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SER M. fame time that they deny to the people the use of the fcriptures in a known tongue, to permit them the use, and to recommend to them the reading of thefe lying legends, out of which these ridiculous leffons are taken.

Thirdly, the miracles of the church of Rome, supposing several of them to be true, have fuch marks and characters upon them, as render it very fufpicious that they are not operations of God, or good fpirits; but "the working of Satan." If any man have but the patience to rake into these dunghills, and to read over thefe legends, even as they have by the later collectors and compilers been purged and reformed, he fhall find the miracles recited in them to be generally of one ftamp, very foolish and abfurd, frivolous and trifling, wrought without any neceffity, upon no good occafion, to no wife end and purpose; so that one may know them by their very countenances to be the tricks and pranks of the devil; and not the great and glorious works of GOD, fuch as are the miracles recorded in the holy scriptures.

Fourthly, the miracles of the church of Rome, taking them for true, are very impertinently and unfeasonably wrought. When and where there is no need and occafion for them, they are very rife and frequent but where there is greatest occafion for them, and most reason to expect them, they are either not at all, or very rarely fo much as pretended to. In times and places where their religion did moft abfolutely bear. fway, and few or none durft oppofe it; and where the doctrines, which they pretend to confirm by thefe miracles, were most generally believed, as in thofe long dark and ignorant

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ed times before the reformation, and now in Italy andS ER M. the Spain, where the Inquifition forceth them all to be of one belief, or profess to be fo; in these times and places, where there was leaft need and occafion for miracles, then and there did they moft abound, even more (if we may believe their hiftories) for feveral ages before the reformation, than in the times of our SAVIOUR and his apoftles. But fince the reformation, and that many of their doctrines are called in question and difbelieved, miracles are grown rare, and almost ceased even in popish countries; and they have had but very ill fuccefs with those few they have pretended to; witness the miracle at Angiers in France, of a child appearing over the altar in the time of mass, to convince all people of the doctrine of tranfubftantiation, with which the Papists made fuch a noise here in England, about fourteen or fifteen years ago, and which at laft was difcovered to be an artificial juggle and contrivance of fome cunning prieft, and publifhed to the world for a cheat, by the honeft and worthy bishop of that place.

But where there feems to be moft need of them, they are most wanting; as for the converfion of heathens, and the conviction of heretic infidels. For the conversion of heathens, in which cafe, if men did fincerely defign the propagation of the true and uncorrupted chriftianity, I do not fee why miracles might not yet reasonably be expected; but yet for all this, we hear of very few miracles, not fo much as the gift of tongues, even upon this occafion. In the first planting of the Weft-Indies, we hear of no miracles, except the most prodigious cruelties that ever were in the world, to the infinite fcandal of the

chriftian

SER M. chriftian name.

And in the Eaft-Indies and China,

CCXXXI. Xaverius and the first miffionaries fpeak with no affurance of any miracles wrought by them; and fince that time they have fo depraved the chriftian religion there, by concealing a moft effential part of it, the death and fufferings of our SAVIOUR, as if they were "afhamed of the crofs of CHRIST," that it is not credible, that GOD fhould vouchfafe the countenance of miracles to thofe who, “

preach another

And then for the conviction of heretics (as they are pleased to call us Proteftants) one would think miracles (fince they have that power) would be very proper for that purpose to be wrought among them as now here in England, where they are continually endeavouring (but efpecially of late with more than ufual vigour and hopes) to reftore their religion : and yet for all this, we cannot prevail with them to favour us with the fight of one miracle, in order to our conviction; but if they have any, they keep them private among themfelves, though both reafon and scripture tells us, "that miracles were not in"tended for them that believe; but to convince "them that believe not."

Fifthly, he from whom, of all perfons in that church, we might expect the most and greatest miracles, does not, fo far as I can learn, pretend at all to that gift; I mean the head of their church, the pope, who both as he is vicar of CHRIST, and fucceffor of St. Peter in his full power and office; or if he be not his fucceffor, yet as he is his fhadow, and pretends to be his fucceffor, might fairly pretend to a power of miracles above any in that church; and I have often wonder'd why he does not: but it seems

he

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he contents himself with infallibility, which is privi- SERM lege and power enough for one man; and indeed if he had it, and could fatisfy others that he hath it, that would ferve his turn without miracles: but the mischief of it is, there is no other external evidence, and which can reasonably fatisfy others of any man's inspiration or infallibility, but miracles; and therefore the pope hath done very unadvisedly, in pretending to one without the other, when he hath the fame right and title to both, that is, none at all.

Sixthly, most of the doctrines in difference between us and the church of Rome, which they chiefly pretend to confirm by these miracles, are not capable of being confirmed by them. There are three forts of doctrines, two of which are in their own nature incapable of being confirmed by a miracle, and a third, upon fuppofition of it's contrariety to the christian doctrine, which hath already had an unqueftionable divine confirmation.

1. No doctrine, which is contrary to fenfe, is capable of being confirmed by a miracle; as tranfubstantiation, which because it neceffarily requires the renouncing of our fenfes, in order to the belief of it, for that very reafon miracles can give no credit to it. For that which depends on the certainty of fenfe, as miracles certainly do, can be no competent argument to prove that which is contrary to fenfe, as tranfubftantiation evidently is.

2. No doctrine, that does countenance or enjoin idolatry, is capable of being confirmed by a miracle. This is evident from Deut. xiii. where Mofes fuppofeth that a prophet might work a fign or a won der; but if it was to feduce them from the worship of the true God, who is naturally known, to the VOL. XI.

Bb

worship

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SERM. worship of idols, in that cafe they were not to hearken to him, notwithstanding he wrought a miracle; but the church of Rome teacheth idolatry in their worfhip of images, and of the host, and in the invocation of faints and angels.

3. No doctrine contrary to any part of the chrif tian doctrine, which hath already received an unqueftionable divine confirmation, is capable of being. confirmed by the miracles pretended to in the church of Rome, if they were real. For I hope they have not the face to pretend their miracles to be equal to those of our SAVIOUR and his apoftles, either for the certainty, or greatness of them; and I have already fhewn, that they notoriously want both the credit and certainty of our SAVIOUR's miracles, and the marks of their divinity.

Now feveral of the doctrines of that church are directly contrary to, or inconfiftent with, the doctrines of chriftianity. Their endeavour to conceal from people the doctrine of the gofpel, contained in the holy fcriptures, is a notorious contradiction to the defign of the gofpel, and to that particular. miracle whereby the knowledge of it was conveyed to the world the gift of tongues; and then the fervice of GOD in an unknown tongue, which is inconfiftent with true devotion, contrary to edification, and to the plain fcope and defign of a whole chapter of St. Paul to the Corinthians. And fo likewife is the communion in one kind, to our SAVIOUR's exprefs inftitution and the repetition of CHRIST'S facrifice, to as exprefs a declaration of the apostle to the Hebrews to the contrary, as is poffible for words to make.

Seventhly,