WORKS

RIGHT REV. BISHOP HAY

,W O R K S

RIGHT REV. BISHOP HAY

II
OF EDINBURGH

VOL. VII.

ON MIRACLES: VOL. II.

-4
A NEW EDITION

KDITED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OK

THE RIGHT REV. BISHOP STRAIN

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS

EDINBURGH

1873

CRIPTURE DOCTRINE

OF

MIRACLES

DISPLAYED

BY

THE RIGHT REV. DR GEORGE HAY

UISHOH OF DAULIS, VICAR APOSTOLIC OF THE
LOWLAND DISTRICT IN SCOTLAND

A NEW EDITION — IN TWO VOLUMES

VOL. IT.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS

EDINBURGH

1873

CONTENTS OF VOL. II.

CHAP. XI. WHETHER THE EXISTENCE OF MIRACLES IS

CAPABLE OF PROOF, AND OF WHAT KIND, I

" XII. THE CONTINUATION OF MIRACLKS. THE
QUESTION STATED : UR MIDDLETOiN AND
HIS PROTESTANT ADVERSARIES EXAMINED, 28

.. XIII. REASONS AGAINST THE CONTINUATION OF

MIRACLES EXAMINED, .... 85

., XIV. PRESUMPTIVE EVIDENCE FOR THE CONTINU-
ATION OF MIRACLES THROUGHOUT ALL
AGES, ....... 130

.. XV. POSITIVE EVIDENCE FOR THE CONTINUATION
OF MIRACLES THROUGHOUT ALL PRECED-
ING AGES. DOWN TO THE PRESENT TIMES, 183

APPENDIX, ......... 229

THE

MIRACLES DISPLAYED.

CHAPTER XL

WHETHER THE EXISTENCE OF MIRACLES IS
CAPABLE OF PROOF, AND OF WHAT KIND THAT
PROOF MUST BE.

I. "VTfT'E have seen that miracles are possible;
V V that they consist in certain sensible effects
which fall under the cognisance of our senses ; and
that they are produced by the free-will and pleasure
of Almighty God, who, being sovereign Master of all
creatures, can dispose of them in whatever way He
pleases — either by His own immediate act, or by the
operation of His angels. If, therefore, it has ever pleased,
or shall please, God to perform a miracle, we may
naturally expect it to be as capable of proof as any other
fact. It is surprising, then, to see men of ability and
learning bewildering themselves in so plain a matter.

VOL. II. A

2 . CHAPTER XL

They waste their time and misapply their talents in seek-
ing metaphysical sophisms, by which they pretend to
show that the existence of a miracle never can be
proved. But in the eyes of common-sense their argu-
ments can have no more weight than the well-known
argument of Zeno against the possibility of motion. If
in this these gentlemen act against their conscience, and
seek to impose upon their fellow-creatures, it is certainly •
an unpardonable insult to mankind ; but if they really
think as they speak, it is one of the most humiliating
proofs of human weakness, and shows into what a depth
of folly man is capable of falling, when, proudly trusting
to his own powers, he plunges without a guide into the
mazes of imagination.

In the task I have undertaken, I am become debtor to
the wise and to the unwise, to the learned and to the
unlearned, on this subject ; and therefore, however un-
important the present question may appear, yet, as infi-
delity has made much of it by denying the possibility of
proving the existence of miracles, it is necessary to put
this point also in its proper light, and to show the weak-
ness and insufficiency of every argument against it. For
greater clearness and precision, we may examine first,
" If eyewitnesses of a miracle can have sufficient proof of
its existence?" Secondly, "If the existence of miracles
can be sufficiently proved to those who themselves are
not eyewitnesses ?" We shall consider these points
separately.

II. The first question is resolved into this, " How far
can we trust our senses in matters of fact which fall en-
tirely under their cognisance?" For if our senses, when
applied to their proper objects, give us a full conviction
of their existence ; if our knowledge here is intuitive,
and incapable of further proof; if by the very constitu-

MIRACLES CAPABLE OF PROOF. 3

tion of our nature, we believe that we feel the sensations
which are excited in our mind, and that the external objects
which excite them do actually exist without us, — then it
follows, that eyewitnesses of any miraculous operation
have the fullest proof of its existence which the nature
of things can possibly admit, and that this proof must
carry complete conviction to the mind. Now, that this
is actually the case — that our senses give us an absolute
conviction of the existence and effects of material objects,
a conviction which it is beyond the power of the most
refined reasoning to invalidate — I appeal to experience
itself. I appeal to the feelings of our own souls ; nay,
to the experience of the most determined adversaries
of religion.

Let us suppose that any of those unbelievers saw a
miracle performed before his own eyes : a dead man, for
instance, raised to life ; a blind man restored to sight ; a
man walking over a river upon the surface of the water, or
the like, — I ask, could he doubt the reality of the facts ?
Could he persuade himself that the man whom he for-
merly saw dead, but now sees walking, speaking, eating,
&c., is still dead ? that the man whom he knew before
to be absolutely blind, but whom he now sees to have
as much the use of his sight as he has himself, is not-
withstanding still blind ? that the man whom he sees
walking upon the surface of the water is in reality walk-
ing on dry land ? Could he persuade himself that what
he saw with his own eyes was absolutely false, and that
the reverse of what he saw was true ?

Let any one call in what he terms the aid of reason ;
let him summon up every argument against the existence
of miracles ; let him profess that he sees no end worthy
of God for performing them ; that the facts are impro-
bable, inexpedient, unnecessary; that the doctrine at-

4 CHAPTER XL

tested by them seems absurd, unintelligible, and contra-
dictory ; that the instruments are weak, and unworthy of
the majesty of God. Let even Mr Hume himself appear
armed with his "invincible argument ;" let him bring in
his "uniform universal experience;" let him put this
into the scale along with all the others, and let him. say,
if he can, that all these reasons put together would be
able to raise in his mind the smallest doubt of the real
existence of the above miracles, in opposition to the
testimony of his own senses, if, as we suppose, he were
an eyewitness of them. No, no ; every man's experience,
and the conviction of his own mind, will teach him that
the evidence from the testimony of our senses, in those
things which properly belong to them, is an invincible
proof, supreme of its kind, which needs no reasoning
or argument, but convinces by instinct, and the fixed
laws of our nature, with as much certainty as could be
derived from the strictest demonstration. Nay, when,
from the disorder of the medium, or the unsoundness of
the organ, or any other casual circumstance, we suspect
that our senses deceive us in some particular instance,
we have no other way to examine and correct the decep-
tion— we must rest at last on this truth, that our senses,
when properly applied, give absolute certainty of their
proper objects, and that concerning these we must trust
our senses in preference to all reasoning whatsoever. —
See Beattie's Essay on Truth, chap. ii. § 2.

The answer to our first question, then, is plain and
satisfactory — that those who are eyewitnesses of miracles
have, from the testimony of their senses, the most con-
vincing, full, and satisfactory proof that the miracles
which they see really do exist.

III. Against this I find two objections ; the one
hinted at by Rousseau, vol. iii. of his Emilius, p. 1 1 1 ,

MIRACLES CAPABLE OF PROOF. 5

in these words : " If we would receive as true all the
miracles which the common and ignorant people, through
every country of the world, affirm to have seen, every
sect would be in the right," &c. Here he would in-
sinuate that the only eyewitnesses produced or pro-
ducible for the existence of miracles, are common and
ignorant persons, and that in such matters they are easily
deceived.

In the first place, however, it is absolutely false that
such persons are the only eyewitnesses producible for
the existence of such miracles as Christianity appeals to.
Men remarkable for their extraordinary genius and ex-
tensive learning, as well as their veracity and candour,
have given the most distinct testimony to miracles of
which they themselves were eyewitnesses. But per-
mitting this to pass, the allegation that the common
people are easily deceived and ready to be imposed upon,
could not in the least degree weaken the evidence for
the existence of miracles, even were the common people
the only witnesses of them. Miracles are facts which
fall under the comprehension of the most simple minds.
Ignorant people have eyes and ears as well as the learned
— they can know if a man be cripple, blind, sick, or dead,
as well as the greatest physician or most learned philo-
sopher ; and if they see this man restored again to the
use of his limbs, to sight, health, or life, they can discern
that change with as great certainty as a Rousseau or a
Hume themselves, and can have as perfect and complete
conviction.

I acknowledge, indeed, that the multitude may be
deceived ; but how ? A designing person may gain
credit with the many by an outward show of sanctity, and
pretend to secret communication with the Deity and His
angels, as Mahomet did ; or he may perform many things

6 CHAPTER XL

extraordinary in the eyes of the people, by his superior
knowledge of the powers of nature, and persuade them
that these are true miracles ; or he may bewitch them
with sorceries, as Simon did the people of Samaria : but
to convince even ignorant persons that they actually saw
before their eyes a fact which had no existence, is what
scarcely ever was attempted ; and doubtless, though
attempted, never could succeed. " Though men," says
Mr Douglas in his Criterion, p. 312, "may believe specu-
lative opinions to be true which are false, yet it is scarcely
to be conceived that they can ever so far deceive them-
selves as to believe they saw facts which they did not
really see." This observation is true of all mankind, of
the ignorant and simple as well as the learned and
prudent.

IV. The second objection is made by Mr Hume, and
seems so strong in his eyes that he thinks it will easily
account for all Christian miracles : " A religionist," says
he, " may be an enthusiast, and imagine he sees what has
no reality," Ess. on Mir., p. 185. Here enthusiasm is
brought in as able to invert men's senses, and to over-
turn the constitutional principles of the human frame.
Enthusiasm, no doubt, has great power to persuade men
to believe as true what is false, and to esteem the whims
of their own fancy, or even the suggestions of the devil,
as the inspirations of the Holy Ghost ; but I doubt if a
single instance can be shown where it persuaded any one
in his senses that he saw done before him what had no
existence. And even though this should happen to the
enthusiast himself, who pretends to perform the miracle,
or on whom it was performed, are all those enthusiasts
too who behold such pretended miracles? Yet many
miracles are on record which were performed in the pre-
sence of declared enemies, and who could by no means

MIRACLES CAPABLE OF PROOF. 7

be suspected of enthusiasm. Dr Campbell, in his disser-
tation on miracles against Mr Hume, answers this objec-
tion very solidly from this principle of experience.

V. . " That an enthusiast is very liable to be imposed
on, in whatever favours the particular species of enthu-
siasm with which he is affected, none who knows any-
thing of the human heart will deny. But still this frailty
hath its limits. For my own part, I cannot find examples
of any, even among enthusiasts (unless to the conviction
of everybody they were distracted), who did not see and
hear in the same manner as other people. Many of this
tribe have mistaken the reveries of a heated imagination
for the communications of the Divine Spirit, who never
in one single instance mistook the operations of their
external senses. Without marking this difference, we
should make no distinction between the enthusiastic
character and the frantic, which are in themselves evi-
dently distinct."— Part II. § i.

In another place, after observing that the whole class
of reformers, however useful miracles might have been
to their views, yet never attempted to prove their
mission or doctrine by these means, he adds : " But
how upon our author's (Mr Hume's) principles shall
we account for this moderation in the reformers ?
Were they, in his judgment, calm inquirers after truth ?
Were they dispassionate reasoners in defence of it ? Far
otherwise. He tells us (Hist. Gr. Brit. Jas. I., chap, i.),
' They may safely be pronounced to have been univer-
sally inflamed with the highest enthusiasm.' May not
we then, in our turn, safely pronounce, this writer him-
self being judge, that for a man to imagine he sees what
has no reality — to impose in this manner, not only on
his own understanding, but even on his external senses —
is a pitch of delusion higher than the highest enthusiasm

8 CHAPTER XI.

can produce, and is to be imputed only to downright
frenzy? Since the world began, there hath not ap-
peared a more general propensity to the wildest fana-
ticism than appeared in this island about the middle
of the last century. Tis astonishing that when the
minds of men were intoxicated with enthusiasm, none
are to be found who advanced a claim to the power of
working miracles — a claim which, in the author's opinion
(Mr Hume's), though false, is easily supported and won-
derfully successful, especially among enthusiasts.

" It is true, one or two frantic people among the Quakers
did actually pretend to such a power ; but this had no
other consequence than to bring the pretenders into gene-
ral contempt. In the beginning of this century, also, the
French prophets revived this plea ; but by no part of their
conduct did they so effectually open the eyes of mankind,
bring discredit on their inspirations, and ruin their cause,
as by this no less foolish than presumptuous pretence ;
and though they were so deluded as to imagine that
they could restore a dead man to life — nay, though they
proceeded so far as to determine and announce before-
hand the day and hour of his resurrection, yet none of
them were so insane as to imagine they had seen him
rise, and not one of them afterwards pretended that
their prediction had been fulfilled. Thus even a frenzy
which had disordered their intellects could not in this
instance overpower their senses." — Part II. § 2.

From these judicious remarks it plainly follows that
the evidence of the senses, with regard to the objects
proper to them, is not to be overpowered even by
enthusiasm itself ; and therefore, that those who are eye-
witnesses of any miracle have, from the testimony of
their senses, the most absolute and convincing proof of
its existence.

MIRACLES CAPABLE OF PROOF. 9

VI. This first question being thus disposed of, the
answer to the second naturally follows. For if eyewit-
nesses of a miracle, from the evidence of their senses, can
have a. full and absolute conviction, they doubtless can
give testimony of this to others who were not present,
and thus impart to them also as full a conviction as the
nature of the case can possibly admit.

A miracle is a fact which depends solely upon the good
pleasure and free choice of God; and the proof of its
existence must be taken either from the evidence of our
senses, if we ourselves see it, or from the testimony of
others who have been eyewitnesses. There is no other
way by which such facts as depend upon the will of free
agents can possibly be proved ; nor can any rational
objection be made against their existence, when properly
supported by either of these proofs, without directly
striking at the proofs themselves, by supposing in them
some defect or flaw. If, therefore, they possess all those
conditions which, by the very constitution of our nature,
command our assent, no objection, solely drawn from
arguments extrinsic to these proofs, can have any weight
against the evidence of the fact so proved by them.
Now, as all the usual arguments brought against the
existence of miracles vanish when opposed to the evi-
dence of the senses in eyewitnesses, it follows that if
such eyewitnesses are persons of veracity and probity,
and possess those other qualities which preclude all sus-
picion of deceit, their testimony regarding what they saw
must afford the most satisfactory conviction that what
they assert is true, notwithstanding every metaphysical
sophism to the contrary.

We can acquire the knowledge of facts past or distant
only by the testimony of others ; and the certainty which
it affords us is in many cases as full and absolute as we

10 CHAPTER XI.

obtain from any other source of knowledge. Nay, when
the testimony possesses the necessary conditions, it never
fails to produce the most complete conviction.

These conditions are, first, certainty that the witnesses
were not themselves deceived ; secondly, certainty that
they speak exactly according to their knowledge. When
these two conditions concur, or when we believe that
they exist, it is impossible to withhold our credit from
the testimony. We may doubt if the witnesses were
not themselves deceived — we may call in question their
veracity; but if we have no doubt upon these points, it
is no longer in our power to question the truth of what
they say ; we are forced to believe it, and to believe it
with the utmost assurance, by the very constitution of our
nature ; and hence Dr Beattie, after some judicious ob-
servations, justly concludes, that " to believe testimony
is agreeable to nature, to reason, and to sound philoso-
phy," Essay on Truth, chap. ii. § 8.

VII. Now there are rules to ascertain when testimony
is attended with the two conditions above mentioned —
rules founded on principles born with us, and which are
the foundation of human society, and of the whole inter-
course between man and man, — namely, " That men are
not fools and devoid of sense. That there are certain
rules from which they seldom or never depart in their
conduct. That there cannot be a joint combination
among them to deceive. That if they sometimes de-
ceive, it is not without some motive, particularly interest.
That the whole world never conspires to deceive any
man. That no man can deceive the whole world."
These principles are ascertained by the concurrent belief
of mankind, whose general practice is directed by them
in the most important affairs of life — in proving genealogy,
in settling property, in administering justice, and the

MIRACLES CAPABLE OF PROOF. II

like ; and from them this general maxim is deduced
relative to our faith in testimony, " That we must believe
the testimony of men when, the facts testified by them
being possible, we cannot believe they are deceived, or
intend to deceive, without supposing that they have lost
their reason."

VIII. " Our faith in testimony," says Mr Beattie, "doth
often, but not always, amount to absolute certainty. That
there is such a city as Constantinople, such a country as
Lapland, and such a mountain as the peak of Teneriff ;
that there were such men as Hannibal and Julius Caesar ;
that England was conquered by William the Norman ;
and that Charles I. was beheaded, — of these and suchlike
truths, every person acquainted with history and geography
accounts himself absolutely certain. When a number
of persons, not acting in concert, having no interest to
disguise the truth, and who are sufficient judges of that
to which they bear testimony, concur in making the same
report, it would be accounted madness not to believe
them. Nay, when a number of witnesses, separately ex-
amined, and having had no opportunity to concert a plan
beforehand, do all agree in their declarations, we make
no scruple of yielding full faith to their testimony, even
though we have no evidence of their honesty and skill —
nay, though they be notorious both for knavery and
folly ; because the fictions of the human mind being
infinite, it is impossible that each of these witnesses
should, by mere accident, devise the very same circum-
stances. If, therefore, their declarations concur, this is a
certain proof that there is no fiction in the case, and that
they all speak from real experience and knowledge. "-
Essay on Truth, Part I. chap. ii. § 8.

IX. To the same purpose Mr Douglas speaks in his
' Criterion, or Miracles Examined,' on the force of

12 CHAPTER XL

proper testimony : " Two qualifications," says he, " must
concur to establish the credibility of witnesses ; a suffi-
cient knowledge of the matters of fact they attest, and
a disposition not to falsify what they know : and when
these two qualifications do concur, we think ourselves
obliged to admit what is attested as true." — P. 199. Dr
Church, also, in his Vindication, p. 62, says : " It
must be granted that present facts, which are appeals to
the senses, are more striking and satisfactory than any
long intricate reasonings. And hence miracles may be
pronounced to be the shortest and clearest means of con-
viction of the divine authority of any mission, and con-
sequently of any doctrine to those who see them. And
further, as we may have sufficient certainty of their
having been worked in times past, they must, if well at-
tested, be full proofs, even to us who do not see them."

But it is needless to multiply testimonies on this
point, as every one's experience must teach him that
when we are persuaded that a person is not deceived
himself, and that he truly speaks according to his know-
ledge, it is no longer in our power to withhold our
assent from what he says. Consequently, if any miracle
be attested by those who were eyewitnesses of it, and in
such circumstances that we cannot suspect their veracity,
we have from their testimony a full and convincing proof
of the existence of the miracle, — a proof which, as Dr
Beattie observes, " it would be accounted madness not
to yield to ; " and which, according to Mr Douglas,
would oblige us to receive what was so attested as true.

X. We may consider this subject in another point of
view, which will illustrate it still further. It is doubtless
a just and convincing inference which is made from the
effect to the cause. We see an effect produced; we
know the cause which naturally and constantly produces

MIRACLES CAPABLE OF PROOF. 13

such an effect We argue, therefore, with the greatest
certainty, from the known existence of the effect, that
the cause producing it existed also.

The testimony of men concerning any matter of fact
is an effect produced of which we are sensible. We know
this effect may arise from two different causes, and from
no other : it may either arise from the real existence of
the fact itself, of which those men were eyewitnesses ; or
it may arise from their mistake or imposture, as being
either deceived themselves, or wishing to deceive others.
If we have any reason to suspect either that the witnesses
were themselves mistaken, or intended to deceive others
by their testimony, then it goes for nothing — it gains no
credit — because it is not looked upon as an effect of the
real existence of the fact attested by it. But if, on the
contrary, the circumstances be such that we see it im-
possible that the testimony could arise from mistake or
imposture, then it could have no other cause than the
real existence of the attested fact — the existence of which,
therefore, we are no longer at liberty to deny.

XI. Upon these grounds the adversaries of Chris-
tianity pay every due regard to human testimony in the
ordinary concerns of life, and make no difficulty in regu-
lating by it their belief and conduct with regard to all
natural occurrences. But being sensible of the strength
of testimony in favour of religion and against their tenets,
when allowed its due weight with regard to miracles,
they have been forced to make a distinction between
natural and supernatural events ; and whilst they allow
testimony its full authority in proving the former, they
pretend that no credit can be given to it when applied to
the latter.

" A miracle," says Mr Hume, " supported by any
human testimony, is more properly a subject of derision

14 CHAPTER XL

than of argument," Ess. on Mir., p. 194. And again,
near the end of his essay, he says : " Upon the whole,
it appears that no testimony for any kind of miracle can
ever possibly amount to a probability, much less to a
proof." A little after, indeed, he corrects his too general
assertion, and restricts the impossibility of proving the
existence of miracles by testimony to such only as are
wrought in favour of religion. " We may establish it as
a maxim that no human testimony can have such force
as to prove a miracle, and make it a just foundation for
any system of religion." And in a note upon this pas-
sage, he adds : "I beg the limitation here made may be
remarked when I say that a miracle can never be proved
so as to be the foundation of a system of religion ; for I
own that otherwise there may be miracles, or violations
of the usual course of nature, of such a kind as to admit
of proof from human testimony."

I am, indeed, somewhat at a loss to comprehend Mr
Hume's object in these passages, and am inclined to
think that he has here fallen into one of the self-contra-
dictions so frequent in deistical philosophy ; for first, he
he tells us, in general, a "miracle supported by any
human testimony is more properly a subject of derision
than of argument." If so, how is it possible that any
miracle can admit of proof from testimony ? Must we
suppose him to mean that only such miracles as are in
favour of religion, and supported by human testimony,
are subjects of derision ? But how, then, will he reconcile
the obvious difficulty, that human testimony is sufficient
to prove the existence of a miracle when separated from
religion, but becomes a subject of derision when used to
prove the existence of the same miracle if performed
in favour of religion ? Secondly, the whole scope of Mr
Hume's argument throughout this essay, is to show that

MIRACLES CAPABLE OF PROOF. 15

the existence of a miracle as such, and independent of
any connection with religion, can never be proved by
human testimony.

" A miracle," says he, " is a violation of the laws of
nature ; and as a firm and unalterable experience has
established these laws, the proof against a miracle, from
the very nature of the fact, is as entire as any argument
from experience can possibly be imagined ; and if so, it
is an undeniable consequence that it cannot be sur-
mounted by any proof whatever from testimony. A
miracle, therefore, however attested, can never be ren-
dered credible, even in the lowest degree." — Ess. on
Mir., p. 179, 180: Lond. edit. 1750, i2mo.

Here we see, according to this author, that the objection
against a miracle, from the very nature of the fact, as being
a violation of the laws of nature, can never be surmounted
by any proof from testimony. How, then, can he re-
concile with this undeniable consequence of his formida-
ble argument what he says in the note above cited, that
" there may possibly be miracles, or violations of the
usual course of nature, of such a kind as to admit of
proof from human testimony ? " Let him extricate him-
self as he best may ; but this shows his insuperable
aversion to religious miracles provable by human testi-
mony, since he is determined to run the risk of his
judgment being suspected, and his common-sense itself
called in question, rather than admit them.

XII. Dr Middleton, also, with his adherents, is so
averse to human testimony in proof of miracles, that he
rejects all credibility of miracles founded upon such evi-
dence, and openly professes that he knows no miracles,
no revealed truths, nothing which can possibly be dis-
covered of the ways or will of the Creator, but by attend-
ing to the revelation which He has made of Himself from

1 6 CHAPTER XI.

the beginning, in the wonderful works and beautiful
fabric of this visible world. — Pref. to the Free Inquiry,
p. 22. We shall see more of the Doctor afterwards.

XIII. We are surprised when we hear men of learn-
ing and ability talk in such a strain. If they really
think as they write, it is a palpable proof of their extrava-
gant vanity and presumption. With the utmost confidence
they set up the idol of their own judgment in oppo-
sition to the dictates of nature and common-sense, and
even in opposition to the declaration of God Himself.
Whilst unable to produce one good proof for their
opinion, .they either contradict themselves, as we have
seen above in Mr Hume, or are obliged to pass ex-
travagant censure upon others, condemning the most
pious, virtuous, and learned men in every age of Chris-
tianity, which Dr Middleton never hesitates to do in
support of his untenable system. Nothing, therefore,
will better display the folly of pretending that the exist-
ence of miracles, or supernatural facts, is incapable of
being proved by human testimony, than to show how
diametrically contrary this assertion is to the common
sentiments of mankind.

XIV. To begin with the people of God in the old law,
how many extraordinary miracles, which had happened
in every age from the beginning of the world, were
handed down among them from generation to genera-
tion by human testimony, and upon this evidence alone
were believed with the utmost certainty ? They there-
fore judged this testimony full and sufficient proof of the
existence of these miracles, and in their minds it pro-
duced complete conviction.

Perhaps it may be said that these miracles were related
in the sacred Scriptures, and received from them the
sanction of divine testimony. But it is to be observed

MIRACLES CAPABLE OF PROOF. I/

that few of the people could themselves make use of
these Scriptures ; and copies of them were far from
being common. We read, in the reign of Josias, that
Helcias, the high priest, accidentally found a copy of the
law, and sent it to the king ; and that he and all the
people were amazed when they heard it read before
them (which shows how rare copies of that sacred book
must then have been), 4 Kings, xxii. Besides, as to the
divinity of this book itself, and consequently the truth of
all the wonders it contains, whence did that people re-
ceive it ? Almighty God did not give to every genera-
tion a new revelation. This was done at first by means
of the sacred penmen who wrote it, attesting that they
did so by inspiration from God, and giving proof of this
by the miracles which they performed. This was a con-
vincing proof, to those who thus first received them,
that these books were divine ; but it was their testimony
to their children, and the testimony of their children to
those after them, which was the great means by which
both the divinity of the books themselves, and the mira-
cles they contained, were handed down, and upon which
they were believed by all succeeding generations.

XV. The case is exactly similar with the whole body
of Christians under the new law. These in every age
to this day, have believed with the utmost certainty nu-
merous miracles when they saw them sufficiently attested
by human testimony. Heathen nations, when converted
to Christianity, have given proof of the same. They have
believed as undoubted truths all the miracles related in the
Gospel. If they did so upon the testimony of those who
converted them, without their working new miracles in
proof of what they preached, then we have what we de-
sire to prove, that these converted nations esteemed tes-
timony a sufficient ground on which to believe miracles.

VOL. II. B

1 8 CHAPTER XI.

If those missionaries themselves wrought miracles to
prove the divinity of their mission and their doctrine,
still they could not possibly be done before the whole
people ; and those who did not witness them could be-
lieve them only upon the testimony of those who were
present : yet whole nations were converted, and actu-
ally believed these miracles upon that testimony, which
therefore they judged a sufficient ground for doing so.
Nay, the obstinate heathens themselves, who opposed
the Christian religion, and used every effort of their
genius and learning to find, if possible, a flaw in it, never
had the effrontery to deny its miracles. Convinced by
the strength of testimony, they acknowledged them, and
only sought to evade the consequence by ascribing them
to the devil and not to God. But this very evasion shows
how much they felt that testimony produces complete
conviction in proof of the existence of miracles.

XVI. The greatest condemnation, however, of this
opinion of our modern unbelievers, is the express declar-
ation of Almighty God Himself, Who judges testimony
so thorough and complete a proof to convince His
reasonable creatures of the existence of miracles, that
He appoints this, and this alone, as the proper means
to propagate throughout all succeeding generations the
knowledge of those glorious miracles which He wrought
among His chosen people. Thus, when giving commis-
sion to Moses to threaten Pharaoh with the plague of
locusts, He tells him that He had wrought so many signs
and wonders in favour of His people for this very end,
that they and their posterity might know that He was
the only true God, and that succeeding generations must
be informed of these things by the testimony of those
before them. " That thou mayest tell in the ears of thy
son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in

MIRACLES CAPABLE OF PROOF. 19

Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them,
that ye may know that I am the Lord," Exod. x. 2.
Again, among the many other excellent rules that Moses
gave the people before his death, he says on this subject :
" Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently,
lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen,
and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life ;
but teach them to thy sons and thy sons' sons," Deut.
iv. 9. Hence we find the royal prophet expressly
acknowledging that it was by the testimony of their
fathers that they knew all the wonderful things God had
done among them : " We have heard with our ears, O
God, and our fathers have told us, what works Thou
didst in their days, and in the times of old," Ps. xliv. i.

Here we see that the testimony of their fathers not
only taught them what was done in their time, of which
they were eyewitnesses, but also what had been done
before their days in the times of old, which they
had in like manner received from those before them.
Again, Ps. Ixxviii., he declares his readiness to com-
municate the knowledge of the law of God, and of all
His wondrous works, to his posterity, in obedience to the
command which God had given for that purpose : " Give
ear, O my people, to my law ; incline your ears to the
words of my mouth ; I will open my mouth in a parable ;
I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and
known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide
them from their children, showing to the generation to
come the praises of the Lord, and His strength, and His
wonderful works that He hath done."

Observe here the resolution which the holy prophet
makes to transmit to posterity the law and wondrous
works of God, by teaching them to the rising generation ;
and he immediately adds his reason : " For He established

2O CHAPTER XI.

a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which
He commanded our fathers, that they should make them
known to their children : that the generation to come
might know them, even the children which should be-
born ; who should arise and declare them to their chil-
dren," Ps. Ixxviii. i, &c.

In this beautiful passage we are assured that the tes-
timony of each present generation to their children
was the very means appointed by God for ascertain-
ing in all succeeding ages, not only the law itself, but
also the testimony by which it was established at the
beginning — " those wonderful works that the Lord had
done, " in confirmation of the divine revelation of the law,
when He first gave it to their fathers ; and that God Him-
self expressly commands that this should be the means of
conveying these things to posterity. After this, what idea
must every serious Christian form of the pitiful evasion
of a Middleton or a Hume, pretending that the existence
of a miracle cannot admit of sufficient proof from human
testimony, when we see that God Himself appointed this
to be the only means of proving to all posterity the
existence of those miracles which He wrought among
His people?

XVII. To this subject also belong those other branches
of human testimony — the institution of feasts, the sacred
ceremonies of religion, the erecting of public monu-
ments, and the like — as memorials of miracles wrought on
different occasions, which Almighty God was also pleased
to make use of, and commanded His people to preserve
the memory of what these things signified by explaining
them to their children after them : see Exod. xiii. 8, 14,
for the institution of the feast of unleavened bread, and
the sanctification of the first-born ; also Deut. vi. 20, &c.,
for the meaning of the ceremonies of the law ; Joshua,

MIRACLES CAPABLE OF PROOF. 21

iv. on their passing over Jordan : Numb. xvi. 38, &c., for
establishing the priesthood, — and many other such.

These show again that human testimony and its
concomitants were judged by God Himself sufficient
to prove the reality of all the wonders which He had
wrought in favour of His people, and to perpetuate the
memory of them for ever; and the result proves the
efficiency and fitness of human testimony for this end,
since it is by it that the memory of these things has been
transmitted from those early ages in which they were
performed, even to these our days ; and we may safely
venture to say, that, by the same means, it will be con-
tinued to the end of time.

XVIIT. This appears still further from the command
which Almighty God gave to His people to beware ot
favour of their doctrine, Deut. xiii. For on what grounds
false prophets, even though working signs and wonders in
did God lay this order upon them ? We have seen this
above — namely, that the stupendous miracles which
He had wrought in favour of His truth, when He first
revealed it, ought so fully to prove Him to be its
author, that any contrary doctrine afterwards proposed
should, for that very reason, be condemned and rejected ;
and even though its teachers should work signs, yet the
same reason should convince them that these were not
from God, but from the devil, and therefore also to be
rejected. For according to the rules laid down at the
end of the preceding chapter, when the doctrine is evi-
dently false, and the miracles doubtful, the known false-
hood of the doctrine is the infallible criterion by which to
discover the imposture of the pretended miracle.

Now this obligation of rejecting false teachers, even
though working signs, was not for those only who had
seen the miracles wrought by God at the first revelation

22 CHAPTER XL

of His law, but for all their posterity in future times, to
whom the knowledge of the primitive miracles was to be
transmitted, by God's appointment, by means of human
testimony. It is evident, then, that Almighty God judged
human testimony not only sufficient to convince future
ages of the reality of these miracles, but even to impart
such a conviction of them, and of the truth of the doc-
trine attested by them, as to protect the people against
the delusion of any false signs or pretended miracles
which might be brought by the agency of Satan in order
to propagate false doctrine.

XIX. The same we find in the new law. The doc-
trine revealed by Jesus Christ, and preached by His
apostles, was supported, confirmed, and proved to be
divine by the miracles wrought in attestation of it. These
give such a conviction of the truth of that doctrine, that
whatever new doctrine is contrary thereto we are com-
manded to reject and condemn as false, precisely because
contrary to the Gospel ; and St Paul pronounces a curse
upon any one, though he were an angel from heaven, who
should dare to preach any other gospel than that which he
had preached. To the end of time, there will be an obliga-
tion upon all Christians to reject as false and erroneous
every doctrine which is contrary to the truth revealed by
Jesus; but the miracles, by which the doctrine of Jesus was
proved to be divine, are conveyed to all succeeding ages
primarily by human testimony — for that is the first step
by which we come to the knowledge of the Scriptures
themselves, in which these miracles are recorded. There-
fore, here again human testimony is judged sufficient by
Almighty God to convey to us the knowledge of these
miracles, and of the doctrines attested by them, with
such conviction as to make us proof against the at-
tempts even of an angel from heaven, should he en-

MIRACLES CAPABLE OF PROOF. 23

deavour to delude us by any false doctrine contrary to
the Gospel.

XX. If we suppose that Almighty God should be
pleased to reveal His will to man, and perform miracles
to attest that the revelation was from Him, and should
wish the knowledge of this revelation, and of the miracles
attesting it, to be transmitted to future ages, how is it
possible for this to be done but by human testimony ?
Can a Middleton or a Hume devise any other way?
Will they pretend that a succession of miracles must be
kept up in every generation, and in presence of every in-
dividual, in order to prove the original revelation ? Will
they blasphemously say that the omnipotent Being has
it not in His power to transmit with certainty the know-
ledge of these things to future ages? How ridiculous,
then, is it to assert that miracles cannot be proved by
human testimony, since it is absolutely the only natural
means by which such facts can be proved to those who
are not themselves eyewitnesses of them.

XXI. The result of all this is, that no rational objec-
tion can be made against the existence of any miracle
which does not strike at the testimony by which it is
supported. But if this stand the test, no metaphysical
argument a priori, and extrinsic to the testimony, can
ever influence the mind, or weaken the conviction which
the force of that testimony gives. And yet, upon exa-
mination we find that all the arguments brought by the
above gentlemen and their party are entirely of this
kind.

XXII. Here I shall say nothing of Mr Hume's
vaunted argument against proving the existence of
miracles by human testimony, the futility of which has
been already demonstrated by several masterly hands.
I shall only observe, with Dr Campbell, that one positive

24 CHAPTER XI.

credible testimony for the existence of a fact, possible in
itself, is of more weight to convince a man of common-
sense of the existence of such a fact, than ten hundred
thousand millions of negative experiences against it ; and
this single observation, which is founded upon positive
experience, and the feelings of our own heart, at once
saps the foundation of all that Mr Hume has advanced
upon the subject.

XXIII. The other arguments brought by the adver-
saries of revelation against our thesis may be reduced
to these following : Miracles are unnecessary ; they are
inexpedient ; they are incredible ; they are trifling, and
unworthy of the Deity ; there are no ends to be gained
by them worthy of such extraordinary divine inter-
position ; the doctrine pretended to be attested by them
is absurd, from which they conclude that no human
testimony can render them credible in any circum-
stance.

1 know not if these gentlemen have ever seriously
examined the force of these reasons, or applied them to
any particular case, or even put them into proper form,
that they might see wherein their strength or weakness
lay. I can scarcely think that if they had ever done so
they would have exposed themselves to the contempt
which such objections must necessarily evoke ; nor do I
find, in their writings or conversation, any serious reason-
ing, but a witticism or a sneer, with the words "incre-
dible, unnecessary, inexpedient," and the like, inter-
spersed in order to give an appearance of reason to
their declamation.

But let us reduce their objection to form, that com-
mon-sense may estimate its value. Let us suppose, then,
a miracle — that, for example, of a blind man restored to
sight — to be attested upon oath by three or four men

MIRACLES CAPABLE OF PROOF. 2$

of known probity, who declare that they were eyewit-
nesses of it. Every man of ordinary judgment would be
satisfied of the fact by such testimony. It could not
be imagined that the witnesses were mistaken, as it is
supposed they knew the man to be blind, and saw
him perfectly restored to sight ; much less could it be
thought that men of known probity would attest a thing
upon oath as eyewitnesses, if they had no had as full a
conviction as the testimony of their senses could pos-
sibly give them. And if they be not mistaken in what
they saw, and attest the fact precisely as they beheld it,
the existence of the miracle is an undoubted consequence.

Let us now see the force of the objection when put
in its proper form. In the mouth of a deist, it runs
thus : " Several men of probity have attested upon oath
that they saw a man, whom they knew before to be
blind, miraculously restored to sight; but this appears
inexpedient, unnecessary, without any good end, intrin-
sically incredible — therefore it is a mistake ; no such
miracle was performed." The major proposition is the
state of the case as attested, the minor is the very argu-
ment of the deists ; for surely none of them will dare to
affirm that miracles are "inexpedient, unnecessary," or
the like, in themselves. All they can say is, that so
they appear to them ; and from this they conclude, as
from an answerable argument, that the best-attested
miracles are falsehoods and fiction ! How ridiculous the
conclusion !

In order that a well-attested miracle be regarded false-
hood or fiction, one of two things must be clearly proved,
either that the witnesses are deceived in the testimony
of their senses, or that they knowingly perjure them-
selves in order to deceive others. Now what connection
is there between the apparent non-necessity or inexpe-

26 CHAPTER XI.

diency of the miracle in the eyes of a deist and either
of these two points? Because the miracle seems un-
necessary or inexpedient to a deist, does it follow that
the witnesses were deceived in what they saw with their
eyes, or that they voluntarily perjured themselves by
swearing contrary to their conscience ? How unworthy
of a philosopher to argue in such a strain !

XXIV. Their arguments from the unworthiness of the
ends of miracles, and from the pretended absurdity of
the doctrine attested by them, I have considered more
particularly above, and have pointed out whence all
their sophistry arises. I shall conclude this subject,
therefore, by a few observations on the incredibility of
the miraculous facts attested.

One can scarcely think men serious when they object
to the existence of miracles on this account; or at least
it were to be wished they would explain their mean-
ing of the intrinsic incredibility of a miracle. If they
mean that every miraculous fact involves an absolute
contradiction — or, in other words, that a miracle is
in itself impossible — let them rest upon that in plain
terms, and prove it if they can ; but if they allow that
miracles are possible, how ridiculous is it to object that
any possible fact is intrinsically incredible, when omni-
potence itself is supposed to be the agent ! Is any pos-
sible thing too difficult for God to perform ? is any pos-
sible change in His creatures above His strength ? Even
Dr Middleton, with reason, dismisses such an objection :
" To say that where the facts themselves are incredible,"
says he, "such miracles are to be rejected, is to beg the
question, and not to prove it ; a too precarious way of
reasoning, because what is incredible to me may seem
credible to another." — Remarks on the Observator, p. 26
et seq.

MIRACLES CAPABLE OF PROOF. 27

Mr Locke, whose justness of thought and strength of
genius will not readily be called in question, is so far
from regarding the extraordinary character of the fact as
an argument against its existence, that in certain circum-
stances he draws the very opposite conclusion : "Though
the common experience," says he, "and the ordinary
course of things, have justly a mighty influence on the
minds of men, to make them give or refuse credit to any-
thing proposed to their belief, yet there is one case
wherein the strangeness of the fact lessens not the assent
to a fair testimony given of it. For where such super-
natural events are suitable to ends aimed at by Him Who
has the power to change the course of nature, there,
under such circumstances, they may be the fitter to pro-
cure belief, by how much the more they are beyond or
contrary to ordinary observation." — Ess. on the Hum.
Und., iv. 1 6, § 13. This is a just remark, with which we
shall here conclude the subject ; because afterwards,
when treating on the continuation of miracles in the
Church of Christ, this objection from the incredibility of
the fact must be resumed, and more fully refuted.

28

CHAPTER XII.

ON THE qONTINUATION OF MIRACLES IN THE
CHURCH OF CHRIST — THE STATE OF THE
QUESTION, AND THE CONDUCT OF DR MID-
DLETON AND HIS PROTESTANT ADVERSARIES,
EXAMINED.

I. ATT'E now come to a point involving the most
V V important consequences. Of late years men
of the greatest ability and learning in the country have
been deeply engaged in examining it, and they have
published many learned and elaborate treatises in defence
of their various systems. Some, with Dr Middleton,
have contended that all miracles ceased with the lives of
the apostles ; others have asserted that they continued
frequent in the Church during the first three centuries,
and till the Christian religion was established by law in
the Roman empire. Some have extended their dura-
tion to the end of the fourth and fifth, and others have
endeavoured to show their continuation even during
the sixth century. All, however, assert their total cessa-
tion at the respective periods which they are pleased to
assign.

The Catholic Church, on the other hand, reposing
with entire confidence on the sacred promises of her

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 29

divine Master, and convinced by daily experience that
these promises will hold good to the end of time, ignores
these opinions of her adversaries, and maintains, in
opposition to all their conflicting systems, that the power
of working miracles never has, and never will be with-
drawn from her communion. She maintains that, from
time to time, in all preceding ages, Almighty God has
raised up great and holy men among her children,
by whom He has wrought many miraculous signs and
wonders, and that He will never fail to do the same in
succeeding ages to the end of the world, in defence
of His truth, and to the confusion of all who separate
themselves from her.

This constant doctrine of the Catholic Church, if true,
shows the folly of her adversaries in their disputes among
themselves. Their systems are founded upon a false
assumption ; they take for granted the very thing which
is denied. For if what the Catholic Church teaches be
true, that the power of working miracles has never
ceased in her communion, how ridiculous is it to pretend
to fix a period at which miracles have actually ceased !
Their conflicting opinions serve only to establish her
claim ; and the arguments by which they prove the con-
tinuation of miracles down to their respective assumed
periods of cessation, afford the most convincing proof
that they have never ceased at all.

It is not my intention to examine the comparative
merits of the various systems. In reference to the main
point, they all stand in the same predicament. I acknow-
ledge the abilities of their respective authors in proving
beyond reply the continuation of miracles during the
several periods assigned by them, but must differ from
them in the supposition on which they all proceed, that
miracles have actually ceased after any one of these

30 CHAPTER XII.

periods ; and what I propose to prove is the truth of the
belief of the Catholic Church, that miracles never have
ceased, and never will cease, in her communion while the
world remains. But before I enter upon this important
matter, it will be proper to explain the state of the ques-
tion, the nature of the miraculous pOAvers, their different
kinds, and the teaching of the Scripture concerning them.
II. The extreme opposition which the Christian
religion must naturally have encountered at its first
promulgation in the world is evident. The incompre-
hensibility of its sublime mysteries demanded the per-
fect humiliation of the pride of human intellect. The
purity and severity of its morality required the mortifi-
cation of self-love, and of all the lusts of the heart. Its
first preachers were men of no position in life ; they were
destitute of all human means to assist them in their vast
undertaking, and of every earthly qualification which
could recommend them to the regard or esteem of the
world. Against them were arrayed the deep attachment
which mankind naturally have to the religion in which
they have been bred, especially when it flatters their
inclinations, and lays no restraint upon their passions ;
the pride and obstinacy of philosophers ; the inveterate
malice of the heathen priests, and of all whose interest
was concerned in the support of heathenism ; and, above
all, the rage and malice of hell, the power of which was
restrained in proportion as the truths of the Gospel
gained ground. The power of kingdoms and empires
was exerted against Christianity, and it was necessary
that Almighty God, its divine Author, should stretch out
His omnipotent hand in its defence, and, by miracles suited
to the opposing difficulties, enable it to conquer them,
and convince mankind that that religion was from Him.

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 31

For, considering all the circumstances, it never could
have been adopted by mankind had they not been fully
satisfied that God was its Author.

St Augustine justly observes, that had this been
accomplished without miracles, this itself would have
been the greatest of all miracles. But Almighty God,
qui disponit omnia suaviter et fortiter, who disposes all
things with strength and sweetness — who never fails to
bring to pass by His almighty power whatever He is
determined to accomplish, and who always brings about
His designs with the greatest sweetness, by means con-
genial, the best adapted to the end proposed — effectually
did establish the Christian religion in the world, notwith-
standing all opposition, and gave mankind irrefragable
proofs of its divine origin, by the profusion of super-
natural gifts and graces which he bestowed upon those
who professed it. Nothing could be better adapted to
the end proposed than this ; for by these supernatural
graces Christians themselves had an internal experi-
mental feeling of the truth of their religion ; they felt its
wonderful effects in their own hearts — the divine light
which beamed forth in their understandings, the entire
change of their affections, which became detached from
all the perishable objects of this life, and fixed on God
and those eternal goods which their holy religion pro-
posed to them ; the interior consolation and peaceful
joy which the Holy Ghost communicated to their souls ;
the fortitude and strength which He gave them to over-
come all difficulties — nay, which made them even love
the very torments most dreaded by human nature when
suffered for His sake.

