continues - in Disbelief of _Jesus_'s Messiahship. However, we have not so - pertinaciously rejected _Jesus_'s Messiahship, as not to give you - Leave to resume the old Argument of it, from his Likeness to - _Moses_ in all things. If your _Priests_ can now show a Likeness - between them; if they can at this Day prove that _Jesus_ wrought - the like Miracles and Wonders (tho' in a figurative and allegorical - Sense) for the Redemption of his Church from _Roman_ Servitude, as - _Moses_ did for the Deliverance of _Israelites_ out of _Egypt_, we - will grant him to be the _Messiah_, and will believe in him. But as - we despair of such a Proof, so we reasonably persist in our - Disbelief of his Messiahship. Your _Divines_ indeed, because of the - foresaid Prophecy in _Deuteronomy_, do talk of a Likeness between - _Moses_ and _Jesus_; but it is not at all agreeable to the - Sentiments of _your_ Fathers, or the Expectations of _our_ - Ancestors concerning the _Messiah_'s Similitude to _Moses_. They - tell us, that _Jesus_ and _Moses_ were alike, because both wrought - Miracles; but this will not do, till they prove a Likeness between - their Miracles, as to Number, Nature, Use and Circumstance. The - Miracles that the _Messiah_ is to work, and which are to prove his - Messiahship, must be of a similar Nature, and to the like Purpose - that _Moses_'s were in _Egypt_, as _our_ Ancestors asserted, and - _your_ Fathers granted: But since no such Similitude is shown to be - between them, we disown _Jesus_'s Messiahship, and appeal to the - Reason and Understanding of all indifferent Judges in the - Controversy, whether we are not in the right on't for so doing." - - Thus, Sir, for the Use of your _Clergy_, have I form'd an Objection - against _Jesus_'s Messiahship, an Objection that is founded on the - concurrent Opinions of _our_ Ancestors and of _your_ Fathers: And I - shall with some Longings and Impatience wait till I hear what they - have to say to it. The Objection, in my Opinion, absolutely - destroys _Jesus_'s Pretences to the Messiahship, unless his - _Priests_, by way of Answer to it, can prove the foresaid - Similitude between him and _Moses_; between the Miracles of the One - and the Miracles of the Other; between the Deliverance of the - _Jewish_ and the Redemption of the _Christian_ Church, out of an - _Egypt_. - - I am thinking what your _Clergy_ can say to the Objection. Will - they deny, that it was the Opinion of both _your_ Fathers and of - _our_ Ancestors, that there ought to be such a Similitude between - the _Messiah_ and _Moses_, as is before describ'd? That they can't - do, because of the innumerable Testimonies to be produced out of - them to confirm it. Will they then say, that it was a false and - erroneous Opinion, which both ancient Jews and Fathers entertain'd - concerning the _Messiah_? This surely they will not do; because of - the Consequence, which charges the Apostle _Paul_ himself (in the - above-cited Place) and the primitive Christians, with the grossest - Error and Mistake concerning _Jesus_ and his Messiahship; and yet - I can't think they will ever give into the joint Opinion aforesaid - of both _Jews_ and Fathers; because of the Impossibility of proving - _Jesus_ to be like _Moses in all Things_, according to the literal - Sense of the Law, which they adhere to; and because of the - Improbability of doing it, in an allegorical Sense, after the Way - of their Fathers, or, in all this Time surely, the Matter must have - been made out, to the Satisfaction and Conversion of our Nation. - - I long, I tell you, to hear what your Christian _Priesthood_ will - say to the Objection, which surely they will not let slip, without - their Remarks and Observations upon it, any more than my Objections - against the literal Story of some of _Jesus_'s Miracles. And this - is your and my Comfort, that if you publish this present Objection - against _Jesus_'s Messiahship, the _Clergy_ can't account it a - ludicrous, profane, and blasphemous one (as they did my others) and - so bring you again under Prosecution for it: No, it is a plain, - serious, and reasonable Objection, founded on ancient Jewish and - Ecclesiastical Authority; and a pertinent, solid, and rational - Answer is expected to it. - - Now the Controversy about _Jesus_'s Messiahship is thus far revived - and commenced, let us, in God's Name, go on with it, till we come - to a final Determination, either in the Demonstration, or - Confutation of it. Your _Clergy_, can't, I think, for Shame, any - more interrupt the free Course of the Controversy, which will make - us Jews secretly insult and triumph over them; and not only confirm - us in our Unbelief of _Jesus_'s Messiahship, but will occasion - others to desert their Faith in him. - - It's a strange thing to consider how your Priesthood have, in these - latter Ages, managed the Controversy between Jews and Christians, - all by themselves, furiously disputing against Adversaries, whom - they will not allow with Impunity to speak in their own Cause: So - do they make God, who is to decide the