Six Discourses on the Miracles of Our Saviour, and Defences of His Discourses. Thomas Woolston

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      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 СКАЧАТЬ