The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 1 · Chapter 42
CHAP. 42. Of Miracles.
MIracles are no fitter marks for the true Church, and that for four reaſons. 1. Becauſe falſe Churches make miracles alſo, and miracles are found among Pagans and Infidels. 2. Becauſe miracles are neither neceſſary nor perpetual in the Church. 3. Becauſe they may be falſe, and give fair play for Satans impoſtures. 4. And laſtly, becauſe miracles are often hurtful, and it is ſometimes expedient that there be none.
I. That miracles are not proper to the true Church, and that falſe Doctors will make ſome, Jeſus Chriſt teacheth it, Matth. 24. Falſe Chriſts and falſe Prophets ſhall riſe, making ſigns and miracles. And chap. 7. v. 22. In that day many ſhall ſay unto me Lord, Lord, have we not prophecyed in thy name? have we not caſt out Devils in thy name? And the Apoſtle, 2 Theſſ. 2. foretels that the ſon of perdition will come, with all power and ſigns, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableneſs of unrighteouſneſs, and that God will give them foreign, the power of deluſion. The Jews exorciſts did miracles, and expelled the unclean ſpirits; of which we have an example in a Jew named Eleazar, that healed a man poſſeſt of a Devil in the preſence of Veſpatian, as Joſephus relates it in the 8. Book of the Antiquities, chap. 2. Philoſtratus relates the miracles of Apollonius Thyanaeus; and at this time yet miracles are done at Mahomets ſepulchre. See Suetonius in the life of Veſpatian, chap. 7. Porphyrius a ſworn enemy of Jeſus Chriſt, oppoſed to the Chriſtians the miracles which the Pagans did, as may be ſeen in Euſebius, in the fourth Book of Evangelical preparation:(a)foreign. They make a great noiſe of ther predictions, and oracles, and cures and healing of all kinds of diſeaſes. (b)Florus. Cicero de Divinatione.The example of Actius Navius Augur is famous, who in the preſence of King Tarquinius Priſcus, cut a whet-ſtone in two with a razor.
After the Aſcention of Jeſus Chriſt, Hereticks began to do many miracles.(c)Adjicient praeterea multa de authoritate cujuſque doctoris haeretici, illos maximè doctrinae ſuae fidem confirmaſſe, mortuos ſuſcitaſſe, debiles refirmaſſe, &c. Tertullian, chap. 44. of Preſcriptions, ſaith, that Hereticks boaſted, that they had exceeded all others in the confirmation of their doctrine by miracles; that they had raiſed the dead and healed the ſick: And that Jeſus Chriſt had foretold ſo much, ſaying, that many would come that ſhould do very great miracles to authorize their falſe doctrine. And in the 3. Book againſt Marcion, chap. 3. he ſaith,(d)Chriſtus temerariam ſignorum & virtutum fidem oſtendit ut etiam inter pſeudo…-Chriſtos facillimam. that to do miracles was a thing very eaſie among the falſe Chriſts, and that it was a raſh part to hang our belief upon them. Theodoret upon Deut. 13. We are taught not to believe [miracles] when he that doth them teacheth things contrary to piety. Hierom upon Gal. 3.(e)Obſervandum est quod virtutes dicuntur operantes hi qui non habent Evangelii veritatem. We muſt obſerve, that thoſe are ſaid to do miracles that hold not the truth of the Goſpel. Then he addeth, This I ſay againſt hereticks that hold it an approbation of their faith when they do ſome ſign.
The imperfect work upon St. Matthew, attributed unto Chryſoſtom in the 49. Homily,(f)Nunc autem ſignorum operatio omnino levata eſt, magis autem apúd eos invenitur qui falſi ſunt Chriſtiani, ſieri. The operation of miracles is now quite taken away, and it is found that many more fained miracles are done among thoſe that are falſe Chriſtians. Auſtin in the Book of the 83. queſtions, in the 79. ſaith,(g)Quaedam miracula etiam ſcoleratos homines facere, qualia ſancti facere non poſſunt, nec tamen potiore loco apud Deum eſſe arbitrandi ſunt. that perverſe and wicked men do miracles, which the Saints cannot do. Himſelf againſt the letters of Petilianus, lib. 2. cap. 55.(h)Nam de excluſione daemonum & de potentia miraculorum, quoniam plerique talia non faciunt, & tamen ad regnum Dei pertinent, plerique autem faciunt & non pertinent, nec noſtri nec veſtri debem gloriari. For as for expelling Devils, and the power of miracles, becauſe many do not theſe things, and yet belong to the kingdom of God, and that many do them which belong not unto that kingdom, neither your ſide, nor ours ought to boaſt of them. That eſpecially is remarkable, which we learn of the nine and thirty four Canons of the Council of Laodicea, and of Balſamon upon the thirty fourth Canon of that Council, that the Orthodox would come to the Sepulchres of the Hereticks, and there be healed. Whence it appeareth, that Hereticks did true miracles, ſince healing followed. And Scripture witneſſeth that the Magicians by their inchantments, did the ſame miracles as Moſes.