These were proofs indeed — internal feelings, experi-
mental proofs, which gave the fullest conviction to those

32 CHAPTER XII.

happy souls who felt them, and made them at the same
time the most proper instruments for convincing others
that the religion which they professed was truly divine.
In fact, their heroic fortitude under the severest trials ;
their amazing patience in the midst of torments ; their
profound humility ; their admirable meekness and charity
towards their inveterate enemies, joined to the stupend-
ous miracles wrought by their means, — gave a force and
efficacy to their words which made the deepest impres-
sion on the minds of the heathens, gradually overcame
their obstinate prejudices, and at last converted them to
the faith and law of Christ.

III. The nature and different kinds of these spiri-
tual gifts and graces are described by St Paul in the
following terms : " To one indeed by the Spirit is
given the word of wisdom ; and to another the word
of knowledge, according to the same Spirit ; to ano-
ther faith by the same Spirit; to another the grace of
healing by the same Spirit ; to another the working
of miracles ; to another prophecy ; to another the dis-
cerning of Spirits ; to another diverse kinds of tongues ;
to another the interpretation of speeches : but all
these things one and the same Spirit worketh, dividing
to every one according as He wills," i Cor. xii. The
following explanation of them is laid down by the learned
author of the ' Miraculous Powers of the Church,'
p. 3, as taken from the best commentators on this
subject : —

IV. " By the word of wisdom is generally understood
the gift of prudence or discretion, in the use of all other
spiritual gifts, so that they be not exerted out of due
time and place, &c. — a point wherein some of the faithful
were deficient, as appears from the i4th chapter of the
same Epistle. By the word of knowledge is meant a facility

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 33

of expounding the doctrine of faith, so as to lay it open
to the hearers in such a method as may be most suitable
to their capacity. By faith, in this passage, is meant
not that theological virtue by which we yield assent to
every revealed truth on the testimony of God, but a
certain strong confidence or reliance on God for the
working of miracles.

" These three gifts are not miraculous, but the third has
a particular relation to the miraculous powers. By the
grace of healing, is understood the miraculous gift of
healing bodily diseases, either by the laying on of hands,
or prayer, or by anointing with oil, &c. See Mark vi.
By the working of miracles, is understood the power of
doing greater works than those last mentioned ; as the
raising of the dead to life ; giving sight to the blind ;
casting out devils, &c. By prophecy is meant not only
the foretelling of things to come, and the discovery of
hidden secrets, but also the gift of expounding deep
mysteries by the assistance of the Holy Ghost suggesting
divers interpretations, which tend to instruction and
edification. And if it be taken in this light, indepen-
dently.^ the foreknowledge of things to come, it is not
properly miraculous, though it belongs to the gifts which
are called charismatic. The discerning of spirits is the
gift of distinguishing the suggestions of the good spirit
from those of the evil one.

"By the kinds of tongues, is signified the gift of speaking
divers languages ; which was conferred upon the apostles,
and some of the principal disciples in a more eminent
degree, to enable them to preach the Gospel, and to estab-
lish a regular ministry in different parts of the world. To
others it was given in an inferior degree, insomuch that
several of the faithful were inspired by the Holy Ghost
to utter the praises of God in a language which they

VOL. II. C

34 CHAPTER XII.

themselves did not understand, as appears from i Cor.
xiv., the intent whereof seems to have been to foreshow
that the Church of Christ should be spread through all
nations, and speak all languages. By interpretation of
speeches, is meant the gifts of interpreting what was
spoken by another in an unknown tongue."

V. Now, two things are principally to be considered
concerning these graces, i. Their extension. And, 2.
The manner and means of their transmission or com-
munication. With regard to their extension, as they
were the operations of the Holy Ghost in those in whom
He dwelt, we find that, at the beginning, those who
received that Divine Spirit by the laying on of the hands
of the apostles in the sacrament of Confirmation, re-
ceived more or less of those, graces, according as it
seemed meet to Him to bestow them. When He first
descended upon the apostles, they and all the disciples
received an ample communication of them, and spoke
in different tongues the wonderful works of God. The
Jews being amazed at so extraordinary an event, St
Peter showed them, from the testimony of the prophet
Joel, that this was nothing more than the accomplish-
ment of what God had long ago foretold by that pro-
phet; by whom He promised, that in the last days, when
the Redeemer should come, He would pour out upon
all flesh His Holy Spirit, Who would produce those ad-
mirable operations in His servants, as so many proofs,
both to them and to the whole world, of the truth of His
holy religion. The words of the prophet are these :
" And it shall come to pass in the last days, I will pour
out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see
visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. And
on my servants and on my handmaids, I will pour out

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 35

in those days of my Spirit, and they shall prophesy,"
Acts ii.

It is clear that this promise was made not to a few
individuals, but to all God's faithful servants on whom
the Holy Spirit should descend. And a little after,
St Peter assures us that it was made not to the Jews
only, but also to those of all other nations who should
be called to the faith of Christ ; " For the promise,"
says he, " is to you and to your children, and to all that
are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall
call," verse 39. And, in fact, we find that this promise
was generally fulfilled in all the faithful, Gentiles as well
as Jews. Thus, when St Peter was preaching to Cor-
nelius and his friends, the Holy Ghost came upon them,
though Gentiles, in the same visible manner that He had
descended upon the apostles, " and they all spake with
tongues," Acts x.

When St Philip had converted the Samaritans, St
Peter and St John went down from Jerusalem to con-
firm them, "and laid their hands upon them, and they
received the Holy Ghost," Acts viii., Who immediately
produced in them the usual signs of His presence. All
were sensible of it, insomuch that Simon the magician,
who wondered beholding the signs and miracles which
were done by Philip, wondered much more to see the
Holy Ghost, by whom these miracles were performed,
and along with Him the power of miracles also com-
municated to all the people by the laying on of the hands
of the apostles ; and therefore offered them money to give
to him the same power which they had, " that on whom-
soever he should lay his hands the Holy Ghost also
should come." In like manner, St Paul, finding certain
disciples at Ephesus, who had not yet received, nor in-
deed heard of, the Holy Ghost, did no sooner baptise

36 CHAPTER XII.

them, and lay his hands upon them, than the Holy
Ghost came on them, and " they spake with tongues and
prophesied," Acts xix. 6.

The above citation from i Cor. xii. shows that these
graces were common among them ; and they are also
noticed in the first Epistle to the Thessalonians, and
in that to the Galatians. From this it appears, first,
that the extension of these graces at the beginning
of Christianity was very great ; and that they were
generally bestowed upon all Christians, but in such order
and degree as the Holy Ghost judged proper. Secondly,
That this was done chiefly by means of the sacrament
of Confirmation, or the imposition of the hands of the
chief pastors of the Church after baptism : so that the
apostles not only communicated these graces themselves
to their converts together with the Holy Ghost, the
Author of them, but also transmitted to their successors
in office the power of communicating them to others
successively, till the work of God should be accom-
plished.

From the repeated testimony of Christian writers
during the first three ages of the Church, it is clear
that these supernatural graces and miraculous powers
continued to be bestowed on great numbers during
all that period ; and we find two reasons why they
should have been so. First, Because the necessities of
the Christian religion were much the same during all
that time ; for while the efforts of hell were united with
the greatest powers upon earth, animated by the most
violent passions of the human heart, to persecute, op-
press, and destroy the Christians during the first three
ages, it was necessary that Almighty God should never
cease to stretch forth His hand in their defence, and to
continue His supernatural and miraculous interposition

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 37

both for their comfort and support, and for the
confusion and conversion of their enemfes. Secondly,
Few or none embraced Christianity in those days of
persecution who did not do so from their heart ; they
had no worldly motive to induce them, no temporal
views to influence them ; the conviction of its being the
only way to save their souls was their sole motive for
embracing it. Hence they were Christians in earnest,
ready to sacrifice everything for their faith, and there-
fore well disposed for receiving the supernatural influ-
ences of the Divine Spirit.

But when the Roman emperors were converted to the
faith of Christ, when Christianity was established by law,
and it became even conducive to worldly interest to be a
Christian, the face of things was changed. Christianity
being then protected by the civil power, and every
worldly motive concurring with the solid and convinc-
ing reasons on which it was founded, Religion no longer
stood in need of the general continuation of those super-
natural marks of the divine favour which had been
necessary in the days of persecution. Besides, from the
concurrence of worldly motives, numbers embraced the
faith with views not purely spiritual, and carried a worldly
spirit and a corrupted heart even into the sanctuary
of God. Thus many became Christians who were al-
together indisposed for receiving those divine communi-
cations of the Holy Ghost which had been so liberally
bestowed upon the generality of the faithful in the three
preceding ages.

About this time, then, a cessation of miracles is ac-
knowledged to have taken place, and is attested by some
of the greatest lights of the fourth century ; but a
cessation of what kind? A cessation of the above-
named supernatural graces, both as to their extension,

38 CHAPTER XII.

and the manner of their transmission. As to extension,
they were no longer communicated as previously to the
generality of Christians. They were now bestowed only
upon the few, upon those chosen souls who, still preserv-
ing the primitive spirit of Christianity, lived in heart and
affection, and frequently in person also, detached from
the world, and who sought God in purity of spirit. " As
to the manner of transmission," because the Holy Ghost,
when communicated to souls by the imposition of hands
in the sacrament of Confirmation, did not now give those
external signs of His presence which He had done at
the beginning, by the appearance of fiery tongues, or by
bestowing the gift of languages. These were necessary
while the Church continued under the pressure of
persecution ; but that necessity was now past, and there-
fore, though the communication of the Divine Spirit,
and the confirming and strengthening those who receive
Him, will continue to the end of time to be the never-
failing effect of the sacrament of Confirmation in the
worthy receiver, yet this is now done in an invisible man-
ner, without the exterior signs which were given in the
early ages.

VI. That this is the true nature of the cessation of
miracles acknowledged by the holy fathers of the fourth
age is evident from the express declaration of St Augus-
tine. This great saint having, in different parts of his
writings, mentioned this, and being well aware what use
the enemies of the Church would make of such an ac-
knowledgment, thought it necessary, in his book of Re-
tractations, to explain his meaning more precisely, which
he does as follows : —

" What I also said, that those miracles were not
allowed to continue to our times, lest the soul should
always seek after things visible, and mankind should

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 39

wax cold by their frequency who had been inflamed by
their novelty, is certainly true. For when hands are
laid on the baptised, they do not receive the Holy Ghost
now in such a manner as to speak with the tongues of
all nations, nor are the sick now cured by the shadow of
Christ's preachers as they pass by them, and others such
as these, which it is manifest did afterwards cease :
But what I said is not so to be understood, as if no
miracles were believed to be performed now in the name
of Christ : For I myself, when I wrote that very book,
knew that a blind man had received his sight in the city
of Milan, at the bodies of the Milanese martyrs, and
several others besides ; nay, such numbers are performed
in these our days, that I neither can know them all, nor,
though I knew them, could I enumerate them : " St.
Aug. Retract., lib. i. cap. 13. § 7.

From this passage it is evident, that the fact spoken
of by the holy Fathers of the fourth century regards
only the extension and visible signs of the communica-
tion of the charismatic graces, when the Holy Ghost was
received by the imposition of hands after baptism, or
some of those more extraordinary miracles which were
performed in the days of the apostles, such as curing the
sick by their shadow, and the like. But though in
this sense they acknowledge a cessation, they no less
strenuously assert the continuation of the gift of miracles,
and its actual exercise in numberless instances in their
own days, to many of which they themselves were eye-
witnesses.

VII. Hence, then, the question concerning the con-
tinuance of miracles in the Church is only with regard
to these latter. We do not inquire whether the Holy
Ghost continues now to be communicated at Confirma-
tion, with those visible signs of His presence, the appear-

40 CHAPTER XII.

ance of fiery tongues, speaking languages, and the like,
which He displayed at the beginning ; nor whether these
and the other graces above mentioned be now indiscri-
minately bestowed on all the faithful. It is plain that
this is not the case ; and it is acknowledged by all that
a cessation of these took place before, or about the
beginning of, the fourth -century. But the question is,
Whether or not Almighty God has in every age of the
Church, down to these our days, raised up from time to
time holy persons, whom He has replenished with His
Divine Spirit, and by whom He has been pleased, on
many occasions, to perform miracles for ends of the
same nature, or similar to those, for which He performed
miracles by His holy servants, in every period of the
Jewish dispensation ?

This is the precise state of the question ; and that
Almighty God has actually done so, is what I have now
to prove. But it will throw light upon the question, and
show still further its importance, if we first take a view of
the manner in which it has been treated by Dr Middle-
ton and his Protestant antagonists, according to the dif-
ferent systems which they have advocated.

VIII. The Doctor everywhere professes the highest
veneration for the Protestant religion, and assures us,
towards the close of his introductory discourse, that his
design in his work against the continuation of miracles,
is to fix the religion of Protestants on its proper basis ;
that is, on the sacred Scriptures. For these he professes
the greatest regard, and on the credit of their testimony
firmly believes all the miracles related in them, however
great and amazing. He acknowledges, of course, that
the power of working miracles was bestowed on the
apostles, and on others during the lives of the apostles,
but insists that it ceased entirely upon their death, and

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 4!

never more appeared in the Christian world ; and the
whole tendency of his inquiry is to prove as a con-
sequence of this opinion, " that the pretended miracles of
the primitive Church were all mere fictions." Introd.
Disc., p. Ixxviii. edit. Lond. 1755.

The motives which induced the Doctor to adopt this
opinion were chiefly these : he found that many of the
doctrines and practices which Protestants condemn as cor-
ruptions of Popery, were clearly taught by the Christian
writers of the primitive ages, and he enumerates several
manifest and striking examples in different parts of his
Introductory Discourse. He saw that if true miracles
were' admitted to have been wrought in a Church which
taught and practised these things, the things themselves
could not be condemned ; and therefore he concluded
it was absolutely necessary for the support of the Pro-
testant religion that no such miracles should be admitted.
Besides, he was aware that if miracles in the first ages
were admitted upon the credit of human testimony not-
withstanding these doctrines and practices, it would be
ridiculous to deny them in after ages, if equally well
attested, merely because they were done in favour of the
same or similar doctrines. Consequently, to allow their
existence in one age of the Church upon human testi-
mony laid him under an inevitable necessity of admit-
ting them on the same ground even to the present time ;
and therefore he again concludes it to be impossible that
the Protestant religion can stand or be defended if the
existence of miracles be allowed even for one single age
after the death of the apostles. This is evident through-
out his Preface and Introductory Discourse, particularly
from the following passages.

In the Preface, page v., he says, the general approba-
tion which the Introductory Discourse met with "from

42 CHAPTER XII.

those whose authority I chiefly value, has given me the
utmost encouragement to persevere in the prosecution
of my argument, as being of the greatest importance to
the Protestant religion, and the sole expedient which can
effectually secure it from being gradually undermined
and finally subverted by the efforts of Rome. " In his
Introductory Discourse he begins by observing the ad-
vantage which the Roman Church takes of the belief of
a continuation of miracles in her communion, and states
that his system is the result of inquiry into the grounds
of this belief. " This system," says he, " by the most im-
partial judgment that I am able to form, I take not only
to be true, but useful also, and even necessary to the de-
fence of Christianity, as it is generally received, and
ought always to be defended, in Protestant Churches."

IX. A few pages after he gives an account of the
motives which induced him to undertake this work. " I
found myself particularly excited to this task by what I
had occasionally observed and heard of the late growth of
Popery in this kingdom, and the great number of Popish
books which have been printed and dispersed among us
within these few years ; in which their writers make
much use of that prejudice in favour of primitive anti-
quity, which prevails even in this Protestant country,
towards drawing weak people into their cause, and show-
ing their worship to be the best, because it is the most
conformable to that ancient pattern. But the most
powerful of all their arguments, and what gains them the
most proselytes, is, their confident attestation of miracles,
as subsisting still in their Church, and the clear succes-
sion of them, which they deduce through all history,
from the apostolic times down to our own. This their
apologists never fail to display with all the force of
their rhetoric, and with good reason ; since it is a proof,

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 43

of all others the most striking to vulgar minds, and the
most decisive indeed to all minds, as far as it is believed
to be true." Introd. p. xxxvi.

This is very plain dealing ; the continuation of miracles
in the Church is the most decisive proof of the truth of
her doctrine ; but such continuation being incompatible
with the existence of Protestantism, the only way to
secure this is to adopt the Doctor's system, and abso-
lutely to deny that any miracle ever was performed since
the times of the apostles !

X. On the connection between miracles and Popery he
observes as follows : " After the conversion of the Roman
empire to Christianity, we shall find the greatest part of
their boasted miracles to have been wrought either by
monks, or relics, or the sign of the cross, or consecrated
oil; wherefore,if we admit the miracles we must necessarily
admit the rites for the sake of which they were wrought ;
they both rest on the same bottom, and mutually estab-
lish each other. For it is a maxim which must be allowed
by all Christians, that whenever any sacred rite or
religious institution becomes the instrument of miracles,
we ought to consider that rite as confirmed by divine
approbation," Introd. p. Ivii. A little after, reflecting on
the imprudence of Dr Chapman and other Protestant
divines, who, satisfied of the authority by which the
existence of miracles is proved, have acknowledged and
defended them for several ages after the apostles, he says :
" Thus we see to what a state of things the miracles of the
fourth and fifth centuries would reduce us ; they would
call us back again to the old superstition of our ancestors,
would fill us with monks, and relics, and masses, and
all the other trinkets which the treasury of Rome can
supply : for this is the necessary effect of that zeal
which would engage us in the defence of them," p. Ixi.

44 CHAPTER XII.

XI. To show the great advantage which his system
gives for gaining the end proposed of disarming Catholics
and securing the Protestant religion, he says : "Should the
Romanists pretend to urge us with their miracles, and
to show the succession of them from the earliest ages,
we have no reason to be moved at it, but may tell them
without scruple that we admit no miracles but those of
the Scripture; and that all the rest are either justly sus-
pected or certainly forged. By putting the controversy
on this issue, we shall either disarm them at once ; or, if
they persist in the dispute, may be sure to convict them
of fraud and imposture," p. Ixxxii.

XII. So far the Doctor displays the necessity which
he saw of establishing his system, from the impossibility
of defending the Protestant religion, if any miracles are
admitted among Catholics. What follows will show the
necessity he felt of advocating his system, even from the
end of the apostolic age, on account of the invincible
force of human testimony proving the existence of mir-
acles in all succeeding ages, if admitted in any one age
after the apostles.

XIII. Speaking of the nature of the evidence by which
the precise time of the duration of miracles should be
determined, he observes, that the generality of writers
appeal to the testimony of the earliest fathers, but with-
out agreeing to what age this character of earliest fathers
comes down ; and then adds : " But to whatever age
he (the observator) may restrain it, the difficulty at last
will be, to assign a reason why we must needs stop there.
In the mean time, by his appealing thus to the earliest
fathers only, as unanimous on this article, a common
reader will be apt to infer that the later fathers are more
cold or diffident, or divided upon it ; whereas the reverse of
this is true ; and the more we descend from those earliest

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 45

fathers, the more strong and explicit we find their
successors in attesting the perpetual succession and
daily exertion of the same miraculous powers in their
several ages : So that if the cause must be determined
by the unanimous consent of fathers, we shall find
as much reason to believe those powers were con-
tinued even to the latest ages as to any other, how early
and primitive soever, after the days of the apostles,"
Pref., p. xiv.

A little after he adds : " As far as church historians
can illustrate or throw light upon anything, there is not
a single point in all history so constantly, explicitly, and
unanimously affirmed by them all, as the continual suc-
cession of those powers through all ages, from the earliest
father that first mentions them down to the time of the
Reformation : which same succession is still further de-
duced by persons of the most eminent character for
their probity, learning, and dignity in the Roman Church
to this very day. So that the only doubt that can
remain with us is, whether the church historians are to
be trusted or not ? For if any credit be due to them in
the present case, it must reach either to all or to none ;
because the reason of believing them in any one age will
be found to be of equal force in all, so far as it depends
on the characters of the persons attesting, or the nature
of the things attested," Pref, p. xvii.

XIV. This uniformity in ecclesiastical history, in at-
testing miracles in every age, is still further acknowledged
as follows : " It must be confessed that this claim of a
miraculous power, which is now peculiar to the Church
of Rome, was universally asserted and believed in all
Christian countries, and in all ages of the Church, till
the time of the Reformation. For ecclesiastical history
makes no difference between one age and another, but

46 CHAPTER XII.

carries on the succession of its miracles, as of all other
common events, through all of them indifferently, to
that memorable period," Introd. p. xxxix.

XV. After relating the sentiments of Dodwell, Whis-
ton, Waterland, and Chapman, who defend the conti-
nuation of miracles for some ages after the apostles,
according to their respective periods, and Dr Chapman
brings them even down to the end of the fifth century, he
adds : " Thus these eminent divines pursuing their
several systems, and ambitious of improving still upon
each other's discoveries, seem unwarily to have betrayed
the Protestant cause by transferring the miraculous
powers of the Church, the pretended ensigns of truth
and orthodoxy, into the hands of its enemies. For it
was in these very primitive ages, and especially in the
third, fourth, and fifth centuries, those flourishing times
of miraculous powers, as Dr Chapman calls them, in
which the chief corruptions of Popery were either actually
introduced, or the seeds of them so effectually sown,
that they could not fail of producing the fruits which we
now see. By these corruptions I mean the institution
of monkery ; the worship of relics ; invocation of
saints ; prayers for the dead ; the superstitious use of
images ; of the sacraments ; of the sign of the cross ; and
of consecrated oil ; by the efficacy of all which rites,
and as a proof of their divine origin, perpetual miracles
are affirmed to have been wrought in these every cen-
turies," Introd. p. xlv.

He then gives examples of all these in the earliest ages,
ending with a rebuke to Dr Berriman, who defends the
miracles of the sixth century, as far as St Gregory the
Great, for which the Doctor says of him, p. Ixix : " Thus
the miraculous powers of the Church are expressly avowed
by him to the end even of the sixth century, in which

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 47

Popery had gained a full establishment ; yet this Pro-
testant divine cannot conceive the least reason to dispute
the miraculousness of those facts which established it ;
nay, he defies any man to prove that miracles had yet
ceased in this Popish age. From all this he draws the
just conclusion : " Since the zeal, then, of these Protestant
guides has brought us within the very pale of the Romish
Church, I see nothing which can stop their progress from
the sixth age down to the present — for each succeeding
age will furnish miracles, and witnesses too, of as good
credit as those of the sixth," page Ixxi. And afterwards
resuming this point he declares : " That by granting them
(the Romanists) but a single age of miracles after the times
of the apostles, we shall be entangled in a series of diffi-
culties whence we can never fairly extricate ourselves
till we allow the same powers also to the present age,"
Introd., p. Ixxxii.

XVI. It was necessary to give this extract of Dr
Middleton's sentiments in his own words, because it is
in this that we discover the real origin and rise of his
extraordinary system, and the true motives which induced
him to adopt and publish it to the world. Here we see
evidently that it was not a rational and consequential
result of facts and just reasoning, but a preconceived
opinion which he was compelled to embrace from the
impossibility of otherwise defending the Protestant re-
ligion. He was sensible of the insuperable power which
the claim to miracles gives the Roman Catholics over
their Protestant adversaries. He saw the weakness of
everything that had been said against them by Protest-
ants, if miracles are allowed to have been wrought
among them. He saw, in fine, that what Protestants
call the corruptions of Popery are to be found in the
earliest ages of Christianity ; and that it would be ridicu-

48 CHAPTER XII.

lous to admit the miracles of those ages on human testi-
mony, and deny those of after-ages, though equally
attested ; and from these clear truths he concluded,
" That the only expedient which can effectually secure
the Protestant religion from being undermined and sub-
verted by the efforts of Rome, is at once to aim a bold
stroke, and absolutely to deny all miracles whatsoever
since the days of the apostles."

The resolution being once taken, which the necessities
of the Reformation forced upon him, the next thing
was to find such plausible arguments as might support
it with at least a colour of reason ; and here, indeed, it
must be owned that he has done everything in defence
of his bad cause which could possibly have been ex-
pected from a penetrating genius, extensive reading, and
determined resolution. But as preconceived opinions
are generally only flights of fancy, or the despairing neces-
sities of falsehood, the Doctor's favourite system, when
brought to the test of sound reasoning, is discovered
to be without foundation, and calculated, if adopted, to
produce results the most fatal.

This has been shown by the Doctor's learned adver-
saries of his own communion, who have fully vindicated
the characters of the holy fathers of the primitive ages
from the shocking representation which Doctor Middle-
ton gives of them ; for the Doctor grounds his whole
proof upon this that these fathers, the most vener-
able Christian writers in every age, and all Church his-
torians, are to be looked upon as " credulous and super-
stitious fools, or a set of crafty knaves, possessed by
strong prejudices, and an enthusiastic zeal for every
doctrine of the Christian religion, scrupling at no art
or means which might propagate the same ; and, in
short, were all of a character from which nothing could

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 49

be expected that was candid and impartial," Preface, p.
xxviii. In order to establish this point, which is vital
to his system, the Doctor has exerted all his ingenuity
and rhetoric, but to no purpose ; his' Protestant adver-
saries have examined him step by step, and have detected
his false reasoning and sophistry. They have proved,
beyond reply, that those venerable writers of the primi-
tive ages were men of unspotted character, undoubted
probity, unquestionable veracity, and most competent
judges of the truth of the miracles which they related,
having either themselves been eyewitnesses of them, or
having heard them from such ; or that the miracles were
public and well known to the whole people among
whom they spoke.

XVII. This alone is sufficient to destroy all that the
Doctor has built on so sandy a foundation. But his
Protestant opponents have gone further, and have shown
that the system which he proposes is fraught with the
following shocking consequences : First, that it destroys
all faith in history. He acknowledges himself, that, as
far as the church historians illustrate or throw light upon
anything, there is not a single point in history so expli-
citly and unanimously affirmed as the continual succes-
sion of miraculous powers throughout all ages. If, there-
fore, notwithstanding this concurrent attestation, we are
to look upon this succession as an absolute falsehood,
how will it be possible to credit any historian whatever,
or to believe any single fact attested by others, and
of which we have not been eyewitnesses ? Secondly,
That it opens a door to universal scepticism. This is
a natural consequence of the former. Thirdly, That it
undermines the very foundation of the Christian religion
itself. For if the immediate successors of the apostles,
who had been their disciples and instructed by them,

VOL. II. D

50 CHAPTER XII.

were knaves and impostors, as he pretends, is it not
natural to suspect (to use his own argument on a similar
occasion) that so bold a defiance of truth could not be
acquired at once ?

If this his argument be good, we must conclude that
these early impostors had learned their knavery from their
masters, and of course that the apostles themselves were
as great impostors as their disciples. Besides, according
to Protestant principles, the Bible is the sole ground of
that religion, and it is a notorious fact that we at present
have received the Bible as divinely inspired only upon
the testimony of the primitive fathers and their suc-
cessors, to our own days. If then these were all, as the
Doctor represents them, crafty knaves or silly fools, and
of such a character that nothing candid or impartial can
be expected from them ; nay, such impostors that we are
unable to depend upon their word, even when relating
facts which they declare they saw with their own eyes ;
how can we believe the Bible to be the Word of God,
which conies to us through such a channel? What
security have we that such a continued succession of
villains, who, as he assures us, would stick at no art or
means to propagate their principles, have not corrupted
the Scriptures, and imposed their own forgeries on man-
kind instead of the Word of God ? If so, there is an end
at once of the Christian religion itself, upon Protestant
principles !

XVIII. On this a Catholic must make another
obvious reflection — namely, that the Doctor's system,
with all its proofs, is founded upon the most childish
supposition, a mere begging of the question ; a sup-
position unworthy of a man of sense, much more of one
who professes to be a teacher of mankind ! He supposes
that the respect which Catholics, after the example of the

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 51

primitive ages, pay to the relics of saints, their prayers
for the dead, belief in a purgatory, invocation of the saints,
and the like, which he calls the corruptions of Popery,
are really such in themselves ; that such doctrines are
impious, blasphemous, and superstitious ; and upon this
supposition alone he condemns all the miracles related
by the fathers of the fourth age, "not only in general and
for the greatest part, but entirely and universally as the
effects of fraud and imposture," Introd., p. Ixv.

" In this age," says he, " all its most illustrious fathers,
now saints, of the Catholic Church, St Athanasius, St
Epiphamius, St Basil, St Gregory of Nyssa, St Ambrose,
St Jerom, St Austin, and St Chrysostom, have severally
recorded and solemnly attested a number of miracles,
said to be wrought in confirmation of some favourite
institutions of those days, which, in the judgment of all
the learned and candid Protestants, are manifestly
fictitious and utterly incredible," Introd. p. Ixv. Now,
who does not see that this is merely begging the question,
supposing and taking for granted what he ought to
prove ?

However incredible these institutions may seem to
the Doctor and his Protestant brethren, they are far
from appearing so to the great body of Catholics, who
are endowed with as much common sense, and sound
judgment as the Doctor and his brethren. These receive
them as divine, believe them to be truths revealed by
God, and among many other proofs to show that they
are so, they appeal to numberless miracles attested by
the most credible eyewitnesses in every age, and re-
corded in the most authentic manner as performed by
means of these very institutions, and consequently in
approbation of them. How childish is it, then, in the
Doctor, when, instead of attempting to prove that these

52 CHAPTER XII.

institutions are fictitious or incredible, he takes it for
granted that they are so, and upon this silly pretence
alone would have the world adopt a system injurious in
the highest degree to the characters of the most vener-
able personages that ever have appeared in the Christian
world, and involving all the monstrous consequences,
which, as his Protestant brethren have demonstrated,
necessarily flow from it !

How glorious a triumph must it be to every think-
ing Catholic, to see one of the most learned and
determined adversaries of his holy religion reduced to
such despicable expedients in attacking it ! Yet it is
upon the above pitiful supposition that the Doctor's
whole fabric is built ; for assuming that the miracles
related by the holy fathers of the fourth age are mere
fiction and imposture, he takes up his position, and by
a pretence of argument as weak as its foundation, he
includes all the miracles, related by those of preceding
and subsequent ages, in the same condemnation.

XIX. To show this line of conduct in its proper light,
let us apply it to a similar case. It is certain that the
mysteries of the Trinity, incarnation, original sin, and
the other fundamental articles of Christianity, appear
as incredible to deists and atheists as those which the
Doctor calls the corruptions of Popery can possibly
appear to him, or to any other learned and candid
Protestant ; put, then, his argument into the mouth of a
deist against these great Christian truths ; hear him
haranguing against the books of the Gospel, against
Christ and His apostles, and rejecting with disdain all
the miracles recorded of them, because they were said to
have been wrought in confirmation of some favourite
opinions of theirs, the Trinity, the incarnation, and

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 53

other such, which, in the judgment of all the learned and
candid deists, are manifestly and utterly incredible.

What answer could the Doctor make to this argument ?
It is, .in fact, the very one used by deists against the
miracles of Christ and his apostles ; and it is evidently
the same as that which the Doctor uses against the
miracles of their successors, and has exactly the same
weight in the one case as in the other. If, then, he
allows this argument, he must renounce his Christianity.
If he condemns it, by the same breath he condemns
his own system, and all the arguments on which he
pretends to build it. What a comfort must not this
be to every reflecting Catholic, to see that even a
Doctor Middleton cannot attack his holy religion but
by such means as would at the same time sap the very
foundations of Christianity itself, so that Popery and
Christianity must stand or fall together !

XX. I cannot leave this subject without further
observing that the Doctor himself seems to have been
aware of all the consequences which his opponents
deduce from his system ; for he calls it in his Preface,
page i., "an experiment big with consequences ;" but
whatever these be, they give him no concern : " To
speak my mind freely," says he, " on the subject of con-
sequences : I am not so scrupulous, perhaps, in my regard
to them as many of my profession are apt to be," Pref.,
p. viii. And when answering the objection made against
his system, as rendering the Bible itself precarious and
uncertain, he answers with the greatest coolness : "Though
we allow the objection to be true, it cannot hurt my
argument; for if it be natural and necessary that the
craft and credulity of witnesses should always detract
from the credit of their testimony, who can help it ? Or,
on what is the consequence to be charged but on the

54 CHAPTER XII.

nature and constitution of the things from which it flows ?
Or, if the authority of any books be really weakened by
the character I have given of the fathers, will it follow
from thence that the character must necessarily be false,
or that the fathers were neither crafty nor credulous ?
That surely can never be pretended."

This is plain speaking indeed, but strange language
from one who calls himself a Christian. But what
can he do ? There is no other possible expedient
for effectually securing the Protestant religion against
the efforts of the Church of Rome : and therefore, right
or wrong, be the consequences what they may, this plan
must be pursued, and this system upheld.

XXI. Upon the whole, then, we may observe of the
Doctor, i. That in the outset he proceeds upon a mere
" begging of the question," assuming the chief thing which
he ought to prove. 2. That his system is founded upon
a most unjust and uncharitable defamation, not of one
or two particular persons, but of all the greatest lights of
the Christian world ; men revered in their day for their
eminent sanctity and learning, and whose memories have
been held in veneration in all succeeding ages; and
these he defames not in one century or two, but in every
age, from the days of the apostles to the present time.
3. That the arguments which he uses in support of his
system are just the same that a deist or atheist employs
against the miracles of Christ and His apostles, or that
a heathen would have used against those of Moses and
the prophets ; and their strength is exactly the same in
either case. 4. That the necessary consequences of his
system manifestly tend to destroy the credit of all his-
tory, and to undermine the authority of the Bible itself.
All this has been proved beyond reply even by the
Doctor's Protestant antagonists.

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 55

Having thus examined Dr Middleton's system, and his
manner of conducting his case, from which we have
obtained important light, I now proceed to consider his
Protestant antagonists, and see what discoveries can be
made from them.

XXII. Those learned gentlemen of the Protestant
religion who have appeared in the field against Doctor
Middleton in this discussion, were all under the same
necessity of proving these two points : " That the power
of working miracles continued in the Church for a
certain time after the apostolic age ; and that this power
was entirely withdrawn after that period."

As Christians, they were obliged to defend the first
proposition ; and, as Protestants, they were under the
necessity of supporting the second. They saw the
deadly blow which the Doctor's system aims at the
Christian revelation, with the shocking consequences
that follow from it, and therefore they deemed it
incumbent on them, in defence of revelation, to prove
that miracles did most certainly continue in the Church
for sometime after the apostles. But, at the same time,
they saw that if this power be admitted to have con-
tinued in the Church without limitation to the present
day, it would afford an unanswerable argument in favour
of Popery, to the utter condemnation of the Eeformation.
They were under the necessity, therefore, of stopping
in their career, and of confining the continuation of
this power within such .bounds as they thought most
proper and convenient. In these two points these writers
all agree, notwithstanding their great difference of
opinion as to the duration of the power of working
miracles. In this, indeed, they differ exceedingly ; some,
as we have seen above, assigning the end of the third
century as the period of the cessation of miracles, some

56 CHAPTER XII.

carrying them down to the end of the fourth, others
admitting those of the fifth age, and others allowing
many true and real miracles to be incontestably proved,
even to the end of the sixth century.

From this dissension among themselves upon one of
the two great points in debate, we must naturally infer
that the arguments for the cessation of miracles at these
respective periods cannot be conclusive ; for, were the
reasons at any one of these periods stronger than at
another, there could be no dissension ; but all would
agree on that period which was proved by the most
conclusive arguments. Seeing, therefore, that they do
not agree, but that each one thinks his own arguments
the best, this is an undeniable proof that they are all
equally worthless and inconclusive.

But, however these writers differ in their conclusions,
we find that they all proceed upon the same principle,
their aversion to Popery, and only differ in their ideas of
Popish doctrines, and about the date when those doc-
trines began. " No true miracles must be allowed after
the corruptions of Popery were introduced into the
Church ! " This is the grand principle on which they
all agree among themselves, and even with Doctor
Middleton ! But what are the corruptions of Popery ?
and when did they begin ? In this they differ widely.
To Dr Middleton nothing is more plain than that
" the sign of the cross ; praying for the dead ; mixing
the cup with water; sending the consecrated elements
to the absent ; keeping the consecrated bread at home
in private houses and for private use ; looking upon
it as a defence against devils ; styling the Eucharist
the sacrifice of the body of Christ; offering it up in
memory of the martyrs ; calling it most tremendous
mystery, dreadful solemnity, and the like." To the

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 5/

Doctor nothing is more plain than that all this is rank
Popery : " What is all this (says he) but a description of
that sacrifice of the Mass which the Romanists offer at
this day both for the living and the dead?" Introd.,
p. liii.

But the Doctor found these things manifestly taught
and practised by the fathers and Christians of the second
and third ages, by Justin Martyr, by Cyprian, by Tertul-
lian, whose plain testimonies he cites for that purpose.
Consequently, according to his idea of Popish corrup-
tions, and in conformity with the above principle, which
he lays down in common with his adversaries, he is
forced to reject all miracles even in those early ages, and
to maintain that the cessation took place just after the
days of the apostles.

Others do not look upon the above articles as Popish
corruptions, but think that " the sign of the cross,"
which the Church of England uses in baptism, may be
practised without idolatry, and that mixing water in the
cup, and even offering up the elements as an oblation or
sacrifice, are consonant to primitive purity. They even
believe that praying for the dead may be lawfully used,
and with those Protestant bishops whom the Duchess
of York, King James II. of England's first wife, con-
sulted upon that head, they wish that this and some
other points had not been done away by their reforming
ancestors.

Persons of this turn of mind have generally an esteem
for antiquity, and wish it to be thought that their religious
principles were authorised and followed by the Christian
world in the most primitive ages. They contend, that as
Popery (that is, what they consider Popery) did not com-
mence for some ages after the apostles, there is no
reason for denying the existence and continuation of

58 CHAPTER XII.

miracles during those pure ages ; and therefore they
uphold them against Dr Middleton, by the force of
human testimony, by the authority of the Christian
writers, of the holy fathers and church historians, who
flourished during the period which they assign for their
continuation.

Of these gentlemen it may be remarked that, although
they have no other way of proving this continuation down
to their respective assigned periods than this testimony,
and declare it to be, in their opinion, a full and satisfac-
tory proof, yet, the moment after these their respective
eras, they deny it all weight, and treat it as utterly incap-
able of proving the existence of one single miracle. Why
so? In the judgment even of their Protestant brethren
the testimony is the same afterwards as before, nor can
any rational cause be assigned why it should not be of
equal value in both cases. But if it were allowed to
proceed, it would favour Popery, and therefore, be the
consequences what they may, it must be rejected. Is it
not evident that this is mere trifling, and that all that
they advance upon this subject is nothing but opinion
and prejudice in favour of a preconceived hypothesis,
which each one assumes as best suits his own fancy ?

XXIII. It appears, then, that Dr Middleton and his
Protestant opponents are in reality in the same predica-
ment, all building upon the same foundation, "a
mere begging of the question," and assuming as truth
what they can never prove ; nay, what is not only called
in question, but absolutely denied, and looked upon as
impiety and heresy by the great majority of Christendom.
Whatever weight, therefore, this may have against Dr
Middleton's system in the mouth of his opponents, it
must militate with equal force against themselves. He
and they must stand or fall together.

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 59

XXIV. This, however, will be more evident when we
take a more minute view of their way of managing their
cause. Between them and the Doctor there is the most
perfect conformity. The same arguments by which they
show the falsehood of the Doctor's system, and prove
that the power of miracles continued in the Church after
the apostolic age, show equally the falsehood of their
own various systems, and prove that these powers most
certainly continued in the Church after the different
periods which they respectively assign. And the reasons
by which they as Christians pretend to show that the
miracles said to have been wrought after their supposed
periods of cessation are falsehood and forgery, have the
self-same force in the mouths of heathens and deists to
prove that the miracles which they admit, and even the
Scripture miracles themselves, are exactly of the same
kind.

XXV. As it would be tedious, and indeed an end-
less repetition, to examine each of their systems apart,
I shall confine myself to the one most commonly received
by Protestants : That the power of miracles continued
in the Church till about the end of the third, or the
beginning of the fourth century, and was then totally
withdrawn. This opinion is adopted, and strenuously
defended by Mr Brook, in his " Examination of the
Free Inquiry;" a work in which he has displayed, in
a masterly manner, all that can be said in defence of
this system, or indeed of any of the others ; for in all
the arguments are the same, and only arbitrarily applied
to the different periods, without any reason for appro-
priating them to one more than to another. In ex-
amining, therefore, what Mr Brook advances upon this
system, we, in fact, examine all the others at the same
time.

60 CHAPTER XII.

XXVI. I have stated that Protestants who write
against the Doctor's system have chiefly two points in
view, and that their whole aim is to establish them :
" That the power of working miracles continued in the
Christian Church for some ages after the apostles ; and
that it was totally withdrawn from her at those particular
periods which they respectively assign." The first of
these propositions they maintain against Dr Middleton,
the other against the Catholic Church. For the sake of
perspicuity we shall treat them separately.

XXVII. In proving that miracles continued in the
Church for some time after the apostles, two kinds of
arguments are used ; the first is drawn from presumptive
evidence, the second from positive testimony. The first
shows that it was reasonable to expect miracles after the
apostolic age, removes such prejudices as might arise
against them, and, of course, prepares the mind to believe
them. The other shows that they actually were per-
formed; and the two produce complete conviction. "The
miracles of the earlier ages of the Christian Church
(says Mr Brook) are probable in themselves ; there is a
strong presumptive evidence of their truth and reality.
There is no sufficient reason to suspect that evidence ;
of consequence, when well attested, they are equally to
be believed with any other common historical facts.
They are not therefore to be set aside, where there is the
unanimous testimony of credible witnesses, without
destroying the faith of all history, without introducing an
universal scepticism." Brook's Examin., p. 51.

A little after he adds : " If facts probable in themselves,
the truth of which we have no reason to suspect from the
nature of the thing, but, on the contrary, there appear
manifest reasons why we should believe them, are never-
theless to be set aside as doubtful and incredible, though

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 6 1

supported by the unanimous testimony of such persons
who lived in those very times, and were eyewitnesses of
them, all historic evidence must rest on so sandy a
foundation as to be utterly insupportable by human tes-
timony. There can remain no one rational and steady
principle to direct us in judging of any past events repre-
sented to us in writing," p. 55. This, then, is the sum of
the proof used by these writers for the continuation of
miracles in the Church after the days of the apostles, —
" presumptive evidence," which makes it reasonable to
expect them in those times ; and " positive testimony,"
which expressly asserts them.

XXVIII. This presumptive evidence, as displayed by
Mr Brook, for the three first ages, consists of the follow-
ing arguments : i. " If the hand of God did continue to
co-operate visibly with the saints of the apostolic age,
throughout the whole ministry of all the apostles, it is not
likely that this extraordinary providence should vanish
instantaneously, and leave the Gospel to make the rest
of its way by its own genuine strength. Such a supposi-
tion is utterly inconsistent with the natural notions we
have of God's proceedings, as well as with what is
revealed about them. Whenever the Supreme Being
works any changes in nature, those changes are always
made, not on a sudden, but in time, and by slow degrees ;
and in all the dispensations of His providence to the sons
of men, as far as we know from reason only, the method
of His proceedings is not hasty and violent, but ever
gentle and gradual."

" The Jewish religion was established by an extraor-
dinary providence. The divine interpositions in favour
of that people were very frequent and notorious, till they
had got quiet possession of the promised land, and till
their whole polity, civil as well as religious, was effec-

62 CHAPTER XII.

tually established ; but even, though such extraordinary
interpositions became less frequent, they were not totally
withdrawn ; God still continued to show among Hi^
peculiar people, at certain times, visible and supernatural
tokens of His almighty power and overruling providence.
And afterwards, in the days of Elijah and Elisha, when
the frequency of these divine interpositions was renewed,
it did not vanish instantaneously at the death of these
two prophets ; it was gradually withdrawn. Why, then,
should it be thought an improbable thing that God
should act in the same manner in defence and support of
the Christian religion ? What reason is there to suppose
that He should be more favourable to the religious dis-
pensation of Moses than to that of His own Son?"

2. " Had the miraculous powers been immediately
withdrawn upon the death of "the apostles, this must
have been of the greatest prejudice to religion ; for, by
this means, the Gospel must have been left in a naked
and defenceless state, to become a prey to the prejudices,
to the malice, and to the outrage of men. The immedi-
ate successors of the apostles must have fallen into the
utmost discouragement, discontent, and despondency of
mind, seeing they had the same difficulties to struggle
with as those before them, from a malicious and perverse
world ; and yet perceiving they had none of those
powers and assistances to relieve and support them,
which had been of late so liberally bestowed upon the
disciples of Jesus in the preceding age. What an ob-
struction must this experience have occasioned to the
furtherance of the Gospel? What an aversion to it
must it have caused in some ? What apostasy in others ?
What dejection, what murmuring, what despair in all?"