Controversy, like an unjust - and partial Judge, that will hear only the Pleadings and Evidence - on one Side of the Question. - - But your _Clergy_ will say, that in their Writings against the - Jews, they make Objections for us as well as Answers for - themselves, and that's sufficient. Not so, say I, unless their - Objections were as good and strong as we can make for our selves. - But however, if your _Divines_ so please, I will thus agree the - Matter with them, _viz._ That they alone shall make Objections for - us, if they'll let us alone to make Answers for them, which is most - just and equal; and then the World shall behold the most pleasant - and comical _Farce_ of a Controversy, they ever were entertain'd - with. - - I remember, that in my Letter, you published, against _Jesus_'s - Resurrection, I promised the Controversy between the _Jews_ and - _Christians_, by my Consent, should turn on that Miracle. Your - _Clergy_, one or other of them, have answer'd that _Letter_; and so - might expect to hear of my Conversion, if I had nothing to reply to - them. My Reply you durst not publish, for fear of worldly - Tribulation, and so I am free from that Promise. But now that you - have fortunately given me an Occasion to make the more proper and - substantial Objection against _Jesus_'s Messiahship, herein - contain'd, I hope it will be freely and fully debated and - consider'd to the Determination of the Controversy between us. So - wishing you Health and Happiness, I am _Yours_, - - _N. N._ - -So ends the Letter of my good old Friend, the Jewish _Rabbi_, which -was a most seasonable and acceptable Present, in as much as the -Objection, contain'd in it, will open a fair Way for me to prove, -that the Stories of _Jesus_'s Miracles, as recorded in the -Evangelists, are and ought to be allegorically understood, and will -certainly receive such a mystical Accomplishment, as I, by the Help of -the Fathers, have conceived of them. The _Bishop_ of _St. David_'s, -and my other Adversaries, may not, in all Probability, be aware of -this Use to be made of the foresaid Objection; and I don't expect that -on a sudden they should; but if they'll favour me with, what otherwise -I'll endeavour to force them to, their Opinion and Debates about the -foresaid Objection against _Jesus_'s Messiahship, they shall soon -discern this Use and Consequence of it, that _Jesus_'s Miracles are -not _literally_ but _allegorically_ to be understood, and will -accordingly receive an Accomplishment. - -I trust then, that the _Bishop_ of _St. David_'s, who is principally -concern'd, will, without more Importunity, favour me with his Opinion -on the foregoing _Jewish_ Objection, which may be done in a small -Compass of Paper, either in _Print_, or in an _Epistle_. - -I expect he should tell me plainly and expressly, whether it was -really the joint Opinion of the ancient _Jews_ and Fathers of the -Church, as is affected in the Objection, that the _Messiah_ was to be -a Prophet like _Moses_ in all things, in the whole History of his -Life, and particularly with regard to the miraculous Deliverance of -the _Israelites_ out of _Egypt_. If the _Bishop_ should, what I humbly -conceive he will not, deny that it was the joint Opinion of both -_Jews_ and Fathers, as is before represented in the Objection, and -should pretend to urge Reasons and Authorities, which he will hardly -find, why such a Likeness and Agreement between the _Messiah_ and -_Moses_ ought not to be look'd for; then my _Rabbi_ and I will confirm -the joint Opinion aforesaid, with Citations, almost innumerable out of -the _Jews_ and Fathers, till the _Bishop_ shall yield to the Number -and Clearness of them. - -If the _Bishop_ should own, what I am almost persuaded he will, that -it was the joint Opinion of Fathers and _Jews_, that there ought to be -such a Similitude and Harmony between the _Messiah_ and _Moses_, as is -represented above; but should say, that it was an erroneous and false -Opinion, which the old Cabalistical _Jews_, by chance, and -unfortunately took up; and which the Fathers, even the Apostle -himself, unwarily and unhappily run into, complying with an Opinion of -the _Jews_ about the _Messiah_, without Consideration of the Weakness -of it; then I, with a little of my _Rabbi_'s Help, will further prove -the Truth and Certainty of the said Opinion, and demonstrate, that He -can be no true Messiah, who in the History of himself and of his -Church does not exactly, _to a tittle_, correspond to the History of -_Moses_ and of his People. - -But if the _Bishop_ should, what I am willing to hope he will, -ingenuously confess, there ought to be such an Agreement and Likeness -between _Moses_ and the _Messiah_ as is signified in the Objection, -then he and I will go heartily to Work, and for the Honour of _Jesus_, -whom we believe to be the _Messiah_, will absolutely demonstrate the -Similitude, there is between him and _Moses in all Things_. And this, -by the by, in the Opinion of our Fathers, is the _ONLY_ Way to prove -_Jesus_'s Messiahship, _viz._ by his Resemblance to _Moses_, and by -his Accomplishment of the Mosaick Types and Prophecy concerning him, -who, upon his own Word, came to fulfil the Law and the Prophets _to a -Tittle_. - -If the _Bishop_ and I should be so fortunate, and I trust in God we -shall, as to prove a most apparent and manifest Likeness between _Jesus_ -and _Moses_, even such a Likeness as my _Rabbi_ above demands, then -shall we stop his Mouth, and soon pave a certain Way (which will be vast -Honour to the _Bishop_) for the Conversion of the _Jews_. - -I don't despair of the _Bishop_'s joint Labours and Endeavours with -mine to so great and good a Work (for I can't think in my Heart, that -he'll otherwise wrangle about the Objection above) so (if the _Bishop_ -pleases) we'll begin this Work with a Demonstration of the Likeness -there is between the Redemption of the _Christian_ Church, and the -Deliverance of the _Israelitish_ out of _Egypt_. Not only St. -_Augustin_[395] hints that they who would show a Likeness between -_Jesus_ and _Moses_ ought to begin here; but thereby we shall humour -my _Rabbi_ in his Objection, who calls for (upon the concurrent -Testimonies of _Jews_ and Fathers) a Proof of such a Likeness between -the Redemptions of the two Churches, or he shall think it reasonable -still to persist in his Disbelief of _Jesus_'s Messiahship. - -And if the _Bishop_ and I should be so happy as to shew in an apparent -Manner, this Similitude between the Redemption of the Jewish and -Christian Church out of _Egypt_, then meeting with Success in our -Studies, will we proceed further, and illustrate other Prophecies of -succeeding Times of the Church; for I will not part with the _Bishop_, -till he is able to travel by himself, in his Contemplations on the Law -and the Prophets, and to behold, what with an ordinary _Telescope_ at -the Eyes of his Understanding he may discern, and show to his Episcopal -Brethren, _Christ_ spiritually sitting and coming on the Clouds of the -_Letter_ to the same Purposes that the old Jews, Fathers and Apostles -say he is to come, _viz._ To open and illustrate the Parables and -Ænigma's of the Scriptures, to restore Prophecy, to shew us God Face to -Face; and to raise All from a spiritual Death to Life again. And blessed -are all those, who love and desire such his Appearance. - -In my _Third Discourse_ on _Miracles_, I happen'd to speak of -_Christ_'s second and spiritual Advent on the Clouds of the Law and -Prophets; and to say "that the common Notion of his Coming on ærial -Clouds for the Resurrection of dead Bodies, _&c._ is the most -senseless and unphilosophical, that ever was taught to Mankind;" which -gave Offence to my _Bishop_, who animadverted upon me for it; but if -he ever get Sight, which I don't question, of _Christ_'s Coming on -the metaphorical Clouds of Prophecy, he'll not only be of my Mind -here, but will be sensible with me, that all or most of our -systematical Divinity, that is built on the _Letter_ of the -Scriptures, is false and groundless; and of that ill Tendency to the -Corruption of Mens Morals, that it is not so much a Wonder, that wise, -good, and thinking _Gentlemen_ are betaking themselves to Natural -Religion, as it is, that there are any Believers of Christianity, upon -the _Literal Scheme_, left among us. If it had not been _Force_, more -than _Reason_, that has hitherto kept Mankind in their Christian -Faith; or if Liberty had been indulg'd them to consider the -Absurdities of the _Letter_ of the Scriptures, they would have run ere -now, by Shoals, into Infidelity: But the allegorical Interpretation -(which the Cabalistical _Jews_[396] say, will convert _Atheists_) will -reduce Mankind to the Belief of the inspired Authority of the -Scriptures, by shewing them the perfect _Reason_, the divine _Wisdom_, -and resplendent _Truth_ of them; otherwise call'd the Messiah, the -[Greek: chrisma], the Spirit, or the _Christ_ of them, than _whom_, or -than _which_ nothing can be more desired by Philosophers, to come for -the spiritual Renovation, Restoration, Resurrection and Illumination -of Man; _consequently_ and implicitly for the Work of those mystical -Miracles, of which those wrought by _Christ_ in the Flesh are but -Types and Figures. Whether the _Bishop_ of _St. David_'s be already -apprised of this Consequence, I can't tell; but if he rub his -Intellects but a little, he must needs apprehend the Consequence of -the foresaid spiritual Advent of _Christ thus_ far "That Ministers of -the Letter then are certainly to be turn'd out of the Church: "That -the Woman of the Church then will be cured of her Infirmity at the -Spirit of Prophesy: "That the Eyes of Mankind, like the blind Man's, -will be then open'd to see, what he has hitherto been dark about, the -Mystery of the Providence of God in all Ages. And so of the mystical -Accomplishment of the other Miracles, with a little Application of -Thought, may he discern the Consequence. And when he does so, then he -will see too, what sort of a Christian I am, whom our _Ecclesiasticks_ -have falsely accused, and unjustly persecuted for