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does the Maxim prove then? Only that a dead Body cannot come to Life again in the natural Way. No body difputes this with the Confiderer. The Question is, Whether it may not be done in a fupernatural Way; whether the great Author of Nature, whenever he thinks it convenient, cannot fuperfede or fufpend the general Laws of Nature. Will the Confiderer deny this? If he believes a God and a Providence, as he profeffes to do, he cannot. Well; but it contradicts the aforefaid Maxim, becaufe, one Miracle or Action done contrary to her (i. e. Nature's) Laws, contradicts all her regular Springs and Movements, and all that Mankind calls Truth and Reafon. How does fuch an Action contradict all Nature's uniform Movements? Does it imply that her Movements are not uniform, when uncontrouled? Nothing like it. Does it imply that they are not uniform in that particular Inftance? that is, that her Movements in that Instance are contrary to the general Course of Nature? Moft certainly it does, for it is of the Effence of a Miracle to be contrary to the general Course of Nature. What then? This proves nothing; it is only giving the Thing in Difpute as a Reafon against itself. But let us hear the other Part of the Reafon, A Miracle contradicts all that Mankind calls Truth and Reafon. How does this appear? Why you must take the Confiderer's Word for it. But does he not

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know that it is the very Thing in Question? The Enquiry is, Whether Miracles are contrary to Reason. The Confiderer undertakes to prove that they are; and how does he prove it? Why thus; " Miracles are con

trary to Reason, because they contradict "this Maxim, that Nature is steddy and uni"form in her Operations." And how do they contradict this Maxim? Why, because they contradict what Mankind calls Truth " and Reason." Is not this faying that Miracles are contrary to Reafon, because they are contrary to Reafon ?

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A Miracle, the Confiderer fays, contradicts all that Mankind calls Truth and Reafon. Let us try it in a particular Inftance. We read in the Gospel, that our Saviour walked upon the Water. What Truth or what Reafon does this contradict? It is a well known Truth that all Bodies gravitate, and it is another that human Bodies will fink in Fluids. Does it contradict either or both thefe Truths? furely not. All Bodies continue to gravitate, and human Bodies to fink in Fluids, as they did before; and Chrift's own Body followed the fame Law of Gravitation, that particular Cafe only excepted. All that this Fact fuppofes is, that there is a Power in Nature that can fufpend the Laws of Gravity, or change Fluids into Solids. If this is contradicting Truth, let the Confiderer shew it.

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It is an unwelcome and an unprofitable Tafk, to deal with an Author who gives Words only, for Arguments. By the Specimen I have given of this Author's Reasoning upon the natural Poffibility of Miracles, the Reader, I believe, will find this to be the Cafe here. He goes on to fhew, that they are impoffible in a moral View, that, fuppofing God to have Power over his own Works, or as he expreffes it, that he can do Things contrary to Nature, there is no Reason that he ever did or will do it. It is, he thinks, contrary to the Perfection of his Nature, to his Unchangeableness, his Wisdom, his Juftice, and his Goodness. Let us fee how he proves

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Thofe, fays he, who found Religion on extraordinary Pretenfions, fay, that Nature, which is the Offspring of God, is degenerate and deficient. It is not eafy to deal with an Author, who uses Terms fo equivocally, that one can come at his Meaning only by Guefs. It is difficult to fay, what we are to underftand by Nature. If by Nature the Confiderer means, what he seems most commonly to understand by it, the Conftitution of the material World, the Propofition is evidently falfe: Extraordinary Pretenfions do not imply that Nature, in this Senfe, is deficient, nor indeed do they imply

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any thing with regard to Nature; for what Connection is there between the extraordinary Pretenfions of the Chriftian Religion, and the Perfection of the material World? When our Lord, for Inftance, by a Word caused the Fig-tree to wither, did it fuppofe any Deficiency in the Conftitution of Vegetables? No more than if the Tree had been felled by an Axe. Whatever the Conftitution of Vegetables, or whatever the Conftitution of the material World be, fuch Actions declare nothing either as to their Perfection or Imperfection; they only declare that the God of Nature has Authority over his own Workmanship.

But perhaps by Nature the Confiderer means human Nature, or the moral Nature of Man. Let us try the Propofition in this Senfe. Those who found Religion on extraordinary Pretenfions, fay, that human Na ture, which is the Offspring of God, is deficient. Man is fubject to Error and Corruption; and, in this Senfe, human Nature may well be faid to be deficient, whether God interpofes or not, Whether Religion be founded on extraordinary Pretenfions or not, human Nature is ftill deficient; if this be an Objection under revealed Religion, it is an Objection under natural Religion too. When a Youth is taught to read and to write when he is inftructed in Religion and the Sciences; does it not imply, that human NaX

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ture wants Help, and is in itself deficient?' And what does it imply more, when God vouchfafes to help and affift it? It is very improper, it is falfe to fay, the Offspring of God, or the Work of God is deficient; but it is not improper to say, that Man is imperfect or deficient. The Truth is, the Senfe of the Word deficient is different in one Case from what it is in the other. God's Works

are faid to be perfect in this particular View, that they are adapted to the End for which they were defigned; and yet Man, or any other created Being, is imperfect or deficient, when compared with a greater Being, and especially when compared with the greatest of all Beings.

The Confiderer has another Argument, which bears a near Resemblance to this, and is as follows: The whole Production of God's Wisdom, Goodness, and Power must be a perfect Work; therefore cannot be better. If God be a perfect Being, his Works are perfect, and cannot be mended a The Confiderer

talks fometimes of Providence; I fhould be glad to know, what is his Notion of Providence. He feems to fuppofe, that God formed the Universe, as a vaft Machine, with the feveral Orders of Beings in it, and then, like the Epicurean Deities, left it to shift for itself, without concerning him

Fit Edit. p. 95. Third Edit. p. 79.

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