" Let a man seriously and impartially reflect on these
things, and then judge whether it be not probable, that

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 63

the same extraordinary providence which accompanied
the apostles and other Christians upon the first preach-
ing of the gospel, continued to exert itself in their favour
during the whole ministry of the apostles ; and whether,
upon the death of them, it is likely that it should cease
at once, and not rather that it visibly resided in the
Christian Church some time afterwards, and was at last
gradually withdrawn, as the real exigencies of the Church
were constantly and by degrees lessening, and the con-
tinuance of it made by that means less and less neces-
sary."

3. " The necessity of divine interpositions in the
administration of ecclesiastical affairs in those earlier
ages of the Church, make it reasonable to believe that
the same extraordinary providence by which these things
were regulated during the lives of the apostles, did
continue to direct and encourage the Christians some
time afterwards. It was a thing of the greatest con-
sequence in the infancy of the Gospel, that no person
should be admitted to any high office in the Church but
such only as were properly qualified. Nothing could
have given greater offence to the Christian converts ;
nothing could have brought a more just imputation
upon the apostles themselves, or have been a more
reasonable obstruction to the success of their labours,
both among Jews and Gentiles, than to have observed
such persons dignified with the most eminent parts of
the ministry, who were either of bad principles or ex-
ceptionable conduct."

Now this could never have been avoided, except
either " the apostles had been endowed with some ex-
traordinary powers in making choice of pastors to
succeed them, or some visible manifestations of the
Spirit of God had appeared at their appointment ; " as

64 CHAPTER XII.

was the case when Saul and Barnabas were separated by
the Holy Ghost for the work to which He called them,
or that the persons chosen had been eminent for their
extraordinary graces, and endowed with power from
above, as were Stephen and Philip, the deacons. As,
therefore, the same necessity of holy pastors continued
for the ages after the apostles which had been in their
days, " May we not fairly conclude, from the great
expediency and necessity of the thing, that the immediate
successors of the apostles were assisted by the same ex-
traordinary means, and possessed of the same extraor-
dinary powers? Is it to be imagined that the provi-
dence of God, which was so profuse of its extraordinary
gifts and miraculous powers during the lives of the
apostles, as even to impart them to numbers of the laity
and the lowest of the people, should immediately, after
their deaths, become so sparing of them, as to refuse
them even to the most eminently distinguished among
the Christians for their superior piety and virtue, and to
whom the whole management of the church discipline,
and the defence and support of the Christian cause,
were entirely committed ? "

4. The circumstances of those times confirm all the
above : " The Christians were surrounded on all sides
with the most inveterate enemies, and situated in the
midst of a people wholly devoted to the grossest and
most determined bigotry and superstition, and totally
abandoned to the greatest profligacy of manners. The
doctrines of the Christians, which have so great a con-
trariety to the passions and prejudices of men, exposed
them everywhere to the greatest ignominy and con-
tempt, and brought on them a train of the severest
calamities which the most virulent malice, inflamed and
exasperated with the most outrageous zeal, as well civil

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 65

as religious, could contrive. Now, if ever God has
visibly interposed in the affairs of men, is it to be sup-
posed that, in such circumstances, this same almighty
Being would suffer His most faithful servants to be ex-
posed to such cruelty, merely on account of their fidelity
to Him, without giving them any manifestations of His
power and presence for their comfort and support?"
Or how is it possible that His religion should have sub-
sisted without them ?

How much less possible that it should, in these cir-
cumstances, have made proselytes of its very enemies,
and triumphed at last over all its adversaries, if it
had not been supported by visible interpositions of
the divine approbation? Human nature, left to it-
self, must have sunk under the pressure of such a com-
plication of misery, and been at last absolutely over-
powered by such heavy and weighty calamities. Under
these circumstances, therefore, nothing appears sufficient
to account for the uncommon progress of the Christian
religion, but frequent and visible interpositions of the
Deity. Doctor Middleton allows, in his preface, that,
" in the first planting of the gospel, miraculous powers
were wanted to enable the apostles the more easily to
overrule the inveterate prejudices, both of Jews and
Gentiles, and to bear up against the discouraging shocks
of popular rage and persecution." May it not then
reasonably be presumed that the same extraordinary
powers were continued after the days of the apostles,
while the same, and even greater prejudices existed,
and while the popular rage and persecutions were even
more violent?

5. The conduct of the primitive martyrs is another
striking proof; their courage, constancy, and patience,
accompanied with that astonishing spirit of meekness,

VOL. II. E

66 CHAPTER XII.

humility, charity, and joy in the midst of extreme
sufferings, and the most exquisite torments, clearly
show that there must have been a divine and super-
natural power bestowed to support them in circum-
stances so trying, and to raise up human weakness to
such amazing and heroic fortitude. Mr Brook dwells
long upon this argument taken from the martyrs; but
what is here quoted I consider to be the strength of
what he says.

XXIX. After displaying these presumptive arguments,
he concludes thus : " Dr Middleton, and every other man
who professes himself a Christian, must allow that
miracles were wrought in great abundance during the
lives of the apostles ; and that the Christian religion was
at first published and propagated by an extraordinary
providence. The question then will be, whether we
have any probability of reason to conclude that the
same extraordinary providence did continue after their
decease ? If the probability of an event is to be deter-
mined by the likelihood of its happening, and if that
thing is allowed to be likely to happen which has fre-
quently, and in a variety of instances, already come to
pass : then it may reasonably be presumed that, if there
were frequent interpositions of the Deity in the times of
the apostles for manifest and important reasons, it is
likely that, in the ages immediately succeeding to the
apostolic, the same extraordinary interpositions should be
continued, in similar cases, and where the same mani-
fest and important reasons present themselves.

Probability, according to Mr Hume in his essay on
miracles, " rises from a superiority of chances on any
side ; and according as this superiority increases and
surpasses the opposite chances, the probability receiveth
a proportionable increase, and begets a higher degree of

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 6/

belief or assent on that side in which we discover the
superiority. Therefore, where an event has been fre-
quently brought about, in particular circumstances, there
is a probability of the same event being brought about
again, in similar circumstances." In this manner Mr
Brook displays the presumptive evidence for the con-
tinuation of miracles in the Church during the first
three ages, the period which he assigns for their exist-
ence.

XXX. On examining these reasons, it appears that
they may all be reduced to one ; the exigencies of
the Christian Church, in the particular circumstances of
those primitive ages, made it congruous that God should
assist and protect her by supernatural and miraculous
interpositions ; therefore it is reasonable to belive that
He did so, especially as this is acknowledged to have
been the case in the apostolic age, .when the circumstances
were similar.

XXXI. The same presumptive arguments are made use
of by the other writers on this subject, only each one
extends his energy to the particular period which he
thinks fit to assign for the continuation of miracles, as
Mr Brook here does to the first three ages. " It will be
observed," says the Observator on the introductory dis-
course, page 25, "that this promise (viz., of working
miracles) was not made to the apostles personally, but
to them that should believe through their preaching,
without any limitation of time for the continuance of
these powers to their days. And when it is considered
how great a part of the heathen world remained uncon-
verted after their days, it is no unreasonable supposition
that these powers did not expire with the apostles, but
were continued to their successors in the work of propa-
gating the Gospel."

68 CHAPTER XII.

To the same purpose, Le Moine, in the postscript to
his work on miracles, says : " Our Saviour, before He
left the world, promises these powers, not only to the
apostles, but to private Christians. And as Christ's pro-
mise is without any limitation of time, we may reasonably
suppose that they lasted as long as the Church had an im-
mediate occasion for them, such as the farther conversion
of the world. It is therefore highly probable, if not abso-
lutely certain, that they did actually subsist in the Church
for some considerable time after the days of the apostles."
Thus these Protestant adversaries of Dr Middleton's
system all agree in this principle, that the presumptive
evidence for the continuation of miracles, drawn from
the exigencies and necessities of the Church during the
different periods they assign, is just and reasonable, and
affords a very high probability that they actually did
exist during these ages.

XXXII. But what is most surprising, even Dr Middle-
ton himself agrees with them in this principle, and readily
admits the force of this presumptive evidence for proof
of the existence of miracles ; only he craves the same
liberty which they take of admitting its force during such
a period of time as he thinks proper, and no farther ;
that is, he confines it to the apostolic age alone, instead
of extending it to any succeeding period, as they do.
Let us hear his own words : " My opinion," says he, " in
short is this, that in those first efforts of planting the
Gospel, after our Lord's ascension, the extraordinary
gifts which He had promised were poured out in the full-
est measure on the apostles, and those other disciples
whom He had ordained to be the primary instruments
of that great work, in order to enable them more easily
to overrule the inveterate prejudices both of the Jews
and Gentiles, and to bear up against the discouraging

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 69

shocks of popular rage and persecution, which they were
taught to expect in the novitiate of their ministry. .

" But in process of time, when they had laid a founda-
tion sufficient to sustain the great fabric designed to be
erected upon it, and by an invincible courage had con-
quered the first and principal difficulties, and planted
churches in all the chief cities of the Roman empire,
and settled a regular ministry to succeed them in the go-
vernment of the same; it may reasonably be presumed
that, as the benefit of miraculous powers began to be less
and less wanted, in proportion to the increase of those
churches, so the use and exercise of them began gradually
to decline ; and as soon as Christianity had gained an
establishment in every quarter of the known world, that
they were finally withdrawn, and the Gospel left to make
the rest of its way by its own genuine strength, and the
natural force of those divine graces with which it was so
richly stored, Faith, Hope, and Charity."

" All this, as far as I am able to judge from the nature
of the gifts themselves, and from the instances or effects
of them which I have any way observed, may probably
be thought to have happened while some of the apostles
were still living, who, even in the times of the Gospel,
appear, on several occasions, to have been destitute of
any extraordinary gifts ; and of whose miracles, when we
go beyond the limits of the Gospel, we meet with nothing
in the later histories on which we can depend, or nothing
rather but what is apparently fabulous." Pref. to the
Inq., p. 26.

XXXIII. In these words the Doctor fairly acknow-
leges the three principal presumptive arguments used by
Mr Brook. He grants that a sudden change from the
plenitude of miracles, wrought at first by the apostles, to
a total cessation of them, is not to be supposed ; and

70 CHAPTER XII.

therefore asserts that these powers were withdrawn gra-
dually. He confesses that the necessities of the Gospel,
at its first appearance, give a just presumption to believe
that these powers continued till it was sufficiently estab-
lished, and he allows that the circumstance of the times,
at the first publication of the Gospel, made miracles ne-
cessary to overrule the prejudices and difficulties it had
to encounter. The only difference is, that he confines
these necessities of the Church within the narrow bounds
of the apostolic age ; whereas Mr Brook extends them to
the first three centuries, as others do to the end of the
fourth, fifth, or sixth. To act consistently, then, the Doctor
must give some reasons why these presumptive arguments
which he allows to have had so much weight in the first
age, should have none at all after that period. He states
his reasons, which we shall now examine, and see the
replies made to them by his adversaries.

XXXIV. His first reason is against the argument
drawn from the necessities of the Gospel, and consists in
raillery, which is occasionally of very great service, es-
pecially in a bad cause : " They," says he, speaking of
those who extend the promises of Christ of working
miracles beyond the period he assigns, — " they appeal
indeed to the text — where, though there is not the least
hint of any particular time for which they (miracles) were
to last, yet this they supply from their own imagination,
and by the help of a postulatum, which all people will
grant, that they continued as long as they were neces-
sary to to the Church, they presently extend that necessity
to what length they please, or as far as they find it
agreeable to the several systems which they had previously
entertained about them." — Pref. to Inq., p. n and 12.

To this ironical objection I find no direct reply made
so far as I have seen by any of the Doctor's adver-

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. /I

saries. I remark, however, that he here fairly grants
that they are all guilty of what I have laid to their
charge above, that is, of first adopting their particular
systems, and then seeking reasons to support them.
We have seen that this is the Doctor's own case,
and that therefore he and they must stand or fall to-
gether. Hence we find that the very arguments which
they use against one another are with equal force retorted
against themselves.

In the promises which our Saviour made of miraculous
powers to His disciples, as there is not the least hint as to
the particular time of their extension, so neither is there
of their limitation ; it may therefore be justly retorted on
the Doctor in his own words as follows : " This limita-
tion he supplies from his own imagination, and by the
help of a postulatum, which all people will grant, that
miracles continued as long as they were necessary to the
Church, and no longer, he presently limits that necessity
to the apostolic age, as he found that most agreeable to
the system he had previously entertained about them."
And from this it is plain that the pretended necessity
to which they all appeal is an argument turned to any
side as these gentlemen please.

XXXV. His next argument is against the proof drawn
from the heroic conduct of the martyrs, which he thinks
may be easily accounted for from* motives of enthusiasm,
a passion for glory and reputation ; from the veneration
paid to the sufferers if they survived the trial, the exalted
happiness that awaited for them in heaven if they died
under it, and the like. The improbability that such
motives could produce the conduct which we see in the
martyrs, is fully displayed by the writers against the
Doctor ; but the great argument against this objection
* Inquiry, 332 et seq.

72 CHAPTER XII.

is, that in the mouth of a heathen or of a deist, it has
equal force against the argument drawn from the suffer-
ings of Christ Himself, and the martyrdom of His apostles
and others in the apostolic age, in proof of a super-
natural dispensation manifested in them. " These con-
siderations/' says Mr Brook, "cannot be supposed to
have had any more effect upon them (the martyrs after
the apostles) than they had upon St Peter and St Paul,
and some of the rest of the apostles, who met with the
same affectionate treatment from their disciples."

A little after he adds, " It is no more an argument
that no extraordinary assistances were granted to the
primitive martyrs, because they had an assurance, not
only of an immortality of glory, but of extraordinary
and distinguished rewards, and of a degree of happiness
proportionate to the degree of their suffering, than it is
an argument that the Spirit of God did not rest upon
Jesus, and in Him dwell the fulness of the Godhead
bodily, because He endured the Cross, despising the
shame for the glory that was set before Him : Or that
no particular communications of God's Holy Spirit were
vouchsafed to St Stephen, or no uncommon portions of
divine grace were bestowed upon St Paul and the rest
of the apostles, because in all their tribulations they had
respect unto the recompense of reward, and esteemed
those light afflictions, which were but for a moment, not
worthy to be compared with the glory that was to be
revealed," Brook's Exam., p. 42-44. Consequently, as
the Doctor's objection proves too much against himself,
and against the Christian religion, which he professes, it
is justly rejected as proving nothing.

XXXVI. A third argument used by the Doctor is
taken from the natural incredibility of miraculous facts,
which in answering the objection against his system, as

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 73

destructive to the credit of all history, he proposes as
follows : " The history of miracles is of a kind totally
different from that of common events ; the one to be
suspected always of course, without the strongest
evidence to confirm it ; the other to be admitted of
course, without as strong reason to suspect it. Ordinary
facts, related by a credible person, furnish no cause of
doubting from the nature of the thing ; but if they be
strange and extraordinary, doubts naturally arise ; and in
proportion as they approach towards the marvellous,
those doubts still increase and grow stronger ; for mere
honesty will not warrant them : we require other quali-
ties in the historian," &c. — Free Inquiry, p. 350.

In answer to this argument, Mr Brook writes thus :
" If the Free Inquiry had been the production of an
infidel writer, it would be nothing strange to find frequent
declarations in it that all miracles are to be suspected
of course : that in all such extraordinary events doubts
naturally arise, and in proportion as they approach to-
wards the marvellous, those doubts still increase and
grow stronger ; the consequence of which declarations
plainly appears to be, that an higher degree of evidence
is required in such cases than any human testimony is
able to afford. But in a writer of Dr Middleton's
character, who must be supposed to believe all the
miracles of the Gospel, and the wonderful propagation
of the Christian religion, it is doubtless matter of great
surprise to perceive that there have any expressions
dropped from his pen which have the least 'tendency to
such an opinion, or that can bear any such construction,
or that may give any umbrage to a sincere believer :
such a reflection upon the history and evidence of
miracles will undermine the foundation of the Gospel
history." — Examin., p. 52.

74 CHAPTER XII.

The force of this answer consists in this, that the
miracles related in the ages immediately after the
apostles are in themselves neither more extraordinary,
nor more incredible, than those related in the Gospel.
The presumptive evidence for them is as strong in the
one case as in the other. If therefore those of the two
succeeding ages are to be rejected on account of their
supposed incredibility, those of the apostolic age must
for a like reason share the same fate ; for though the
Doctor, as a Christian, may pretend to believe these last
upon divine authority, yet a heathen or a deist will tell
him that the divinity of the revelation depends upon the
reality of the miracles, which are the chief proofs of
that revelation, and therefore to be believed prior to the
revelation ; and that consequently the Doctor's argu-
ment against the miracles of these after-ages, from their
natural incredibility when used by a heathen or a deist,
has precisely the same force against those of the
Gospel.

XXXVII. From all that we have said on the use
made of the presumptive evidence for the continuation
of miracles, I remark, i. That as the Doctor and his
adversaries all agree in allowing a just weight to this
presumptive evidence during the periods in which they
use it, if an equal, or far superior and better founded
presumptive evidence, can be shown for the continuation
of miracles after all their pretended periods, even down
to the present times, or rather as long as the world shall
endure, they cannot in reason reject it

2. The Doctor's adversaries justly reject his reasons
against their presumptive evidence for the continuation
of miracles after the apostles, because they can be
equally retorted against himself, and are plainly subver-
sive of the very foundation of Christianity. But the

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 75

reasons which these gentlemen themselves bring against
the continuation of miracles after the respective periods
assigned by them, are either the very same, or of a simi-
lar nature to those brought by the Doctor ; they can
equally be retorted against themselves, and are equally
subversive of Christianity. It follows, therefore, that all
such reasoning can have no weight against the continua-
tion of miracles beyond the periods assigned by them,
and that notwithstanding all they have said, true miracles
may have continued long enough after those assumed
periods. This we shall afterwards clearly show ; and in
the mean time we proceed to consider what the Doctor
and his opponents have said upon the positive testimony
for the continuation of miracles.

XXXVIII. With regard to the Doctor, it is not easy
to know what his opinion is concerning the nature of
the testimony necessary to prove the existence of a
miracle. He tells us, as we have just now seen, that
the history of miracles is of a kind totally different
from that of common events — that mere honesty in those
who attest them will not warrant them ; we require other
qualities in the historian ; a degree of knowledge,
experience, and discernment sufficient to judge of the
whole nature and circumstances of the case ; and if any
of these be wanting, we necessarily suspend our belief.
— Inq., p. 351.

From this one might naturally imagine, that where all
these qualities were found, there, at least, we should
have a just and convincing attestation of the existence
of a miracle. But by what follows he concludes that it is
impossible we should rationally give credit to miracles,
even where all these qualities appear in the one who
attests them ; for eitherthis person who possesses these
qualities, and attests the miracles, is a weak man, or a

76 CHAPTER XII.

man of known abilities. "A weak man, indeed," says
the Doctor, " if honest, may attest common events as
credibly as the wisest ; yet can hardly make any report
that is credible of such as are miraculous ; because a sus-
picion will always occur that his weakness and imperfect
knowledge of the extent of human art had been imposed
upon by the craft of cunning jugglers. On the other
hand, should a man of known abilities and judgment
relate to us things miraculous, or undertake to perform
them himself, the very notion of his skill, without an
assurance also of his integrity, would excite only the
greater suspicion of him, especially if he had any interest
to promote, or any favourite opinion to recommend by
the authority of such works ; because a pretension to
miracles has, in all ages and nations, been found the
most effectual instrument of impostors towards de-
luding the multitude and gaining their ends upon them."
— Free Inq., ibid. From this whole passage it is evident
that, in the Doctor's opinion, it is impossible that any
human testimony should exist sufficient to convince us
of the existence of miracles.

The folly of this opinion we have seen above ; and, in-
deed, as Mr Brook justly observes, if the Doctor's reason-
ing in the above passage were true, it would " undermine
the foundation of the Gospel history," because it would
have the same strength in the mouth of a deist or a
heathen against all the miracles related in the Scripture,
as it has against miracles in general as used by the
Doctor ; for the heathen or deist would, with equal
reason, say that either the sacred writers, who relate
these miracles, were " weak men," or " men of known
abilities," and in either case, according to the Doctor's
mode of arguing, no credit could be given to their
testimony, especially as they certainly had most

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 77

" favourite opinions to recommend," and we can have no
certain proof of their integrity but what is drawn from
their own testimony.

However, that this is the Doctor's real opinion that
no human testimony can form sufficient proof for the exist-
ence of miracles, not only appears from the above passage,
but also from what he says in his preface concerning
the concurrent testimony of church historians in all
ages ; " for there is not," says he, " a single point in all
history so constantly, explicitly, and unanimously
affirmed by them all, as the continual succession of
miracles in every age down to the reformation ; and it
is farther deduced by persons of the most eminent cha-
racter for their probity, learning, and dignity in the
Roman Church to this very day." Here the Doctor
fairly acknowledges the concurrence of these essential
qualifications which he requires in those who attest
miracles ; men of the most eminent " probity and learn-
ing," or which is doubtless the same, "of the most
eminent honesty, integrity and knowledge ;" and yet
he rejects their testimony, and would have us believe
that all these men of characters so eminent in all ages,
were only "crafty knaves and silly fools, from whom
nothing candid or impartial can be expected " on this
subject of miracles, whatever credit they deserve in other
things which they relate.

Whether this be reasoning like a rational being I
leave to the Doctor's admirers to decide. But as the
argument used by him in the above quotation from this
dilemma, that the persons attesting miracles are either
" weak," or of " known abilities," may deceive by a show
of reason, I refer to what I have said above, chap. xi.
in examining the question, " Whether eyewitnesses
themselves can have a convincing proof from their senses

78 CHAPTER XII.

that the miracles they see really exist ? " There it will
appear that the Doctor's reasoning in the above pas-
sage is entirely founded on a false supposition that
miracles are not plain facts, lying open to the testimony
of the senses, of which the most simple and illiterate
person is as able to judge as the most learned philoso-
pher; whereas the contrary is undoubtedly the case
with the generality of miracles, especially such as are
principally referred to as proofs of doctrines.

XXXIX. The Doctor's Protestant adversaries, then,
justly condemn this his opinion as subversive, not only
of the faith and credit of all history, but of the Gospel
itself, and therefore as altogether unworthy of a Chris-
tian, and utterly inexcusable in one who professes that
name; and they lay down such qualifications and cir-
cumstances attending testimony, as render it a certain
and unquestionable proof even of the existence of
miracles, when it is accompanied by them. Some of their
sentiments on this head we have seen above, chap, xi.,
when considering the nature of the proof for the existence
of miracles ; but as Mr Brook is particularly explicit upon
it, I shall here relate the substance of his remarks.

" First," he justly observes, that " the validity of an
evidence given to a matter of fact, either viva voce, or
in writing, is not determined by the particular opin-
ions which the witnesses may espouse in other mat-
ters, but by their knowledge of the things which
they attest, and by their own integrity. In courts of
civil judicature, where the nature of this evidence is
best understood and most fairly examined, the character
of a witness, and the competency of his knowledge as
to the particular point under debate, is the only subject of
inquiry, not his doctrines or persuasions. No distinction
is made between a member of the Church of England

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 79

and a Sectarist ; between a Romanist and a Protestant ;
between a Deist and a Christian. If their knowledge
and veracity is unquestionable, the evidence of them all
is admitted without exception. The same method is
constantly pursued in all the dealings which men have
with one another."

" The measures of credibility in historical facts are
exactly of the same nature. The whimsical and extrava-
gant doctrines of an historian, his strange and erroneous
opinions in matters of speculation, do not at all affect
the truth of his history, if his testimony as a witness,
that is, if his knowledge and veracity be unexception-
able— and our want of belief in this case is not occasioned
by want of evidence — but either by the force of some
strong prejudices on the mind of the person to whom
the thing is related, or by the improbability of the fact
itself, which no human testimony is able to support.
Whatever evidence is fair and reasonable in common
historical facts will likewise be fair and reasonable in facts
of an extraordinary and miraculous kind, if the nature
and circumstances are such as not to render them liable
to any material objection ; for in such a case they are
upon the same level with ordinary events, and therefore
can require no higher degree of evidence." — Brook's
Examin., chap. iv.

Secondly, he lays down the circumstances required in
testimony, in order to render the evidence for miracles
arising from it above all exception ; which are, i. When
there is the concurrent testimony of various writers of
different principles and persuasions, who lived in the
very times when these facts happened, and were them-
selves eyewitnesses of them. Nothing, indeed, but the
force of truth, and the reality of the things themselves,
is able to create an agreement so unanimous and univer-

8O CHAPTER XII.

sal. 2. This becomes still stronger when it is confirmed
by the testimony even of enemies themselves, and is con-
tradicted by none. 3. When such testimony is given,
and published to the world in the face of the most violent
enemies, at a time when the truth of the facts attested
might easily have been disproved, and a detection of the
least fraud or fiction would most effectually have ruined the
credit and authority of the witnesses, have heightened
the malice of their adversaries, and have proved the
lasting disgrace of their party. 4. All this is still more
strongly corroborated when those who give the testi-
mony profess it to be a firm tenet of their belief that
every lie is criminal in the sight of God, and that he will
not fail to punish those who speak untruths, even for the
advancement of a good cause.

XL. From these principles, Mr Brook, with great
reason, vindicates the miracles of the three first ages ;
because all the above circumstances concur in the testi-
mony given by the fathers of those ages, for the exist-
ence of miracles in their days ; whereas the exceptions
made by Dr Middleton against their testimony are only
taken from their particular opinions in speculative points,
their mistakes in interpreting some parts of Scripture,
their errors in the etymologies of language, their being
misinformed regarding the authenticity of some books,
and suchlike failings, of which the Doctor imagines he
finds them guilty, and from which he concludes that
they were all knaves or fools ; and that their testimony
for the existence of miracles which fell under the obser-
vation of their own senses, is absolutely unworthy of
credit, even though attended with all the above circum-
stances.

This conclusion is justly set aside by Mr Brook, and
the Doctor's other Protestant adversaries ; and indeed

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 8 1

we are surprised to see such an argument published to
the world by a person of Dr Middleton's powers and
penetration. But what could he do? The testimony
for the continuation of miracles in each succeeding age,
down to the present time, was equally strong, and equally
attended by every corroborating circumstance, with those
of the ages immediately succeeding the apostles; and
therefore, if human testimony was admitted to be a suffi-
cient proof of the miracles in the primitive ages, it could
never be refused as an equal proof of those in all succeed-
ing ages, which would be giving up the cause at once in
favour of Popery. He was under a necessity, therefore, of
producing some arguments for rejecting the testimony of
all ages, and was forced to take the above, as his cause
could furnish nothing better. These, indeed, he produces
in the most specious form, and in the most persuasive
manner, in order to conceal their weakness. But these
were not the reasons by which he himself was persuaded.
He had already taken up his opinion before he had
invented the reasons. The true ground of his senti-
ments he himself expresses in these words : " If the
cause must be determined by the unanimous consent of
the fathers, we shall find as much reason to believe these
miraculous powers were continued even to the latest
ages as to any other, how early and primitive soever
after the days of the apostles," Pref. p. xiv., and there-
fore, "by granting them (the Romanists) but a single age
of miracles after the times of the apostles, we shall be
entangled in a series of difficulties whence we can never
fairly extricate ourselves, till we allow the same powers
also to the present age." — Introd., p. Ixxxii

XLI. We must now take a short review of the princi-
ples and proceedings of the Doctor and his adversaries.
The principles in which they all agree, at least in

VOL. II. F

82 CHAPTER XII.

appearance, and upon which they all proceed, are these :
" Christianity must be defended ; Popery must be con-
demned; whatever is necessary for the defence of
Christianity must be admitted ; whatever tends to esta-
blish Popery must be rejected." The Doctor thinks
Christianity will be sufficiently defended if the aposto-
lic miracles be admitted as founded on divine testi-
mony ; but that Popery must be established if miracles
be admitted in any one age after the apostles on the
credit of human testimony. He rejects, therefore, all the
miracles recorded after the apostolic age, and declares
in plain terms, as his reason for so doing, that miracles
are of so peculiar a nature that no human testimony can
render them credible ; or, in other words, that their
innate incredibility is such as cannot be overcome by
human testimony.

Mr Brook is of opinion that Christianity cannot
stand if the miracles of the first three centuries be
rejected ; they must therefore be defended. But if those
of the succeeding ages were admitted, Popery would be
established, and, therefore, they must be disproved. He
of course rejects the Doctor's system with respect to
the first three centuries ; because it would destroy the
credit of history and undermine the Gospel : and he
rejects his argument from the incredibility of miracles,
because, in the mouth of a heathen or a deist, it would
with equal strength condemn the miracles of the Scrip-
ture itself. He holds, therefore, that miracles, as such,
are as capable of proof from human testimony as any
other natural event, except they be of such an incredi-
ble nature, either in themselves, or in their circum-
stances, as no human testimony can support. He
asserts that the miracles of the first three centuries were
by no means of this incredible nature, and therefore,

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 83

that their existence is evident, from the testimony of the
fathers, which is attended with every circumstance to
render it undoubted.

But as he thinks that Popery would be established if
miracles were allowed after the third age, he endeavours
to show that the miracles of the after ages were all of
this incredible nature, either in themselves or in their
circumstances ; and therefore not to be believed upon any
human testimony whatever. Those who believe in the
continuation of miracles to the end of the fourth cen-
tury, act in the same manner. They see no such incre-
dibility in the miracles of the fourth age, as appeared to
Mr Brook, which could not with equal reason be urged
against those of the former three. It is plain to them
that the human testimony by which they are supported
is, in every respect, equivalent to that on which
Mr Brook admits those of the first three centuries,
which, therefore, they affirm, cannot be rejected, without
falling into the same shocking consequences which he so
justly imputes to Dr Middleton's system, and thus they
admit the miracles of the fourth age upon the very same
principles, and for the same reason, that Mr Brook ad-
mits those of the preceding ages. But as it does not
suit their purpose to allow miracles after the fourth cen-
tury, they reject those of the fifth and succeeding ages,
exactly as Mr Brook rejects those of the fourth.

Those who allow the continuation of miracles to the
end of the fifth or sixth centuries, proceed in the same
manner, both in admitting them to those periods, and in
rejecting them entirely after. It now remains, therefore,
to be shown, that the same arguments used to prove a
continuation of miracles to the periods assigned by each
of these systems, have equal strength to prove that
continuation down to this present day ; and that the

84 CHAPTER XII.

pretended incredibility of the miracles in after ages is as
groundless in itself, and as insufficient to invalidate the
force of the testimony for them, as it is against those of
any of the first ages, or even against those of the
Scripture itself.

CHAPTER XIII.

REASONS AGAINST THE CONTINUATION OF
MIRACLES EXAMINED.

I- O O convincing is human testimony, when the wit-
vO nesses have a thorough knowledge of the facts,
and are persons of known integrity, that no one would
seriously call it in question ; and if this testimony be
attended with the corroborating circumstances mentioned
by Mr Brook in the preceding chapter, it gives as full
and invincible evidence of the facts attested as we have
in the sciences from the strictest demonstration. This is
acknowledged in the ordinary affairs of life, and is
allowed even in proof of miracles by all the Protestant
adversaries of Dr Middleton's system, to be as thorough
evidence as a reasonable man can demand, or the nature
of things will admit. But these gentlemen were well
aware that in the Catholic Church perfect testimony can
be produced for the continuation of miracles in every
age even to the present time, and generally attended also
with all or most of the corroborating circumstances above-
mentioned. They were obliged therefore to find some
restrictive argument wherewith to diminish the force of
such testimony when it told against them, and to show
why the miracles said to have happened after their as-
sumed periods should not be believed, even though
attested by the most perfect human testimony.

86 CHAPTER XIII.

The argument which they have chosen for this purpose
has indeed a formidable appearance, and at first sight
may seem to be unanswerable. It is no less than the
natural incredibility of the facts attested ; and what pos-
sible force of human testimony can persuade us of a
thing which is in itself incredible? "The present
question," says Dr Middleton, " concerning the miracu-
lous powers of the primitive Church, depends on the
joint credibility of the facts pretended to have been pro-
duced by these powers, and of the witnesses who attest
them. If either part be infirm, their credit must sink in
proportion ; and, if the facts especially be incredible,
must of course fall to the ground ; because no force of
testimony can alter the nature of things." — Pref., p. x.

Mr Brook readily agrees to this assertion, adopts it as
a first principle in the present question, and, whilst he
admits and defends the invincible force of testimony in
commanding our assent even to miracles, he makes this
the single exception : " Our belief," says he, " of past
matters of fact, whether ordinary or extraordinary, against
which there lies no reasonable exception from the nature
of things, rests entirely upon testimony." And a little
after, "Whatever evidence," says he, "is fair and reason-
able in common historical facts, will likewise be fair and
reasonable in facts of an extraordinary and miraculous
kind, if the nature and circumstances of these facts are
such as not to render them liable to any material objec-
tion."— Brook's Examin., chap. iv.

It is upon this ground, as we have seen above, that
Dr Middleton rejects all miracles whatever that rest
only upon human testimony, and admits none but those
contained in the Word of God ; and it is upon this
ground precisely that the Doctor's adversaries reject all
miracles recorded to have happened after the respective

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 87

periods which they are pleased to assign for the duration
of miracles in the Church. Their whole reasoning is
reduced to these two points, that the miracles recorded
before the time assigned by them for their cessation,
were by no means incredible or improbable; and this
they endeavour to show against Dr Middleton in defence
of Christianity ; but that all miracles said to have hap-
pened after the period which they fix, were absolutely
incredible, and therefore not to be believed, however
supported by human testimony ; and this they main-
tain against Catholics.

Mr Brook is particularly earnest in displaying this
argument, and has collected all that can be said in de-
fence of it. It is necessary, therefore, to examine him
attentively, in order to see the real worth of this boasted
argument, upon which the issue of this important question
in a great measure depends. For if it is found to be of
sterling value, and the miracles qf after ages are shown to
be absolutely incredible, Catholics must give up the cause,
and yield the victory to their adversaries ; but if it can be
proved absolutely inconsistent both with common sense
and Christianity, then the perpetual duration of the
miraculous powers in the Catholic Church will shine
forth in full lustre, and the authority of the testimony
on which it is supported must command our ready acqui-
escence.

II. The first thing to be remarked in this argument
from the incredibility of the facts attested, is that it pro-
ceeds upon a supposition contradicted by common sense,
and which is in itself a palpable absurdity. Here the
precise point in question is this, " Whether or not a fact
absolutely incredible in itself can possibly be believed,
when attested by witnesses who are acknowledged to be
competent judges of the truth, and people of known

88 CHAPTER XIII.

probity and integrity ; and when their testimony is at-
tended with those corroborating circumstances which
carry with them the highest conviction ?" Dr Middleton
readily answers, that the credit of such a fact, however
attested, must fall to the gronnd, for this plain reason,
" Because no force of testimony can alter the nature of
things;" in which he evidently shows, that by the in-
credibility of a fact he understands its impossibility ; and
indeed common sense shows that in the whole question
"incredible" and "impossible" are synonymous terms ;
for if the fact fully attested, as above, be a possible fact,
then it would be ridiculous to say it was incredible.
You may call it " surprising, astonishing, extraordi-
nary," or what you please, but you can never call it
"incredible;" for no fact, possible in itself, can be in-
credible, when its existence is actually proved by the
fullest evidence which the nature of the thing can bear,
and is supposed to be the work of omnipotence. If the
fact be possible, such evidence for its existence ren-
ders it fully credible, and commands our assent.

Let us then propose the question again, and substitute
"impossible" for "incredible," and see how it appears.
It will run thus : "Whether or not a fact absolutely im-
possible in itself can be believed, when attested by wit-
nesses acknowledged to be competent judges of the
truth, and persons of known probity and integrity, and
when their testimony is attended with those corroborating
circumstances which carry with them the highest con-
viction?" What answer would common sense give?
Doubtless it would smile at such a question, and at
once deny the supposition as a mere chimera, an abso-
lute impossibility. For how could such a case ever
possibly exist ? How could an absolute falsehood ever
procure such a testimony ? How is it possible that men

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 89

of known probity and integrity could ever combine to
attest as a truth, and, consistent with their own knowledge,
a fact which is absolutely "impossible in itself," and
therefore absolutely false ? How is it possible they could
do so in the face of the world, and in the midst of their
enemies, without having their folly exposed, and them-
selves rendered contemptible ?

This would doubtless be the language of common
sense ; and with reason ; for the testimony described
is a certain and undoubted effect produced, and actually
existing. This effect must have had an adequate cause
producing it ; and this cause could be no other than
the actual existence of the fact so attested ; for it is
evidently impossible that such testimony should be
given to a falsehood. If, therefore, the fact itself be
supposed to be incredible, and therefore impossible, to
suppose it supported by such a testimony is itself a mere
chimera, an absurd supposition.

The consequence of all this is, that wherever any fact,
however uncommon or miraculous it may appear, is in
reality attested by such testimony as above described,
it is unworthy of a philosopher to pretend to reject such
testimony from any supposed incredibility in the fact so
attested. A fact in itself impossible, and therefore no
fact at all, can never be supported by such testimony ;
and a possible fact, when so attested, is by that very tes-
timony rendered perfectly credible and worthy of belief.
Hence, then, the only rational conduct in all such cases
is diligently to examine the testimony, both as to the
knowledge and veracity of the witnesses. If any flaw be
found there, then indeed the credit of their attestation
falls to the ground, whether the fact be supposed credible
or incredible. But if the testimony stands its ground ; if
the witnesses are competent judges of what they narrate ;

90 CHAPTER XIII.

if they attest it as of their own knowledge, and in circum-
stances in which they must have been detected had what
they said been false ; and if they be persons of known
integrity and worth ; 'if the testimony upon the strictest
scrutiny be found to be of this kind, then if we listen to
the voice of reason, and our minds be not warped by
passion or prejudice, it will be impossible to withhold
our assent from the fact so attested.

III. But in order thoroughly to refute this unphiloso-
phical argument, let us imagine the possibility of the
case proposed. Let us suppose that a fact absolutely
impossible in itself, and therefore absolutely false, should
be attested by the evidence of human testimony, such as
we have above described, and what would be the conse-
quence ? why, truly the very same as that on account of
which Dr Middleton's Protestant adversaries cry out
against his system, and so loudly condemn it ; namely,
that all faith in history would be destroyed, the credit
of the Gospel undermined, and universal scepticism
introduced. For upon what is our belief of past or dis-
tant facts grounded ? Upon the credit of human testi-
mony, and because such is the constitution of our nature,
that when testimony is of the nature above described,
and attended with the corroborating circumstances there
mentioned, we are powerfully influenced to believe it
from the interior conviction that such testimony in the
circumstances cannot deceive us.

But if, for a moment, we suppose it possible — as in the
above case — that testimony of this kind, attended with
all its corroborating circumstances, may, in any one case,
be given to an absolute falsehood, then it may be given
to another also, and if so, to all. Consequently we
cannot be certain of truth in any case, and the natural
inclination which we feel to believe upon proper testi-

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 91

mony is a false principle, upon which we can no longer
depend with safety. What a multitude of false and fatal
consequences would follow in particular cases if this
were so ? How false, then, the supposition which would
produce them !

Let it not be said that human testimony may safely be
trusted in ordinary events, and is to be rejected only on
account of the incredibility of the facts attested. For,
if we thus suppose it possible for a fact absolutely
incredible, and therefore absolutely false, to be attended
with such a testimony as above described, surely an
ordinary event no way incredible in itself, may much
more easily procure such testimony, even though it be a
pure fiction. It is much more probable, for example,
that men should invent and attest as a truth a thing
ordinary or common, against which there lies no sus-
picion, than a thing naturally incredible, which is more
likely to render their testimony suspected, and expose
them to the shame of detection : consequently, if we
suppose it possible that the fullest testimony should ever
be given to a thing in itself impossible, and upon that
account false, much more possible will it be for such
testimony to be given to a falsehood regarding an ordi-
nary event, which in itself contains no improbability;
and such a possibility of falsehood attending the fullest
testimony, must, of course, render precarious all such
testimony, and prevent us from being thoroughly per-
suaded of anything whatsoever founded on it. And if
so, what becomes of history? what becomes of the
Gospel ? what becomes of Christianity ? And, in reality,
will not this very argument against miracles, in any age,
from their natural incredibility, or, in other words,
impossibility, if it has any weight at all, militate equally
in the mouth of a deist or heathen against those of the

92 CHAPTER XIII.

whole Scripture ? Nay, is not this the very argument
used by these gentlemen against Scripture miracles ? and
are not all the answers given to it by the defenders of
the Scripture founded upon this very supposition, that it
is impossible that full and perfect testimony, attended
with all its corroborating circumstances, should ever be
given to an absolute falsehood, much less to any fact in
itself impossible ?

Observe, then, how Mr Brook, and others who pre-
tend to limit the duration of miracles in the Church of
Christ to any of their assumed periods, are obliged to
use such arguments as are evidently productive of all
those fatal consequences for which they so loudly con-
demn Dr Middleton's argument, are subversive of his-
tory, of the Gospel itself, and in the mouth of a heathen
would serve as strongly against all Scripture miracles
as against any others. Happily, however, they are power-
less, because, when duly considered, they are found to
be destitute of common sense, and to proceed upon a
supposition manifestly false and chimerical.

IV. Against what has been said, two objections will
perhaps be offered with Dr Middleton from experience
(see his 'Inquiry,' p. 351.), and the following: First,
" There is not/' says he, " a single historian of antiquity,
whether Greek or Latin, who has not recorded oracles,
prodigies, prophecies, and miracles ; many of these are
attested in the gravest manner, and by the gravest writers,
and were firmly believed at the time by the populace ;
yet it is certain that there is not one of them which we
can reasonably take to be genuine ; not one that was
not either wholly forged, or improved and exaggerated
into something supernatural." Secondly, " The case of
witchcraft," says he, " affords the most effectual proof of
what I am advancing. There is not in all history any

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 93

one miraculous fact so authentically attested as the
existence of witches. All Christian nations whatsover
have consented in the belief of them, and provided
capital laws against them : now to deny the reality of
facts so solemnly attested, and so universally believed,
seems to give the lie to the sense and experience of all
Christendom; yet the incredibility of the thing prevailed,
and was found at last too strong for all this force of
human testimony : so that the belief of witches is now
utterly extinct and quietly buried." Here, it will perhaps
be said, we have two examples from experience, where
the fullest human testimony was given to facts utterly
incredible, and which afterwards were found to be abso-
lutely false. Therefore, as what has actually happened
is certainly possible, and may happen again, it is far
from being absurd or chimerical to suppose that facts
absolutely incredible may yet be attended by the fullest
human testimony ; and when that is the case, the incredi-
bility of the fact must invalidate all the force of the testi-
mony, however strong in itself, and however well sup-
ported by circumstances.

V. The proper answer to this objection is to examine
the two cases, to see if they really be to the point or
not. With regard to the first, taken from the prodigies,
oracles, and miracles among the heathens, to proceed
with requisite clearness we must distinguish the fact
related from the nature and causes of it. This distinction
we have already made and shall again have occasion to
make in reference to all miracles. The fact itself, pro-
perly speaking, is the only object of the senses, and conse-
quently of human testimony. The nature and causes of it,
— that is, whether it be natural or miraculous, whether from
causes natural or supernatural, — this is properly a sub-
ject for the judgment to investigate. Sometimes this will

94 CHAPTER XIII.

appear even at first sight, at other times it will require
attentive examination, in which the rules of the criterion
serve to guide us.

Now as to the facts themselves referred to in the first
case proposed, I ask, were any of them in reality attested
by such human testimony as we are here speaking of?
Are they related by authors of known integrity, who
themselves were either eyewitnesses of these facts or had
full opportunity of ascertaining the truth, and had used
it? If they be indeed attended by such evidence, I
believe every reasonable man will allow that they were
undoubtedly true, and really had existence as attested.
As to their nature and causes, whatever the witnesses of
the facts may have said of these, is only their opinion,
not their testimony. But if, on the other hand, these
facts have never been attested in the manner above
described ; if they be only related as hearsays and
popular reports, or, though gravely related, and even
believed by the historian himself, yet if it be mani-
fest that he believes them not from his own personal
knowledge, nor even from a full examination of their
truth, but has been carried away by the common current,
then the case is beside the question, and not at all to the
purpose ; all the reasoning of the Doctor upon it is only
vain beating the air. But, says he, " these facts, though
fully believed, are now found to be false." True ; but
how is their falsehood discovered ? not from their incredi-
bility, whilst the testimony by which they are supported
is allowed to be good. By no means ; but solely by
showing the insufficiency and weakness of the testimony.

VI. We come now to the other example taken from
the belief in witches ; and here it is amazing to see how
far the Doctor, who professes himself a Christian, and
expresses so high a veneration for the Bible, should for-

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 95

get himself. According to the manner in which he re-
presents this case, the existence of witches is a thing ab-
solutely incredible, and the belief in them is now utterly
extinct ; and yet we find their existence attested again
and again by the very word of God itself. In it we find
most severe laws enacted against them; and all recourse
to them for help of any kind condemned and utterly for-
bidden. • Nay, in the New Testament we find that the
" portion of sorcerers " in the next world " shall be a lake
of burningfire and brimstone, which is the second death."*
Can it then be true, as the Doctor so confidently asserts,
that the belief in witches, though thus attested by God
Himself, is absolutely incredible, and that it is at present
utterly exploded in the world ? If so, what becomes of
the Christian religion ? — for if the testimony of God
Himself proves false with regard to the existence of
witches, it may be false also with regard to the incom-
prehensible mysteries and miracles of the Gospel : nay,
this is what deists and heathens absolutely affirm.
Did Dr Middleton reflect on the contents of his Bible
when he made this objection ? I scarcely think he
did, or at least for his own honour, if he had no regard
for the honour of God, he never would have made it.

