not only as there were Nations, but as they had Wants to fupply. This was a great Corruption of the Light of Nature, and thofe Notions of One Supreme God imprinted on our Minds, and proclaimed by the whole visible Creation; but yet was fo univerfal, and fo prevailing, that their Wifeft Philofophers, who had better Notions of the Deity, were not able to refift the Torrent, and durft not openly oppose the Worship of thofe Country-Gods, for fear of a Popular Rage and Fury.

Now, when neither the Light of Nature, nor the Works of Creation, and of a common Providence, could fecure the Belief and Worfhip of the One Supreme God; what remained, but for God to make fome more fenfible Manifeftation of himfelf to the World? And let any Man confider, what more effectual Way could have been taken to convince Men of the Divine Power and Providence, than by Miracles; especially fuch Miracles as are for the Deliverance and Protection of Good Men, and the Punishment and Overthrow of the Wicked.

When the Corruption of Mankind is fuch, that they will not learn from Nature; there is no way of teaching them, but by fomething which is Supernatural: And when the Beautiful, and Regular, and Uniform Order of Nature, will not convince Men that there is a God, at least not that there is One Supreme God, who made, and who governs this World; Miracles will. Those who will not believe that the World was made, or had any Wife and Intelligent Caufe, muft confefs, that Miracles have a Caufe, because they see them produced; and that the Caufe is not Nature, because they fee them produced without any Na

tural

tural Caufe, or againft the Laws of Nature; nor Chance and Accident, because they are done at the Command of a Free Agent, at the Word of a Man: As all the Signs and Wonders in Egypt, were wrought at the Word of Mofes; whofe Word had no Natural Virtue and Efficacy in it, to work Wonders. And therefore Miracles certainly prove, that there is an Invifible, Intelligent Caufe; who, if he did not make the World, could have made it, if he had pleased: For whoever can, in any one Inftance, act without, or against Nature, can create Nature too. For to do any thing which Nature cannot do, is, in that Particular, to make Nature: And he who can make Nature in one Inftance, can do so in all. And this is a good Reason to believe, that the World was made, when we know, that there is a Caufe that can make the World. And that Superior Power he exercises over Nature, proves, that he both can, and does govern the World: For he has the Supreme and Abfolute Government of Nature; who can, when he pleases, give new Powers to it, or fufpend and reverfe its Laws.

.

So that Miracles are a Supernatural Proof of a Divine Power and Providence ; and no Man who believes that there ever was a true Miracle wrought, can be an Atheift: And therefore it is no wonder, that Atheists are fuch profeffed Enemies to the Belief of Miracles; but it is a great wonder, that they can perfuade themTelves to reject all thofe Authentick Relations we have of Miracles, both from the Law of Mofes, and from the Gofpel of Chrift, which are the most credible Hiftories in the World, [if we look upon them as no more than Hiftories,] and have obtained the most universal Be

し

lief. Efpecially this is very unaccountable in thofe Men who pretend to Deism, to acknowledge a God who made the World. For cannot that God, who made the World, and made Nature, act without, or above, or against Nature, when he pleases? And may it not become the Divine Wisdom and Goodness to do this, when it is neceffary, for the more abundant Conviction of Mankind, who are funk into Atheism or Idolatry? When Signs and Wonders are neceffary, to awaken Men into the Senfe and Belief of God and his Providence, which was the Cafe in the Days of Mofes; or to give Authority to Prophets, to declare and reveal the Will of God to Men; (which was a Reafon for Miracles, as long as God thought fit to make any New and Publick Revelations of his Will;) when it is as reasonable and credible, that God, who can when he pleases, should sometimes work Miracles, as it is, that he fhould take care to preserve the Knowledge of himself and his Will, and to restore it when it is loft; or to make fuch New Discoveries of his Grace, as the fallen State of Mankind requires; when, I fay, the Thing it felf is fo credible, and fo worthy of God, what reafonable Pretence can there. be for Rejecting Miracles, for which we have the Authority of the beft attefted History in the World?

But Atheism was not the Disease of that Age, which had run into the other Extreme of Polytheism and Idolatry: And therefore tho' Miracles do prove the Being and Providence of God, the Miracles of Mofes were principally intended to prove the Glory and Power of the God of Ifrael; that the God of Ifrael is the One Supreme God; and that he had cho

fen

fen Ifrael for his peculiar People: And this he did, by doing fuch Things as no other God could do; fuch as made the Ægypti

an Magicians confefs, that it was 8. Exod. r. the Finger of God. And what more

effectual way could be taken, to convince the World of One Supreme God, than such visible Demonftrations of an Abfolute and Sovereign Power, Superior to all? Those who wor fhipped a Plurality of Gods, either had no Notion of One Supreme God, whofe Power ruleth over all; or if they had, yet they believed, that this Supreme God had committed the Care and Government of Mankind to Inferior Deities, whom they therefore worshipped with Divine Honours, as the Difpofers of their Lives and Fortunes; and either paid no Worship to the Supreme God, which was the more general Practice; or worshipped their Country-Gods together with him, and that with the moft frequent, and folemn, and pompous Worfhip. Now fuch great and wonderful Works as thefe, which none of their Countrey-Gods could do, was an evident Proof, that there was a Power, and therefore a God above them all, whom all Mankind ought to fear and worship. This convinc'd Nebuchadnezzar of the Power of the God of Ifrael, when he had delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, from

the fiery Furnace, he made a De- 3. Dan. 29. cree, That every People, Nation, and

Language, which Spake amifs against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fhall be cut in Pieces, and their Houfes fhall be made a Dungbil, because there is no other God that can deliver after this. Sort. Thus when God had delivered Daniel from the Lions Den, Darius made a Decree,

That

6. Dan. 26,

27.

That in every Dominion of bis Kingdom Men foould tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: For he is the living God, and stedfaft for ever, and bis Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his Dominion fhall be even unto the End. He delivereth and rescueth, and worketh Signs and Wonders in Heaven, and in Earth, who bath delivered Daniel from the Power of the Lions.

Both thefe Kings were convinced by these great and wonderful Works, that the God of Ifrael was the Supreme God; but Nebuchadnezzar's Decree only forbids Men to blafpheme God. Darius feems to command all People to worship him; for to tremble and fear before him, fignifies a religious Veneration; but neither of them appointed any folemn Worship to be paid him, much lefs did they forbid the Worship of any other Gods.

4. Dan. 34,

But a little Confideration would have carried them farther; for thofe mighty Works which proved a Power fuperior to all Gods, proved a Sovereign Providence too; that this Supreme God had not so committed the Government of the World to any Ministers, or inferior Deities, but that he referved the fupreme Difpofal of all Things in his own Hands; as Nebuchadnezzar was convinced, that His Dominion is an everlasting Dominion, and his Kingdom is from Generation to Generation; and all the Inhabitants of the Earth are reputed as nothing; and he doth according to his Will in the Army of Heaven, and among the Inhabitants of the Earth, and none can stay his Hand, or fay unto him, What doft thou? This cut off all reasonable Pretences of paying Divine Worship to their Countrey-God's; for if there be a Superior

35.

Power