Impiety, -Profaneness, Blasphemy and Infidelity, only because I have written -against the _Letter_ of _Jesus_'s Miracles, in order to turn Mens -Heads to the Consideration of their mystical Accomplishment at -_Christ_'s second spiritual and glorious Advent on the Clouds of the -Law and the Prophets. - -I have indeed written against the _literal_ Stories of _Jesus_'s -Miracles, which I still nauseate and abominate the Confinement of Mens -Thoughts to it; but if our _Clergy_ would but a little bear with me, -they shall see, I _alone_ do Honour to their literal Stories, by -making them beautiful Emblems of future and more wonderful Operations. -I have indeed call'd _Jesus_ an Impostor, Juggler, Fortune teller (and -what not?) by way of Objection against the _Letter_ of his Miracles; -but I _alone_ shall do him Honour, in those very Miracles, which he -wrought in the Flesh, by proving him to be the Wisdom, as well as -Power of God, and that _God was in him of a Truth_, and endued him -with a divine Prescience of Futurities, or he could not then have -wrought such curious and admirable Models and Prefigurations of his -mysterious Works at his _second_ Advent. - -Whether the _Bishop_ of _St. David_'s, and others, can as yet -certainly discern the foresaid Consequence of Christ's mystical -Accomplishment of his Miracles upon his spiritual Advent, I can't -guess; but if they'll favour me with their Opinion on my _Rabbi_'s -Objection above, which will lead us to the allegorical Interpretation -of the Law, they shall soon clearly see it. - -And now I would have the _Bishop_ of _St. David_'s to compare _this -Part_ of my _Defence_ with the _Third Chapter_ of his _Vindication_, -which treats _on the Practice of the Fathers in interpreting the -Scriptures in a mystical and allegorical Method_, and consider whether -He or I write the most like a Christian of an orthodox and primitive -Faith and Practice. The _Bishop_ says[397] "That it is certain, that -without such Assistance (_of the Spirit_) as St. _Paul_ enjoy'd, the -mystical Expositions of the Scripture by _Origen_ and other Fathers, -tho' made in Imitation of St. _Paul_, have no such Authority as that -of St. _Paul_ stampt on them." What, in the Name of Wonder, does the -_Bishop_ here mean? Tho' St. _Paul_ has not allegoriz'd the whole Law, -but only some few Parts; yet he expressly says, often enough, that the -whole is a _Figure_ and _Shadow_ of Things to come under _Christ_; and -our Saviour himself, as the Fathers understood him, intimates often, -that all Things that were written in the Law and the Prophets, are -Types and Prophecy of him, and that he came to fulfil them _to a -Tittle_. Is not here Authority enough for the Fathers to allegorize -the whole Law and the Prophets, in order to shew the Agreement between -the Type and Antitype; between the Shadow and the Substance; between -the Figure and the Thing figured; and between the Prophecy and its -Accomplishment. And whether the Fathers, in their allegorical -Expositions, rightly or not, hit off the Sense of the Prophecy; (for -it must be confess'd they variously allegorized _this_ and _that_ -Passage of Scripture) yet it was _their_ and _our_ Duty and Office, -from the Words of _Christ_, and the Practice of the Apostle, to keep -on in the allegorical Method, till an Harmony between the Prophecy and -its Accomplishment was made most clear. - -The _Bishop_ says in this his _Third Chapter_ of his _Vindication_, -"That the Fathers and I have abusively cited this Passage of St. -_Paul_, _The Letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth Life_, in -Justification of our mystical Expositions;" whereupon the _Bishop_ -gave us a large Explication out of his own Head, on that whole Verse; -which (because of the Shallowness of my own Pate, or the Confusion of -the Bishop's) I don't understand, and much question, whether the -_Bishop_ understands himself. However, I will here paraphrastically -give my _Readers_ the easy, plain, and intelligible Sense of the -Fathers and my self on that whole Verse[398] thus, _Who hath made us -able Ministers of the New Testament, not of the Letter_ [that is, not -of the literal Sense of the Law and the Prophets, which is the _Old_ -Testament] _but of the Spirit_, [that is, of the spiritual Sense of -the Law and the Prophets, which is the _New_ Testament] _for_ [as the -Testimony of _Jesus_, according to St. _John_, is the Spirit of -Prophecy, so] _the Letter_ [that is, the literal Sense of the Law and -Prophets] _killeth_ [that is, nulls the Testimony of _Jesus_ which is -in them] _but the Spirit_ [that is, the spiritual Sense of the Law and -Prophets] _giveth Life_ [to their prophetical Testimony.] This is most -certainly the Sense of the Fathers on this Text; and I believe the -_Bishop_ will not gainsay it, tho' he may dislike it. Hence the -Fathers, when they spoke _properly_ and not _vulgarly_, call'd the -spiritual Sense of the Law and the Prophets, the[399] _New Testament_, -and asserted that there was or would be such an Agreement between the -_Old_ and _New_ Testament; that is, between