II. Secondly, I ſay that miracles are neither neceſſary nor perpetual in the Church. We find not that before God appeared to Moſes, any miracle was done in the Church of Iſrael, during their abode in Egypt. And the Church of the Jews hath been many years without miracles, ſince their return from their captivity of Babylon. And when in the time of King Joſiah, the Book of the Law was found and publiſht, God made no miracle to authorize that Law, becauſe the miracles done in the firſt publication of the Law in the wilderneſs, were ſufficient to give it authority with poſterity. Likewiſe the miracles of Jeſus Chriſt and his Apoſtles done in the beginning of the publiſhing of the Goſpel, ſerve yet this day to confirm the ſame Doctrine, and no need of new miracles to confirm it. Many Prophets extraordinarily ſent; as Hoſea, Amos, Zechariah, did no miracles. It cannot be ſaid, that their very prophecying was a miracle; for here by miracles, we underſtand ſenſible events, contrary to nature, which ſerve to authorize a Doctrine. Beſides, Prophecies are not acknowledged to be divine and miraculous, but after the fulfilling, either wholy or in part; and by conſequent, the inſpiration of Prophecy cannot, before the fulfilling, be taken for a miracle. To this purpoſe, Gregory the I. in the twenty ninth Homily upon the Goſpel ſaith very well, My brethren, do you forbear believing, becauſe you do no miracles? But theſe things were neceſſary in the beginnings of the Church, that the multitude might grow in faith. If then any bring in a new Doctrine, it behoveth him to do miracles. But we of whom miracles are demanded, bring no new Doctrine.
III. Thirdly, miracles are dubious things, and impoſture about them is frequent. Eſpecially about the miracles of the Roman Church, which in our time are reduced to ejecting of Devils, where Satan hath fair play to deceive. But to raiſe a man from the dead, or to give ſight to a man born blind, they are things which are not done in the Roman Church. The Legends of Saints are ſtuffed with miraculous tales, groſly coined: The Courts of Parliament have given many ſentences againſt falſe miracles, and have often puniſht ſuch impoſtures. Let theſe Gentlemen that cry up their miracles, ſend ſome miraculous puniſhment upon thoſe that laugh at their miracles. But of that no example was yet ſeen; So gently they are pleaſed to deal with us. But indeed the Devil hath no power over Gods children.
IV. Laſtly, miracles are many times hurtful: For he that believeth not unleſs he ſee miracles, doth thereby, though againſt his mind, invite Satan to play ſome juggling trick, and expoſeth himſelf to the wiles and craft of the Devil.
For theſe cauſes, Deut. 13. God commandeth his people to judge, not of the doctrine by the miracles, but of the miracles by the Doctrine. And that if one bring forth a dream or a miracle, and ſay together, Let us go and ſerve ſtrange Gods; let ſuch a Prophet be ſtoned to death notwithſtanding his miracles.
As for the miracles which in the firſt ages were done in the Chriſtian Church, God made uſe of them to make Pagans turn Chriſtians. But we read not that ever any miracle was done to confirm the adoration of images, or Purgatory, or Tranſubſtantiation; for the miracles which are alledged to that purpoſe, are later then the invention of theſe Doctrines, or are related by Authors manifeſtly fabulous, and ſo prone to be falſe and forged. I will ſhut up this diſcourſe with a ſentence of Proſper, Proſper libro Sententiarum ex Auguſtino, Sent. XII. Imitatores Magiſtri debent eſſe Diſcipuli, non in faciendis miraculis quae nemo exigit, ſed in cuſtodienda humilitate & patientia ad quae Dominus nos ſuo invitat exemplo.drawn from Saint Auſtin. The Diſciples ought to be imitators of Chriſt, not by doing miracles, which no body requires of them; but by keeping humility and patience, to which the Lord hath invited us by his example.