VII. It is evident, then, that the boasted objection
against the existence of miracles, from their supposed
incredibiltiy, is a mere sophism, proceeding upon a
supposition not only false, but impossible ; for if the
fact attested be possible, and the testimony unexception-
able, such attestation renders it perfectly credible. And
if the fact be impossible, it is equally impossible that it
should be attested by unexceptionable testimony ; for it
is impossible that a fact should be consistent with the
knowledge of the witnesses, if it neither had, nor possibly
* See above, Chap. II. where this is treated at large.

96 CHAPTER XIII.

could have any existence. Neither can it be supposed
that men in their senses would combine to give out and
attest, as consistent with their own knowledge, what they
knew not only to be false, but an impossibility, as this
very circumstance must immediately expose them to de-
tection, and to the utmost shame and infamy.

VIII. Here then we might justly conclude this argu-
ment ; for as the only reason brought against the exist-
ence of the fully attested miracles of after-ages, is their
supposed incredibility, if this falls to the ground, as we
have seen it does, no just exception can be taken against
them. When sufficiently attested, they are undoubtedly
to be admitted. But as great stress is laid upon this
argument, and as several different kinds of incredibility
are advanced in its support, I shall examine each of
them in particular, as stated by Mr Brook.

First, however, it will be necessary to discover, if pos-
sible, what these gentlemen themselves mean by incredi-
bility, and what is the precise idea which they attach to
the word. I do not find that they give an exact defini-
tion of it ; and from their writings it would seem that
they are not agreed about its meaning; nay, there is
reason to think that it is used by the same person in
different senses, as best suits his purpose.

IX. To begin with Dr Middleton : In the quotation
from the Free Inquiry given above, chap. xii. § 38, from the
conditions of testimony which he there requires to prove
the existence of any miraculous fact, it would appear to
be his opinion that this incredibility is something real
arising from just causes, and natural to every miracle
whatever. But in his remarks on the Observator, p. 40, he
entirely changes his opinion, and represents it as a mere
ideal appearance, seated in our imagination ; for the Ob-
servator having alleged that those miracles which are not

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 97

incredible in themselves ought always to be admitted
when sufficiently attested, and those only rejected which
are in themselves incredible, the Doctor replies : " To
say that, where the facts themselves are incredible, such
miracles are to be rejected, is to beg the question and not
to prove it ; a too precarious way of reasoning ! because
what is incredible to me may seem credible to another."
Here, then, according to the Doctor, the credibility or
incredibility of a miracle is just as we fancy it to be ;
and is this a reasonable ground to overrule the utmost
weight of human testimony ?

X. Mr Brook, who treats this subject more at large
in the first chapter of his Examination, speaking of the
presumptive evidence for the miracles of the first three
centuries, expresses himself thus : " What may with great
plausibilility of reason be urged against the miracles of
the fourth and fifth centuries, can here have no place.
There is no ridiculousness or incredibility in the miracles
themselves which are said to have been wrought : there
is no impertinence, absurdity, or impiety in the ends for
which they are supposed to have been performed, to
shock the faith of a true Christian, or to raise any sus-
picion of the miraculousness of these facts : there is no
apparent reason against our belief of miracles in those
days : there is a strong presumption of their truth and
reality : the miraculousness of those events which are
recorded by the primitive writers of the Church is no
objection to the credibility of them. We can discover
manifestly the propriety and necessity of divine inter-
positions from the circumstances of those times ; and
where such a propriety and necessity appears, no Chris-
tian can have any reasonable objection to the belief of
them ; for every Christian, from the nature of his pro-
fession, must be supposed to think that the working of

VOL. II. G

98 CHAPTER XIII.

miracles is no way inconsistent with the idea of that God
whom he serveth."

In these words, which are an abridgment of his sixth
chapter, against the continuance of miracles after the
third century, we find all that can well be said of the
incredibility of any miracle. From this, then, I shall
endeavour to put the true meaning of this term in its
proper light, that we may form a distinct idea of it, and
not bewilder our minds by any ambiguity. We shall
thus be the better able to judge what weight it ought to
have in the present argument.

XI. A miracle, 'then, is incredible when, for solid
reasons, it cannot possibly obtain belief from a reason-
able person. This incredibility may be conceived to arise
from two causes, either from the fact itself, or from the
circumstances in which it is said to have been performed.
The uncommon nature of the fact, its amazing greatness,
however stupendous, can never render it incredible in
itself, unless it involve a contradiction, and be abso-
lutely impossible ; because, where Omnipotence is sup-
posed to be the agent, nothing that is possible can be in
itself incredible, as is plain to common sense. The in-
credibility, then, of the fact is in reality the same thing
with its impossibility.

Again, the incredibility of any possible fact will arise
from its circumstances, when they are such as to render
it unworthy of Almighty God, or contrary to His divine
perfections to perform it. This may be termed a moral,
and the former a physical incredibility ; and these two
comprehend the whole idea attached by Mr Brook to
this word, in all he states in the above quotation. The
circumstances supposed by him to render a fact in-
credible which is in itself possible, are various and of
different kinds. Some of the most remarkable we have

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 99

already considered when treating on the " Ends and
Instruments of Miracles." I shall here examine the
others with the particular application made of them by
Mr Brook, and shall expose their weakness and fatal
consequences.

He observes that in the first three centuries there
were manifest reasons of necessity and expediency for
the good of the Church, which made it becoming that
Almighty God should work many miracles, but that all
those ceased at least from the days of Chrysostom.
" Now, as the concurrence of Providence," says he, " is
never wanting upon important and necessary occasions,
so it is never exercised in a superfluous and impertinent
manner ; " and therefore this change of circumstances in
the necessities of the Church gives every reason to be-
lieve that miracles were then withdrawn." In answer to
this I observe, that all the reasons of necessity and
expediency, produced by Mr Brook in his chapter on the
presumptive evidence for the miracles of the first three
ages, are reduced to this one : " The propagation of
Christianity at the beginning required the help of mir-
acles ; " from which he argues thus : " When Christianity
was propagated and established, it required them no
longer; therefore they were then withdrawn." Here it
is supposed, " that Christianity stood in need of miracles
only for its propagation among the heathens;" and,
" that this need of Christianity is the only reason worthy
of God for which to work miracles."

The latter of these, when speaking of 'the ends of
miracles, we have seen to be a manifest falsehood ; the
former we shall afterwards see is equally untrue, when we
come to consider the presumptive reasons for the con-
tinuation of miracles ; and, consequently, this reason for
the incredibility of the miracles of after ages is of no

IOO CHAPTER XIII.

value. Besides, this argument in the mouth of a
heathen or deist would equally prove that no miracles
were wrought among the people of God in the old
law after their full establishment in the land of pro-
mise ; for whatever reasons of necessity or expediency
might be produced as presumptive proofs for the miracles
wrought by God in establishing that religion, all these had
entirely ceased ; and, therefore, according to this argu-
ment, miracles after that period become utterly in-
credible, for " Providence never concurs in a superfluous
and impertinent manner ! "

XII. His second reason against the credibility of the
miracles of the after-ages is from their number. " The
number of the miracles," says he, "pretended to have
been wrought in the fourth and fifth centuries is itself
another just exception to the truth and credibility of
them." This is a singular argument ; however, he adds
his reasons. " It may reasonably be presumed," says he,
" that as the benefit of miraculous powers began to be
less and less wanted in proportion to the increase and
power of the Christians, so the use and exercise of them
began gradually to decline ; at least it cannot, I think,
fairly be imagined, that as the real exigencies of the
Church were continually lessening, miracles should be-
come still more and more numerous ; yet, in fact, we
find, if the writers of these ages deserve any credit, that
the power of working miracles was more extensive and
universal in the time of Chrysostom and aftenvards than
in the days of the apostles themselves. Nor was the
benefit of these miracles confined to societies of men
only ; it extended itself even to the caves and dens of
beasts ; the wonder-workers of those days, retired from
the company and converse of their fellow-creatures, fixed
their abodes in mountainous and desert places, and

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. IOI

made the brute creation sensible of the extraordinary
power and presence of the Almighty." — Brook's Examin.,
p. 302, &c.

XIII. If this were divested of its declamatory style,
and reduced to a proper form of argument, it would be
difficult to show any connection between its premises
and the consequences drawn from them ; but permitting
that to pass, I observe on this passage : First, That it
proceeds upon the same false supposition as the former
argument, " That the propagation . of the Christian
religion is the only end worthy of God for which to work
miracles ; " for though the increase and power of the
Christians made miracles less necessary in one respect,
yet if, besides the propagation of religion, there be
many other exigencies which require the help of mir-
acles, then the above argument falls to the ground.

Secondly, Whether all the miracles related by the
writers of these ages be true or false, is not to the
point, and quite beside the question. Nobody pre-
tends to maintain all and every one of them. Many of
them may have been perfectly true, although full and
unexceptionable testimony of their being so has not been
handed down to us. All these, then, however numerous,
are given up at once. We have to deal only with those
for the truth and reality of which full and unexception-
able testimony can be produced. Now, how ridiculous
is it to say, " There are great numbers of miracles re-
lated to have been performed in the fourth, fifth, and
following ages, for the truth of which we have not at
present full and proper evidence ; therefore all those in
these ages for which we have the most undoubted tes-
timony of the gravest authors, and of eyewitnesses, are
to be rejected as false and counterfeit!" and this is
the full force of the argument, if it has any force at all.

IO2 CHAPTER XIII.

Thirdly, It is false to assert that, according to the
writers of these ages, " miracles became more exten-
sive and more numerous after the days of Chrysostom
than in the days of the apostles." In the days of the
apostles, and during the first three ages, the chrismatic
gifts of the Holy Ghost were poured out on all the faith-
ful, and the visible effects of His divine presence and
assistance were accomplished in speaking with tongues
and prophesying, and in other miraculous operations in
almost every Christian. This Mr Brook himself has
proved at large in his chapter on the persons endowed
with miraculous powers ; and, to confirm what he says,
he cities Mr Dodwell as follows: "Were we to run
through all the testimonies above cited, from Justin
Martyr, Irenasus, &c., we should find that they speak of
the whole body of Christians, great and small, as en-
dowed with these gifts on any signal occasion ; but they
insist particularly on the performance of them by those
who had the least natural endowments, as the mighty
hand of God was most visible when it displayed itself by
the meanest instruments," &c.

Now it is certain that this universal communication
of these gifts was withdrawn long before the days of
Chrysostom, and that they were bestowed in a less con-
spicuous manner chiefly upon those holy persons who,
secluding themselves from the corruptions of the world,
studied only to render their souls acceptable to their
Creator, and were thereby disposed for receiving these
supernatural powers and graces. The real case is this,
that after the conversion of the Roman emperors,
learned Christian writers became more numerous than
in the former ages, and greater portions of their
writings have been transmitted to our days. In these
writings many more miracles have been recorded than

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 1 03

in those of the first three centuries ; because both the
number of authors, the quantity of their works, and
the variety of their subjects, were much greater; but
had all the several miracles of the first three cen-
turies been committed to writing, there would cer-
tainly be no comparison as to their number; so our
author here departs from truth in his representation of
the case, and consequently his witticisms only serve to
condemn himself.

Fourthly, The same mode of arguing, in the mouth of
a deist and heathen, would equally serve to prove that
the numerous miracles wrought by Elijah and Elisha,
some of which were performed in the desert, were all
fictitious. Put Jews instead of Christians, the ex-
igencies of the synagogue for those of the Church,
the times of Elijah and Elisha for the days of Chry-
sostom, — and the above-cited argument of Mr Brooks
against the miracles of the fourth and fifth ages
will equally serve the purpose of a heathen and a deist
against those performed by these two great prophets. It
will have exactly the same force, if displayed by the pen
of a Middleton, against those of the tliree first centuries,
for which Mr Brook so strenuously contends ; and con-
sequently, in proving too much it proves in fact nothing
at all.

XIV. His third argument against the credibility of
miracles related in the fourth and fifth ages, is singular,
and composed of misrepresentation and sophistry. In
the fourth century arose the Arian heresy, — one of the
most dangerous that ever attacked the Christian religion.
It consisted in denying the divinity of Jesus Christ, and
in proclaiming Him to be a mere creature. The abet-
tors of this doctrine were numerous, and many of them
were persons of the highest authority and power, both in

104 CHAPTER XIII.

Church and State. They spared no pains, shrunk from
no crime to promote the interest of their party, and used
every ungenerous and base art to calumniate and perse-
cute the Catholics. The Catholics, on the other hand,
opposed to the utmost of their power this torrent
of impiety then pouring in upon the Church. Their
zealous pastors, by word, writing, and their apostolic
labours, endeavoured to confirm the faithful, to refute
impiety, and to defend the honour of their Lord and
Master. Many of the pastors, as well as of the people,
suffered persecution, imprisonment, banishment, and
even martyrdom itself, in testimony of the divinity of
Jesus.

Certainly, if ever the exigencies of the Church required
the protection of miracles for the attestation of the truth,
the comfort of her children, and the confirmation of the
faithful, it was at this time, when all the power of the
Roman emperors was employed to undermine the very
foundation of her faith, by an attack more dangerous
perhaps than had ever been made against it by the
heathens. Accordingly we find many remarkable miracles
performed by orthodox pastors in defence of the Catholic
faith. These are attested by men of the highest character
for their integrity and sanctity, who were themselves eye-
witnesses. They were performed not in secret, and after
wards related to the world, but in public, before multi-
tudes, in the face of the world, in presence of the very
Arians themselves, who lacked neither will nor ability to
detect fraud or imposture, had there been any. Their
effects were to confound the Arians, to stop their fury, and
often even to convert them. More ample proof, both of
presumptive evidence and positive testimony, cannot
certainly be produced for miracles in any preceding age
than for those performed upon this occasion ; and yet,

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. IO5

according to Mr Brook's logic, they were all frauds and
impostures. To prove this, he represents the zeal and
fervour of the orthodox pastors in defence of the
divinity of Jesus Christ as merely the effect of pride
and ambition, at least as much so as was the conduct of
the Arians.

" During this long contest," says he, " which was
managed with all the animosity and fury that the most
bigoted and inflamed zeal could produce ; when each
party seemed more solicitous about their own power and
authority than about the doctrines they espoused ; when
the whole struggle between them was more for conquest
and dignity than for the sake of truth itself, — it is highly
probable that, in many cases where private arguments
and public decrees had not the desired success, appeals
were made to a pretended divine power as openly
exerted in confirmation of them."

In support of this assertion in regard of the Arians,
he relates that Philostorgius the Arian has recorded
numerous miracles as performed by the chiefs of that
heresy ; " all which " he tells us, in the judgment of that
learned and accurate critic Photius, who has preserved
a compendium of Philostorgius' history, " were mere for-
geries, and inserted in his history only with the design to
countenance and support the party in which he was en-
gaged." Then to show that the Catholics were guilty of the
like appeals to pretended miracles, he cites three or four
miracles related in their favour, and, without finding the
least flaw in the testimony regarding them, or even
pointing out a single circumstance or reason to prove
them forgeries, he only says in general that " their circum-
stances give us the strongest reason to suspect they were
forged by the Homoousians in favour of their particular
tenets," — that is, by the orthodox Christians in favour of

106 CHAPTER XIII.

the divinity of Jesus Christ. From the above pretended
probability, and the supposed reasons of suspicion, he
draws this final conclusion : " Now it is not to be sup-
posed but the same principles of zeal which in-
duced either the Arians or Athanasians to commit the
above-mentioned forgeries to propagate these and
such-like fictitious stories, would extend itself to their
other relations of the extraordinary kind that were made
to serve the same purposes ; and accordingly must
render them all justly suspected." — Brook's Exam.,
chap. vi.

XV. It is certainly astonishing to see how industrious
the mind of man is to blind and deceive itself when en-
gaged in a bad cause. Of this the reasoning of Mr Brook
is a striking instance ; for charity will notallow me to sup-
pose that he sawits disengenuousness and malice. He lays
the foundation of his argument by strangely misrepresent-
ing the conduct of the Catholic and orthodox party; and
from this misrepresentation he supposes as highly pro-
bable that appeals would be made by both sides to
miracles, to a pretended divine power exerted in favour
of their respective tenets. The weakest judgment can-
not fail to see the folly of such a supposition, and how
contrary it is to common sense ; for if the " contest was
carried on with all the animosity and fury that the most
bigoted and inflamed zeal could produce," how is it
possible that either party should appeal to " pretended
miracles " as openly exerted in their favour, without ex-
posing themselves to inevitable detection and confusion ?
For would not the other party have immediately exposed
such pretended miracles ? Would they not have dis-
covered the fraud, detected the forgery, and made a
most powerful use of such pretences to confound their
adversaries ? Nay, is not this the very argument that

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. IO/

Mr Brook himself employs to prove the reality of the
miracles of the preceding centuries, that they were per-
formed in the presence of enemies who lacked neither
will nor power to detect them, had they not been real ?
And is not this one of the very corroborating circum-
stances required by him to give human testimony its
highest authority and value ? But he proceeds to prove
that this was actually the case, and tells us that Philo-
storgius, the Arian historian, has recorded many miracles
said to have been performed by that party, which, accord-
ing to the testimony of the great and learned Photius,
were all forged and recorded by him only to serve a
purpose. Then he mentions several said to have been
done on the other hand, in favour of the Catholic
doctrine, which, in his opinion, are no less fictitious
than the former. Here is another gross misrepresenta-
tion. The Catholics did indeed appeal to miracles, real,
not pretended ones ; miracles performed in the presence
of multitudes, and for the reality of which the fullest evi-
dence of human testimony has been handed down to our
days, and which were never contradicted nor called in
question, even by the Arians themselves. Of these Mr
Brook takes no notice.

The Arians seeing the advantage which the Catholics
drew from these undeniable interpositions of Almighty
God in their favour, had recourse to the same arms, and
pretended that miracles had been wrought also by some
of their party. But what was the consequence ? Whilst
the splendour of the miracles wrought in favour of
the truth made the Catholic doctrine triumph over all
its enemies, the pretensions of the Arians served only to
confound them, and to bring disgrace and contempt
upon their party ; just as in our own days the same pre-
tences to miracles in the Jansenists served more than

IO8 CHAPTER XIII.

anything else to open men's eyes, and to show to the
world the folly and perfidy of that faction.

It was with reason, then, that Photius passed so severe
a censure upon the miracles related by Philostorgius ;
but does he pass the same censure upon those related
by St Ambrose, St Athanasius, St Augustine, and the
other great lights of those times ? By no means ; he
knew that these had all the evidence that could be de-
sired to convince mankind of their reality, and that the
Arians themselves had never dared to call them in
question. As to those miracles which Mr Brook
relates, as said to have been performed in favour of the
Catholic doctrine, either there is full and sufficient
testimony for them, or there is not. If not, then they
are out of the question, it is not for them that we
contend. If there be, then I defy Mr Brook, notwith-
standing his bold and unproved assertions, to point out
one single circumstance to render them incredible, one
circumstance the parallel of which is not to be found in
many of the miracles of the first three centuries, and
even in those of the Scriptures themselves. It is clear,
then, how ungenerous and unphilosophical it is in Mr
Brook, from the above misrepresentations, and pretended
improbability and suspicion, to conclude at once that
all Catholic miracles were forgeries and fictions. For
even allowing that the instances of Catholic miracles
which he cites be not sufficiently attested to us, that
does not prove them to be forgeries, because the proper
testimony for them may have been lost. Much less
does it follow that others are forgeries also, for which
the most ample testimony, even with all corroborating
circumstances, is preserved to this day. Yet this is the
conclusion which he draws from his premises !

XVI. I cannot leave this argument without observing

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. ICX)

that the same mode of reasoning, especially if the mis-
representing freedom also be allowed, will serve admir-
ably for a heathen or deist to deny the miracles of
Moses,, because he and the Egyptian magicians both
adduced miracles in defence of their respective tenets ;
or for Dr Middleton to deny all the miracles of the first
three ages, because St Irenseus attests that the followers
of Simon and Carprocrates pretended to work miracles
as well as the true Christians. This shows how well
calculated this mode of reasoning is to disprove the
continuation of miracles in the Church after the first
three centuries.

XVII. A fourth argument, though mentioned later
by Mr Brook, must be noticed here, because it plainly
contradicts the groundwork of the foregoing objection.
Pointing out some of the differences between the miracles
of the first ages and those after Constantine, he says :
" Another circumstance is that public appeal which was
made, that confident attestation which was given to the
truth of them in both these periods, which may indeed
be probably accounted for in the one case, but is utterly
accountable in the other," page 325. He then explains
this by observing, that " after the conversion of the
Roman empire, the Christians must have been sensible
that their forged relations could not easily be discovered ;
they were encompassed with persons well affected to
their party, whose manner of education had infused into
their hearts strong prepossessions in favour of such
stories ; that even a detection of false facts or false testi-
monies could be attended by no bad consequences ; that
the emperors themselves would connive at such pro-
ceedings ; that the civil power would interfere and
prevent insults," &c. What a shocking picture of the
morality of those times ! If this be true, what opinion must

1 10 CHAPTER XIII.

we have of all those great and holy men who flourished
in them. Could Mr Brook say more to confirm the
character given by Dr Middleton, that they were all
extremely credulous and superstitious — scrupling at no
arts nor means by which they might propagate their prin-
ciples ; and of a character from which nothing candid or
impartial could be expected ?

Now, if this be the case, how will Mr Brook defend
the authenticity of the Bible which came to us through
such hands ? How will he support the credit of any his-
tory, or defend himself from those very arguments which
he uses against Dr Middleton for the scandalous character
which he gives of the ancient fathers ? Above all, how
will he reconcile what he here says with that which he
laid down as the groundwork of his preceding argu-
ment ? There he assured us that the fourth age after the
conversion of the Roman empire was an age " in which
a spirit of pride and ambition, a spirit of faction and con-
tention, had spread itself through the world, and entirely
possessed the hearts of by far the greatest part of Chris-
tians— that the contest between the Arians and Catholics
was carried on with all the animosity and fury that the
most bigoted and inflamed zeal could produce ; " which
made each party appeal to pretended miracles as openly
performed in their favour.

From this one would naturally conclude that those
appealing to false miracles could not fail to be detected
by the vigilance of the other party ; that it is most untrue
to say they were encompassed with persons well affected
towards them ; that the detection of such false facts and
false testimonies could not fail to injure those who alleged
them, as their adversaries would certainly have exposed
them to shame and infamy; that the emperors themselves,
however they might connive at the doings of their own

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. Ill

party, would yet most certainly have used all their
authority to expose, discover, and punish, both in per-
son and fortune, those who should so act in opposition
to them. Besides, it is well known with what rancour
and fury the Arian emperors on all occasions used their
power in persecuting the Catholics and in taking every
advantage over them. How, then, can Mr Brook so
palpably contradict himself in giving us such opposite
accounts of those times ?

XVIII. His fifth argument, taken from the veneration
paid to the relics of saints, he expresses thus : " The
catalogue of miracles was not a little increased, it is
probable, in the fourth and fifth centuries, by the super-
stitious regard to martyrs and their relics : " he then
proceeds, to the great honour of Catholics, to show from
the expressions of the most venerable fathers of the early
ages how consonant on this point their doctrine is
with what is taught in the Catholic Church to this day,
and then concludes thus : " Now, in an age when such
a kind of fanaticism universally prevailed, there is the
greatest reason to believe that plain facts would be often
exaggerated into extraordinary relations, and that any
fictitious story, especially of the miraculous kind, which
might do honour to saints or relics, would be eagerly
embraced and diligently propagated."

In answer to this, I observe, ist, That all he says here
is a mere begging of the question, that the veneration
paid to the relics of saints is superstition and idolatry.
This is absolutely denied by the whole Catholic body,
and therefore it is childish to assume as granted that
which is the very point in dispute, and then to argue
from it as from a certainty, zdly, If he had consulted
Dr Campbell, he would have proved to him, unanswer-
ably, that no degree of fanaticism less than frenzy could

112 CHAPTER XIII.

ever possibly lead men to disbelieve their senses, or fancy
that they saw what had no existence ; and yet there are
many miracles recorded to have been performed in these
ages by relics, which are attested by men of the greatest
integrity, who declare that they, as well as multitudes of
others, were eyewitnesses. 3dly, Admitting all that he
alleges, it amounts, by his own statement, only to a
probability which, whatever weight it may have in rela-
tions not sufficiently attested, cannot have the smallest
against such as are proved by the fullest evidence of
human testimony, and attended with all its corroborating
circumstances ; and with these only are we concerned.

XIX. His sixth and seventh arguments against the
credibility of the miracles related in the fourth and fifth
centuries are taken from the supposed impropriety of
the ends, and the unworthiness of the instruments, by
which they are said to have been performed. But both
these objections have been examined when we treated of
the ends and instruments of miracles.

XX. His eighth argument is taken from the great
esteem in which the monastic life was held during the
two ages which he describes, and then he makes this appli-
cation : " What has been written concerning monks, a
few particulars only excepted, is only spoiled with
fictitious stories ; whilst the author, indulging his own
zeal, relates not what the saint has really done, but what
he wished he had done ; this is the true cause and
real spring of so many impertinent and ridiculous stories,
so many absurd and incredible tales, with which the
lives of Paulus, of Antony, of Hilarion, of Martin, of
Macarius, and of various other monks, hermits, and
anchorites, abound," p. 323.

Here is a bold assertion, but, like many others in
Mr Brook's work, it is without the shadow of a proof.

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 113

Unluckily for him, the lives of the very saints whom he
mentions were written and published to the world in
such times and circumstances as must inevitably have
led to -detection if any falsehood had been inserted in
them ; and the miracles related were so public and
notorious at the time that nothing can be better attested.
Now, though it were admitted that the zeal of a writer
might lead him to exaggerate, or even to invent any
fact or circumstance in favour of the saint whose
life he writes, this can reasonably be presumed to have
happened only when the writer is justly suspected, and
has not the qualifications necessary to render his testi-
mony valid, and when the relation depends solely on
himself. But when the writer is above suspicion both
for his knowledge and integrity; when several persons
concur in giving the same testimony; and when the
circumstances are such as must have led to detection had
it been false, — in this case it would be highly absurd to
suppose the whole a fiction.

Besides, this argument, as well as the former, if ad-
mitted, would prove too much; for surely the regard paid
to monks in the fourth and fifth ages could not exceed,
nor perhaps equal, that paid by the people of God in
the old law to Moses, to Elijah, to Elisha, and those
other saints of God so remarkable in their days; much
less could it equal that of the apostles to their Lord and
Master, or that of St Luke to his great master St Paul.
If, therefore, the affection and zeal which a writer has
towards the person whose life he describes, is alone
sufficient to invalidate his testimony, what an argument
will not this give to heathens and deists against the
Scripture miracles themselves ?

XXI. As the origin and nature of the monastic life
are but little known to many in this country, it will not

VOL. II. H

114 CHAPTER XIII.

be amiss here to give a brief account of it. We shall
thus see the injustice of the many sneers and severe cen-
sures which Mr Brook and the generality of Protestants
throw out against it, and also the weakness of the argu-
ments they draw from it against the continuation of
miracles.

During the first three ages, whilst the malice of hell
and the greatest powers on earth were leagued against
Christianity, and sought by the most cruel persecution to
destroy it, the generality of those who embraced that
sacred institution were saints. They made it the chief
object of their lives to practise the sacred maxims of their
religion, and to live in perfect obedience not only to its
holy laws, but even to its evangelical counsels. As they
had no earthly inducement to embrace that religion, but
every worldly motive to the contrary, their only aim was
their eternal welfare, of which they had conceived so just
a value and esteem that they willingly renounced all the
goods of this life, and sacrificed every worldly considera-
tion, in order to secure it. Having taken off their affec-
tions from the things of this world, their whole study was
to follow the maxims and example of Jesus Christ, and
to become saints.

But when the Roman emperors were converted, and
the Christian religion became the religion of the court,
the face of things was sadly changed. It was now no
longer necessary to renounce the things of this world in
order to profess one's self a Christian. The example of
the emperors induced even those to become Christians
who loved the world more than the truth. A slight per-
suasion that it was reasonable led many others to profess
it who had no idea of renouncing the pomps and vanity
of the world, though this be so essential in order to live
up to the -laws and maxims of Jesus Christ; and those

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 115

again who had neither honour nor religion, had less diffi-
culty in feigning themselves Christians, when they saw that
profession common, and considered it a means of pro-
moting their worldly interest. Thus the holy society of
the faithful, whose only aim was to renounce the world
and follow Jesus Christ, found itself in a manner over-
whelmed by multitudes who entered into it from human
motives, without possessing in the least degree the
spirit of the gospel. These strangers and disguised
enemies outnumbered the true citizens of the holy city,
and often became the most powerful in those things
which depend upon external authority. The riches and
worldly goods which were then consecrated to Jesus
Christ by the piety of those who possessed them, and
were committed to the management of the pastors of
the Church, to be used according to the orders of the
Prince of Pastors, corrupted the hearts of many who
were not yet become strong, and the continuance of this
temptation exceedingly augmented the number of those
who fell. Their example corrupted others, and many
followed the Christian religion, as mankind before had
followed Paganism, and as numbers still follow false
religions, without reflection or examination, for interest
or by custom. Hence the deluge of iniquity which then
appeared among Christians, and which has continued to
the present time.

In the midst of these disorders, the love of Jesus
Christ, a zeal for His holy law, a perfect contempt of
the world, and the ardent desire of eternal good, were
more eminently conspicuous in His most faithful fol-
lowers, who detached themselves from the world, and
became united to God with more fervour and perfection
than even in the times of persecution. Not being able
to exclude sinners from the society of the faithful, they

Il6 CHAPTER XIII.

withdrew themselves from the company of sinners, and
even of those imperfect Christians who chose to remain
among the sinful many. They renounced the world,
which though now more favourable to the Christian re-
ligion, seemed to them for that very reason more dan-
gerous to piety and virtue.

Vast numbers of both sexes not only left their posses-
sions, as their predecessors had done under the heathen
emperors, but also their country, their family, their
friends, the very sight of men, and all the pleasures and
innocent consolations of society, and retired to lonely
deserts, passing there the remainder of their lives in the
highest perfection, secluded from creatures, and wholly
united with their Creator. This they did, not constrained
by necessity to avoid the fury of persecution, but purely
of their own free choice to fly from the contagion of a
wicked world, and to avoid whatever might be an impe-
diment to their advancement in Christian perfection.
Those who made this happy choice were from their soli-
tary life called monks* and anchorites ;t and from the
desert, the ordinary place of their retirement, they were
sometimes called hermits. + Such was the origin, and
such the nature and design of that mode of life.

This their separation from the world, however, did not
in the least diminish that perfect union of benevolence
and charity which the Christian religion requires among
all its members. Their obedience to the laws of the
Church was more perfect, their respect and submission to
her pastors more sincere, their zeal for the purity of reli-
gion more ardent, and their love and charity for all
Christians — indeed, for all mankind — was stronger and

* Monachus, one who lives alone.

t Anachorita, one who lives separated from the rest of the world.

% "Eremita, an inhabitant of the desert.

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 1 1/

more disinterested. They received and entertained
strangers with more love and friendship than other men
show to their nearest relatives, and they were never
more pleased than when they had an opportunity of
doing good in return for the greatest injuries. The more
they avoided communication with the world in its false
goods, so much the more feelingly were they sensible
of the evils under which the Church in general, or any
of the faithful in particular, laboured ; and this was a
reason for interrupting their course of solitude in order
to converse with men, and even to leave their retire-
ment in order to assist them. They received those who
suffered for the truth under their protection, without fear
of displeasing their persecutors. They opposed all errors
and novelties without regard to the power or position of
those who advanced them, and with the holy liberty of
an Elijah, and a John the Baptist, whose example they
followed in their sacred solitude, they reprehended even
princes and their officers, when the cause of God and
of justice required it. Many of them were instruments in
the hand of God for converting infidels and reclaiming
the greatest sinners ; and from among them the Church
received numberless zealous pastors, who by word
and example maintained the doctrine of Jesus Christ
in its purity, and preserved the sanctity of Christian
morality.

XXII. From this account of the monastic state,
and of those who embraced it in its earliest period,
we may justly infer that the high veneration and
esteem paid to it by the Christian world was a natural
consequence of its sanctity and perfection. The prophet
Elijah, when he appeared among the people, was reve-
renced as an angel from heaven ; the sanctity and peni-
tential life of St John the Baptist procured him such

Il8 CHAPTER XIII.

veneration from all ranks of men, that even the Pharisees
themselves began to think that he might be the Messias
whom they about that time expected. No wonder, then,
that the holy solitaries who imitated these great saints
in their seclusion from the world, in their purity of
manners, and in the penitential austerity of their lives,
should like them be esteemed as the chosen servants
of the Most High God, and as such revered and vene-
rated.

What Mr Brook, together with Dr Middleton, observes
upon this, is extremely just : " That monkery in those
days was an order of men so highly esteemed in the
Church, and so much reverenced by the people, as to be
reputed the perfection of a Christian life, and the very
pattern of a heavenly one. The monastic state was
thought an angelic institution, a blessed and evangelic
life, leading to the mansions of the Lord ; a way of life
worthy of heaven, not at all inferior to that of angels ;
and the persons who engaged in this state were looked
upon as the very flower and most valuable ornament of
the Church, and were styled in a peculiar manner the
servants of God. Accordingly, the principal fathers of
the Church, both Greek and Latin, employed their whole
authority and eloquence to extol the perfection and re-
commend the practice of the monkish order." — Brook's
Examin., p. 319.

This is certainly true, and proved by Dr Middleton,
in his Introd. Disc., from which Mr Brook takes it, from
the express testimonies of the writers of those times.
The obvious consequence that common-sense draws
from this account is, that the monastic state must have
been one of the highest perfection. Mankind must
have been convinced by what they saw of the sanctity
of those who professed it, otherwise it is impossible

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 119

that so universal and so high an esteem could have
been felt for it. Let us only judge from ourselves — let
any body of men amongst us make ever so great a pro-
fession of virtue and sanctity — let the most eloquent
tongues and pens of the age be employed in extolling
their institute, and recommending it to others, — would
this make any impression on the minds of mankind ? —
would it procure any regard or esteem for those men,
if their lives gave the lie to their profession ? No ;
this would only bring upon them the greater con-
tempt, and expose their panegyrists to confusion. The
praises then given by the holy fathers to the monastic
order, the universal esteem and veneration paid to
those who professed it, are the most convincing proof
of their eminent sanctity, and of the high perfection in
which they lived.

It is most unjust, then, in Dr Middleton, Mr Brook,
and other Protestant writers, to pretend, from this veiy uni-
versal regard paid to these persons, to draw conclusions
against them, and expose them on that account to con-
tempt and ridicule, by attributing that regard to super-
stition and fanaticism. Common sense disavows such
conclusions, and sees at once that the universal
veneration which prevailed for ages, and continues
to be paid through the whole Catholic Church, to
monastic institutions to this day, could never have
existed, had they not justly deserved it. No less un-
reasonable is it to pretend from this veneration that
the miracles related of those holy personages were, on
that very account, incredible.

It seems obvious that if Almighty God was pleased in
those days to perform any miracles, these were the very
persons by whom we might expect He would perform
them ; men detached from all worldly concerns, sepa-

120 CHAPTER XIII.

rated from the sinful world, living in the greatest inno-
cence and purity of manners, sacrificing all for the love
of God, and studying continually to please Him. If we
may judge of the Divine conduct by what He had actu-
ally done in former times, these were surely the proper
instruments in His hands for working miracles ; and in
this respect we have the strongest presumption in their
favour. A positive testimony, then, that this actually
was done ; a testimony given by all the writers of those
times, by men eminent for their intregrity and learning ;
a testimony given in "public as of facts well known to
their hearers, and which, if false, could not have failed
to be detected, to the disgrace of those who attested
them ; if a testimony of this kind, joined to so just a
presumption, does not amount to the fullest con-
viction, all faith whatever in human testimony must be
discarded from the world. That such was in fact
the case, we shall see in its proper place ; and here
we shall only conclude that nothing can be more un-
reasonable or more unphilosophical, than what has
been said upon this subject by Dr Middleton and his
Protestant antagonists.

XXIII. We come now to the ninth argument used by
Mr Brook against the credibility of the miracles of the
fourth and fifth ages. In this he seems to exult with par-
ticular confidence, and spends many pages in illustrating
it. He proposes it as follows : " From the surprising
likeness of the Popish and Pagan religion, &c., it has
been rightly concluded " (by Dr Middleton, in his Letter
from Rome), " and there is the greatest reason to believe,
that the religious worship of the Catholics, in its prin-
cipal and distinguishing parts, was originally derived
from the Gentile ritual. In like manner, from the great
similitude of the Pagan miracles, and those recorded in

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 121

the fourth and fifth centuries ; from the near resemblance
of their several relations ; from the likeness of the nature,
the circumstances, and the occasions of them both, — it
may reasonably be presumed that the histories of the
miracles of monks, of saints, of martyrs of those ages,
were taken, for the most part, from the extraordinary
accounts which are given of ancient sages in the Gentile
world." He then gives several examples of both ; and
in order to show the great resemblance between them,
concludes with such an air of triumph and contemptuous
disregard for all the miracles related in those times, that
one would think he had really said something unanswer-
able. How far this is true these few observations
will show.

XXIV. First, then, allowing that in many miracles
related of saints there were a resemblance to some of
the extraordinary things related among the Gentiles,
which are certainly false, what conclusion could in right
reason be drawn from it ? Will it follow from this that
the miracles related of the saints of God are as false as
the others ? Ridiculous conclusion ! Where is the
connection between the premises and the consequence ?
Is not the same resemblance to be found between heathen
miracles and many of those recorded in the Scriptures ?
Does it therefore follow that the latter are false likewise ?
But allowing that this resemblance should justify some
suspicion, on what miracles could that suspicion fall ?
Could it in the smallest degree affect such as are sup-
ported by the fullest human testimony that past matters
of fact can have ? Certainly not. And it is for such as
these only that we contend.

The proper answer to this argument is to state the
case plainly, which is as follows : — From the time that
Satan — that haughty spirit — failed in his attempt to raise

122 CHAPTER XIII.

himself to an equality with his Maker, he has con-
tinually endeavoured to gratify his ambition by imitating
the works of God among men. If the Almighty insti-
tuted priests, and oblations, and sacrifices, and temples
among His chosen people, for His service, Satan en-
deavoured to obtain the same honours from his votaries.
If Almighty God inspired His holy prophets to know
things at a distance, or to foretell things to come, Satan,
too, endeavoured to imitate this prerogative of the
Divinity, in the delusive answers which he gave by his
oracles, or by those who, like the young woman in the
Acts, had familiar spirits. If Almighty God gave proof
of His divinity by working miracles among mankind,
Satan sought to procure homage to himself by similar
means — either actually performing extraordinary things
by enchantments, as in the magicians of Egypt and
Simon Magus, or in deluding his blinded votaries by
appearances, as were many of the prodigies related
among the Gentiles, or by exciting false relations of such
things among them, and causing them to pass for truth
among the vulgar.

Now, how ridiculous would it be to say, that because
there were priests, oblations, and temples among the
heathens, to which those of the Church of England bear
a great resemblance, therefore we may reasonably pre-
sume that these latter were taken from the former? Or to
allege that because there were oracles and persons that
had familiar spirits among the heathens, who foretold
things to come, or discovered things secret, to which the
prophets related to have existed in the first three ages
of the Church have a striking likenesss ; therefore it
may reasonably be presumed that these latter were no
less diabolical than the former, and were only adduced
in imitation of them? No less ridiculous is it to

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 123

argue, that because there is a likeness between certain
miracles related of the saints of God, and some false
prodigies among the Gentiles, therefore the former are
no m.ore to be regarded than they. It is not called
in question that the miracles of Moses and the prophets
are much more ancient than any of those related among
the heathens. The natural presumption then is, that
those of the Gentiles were taken from those related in the
sacred Scripture, as it is certain that many of the articles
of the heathen mythology are nothing but corrupt imi-
tations of the truths contained in these divine oracles.

If, then, Almighty God, following the same dispensa-
tion of providence in the Church of His Son as He did
in the old law, shall be pleased to work miracles by His
saints, of the same nature and in similar circumstances
with those performed of old by Moses and the prophets,
can anything be more unworthy of a man of sense, or of a
Christian, than to pretend that because there is a like-
ness in some of those miracles to the faint and imperfect
imitations of the miracles of Moses and the prophets,
that therefore they are to be rejected as fictitious, and as
copied from heathen originals ? Is it not more natural
to conclude that as they are of the same nature with
those of the Old Testament, performed for similar ends,
and in similar circumstances, therefore they undoubtedly
come from the same divine original ? and that whatever
is said against those of the saints, on account of their
resemblance to those of the heathens, will equally
affect those of the Scripture where the same resem-
blance is found ? This reasoning will appear in the
strongest light if we consider some of those very ex-
amples which Mr Brook makes use of to prove the
likeness for which he contends.

XXV. " Pythagoras," says he, " and Apollonius, if

124 CHAPTER XIII.

we may believe the writers of their lives, had an ad-
mirable gift of conversing with the brute creation."
And then he adds some instances related of the authority
they had over irrational creatures, and the obedience
which these paid to their commands ; but St Jerom re-
lates examples of such a power in St Hilarion and St
Anthony, as Ruffinus does of Macarius ; and thence he
concludes that these are no less fictitious than the
former. But had he remembered his Bible, he would
have found that Moses had a much greater power over
both the irrational and inanimate creation than anything
related of the two heathen philosophers ; witness his
conduct in the plagues of Egypt, where locusts, frogs,
and other vermin came up in innumerable multitudes to
punish the Egyptians at his desire, and at his desire dis-
appeared. It is true that in the Scripture account of
these things Moses is represented only as the instrument
in the hand of God in working these wonders ; but is
it pretended that St Hilarion, St Anthony, and St Maca-
rius were anything else in the wonderful power which
they exhibited over the brute creation ? Was it not in
the name of God, and for His glory, that they performed
these wonders ? Why, then, refer their miracles to the
fictitious stories of the heathens, and not rather to the
miracles of the Holy Scripture, to which they bear a much
greater likeness, both in themselves, and in the manner
and ends for which they were performed ?

XXVI. Again, says Mr Brook, it is related of Apol-
lonius that he could render himself invisible. The same
thing is related of certain saints, who being in imminent
danger of falling into the hands of enemies, and having
recourse to prayer, were rendered invisible, and by that
means escaped. But is it not also related in Holy
Writ that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 12$

struck with blindness with regard to the door of Lot's
house, so that they groped about and could not find it ?
and that the Syrian army sent to take the prophet Elisha
prisoner was treated in the same manner ? And did
not Christ Himself become invisible when they wished
to make Him king ? And did He not instantly render
Himself invisible to the two disciples at Emmaus after
He had made Himself known to them ?

XXVII. " There was a certain family," he proceeds
to say, " among the ancient inhabitants of Italy, called
the Hirpi, who once a year, when they sacrificed to
Apollo upon Mount Soracte, used to walk through the
fire unhurt. But the Christian monks far surpassed
these heathen priests in subduing the destructive power
of fire," of which he relates some examples ; and from
the similarity he finds between them, concludes that
these were no less fictitious than those of the Hirpi.
But is it not also related in the Word of God that the
three holy children walked in the midst of the fiery fur-
nace unhurt, even without so much as the smell of fire
upon their clothes ? And does not Mr Brook strenuously
defend the miracle that is related at the martyrdom of
St Polycarp, when being laid on a pile of wood, to which
fire was set, the flames refused to touch the saint, but
formed themselves into an arch around him, without
coming near him? How childish, then, is it to reject
instances of this kind in the fourth century, merely be-
cause of their resemblance to what is related among the
heathens, and yet so earnestly defend a much more un-
common effect of the same kind in the second? How
unjust are men in their balances, especially when
engaged in a bad cause !

XXVIII. " If Pythagoras and Empedocles," says he,
" had the power of suppressing winds and stopping hail, of

126 CHAPTER XIII.

calming storms, of making rivers and the sea itself afford
them and their companions an easy and safe passage,
Martin and Gregory have not suffered this power to go
unrivalled. True ; but does not the word of God afford
us several examples of the same kind ? The Red Sea
was obedient to Moses, the river Jordan to Joshua, and
they afforded them and all their armies an easy and safe
passage. Moses and Samuel commanded the storms
and hail, and they obeyed them. Our blessed Saviour
and St Peter walked upon the waters; and Christ re-
buked the stormy winds and the raging sea, and there
came a great calm. Is it, therefore, any thing incredible
that Almighty God should do by a Martin or a Gregory,
His holy and faithful servants, what He had so often
done to others from the earliest times ?