the Testament of the -_Letter_, and the Testament of the _Spirit_ of the Scriptures, as that -there would not be[400] one Tittle in the _one_, that would not be -consonantly fulfilled in the _other_; and so far as I already -apprehend this Harmony between these two Testaments, of the _Letter_, -and of the _Spirit_, I must needs say with _Origen_[401] that it's -_pleasant and ravishing to behold and contemplate it_, and hope in a -short time to make the Bishop of St. _David_'s a Partaker of the same -Pleasure. The same right Notion had the Fathers of the _Gospel_ of -_Christ_, which they have of the _New Testament_. _Vulgarly_ speaking, -the Writings of the Evangelists, and of the Apostles, were call'd the -_Gospel_ of _Christ_: But properly speaking, Christ's _spiritual -Accomplishment_ of the Law was the _Gospel_: Hence is the Meaning of -their frequent saying, "That under the Law the Gospel was vail'd, and -under the Gospel the Law was reveal'd." Hence they said, "That those -Men had nothing of the _Gospel_, who understood not the Spirit of the -_Law_." Hence they said, "The Gospel was hid to those, who had the -Veil of the _Letter_ upon their Hearts in reading of the Old -Testament." Hence it was too, that they said, "That the Gospel was but -_in Part_, and that too in a very _little Part_, reveal'd at -_Christ_'s first Coming; the full Revelation of it being reserv'd for -his second and more glorious Advent, which the World is now in great -Want of, for the curing of their spiritual _Blindness_, _Deafness_, -and _Lameness_; that is, for the Correction of their gross Ignorance -and Errors in Religion; for the Healing of their Divisions; for the -Manifestation of Truth; for the Conversion of _Jews_ and _Gentiles_; -and for the Reformation of the Manners of Mankind. - -Dear _Jesu_, to what a sad Purpose have our Hired Priesthood and -_Ministers_ of the _Letter_, of all Denominations, hitherto studied and -preach'd, even till they have lost the true, primitive, and Apostolical -Notion of "the _Gospel_; "of _Revelation_; and "of the _New Testament_! - -The Bishop of _London_ has of late publish'd two _Pastoral Letters_ on -the Certainty, Necessity, and Use of Revelation, against _Infidels_, -particularly against my self, whom he (God help his Understanding!) -takes for a Favourer of Infidelity: And to do the _Man_ Justice, I -believe he's sincere, and laments at his Heart the Unbelief of this -Age: But however, when the true _Gospel_, otherwise call'd the -_Revelation_ of the Law and the Prophets, or the _New Testament_ -(which will be fatal to the Ministry of the Letter, and an hired -Priesthood) shall be republished, restored, and repreach'd, I dare -say, without Censoriousness, or pretending to a prophetick Spirit, -that He, of all the Inhabitants of _London_ and _Westminster_, will be -the greatest Enemy to it; and for no other Reason than his own, -"because of his Unwillingness to part with his worldly Interests, -which will induce him to embrace any Arguments against it, and to -cherish any Doubts and Scruples concerning it." - -Whether the Bishop of St. _David_'s intends to proceed in this -Controversy against me, as he has begun, I know not. He promised us -his _Second Volume_ last Winter, but has adjourn'd the Publication of -it to the next, and I am apt to think he'll defer it to _latter -Lammas_: For being, I suppose, sensible, that his _First Volume_ is -built on the false Bottom of my supposed Infidelity, he'll hardly -trouble the World with another of that kind. But however, I'll not -release him out of the Controversy. I shall insist upon his letting -me know his Opinion on my _Rabbi_'s Objection against _Jesus_'s -Messiahship, herein contain'd, which if he'll favour me with, I'll -forgive him all the Virulence, and pass by all the Impertinence (to -say no worse) of his _Vindication_: Otherwise I shall be tempted to do -an unpleasant Work to myself, as well as an ungrateful one to him; -that is, further to expostulate with him for his false Accusations, -Misrepresentations, and other ill Usage of me. - -When I review my _Discourses_ on _Miracles_, and consider not only -their visible Tendency to the Proof of _Jesus_'s Messiahship, but my -solemn Declarations of the Belief of Christianity; I wonder that such -a Number of Writers against me should all of them (excepting Mr. -_Laurence_[402] whom I here thank and praise for his Ingenuity) take -me for an Infidel. I don't indeed much wonder, that the inferior Tribe -of _Levi_ (such is their egregious Ignorance!) should take me for one; -but that such presumed great _Scholars_, as are the Bishops of -_London_ and St. _David_'s, should so mistake me, is astonishing. And -I am not as yet fully satisfied, whether it be their _Ignorance_ or -their _Malice_, thus to accuse me of Infidelity: If it was really -_Ignorance_ in them, they'll soon be convinced of their Error; and -then, like good Christians, they'll make me Satisfaction for the -Injuries done me. But if it was _Malice_, and in Revenge on me for -writing so much against an _Hired-Priesthood_, then