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Show 132‘ fflr',3: fides; OF A CHRISTIAN. C114,».353 C 0 M M 0 N-WZZ A L 711. ‘ em 3.‘ ""1" 37, ,3, that he isatrue Pro her, which preacheth the Mefliah al- ready come, in the perfon offiefus; and he a falfe one that denyeth him come, and looketh for him in fome future ImpoftOl‘, that fliall take upon him that honour falfely, whom the Apoflle there properly calleth Antichrifl. Every man therefore ought to coniider who is the Soveraign Prophet; that is to fay, who it is, that is Gods Vicegerent on Earth; and hath next under God, the Authority of Governing Chrifiian men; and to obferve for a Rule, that Doé‘trine, which in the name of God , hee hath commanded to bee taught; and thereby to examine and try out the truth of thofe Doé‘trines,which pretended Prophets with miracle, or without, [hall at any time advance : and if they find it contrary to that Rule,to doe as they did, that came to Moles , and complained that there were fome that Propecyed in the Campe, whofe Au- E. l: Y Minder are fignified the Admirable works of God:& therefore A M74213? they are alfo called Womz'err. And becaufe they are for the mofi failiifiima part, done, for a fignification ofhis commandement,in fuch occa- mm. lions, as without them, men are apt to doubt, (followmg their private naturall reafoning, )what he hath commanded,and what nor, they are voice; orif he approve them, then to obey them,as men to whom God hath givenapart of the Spirit of their Soveraigne. For when Chriftian men, take not their Chrii'tian Soveraign , for Gods Prophet; they muff either take their owne Dreames, for the Prophecy they mean to bee governed by , and the tumour of their own hearts for the Spirit of God; or'they mult fuller them{elves to bee lead by fome flranoe Prince; or by fome of their Pafl‘C- means deflroying all laws, both divine , and humane, reduce all i i commonly in Holy Scripture, called Signeran the fame fenle, as they are called by the Latines, Oflmm , and Portentzt , from fliewmg, and fore-figiiifying that, which the Almighty is about to bring to ment, into rebellion, without other miracle to confirm their calling, then fometimes an extraordinar fucceile, and Impunity, and by this r f lf f l? l l 0f M I R A c L is s, melt/Mir .‘Zer. thority foto doe they doubted of, and leave to the Soveraign, as they did to Moles to uphold , or to forbid them, as hee lhould fee caufe; and if hee difavow them, then no more to obey their fellow iubjeéts, that can bewitchthem, byflaunderiof‘ the govern y. ii. C H A P. XXXVII. Order, Government, and Society, to the fil‘fl Chaos of Violence and Civill warre. ) . . To underfland therefore what 15 a Miracle,we muit firft underfiand 477d muff what works they are,which men wonder at, and call Admirable. And therefo'eje there be but two things which make men wonder at any event : The giggwfihm one is, ifit be firange, that is to fay, fuch, as the like ofithath never, i: no Mgr," or very rarely been produced : The other is, ifwhen it is produced, my, mum we cannot imagine it to have been done by naturall means, but onely by the immediate hand ofGod. But when wee fee fome polfible, naturall caiiie ofit,how rarely lbever the like has been done 5 or if the. like have been often done, how impoflible foever it belto imagine a naturall means _thereof,we no more wonder, nor ef'teem it for :1 Mia racle. _ . Therefore, ifa Horfe, or Cow fliould fpeak, it Were a Miracle-,bea caufe both thething is firange,& the naturall caufe difficult to imagin: So allo were it, to tee a {trange deviation of nature, in the production offome new lhape ofa living creature. But when a man, or other Ar nimal, engenders his like, though we know no more how this is done, than the other, yet becaufe 'tis uiiiall, it is no Miracle. In like manner, ifa man be metamorphoi‘ed into a {longer into a pillar , it is a Mira- cle, became ilrange : butit‘a peece ofwood be {0 changed; becaiife we ice it often, it is no Miracle : and yet We know no more, by what operation of God , the one is brought to paile, than the o; ther. V p The firft Rainbow that was (ten in the world, was a Miracle , be? cauie the tirft, and confequently {trangeg and ferved for a fign from God, placed in heaven, to allure his people , there ihould be no more C HAP. an univerfall del‘truftion ofthe world by Water. But at this day, be.etuie they are frequent,they are not Miracles, neither to them that klnow their naturall caufes, nor to them who knowthem not. Again, I. xere be many rare works produCCd by the Art of man : yet when ,‘t knowrhey are done, becauie thereby wee know alfo the means 'HN.‘ they are done, we count them not for Miracles, becaufe nor wrought ' |