XXIX. Let us how stand still a while — to use the
words of Mr Brook himself upon this occasion — and take
a short review of this mighty argument, in which he so
loudly exults, and see what important purposes it may
serve. Can anything be more unchristian and uncharit-
able than to put miracles done by holy men, and in the
name of the living God, in the same class and upon the
same footing with the fictitious stories of the heathens,
to which they have but a distant and unimportant
likeness in the facts related; and' not rather class
them with those of the Holy Scriptures, to which they
bear the greatest resemblance, both in the facts them-
selves, and in all their circumstances ? Is it not
ridiculous to pretend that, on account of this faint like-
ness to heathen miracles, they are to be rejected as
fictitious, though ever so fully attested by the strongest
evidence? Let common sense judge and decide the
weight and importance of this argument.

XXX. After Mr Brook has collected all the various

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 12?

arguments used against the credibility of miracles in the
later ages, he concludes by attacking the testimony of
the holy fathers themselves who relate them ; and here
he is guilty of so much unfair dealing and misrepresenta-
tion, that even his admirers, if they reflect, will be
ashamed of it. It is not my intention to follow all that
he says on this head. I shall only observe two things :
first, his chief argument against the testimony of the holy
fathers, Saints Chrysostom, Augustine, Jerom, Ambrose,
and the others, is, that they contradict themselves and
one another in the testimony they give of miracles in
their days ; sometimes affirming that miracles have en-
tirely ceased, and even inquiring into the cause of this
cessation ; at other times relating miracles as performed
in different places even in their own times and presence.
On this Mr Brook expatiates with all his eloquence,
and, by those small arts which are well known in the
schools of logic, endeavours to display this argument
as unanswerable. But how unworthy and ungenerous
is this !

We have seen above, from the clearest testimony of
St Augustine in his retractations, the distinction between
the extension and universality of the chrismatic graces,
with the visible signs of the communication of the Holy
Ghost, and the performance of particular and occasional
miracles independent of these graces : the former is
acknowledged to have ceased before the days of St
Augustine ; the latter, we contend, has continued in
every age of the Church till this day. Now St Augus-
tine expressly declares, that wherever he speaks of the
cessation of miracles, he means only those of the former
kind, but by no means of the latter, many remarkable
instances of which, he assures us, were consistent with
his own personal knowledge. Mr Brook had read this

128 CHAPTER XIII.

passage of St Augustine, which is a key to all that the
other holy fathers have said upon this subject, and
entirely dissipates Mr Brook's objection. This he had
read in St Augustine, because he refers to it. How, then,
could he conceal the truth, and so grossly misrepresent
the sense and meaning of these holy men ?

XXXI. I observe, secondly, that Mr Brook, on this
head, uses many pitiful reflections, to throw suspicion on
the testimony of the fathers of the fourth and fifth ages,
similar to those used by Dr Middleton against all the
fathers in general, and which, if allowed, would stamp
them as so many fools and knaves. Now Mr Brook having
justly condemned all that the Doctor had said against
those of the first three ages, how can he give the same
ungenerous treatment to those of the fourth and fifth,
especially as the self-same arguments by which he con-
demns the Doctor equally condemn himself? For if
the fathers of the fourth and following ages were fools
and knaves, from whom nothing candid or impartial can
be expected, what becomes of the faith of history ? what
becomes of the Bible, which reaches us only through
their hands? what becomes of Christianity? Let Mr
Brook or his admirers answer these questions if they
can, and Dr Middleton's party will learn what answer to
give when they are urged by Mr Brook against them.

XXXII. I have now examined all the arguments of
any note used against the credibility of the miracles re-
lated after the first three ages, and I have shown that
they all proceed either upon false suppositions or misre-
presentations; that the conclusions drawn from them,
when the case is properly stated, have not the least con-
nection with the premises ; that they may all be used
by deists and heathens against the miracles related in
the Scriptures, with as great show of reason as they are

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 1 29

used against those of the fourth and following ages ; in
a word, that they are mere sophistry, clothed in pompous
language, sallies of wit and bold assertions, which may
indeed .impose upon superficial readers, but can never
bear the test of strict examination.

Mr Brook has said all that can be said upon the sub-
ject ; neither his ability nor inclination can be doubted.
Since, therefore, all that he has said is so little to the
purpose, we may infer that no reason can be brought
against the credibility of the miracles of the fourth and
following ages, either from the facts themselves, or
from their circumstances ; and, consequently, that such
miracles in these ages as are properly vouched for by
sufficient testimony, cannot in justice be rejected. This
is further confirmed by what we have seen in the preced-
ing chapter on the manner in which this question is treated
by Dr Middleton and his Protestant adversaries. Their
setting out by begging the question, and proceeding
upon the same principles ; their extending or limiting the
necessities of the Church as best suits their system;
their allowing the self-same reason to have the greatest
weight in one age, and none in another, — evidently shows
their utter want of all solid arguments against the con-
tinuation of miracles in any one age of the Church from
her commencement to the present time.

VOL. II.

130

CHAPTER XIV.

PRESUMPTIVE EVIDENCE FOR THE CONTINUATION
OF MIRACLES THROUGHOUT ALL AGES.

I. TT 7 HO EVER seriously considers what we have
V V stated in the two preceding chapters, will, I
presume, readily admit that no solid argument can be
produced against the credibility of miracles in whatever
age they are said to be performed, provided their existence
be sufficiently attested by unexceptionable witnesses.
We have carefully examined all the pretended arguments
usually employed to disprove the credibility of miracles ;
and we have shown them to be in every respect defective,
frivolous, and utterly incapable of even weakening the
credibility of any one well attested miracle. We are thus
brought back to what I showed in another place, that as
testimony is the only way by which the existence of
miracles can be proved to persons not eyewitnesses,
so it is a full, perfect, and sufficient means for this pur-
pose ; that all the metaphysical arguments brought
against any miracle a priori, and extrinsic to the testi-
mony, are mere sophisms, and can never have the least
weight or weaken the conviction which the force of
testimony gives ; and therefore, that the only rational

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 131

objection against a miracle must be such as strikes
directly at the testimony by which it is supported. We
might therefore supersede the consideration of all pre-
sumptive evidence for the perpetual continuation of
miracles in the Christian Church, and proceed to prove
it by positive testimony. But as we possess abundance
of such evidence, and that of a more satisfactory nature
than Protestant writers against Dr Middleton have used
to prove the continuation of miracles down to the various
periods assumed by them ; and as the production of this
will add strength and clearness to the positive proofs
which we shall afterwards consider, — I propose at present
to take a view of this presumptive evidence, and to show
the ground on which it stands.

II. Though Mr Brook proposes the presumptive evi-
dence for the miracles of the first three ages under
several heads, yet these are all reducible to this one
proposition and its consequence. " The exigencies of
the Church, for the support and propagation of reli-
gion, made it highly becoming Almighty God to work
miracles in these ages, therefore it was to be expected,
and we may reasonably presume that He did so." This
is the proposition upon which all the different systems
of the duration of miracles proceed.

Dr Middleton adopts this as his reason for the con-
tinuation of miracles during the apostolic age, yet smiles
at his adversaries for extending it beyond that age. He
pronounces it highly "rash and presumptuous to form
arguments upon the supposed necessity or propriety of
a divine interposition in this or that particular case, and
to decide upon the motives and views of the Deity by
the narrow conceptions of human reason." — Pref., p. 20.
This is certainly a just remark, in which we cordially
agree \vith the Doctor, especially under .the. authority

132 CHAPTER XIV.

of St Paul, who, sensible of this great truth, exclaims,
in a rapture of admiration, " O the depth of the riches
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! how un-
searchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding
out ! for who hath known the mind of the Lord, or
who hath been His counsellor?" Rom. xi. 33. And
indeed there is nothing wherein our modern Christian
infidels more manifestly expose their impious presump-
tion, than in measuring the ways of God by their own
narrow conceptions; reducing the works of the Om-
nipotent to the examination of their judgment, and
boldly deciding by the feeble light of their blind un-
derstandings what it becomes or does not become the
Deity to do.

Instead of this, the Doctor assures us, with no" less
reason, that " the whole which the wit of man can
possibly discover, either of the ways or will of the
Creator, must be acquired by a contrary method ; not by
imagining vainly within ourselves what may be proper or
improper for Him to do, but by looking abroad, and con-
templating what He has actually done." This rule is
most judicious, and contains safe ground on which to
proceed ; for though there must be innumerable cases in
which it will become the Almighty to act, though we
can by no means judge of the propriety of these a
priori, yet certain it is that God will never act either
in the ordinary course of His providence, or by an
extraordinary interposition, but when this is highly proper
and becoming. If we contemplate, then, what Almighty
God has actually done, in certain circumstances and
for certain ends, we may safely conclude that it highly
becomes Him to act in the same manner in similar
circumstances, and where the same ends are to be ob-
tained ; and from this we draw as an undoubted conse-

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 133

quence, that it is then to be expected, and we may
reasonably presume He will do so.

However just and reasonable the above rule is, yet
the Doctor is far from being as reasonable in the appli-
cation of it ; for he proceeds to tell us, that the only way
by which we are to know what God actually has done,
is "by attending seriously to that revelation which He
made of Himself from the beginning, and placed con-
tinually before our eyes in the wonderful works and
beautiful fabric of this visible world." — Pref., p. 21.
Here the Doctor is doubtless to be blamed ; for though
this might suit a deist, who acknowledges no revelation
but in the works of the creation, to admit no other way
of knowing what God has done but by contemplating
these works, yet it is ridiculous in a Christian who
believes the sacred Scriptures to be the Word of God.
These sacred writings contain an ample account of the
conduct of the Almighty in a great variety of cases con-
cerning the affairs of men, and of the dispositions of His
providence in the government of this universe. Not only,
then, in the works of the creation, but also in these divine
oracles of the Scriptures, we have an ample field wherein to
contemplatewhat God has actually done in many instances,
and from them we may conclude with the greatest certainty
what is at all times becoming Him to do in similar cases.

III. It is upon this ground that our presumptive evi-
dence for the perpetual continuation of miracles is
founded ; and from this will be seen at once the wide
difference between the nature of the evidence brought
by us, and that used by Dr Middleton and his Pro-
testant adversaries for their systems. Theirs is founded
upon this general position, the exigencies of the Church,
which each one interprets and applies according to his
fancy, judging of the views and motives of the Deity by

134 CHAPTER XIV.

the narrow conceptions of human reason. For this the
Doctor justly ridicules the others, though he also uses it
when it serves his own purpose.

The presumptive evidence which I propose to bring is
founded upon solid facts, recorded for our instruction by
the authority of God Himself, and from which the con-
clusion flows with undoubted certainty ; so that, though
I term it presumptive evidence, yet when the force of it
is well considered and fully comprehended, it must be
allowed to be evidence of the highest kind, even bor-
dering upon absolute proof.

IV. But though the Doctor, as a Christian, is justly
blamed for restricting to the works of the creation the
means of knowing what God has actually done, and for
excluding, by that limitation, all our knowledge from His
holy Scriptures, yet doubtless the works of creation are
not to be rejected. On the contrary, they afford us
a noble field for such contemplation, and a strong pre-
sumptive proof for the continuation of miracles.

When treating of the ends of miracles as manifested
by the light of reason, we considered the glorious fabric
of this visible creation ; we examined the nature of good
and evil with relation to different creatures; we com-
pared the material part of the creation with the rational
and intelligent, in order to know their respective value.
We considered the intention and views which God
had in the inanimate creation, and in all those laws by
which the material world is governed. We reviewed the
beneficent purposes which are manifest throughout the
whole creation ; and from our reasonings on these heads,
confirmed by revelation, we drew as a necessary conse-
quence, "That the rational and intelligent creatures are
the chief, and by far the most excellent, part of the crea-
tion; that without them the others are of little or no

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 135

value; that they are the principal object of the care
and attention of the Creator ; that other inferior beings
are made only to serve, either mediately or immediately,
to their happiness and perfection ; — and therefore, as the
present order and laws of nature are established only as
subservient to these great ends, and for promoting by
them the glory of the Creator, it is not only reasonable,
but highly becoming the infinite wisdom and goodness
of God, to suspend any of these laws, and alter the pre-
sent order of things, or to perform any other miraculous
effects, either by procuring the happiness and perfection
of His rational creatures, or by averting their misery and
moral turpitude, or even by inflicting just punishment
upon them, as His own honour and glory may require.
Nay, should it happen that these ends could not be
so perfectly acquired by ordinary means, it would then
not only be becoming Almighty God, but even in a
manner incumbent on Him to work a miracle in order to
procure them."

In the same chapter we showed that miracles are
always much more effectual for procuring happiness and
moral good, and for preventing misery and moral evil in
intelligent creatures, than ordinary means by the agency
of second causes ; and therefore, not only that Almighty
God may, but that it is most becoming His divine good-
ness that He should, from time to time use them for such
ends. Our reasoning on this subject is not restricted to
time nor place ; it has equal force in all countries and in
all ages. It is as convincing under the Gospel as under
the law ; in the eighteenth century of Christianity as in
the times of the apostles. Wherever, therefore, the hap-
piness or moral perfection of rational creatures is to be
promoted, and especially where the ordinary means for
doing so are ineffectual or less proper, it is highly becom-

136 CHAPTER XIV.

ing the divine goodness to interpose by miracles for so
worthy and laudable a purpose; and therefore it is highly
reasonable to presume that He will from time to time
continue to do so throughout all ages to the end of the
world.

Even from the limited view of the divine conduct taken
by Dr Middleton in the contemplation of the visible
creation, we find a strong and just presumption to believe
that the Divine Wisdom has by no means confined the
working of miracles to any particular period of time ;
but that as the happiness and perfection of His rational
creatures will be a continual object of His desire while
time endures, so it will at all times be highly becoming
His goodness to perform miracles in order to procure
them. But if we consider that more extensive view
which God Himself has unfolded to us in His holy
Scriptures, we shall there find stronger grounds to be-
lieve that miracles will never cease in the Church of
Christ. These grounds are taken from the following
sources: i. From the conduct of God in the old law;
2. From the conduct of Jesus Christ in the Gospel ; 3.
From the promises of Christ ; and 4. From what we
are told will happen at the end of the world ; — each of
which we must consider separately by the light of
revelation.

V. By revelation we are informed that when man was
lost by sin, and had become a prey to the delusions of
Satan, this impious spirit endeavoured to extend his
empire over the entire world, and to become sole master
of the hearts of .men. That although Almighty God, in
His infinite mercy, had determined to redeem lost man,
and restore him to that happiness of which he had been
deprived by sin, yet, for just and wise purposes, He
delayed this great work for many ages, and in the mean

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 137

time permitted man to be deluded by the devil, and
hurried on by him to every excess of wickedness and
vice, that his pride might be confounded, and that ex-
perience might convince him of his extreme misery
and weakness, and his great need of a Redeemer. But
whilst mankind in general were thus abandoned to them-
selves, Almighty God was pleased to select one nation,
which He preserved from this general corruption, and to
which He made an express revelation of Himself and
of His will, of the religious worship which He required
from them, and of the law by which He commanded
them to walk. This revelation was made by Moses and
the prophets, to whom God communicated His will, and
gave authority to announce it to His people. But it was
imperfect compared to what was afterwards to be made
known by our Redeemer, of Whom the holy prophets
predicted that He would come in the fulness of time
to give a perfect revelation of the will of God to
men, to disclose to them the secrets of the divine
wisdom, to bring all nations to the knowledge of
the true God, and to teach them a more holy law and
a more perfect worship, of which all that had been
taught by Moses was only a shadow, a figure, and an
emblem.

God in the mean time showed a peculiar care of His
chosen people, whom He made the depositaries of His
divine oracles, sending from time to time His servants
to teach, instruct, exhort, and preserve them in His ser-
vice. At last the Redeemer Himself appeared, clothed
with the omnipotence of God, by which He gave the
most convincing proofs of His mission, fulfilled and
abolished the Mosaic institution, and manifested to the
world that pure and holy religion which was to be the
only means of salvation to mankind, and which therefore

138 CHAPTER XIV.

was to be the religion of all nations, and to continue to
the end of the world.

Here then we find that Almighty God has made two
separate external revelations of His will to men, the one
by Moses, the other by Jesus Christ His Son. The for-
mer was imperfect both with regard to the knowledge
which it imparted of God and of heavenly things, and
with regard to the nature of the worship required by it
from man. The latter was full and ample in both respects,
giving us a glorious knowledge of God and of a future
world, and discovering to us a most pure and holy wor-
ship due to the sovereign Being from us His creatures.
The Mosaic institution, with all its sacrifices and cere-
monies, was only a shadow of the good things to come,
a figure and emblem of the religion of Jesus, and was
therefore incapable of cleansing the soul from sin, and of
perfectly reconciling man with his offended Creator.

The Christian religion is the substance, of which the
former was only the shadow, and it contains in itself every
celestial grace and benediction necessary for the perfect
sanctification of our souls, and for bringing us to the
possession of eternal happiness. The religion of Moses
was temporary, and to continue only till the Redeemer
should appear, being intended to prepare the world for
receiving the more perfect religion of Jesus. But this
was confined to no space of time ; it is to last till the end
of the world, while the sun and moon shall endure.
Finally, the law of Moses was given only to one nation,
and confined to one people; the law of grace under
Jesus Christ is intended for all nations, to bring all to
the knowledge and service of the true God, and to be
established from the rising of the sun to the going down
thereof.

VI. Jesus Christ being come into the world, the law

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 139

of Moses was abolished, and an end put to his institu-
tion, that the more perfect religion of Jesus might be
established in its place. Now Almighty God has been
pleased to give us a particular history, authorised by
Himself, of the conduct of His divine providence during
the whole time of the Mosaic institution. In this his-
tory we have an account of vast numbers of miracles
performed by God on various occasions, and for many
different ends, during that period. From this we evi-
dently see, by the authority of God Himself, on what
occasions and for what ends it is worthy of Almighty
God, and becoming His divine goodness, to work mir-
acles. If, therefore, we find that the same occasions must
frequently occur, and the same or similar ends come
every day to be promoted in all ages of Christianity, it
must follow that it will at all times be equally worthy of
Almighty God, and equally becoming His goodness, to
perform miracles on these occasions. We have there-
fore the strongest reason to presume that from time
to time God will continue to do so in every age to the
end of the world. Nay, we shall find, when we come
to consider the particular cases, that there is much
greater reason to expect this in the Christian Church
than there was under the Jewish law.

VII. In explaining the ends of miracles from re-
velation, I have given an ample detail of the various
occasions on which Almighty God wrought miracles
under the old law, and Of the several ends which he had
in view. Some of these tended more immediately to
promote the divine glory by the general good of the
whole people ; others seemed to have for their more im-
mediate object the perfection or happiness of particular
persons only ; though by being afterwards published to
the world, they contributed no less than the former to

I4O CHAPTER XIV.

the divine glory and the good of mankind, as to their
grand and ultimate end.

Of the first kind were chiefly these following : i. To
convince mankind that the doctrine preached to them
by those who wrought these miracles in the name of God
was truly His doctrine, and thereby to engage them the
more readily to receive it, and the more steadfastly to
adhere to the belief and profession of it. 2. For defend-
ing the doctrine thus revealed to them, and for preserv-
ing the religion which He had given to His people against
all attempts in after-ages to corrupt and destroy it. 3.
For asserting His own honour against all false gods, and
their idolatrous worship. 4. For engaging His people to
believe and trust in Him, to love Him, to obey Him,
and to serve Him only, and thus to promote the sancti-
fication and perfection of their own souls. 5. To assert
and vindicate the honour of His priesthood, and of all
holy things more immediately used in His service, and
to procure for them due respect and veneration. 6. To
manifest the sanctity of holy persons, whom He sends
from time to time as His messengers to men, and to gain
for them due credit and respect, that, by their words and
example, others may be excited to greater piety and fer-
vour. 7. To convince idolaters, and those who know
Him not, that He is the only true God, when He is
pleased to communicate the knowledge of Himself and
of His holy will to them.

Of the second kind, where the immediate end intended
was the benefit of particular persons only, we considered
four different classes. The first contains those cases
where Almighty God, in communicating any truth, com-
mission, or promise to a particular person, either immedi-
ately or by others, was pleased to convince them by mir-
acles that those things were really from Him, and not

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 14!

delusions. The second contains those cases where we
find Almighty God condescending to work miracles in
favour of particular persons, as a reward of their virtuous
actions, particularly their acts of charity, their confidence
in His goodness, and constancy in His service. In the
third class, I collected those examples where we find the
divine goodness working miracles, and frequently of the
first order, merely to supply the corporal wants of par-
ticular persons, and sometimes where these were so little
important as might, to unassisted natural reason, appear
unworthy of such divine interposition. The last class
contains those cases where the Divine Wisdom was
pleased to work miracles for the punishment or correc-
tion of sinners, as the immediate end intended, and for
the manifestation and exaltation of His justice in those
who rejected the offers of His mercy.

VIII. No Christian can deny that all these ends of
miracles were worthy of God, and that it was becoming
His divine wisdom to perform the most stupendous mir-
acles in order to procure them. Now, if it was thus
worthy of God to perform miracles for these ends in the
old law, it must at least be equally so in the new. To
illustrate this in each particular case would carry us to
too great a length, so I shall confine myself to a few of
the most. remarkable examples.

IX. The Christian religion assures us that Almighty
God has been pleased to make two different revelations
of Himself to man ; the one, less perfect, by Moses — the
other, most ample and perfect, by Jesus Christ. In the
first of these He declared several important truths to
mankind concerning Himself, and delivered a body of
laws to His people, of which He demanded the most
exact observance. It was necessary, therefore, that they
should be thoroughly convinced that this revelation

142 CHAPTER XIV.

was from Him, the Creator and sovereign Lord of the
universe.

He could, undoubtedly, have infused into their minds
a thorough knowledge and full conviction of these things
without having recourse to any external means whatever.
But this would have been acting in a manner supernat-
ural, and by no means suited to the state and condition of
mankind. Moreover, this would have been forcing con-
viction upon them, and depriving them of all exercise of
free-will. This method, therefore, God did not employ ;
but, giving commission to His servant Moses to declare
His will to His people, He thought it worthy His infinite
goodness to work surprising miracles by the hand of
Moses in their presence, as convincing proofs that he
was authorised by Him. These were proofs exactly
suited to their state and condition, falling under the
scrutiny and examination of their senses.

But though these proofs carried with them the
strongest conviction of the truth of what Moses taught,
yet they did not deprive the people of their free-will, nor
force them to believe. Nay, we find that, notwithstand-
ing those proofs, they frequently rebelled against the
light attending them, and murmured against Moses, as if
he had deceived them. Hence, in receiving this revela-
tion as from God, and subjecting themselves to this law
as coming from Him, their service was reasonable, free,
and voluntary, and such as God requires from His rational
creatures. It was not only becoming the Divine Wisdom,
then, to confirm this revelation by miracles, but it was
even necessary that He should do so, on the supposition
that He desired such a voluntary service from His
people.

X. Now, if this was the case with the first revelation
which God made of His will to mankind ; if it was even

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 143

necessary, in order to obtain a reasonable and voluntary
service from His people, it must be no less becoming His
divine goodness when making His second and more per-
fect revelation to the world. A little reflection will show
that this was even much more necessary in the latter case
than in the former. In the first place, the truths which
He revealed by Jesus Christ concerning Himself and
supernatural things, were far more sublime, more incom-
prehensible, more spiritual than those which He revealed
by Moses ; and yet He demands the most submissive
belief in them. The law promulgated by Jesus Christ
was far more holy, more opposed to self-love, to all the
desires and inclinations of our corrupt nature, than the
law of Moses, and yet He requires the most complete
obedience to it. The sacrifice of our heart, of our affec-
tions, the mortification of all our carnal desires, and the
sanctity and perfection which God demands under the
Gospel, are greater and more sublime than He required
under the old law. If, then, miracles were necessary in
order to procure credit to the revelation of the less perfect
law, requiring the belief and practice of things less difficult
to flesh and blood, much more necessary must it be to em-
ploy the same powerful means, in order to convince man-
kind of the divine revelation of the Gospel, where truths
so much more incomprehensible are proposed to ourbelief,
and greater perfection is required from us in practice.

In the revelation made by Moses, the people were ex-
pressly forbidden so much as to give ear to any one who
should invite them to leave their religion, even though he
should appeal to signs, and those signs should come to
pass. Most necessary, therefore, was it on the revelation of
the Gospel, by which the law was abolished, and a more
pure and holy worship substituted in its place, not only
that miracles should be performed in confirmation of it,

144 CHAPTER XIV.

but even that these miracles should be so extraordinary,
both in greatness and in number, as to overrule the above
prohibition, and convince the Jews that the author of
this revelation was the expected Messias. Lastly, the
revelation made by Moses was made to a people already
acquainted with the true God, the children of the pa-
triarchs, who had preserved the memory of the pro-
mises made to their fathers, and who were at the time
in a state of cruel slavery, from which the first step of
this revelation was to deliver them. All this, of course,
powerfully disposed their minds to receive and embrace
it. The revelation of the Gospel, on the contrary, was
chiefly intended for the heathen world, a people abso-
lutely ignorant of the true God, sunk in gross idolatry,
vice, and wickedness, and whose principles, practices,
and affections were all directly opposed to the pure
maxims contained in that revelation. Consequently, if
it was not only worthy of God, but even necessary,
to work miracles for the establishment of the Mosaic
revelation, how much more worthy of the divine good-
ness, how much more necessary, was it to work more
and even greater miracles in order to establish the Gos-
pel among a people from whom, on so many accounts,
it was to find the most inveterate opposition ! If, there-
fore, it was so worthy of God to do this, and so necessary
for the purpose He intended of subjecting all nations to
the yoke of Christ, this affords a strong and well-founded
presumption that He would actually do so.

XI. We may further observe that, as the Gospel revela-
tion was intended not for one people only, as was that of
Moses, but for all the nations of the world — and as these
were equally ignorant of the true God, and guided by
principles and affections equally opposed to the rules of
the Gospel — the necessity of miracles to overcome all

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 145

opposition, and conquer the force of prejudice and self-
love, was not confined to its first appearance in one or
two nations only, but was equally great in every nation
wherever it was first preached. It was therefore equally
worthy of God to introduce the knowledge and belief
of the Gospel among all these different nations, by work-
ing miracles for that end. Besides, as the knowledge of
the Gospel was not to be communicated at once to all
nations, but, by the disposition of the divine providence,
was to be the work of many succeeding ages, even till
near the end of the world, we have the same strong and
well-founded presumption, as above, to expect that the
miraculous powers will therefore continue in the Church
of Christ throughout all ages, and will never fail to be
exerted when new heathen nations are to be brought to
the knowledge and belief of the Gospel, by those holy
souls whom God shall be pleased to raise up and employ
as His instruments for that purpose.

XII. Dr Middleton, indeed, makes much parade of
the genuine strength of the Gospel, and of the natural
force of the divine graces with which it was so richly
stored — faith, hope, and charity ; and he pretends in his
preface to the Free Inquiry, that as soon as Christianity
had gained an establishment in every quarter of the
known world, which he thinks might have happened
before the death of all the apostles, there was no longer
any need of miracles. He concludes, therefore, that they
were then finally withdrawn, and that the Gospel was left
to make its way by its own strength and the above divine
graces. This is an argument used not only by Dr Middle-
ton for the cessation of miracles in the apostolic age, but
also by some of his Protestant adversaries to prove their
cessation after the respective periods assigned them ; for
they all pretend that the exigencies of the Church being

VOL. II. K

146 CHAPTER XIV.

the only reason why miracles were wrought, and these
exigencies continuing as long as they are pleased to
allow, and no longer, they assert that on their cessation
miracles must have ceased also. This argument has a
specious appearance, and therefore it is proper to ex-
amine its real worth.

XIII. I would ask these gentlemen what they under-
stand by the genuine strength of the Gospel and by the
divine graces, faith, hope, and charity, with which it is
so richly stored ? If they mean that when the Gospel is
cordially received and embraced by any persons or people,
and when these divine virtues take full possession of their
hearts, it is capable of producing the most admirable
effects, by the change it works in their hearts, affections,
whole conduct and behaviour — it will be readily ad-
mitted that its strength in this respect is admirable.
To be convinced of this we need only read the won-
derful effects which it produced in the apostles them-
selves, and in the first Christians, as related in the
holy Scripture ; but in this sense it is nothing at all
to their purpose.

If they mean that when the Gospel is thus received
by a whole nation, and established in it by law, there is
no longer any need of miracles to induce that nation to
embrace it ; this also will be readily granted, but it is
as little to their purpose as the former. If they mean
that when a considerable number in any nation have
cordially embraced the Gospel, the strength of their
faith, hope, and charity will suffice to enable it to
make its way through all the rest of that nation, and
to convert the whole without the help of miracles ;
this is certainly false, and contrary to experience. No
doubt the sanctity and virtues of Christians are great
arguments in favour of their religion ; but alone, they

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 147

are too weak to induce heathens, who have little idea
of true virtue, to embrace it. Were there ever more
holy, more virtuous and perfect Christians than the
apostles and the first converts ? Yet their virtue and
holiness were not the means by which they converted
others, but the miracles which they wrought, and to
which they always appealed in proof of their doctrine.

If they mean that were Christianity once fully estab-
lished in any large country, such as the Roman em-
pire, it then acquires sufficient strength to spread itself
throughout the other nations by the divine virtues of
faith, hope, and charity, without the further aid of
miracles ; this is no less false and contrary to experience
than the former case. Lastly, if they mean that, when
Christianity is fully established in any country, the solid
reasons that can be given to prove its truth, and the
motives of credibility adduced in its favour, are sufficient
to convince any reasonable man of its divine origin ;
this will readily be acknowledged with regard to the
people of that country -who have been brought up from
infancy in the knowledge of it, provided they believe
all the motives of credibility on which it is founded, of
which the miracles wrought at its first establishment
are certainly one of the most essential.

But experience shows that all these motives of credi-
bility are too weak to convince even those who, having
been educated in the knowledge of Christianity, after-
wards become atheists or deists, deny the existence of
miracles at its first establishment, and would require
other miracles performed before their own eyes to con-
vince them. Now. if this be the case, even in those .
who have enjoyed the advantage of a Christian educa-
tion, what can be expected from a barbarous, heathen
nation, sunk in ignorance and vice, and whose principles,

148 CHAPTER XIV.

affections, and practices are as much opposed to the
pure maxims of the Gospel as those of the Romans
were when it first appeared among them?

We may illustrate this by a particular case, which will
at once show the force of the argument. Let us suppose
that not only the Roman empire, but that all Europe had
cordially embraced the Gospel ; that, like the first Chris-
tians, they continued " steadfast in the doctrine of the
apostles, and had all but one mind and one soul;" that
faith, hope, and charity had taken root so deeply in
their hearts that they were all perfect Christians. Surely
if ever the genuine strength of the Gospel appeared in
the world it would appear in this case. Let us suppose,
further, that many learned men among them had dis-
played in the strongest light, and with all the power of
eloquence, the motives of credibility in proof of the
truth of their religion. Yet what would all this serve to
the conversion of the people of China or Japan, or of
the wild Indians of America?

Let a number of European • missionaries go among
these people, burning with zeal, and full of faith, hope,
and charity; suppose them to learn their language and
preach the Gospel among them, — would all that they
could say, without the aid of miracles, be more effectual
to convert these people, than the zeal of the apostles
was in their fervent preaching to the heathen world in
their days? And if miracles were necessary to give a
sanction to what the apostles taught, notwithstanding
their sanctity and zeal, will they not be at least equally
so in the other case, even though we suppose the sanctity
and zeal of these preachers equal to that of the apostles?
Will not the doctrine of the cross, on being proposed to
the Chinese and Indians, appear as great folly as it did

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 149

when proposed to the Romans? Would not all the
mysteries of the Gospel be as incomprehensible to them
as they were to the Gentiles in the days of the apostles?
Would -not the passions, prejudices, and vices of these
nations, be as great an obstacle to their embracing the
pure maxims of the Gospel as those of the heathens were
at its first promulgation ?

If it be said that the solid reasons and motives of
credibility could be displayed to these people to convince
them, it must be remembered that the chief and most
essential of these motives are the miracles wrought at
the first establishment of Christianity. And must not
these appear as incredible to a nation that never heard
of them before as the very mysteries themselves, of
which they are the proofs ? Besides, the motives of
credibility would be only for the learned ; the great
multitude of the people could not penetrate nor com-
prehend them. If, therefore, when the Gospel is first
proposed to any heathen nation, its obstacles and diffi-
culties, both from its doctrines and maxims, and from
the passions, prejudices, and vices of men — and we may
add also, from the efforts of the devil to oppose it — must
be as great in all succeeding ages as at its first appearance
in the world, it must of course be no less worthy of God,
and no less necessary for converting any nation, to work
miracles in every succeeding age to the end of the world,
than it was at the first establishment of Christianity.

XIV. This will appear still further if we consider
that, under the Mosaic dispensation, when Almighty
God would bring even particular persons among the
heathens to the knowledge of Himself, and of what was
then His true religion, He made use of miracles as
the proper means ; and we have seen above, that

ISO CHAPTER XIV.

He regarded this .as an end most worthy of such
divine interposition. Thus He miraculously cured Na-
aman's leprosy to procure his conversion. The miracu-
lous preservation of the three children in the fiery furnace,
and of Daniel in the lions' den, effectually convinced
two great and powerful ' heathen kings, that the God
Whom these holy men served was the only true God, the
sovereign Lord of heaven and earth. If, therefore, it
was worthy of Almighty God to work such glorious
miracles under the law, for convincing individuals of
His being the true God, even so many ages after that
law was established among His people, how much
more worthy of Him must it be to work miracles in
every age of His Church, when the conversion of whole
nations to the faith of Christ is the end to be gained by
them !

XV. The preservation of the true religion, once estab-
lished, from all attempts to corrupt or to destroy it, is
another end which Almighty God judged worthy to
secure under the law by working surprising miracles.
This He did, whether those were the attempts of open
force or secret fraud ; whether the danger arose from
heathens persecuting from without, or from the designs
of impious men among the people of God themselves.
See this illustrated by numerous examples in chap. vi.
Now, from this conduct of the divine wisdom under the
law, the probability of the same under the Gospel is
exceedingly strong. The works of God are not like
the works of men, subject to be corrupted and de-
stroyed by numberless accidents, contrary to the will
and design of those who perform them. When Almighty
God performs any work, no power of man, no malice of
hell, can destroy it against His will, or frustrate His
views and designs in performing it ; not a hair of your

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 15!

head falls to the ground without your heavenly Father,
as we are assured by Christ Himself.

When the law was given by Moses, and the whole
ceremonial of religion ordained among the Jews, the
design of Almighty God was that this religion should
continue to be professed and practised by them till the
coming of the Messiah ; that whilst the rest of mankind
were, by His incomprehensible judgments, permitted to
follow their own inventions, and to be led away by the
delusions of Satan, there might never be wanting one
nation at least wherein the worship of the true God should
be preserved and practised. Almighty God, then, hav-
ing thus determined that this religion should continue on
the earth among His chosen people till the promised
Redeemer should come to perfect it, never failed to
protect and defend it by miracles whenever any attempt
was made against it.

If we examine the idea which the Scriptures give us of
the doctrine taught by Christ, and of the duration of the
Christian religion in the world, we shall find, from the
declarations of God Himself, that it was His express
design and resolution that the purity of His true
doctrine should never be corrupted in His Church,
but that this holy religion should remain to the end
of ages, in spite of every attempt to destroy it. Among
the many testimonies of Holy Writ on this point, the fol-
lowing are particularly beautiful. In Isaiah, lix. 19,
Almighty God makes this glorious promise to the Chris-
tian Church : " So shall they fear the name of the Lord
from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun.
When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the
Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them
that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord

152 CHAPTER XIV.

And as for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the
Lord. My Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which
I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy
mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the
mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth
and for ever."

Let any person consider these words attentively, and
say if it was possible to declare in stronger terms that
the Spirit of God should never leave the true posterity of
Jesus Christ, and that the pure doctrine once revealed to
them should never depart from among them while the
world endures. Almighty God expressly declares, that
" when the enemy shall come in like a flood," and attempt
to corrupt or destroy the work of God, His Holy Spirit,
always abiding with His Church, " shall lift up a standard
against him," to preserve the purity of the truth once put
in her mouth, against all the rage and fury of the enemy
and his utmost efforts to destroy it.

Another glorious promise to the same purpose we have
in Psalm Ixxxix. 3, where God says, " I have made a
covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my
servant. Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build
up thy throne to all generations." Verse 27, &c. : " I will
make him my first-born higher than the kings of the earth.
My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my
covenant shall stand fast with him. His seed also will I
make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of
heaven. Once have I sworn in my holiness, that I will
not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and
his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established
for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven.''

This beautiful promise, confirmed by a solemn oath, that
Christ, the true David, should reign for ever — that the
Church, His kingdom, should last to the end of ages—

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 153

and that His seed should endure whilst the sun and moon
have their being, — needs no application ; it speaks for
itself in the plainest terms. This is again confirmed by
the angel Gabriel, and expressly applied to Christ, when
he tells the blessed Virgin that her Son should sit on " the
throne of His father David, and reign over the house of
Jacob for ever ; and of His kingdom," said he, " there
shall be no end," Luke, i. 33. Christ Himself also
assures us of the same truth, when He says, " Upon this
rock will I build my Church, and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against her," Matt. xvi. 18.

In these words He declares the perpetual stability of
His Church by the solid foundation on which she is
built. He foretells, indeed, that the gates of hell will
continue their attempts to destroy her, but in vain ;
for He at the same time pledges His sacred word that
they shall never be able to prevail against her — nay, in
the fourteenth and sixteenth chapters of St John, He
assures us, that after His ascension into heaven He would
send the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of truth, upon His fol-
lowers, who should abide with them for ever ; and that
His office should be to teach them all truth. In this
promise He verifies what Almighty God had said by
Isaiah many ages before, that the Holy Spirit to be given
to the Redeemer, and the words once put in His mouth
should never depart from the mouth of His seed, from
henceforth and for ever.

XVI. From these testimonies of the Word of God
the following truths manifestly flow : i. That the king-
dom of Christ, His Church, shall continue till the end
of ages, whilst the sun and the moon endure. 2. That
the true doctrine revealed by Him to His Church, the
words which He puts in her mouth, shall never depart
out of her mouth, but continue to be constantly taught

154 CHAPTER XIV.

and professed by her from henceforth and for ever.
3. That the enemy, the gates of hell, will assault her
with all their power, coming upon her like a flood, and
like a torrent to overwhelm and destroy her. But, 4.
That God will never fail on all occasions to protect and
defend her ; that the Spirit of the Lord, her guardian
and teacher, shall lift up a standard against the enemy
which will baffle all his attempts, so that hell's proud
gates shall never prevail against her — nay, instead of
prevailing, we are further assured that those wicked
men, whom the enemy will stir up as his instruments to
fight against Christ and His Church, shall themselves
be brought to ruin and desolation, as the just punish-
ment of their impious attempts. " Behold," says Almighty
God, foretelling the attempts of wicked men against His
Church — "behold, they shall surely gather together, but
not by me;" and He immediately adds their doom —
" Whoever shall gather together against thee, shall fall
for thy sake. No weapon that is formed against thee
shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against
thee in judgment thou shalt condemn," Isa. liv. To
the same purpose He speaks in Ps. Ixxxix. above cited,
where, after the promises made to Christ, the true David,
He adds, ver. 22, " The enemy shall not exact upon him,
nor the son of wickedness afflict him, and I will beat
down his foes before his face, and plague them that
hate him."

XVII. That these prophecies of the attempts of the
enemy against the Church of Christ have been literally
fulfilled we are assured from the histories of all ages.
No sooner did she appear in the world, and send forth
her zealous pastors to declare the glad tidings of salva-
tion to mankind, than immediately the most violent and
cruel persecutions were raised against her. Hell seemed

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 155

let loose, and. having engaged the greatest powers of
earth on its side, and inflamed the violent passions and
malice of the human heart, aimed at nothing less than
her entire ruin. But in vain ; her divine Master lifted
up His standard in her defence, her foes were beaten
down before her face — idolatry, that rose up against her,
fell for her sake, and she at last gloriously triumphed
over all her enemies.

Scarcely was peace restored to the Church by the
conversion of the Roman emperors, when the powers
of hell attacked her in another and more dangerous
manner. Though driven out of one stronghold, they did
not desist from their attempts ; they shifted their ground,
but laid not aside their malice. Finding her an over-
match in the open field, they hoped to accomplish by
secret fraud what they could not achieve by open force ;
and as they were not able by persecutions to extinguish
her faith, they endeavoured by heresies to change and
to corrupt it.

St Paul, foreseeing the unrelenting attempts of Satan,
foretells that " there must be also heresies among you,
that they which are approved may be made manifest,"
i Cor. xi. 19 ; thereby pointing out the reason why the
Divine Wisdom would allow these things, for the greater
merit of His -faithful servants, who should stand fast
under all these dangers. Now, to promote this his
design against the Church with the greater certainty,
Satan makes use of her own rebellious children —
" Men," as St Paul describes them, " lovers of their own
selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemous — incon-
tinent, fierce, despisers of them that are good, traitors,
heady, high - minded, lovers of pleasures more than
lovers of God." These, the better to accomplish their
ends, though rapacious wolves, clothe themselves with

156 CHAPTER XIV.

sheep's clothing ; put on a form, an outward show, " of
godliness, but denying the power thereof; men of corrupt
minds, and reprobate concerning the faith," 2 Tim. iii.

Men of this kind the devil stirs up from among the
children of the Church, who, as the same great apostle
tells us, " Depart from the true faith, giving heed to
seducing spirits and the doctrines of devils, speaking
lies in hypocrisy, and having their consciences seared as
with a hot iron," i Tim. iv. Having corrupted their
faith, and hardened them in his service, he uses them
to spread his doctrines among others, to seduce the
faithful by false doctrines, and, if possible, to make lies
and falsehood triumph over the truths of Jesus. But
in vain ; the same divine power which protected the
spouse of Christ from open force, will, we are as-
sured, equally defend her from these secret snares.
Through the unsearchable judgments of God these dan-
gerous attempts shall prevail with many, but, when
they have come to the length permitted by divine pro-
vidence, we are assured, by the same great apostle, that
then " they shall proceed no further, for their folly shall
be made manifest to all men," i Tim. iii. 9.

St Peter also, describing these attempts of Satan
against the truth, speaks thus : " There shall be false
teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable
heresies ;" but he immediately assures us that " they
bring upon themselves swift destruction ;" and though he
also lets us know that " many shall follow their pernicious
ways by whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of,"
yet he immediately adds, that " their judgment now of
a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slum-
bereth not," 2 Pet. ii.

In the description given us by these two apostles, we

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 157

see displayed the nature of those violent and dangerous
snares which the gates of hell will use in all ages against
the Church; but we are assured that they never shall
prevail against her, that they shall proceed no farther,
that they shall fall for her sake, and their damnation
shall not slumber. That is to say, we are assured that
whilst God permits the devil to rage against His Church,
and to endeavour to corrupt the purity of her doctrine
by heresies, He never fails at the same time to defend
her truth, to manifest their folly, and to give her in the
end a triumphant victory over all their efforts.

XVIII. Now, what are the means which we may
expect the divine wisdom will employ for this purpose ?
The invincible fortitude of martyrs ? the heroic constancy
of confessors ? the zealous labours of the Church pastors ?
All these, no doubt, will greatly contribute to confirm the
faithful and defend the purity of the true doctrine. But
these alone will not suffice. Nay, all these in some degree
are to be found even among heretics. Heresy has had
its martyrs, who, blinded by their passions, and excited
by enthusiasm, have gone to death in profession of their
false doctrines. Heresy, also, has had its confessors, who
have suffered imprisonment and banishment for its sake ;
and among the characters which St Paul gives of heretics,
one is the putting on a form of godliness, an outward
show of piety, of zeal, of virtue ; and experience shows
the indefatigable labours which many heretics have
undergone to propagate their sects, and corrupt the
minds of the faithful. In fact, we find in the sacred
Scripture that these things alone did not suffice to defend
the true religion under the law when exposed to such
dangers ; and that therefore Almighty God Himself
judged it necessary, and becoming His divine wisdom,

158 CHAPTER XIV.

to raise up another more efficacious standard to pre-
serve it.

During the attempts of Jezebel and Achab against
the true religion there were martyrs, for " Jezebel slew
the prophets of the Lord;" there were confessors, for
Obadiah " hid a hundred of them by fifties in a cave,
and fed them with bread and water," i Kings, xviii. 13 ;
there were zealous pastors ; the great Elijah, who alone
was worth thousands, who did not fail to stand up as a
wall in defence of the truth, and to reprove the king for
his impiety, threatening him with the divine justice if he
persisted in it ; but were these sufficient to confirm the
people and defend the truth ? No ; they still halted
between two opinions, many of them bowed their knees
to Baal, and were on the point of entirely forsaking the
God of their fathers. The holy prophet, full of zeal for
the glory of his Master, had recourse to the all-powerful
standard of miracles ; and no sooner did these appear,
than the clouds were dispelled from the minds of the
people, their doubts removed, their faith confirmed, and
with one voice they cried out, " The Lord, He is God !
the Lord, He is God!"