they'll go on, and -_die hard_, without any Remorse for the Troubles, Sufferings and -Expences they have put me to. - -As I am really a Christian, and shall, by God's Help, demonstrate the -Messiahship of _Jesus_, to which my _Discourses_ on his _Miracles_ -were subservient; so I will make bold to tell the _Bishops_ concern'd, -that I am as certainly persecuted, as ever any Christian was since the -Days of the Apostles: And they will do well to consider, whether they -have not everlastingly disgraced themselves, and done some Dishonour -to the best Civil Administration, that ever Nation was bless'd with, -by engaging them in the Persecution of the most sincere Advocate for -the Truth of Christianity, that ever set Pen to Paper. - -I am so far from being an Infidel, that, notwithstanding my -_Discourses_ on _Miracles_, I am an implicit Believer, and most devout -Admirer of Doctrines, Historical Facts, and Traditions of the -primitive Church, adhering to many Notions of the Fathers, besides -their allegorical Scheme (as will be seen in the Sequel of this -Controversy) which the _Divines_ of these last Ages have rejected, as -so many Weaknesses and Mistakes in them. And when I come more fully to -open my Mind, it will be well if the _Clergy_ don't change their -_Note_ about me; and instead of accusing me of Infidelity, ridicule me -for too much Credulity, and even Superstition; or I would not espouse -_such_ and _such_ Doctrines and Traditions, which all learned and -Protestant _Criticks_ have discarded. Some of these old Notions I'll -keep to myself, for fear of being over-much laught at by the _Clergy_ -for them, but others upon Occasion I will divulge; and don't care if I -tell my _Readers_ here one of them, thus: - -"The Fathers intimate that _Ministers_ of the _Letter_ are Worshippers -of the Apocalyptical _Beast_, or _Anti-Christ_; and that _that Beast_ -of a God, old _Baal_, was a Type of _Anti Christ_." This their Opinion -I found hard to digest; but if there be any Truth in it, it can't be -unlawful to jest a little with his Priests, or to ridicule their -nonsensical, foolish and absurd Doctrines, founded on the _Letter_. - -But let my Theological Notions and Speculations be of what kind -soever; what Harm can my Arguings for them do to the Community? None -at all. If they are not of God, they will come to nought sooner and -better than by a Persecution of me for them. But if they are of God, -they will stand and prevail against all Opposition of the _Clergy_, -who will lose their Reputation, if they take any other Measures, than -what Reason and Religion do allow of, to suppress them. - -My earnest Request then to the _Clergy_ is, that under the Debate I am -like to have with them, they would be pleased to keep their Temper; or -wise and impartial By-standers will say, that it's more for their -Interests than the Truth, that they are zealous and furious. - -I am not afraid of another Prosecution at Law, because I already have, -or soon shall cut off all Pretences to it, by clearing myself of all -Suspicions of Infidelity; but, for all that, I am more apprehensive of -the Rage and Indignation of the _Clergy_, than if I had been a -downright _Atheist_. No _Atheist_ or _Deist_ is or can be of that -dangerous Consequence to the modern Priesthood, as the Christian -Allegorist. Against the Growth of Deism and Atheism, the _Clergy_ may -be able for some time to maintain their Ground; but upon the Revival -of the _Ministry_ of the _Spirit_ of the Law and the Prophets, they -can't stand long. And if I should demonstrate, what I have undertaken, -the Certainty of the allegorical Scheme, and _Jesus_'s Messiahship -upon it; tho' _Jews_ and _Infidels_ then will be ready to rejoice, yet -Ministers of the Letter, notwithstanding their pretended Love to, and -Faith in _Jesus_, will be enraged; and it will be well, if I don't -feel the Weight of their Displeasure and Resentment. If that foolish -old _Dotard_, Mr. _Ayscough_[403] the _Rector_ of St. _Olave_'s, -_Southwark_, could find in his Heart to instigate the Mob to _drag me -through the Streets, and throw me into some Repository of Filth and -Nastiness_, what may I not dread from young hot-headed _Priests_, upon -the Performance of what is here undertaken? But I hope our pious and -good _Bishops_, notwithstanding the Danger of their _Thousands_ a -Year, will be my Safeguard. - -After all, it is a sad and melancholick Consideration, that the -Understandings of Mankind, especially of the Wise, Thinking and -Philosophical Part of them, should be enslaved to the Interests of -Ecclesiastical _Clodpates_, who for the sake of _Mammon_ more than -_Truth_, are furious and turbulent; otherwise any Opinions in Religion -might be profess'd, consistently with the Peace of the Publick; and -any Speculations publish'd without Animosities and Molestations. - -What Course can be taken with the _Clergy_, to persuade them to -Patience and Forbearance, whilst I prove them to be the most stupid -Sect of Philosophers, who have amongst them the fewest Rudiments of -true Philosophy, and even of