Miracles, then, are the proper arms to defend the truth
when attacked by error ; they are the natural and effec-
tual means to convince the human heart, because they
are the language of God Himself, which can never be
spoken by His enemies ; they are the broad seal of heaven,
confirming the doctrine of God beyond all reply. Hence
we find, as we have seen above, that during the whole
period of the Mosaic institution, whenever the true reli-
gion was attacked, God never failed to use these power-
ful means to defend it. From this we draw the unde
niable conclusion, that if it was worthy of God to defend
His true religion under the law, by working miracles on

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 159

every occasion when it was in any danger, much more
becoming His infinite wisdom and goodness must it be
to perform miracles in defence of the Christian faith on
similar occasions, to the end of time, when the gates of
hell and the malice of man combine with united rage to
destroy it.

That He will defend the true doctrine of His beloved
Son from all such attempts to the end of the world is
undoubted. He has repeatedly promised, and sworn by
Himself, that He will do so. That miracles are the
most proper, natural, and effectual means for this purpose
is self-evident ; that the using them for this end is worthy
of Almighty God, and highly becoming His divine wis-
dom, is most certain, from what He actually did on all
such occasions under the law; therefore we have the
highest presumption, and the strongest probability, that
He will actually continue to work miracles in defence of
His truth throughout all ages, even to the end of the
world.

I go a step further : we have seen that, under the law,
the other means of defending the truth were insufficient ;
that miracles were therefore necessary for that purpose.
Are they less so under the Gospel ? At least it cannot
be denied that, if not absolutely necessary, they are the
most proper, the best suited to convince the human
heart, and therefore the most effectual means for the
above purpose. We conclude, therefore, that the conduct
of Almighty God under the law, in defending the purity
of His holy religion by miracles, not only gives us the
highest probability, but even absolute certainty, that He
will never fail under the Gospel to use the same glorious
means from time to time in defence of His truth so long
as the world endures.

XIX. Here I cannot help expressing my astonishment

160 CHAPTER XIV.

at the conduct of those who pretend to restrict the dura-
tion of miracles in the Church to any certain period.
Their reasoning seems one of the most humiliating
examples of the weakness of human reason when engaged
in a bad cause. However they disagree among them-
selves as to the precise period to be assigned for the
cessation of miracles, they are most unanimous in giving
the same reason for this pretended cessation at the
different . periods they assign. As long, say they, as the
Church continued pure, the gift of miracles continued
with her; but when the corruptions of Popery crept in,
when her doctrine became infected by superstition, when
" the Athanasian heresy," says Mr Whiston, " was estab-
lished by her councils, and she became Athanasian, anti-
Christian, and Popish," then that glorious gift of miracles
was withdrawn from her, and the devil substituted his
lying wonders in their place.

Is it possible to hear men arguing thus without aston-
ishment and indignation ? astonishment that men of
sense and learning should speak in a manner so un-
worthy ; indignation to hear expressions so injurious
to Almighty God, and so contrary to every part of His
conduct which He has been pleased to reveal ? Can a
serious Christian allow himself to believe, after what we
have just now seen, that at the very time when the truths
of God are supposed to stand in the greatest need of His
protection ; when the gates of hell are striving to prevail
over the Church of Christ ; when the enemy, like a tor-
rent, seems upon the point of carrying all before him ;
that at that very time Almighty God should abandon
His truth to be totally corrupted and defaced, and give
up His Church as a prey to the enemy ? Is it possible
that a serious Christian can harbour such a thought,
and not be shocked at the blasphemous supposition?

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. l6l

Yet it is upon this blasphemous supposition that Al-
mighty God has altogether abandoned His Church to
the tyranny of Satan, that He has proved false to all
the solemn promises made to her, that He has allowed
the devil for ages to work lying signs and wonders to
delude mankind without giving them the least defence
against them ; it is upon this blasphemous supposition
that all the various systems of Protestants are chiefly
founded. Thus the main reason alleged by them is
the very one from which we ought to draw the contrary
conclusion, if we argue from the conduct of God in the
old law, from the perpetuity of the Christian faith,
the stability of the Church, and the solemn promises
of Almighty God, made and confirmed by oath in the
prophets, and the like sacred promises made by Christ
Himself in the Gospel.

XX. Another great end which Almighty God judged
worthy to procure by His divine interposition under the
law was, " to assert and vindicate the honour of His
priesthood, and of holy things which were more imme-
diately used in His service, and to cause a proper respect
and veneration to be paid to them." The sacred Scriptures
are full of most surprising miracles wrought for these
ends. Now, from this, we have another strong presump-
tive argument for the perpetual continuation of miracles
throughout all ages under the Gospel ; for the priesthood
of Aaron, and all the holy things used in the externals
of that religion, were only shadows of the good things
to come ; but the priesthood instituted by Jesus Christ
was the substance of ,which the other was only the
figure.

The priesthood of Aaron, and all its sacrifices and
ceremonies, were incapable of cleansing consciences
from sin, or of conferring the grace of God upon the

VOL. II. L

1 62 CHAPTER XIV.

soul ; the functions annexed to the priesthood of Jesus
Christ, by applying to us the merits of His passion and
death, cleanse us from our past sins, adorn our souls with
the grace of God, and enable us to avoid sin for the time
to come. The priesthood of Aaron and its functions
were confined to one nation ; that of Jesus Christ is ex-
tended to all nations from " the rising of the sun to the
going down of the same." The priesthood of Aaron
was to last only for a time, till the better things should
come ; that of Jesus Christ is to last till the end of the
world, " whilst the sun and moon endured."

Now, if it was worthy of Almighty God to work
miracles to vindicate the sanctity of the priesthood, and
of the holy things used in its ministry under the law,
though but a shadow, a figure, a temporary institution,
and incapable of conferring grace or cleansing away
sin — how much more so must it be in order to vindicate
the sanctity of the priesthood of Jesus Christ, and of
all the sacred vessels used in its functions, which so
immensely exceed that of Aaron in holiness, excellence,
and utility to our souls ! We have therefore a well-
founded presumption that God will be no less ready
to do so in defence of the latter, in all ages and in all
nations, wherever the circumstances may require it.

XXI. The second source of presumptive evidence
for this truth, is " the conduct of Jesus Christ Himself
in the Gospel." In all I have hitherto said, I have
taken no account of anything related in the New Tes-
tament ; I have considered only what God has done
under the Mosaic dispensation, and from that have con-
cluded what we may reasonably presume He would do
under the Gospel. If now we go a step further, and
take a view of what the holy Scriptures assure us Jesus
Christ has actually done, both by Himself and after His

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 163

ascension by His apostles, we shall find another strong
reason to expect the continuation of miracles in the
Church of Christ till the end of the world. For if Jesus
Christ judged the ends worthy of miracles in His own
days ; if He continued to judge them worthy of miracles
in the days of His apostles after He Himself had left
them — how could it be asserted that He would not judge
them equally worthy of such divine interposition during
every subsequent age of Christianity ? Let us examine
what the Gospel teaches us on this head.

XXII. In reasoning from the conduct of God in the
old law, we concluded that we had the most just grounds
to presume that when the new and more perfect revela-
tion was made by Jesus Christ, it would be introduced
into the world by miracles ; nay, that the nature of the
Gospel, and the difficulties it had to encounter from the
passions and prejudices of men, made it necessary that
it should be confirmed by miracles at its first appearance.
And, lastly, as these difficulties were the same in all
nations wherever it should first be preached, that it was
a just presumption that miracles would continue to the
end of the world whenever the introduction of the Gospel
into any new nation or kingdom required it. Now, this
conclusion we find literally verified by Jesus Christ and
His apostles in the first age of Christianity. The
miracles which He Himself wrought during His first
publication of it among the Jews were innumerable ;
all nature was at His command ; the heavens and the
earth, men, angels, and devils, were subservient to His
will. After His ascension, the apostles, whom He left
to carry on the work which He had begun, acted in the
same manner. Miracles of the most astonishing kind
were wrought by their hands in proof of the heavenly
doctrine which they taught. Their miracles converted

1 64 CHAPTER XIV.

multitudes, both Jews and Samaritans, of all states and
conditions, and even many of the priests themselves
became obedient to the faith. The change of their
manners was no less remarkable than that of their faith.
They became Christians in practice as well as in belief,
and no force of persecution could shake their constancy
and perseverance.

XXIII. When the Gospel had thus gained ground in
Judea and Samaria ; when a numerous and flourishing
Church of Christians was established there ; when these
holy persons had arrived at the highest perfection, and
breathed nothing but fervour and zeal for the glory of
God and the good of souls, — did Jesus Christ consider
their good example, their fervent preaching, piety, and
zeal, sufficient to carry the Gospel to other nations,
or even to those immediately around them ? By no
means. He well knew that the opposition which the
Gospel would encounter everywhere at its first appear-
ance would be insurmountable by natural means, unless
accompanied with His seal and confirmed by miracles,
as the incontestable proofs that the doctrine was divine.

Into whatever nation, therefore, the apostles went to
introduce our holy religion, Almighty God never failed
to accompany and confirm their words by signs and won-
ders. Thus, in the short account which St Mark gives us
of the propagation of the Gospel after our Lord's ascen-
sion, he tells us that the apostles " went forth and
preached everywhere, the Lord working with them,
and confirming the Word with signs following," Mark,
xvi. 20. St Paul also assures us that wherever he went
to plant the Gospel, he did it "by mighty signs and
wonders," Rom. xv. 19; and puts the Corinthians in
mind that his preaching among them was "in demon-
stration of the Spirit and of power," i Cor. ii.

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 165

If, therefore, Jesus Christ judged it necessary, in intro-
ducing the Gospel into any heathen nation, to work
miracles, even though the persons He employed were the
apostles, those fervent, zealous, holy men upon whom
He had poured out the plenitude of the gifts of the Holy
Ghost, how much more must He judge it necessary to
work miracles for the same end in after-ages, when the
opposition and difficulties would be equal, and the instru-
ments employed so much inferior to those great men
who first planted the Gospel in the world 1 It is, then,
most just and reasonable to conclude that He will con-
tinue so to propagate it throughout all nations to the end
of the world.

XXIV. To convince mankind of the sanctity of His
servants ; to procure credit and authority for them, that
by their words and examples others might be excited to
greater fervour and devotion ; to restore and preserve a
spirit of piety, — is an end which we have seen Almighty
God, under the law, judged worthy to procure by the most
splendid miracles ; and thence we justly conclude it to
be no less so under the Gospel. Indeed we find that
this was admirably procured, both by Jesus Christ
Himself and by His apostles. How were the people
filled with gratitude and love to God ! how did they
break forth into His praises when they saw the miracles
of our Saviour ! " And there came a fear upon all, and
they glorified God, saying, A great prophet is risen up
amongst us, and God has visited His people." How
were they astonished at the miracles of the apostles, so
that none of the "others durst join to them, but all the
people magnified them " !

If, therefore, this was one of the principal fruits gained
by the miracles of Christ and His apostles in their days,
can it be doubted that the infinite goodness of God will

l66 CHAPTER XIV.

continue to the end of ages, at proper times, to send His
holy servants to recall mankind to their duty, to excite
in them a spirit of devotion, to restore decayed piety,
and to promote a greater fervour and zeal in His service,
and that He will confirm their words and examples,
even by miracles wrought from time to time by their
means, for so noble an end ?

XXV. Another great end which we have seen to be
most worthy of a divine interposition by miracles, was
to procure a just respect and veneration for persons in
priestly orders, and for holy things. How does the
conduct of Jesus Christ, by His apostles, lead us to
infer that He will esteem this an end worthy of miracles
throughout all ages ! What respect, what veneration
must not the punishment of Ananias and Sapphira have
procured to St Peter, particularly when their crime in
telling a lie to the^ chief pastor of the Church was
declared to be telling a lie to the Holy Ghost Himself !
What an exalted idea must it not have given the people
of the sanctity and of the sacred dignity of this great
apostle, when they saw that his very shadow passing over
the sick cured them of whatever diseases they laboured
under ! What must they have thought of the sanctity of
St Paul, when handkerchiefs and aprons, after touch-
ing his sacred body, also cured diseases ! With what
respect must they not have kept these sacred relics !
What veneration must they not have paid to them,
when they saw them so much honoured by Almighty
God as to be the miraculous instruments of so great
benefits to men !

Now, if from the conduct of Almighty God, in the
old law, we found reason to expect that He would at
all times, under the Gospel, judge it worthy of Himself
to work miracles in order to procure respect to the

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 167

priesthood and holy things ; and if we find that Jesus
Christ actually did so in the apostolic age, does not
this afford the strongest presumption that He will con-
tinue to do so from time to time, as He sees occa-
sion, in all future ages ? In the old law Almighty
God was pleased to give such a proof of the sanctity
of His holy servant Elijah, that, after he was taken
from among men, the very mantle which he had worn,
upon touching the waters of the Jordan, became the
instrument for dividing these waters into two parts, and
leaving a passage for Elisha upon dry ground. After the
death of Elisha, a dead corpse cast into his grave, and
touching his sacred bones, was immediately restored to
life. And, under the Gospel, in the apostolic age, God
continues to act in the same manner, using the very
shadow of St Peter, and handkerchiefs and aprons that
had touched the body of St Paul, as instruments for
miraculously curing all diseases. May we not therefore
reasonably presume that He will in all succeeding ages
continue to attest the sanctity of His holy servants, by
making use of things belonging to them in their life-
time, or of their relics after death, as instruments for
performing miracles ?

XXVI. If we apply this to the other objects of
miracles, as, rewarding the heroic virtues of His servants,
supplying their temporal wants and necessities, especially
such as they incur from their adherence to His service, or
punishing sinners, either for their own correction or as a
warning to others, we shall find that our present argu-
ment avails with equal strength in these as in the above
examples. We have seen that the ends just mentioned
are most worthy of a divine interposition ; we have seen
numbers of glorious instances in the old law, where
Almighty God was pleased to perform most wonderful

168 CHAPTER XIV.

miracles to procure them ; and hence we inferred that
at all times, and in all ages under the Gospel, He would
be ready to act in a similar manner when the like ends
should require it. That this was a just presumption we
are assured from the conduct of Jesus Christ.

If He cures the woman of her bloody flux, He declares
it a reward of her great confidence in His goodness. If
He cures the daughter of the Canaanean woman, He
assures her it is in consequence of her faith and perse-
verance. If the multitudes, charmed with His heavenly
conversation, follow Him to the wilderness, and continue
there for three days without eating or drinking, He is
moved with compassion towards them, and in reward of
their love and affection, He once and again so multiplies
a few loaves that they suffice to feed some thousands. If
St Peter is thrown into prison, and loaded with chains,
for his ardour and zeal in His service, an angel is sent
from heaven to deliver him, the chains fall off his hands,
and the iron gate opens to give him a safe passage out
of prison, and to deliver him from the hands of Herod.
If Elymas the magician strives to oppose the progress of
the Gospel, and to prevent the proconsul Sergius from
giving ear to the words of St Paul, at one word of that
apostle he is struck blind, in punishment of his impious
opposition to the work of God. It were endless to
adduce all the examples related in the New Testament.
But these are fully sufficient to show that the conduct
of Jesus Christ under the Gospel confirms our conclusion
from what Almighty God did under the law; and that
as He has actually wrought many splendid miracles for
these ends in the apostolic ages, we have the strongest
grounds to conclude that He will continue from time to
time to do so while the world endures.

XXVII. This shows wherein the force of this second

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 169

presumptive argument properly consists. In the former
argument we concluded, from the ends of miracles in
the old law, that they were worthy of that divine inter-
position ; and therefore that we might reasonably presume
that God, in all ages under the Gospel, would continue
to work miracles for such ends, when the obtaining them
should at any time require it ; for here difference of
time or place can have no weight. Nay, we considered
several circumstances of the Gospel, showing that the
necessity of working miracles for such ends was much
greater under the Gospel than under the law ; and there-
fore, that under it we might with greater reason expect
them.

In the second argument we go a step further; we
consider the conduct of Jesus Christ and His apostles
as related in the New Testament, and of which, therefore,
we are absolutely certain. We find this conduct pre-
cisely such as the conclusion in our former argument led
us to expect ; we see numbers of miracles wrought for
the very same or similar ends. Hence we inferred the
justness of our conclusion in the former argument, and,
from the conduct of Jesus Christ in the apostolic age, we
have a still stronger reason to presume that as He began
the Gospel period by working so many miracles for the
above ends, and by instruments similar to those which
He used under the law, so He will continue in all suc-
ceeding ages to act in the same manner when similar
circumstances may require it.

XXVIII. I come now to the third argument, which
is taken from Christ's own sacred promises. At first
I was in some doubt whether I should use these pro-
mises only as a presumptive proof, and not rather as
positive evidence ; because in themselves they are most
ample, unlimited, and confirmed with His usual solemn

I/O CHAPTER XIV.

asseveration ; and the conditions annexed are such as
must be found among Christians till the end of time.
From this we might justly conclude, that these promises
are not mere presumptive arguments, but strong and
positive proofs; that the power of miracles will never
be withdrawn from the Church while she has a being ;
for the express promise of God that anything will be,
is as strong a proof beforehand that it will happen,
as any positive human testimony can be afterwards
that it has occurred. However, as our adversaries are
obliged to put a limitation to these unlimited promises
of our Saviour, I deemed it best to give them a place
here among the presumptive arguments, and we shall see
how unjust our adversaries are in presuming to limit or
restrict them.

XXIX. The first promise I shall notice is from our
Saviour's last sermon to His apostles on the night before
His passion ; where, after exhorting St Philip to believe
in Him as God, equal to the Father, and appealing to
His works as the testimony given by the Father to this
truth, He immediately adds, with His usual asseveration,
" Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth in me,
the works that I do shall he do also ; and greater works
than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father.
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do,
that the Father may be glorified in the Son," John, xiv.

T2, 13.

Now, whether we consider the obvious sense of these
words, the intention for which this promise was made,
or the reasons upon which the performance of it was
grounded, we clearly see that it does the greatest violence
to the sacred text to affix any restriction or limitation to
the duration of this glorious promise. For, in the first
place, there is not the slightest insinuation of any such

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. I/ 1

limitation either in the passage itself or in the context.
He promises that His faithful followers, "he that believeth
in me," shall perform miracles equal and even greater
than He Himself had done. The only condition is,
that the person should believe in Him — that is, should
have that strong faith to which the grace of miracles is
particularly attached. Now, as Almighty God will never
be without true, holy, and faithful servants in every age
to the end of the world, whose souls will be endowed
with this sacred faith and every other divine virtue ; and
as, in the words of the promise itself, there is no insinua-
tion of any limit to its duration where this faith is found,
so there is every reason to conclude that the duration of
the promise will never suffer limitation.

In the second place, the intention of the promise shows
this still more fully. Our Saviour is here proving His
own divinity, that He Himself is God equal to the Father.
The argument to which He appeals as the most con-
vincing proof of this truth is the working of miracles.
This He proposes in two different lights. First, He ap-
peals to the works which He had done : " Believe me
that I am in the Father, and the Father in me ; or else
believe me for the very work's sake," ver. n. But as
His divinity was to be the object of our faith in all times
to the end of the world, and as His miracles were seer
only by those of His own days, and might be called in
question or denied in after-ages, as they have been, and
still are, by many • therefore He proposes a second proof
both of His divinity and of His miracles — namely, that
He would confer this very power on His faithful fol-
lowers, who should be enabled to perform the same, and
greater works than He Himself had done.

This was a proof beyond exception ; for though an
impostor might deceive the multitude by false signs and

1/2 CHAPTER XIV.

wonders, yet it is manifestly impossible that an impostor
should confer upon his followers the power of working
greater miracles than He Himself had done, and foretell
this with certainty. It is true that the apostles at the time
did not see this fulfilled, and therefore the argument
could not have its full influence upon their minds ; but
they afterwards found it verified in themselves, and in
their disciples, and then they both felt and were enabled
to impart to others the fullest conviction of the divinity
of their Lord and Master.

The intention of the promise clearly shows that it
admits of no limit as to its duration. For it was made
to His faithful followers as a proof of His divinity, espe-
cially where the miracles wrought by Himself might
not suffice either from being unknown or disbelieved ;
and as these circumstances must frequently occur,
especially when the Gospel is first proposed to heathen
nations, it follows that this promise will hold good in
every age, and be performed as the divine wisdom shall
deem necessary for the end intended. Lastly, If we
consider the reasons of this promise, we see the same
conclusion more and more confirmed. He gives two.
First, because He was soon to leave this world and
return to the Father : " Greater works than these shall
he do, because I go to the Father," ver. 12. Now,
what connection has this reason with the promise ?
The connection is evident and natural : " Hitherto,
whilst I was visibly present upon the earth, I have
wrought such miracles as I knew were fully sufficient
to convince you, my faithful followers, of all I have
taught you ; I also, by my own presence, have in-
structed, comforted, and assisted you in your neces-
sities : but I am about to leave you and return to the
Father ; and after I am gone you will be exposed to

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 1/3

innumerable trials, persecutions, and afflictions, from the
fury of hell and the malice of the world ; but I will not
leave you Comfortless," ver. 18. "I will pray the Father,
and He will give you another Comforter, that He may
abide with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth," ver.
1 6. " And this Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, He
shall teach you all things," ver. 26. " And when they
bring you into synagogues, and magistrates, and powers,
take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer,
or what ye shall say : for the Holy Ghost shall teach
you in the same hour what ye ought to say," Luke, xii.
ii. " And I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which
all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor
resist," Luke, xxi. 15. And, lastly, for your further sup-
port and comfort under your afflictions, to enable you
to overcome all your adversaries, to convince them tha£
your doctrine is from me, that I am the true God equal
to the Father, and that when I leave this world I go to the
Father, and have the same power with Him in all things,
I will bestow upon my faithful followers the power of
working miracles, even greater than I myself have done;
" he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he
do also ; and greater than these shall he do, because I go
to the Father."

It is plain that all these promises were intended, after
our Saviour's departure from this world, for the support,
encouragement, and comfort of the apostles, of their suc-
cessors in the ministry, and of all faithful Christians,
who must suffer persecution if they wish to live piously
in Christ Jesus. Now, the former of these promises, of
the coming of the Holy Ghost to teach them all things,
and suggest to them what to answer when called before
civil powers, was immediately addressed to the apostles ;
yet no one doubts but this will continue to be fulfilled

1/4 CHAPTER XIV.

to the end of the world whenever circumstances should
require it. Nay, it is expressly declared that the Holy
Ghost will abide with His Church for ever for this
very purpose. But this latter promise of the power of
working miracles was not addressed to the apostles im-
mediately in their own persons, but to all true believers,
" he that believeth on me ; " consequently, if the former
promise, though addressed immediately to the apostles,
is yet justly understood as admitting no limitation,
much more ought the latter to be taken in the same un-
limited sense, being addressed to the faithful in every
age. With greater reason, therefore, must we believe
that the Holy Ghost, to whose grace and operation the
gift of miracles is chiefly attributed, abiding with His
Church, will never fail to fulfil this latter promise also in
the absence of our Saviour, when the support of the
faithful, the propagation of the Gospel, or any other end
which Almighty God judges worthy, shall require His
doing so.

The second reason of the above promise is given by
our Saviour in these words : " And whatsoever ye shall
ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be
glorified in the Son," ver. 13. This promise was designed
to be a proof of the divinity of Jesus Christ. The per-
formance of it served powerfully in His absence for this
purpose ; but the manner of performing it serves still
more : " Whatsoever," says He, " you shall ask in my
name, that will I do." When any of you, my faithful
followers, shall perform a miracle, you must do it "in
my name," — you must ask the Father, " in my name,"
to grant it ; and I here pledge my sacred word, that
whatever you ask in this manner, " in my name," and
with a full faith, I will undoubtedly perform. We have
seen above, in the rules of the criterion, how unanswer-

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 175

able a proof it is that a miracle is truly the work of God
when it is done in His name. Here, then, Jesus Christ
promises, without any limitation, to perform this proof
of His- divinity when His faithful servants, in suitable
circumstances, shall demand it of Him, in order, as He
adds, " that the Father may be glorified by the Son."
Now, as these circumstances will occur in every age,
especially in converting heathen nations, we justly con-
clude that this promise admits of no limitation of time,
but will be performed to the end of the world, when
required to convince mankind of the divinity of Jesus
Christ, and to glorify the Father by the Son.

XXX. In the two preceding arguments of presumptive
evidence we have seen that it is worthy of Almighty
God to perform miracles in any age when the above
ends shall require it. We have seen that some of
these ends will never be wanting while the world en-
dures. We have seen that Jesus Christ has actually
wrought many miracles by Himself, and by His fol-
lowers, for these ends, during the first age of Chris-
tianity, and therefore we conclude that we have just
reason to expect that the miraculous powers will con-
tinue in the Church to the end of time. If to these
presumptive arguments we add the above solemn pro-
mise of Jesus Christ, and the reasons which prove that
it can admit of no limitation, I appeal to common-sense
whether this does not afford us, I do not say merely a
presumptive evidence, but even a positive assurance,
that the power of miracles will never be withdrawn from
the Church of Christ while the world endures.

XXXI. As the above promise confirms the presumptive
evidence of the two preceding arguments, so they afford
another convincing proof that the promise ought to be
understood in the unlimited sense in which I have ex-

1/6 CHAPTER XIV.

plained it. From the presumptive arguments we have
the strongest reason to expect that Almighty God will
from time to time work miracles in His Church to the
end of the world. Jesus Christ makes a solemn promise
to His faithful followers, " he that believeth in me," to
bestow upon them the power of working even greater
miracles than He Himself had done. He makes it in
general terms ; He puts no limitation either of time or
place. The question is, How long is this promise to
continue ? If, as we have seen above, there be the
strongest presumption to expect that miracles will be
wrought in every age to the end of the world, this plainly
shows that the promise of Christ, to which He Himself
has attached no limitation, is most certainly so to be
understood as we have proved by other intrinsic reasons,
which together amount to an unanswerable proof that
the power of working miracles will continue to be exerted
in the Church from time to time to the end of the
world.

XXXI I. The next promise made by our blessed
Saviour on this subject is mentioned in the last chapters
of St Matthew and St Mark, when, before His ascension,
He gave His apostles their commission to publish His
Gospel throughout all nations. In St Matthew it is thus
related : " And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying,
All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth : go
ye therefore and teach all nations, baptising them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost ; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever
I have commanded you : and, lo, I am with you alway,
even to the end of the world," Matt, xxviii. In St Mark
several other circumstances not noticed by St Matthew
are added as follow : " And he said unto them, Go ye
unto all the world, and preach the Gospel to every crea-

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 1/7

ture. He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved,
and he that believeth not shall be damned. And these
signs shall follow them that believe : In my name they
shall cast out devils ; they shall speak with new tongues ;
they shall take up serpents ; and if they drink any deadly
thing it shall not hurt them ; they shall lay their hands
on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the
Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into
heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they
went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working
with them, and confirming the word with signs follow-
ing," Mark, xvi.

On these two passages we may observe, First, That
our Saviour begins by assuring us, that all power is given
unto Him in heaven and on earth, and thereby removing
all doubt as to His performing whatever He promises.
Secondly, He gives the apostles the commission to teach
all nations the sacred truths which He had revealed to
them, and absolutely requires that all nations should re-
ceive and believe these truths under pain of damnation.
Thirdly, To remove all ground of complaint, as if He
had not given mankind sufficient evidence that these
truths were really from Him, He solemnly promises
the gift of miracles to His faithful followers, as the un-
doubted proof that what they taught were the truths of
God; so that whosoever refused to believe should be
altogether inexcusable. Fourthly, He promises to be
always with His apostles in this great work to the end of
the world, thereby showing that this commission and
these promises were not confined to the apostles, who
were soon to leave the world, but were made to them and
to their successors to the end of time. Fifthly, We are
assured that, immediately upon the apostles' beginning
to execute their commission by preaching the Word, the

VOL. II. M

1/8 CHAPTER XIV.

Lord fulfilled His promise, confirming their words with
signs following ; thereby showing that He will continu-
ously perform it in its full extent in every succeeding
age. Sixthly, It is also to be observed that though the
commission of teaching was directly conferred on the
apostles, yet the promise of miracles was given to those
that believe.

The plain and natural consequence of these observa-
tions is, that miracles, without restriction of time or
place, are here promised to true believers, as a proof of
the truth of the Gospel when taught to the nations, as
Christ's presence for assisting the pastors of His Church
in this great work is expressly promised to the end of
the world; and, finally, as this great work* will not be
fully accomplished till towards the end of the world,
this promise of miracles will therefore continue to be
fulfilled from time to time till that period, as often as
the end for which it is here made shall require it. If we
add to this what we have said above upon the former
promise from John, xiv., and what we have seen in the
two first arguments of presumptive evidence, I appeal to
our adversaries themselves whether it be not a manifest
wresting of the sacred texts, and the utmost presumption,
to pretend to limit these divine promises to any age or
period whatever.

XXXIII. The last promises I shall notice are those
made on different occasions to a strong faith, and related
in the different Gospels. When the disciples saw the
fig-tree wither away upon their Master's commanding
it, " they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig-tree
withered away ! Jesus answered and said unto them,
Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith and doubt not, ye
shall not only do this which is done to the fig-tree, but
also, if you shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed,

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 179

and be thou cast into the sea, it shall be done. And all
things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye
shall receive," Matt. xxi. 21 ; Mark, xi. 23. Again,
when the disciples could not cure the lunatic child, and
asked their Master the reason, " Jesus said unto them,
Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If
you have faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye shall say
unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and
it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible to you,"
Matt. xvii. 20. Lastly, When the apostles begged their
Master to increase their faith, He said, " If ye had faith
as a grain of mustard-seed, ye might say to this syca-
more tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou
planted in the sea, and it should obey thee," Luke,
xvii. 6.

On these texts I shall only observe, that in them
we find the working of the most stupendous miracles
attached to a strong faith and confidence in God, with-
out the slightest hint of restriction or limitation of any
kind, either as to time or place. As there is not, there-
fore, the smallest reason to imagine that such faith may
not be found in some holy servants of God in all ages
of the Church to the end of the world, we may conclude
that the miraculous powers will never be withdrawn from
the Church in any age whatever.

XXXIV. I come now to the last source of presump-
tive evidence taken from what we know will happen at
the end of the world. We are assured then, in the Book
of Revelation, that during the dreadful times of Anti-
christ, the two witnesses will appear to oppose him, in-
vested with the most ample power of miracles : " If any
man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouths
and devoureth their enemies. These have power to
shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their pro-

180 CHAPTER XIV.

phecy, and have power over waters to turn them into
blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues as often
as they will," Rev. xi.

Here, then, we are assured that miracles most amaz-
ing, and in great numbers, will be performed by these
defenders of the cause of God in the last age of the
Church. It is acknowledged by all that they were
performed in great abundance in the first and some
following ages : there is not the smallest insinuation
in the Scriptures that the power of performing them
should, after any period of time, be withdrawn from the
Church, and at the end be restored. Therefore we may
justly conclude that no such interruption ever was or
ever will be made. On the contrary, with great reason
we assume that, as these powers most certainly were in
the Church at the beginning, and undoubtedly will be at
the end, so they will never be taken from her at any
intervening period, but will continue to be exerted in
every age, whenever the promotion of the divine glory
shall require it. Join this presumptive argument with
all the former, and let common-sense pronounce upon
their combined strength.

XXXV. I shall now sum up what I have advanced on
this head of presumptive evidence for the continuation
of miracles in all ages, in the manner that Mr Brook has
done for the first three centuries, and as nearly as possible
in his own words : " Thus it will appear, I think, from
the history of these extraordinary and divine powers
with which the saints of God were endowed in every age
during the old law, from the ends for which these powers
were given them, from the conduct of Jesus Christ dur-
ing the first age of the Gospel, and from the several un-
limited promises of bestowing these powers upon His
faithful followers, that there is a strong, even the strongest,

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. l8l

presumption for the continuance of miracles in the true
Church of Christ till the end of the world. This pre-
sumption is much heightened by considering that all and
everyone of those ends for which Almighty God wrought
so many miracles under the old law, and for which many
were also wrought by Christ and His apostles in the
first age of the Gospel, must necessarily occur on num-
berless occasions in every succeeding age, and very fre-
quently in circumstances which render the aid of mir-
acles much more necessary than it was in those former
times in which he actually wrought so many miracles on
their account."

XXXVI. Dr Middleton, and every other man who
professes himself a Christian, must allow that miracles
were wrought in great abundance, not only at the first
establishment of the Mosaic institution, but on many
different occasions in every period during its existence.
They must allow that miracles were wrought in great
numbers during the lives of the apostles, and that the
Christian religion was first propagated by an extraor-
dinary providence. Mr Brook will also allow, and has in-
deed fully proved, that the same extraordinary providence
continued, and that miracles were wrought in no less
abundance during the first three ages of Christianity.

Other Protestant authors, with equal reason, have
ascertained the continuance of miracles in the Church
of Christ for several succeeding ages. The question then
will be, Whether we have reason to conclude that
the same extraordinary providence has continued ever
since, and will continue to the end of the world ? If the
probability of an event is to be determined by the likeli-
hood of its, happening, and if that thing is allowed to be
likely to happen, which has frequently, and in a variety
of instances, already come to pass, then it may reason-

1 82 CHAPTER XIV.

ably be presumed, that if there were such frequent inter-
positions of the Deity for the several ends above speci-
fied, in every age during the law, and for several ages
at the beginning of the Gospel, it is likely that in all suc-
ceeding ages the same extraordinary interpositions would
from time to time be continued in similar cases, and
where the same important ends present themselves.

If to this be added the several promises of Christ,
of bestowing the gift of miracles on His faithful fol-
lowers,— the reasons of these promises, the ends pro-
posed, the unlimited terms in which they are conveyed —
and, lastly, what we know will undoubtedly happen at
the end of the Church in this world, — I think every man
ot" common-sense will readily agree that they amount
not only to the greatest • probability, but even to a cer-
tainty, that the power of working miracles will never be
taken from the Church of Christ, but will continue to be
exerted by the holy servants of God in every age to the
end of the world ; and therefore that if a particular
miracle in any age be properly attested, it is justly worthy
of credit. The nature of this attestation I now proceed
to consider.

183

CHAPTER XV.

POSITIVE EVIDENCE FOR THE CONTINUATION
OF MIRACLES THROUGHOUT ALL PRECEDING
AGES DOWN TO THE PRESENT TIMES.

I. 'HT^HE result of our observations upon the criterion
JL and continuation of miracles is, that the evi-
dence of testimony is the only natural and proper proof
for the existence of miracles to those who were not eye-
witnesses of them ; and that no metaphysical arguments
a priori, can, in the smallest degree, weaken the force
of this evidence when the testimony is trustworthy.
That the miraculous powers will be continued in the
Church of Christ throughout all ages to the end of the
world we have the strongest presumptive evidence : and
there is not the smallest weight in any argument brought
to the contrary. If the positive testimony, therefore, be
unexceptionable, it is the height of folly to call the exist-
ence of miracles in question.

II. Before we examine the nature of this testimony, it
will be proper to notice an instance of unfair dealing on
this subject in some of the adversaries of the Catholic
Church ; for we must distinguish three different classes
of miracles with respect to the testimony on which they
they are founded. First, those which have no other
ground than popular report, or mere oral tradition, with-

1 84 CHAPTER XV.

out any proof of their existence from history, authentic
testimony, ancient monuments, or the like.

Now, on miracles of this class no stress whatever is
laid ; for though the mere want of proper evidence is
not absolute proof that such miracles never did exist,
yet it is a just reason for not appealing to them on the
point in question, and accordingly it is never done.
But when they have a good moral tendency, serving to
illustrate points of religion, or to enforce any practical
duty, they are justly used as parables, after the example
of our blessed Saviour Himself in the Gospel. And
experience teaches those who are conversant with the
care of souls, how much a well-timed example or parable
of this kind serves to influence the minds of the un-
learned, and to render the great truths of religion intelli-
gible to them. Neither can this use of such parables be
reasonably objected to; since, besides the example of
Jesus Christ who authorises it, we see that nothing
is more common, even among those who declaim
against them, than to propose moral duties for the in-
struction of others, by narratives professedly false, by
fables, novels, romances, and the like; whereas the
examples and parables of which we speak, though not
attested by positive proof, may yet have been true and
real — and many of them undoubtedly are so. For it is
well known that many extraordinary favours done to the
saints of God are studiously concealed by them through
humility, and though afterwards discovered and published,
are not always so properly attested as to carry evidence
to posterity. Besides, many things have been fully at-
tested when they happened, though the testimony has
by length of time been lost, whilst the memory of the
fact has been preserved by oral tradition to after-ages.
But whatever may be thought of this, miracles of this

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 185

class are entirely set aside when there is question of
proving the continuation or existence of miracles in the
Church, and only those of the two following classes are
regarded.

The second class contains those miracles which are
properly attested by judicious historians, or other writers
of credit and authority ; who either were themselves eye-
witnesses of what they relate, or had ample means of
knowing the truth, and published their works in such
circumstances as render their testimony above suspicion.

The third class contains those miracles which have
undergone the rigorous examination of the Church in
her process for the canonisation of saints, and have been
authentically published to the world as true and incon-
testable, after such examination.

III. Now, right reason and common justice require
that, when the adversaries of the Catholic Church at-
tempt to disprove or ridicule her miracles by examining
any particular case, they should select one belonging
either to the second or third class. But this justice they
seldom do. Nay, we find that two of her most declared
modern adversaries, Mr Hume, in his Essay on Miracles,
and Dr Campbell, in his Dissertation against that Essay,
have not so much as attempted to examine any one par-
ticular miracle authentically approved by the Church,
belonging either to the second or third class, but have
only attacked and ridiculed a mere popular hearsay, and
a collection of pretended miracles, the forgery and falsity
of which have been detected and exposed by her own
pastors. The reason of this conduct will easily be in-
telligible when we consider the character of miracles of
the second and third class, the nature of the testimony,
and the solid ground on which they stand. This I now
proceed to examine.

1 86 CHAPTER XV.

IV. In examining miracles of the second class — that
is, those which are properly attested by judicious his-
torians of credit and authority, I do not intend to adduce
examples in the different ages of the Church, and to
point out in each the strength of the testimony on which
we receive them. This would lead me to an unreason-
able length ; neither is it necessary, as it has already
been ably done by the learned author of ' The Miracu-
lous Powers of the Church,5 &c., in that masterly per-
formance. I shall therefore confine myself to a general
view of the nature and circumstances of the testimony,
which will fully answer my purpose, and which I chiefly
take from the judicious observations of that pious
author.

V. First, then, if we consider the characters of those
persons who attest the existence of miracles in their own
days throughout every age, we shall find them above all
suspicion, the holy fathers and chief pastors of the
Church, men raised up by Almighty God from time to
time as the great luminaries of the Christian world, re-
plenished with a superabundant measure of the divine
Spirit, and whose lives were spent in the most perfect
exercise of all Christian virtues. The many excellent
and justly-admired writings which they left behind them,
and which still remain, are unexceptionable proofs of their
deep penetration, acute judgment, and extensive learn-
ing. The position which many of them held in the
Church gave them every opportunity to search into the
truth, and their duty required them to use every precau-
tion to prevent their flock being deceived by impostors.
We cannot, therefore, doubt either their ability or dili-
gence in investigating the truth, much less can we sus-
pect that they would wilfully deceive by publishing to
the world anything as true which they knew to be false.

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 187

They were Christians, exemplary Christians, whose whole
study was to live up to the perfection of Christian virtue.
They well knew that it was absolutely unlawful to de-
viate from the truth for any cause whatever. They
preached this doctrine to their people ; they have left it
on record in their writings ; and whenever occasion
offered, they always protested their attachment to the
truth in whatever they related.

Thus St Justin Martyr declares that he would rather
lose his life than save it by a lie ; St Sulpicius Severus,
in his life of St Martin, does the same : " I entreat those
who shall read it," says he, "that they would believe what
I say, and be persuaded that I have written nothing but
what is well attested and assured ; for I had rather be
silent than tell an untruth." St Augustine, also, who
relates many remarkable miracles as within his own
knowledge, and of which he was an eyewitness, shows
his utter abhorrence of all lies in many different parts of
his writings, particularly in his book to Consentius, where
he says, " All lies, without exception, are to be excluded
from the doctrine of religion, and even from every pro-
position which is uttered concerning that doctrine in the
teaching and learning of it. And let it not be imagined
that there can possibly be any reason found for telling a
lie in such matters ; since it is not justifiable to tell a lie
about religious doctrines, even for the sake of converting
a person more easily by them ; for if the fence of truth
be once broken down, or even but slightly weakened,
everything will be rendered uncertain," c. x. «

This doctrine is held and professed by the saints in
all ages. Their cause was the cause of truth ; they
believed themselves, and laboured to impress on others,
that to deviate from the known truth, or to propagate a
known falsehood, is a crime for which we must account

1 88 CHAPTER XV.

to Almighty God, by whom it will be severely punished.
We cannot, then, suppose them capable of attesting and
publishing to the world as truth the smallest thing which
they were conscious was a falsehood. Witnesses of this
character are above suspicion, especially when we con-
sider that they are numerous, of different countries, in
different ages, and that they give their testimony to facts
that happened in the very times in which they them-
selves lived : "Such a general attestation of matters of
fact," says Mr Brook, speaking of this testimony in the
first three ages, but which is perfectly applicable to every
succeeding age — " such a general attestation of matters
of fact, which are in themselves unexceptionable, is ever
thought authentic and substantial. Nothing, indeed, but
the force of truth itself, and the reality of the things
themselves thus related, is able to create so unanimous,
so universal a consent." — Brook's Exam., p. 145.

VI. But the weight of this universal testimony of such
witnesses in every age is increased when we consider
the manner in which it is given, and the circumstances
attending it. Under this head there are several things
worthy of attention. The witnesses do not mention
the miracles they speak of as popular reports or mere
hearsays ; they attest them as facts strictly consistent
with their own knowledge, of which they either were
themselves eyewitnesses, or had them from such as
were. Thus Origen, in his first book against Celsus,
declares that the Christians in his days " drive away
devils, perform many cures, foresee things to come,
according to the will of the divine Word." And a little
after he adds : " I have seen many examples of this sort,
and should I only set down such of them as took place
in my presence, I should expose myself to the ridicule
of the unbelievers, who imagine that we, like others

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 189

whom they suspect of forging such things, are imposing
our forgeries also upon them : but God is my witness
that my sole purpose is to recommend the religion of
Jesus, 'not by fictitious tales, but by clear and evident
facts."

In like manner, the great St Athanasius, in his preface
to the life of St Anthony, relates many extraordinary and
miraculous effects of the divine power, and says : " The
facts which I have inserted are partly from my own
knowledge, for I often went to see him, and partly from
the information of one who had long attended on him ;
in all which I have carefully adhered to truth." And
in the course of the history itself he relates several of
these miracles done by the saint in his own presence.
St Paulinus also relates miracles performed by St Am-
brose before his own eyes ; and the celebrated miracles
wrought in Milan by the relics of the holy martyrs, Sts
Gervase and Protase, are related both by St Ambrose
and St Augustine, as facts of which they themselves, as
well as thousands of others, were eyewitnesses. — See St
Ambr. Ep. 2, ad Sororem Marcellin, et St Aug. Confes.
1. ix., c. 7.

St Chrysostom, speaking of the sign of the cross, says :
" This sign, both in the days of our fathers and in our
own, has thrown open gates that were shut, destroyed
the effects of poisonous drugs, dissolved the force of
hemlock, and cured the bites of venomous beasts," t. vii.
p. 552. St Paulinus has celebrated, both in prose and
verse, many miracles performed by the relics of St Felix
the martyr; and, poem 23, he declares that many of
them were actually performed in his own presence. St
Augustine, in his excellent work on the city of God,
relates many extraordinary miracles done in his time
and before his own eyes, at which, says he, nos interfui-

CHAPTER XV.

tnus et oculis aspeximus nostris : " I myself was present,
and beheld with my own eyes ; " and coming to the
famous cure of two persons at the shrine of St Stephen,
he gives a most circumstantial account of it as having
been performed before the whole people, and says : " It
is so public and celebrated that I do not think there is
one of all the inhabitants of Hippo who did not see it,
or hath not been informed of it ; nor one that can ever
forget it."

Theodoret, bishop of Cyrus, declares himself to have
been eyewitness to several miracles wrought by the holy
monks of his time. He was intimately acquainted with
many of them, and has transmitted to posterity a circum-
stantial account of the wonderful works which God per-
formed by their means. Speaking of St Simeon Stylites,
he says : " I myself saw another most celebrated miracle,"
which he relates in the cure of a sick man ; and adds,
" I was not only a spectator of his miracles, I was also a
hearer of his predictions ; " several instances of which,
and their full accomplishment, he describes.

y£neas of Gaza, in his dialogue between Theophrastus
and Aritheus, speaking of the African confessors, whose
tongues had been cut out by the Arians, but who miracu-
lously retained the perfect faculty of speech, says : " I
myself saw these men, and heard them talk, and was
astonished that they could speak so articulately; I looked
for the organ of speech, and, not trusting my ears, I
examined the matter with my eyes, and having opened
their mouths, saw that their tongues were entirely cut
away, root and all. Upon which I was amazed, not only
that they could speak, but even that they had not ex-
pired in the execution." Procopius also attests that he
had seen them at Constantinople.

The same language we find used in every age by those

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. IQI

who attest these matters ; but as it would be tedious to
collect all, I shall conclude with Geoffrey, one of St Ber-
nard's disciples, who writes his life, and declares, " I
was present at almost all the transactions I relate ; some
few things to which I was not an eyewitness have been
attested to me by brethren on whose veracity I can de-
pend." But, 2. What makes this declaration still more
worthy of credit is, that they often call God Himself to
witness the truth of what they attest. This we have seen
above was done by Origen. Palladius also, in his history
of the fathers of the desert, relates numerous miracles
performed by those great saints, not only from the report
of credible witnesses, but from his own certain -know-
ledge, declaring that he had seen the wonderful works
himself, and assures us that, by the grace of God, he tells
the truth.

St Sulpicius Severus was a learned and pious priest,
who wrote the life of that great prelate, St Martin of
Tours, in which numbers of splendid miracles wrought
by the saint are related ; and in the beginning of it he
says : " I entreat those who shall read it that they would
believe what I say, and be persuaded that I have written
nothing but what is well attested and assured ; for I had
rather be silent than tell an untruth." And in the fifth
chapter he declares that he should esteem it a crime to
tell a lie in favour of St Martin ; and calls Christ to wit-
ness that he has related nothing but what either he him-
self had seen or received from known witnesses, and for
the most part from St Martin himself.

The sixth book of the life of St Bernard, written by
his disciple Geoffroy, is an attested narrative of a num-
ber of miracles wrought by the saint in different places,
supported by unexceptionable witnesses, the bishop of
Constance, his chaplain, two abbots, two monks, and

1 92 CHAPTER XV.

three clergymen, who accompanied the saint, and day
by day attested and attached their names to what they
were eyewitnesses of; and in their attestation they thus
express themselves : " We that were present have judged
it necessary to specify the miracles as well to prevent
confusion as to preclude all doubt : we have each of us
signed our names, and do solemnly attest what we have
seen and heard."

To mention one instance more : In the fourteenth
century lived St Catherine of Sienna, remarkable for the
many miracles wrought by her means. Her confessor, F.
Raymond, General of the Order of the Dominicans,
wrote her life, with which he was well acquainted, and
candidly acknowledges that for a long time he doubted
of the reality of those heavenly things which he saw in
her ; till, having maturely examined them, and experi-
enced in himself the wonderful efficacy of her prayers,
he was fully satisfied, and therefore in the presence of
God avers the truth of what he relates.

What confirms still more the veracity of this their
testimony is, 3. That they often appeal to their very
enemies for the truth of what they attest, as a thing
public and perfectly consistent with their knowledge.
Thus St Justin Martyr, in his second apology to the
Roman Senate, says : " This you may understand by
what happens before your own eyes : for many per-
sons possessed with devils, through the whole world,
and in this very city, have been delivered, and are
even now delivered, by several of our Christians ad-
juring them in the name of Jesus Christ." Tertullian
challenges the heathen magistrates " to call before their
tribunals any person manifestly possessed with a devil ;
and if the evil spirit, when exorcised by any Christian
whatsoever, did not own himself a devil, as truly as in

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. IQ3

other places he would falsely call himself a god, not
daring to tell a lie to a Christian ; that then they should
take the life of that Christian. And what is more mani-
fest, says he, than this work ? what more convincing than
this proof?" Apol. c. 23. St Jerom also, writing against
Vigilantius, who denied that any veneration was due to
the relics of the martyrs, appeals to the very miracles
done by those relics, as evident and manifest proofs
against that heretic: "Answer me," says he, "how
comes it to pass that in this vile dust and ashes, as you
call them, of the martyrs, there is so great a manifesta-
tion of signs and miracles ? "

Again, 4. In several cases the testimony, the miracles
themselves, and the opposition made against them by
the adversaries of the Catholic faith, have been examined
at the very time ; but this had only the effect of estab-
lishing them the more firmly. Thus the celebrated
miracles wrought at Milan by the relics of the two
holy martyrs, Sts Gervase and Protase, had such in-
fluence on the minds of the people that it greatly
alarmed the Arians, who made every effort to discredit
them, both by lies and misrepresentations, and by
the interest of the court, then residing in that city.
But all in vain. The people knew what they had
seen. The notoriety of what was done prevailed over
all these efforts, and in spite of the rage of the em-
press and her party, gave a check to the persecution
against the Catholics. — See St Ambr., Ep. 2. ad Mar-
cellinam.

In like manner, in the Arian persecution in Africa,
under Hunneric, King of the Vandals, we have the cele-
brated miracle of restoring sight to a blind man, before
the whole people, by Eugenius, Bishop of Carthage,
which is related at length by St Victpr, Bishop of Vite,

VOL. II. N

194 CHAPTER XV.

in his history of this persecution. This created such a
sensation, "that the news," says St Victor, "was soon
carried to Hunneric ; the man was apprehended, and
questioned about all that had happened, and the re-
covery of his sight. He gave a faithful account of every
circumstance : whereby the Arian bishops were put to
the utmost confusion. The reality of the miracle could
not be denied, for Felix — the blind man — was known to
the whole city."

Again, 5. The time and manner in which this their
testimony was published to the world is another con-
vincing proof of their veracity ; for they do not publish
their accounts of the miracles they relate, as of things that
happened long before, or in other parts of the world,
but as of facts occurring at the very time, and in the very
place where they mention them, and as well known to
the people to whom they publish them. Several examples
of this we see in those named above ; as of St Augus-
tine in his ' City of God,' where, B. 22. cap. 8, he says :
" Even at this time miracles are wrought in the name of
Jesus, as well by His sacraments as by the prayers and
memorials of His saints. The cure of the blind man at
Milan was done in the presence of a vast concourse of
people, who were there assembled at the bodies of the
martyrs Gervase and Protase." A little after, he adds :
" There was one miracle wrought among us, so public
and so celebrated, that I do not think there is one of all
the inhabitants of Hippo who did not see it, or has not
been informed of it ; " and then he proceeds to relate it.
This relation he published in Hippo to the very people
before whom he declares that the miracle was performed.
Must he not have been insane to do so if what he related
had never happened ?

In like manner, Theodoret published the life and

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 195

wonderful miracles of St Simeon Stylites while the saint
was still living, and thousands were alive who had been
eyewitnesses of what he related, so that he could not have
escaped detection if what he stated had not been liter-
ally true. When St Victor, Bishop of Vite, published to
the world his history of the African confessors, whose
tongues had been cut out by Hunneric, and who yet re-
tained the perfect use of speech, he says : " If any man
makes a difficulty in believing this, let him go to Con-
stantinople, and there he may see one of them, Reparatus
by name, a sub-deacon, who speaks perfectly, and is
highly esteemed by all in the palace of the Emperor
Zeno." Could this author have escaped detection had
this relation been a fiction ? Lastly, the life of St Ber-
nard was written by one of his own disciples, and pub-
lished soon after his death, while thousands were alive
who, had there been any falsehood in the miracles, were
able to expose the fraud to the utter confusion of the
publishers.

I cannot help adding here two examples similar to the
last mentioned, that of St Cyril of Jerusalem, and of St
Gregory the Great. The former, in his homily preached
to his people " on the paralytic," declares publicly, as a
thing well known among them, that the gifts of prophecy,
of healing the sick, and of casting out devils, were
granted at that time to some of the faithful at Jerusalem;
and he there publicly exhorts those on whom these
graces were bestowed to be humble, and to repress all
thoughts of pride and vanity that might arise in their
breasts on that account. But how ridiculous would
not this have been had not his hearers well known
the truth of what he thus asserted ! In like manner, St
Gregory the Great writes to St Augustine, the apostle of
the English, exhorting him to be humble, and not to

196 CHAPTER XV.

allow his mind to be elated by the many miracles God was
pleased to work by His hands for the conversion of that
people, which would have been highly inconsistent, and
would have exposed him to the just censure of the world,
if these miracles had never taken place. To these I may
add St Chrysostom — though he more properly belongs to
the former class — who, in his Discourse 32, torn. 7, men-
tions to his hearers as a thing public and well known
among them, that many had been healed of their diseases
by anointing themselves with oil taken from the lamps
burning before the relics of the martyrs. It is evident,
then, that the manner in which this testimony is given,
and the circumstances attending it, are such as to remove
every suspicion of imposture, and give the highest value
to the attestation.

VII. The nature of the facts attested is another
strong evidence of veracity ; for these were by no
means fit subjects for imposture ; but palpable, plain
open facts, such as giving sight to the blind, curing
the sick, and raising the dead to life. In judging
of such cases the learning of a philosopher is not re-
quired. In such things the most illiterate person is as
capable of discerning the truth as the man of the greatest
learning.

VIII. Fourthly, The effects produced by these miracles
is another striking proof of their reality. They are
chiefly three : i. " The conversion of heretics." Thus
the numbers of Arians converted by the miracles which
were wrought by the relics of the martyrs of Milan, and
the multitude of Henricians about Thoulouse and other
places converted by the miracles of St Bernard, are un-
deniable proofs of the reality of the miracles by which
this was brought about. And this proof is the stronger,
because it is well known how obstinate and inveterate

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES.

these heresies were, and how watchful were their abettors
to lay hold of everything against the Catholic Church.
Hence we may fairly conclude, that had not these
miracle's been true, and known beyond all dispute,
instead of converting such numbers, they could never
have escaped the censure of adversaries so clear-sighted,
but would rather have confirmed them in their errors.
The same may be said of the miracles of St Dominic, in
converting numbers of the Albigenses.

2. " The conversion of sinners " to a life of penance
and piety, by means of miracles, is another admirable
effect which they have produced, and an undoubted proof
of the reality of their existence. Every one knows how
difficult it is to change the heart of obdurate sinners,
habituated to vice and sensuality; nothing less than the
almighty hand of God is able to perform this, especially
to do it thoroughly and instantaneously. Miracles are
doubtless the most powerful and best adapted external
means to convince such sinners of what God requires of
them, and of their imminent danger if they continue
rebellious to His will ; and God Himself, in the case of
Pharaoh, and other such examples in Holy Scripture,,
used them for this very purpose. When, therefore, such
conversions, instantaneous and perfect, are publicly
known as the consequences of miracles attested to have
been wrought for that very end, the effect itself is a con-
vincing proof of the existence of the cause which has
produced it. A remarkable instance of this we find in
the life of St Bernard, in the conversion of the Duke
of Guienne, by the miracles of that holy servant of God,
which, with others of a like manner, I omit, for brevity's
sake.

3. " The conversion of heathen nations to the Chris-
tian faith " is another glorious effect of miracles, and an

198 CHAPTER XV.

incontestable proof of their existence. That heathen
nations have in all ages been converted to the faith of
Christ, is a fact never called in question : that miracles
were a means, proper, adequate, and well adapted to
produce this effect, will not be denied : that we might
reasonably expect them from a good God on such an
important occasion is what the most violent adversaries
must admit. Seeing, therefore, that the histories of all
those nations do solemnly attest that many miracles were
wrought by the saints who converted them, and that their
conversion is expressly declared to have been the effect
of these miracles, the certainty and notoriety of the effect
give convincing proof of the existence of the cause whence
it proceeded, and add weight to the testimony by which
that existence is attested.

Here we may properly quote the observation of St
Augustine, that considering the nature of the Christian
religion both as to faith and morals, the opposition it
must experience from the corruption of our hearts and
our perverse inclinations, especially when these have
been confirmed by habit, continued indulgence, and
popular prejudices, it seems impossible it should ever
gain ground, and be planted in any nation without the
help of miracles. Or if at any time this should happen,
it would itself be a greater miracle than any of those
related ; because the conversion of a heathen nation to
the faith of Christ without the help of miracles, would be
a supernatural effect produced in the hearts of every one
converted, by the immediate operation of the power of
God, without the use of any external means adequate to
the effect produced.

What Dr Campbell beautifully observes of the miracles
of the apostles, and of their effects in the conversion of

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 199

the heathen world, may justly be used here, and is ap-
plicable to the same or similar effects in converting
heathens, heretics, or sinners in all after-ages. " The
very pretext of supporting the doctrine by miracles,"
says the Doctor, " if a false pretext, would of necessity do
unspeakable hurt to the cause. The pretence of miracles
will quickly attract the attention of all to whom the new
or the disputed doctrine is published. The influence which
address and eloquence, appearances of sanctity, and
fervours of devotion would otherwise have had, however
great, would be superseded by the consideration of what
is infinitely more striking and decisive. The miracles,
therefore, will first be canvassed, and canvassed with a
temper of mind the most unfavourable to conviction."
—Dissert., p. n, § i. Consequently, if, after such can-
vassing, the adversaries yield the day, heathens become
Christians, heretics rejoin the Catholic faith, and sinners
are converted to a penitential and virtuous life, these
effects are most convincing proofs that the miracles have
stood the test of the strictest scrutiny, and have triumphed
over all opposition.

IX. To these remarkable effects of miracles we may
add two others, which, though not necessarily produced
by them, are such natural consequences as to presuppose
the reality of their existence. The first is the erection
of monuments in memory of miracles performed. When
any public monument actually exists, and when ancient
historians living on the spot at the very time of its
erection relate what gave occasion to it, these together
are an irrefragable proof of the existence of the fact ;
because, should the historian give a false account, and
publish that at the time and in the place where the
monument is erected, he could not possibly escape de-

.
20O CHAPTER XV.

tection. Now many such public monuments are to
be found in the Catholic Church, as proofs of the reality
of those miracles for which they were erected.

The second is the difficulty to which the adversaries
of the Catholic faith have been reduced in order to
evade the argument of miracles urged against them,
particularly their attributing them to imposture or art
magic ; for such evasions plainly show that even those
very adversaries were convinced of the facts, and there-
fore found themselves reduced to the above evasions
to elude their force. This is no uncommon refuge of
the adversaries of the Catholic faith. Osiander, the
celebrated father of the Reformation, not being able
to doubt the miracles performed by St Bernard, says,
" they were Satan's workmanship, for the confirma-
tion of idolatry and false worship." — Epit. Centur., p.
310. Whi taker, in his answer to Bellarmine, acknow-
ledging the existence of the miracles urged against him
by that learned cardinal, attributes them to the devil.
"The devil," says he, "might preserve the body of
Xavier for a short time odoriferous and incorrupt." — Lib.
de Eccles., p. 354.

Calvin, in the preface to his Institutions, and the cen-
turiators of Magdeburg, relating miracles in every cen-
tury of the Church, convinced as they were of the facts,
openly impute them to Satan. In like manner the
Arians and heathens, as St Ambrose informs us, pre-
tended that the miracles performed by the bodies of
Sts Gervase and Protase were wrought by the devil, in
order to delude the Christians. Celsus also, and Julian,
two inveterate pagan adversaries of Christianity, attri-
buted all the miracles wrought at the establishment of
the Christian religion to the same cause ; and those ene-
mies of the truth and of true miracles only followed

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 2OI

the example of the Pharisees, their fathers and prede-
cessors in this cause, who said of the miracles of Christ
Himself, " that He cast out devils through Beelzebub,
the prince of the devils," Matt. xii. 24. This evasion
is a clear proof that those who resort to it were con-
vinced of the reality ^of the facts, which they could not
deny, as is justly observed by the learned Protestant
author of the observations on the conversion of St Paul,
p. 101 : " To impute miracles to magic is by no means
agreeable to the notions of those who in this age dis-
believe Christianity. It will therefore be needless to
show the weakness of that supposition; but that sup-
position itself is no inconsiderable argument of the truth
of the facts. Next to the apostles and evangelists, the
strongest witnesses of the undeniable force of that truth
are Celsus and Julian, and other ancient opponents of
the Christian religion;" and we may add Osiander, Whit-
aker, Calvin, and others, as equally strong witnesses of
the miracles of the latter ages, " who were obliged to
solve what they could not contradict, by such an irra-
tional and absurd imagination." And, indeed, the ab-
surdity of this is evident from the third and fourth rules
of the criterion above laid down, for distinguishing whe-
ther miracles be from God or from Satan.

X. Let any man of common sense seriously con-
sider these circumstances attending the testimony given
in every age in attestation of miracles, and say, if he
thinks it probable, or even morally possible, that such
testimony can be false. And, indeed, were it pos-
sible for such testimony to deceive us, how could we
reasonably believe any one fact that happened before
our own days, or of which we have not been eyewit-
nesses ? But we need not argue on this point. The
testimony for the continuation of miracles in every age

202 CHAPTER XV.

since the apostles, is so full, perfect, and every way well
founded, that two of the greatest and most inveterate
adversaries that ever have appeared against miracles
have been forced to acknowledge it ; and for that very
reason refuse to trust the issue of the cause upon that
ground. These two adversaries are the celebrated Dr
Middleton and Mr Hume. " There is not a single point
in all history," says the Doctor, " so constantly, explicitly,
and unanimously affirmed by them all" — Church his-
torians— "as the continual succession of those " — miracu-
lous— "powers through all ages, from the earliest father
who first mentions them, down to the time of the Refor-
mation, which same succession is still farther deduced
by persons of the most eminent character for their pro-
bity, learning, and dignity in the Romish Church to this
very day." — Pref. to Inq.

Such is the character the Doctor gives of the testi-
mony for the existence of miracles in all ages, which
surely nothing but the force of truth could have ex-
torted from him. But seeing it would be impossible
to deny the continuation of miracles if tried by this
rule, he sets out with the determined resolution to
reject all miracles after the apostolic age, and never to
bring one of them to the test of this examination;
because, "If the cause," says he, " must be tried by the
unanimous consent of fathers, we shall find as much
reason to believe those powers were continued even to
the latest ages, as to any other, how early and primitive
soever, after the days of the apostles." — Ibid.

As to Mr Hume, he expressly recommends to his
readers, "to form a general resolution never to lend
any attention to the testimony " — for miracles in favour
of religion — " with whatever specious pretext it may be
covered." And he assigns this plain reason : " Because,"

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 2O3

says he, "those who are so silly as to examine the
affair by that medium, and seek particular flaws in the
testimony, are almost sure to be confounded." — Ess. on
Mir., as cited by Dr Campbell, Dissert., p. 60, 61. This
is plain dealing, and the most authentic attestation
from the mouth of a declared enemy, that the positive
testimony for the perpetual continuation of miracles in
all the preceding ages of the Church is so well founded,
absolute, and complete, that it is impossible to find the
slightest flaw in it. Even the clear-sighted David Hume
himself, notwithstanding the acuteness of his genius, and
the ardent desire of his heart, is forced to confess his
inability.

XI. The natural and necessary conclusion from all
these observations is, " That the existence of miracles
of the second class above mentioned — viz., those attested
by judicious historians, or other writers of credit and
authority, in every age — is founded on such ample, full,
and perfect positive testimony, as exceeds any other
historical fact whatsoever, according to Dr Middleton,
and that no possible flaw can be found in it, according
to Mr Hume ; consequently, that no man in his proper
senses can call their existence in question, without de-
stroying all historical faith whatsoever, and without
acting in direct opposition to one of the essential prin-
ciples of the human mind, which obliges us to yield our
assent to that conviction which a full and unexception-
able testimony necessarily carries along with it in mat-
ters of fact, either past or at a distance, as Dr Beattie
proves at large in his Essay on Truth."

XII. I shall conclude this subject by the testimonies
of two other celebrated Protestants, who, from the force
of the continual attestation of miracles in every age,
were thoroughly convinced of the reality of their exist-

204 CHAPTER XV.

ence down to their own days, and whose authority ought
certainly to have great weight with every true child
of the Reformation. The first is Luther himself, the
great apostle of the Reformation, who, in his book on
the Jews, torn, vii., Wittemb., p. 209, says: "Through
the course of fifteen hundred years past the Jews have
heard that there is the Word of God, have seen the
greatest signs and wonders, and have raged against
them." And a little after he adds, speaking of the
Christian faith: "From God we have learned and received
it, as the eternal word and truth of God, confessed and
confirmed by miracles and signs during these fifteen
hundred years to this present time." Nay, what is still
more to our purpose, in his book ' De Purgatione quo-
rundum articulorum,' he even attests miracles wrought
in his own time at the shrines of saints, and states it
as a thing so public and evident that it can admit of
no doubt. " Who can gainsay these things," says he,
" which God to this day worketh miraculously at the
tombs of the saints ? Ad divorum sepulchra"

The other testimony which I shall bring is that of the
learned Grotius, whose abilities as a scholar and a judi-
cious critic are justly admired by the world. This great
man, upon these words of our Saviour, " These signs shall
follow those that believe," declares himself thus : " As
the later ages also are full of testimonies of the same
thing, I don't know by what reason some are moved to
restrict that gift to the first ages only ; wherefore, if any
one would even now preach Christ in a manner agreeable
to Him, to nations that know Him not, I have no doubt
but the force of the promise will still remain." I shall
make no further observation on these two respectable
witnesses than this, that the force of the truth must be
great, which obliges persons even against the interest of

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 2O5

their own cause to acknowledge it ; and that the only
reason which moved others afterwards to deny it, was
not the love of truth, nor any new light acquired and
unknown to those before them, but the miserable neces-
sity of their cause, which, as Dr Middleton fairly acknow-
ledges, forced them into this alternative, — either ab-
solutely to reject the continuation of miracles in the
Christian Church, in spite of all the strong and unexcep-
tionable evidence to the contrary, or fairly to give up
the Reformation as the work of Satan, and yield the day
to the Catholic Church.

XIII. We now proceed to consider the third class of
miracles, according to the division given above — that is,
such as have undergone the examination of the Church
in her processes for the canonisation of saints, and are.
published to the world as true under the sanction of her
authority. And here we shall find such precautions taken
for ascertaining the truth of miracles so approved, as ren-
der it morally impossible for deceit or fraud, or even
mistake, to find admittance.

It is a common calumny against the Church, that her
pastors have an interest in promoting the belief of
miracles ; that therefore they encourage forgeries and
impositions ; that, having the power in their hand, they
prevent all proper examination of such as appear among
them ; in a word, that they promote imposture in these
matters, and discourage all means of detection. The
utter groundlessness of this calumny is self-evident;
for what person of common-sense can believe that such
numbers of pious and learned men in every age should
be so lost to every sense of virtue and honesty as to
promote impostures of this kind, and that not in a
few instances, but in as many as there are miracles
received and approved by the Catholic Church, especially

2O6 CHAPTER XV.

if it be added that these very men openly profess as a
sacred article of their faith that it is a deadly sin to pro-
mote or propagate falsehood in matters of religion, or to
propose a false object of veneration to Christian people ?
Who can persuade himself that in so many ages, in
different countries, in such numbers of persons as are
here concerned, not one should be found of such com-
mon honesty as to disclose the fraud, and to undeceive
his fellow-creatures ? Whence comes it that of the num-
bers who have apostatised from the Catholic Church,
and have evidently shown that they wanted neither the
will nor the means of making such a disclosure, none
have ever yet been able to substantiate the charge ? The
reason is plain, because the accusation is not only false
and groundless, but directly opposed to the whole tenor
of the Church's conduct in this matter. Far from en-
couraging imposture, she punishes severely everything of
the kind, and uses every means in her power in order to
preserve her children from being deceived in things of
such importance to their spiritual welfare. This has been
her care in every age, and in these later times we find
that instead of relaxing, she has increased the strictness
of her vigilance.

XIV. The great heroes of Christianity, those blessed
martyrs who laid down their lives with heroic con-
stancy in the midst of torments, for the sake of Jesus
Christ, were, according to His promises, entitled at their
death to immediate admission to His glory. Accord-
ingly, from the unanimous and most authentic records of
antiquity, we find the greatest honours paid to them by
the Christian world. At their martyrdom, the faithful
assembled in crowds to witness their glorious victories ;
they gathered up their venerable remains with the utmost
care ; they assembled yearly at their sepulchres to cele-

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 20/

brate the day of their triumph ; the history of their con-
fession and martyrdom was publicly read for the instruc-
tion and encouragement of the faithful, and their acts
were communicated to the most distant Churches for
comfort and edification. See the letter of the Church of
Smyrna to that of Philadelphia, giving an account of the
martyrdom of their holy bishop, St Polycarp, and of the
behaviour of the faithful upon that occasion.

We find, however, from the same ancient records, that
even to have suffered martrydom was not sufficient to
entitle one immediately to these sacred honours; it was
required that this should be publicly recognised and ac-
knowledged by the chief pastors of the Church. It was
the province of these pastors to judge whether the person
was to be esteemed a real martyr or not; whether there
were just grounds to believe that he was in possession
of eternal bliss, and consequently whether or not the
honours given to martyrs were due to him. Even in
those early ages this was considered necessary to prevent
imposture, and to preserve the multitude from being car-
ried away by appearances; hence came the distinction
between approved martyrs, martyres vindicati, and those
who were not ; and to give to these latter the honour
due to the former was always thought a crime, and as
such was severely punished by the Church. Of this
there is a striking example in the famous Lucilla of
Carthage, who was so offended at being reprimanded,
that she became a great cause and promoter of the
Donatist schism.

As to the holy servants of God who died in peace,
after spending their days in the rigours of penance, or in
the heroic practice of Christian virtues, it was some time
after their death before they were admitted to the same
honours given to the martyrs. Besides the sanctity of

208 CHAPTER XV.

their lives, it was necessary that unquestionable proofs
should appear of their being in possession of God in
heaven. Miracles wrought by Almighty God, on recourse
being had to their prayers, or on applying their sacred
relics, or the like, were received as undoubted, and in-
deed as the only certain proof of their felicity; because,
though the sanctity of their lives, if they persevered
therein to the end, is the great foundation of their glory
in heaven, yet however incontestable the proofs of their
sanctity may be, their perseverance cannot be so certainly
known, unless Heaven itself speak in their favour by
miracles after their death. Hence miracles are always
considered a necessary condition in the canonisation of
saints, even martyrs, as being the only assured proofs of
their having persevered to the end in those holy disposi-
tions which alone could entitle them to heavenly glory.

XV. Now the taking cognisance of miracles for this
end has always been the province of the chief pastors of
the Church, who have ever looked upon it as a matter
requiring mature deliberation and the greatest circum-
spection. In these later times particularly, the exami-
nation has been unanimously referred to the judgment
of the Bishops of Rome, who have deemed it proper to
redouble their vigilance, and to increase the strictness
of the examinations that were wont to be observed in
former ages.

Of this we have a remarkable example about the year
1220, in the letter of Honorius III. addressed to the
general chapter of the Cistercian order, and the bishop
of the place, wherein he narrates : " That many bishops
and religious persons, together with the abbot and con-
vent of St Maurice, had some time before given him an
account of numbers of miracles wrought by the interces-
sion of their late holy abbot Maurice, and of the constant

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 2OQ

and general opinion which all that country had of his
sanctity, and therefore had entreated him to have him
canonised; that in consequence of this application, he
had sent a commission to the Bishop of Lyons and the
Abbot of St Loup, to make a juridical examination of
the miracles, and of the life of the holy abbot, in order
to have a just and solid ground for granting the request;
that these commissioners had indeed sent him a list of
many great miracles, said to be wrought by God through
the merits of the holy abbot, and attested upon oath by
several witnesses. But it did not appear by the account
sent that the commissioners had examined the witnesses
severally upon the subjects and circumstances of their
attestations with the care and diligence requisite in an
affair of such importance, and therefore he could not
proceed upon their information, and had ordered the said
general chapter and the diocesan bishop to cause the
witnesses to be re-examined separately, with the care
and diligence which is wont and ought to be used in
such matters." Such is the substance of his Holiness's
rescript, as narrated in Decret, lib. 2, tit. 20, cap. Vene-
rabili de Testib. et Attestat. From this it is evident,
even in the middle ages, when the adversaries of the
Catholic Church pretend that so many corruptions,
especially with regard to miracles, crept in, how scrupu-
lous the Holy See was in not admitting anything as true,
except after the strictest scrutiny, and on the most incon-
testable evidence.

XVI. After the death of St Francis of Assisium,
many miracles were said to be wrought by his inter-
cession, upon which Pope Gregory IX. ordered a
strict examination ; and in order to proceed with the
greater caution, he commissioned certain cardinals,
whom he knew to be least favourable, to preside at the

VOL. II. O

210 CHAPTER XV.

scrutiny. Accordingly, the examination was made with
the utmost care, and the miracles were found to be so
indisputably true, that it was resolved to proceed to his
canonisation two years after his death. The same pre-
cautions were used by this Pope in examining the mira-
cles wrought by St Anthony of Padua, which were there-
upon found to be so certain, great, and numerous, that
he was canonised the following year. About the begin-
ning of the fifteenth century, flourished that most wonder-
ful man St Vincent Ferrer, after whose death the strictest
inquiry was made as to miracles wrought by his inter-
cession ; and from the process of canonisation by Pope
Calixtus III. it appears that upwards of eight hundred
miracles were proved to have been wrought by him, and
this proof was supported by the most convincing testi-
monies.

XVII. But nothing conveys a better idea of the caution
used by the Holy See in these matters, than the follow-
ing extract from the decree of Pope Nicolas V. for the
canonisation of St Bernardin of Sienna, in the year 1450,
six years after his death : " In the time of our predecessor
Eugenius IV. so many miracles were reported to have been
performed by the merits and intercession of St Bernardin,
that the most pressing solicitations were made to the
Apostolic See to have the reality of those miracles in-
quired into with proper care, to the end that, after the
truth was manifested, due honour might be paid by the
Church militant on earth to him who was proved, by the
testimony of God, to reign in glory in the Church trium-
phant in heaven. Our predecessor did what was requisite
in a matter of such importance, and, according to the
custom of the Apostolic See, intrusted the business to
three cardinals of the holy Roman Church, who were
empowered to send two venerable bishops, with commis-

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 211

sion to make the most exact researches in order to dis-
cover the truth. And having spent some months in this
work, they returned to Rome, and gave a faithful account
of what they had found. But our predecessor being taken
out of the world before that business was ended, and
solicitations being made to us to have it resumed, we
resolved to proceed with the utmost care and circum-
spection. Therefore we appointed three cardinals of the
holy Roman Church to send two venerable bishops a
second time to inquire into the truth, that so we might
proceed with more security after this repeated search."

" Accordingly they sent two bishops, who, on their re-
turn, did not only confirm what had been discovered in the
time of our predecessor, but also brought attestations of
several evident miracles which had been wrought since
that time. Nevertheless, we did not allow this second
inquiry to suffice, but resolved to make a third, and there-
fore sent two other venerable bishops, who, after some
months, returned with the most convincing proofs that
miracles were frequently wrought ; and, in particular,
they brought an exact narrative of some of the most
remarkable."

" After this we sent another bishop to Sienna, who,
having stayed there some months, bore witness on his
return to the truth and reality of the miracles. We sent
the same venerable person also to Aquila, where the
saint died, to inquire whether any miracles were wrought
there. On his return he confirmed the attestations of
others who had been sent before to the same place, and
moreover related the most stupendous works, which had
been done since the time of the inquiry made by those
others; which stupendous works were done not in cor-
ners and hidden places, but publicly, and in the sight of
the whole multitude. Having received these informa-

212 CHAPTER XV.

tions, we caused every particular to be laid open in our
consistory, where they were examined. But the matter
being of great importance, the determination was delayed
till another consistory should be held, that each car-
dinal might, in the mean time, examine every article
more maturely at home. In this second consistory all
the votes concurred in this, that the miracles were so
many and evident, and the sanctity of the saint's life and
the purity of his faith so manifest, that there was reason
sufficient to proceed to the canonisation," &c.

XVIII. Let it be remembered that these steps were
taken, and this decree published, within the space of six
years after the saint's death, and in the country where the
events occurred, when all particulars must have been
well known, and recent in every one's mind. Let me
then ask any man of common-sense, whether he thinks
it possible to have used greater caution, or that this inves-
tigation could have failed to ascertain the truth of public
and well-known facts ? or that, had any falsehood been
advanced in the decree, it could have escaped detection,
considering the time, place, and circumstances in which
it was published to the world ?

XIX. These examples show how very far it is from
being the desire or intention of the pastors of the Church
to impose false accounts or forged miracles upon her
children ; nay, how scrupulously careful they are not to
advance or approve anything till by the most mature
and repeated examination they have acquired undoubted
proofs of the truth.

This appears still more clearly from the regulations
of the Council of Trent, and the improvement made
in the rigour of the investigation, by which the sovereign
Pontiff now regulates his conduct in these researches.
The bishops assembled in that Council did not per-

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 213

mit the subject of miracles to escape their attention.
They were sensible that abuses might creep in among
simple people, and that accounts of false or suppositi-
tious miracles in particular places, remote from the
means of detection, might be circulated and credited,
if not properly prevented. Wherefore, following the ex-
ample of former ages, they framed a decree, by which
they not only confirm to the chief pastors of the Church
the right of examining new miracles, and of rejecting or
approving them as they shall see cause, but also strictly
forbid any new miracle to be admitted till it be pro-
perly examined and approved by the diocesan bishop.

The words of the decree are as follow : " The holy
synod decrees also that no new miracles shall be ad-
mitted without the previous examination and approba-
tion of the said bishop, who, when he has arrived at any
certainty regarding them, may, with the advice of theo-
logians and other pious persons, do what he shall judge
agreeable to truth and piety," Sess. 25, Deer, de Invoc.
et Vener. Sanct. This wise regulation effectually dis-
courages all impostures. These can never stand the test
of a judicial examination ; and without that they can never
make great progress in deceiving, nor have any public
weight or authority in the Church.

XX. Even though no other precautions than those
had been taken for ascertaining the truth of miracles,
yet it must be owned that they were amply sufficient to
convince any reasonable person of the certainty of the
facts so examined and attested. These precautions were
repeated examinations by different commissioners, men
of known probity and learning, made at different times,
of witnesses upon oath, concerning facts of their nature,
open, plain, and public, said to have been performed in
the presence of multitudes of people of all ranks and

214 CHAPTER XV.

stations. These examinations were made at or .soon
after the time when the facts were said to have happened,
when numbers of witnesses were alive, and when every-
thing was fresh in their memories. The process and
result of these examinations were weighed with the most
mature deliberation by a body of learned and disinterested
persons, arfd, when approved by them, published to the
world among the people, and in the place, where the
whole had occurred, and where it was impossible that
any fraud attempted could escape detection.

All these circumstances are doubtless such means of
ascertaining the facts examined and attested, that it
seems scarcely possible to add anything in order to give
the human mind more assured conviction ; and yet we
find that the Church, from her desire of rendering these
matters absolutely incontestable, and of precluding every
possible cavil of her enemies, has, even in these later
times, added new precautionary measures, and in her
processes for the canonisation of saints uses still greater
rigour and severity in the proofs which she demands. The
whole series of this process is described at length by one
who was thoroughly conversant with it — the late Pope
Benedict XIV., in his valuable and elaborate work on
the Canonisation of Saints. From it I shall here give a
clear and succinct account of what refers to miracles.
Whoever considers it with due attention will, I am con-
fident,, acknowledge that it is impossible for human pru-
dence to use more effectual means for arriving at the
knowledge of the truth ; and that if facts so examined
and attested could, notwithstanding, be false or forged,
we must bid farewell to all faith and credit among
men.

XXI. At the death of any holy servant of God, whose
virtuous and holy life gives a well-founded hope to those

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES.

who knew him that his soul has been received into
eternal glory, the faithful are not forbidden to have re-
course in private to his intercession, or to ask benefits
from Almighty God through the help of his prayers. If
these favours be not granted, and no sign of his being
with God be manifested, this private devotion naturally
decays, and in time completely disappears. But if Al-
mighty God shall be pleased to grant the favours asked,
and even to work miracles at the invocation of His
holy servant ; when these, published among the faithful,
increase the reputation of his sanctity, and give en-
couragement to others to have recourse to his inter-
cession, in hopes of receiving like blessings from God
through his means, — when this is the case, things are
permitted to proceed without any judicial cognisance for
some time.

Experience shows how easily the majority of mankind,
especially the uneducated, allow themselves to be influ-
enced by anything that strongly affects them. The popular
opinion of the sanctity of a person deceased, if followed
by a report, whether true or false, of any miracle wrought
by his means, cannot fail at first to make a deep impres-
sion on the minds of the people. But if the foundation
be false, the superstructure will soon fall to the ground.
A little time must be given, and some allowance made,
for the first transports of devotion. Error cannot long
continue to prevail ; and, sooner or later, imposture must
be discovered.

But if the reputation of the person's sanctity increases ;
if the fame of supernatural events wrought by his inter-
cession continues; if these things, instead of diminish-
ing, make greater progress, and daily gain more credit
in the minds of men, — then, from this constant and in-
creasing public voice in his favour, there arises a well-

2l6 CHAPTER XV.

grounded reason for making more particular inquiry into
the nature and truth of the things reported ;— if, therefore,
the State, a religious order, or any particular persons con-
nected with the deceased, shall think proper to interest
themselves in procuring an examination of the case at the
supreme tribunal, in order to canonisation, their first ap-
plication must be to the diocesan bishop, to whom it
belongs to take judicial cognisance in the first instance
of the popular report in the saint's favour, both as to his
life and miracles. This is so indispensable, that the
Court of Rome will admit no case to a hearing till this
first step be taken, and the acts of this judicial inquiry
by the bishop fully proved, with all the formalities pre-
scribed.

These formalities, ten in number, are as follows : i. To
avoid all precipitation (as I observed above), the popular
report of the sanctity and miracles of the deceased must
have existed for some considerable time before the
bishop be allowed to begin his proceedings of inquiry.
2. The bishop must himself preside, if possible, at all
the steps of the process ; and if he be obliged to sub-
stitute any of the inferior clergy, this judge must have
a doctor of divinity and a licentiate of canon law for his
assistants. 3. He who receives the depositions must
countersign every article with the witnesses themselves
who subscribe them. 4. Each deponent must be asked
for a circumstantial relation of the facts which he attests.
It is not allowed to read over to witnesses what may have
been deponed by those preceding them, and to cause it
to be confirmed by their consent ; but each one must be
examined by himself apart, and the answers to each inter-
rogatory extended at full length. 5. The notary and the
promoter of the case, as well as the witnesses, must be

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 21?

sworn to observe profound secrecy with reference to
the questions put and the answers given. 6. Informa-
tion must be sent to the Pope of the whole procedure,
and of the judgment of the bishop passed thereupon.
7. A copy of the papers must be made in proper form,
authenticated, sealed, and sent to the Congregation of
Rites at Rome. 8. The originals are preserved in the
archives of the cathedral church of the diocese, in a
special chest, sealed, and under different keys, which are
deposited with different persons of rank and character.
9. Besides the witnesses presented to the bishop by the
promoters of the case, he must also examine as many
others as he can find capable of giving any proper infor-
mation. 10. No extra-judicial acts or attestations are
allowed to be inserted among the authentic writings of
the process.

Now, who does not see in this procedure the utmost
care to prevent imposition, and to arrive at a distinct and
certain knowledge of the truth ? Remark the particular
and separate examination of each witness, the ignorance
each one is in of the questions put to the others, and
the solemn oath which all take never to disclose the
subject of the questions put, or the answers given. In
addition to the witnesses presented by the promoters ot
the case, as many others as can be had are procured,
and all care is taken to preserve the papers from im-
proper inspection. What are these but the most careful
measures to prevent collusion among the present wit-
nesses or those who may afterwards be examined, and to
procure from each the most exact account of what he
knows ? One would be inclined to think, that a miracle
proved by this judgment alone might justly be deemed
sufficient to gain belief, and credit from any unpre-

218 CHAPTER XV.

judiced person; and yet these are merely preliminary
measures.

XXII. When the diocesan bishop has performed his
part, and, from the evidence collected in the above trial,
has given his judgment on the miracles examined, an
authentic sealed copy of the whole process is forwarded
to the Congregation of Rites at Rome, and there it must
remain, deposited with the notary of that congregation,
for ten years before the seals can be opened or any
farther step taken in the case. During this time, how-
ever, several things are carefully observed, ist, If the
popular report concerning the virtues and miracles of
the saint continues unimpaired and increases, or if it
decays and fails. 2dly, If any serious accusation appears
against him, any strong suspicion, any doubts as to his
conduct. 3dly, If he had composed any writings during
his lifetime, these are examined and minutely scrutinised,
to prove whether they contain any error, either in faith
or morals ; and if anything appears against him, the case
is dropped and consigned to oblivion.

But if these particulars are favourable, at the expira-
tion of ten years the case is again taken up in the Con-
gregation of Rites, the solicitors for the case demanding
of this court that the proceedings of the diocesan bishop
may be opened and examined. This is done with all
formality; and if, on examining the proceedings, it be
found that everything has been performed according
to rule, the Pope is applied to for a commission to
authorise the congregation to proceed. The case is
then removed out of the hands of the diocesan, and
every step that follows is taken by the authority of the
sovereign Pontiff.

This Congregation of Rites is a tribunal at Rome,
composed of certain cardinals who are the chief judges,

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 2IQ

and of consultors, judges of the second order. The
officers of this court are : i. the promoter of the faith,
or solicitor-general, who represents the public, and pro-
poses every difficulty he can devise against the persons
whose cases are tried ; 2. the secretary of the congre-
gation ; and, 3. the apostolic protonotary, with several
inferior officers, advocates, and notaries, who all take a
solemn oath of secrecy with reference to the matters
treated before them in cases of canonisation while pend-
ing, that nothing may transpire which could give the
smallest occasion to the promoters of the case to take
undue measures for advancing it. When the case is re-
moved into this court, the first step is the nomination of
three commissioners, authorised by the Holy Father to
take proper information in the place where the miracles
were performed, and where the saint's body is interred.
These are generally three local bishops, of whom the
Ordinary of the diocese is commonly one, — two form a
quorum. Then the solicitors for the case draw up the
articles to be examined by the commissioners, and classify
under different titles the several facts and miracles which
they consider the best founded, and the most proper
for proving the sanctity of the deceased, and his glory
in heaven. These preparatory writings are revised by
the promoter of the faith, who from them forms in-
structions for his substitute, the vice - promoter, with
the commissioners; and these contain all the objec-
tions and difficulties which he can devise against the
facts and miracles proposed to be examined by the
judges.

These papers, together with the commission to the
judges, and the form of oath to be taken by the court
and witnesses, are sealed and sent to the Ordinary of the
place. He convenes all concerned, the commission is

22O CHAPTER XV.

opened and read, the oaths are administered, and the
proper officers of the court appointed and sworn. A
day is then fixed, the witnesses are called, and their
depositions taken in some church, chapel, or sacred
place, in order to inspire respect, and the greater horror
of perjury.

The oath which they take upon the holy Gospels con-
tains two parts : i. that they will declare the whole
truth, without concealing or disguising anything ; and,
2. that they will not communicate to any one either
the questions put or the answers given. After taking
this oath, they are examined as to their quality, age,
faith, learning, and then as to the several articles pro-
posed by the solicitor for the case, and on any other
subject which the judges think proper. At the end of
each session the papers are sealed and locked up till
next meeting : and when the whole information has been
taken, the papers are authenticated by the names and
seals of the judges and principal officers of the court.
The originals are deposited in the archives of the dio-
cese ; and copies of the whole collated in presence of
the judges, and authenticated by their seals and sub-
scriptions, are sent to Rome by an express courier, who
is sworn to execute his commission with fidelity.

XXIII. Such is the general procedure of this court.
We shall now see in detail the nature of the proof re-
quired in order to ascertain the facts examined. The
general principle of the Congregation of Rites is, to
treat those cases with the same rigour with which
criminal cases are tried in civil courts, and to cause the
facts to be proved with the same exactness observed in
criminal prosecutions. Suspected or inconclusive tes-
timony, which would not be allowed as evidence for

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 221

condemning a criminal, is rejected in this court as insuf-
ficient proof.

In the witnesses the following conditions are
absolutely required: i. There must be at least two
or three who speak unanimously to the same fact and
its circumstances. Single testimony proves nothing.
Contradictory testimonies annul and destroy each other ;
and such as differ, but not upon essential points, render
each other mutually suspected. Those which concur
in the same point may serve as a corroboration, but
afford no certain proof. This is only allowed when
the same facts and circumstances are uniformly at-
tested by at least two or three witnesses. 2. The wit-
nesses must depose what they themselves saw or
heard : declarations and testimonies at second hand
are never admitted in proof of miracles. 3. The
witnesses must be of sufficient age, and have a
proper knowledge and discernment to distinguish the
nature of the things which they relate ; they must be
Catholics of known probity, and give an account of
the motives for their testimony. 4. All the objec-
tions to their testimony which reason and the circum-
stances can furnish, either from their persons, qualities,
or depositions, are proposed and urged by the vice-
promoter of the faith. A full hearing is given to them
by the court, and they must be answered by the opposite
party to the satisfaction of the judges.