the Gospel, of any Sect the World ever -knew? It's said, there is nothing so absurd, which some of the old -Philosophers have not held; but there is nothing, for Absurdity, equal -to this Belief, that the _Bible_, for its literal Story, is the Word -of God, and given by Inspiration of him. - -The _Bishop_ of _St. David_'s complains[404] of my unmannerly -Behaviour towards my Ecclesiastical Superiors; and I must confess, I -am no body at that low and _Right Reverend_ Bow, that he is fam'd for, -or I might have put in for a _Bishoprick_ before now: But if our -_Bishops_ and _Clergy_ will be pleased to keep their Temper, till I -get to the End of this Controversy, I'll pass such Compliments upon -them for their good Humour and Learning too, if they deserve it, as -they hardly ever met with. - -To conclude, I have written as plainly and intelligibly as I can, in -this _Part_ of my _Defence_. If any one shall complain of Obscurity -any where, I will, upon Intimation, endeavour to illustrate it. I -have, in some Places, asserted Things upon the Authority of the -Fathers, without producing their Testimonies, in Proof of them; but if -any question, whether their Testimonies can be here or there urg'd, -they shall, upon a proper Occasion, have Satisfaction given them. The -Reason why I have sometimes omitted the Testimonies of the Fathers, -where they might be look'd for, is because I study Brevity, intending -never to publish at once a larger _Volume_ than this present. And no -body need question my Testimonies to be ready at Hand; because I have -neither the Courage nor Confidence (like many others) to vent any new -Doctrines out of my own Head. My Talent is only to illustrate what the -Fathers have asserted; and tho' some would account me a Falsifier and -Misrepresenter of primitive Authorities, my honest Endeavours shall be -to turn the Hearts of our _Clergy_, who are like Children in -Understanding, to the Fathers. I shall end all _seriously_, -_gravely_, _calmly_ and _sedately_, with the same Words that I began -my _First Discourse_ on _Miracles_ with, saying, "If ever there was a -useful Controversy started or revived in this Age of the Church, it is -this about the Messiahship of the Holy _Jesus_, which the _Discourse -of the Grounds_, &c. has of late rais'd. I believe this Controversy -will end in the absolute Demonstration of _Jesus_'s Messiahship from -Prophecy, which is the only Way to prove him to be the Messiah, that -great Prophet expected by the _Jews_, and promised under the old -Testament." And whether Bishop _Smalbroke_ or Mr. _Stackhouse_ will -believe me, or not, I do now solemnly declare, that what I have -written in my _Discourses_, or shall write in these _Defences_, is -with a View to, what I am persuaded I shall effect, the absolute -Demonstration of the Messiahship of the Holy _Jesus_, to whom be Glory -for ever and ever. _Amen._ - - ~_FINIS._~ - -FOOTNOTES: - -[357] _Vindication in Preface, p._ ix. x. - -[358] _Fair State of the Controversy_, p. 293, 294. - -[359] _In his Preface_, p. xi. - -[360] _Vindication_, p. 2. - -[361] _Defence of Christianity_, p. 295, 310. - -[362] _Some Observations of a Layman._ 2. Tom _of_ Bedlam'_s Letter to -his Cousin_ T. Woolston. 3. _For God or the Devil: Or, Just Chastisement -no Persecution._ 4. _A Defence of the Scripture-History, &c._ - -[363] _In his_ First Pastoral Letter, p. 5. - -[364] _In his Preface_, p. ix. - -[365] _In his Dedication to the Queen._ - -[366] Siquidem Symbola quædam erant, quæ tunc gerebantur, eorum quæ -Jesu virtute semper perficiuntur. _In Matt._ C. xv. - -[367] Peragunt Formam futuri Gesta præsentia. _In Matt._ C. xxi. - -[368] Quæ a Jesu facta alicujus significantia erant. _In Serm._ lxxvii. - -[369] Ipse Salvator noster apertissimè ostendit, quòd ejus miracula -aliquid significent, dum ea faciendo aliquid agit, quod ratione carere -videatur. _In Hom. quarta post Dominic. quartam._ - -[370] _In his Preface_, p. xi. - -[371] _Ibid._ p. x. - -[372] Similitudo erat & Typus futurorum unumquodque, quod Jesus -faciebat in Corpore. _In Isai._ C. vi. - -[373] Adventus Christi unus quidem in Humilitate completus est, alius -verò speratur in Gloria: Et hic primus Adventus in Carne, mystico -quodam Sermone, in Scripturis sanctis umbra ejus appellatur. _In Jesu -Nave_, C. viii. - -[374] Pertingit ad usque secundum & diviniorem Christi Adventum -Johannis Testimonium. _Origen. in Lucam. Tom._ V. - -[375] Appropinquat enim Regnum Coelorum, ut Scribæ qui in simplici -Littera acquiescunt, resipiscentes ab ejusmodi Intellectu, erudiantur -spirituali Doctrina, quæ est per Jesum Christum, vivum Verbum, quæ -vocatur Regnum Coelorum. _In Matt._ C. xiii. - -[376] _P._ 123, 124. - -[377] _P._ 124. - -[378] _P._ 108. - -[379] _P._ 93. - -[380] _P._ 94. - -[381] Ibid. - -[382] Nam idem Moses quamvis Veteris Testamenti verba in literis -condidisset, tamen separatim quædam ex occultis Legis secretiora -mysteria septuaginta senioribus, qui Doctores deinceps manerent, -intimaverat. _In Psal._ ii. Sect. 2. - -[383] _P._ 96. - -[384] _Origenes_ decem scripsit Stromateas, omnia nostræ religionis -dogmata de _Platone_, _Aristotele_, _Numenio_, _Cornutoque_ -confirmans. _In Epist. ad Magnum._ - -[385] _Defence of Christianity_, p. 345. - -[386] _P._ 347, 353, 358. - -[387] _P._ 341. - -[388] _P._ 344. - -[389] Perspicuum est Mosem mentis acie Legis Veritatem Historiarumque -apud Scripturam Allegorias juxta Anagogen vidisse. _In Johan. Tom._ VI. - -[390] Asseverant Judæi, deum Mosi primùm Legem scriptam tradidisse, -arque hanc postea in longo illo Dierum 40 spatio, quo in monte apud se -agebat Moses, exposuisse, ita ut singulorum præceptorum genuinum -Sensum, Causas, & Fines tum Rationem quoque eadem adimplendi illi -accurate declararet. _Apud Wagens. Tel. ignea._ p. 580. - -[391] See _Basnage_'s History of the _Jews_, p. 189. - -[392] Doctioribus inter Judæos notissimum est, quod Moses qui primus -fuit Salvator Israelis, etiam in omni Vita & Operibus suis fuerit -Typus & Figura ultimi Redemptoris. _Christiani Meyer_ de Gen. Christi, -_p._ 145. - -[393] Judæi veteres expectabant similem Ægyptiacæ Liberationem, ut -scilicet Pharoah & omnis ejus Exercitus qui per 430 Annos Populum Dei -captivum tenuit, in mari rubro submersus est; sic etiam Romani qui -eodem Annorum numero Judæos possessuri, ultione Domini deleantur. _In -Joelis_ C. iii. - -[394] 1 Cor. _C._ x, 1, 2, 6. - -[395] Eloquar Propositiones sive Ænigmata ab Initio, id est, ex quo -Populi Congregatio adducta est ex Ægypto. _In Ps._ lxxvii. _Sect._ 4. - -[396] See _Basnage_'s History of the _Jews_, p. 189. - -[397] _P._ 108. - -[398] 2 _Cor._ iii. 6. - -[399] Et non Litera Legis, sed ejus Spiritus, hoc est, Novitas -Testamenti. _Tertull. contra Marcion_, Lib. V. C. 11. - -[400] Veteris Testamenti ad Novum tanta Congruentia, ut Apex nullus, -qui non consonet, relinquetur. _Sti. Augustini de Utilit. Credendi_, -Sect. 9. - -[401] Jucundum est istum Consensum intelligere circa convenientia -duorum Testamentorum. _In Matt. Tract._ 6. - -[402] _In his Expostulatory Letter to Mr._ Woolston. - -[403] _In his_ Lent Sermon _at St._ Saviour_'s_, Anno 1729. - -[404] _In his Preface_, p. xvii. - - - - - _BOOKS written by Mr._ WOOLSTON, _and sold by him next Door to - the_ Star _in_ Aldermanbury, _and by the Booksellers of_ London - _and_ Westminster. - - -I. The old Apology reviv'd, _&c._ - -II. Dissertatio de Pontii Pilati Epistola ad Tiberium circa Res Jesu -Christi gestas. - -III. Origenis Adamantii Epistolæ duæ circa Fidem vere orthodoxam & -Scripturarum Interpretationem. - -IV. The exact Fitness of the Time of Christ's Advent, demonstrated by -Reason, against the Objections of the old Gentiles, and modern -Unbelievers. - -V. Four Free-Gifts to the _Clergy_, or Challenges to a Dispute on this -Question, whether the Hireling Priests of this Age, who are all -Ministers of the Letter, be not Worshippers of the Apocalyptical -Beast, and Ministers of Anti-Christ. - -VI. An Answer to the said Four Free-Gifts. - -VII. Two Letters to Dr. _Bennet_, on this Question, Whether the People -call'd _Quakers_, do not the nearest of any other Sect in Religion, -resemble the primitive Christians in Principle and Practice. - -VIII. An Answer to the said two Letters. - -IX. The Moderator between an Infidel and an Apostate: Or, the -Controversy between the _Grounds_ and his ecclesiastical Opponents, -set in a clear Light, _&c._ - -X. Two Supplements to the Moderator, _&c._ - -XI. A Defence of the Miracle of the _Thundering Legion_, against a -Dissertation of _Walter Moyle_ Esq. - -XII. Six Discourses on the Miracles of our Saviour. - -XIII. Two Defences of the said Discourses. - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - -Non-Latin characters have been replaced with the nearest Latin -equivalent for example [oe] (the oe ligature), was replaced with oe. - -Inconsistent hyphenation has been left as in the original text. - -Inconsistent use of contractions are left as in the original text. - -The long s has been replaced with the modern s in order to improve -readability. - -In some cases the footnotes refer to the text prior to the footnote -anchor and in some cases they refer to the text after. All anchors -have been attached to the word before the anchor. - -Bishop Smalbroke and Smallbroke are used interchangeably throughout as -are Lichfield and Litchfield, left as in the original text. - -Inconsistent italicising appears throughout, left as in the original -text. - -There are several words that are consistently misspelled and also -correctly spelled in the text (i.e. litteral, sensless, antient, -ideot), these were left as in the original text. - -There are several places where closing quotes are not present, left as -in the original text. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Six Discourses on the Miracles of our -Saviour, by Thomas Woolston - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SIX DISCOURSES ON THE MIRACLES *** - -***** This file should be named 41203-8.txt or 41203-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/2/0/41203/ - -Produced by Douglas L. 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