XXIV. When the acts and proceedings of the com-
missioners are sent to Rome, they are strictly examined
by the Congregation of Rites, both as to their authenti-
city and validity — that is, whether every form prescribed
bylaw has been duly observed, and every prudent precau-
tion taken to arrive at the truth ; and if the congregation

222 CHAPTER XV.

is satisfied on this head, it proceeds to re-examine the
whole cause ; but fifty years must have elapsed from the
death of the saint before these steps can be taken. This
delay is ordered, that nothing may be done with precipi-
tation, and to ascertain if any new light appears in the
mean time, either for or against the case. At this stage
the case is resumed, and when the judicial acts and pro-
ceedings of the commissioners have been verified and
approved, some of the principal articles of the process
are selected to be tried and examined by the congre-
gation itself, in three extraordinary assemblies, held at
proper intervals ; and with regard to miracles, the ques-
tion proposed is, " Whether or not a competent number
of true miracles has been sufficiently proved in the
process made by the commissioners." Still, notwith-
standing all the precautions previously used, ^one may
say with truth, that it is only now, in discussing this
question, that the trial of the reality of the miracles is
made.

For greater precision, the question proposed is
divided into two parts, each of which is examined
separately. The first is, " Whether the actual existence
of the miraculous facts produced in the process have
been thoroughly proved before the commissioners ?
Secondly, Whether these facts be really supernatural and
true miracles, the work of God and of good angels?"
The discussion of the first of these brings on a review
of the whole process, wherein the proceedings of the
commissioners, the witnesses, their qualifications, their
depositions, and all the circumstances are canvassed; and
the promoter of the faith himself urges every objection
he can imagine against them. All must be thoroughly
solved by the solicitors for the case ; and if they fail to
satisfy the judges, the miracle is rejected as not proved.

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 223

If the facts be indubitable, then the court proceeds to
examine the other question, Whether the facts so proved
are supernatural and true miracles ?

XXV. In examining this point three different classes
of miracles are distinguished. Some are of such a
'stupendous nature as evidently to surpass all created
power, and show themselves at once to be the work of
the Creator ; and these are of the first order. Others
less astonishing may, for anything we know, be within
the power of those created intellectual beings, whose
knowledge and power far exceed ours ; and these are
of the second order. Others, again, are in substance
natural events, which may be produced by the assistance
of art — but from the concurrence of circumstances, and
the manner in which they are performed, become truly
miraculous ; and these are of the third order.

Now, when any miracle of the first order is produced,
and the fact undoubtedly proved, it needs no further
discussion ; it carries on the face of it the proofs of its
divinity, and shows itself at once to be the immediate
work of God ; — and such the raising a dead person to life
is always considered.

XXVI. In miracles of the second order, which are
plainly supernatural — that is, above all the efforts of.
human power — the question is, to discern whether they
be the work of God or the operations of evil spirits. In
deciding this, the fact is examined by the rules of the
criterion for this purpose. The most important of these
we have above described ; but some other circum-
stances are added by this court, and in all make five
principal qualities to constitute in their judgment a
divine miracle. They are as follows : First, " The
reality of the effect." The power of evil spirits is
limited, that of God has no bounds ; the wonders pro-

224 CHAPTER XV.

duced by the devil are at best but vain appearances,
which absorb the attention or deceive the senses — but
a true miracle produces a real effect. Secondly, " The
duration : " effects of enchantment are only momen-
tary ; those of true miracles are permanent. Thirdly,
" The utility :" God Almighty does not employ His power
in vain. Frivolous events and changes, which merely
produce fear or wonder, are unworthy the attention of
a reasonable man, much less do they deserve that the
Divine Wisdom should make use of a particular order of
His providence to produce them. Still less can it be
supposed that Almighty God will act in a miraculous
manner to exhibit things unbecoming, ridiculous, or
favourable to any unjust or wicked design. Fourthly,
"The means used:" prayer, invocation of the holy
name of God, of the blessed Trinity, and of the saints, are
the means of obtaining true miracles from God ; false
wonders are produced by having recourse to the devil,
by superstitious spells, shameful artifices, or extravagant
actions. Fifthly, " The principal object : " Almighty
God can have no other ultimate end in all He does
than His own glory and our real happiness. The con-
firmation or the advancement of piety and Christian
justice, and the sanctification of souls, are the only
supreme motives ultimately worthy of His goodness and
infinite wisdom. Miracles of the second order must
be attended with all these qualities before they can
be admitted in this court as divine, and the absence
of any one of them would effectually discredit the case
for ever.

XXVII. Miracles of the third order, as cures df
diseases, are examined in the strictest manner; and
it must necessarily be proved, to the conviction of
the judges, that they were attended with all those cir-

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 22$

cumstances which evidently show that the operation was
divine. The circumstances indispensably required are:
First, That the disease be considerable, dangerous, in-
veterate, and such as commonly resists the power of
known medicines, or at least that a cure by their means
would be long and difficult. Secondly, That the disease
have not come to a crisis, after which it is natural to
expect a mitigation of the symptoms and a cure. Thirdly,
That no ordinary natural remedies have been applied, or
that such time have elapsed that they could have no in-
fluence in the cure. Fourthly, That the cure be sudden
and instantaneous ; that the violent pains or imminent
danger cease at once, instead of diminishing gradually,
as we see in the operations of nature. Fifthly, That the
cure be perfect and complete. Sixthly, That the health
recovered be permanent, and not followed by a speedy
relapse.

XXVIII. The concurrence of all these conditions and
circumstances must be proved with the utmost clearness,
before the miraculous character of the facts can be ad-
mitted ; and in this investigation there is the greatest
rigour used. The promoter of the faith raises every pos-
sible objection; and is allowed to call in the assistance
of theologians, physicians, natural philosophers, mathe-
maticians, and others skilled in the respective matters
relating to the miracle under examination. To these the
case is submitted, and if they can satisfactorily account
for the effect by natural means, or if they can offer any
well-founded objection against the miraculous nature of
the fact, which the others cannot solve, the miracle is
forthwith rejected. In order, however, that all justice
may be done, the solicitors for the case also are allowed
to call in to their assistance persons learned in the sev-
eral sciences, to answer the difficulties proposed by the

VOL. II. P

226 CHAPTER XV.

promoter of the faith, and, if possible, to obviate his
objections.

XXIX. Such are the proceedings of Rome, in ascer-
taining the existence and continuation of miracles in
these later ages ; and by this rigorous process have been
tried, approved, and published to the world, numbers
of miracles performed by Almighty God, at the inter-
cession of his saints, down to the very day in which
we live. Let, then, the most determined enemies of
miracles attentively consider this short sketch of these
proceedings, and ask their own hearts if the scrupulous
care and rigorous investigation employed by this court
does not merit their highest praise, rather than their
censure ? Let them say if they could devise means better
calculated to prevent error and detect imposture than
those used by this tribunal ?

The most sacred things in religion, solemn oaths, and
the fear of the greatest ecclesiastical censures, are em-
ployed to elicit the exact truth; and the most careful
precautions that human prudence can suggest, are taken
to satisfy the judges of the capacity, the morals, and dis-
interestedness of the witnesses. The judges proceed by
slow steps, with full deliberation, and the same matters
are examined again and again at distant intervals, in
order to avoid any mistake from haste, or error from en-
thusiastic zeal. And when we consider the proceedings
of the Ordinary, and the scrutiny to which they are
subjected at Rome, the re-examination by the apostolical
commissioners, and the revision of their proceedings with
the same severity; the objections made by the promoter
of the faith, and the questions raised by physicians and
other learned persons, we shall be forced to acknowledge
that a miraculous fact, which has undergone this rigorous
trial, and comes to us invested with the approbation of

CONTINUATION OF MIRACLES. 22;

this tribunal, is attended with evidence so convincing
that any map must be devoid of common-sense and reason
who denies it. Seeing, then, that even in these times
many miracles have passed through this fiery ordeal, and
have been published to the world with the full sanction
of this court, the conclusion is obvious. The positive
proof for the continuation of miracles is strong and con-
vincing beyond dispute. The miraculous powers have
not, even to this day, been withdrawn from the Catholic
Church. Miracles still continue, from time to time, to
be wrought in her communion. Hitherto the promises
of Christ in this respect have had no limitation, and
they will continue to be fulfilled to the end of ages.

APPENDIX

ON

THE CATHOLIC DOCTRINE OF
TRANSUBSTANTIATION

NOTE.

As the circumstances which produced the following pages
were somewhat remarkable, a succinct account of them may
not be unacceptable to the reader. In the summer of 1775,
two worthy Edinburgh citizens, non-juring Episcopalians,
having had religious doubts excited in their minds, turned
their attention to examine the faith of their forefathers.
Desiring to obtain reliable information, they addressed
themselves to Dr Hay ; while, at the same time, they com-
municated the result of their interviews with him to their
own clergyman, the Rev. Mr (afterwards Bishop) Aber-
nethy Drummond. This excited the zeal, and called forth
all the controversial energies of that gentleman. He not
only discussed various points verbally, but he drew up in
writing a series of difficulties and objections to Catholic
doctrine. In particular, he took great credit to himself for
what he considered his unanswerable argument against
transubstantiation, and, in the fulness of his confidence, he
called upon Dr Hay, and challenged him to put in print all
that he could say in defence of it, promising to prepare and
publish a reply. Dr Hay, in consequence, wrote his Ap-
pendix, to explain the doctrine itself, and to expose the
sophistry of the arguments used against it.

Mr Abernethy Drummond did indeed publish his pro-
mised reply; but, whatever weight it may have had with
the public generally, it had evidently no effect upon the
two members of his congregation with whom the contro-
versy had originated, for they were both received into the
Catholic Church by Dr Hay.

EDITOR.

ST MARY'S, EDINBURGH,
June 2, 1873.

APPENDIX,

BY WAY OF DIALOGUE :

IN WHICH THE AUTHORITY OF MIRACLES, IN PROOF OF DOCTRINE,
IS FURTHER EXAMINED AND ILLUSTRATED BY A PARTICULAR
EXAMPLE, THAT OF TRANSUBSTANTIATION, WHICH, AS IT
INVOLVES MANY DIFFICULTIES BOTH FROM SENSE AND REA-
SON, SEEMS TO BE THE MOST PROPER FOR SUCH EXAMINA-
TION.

Orthodoxus. Philaretes.

„ , f~^ OOD morning, Philaretes. Why so early a
\_J visit from you to-day ? I hope all is well.

Phil. All is well, thank God ; but I have come to ask
your opinion of a recent discussion between your friend
Eusebius and Benevolus, concerning transubstantiation ;
have you heard of it ?

Orth. I have ; and think Benevolus must have been
in great excitement when he expressed himself in such
an unguarded manner, if what is reported of him be
correct.

Phil. You mean, I suppose, when he said that he would
not believe transubstantiation though Eusebius should
work a miracle, even though he should raise a man from
the dead to prove it.

Orth. I do.

232 APPENDIX.

Phil. Well, sir, he not only said so in the heat of
discussion, but he has since repeated the same after
reflection; nay, he has affirmed it under his hand, in
some letters that have passed between him and Eusebius.
Indeed, so confident is he of being in the right, that he
affirms he is able to defend that proposition before a
general council, and that he feels as certain that Eusebius
is in the wrong in objecting to it, as he is certain that
the Word of God is true.

Orth. Boldly said, indeed ; but, pray, does he pretend
to bring any proof for that assertion ? Does he allege
anything from the Word of God in defence of it ?

Phil. He does, I assure you. I have jotted down his
arguments, and have come here this morning to have
your opinion on the subject, as I wish thoroughly to
understand it.

Orth. You are always welcome, and never more so
than when you come on such business ; for it affords me
great pleasure to give you all the assistance in my power,
especially on the important subject of religion.

Phil. I am much obliged by your kindness, which I
have already experienced, and of which I shall always
preserve a grateful remembrance. And now, let me
know first what you think of the above proposition itself,
and then I shall state the arguments brought by Ben-
evolus in defence of it.

Orth. Very little knowledge of theology is required
to see that the proposition is highly blamable and
deserving of censure ; and I am not surprised that several
well meaning Christians are pained by it. The very
sound of it is offensive to pious ears ; and no wonder
— for it involves a supposition nearly bordering upon
blasphemy, if it be not really such.

Phil. That it sounds harshly, I admit, but to me it

APPENDIX. 233

does not appear to contain anything positively blasphe-
mous. I shall be glad, therefore, if you will give me
your reasons for passing upon it so severe a censure.

Orth. I will do so to your satisfaction. In the first
place, you must observe that God alone is master of life
and death ; and no created being, whatever be its natural
powers, can of itself either give life to man, or restore
it after God has deprived him of it. To give life, or to
restore it after death, is a work proper to the almighty
power of the Creator.* If, therefore, Eusebius or any
other, as an instrument in the hand of God, should raise
a man from death in proof of transubstantiation, and yet
Benevolus should refuse to believe that doctrine, this re-
fusal would necessarily imply that transubstantiation is a
falsehood, notwithstanding the attestation given to it ;
and as none but God can perform such a miracle, it im-
plies that Almighty God works a miracle proper to Him-
self alone, in favour of falsehood, which is evidently
blasphemous.

Phil. I see well the force of your remark ; but may
it not be alleged that, though God Himself can no more
work miracles in support of falsehood than He can lie
or deceive, yet He may permit the devil or wicked men
to work miracles for evil ends? And if so, may it not
be supposed that a miracle wrought in proof of tran-
substantiation is the work of Satan and not of God,
which at once frees Benevolus's proposition from all
shadow of blasphemy ?

Orth. Properly speaking, the devil can perform no
miracle whatever; the lying signs and wonders within
the reach of his power being very different from a
miracle in the Christian acceptation of the word ; much

* See Chap. X. on the Criterion, where this is proved at length.

234 APPENDIX.

less can Satan perform even any of those lying wonders,
in circumstances where such would unavoidably be mis-
taken for the work of the Most High;* and in this I
daresay Benevolus himself will agree with me. But
allowing that Almighty God should permit evil spirits
to perform wonders within the sphere of their natural
strength, this could never free the above proposition
from the charge of blasphemy, unless you can at the
same time prove that to raise a dead man to life is within
the natural power of Satan ; for this is the example which
Benevolus himself makes use of in his assertion.

PhiL And why may it not be said that the devil can
raise the dead ?

Orth. Whoever attempts to prove this will find that
he has undertaken a very difficult task. First, Because
there are the strongest arguments from the Word of God
to prove that to raise the dead is an operation proper to
God alone. Secondly, Because though deists and other
infidels have long laboured to show that such a power
resides in Satan, they have never yet been able to estab-
lish it. Thirdly, Because of the fatal consequences that
would necessarily follow if this point could be made
good.

PhiL Pray, what consequence would follow ?

Orth. Nothing less than the undermining the very
foundations of Christianity. Observe — the Christian
religion glories in being attested by miracles, which only
•the Almighty could perform, and which, therefore, in-
contestably prove its divine origin. Among these raising
the dead to life has always been considered a miracle
of the first order, and the proper work of God Himself.
If, therefore, you can show that this does not exceed

* See this proved above, Chap. X. on the Criterion.

APPENDIX. 235

the natural power of Satan, you deprive religion of its
chief support, and cast a doubt on all the miracles ever
wrought in its favour. For, if it be within the natural
power of the devil to perform so great a miracle as the
raising of a dead man to life, what security have we that
he may not perform all the others also ? And what an
important triumph would this be to deism and infidelity ?
Let Benevolus, therefore, chose which side he pleases, he
will never be able to extricate himself from this dilemma :
" Either his proposition must stand convicted of blas-
phemy, or the Christian religion must fall in its vindi-
cation."

Phil. What you say is very strong indeed, nor do I
see what answer can be made I therefore entirely give
up the point as to the proposition itself, and only wish to
know what reply you would make to such arguments as
may be used in defence of it.

Orth. Have a little patience ; we must not leave the
proposition so soon. What I have said is not the only
reason for condemning it. It is equally censurable on
another ground, which holds good, even on the sup-
position that to raise the dead is a work within the
natural power of Satan. I suppose Benevolus does not
imagine that, if Eusebius should raise one from the dead
in proof of transubstantiation, he would make use of en-
chantments, or call upon the devil for assistance. Euse-
bius, though a Papist, is a Christian, who believes in
one God, and in Jesus Christ His Son. If he believes
transubstantiation to be a true doctrine, he does so only
because he is persuaded that it was revealed by God ; and,
if he ever should attempt to raise one from the dead in
proof of it, he would do so only by invoking the Almighty
God for that purpose.

Phil. All this will be readily gran ted; but what then?

236 APPENDIX.

Orth. Let us suppose that Eusebius does so; that
he calls upon God to perform this miracle, and that the
miracle called for is actually performed: with what
reason can Benevolus refuse to believe the doctrine thus
attested ? It is impossible to give a shadow of reason for
his incredulity, but on a supposition which leads to, or
rather plainly includes, another blasphemy ; namely, that
Almighty God, when invoked by teachers of false doc-
trine, but who pretend to be sent by Him — for such
Benevolus must believe Eusebius to be in the present
case — and when called upon to work a miracle in testi-
mony of their false doctrine, though He will not Himself
perform the miracle, may yet permit the devil to do so ?
Would not God, in this case, concur as effectually to bear
witness to a falsehood, as if He Himself had wrought the
miracle? Does not a king as effectually confirm and
approve any commission, to which he allows his seal to
be affixed by his minister, as if he had sealed it with his
own hand ? Miracles are the broad seal of heaven ; and
the devils, as well as other creatures, are but God's
all agents, in whatever way He pleases to employ them.

When, therefore, Almighty God is directly called upon
to perform a miracle, whether He Himself does it, or per-
mits the devil, the weight of the attestation given by it
to men is evidently the same ; and in either case, where
the doctrine proposed is untrue, He equally concurs to
attest a falsehood. If to assert this be not blasphemy,
I know not what is. Yet even this is not all. There is
still another objection to this supposition ; for if it could
be shown that God, in the above circumstances, could
permit the devil to perform the miracle required, then
also, as in the former case, we must bid farewell to
Christianity.

When we see wicked men, who openly oppose God

APPENDIX. 237

and His truth, seeking by enchantments, and by calling
upon the devil, to work signs and wonders, in confirma-
tion of their errors, we easily understand that Almighty
God, for His own wise ends, may permit the devil to
use his natural strength, and do things miraculous in
the eyes of the beholders. This was the case with the
magicians of Pharaoh, and the false prophets men-
tioned Deut. xiii., and will be the case with Antichrist at
the end of the world; but all examples of this kind
carry their mark upon their forehead, showing that such
teachers are not from God, even though signs and
wonders be performed. But if a person, asserting that
he is divinely commissioned, calls upon God to work a
miracle in confirmation of what he teaches, and if this
miracle actually be performed, especially if it be one
of the highest order, and above the natural power of
creatures, it must give undoubted conviction of the truth
both of his mission and his doctrine.

Upon this ground the world was converted to Chris-
tianity. Its preachers professed that they were com-
missioned by God; they called upon Him to work
miracles to attest the truth of what they preached, and
accordingly in His name the miracles were performed.
This was sufficient ; mankind, from the natural feeling
of their hearts, were convinced that, in those circum-
stances, Almighty God could not have permitted wicked
spirits to perform such miracles had the teachers been
impostors, or their doctrine false ; and therefore, without
hesitation, they embraced Christianity as truth revealed
by their Creator. But if, in such circumstances, Almighty
God could allow the devil to perform miracles to attest
falsehood, then we could have no certainty in believing
the first teachers of Christianity, as their miracles might
have been performed by Satan, and their doctrines have

238 APPENDIX.

been merely a delusion. See to what a shocking con-
clusion Benevolus's proposition necessarily leads us !

Phil. I must own, I had no idea that it involved such
consequences ; and yet, from what you say, I see no
means of defending it from them. For my own part,
I am thoroughly convinced of its dreadful tendency ; nor
should I insist more upon the subject ; but, as I may
have occasion to converse with others, I should wish to
know what can be said to the arguments by which they
may pretend to support it.

Orth. Let us us hear, then, what these arguments are.
I may venture to say beforehand that they are not to the
purpose ; nay, that you yourself can be at no loss, after
what has been said, to see their weakness and incon-
clusiveness.

Phil. I shall not say what intrinsic weight they may
really have ; but I cannot help thinking that they have
a considerable degree of plausibility. I shall propose
them in Benevolus's own words: "Though you should
work a miracle, even raise a person from the dead in
attestation of transubstantiation, I should not be con-
vinced by it, but would believe that Almighty God had
permitted it as a trial of my faith and steadfastness in
the truth, and not as a proof of the doctrine ; and I
have good reason to say so — ist, because it is plain, both
from the Old and New Testament, from the magicians of
Egypt, the false prophets mentioned Deut. xiii., and from
Antichrist, that miracles may be wrought seemingly in
attestation of false doctrine, though really they are only
permitted to try people's faith ; and, adly, because tran-
substantiation is incapable of being proved by miracle."
In these words you see that two reasons are included
in defence of the proposition, " That God may permit
wicked spirits to work miracles for their own ends, though

APPENDIX. 239

His design in permitting them is only to try our faith ;
and that transubstantiation is incapable of being proved
by any miracle."

Orth. The first of these has already been answered ;
but that you may still more clearly see its weakness, I
shall make another observation. There are, you know,
two kinds of miracles, that may be wrought in confirma-
tion of doctrine ; some that do not exceed the natural
power of spiritual beings, whether good or bad, and are
termed relative miracles ; others which are above the
reach of all created power, that can be performed only by
God Himself, and are therefore called absolute miracles.*
A relative miracle, known as such, can never of itself
give thorough conviction of the truth of any doctrine,
unless it be otherwise proved to be the work of God, or
of good angels commissioned by Him ; but a miracle of
the second kind must produce absolute conviction that
the person, at whose desire it is performed, is sent oy
God, and that " the word of the Lord in his mouth is
true," i Kings, xvii.t

Now the examples cited by Benevolus from the Scrip-
tures are all of the first kind, merely relative ; they show,
indeed, that God may, and sometimes does, permit the
devil, by his agents, to do extraordinary things within the
compass of his own natural strength, seemingly in proof
of falsehood, though permitted by God only to try peo-
ple's faith, or for some other good end ; but what is that
to the point ? The raising of a dead man to life is above
the utmost power of Satan, a miracle proper to God alone,
and therefore the most unanswerable proof of any doc-
trine in confirmation of which it is performed. Allowing,

* See above, Chap. I. en the different kinds of miracles,
t See above, Chap. IX. on the authority of miracles.

240 APPENDIX.

then, that the devil is sometimes permitted to do signs
and wonders within the reach of his own power, in sup-
port of false doctrine, will this ever excuse Benevolus for
refusing to believe a doctrine, which he supposes con-
firmed by a miracle proper to God himself, and which
none but His almighty power can perform ?

For my part, I see nothing to which such incredulity
can better be compared than to that of Pharaoh ; for
though Moses wrought before that prince such miracles
as compelled even his own magicians to confess, " That
the finger of God was there, yet Pharaoh's heart was
hardened, and he hearkened not unto them," Exod. viii.
19. It is also extremely unfortunate for Benevolus that
our blessed Saviour Himself brings this very case of "re-
fusing to believe though one should rise from the dead,"
as an instance of the most obstinate and consummate
infidelity, Luke, xvi. 31. Nor do I see how Benevolus's
proposition can escape the same condemnation ; at least
I think it manifest that this first argument, which you
have brought, cannot justify it.

Phil. I must indeed acknowledge that I do not see
how it can ; and its fallacy is evident from the distinction
between relative and absolute miracles, to which I did
not at first advert. But what do you say to the second
reason alleged, that " transubstantiation is incapable of
being proved by any miracle ? "

Orth. If this be really true, and can be clearly proved,
then the dispute is at an end, and victory must be with
Benevolus. I suppose he has summed up all that can be
said in proof of this assertion, as I know it is a favour-
ite topic of his ; let us hear, then, what he says for this
purpose.

Phil. I assure you he says a great deal, and perhaps
more to the point than you imagine. I will state his

APPENDIX. 241

arguments in his own words : " I say transubstantiation
is incapable of being proved by a miracle, and that for
two reasons : First, because there is the same evidence
against that doctrine that there can be for the truth of
any miracle — I mean the testimony of the human senses ;
for, if I believe my senses, I cannot believe transubstan-
tiation ; and if I disbelieve my senses, I could not believe
the truth of your miracle. Secondly, Transubstantiation
is incapable of being proved by a miracle, because it in-
volves many contradictions." He proceeds then to show
some of the many contradictions which flow from this
tenet, and which make it absolutely impossible that any
miracle can prove it to be true; for* what is in itself
founded on contradiction, and therefore an impossibility,
can never be proved a truth, by any evidence whatever.

Orth. I imagined that he would take his stand there.
These are the common arguments used against transub-
stantiation, and have been again and again fully answered
by those who hold that doctrine. I should not wish,
however, to occupy your time by repeating here what
others have said; but as all the arguments against tran-
substantiation are founded on either a real or pretended
ignorance of what its defenders believe and teach, I shall
lay before you a clear explanation of the doctrine itself,
from which you will immediately see how little to the
point are all the objections brought against it.

Phil. You will afford me particular pleasure; for, to
say the truth, I have not a clear idea of it myself; and
in many discussions I have thought that the disputants
did not seem to understand each other, or even to have
a distinct idea of what they themselves would argue for.

Orth. That is too frequently the case in controversies
on religion. Each one thinks himself master of the
subject, though in reality his knowledge of it be ex-

VOL. II. Q

242 APPENDIX.

tremely superficial ; generally he forms false and unjust
ideas of the tenets of his adversaries, and, in combating
them, he only combats the phantoms of his own ima-
gination. Hence there is no end to disputes, and to im-
proper, nay, impious expressions, among which, I fear,
Benevolus's proposition will find a distinguished place.
This, in a great measure, I have shown already, but it
will be more evident as we proceed in our examination.

Phil. I believe your observation is just, and I am
persuaded that many religious discussions would soon
terminate, if the parties, before they begin to argue,
would fix the precise point in question, and lay down a
clear explanation of their respective tenets. This I long
to hear done with regard to transubstantiation.

Orth. All the arguments of reason urged against this
doctrine are drawn from philosophy ; and you see that
the two arguments used by Benevolus are entirely of
this kind. The supporters of transubstantiation, then, are
only called upon to reconcile it with sound philosophy,
and if they do all objections vanish.

In philosophy we must distinguish what is founded on
evident facts and experience from what is merely theo-
retical, and invented to explain the phenomena of
nature. The former is steady and uniform, and must be
the same, in all times, to every attentive inquirer ; the
other is fluctuating and uncertain, and has changed in
almost every age. Objections have been made against
transubstantiation, from the principles adopted by the
different systems of philosophy, and have, with equal
ease, been solved from the same assumed principles. It
is needless, however, to repeat here what has been urged
from systems now exploded. I shall confine myself,
therefore, to what is now regarded as the most certain
and rational system, and, from its principles, I shall

APPENDIX. 243

explain to you the Catholic teaching concerning tran-
substantiation.

Phil. I suppose you mean the philosophy of the mind
and of common-sense, which Dr Reid, in his Inquiry, and
Dr Beattie, in his Essay on Truth, have so clearly ex-
plained, and so solidly established.

Orth. I do; and from the language of nature, ex-
plained by these learned gentlemen, I lay down the fol-
lowing observations, which will serve as so many
principles in our present inquiry.

First, The different qualities which we observe in
bodies, by means of our senses — their colour, smell, taste,
and the like — are not in these bodies themselves what
they are in our mind. In us they are sensations, feelings,
or perceptions excited in our mind, by the mediate or
immediate action of external objects upon the organs of
our senses. Thus, the feeling which we have of colour,
is not in the coloured body, but is excited by the rays of
light reflected in a certain manner from that body, which,
striking on our eyes, excite in the mind that sensation
which we call colour; and, according to the different
proportions in which the rays of light are reflected to
our eyes, the sensations of different colours are excited.
In like manner, when we taste sugar, the sweetness
is not in the sugar, but is a perception or feeling ex-
cited in our mind by the particles of sugar acting
upon our organ of taste when applied to it. The
same observation holds true in all the sensible quali-
ties which we perceive in bodies ; and may be explained
by a familiar example. When the point of a needle
is pressed upon any part of our body, we experience
that uneasy sensation which AVC call pain ; now it is
evident this pain is not in the needle, but is a feeling
of our mind caused by the needle. So when we smell

244 APPENDIX.

a rose, the agreeable odour which we experience is not
in the rose, but is a sensation excited in our mind by the
perfume of the rose applied to our organ of smell.

Secondly^ In examining objects we must carefully
distinguish three things ; first, the feelings or sensations
excited in pur minds by the actions of those objects upon
our organs of sense ; secondly, the particular qualities
or dispositions of the objects themselves, by which they
excite such feelings ; and thirdly, the material part or
substance of the objects, in which the particular qualities
or dispositions reside.

Thirdly, A little attention to what passes in our minds
will convince us that we are totally ignorant of the ma-
terial part or substance of all surrounding objects ; that
we are no less ignorant of the nature of the particular
qualities or dispositions of bodies, by which they act upon
our organs, and excite certain feelings and sensations in
our mind ; and that all our natural knowledge of bodies
is confined to their sensible qualities alone, as perceived
by us. From these we argue that there are bodily ob-
jects really existing without us, and independent of us ;
that they have in themselves certain qualities or arrange-
ments of their component parts, calculated to excite
various sensations in us, when applied to the organs of
our senses ; that these qualities are different in different
objects, which excite various sensations, according to
their respective qualities ; that these qualities may be
changed in the same object, so that it shall cease to
excite the sensations in us which it formerly did, and
excite others which it did not raise before, &c.

Fourthly, As it is experience alone that shows us the
connection between the several bodies around us, and
the corresponding sensations which they excite in our
minds ; and as this connection is constant, we naturally

APPENDIX. 245

conclude that these bodies are the causes of the sensa-
tions which we feel, and being ignorant of the manner in
which they produce these effects, "without inquiring
farther,!' as Dr Reid justly observes, "we attribute to
the cause some vague and indistinct notion of power
or virtue to produce the effect. In many cases the
purposes of life do not make it necessary to give distinct
names to the cause and the effect ; and hence it happens,
that being closely connected in the imagination, though
very unlike to each other, one name serves for both,
which occasions an ambiguity in many terms in all
languages. Thus magnetism signifies both the power or
virtue in the loadstone to attract the iron as a cause, and
the motion in the iron towards the loadstone as an effect.
Heat signifies both a sensation of our mind, and a
quality or state of bodies apt to excite that sensation in
us. The names of all smells, tastes, sounds, as well as
heat and cold, have a like ambiguity in all languages,
though, in common language, they are rarely used to
signify the sensations, but generally the external qualities
indicated by the sensations."

Fifthly, In like manner, this general term, the sensible
qualities of bodies, is ambiguous : it signifies both that
particular aptitude, power, or virtue in bodies to excite
certain sensations in our mind, when applied to our
organs of sense ; and also these very sensations them-
selves. In the former sense it signifies a thing of which
we have no idea, and are totally ignorant in what it con-
sists ; in the latter, it signifies a thing with which we are
thoroughly acquainted.

Sixthly, As we are totally ignorant of the nature of
sensible qualities residing in the objects around us, so
we are equally ignorant of the reason why they excite
their corresponding sensations in our mind. We can see

246 APPENDIX.

no reason why the rays of light variously reflected to
our eyes, should excite in us the sensations of various
colours, nor why the motion of the air should excite the
idea of sound, or the fire heat, or sugar sweetness, or
the like. By experience we know that it is so, but why
or how it is so, of this we know nothing. This we must
resolve into the will of the Creator, Who has so ordered,
and Who doubtless might have ordered otherwise had
He so pleased.

Seventhly, Besides the sensations which external
bodies excite in our mind, by our organs of sense, as the
immediate objects of these organs, we also find from
experience, that they produce many other sensible
effects, both upon our bodies and upon each other, when
applied to action. Thus ipecacuan, besides the ideas of
its colour, taste, and smell, which it excites in our mind
by the organs of our senses, when taken into the stomach,
also produces sickness ; opium allays pain, and causes
sleep ; wine intoxicates ; and so of other things. These
effects of different bodies we know by experience ; but
we are totally ignorant why they produce them, or what
particular quality or disposition it is in each, which
produces the effect proper to it. But as experience
teaches us that they constantly do produce these effects,
in the same circumstances, we naturally attribute to each
body a quality, power, or virtue proper to itself, bestowed
upon it by the Creator ; and all such powers of bodies
may be included under the general name of sensible
qualities, because they manifest themselves to our senses
by the effects which they produce.

Eighthly, If we inquire in what all these sensible
qualities of bodies consist, or what is that particular
disposition of each body, by which it produces the effects
proper to it, we must acknowledge our total ignorance,

APPENDIX. 247

and confess that we know nothing. If we suppose the
original matter, which composes the substance of bodies,
to be the same in all, and that it acts mechanically, which
seems to be the most generally received opinion, then
we can conceive no other way of accounting for the
different qualities of different bodies, than by the figure,
motion, and combination of the particles of matter in the
structure of each.

It is true, indeed, that a difference in these things
alters the sensible qualities of bodies ; witness the
various and opposite qualities of quicksilver, according
to the various changes wrought in the structure of its
component parts by fire ; and it seems to be the ap-
proved opinion of philosophers, that all the vast variety
of productions from the earth is owing only to the dif-
ferent modifications of the same nutritive juice, ac-
cording to the different plants by which it is imbibed.
But whether this be really the case, and holds good in
all varieties of creatures — or if there be, in fact, different
kinds of primitive matter, of which bodies are com-
posed, and to which their various qualities are owing, we
know not. .Whether these qualities of bodies arise from
the mechanical structure of their parts ; or if they be
the immediate effect of the divine will, impressed upon
different compositions of the same original matter, by
way of a law, we are entirely ignorant.

Phil. What you have said seems perfectly clear, and
the substance of it may, I think, be thus summed up in
a few words : the sensible effects which various bodies
produce, either in ourselves, or in each other, are objects
of knowledge, of which we are absolutely certain, from
the testimony of our senses. From these sensible effects
we justly argue the existence of the bodies which pro-
duce them ; and we also infer that those bodies have in

248 APPENDIX.

themselves certain qualities by which they are capable of
producing these effects. But with regard to the matter
or substance of the bodies in which those qualities
reside, its nature and structure, or the nature of the
qualities themselves by which the effects are produced,
this is entirely hidden from our eyes. All this I easily
understand, as it is extremely clear ; but I do not per-
ceive what connection it has with transubstantiation.

Orth. That we shall now see, after taking a view of
our manner of reasoning concerning the substance of
bodies. Let us suppose, then, according to the general
opinion of the learned, that the elementary matter, or
matena firima, of all bodies, is the same throughout the
whole creation ; and that the vast diversity of material
objects arises only from different forms in their com-
position and structure. This original matter is the
common substance of all bodies ; its particular structure
in various bodies constitutes their essential diversity, or
their different natures ; and it is by their sensible qualities,
as perceived by us, that we distinguish one substance
from another. Hence, for instance, what we properly
understand by the substance of iron, is the elemen-
tary matter formed in such a manner as to excite in
our minds that collection of sensible qualities which
we perceive in iron. What we understand by the sub-
stance of bread, is a portion of the same elementary
matter, so formed as to excite in our mind that other
collection of sensible qualities which we perceive in
bread ; and so of all others.

Now it is reasonable to suppose that the Author of
Nature acts uniformly in the ordinary course of nature,
and that when effects are the same, the causes also pro-
ducing them are the same. When, therefore, we find the
same collection of sensible qualities in different bodies,

APPENDIX. 249

we conclude that their substance is the same ; and, on
the contrary, when we find the sensible qualities in one
body different from those in another, we conclude that
their substances are different, although, in reality, we
know nothing whatever of the nature of the one sub-
stance or of the other, nor in what their difference con-
sists. Thus, in examining a piece of iron and a piece of
wood, we find the collection of sensible qualities in the
one very different from those in the other ; and there-
fore we distinguish them as different substances, and
give them different names. But when we examine two
pieces of iron, or two pieces of wood, by themselves,
we find the sensible qualities of both the same ; and
therefore we conclude that their substance also is the
same, and we apply to them the same name.

The sensible qualities of bodies are the immediate and
sole objects of our senses, and with regard to them our
senses are the sole and absolute judges, from whose ul-
timate sentence there is no appeal. In like manner,
whatever changes occur in these qualities fall immediately
under the cognisance of the particular senses, to which
it belongs to give us proper and certain information of
such changes. From such information we argue that
if any change be produced in the qualities, there must
also be a corresponding change in the nature of the body
itself, by which these effects are produced, although we
are ignorant wherein this change in the cause consists.
But where our senses inform us of no change in the
qualities, we conclude that there is no change in the
body from which these effects proceed.

Now, though this manner of reasoning be most just,
and may be safely depended upon in all the ordinary
occurrences of life, at least where we have no positive
reason to doubt it ; yet we see no impossibility in sup-

250 APPENDIX.

posing that Almighty God may cause two very different
substances so to act upon us as to affect our senses in
the very same way, and thereby exhibit to us the same
sensible qualities. Nay, we are so far from seeing any
impossibility in this, that we know from revelation it
has often been the case.

The substance of a human being, composed of a soul
and body, is confessedly very different from that of an
angel, which is purely spiritual ; and yet it is certain,
from the Word of God, that angels have often assumed
the sensible qualities of living men, — that is, have ap-
peared as such to the sight of those who beheld them —
have spoken and conversed in their hearing — have taken
hold of them, and wrestled with them — have walked, sat
down, ate, drank, and exhibited themselves to the senses
of those who beheld them, in the same way that a man
would.

It cannot be called in question that there is an infinite
distance between the bodily substance of a dove, com--
posed of flesh and blood, and the incomprehensible
substance of the Divinity ; and yet we know that, when
our blessed Saviour was baptised in the Jordan, the Holy
Ghost, the third Person of the adorable Trinity, was
pleased to exhibit Himself to those present, under the
outward appearance of a dove, affecting their sight in the
same way that a dove would have done, had it been
hovering over our Saviour at the time. In these and
other similar cases related in Scripture, it is plain that
the above way of arguing, from the sameness of the
sensible effects, to the sameness or similarity of the
cause producing them, would not hold. This may be
farther illustrated even in natural things ; for how often
do we see cooks, apothecaries, and vintners, compounding
dishes, drugs, and various wines, representing so exactly

APPENDIX. 251

what they are not, that the nicest judge, upon the
strictest examination, could not distinguish them from
what they represent ? In these cases, also, were we to
conclude, from the sameness of the sensible qualities,
that the substances of the things are really what the
qualities represent, we should be deceived as in the
former cases. Yet in neither would the senses be de-
ceived ; for the sensations excited in our minds by their
means, correspond perfectly to the action of these ex-
ternal objects; and from the sensations we conclude
with absolute certainty the existence of the external
objects, and infer that they have a power or quality of
so acting upon our senses, as to excite these sensations
in our mind ; but with absolute certainty we can go no
farther.

But to come to the point, if we apply the above ob-
servations to bread and wine, we find that they have a
number of sensible qualities — that is, a certain colour,
taste, smell, &c., proper to themselves — and when ex-
amined by our senses, they excite in our minds the
sensations to which we apply these names, and which
we call the sensible qualities, forms, species, or appear-
ances of bread and wine. These we know by our
senses — with these we are conversant by experience;
but of the substance of bread and wine, in which these
qualities reside, or wherein that particular structure,
virtue, or power consists, which excites these perceptions
in our mind, we know nothing. This is not in the least
perceptible to us.

Now, what Catholics teach concerning transubstantia-
tion is precisely this : " i. That the change made is only
in the material substance of the bread and wine, which
is wholly imperceptible to us ; that this substance of the
bread and wine is entirely taken away by the power of

252 .. APPENDIX.

God, and ceases to be any longer there ; and that the
substance of the body and blood of Christ, which is
equally imperceptible to our senses, is substituted in its
place, and now exists where bread and wine existed
before. 2. That there is no change made in any of
the sensible qualities of the bread and wine; these
remain exactly as they were ; for Jesus Christ, now pre-
sent instead of the bread and wine, exhibits Himself to
us under the same appearances which the bread and
wine had before the change."

Phil. You astonish me ! Is this really the doctrine
of Catholics? This is plain and intelligible; but, to
hear Benevolus and others on this subject, you would
think it such a mass of absurdity, that even those who
believed it could not give any intelligible account of
what they mean.

Orth. That may well be; perhaps those gentlemen
have never taken the trouble to inform themselves of
the real belief of Catholics ; or they may have read what
Catholic authors write upon this subject with the eye of
prejudice and prepossession, and perhaps some of them
find it convenient to cast all the obscurity they can
upon Catholic doctrine. But, be that as it may, what I
have said is the precise doctrine of the Catholic Church,
as is manifest from her own words in the Council of Trent,
where she speaks thus : " If any one shall deny that in
the sacrament of the blessed Eucharist are contained
truly, really, and substantially the body and blood, along
with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
therefore whole Christ, but shall say that he is there only
in sign, figure, or power, let him be Anathema," Sess. 13.
Can. i. " If any man shall say that in the blessed sacra-
ment of the Eucharist, the substance of the bread and
wine remains along with the body and blood of our Lord

APPENDIX. 253

Jesus Christ, and shall deny that wonderful and singular
conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the
body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the
blood, the appearances of bread and wine only remaining,
which conversion the Catholic Church most fitly calls
transubstantiation, let him be Anathema," Sess. 13. Can. 2.

In these two canons three things are declared : that
the body and blood of Jesus Christ are truly present in
the Eucharist after consecration, where they were not
before ; that the substance of the bread and wine, which
was there before, is there no longer; and that nothing
remains of what was bread and wine but only the ap-
pearances ; — and hence the Council concludes that this,
being a change of the substances, is fitly called transub-
stantiation, which you see is the very doctrine I laid
down above almost in the same terms : for if what
was there before be not there now, and what was not
there before be now present, then it follows that the
change of the one into the other must consist in destroy-
ing or taking away the one, and substituting the other in
its place.

Phil. I cannot say that it yet seems to me quite clear.
On the contrary, the words of the Council rather increase
my difficulty ; for as it says that the whole substance
of the bread and wine is changed into the body and
blood of Christ, this would seem to imply that the
elementary matter of the bread and wine passes into the
body and blood of Christ, and goes to compose its
substance ; and therefore that the material part of the
bread and wine is not destroyed nor taken away, but
still remains and composes the very body and blood of
Christ, somewhat in the same way that the elementary
matter of food is changed into the substance of our
body, goes to compose it, and to repair its daily waste.

254 APPENDIX.

Orth. Nothing is more foreign to the sense of the
Council, and to the belief of the whole Catholic Church,
than what you here advance ; nay, a little attention will
convince you that it is evidently repugnant to common-
sense to say that the elementary matter of the bread
and wine passes into the body and blood of Jesus Christ,
and goes to compose its substance ; because the body of
Christ is already perfect and entire, incapable of increase
or diminution, and has a real existence before consecra-
tion. Now, to say that two bodily substances, distinct,
existing separately, and wholly independent of each
other, should become identical, is evidently inconsistent.
You may, if you please, say that the material substance
of the bread is united to the body of Christ, is added
to it, is compenetrated with it, or the like ; in these
suppositions, considered in themselves, we do not see
any impossibility, though they are very different from
what Catholics teach ; — but to say that it becomes His
identical body, the same which existed before conse-
cration, at the right hand of the Father, is a palpable
absurdity.

When we say that the food we take is changed into
the substance of our body, we mean that the material
particles of the food, changing the form which they
had, and acquiring a new form, by the action of our
organs, but still unchanged in themselves, go to supply
the place of the material particles of our body, which
are daily consumed and cast off by the usual secretions;
or, being added to what was there before, serve to in-
crease our bulk and stature ; but to suppose that either
of these, or any such change, could happen to the glorious
body of Jesus Christ, would be ridiculous.

Besides, Catholics believe that it is the self-same body
of Christ which is at the right hand of the Father in

APPENDIX. : 255

heaven, that is present in the Eucharist. Now, if the
material substance of bread be supposed to remain,
and to enter into the composition of the body of Christ
in the Eucharist, either by incorporation, or compene-
tration, or in whatever other way you can imagine, it
will no longer be the self-same glorious body which is at
the right hand of the Father, but one very different — a
new compound, made up of the pre-existing body of
Christ, already perfect and entire, and this additional
matter of bread, which now enters into its composition;
which it is ridiculous to suppose, and which is directly
contrary to the express belief of Catholics.

If, therefore, you suppose that the material substance
of the bread and wine be not entirely destroyed, and
does not wholly cease to exist there after consecration,
you must say that it remains along with the body and
blood of Christ; and this is the very thing which the
Council condemns and anathematises in the above-cited
canon. It is plain, therefore, that by the conversion of
the whole substance of the bread and wine into the
body and blood of Christ, the Council means nothing
else than that the substance of the bread and wine is,
by the almighty power of God, instantaneously taken
away — ceases to be there ; and that the body and blood
of Christ are, by the same almighty power, and in the
same instant of time, placed in its stead — the presence
of this latter, by virtue of the words of consecration,
necessarily implying the absence of the former.

This is still clearer from the Catechism of this Council,
composed and published by its order, for the use of
those who have the charge of souls. In the Second
Part upon the Eucharist, explaining the effects of conse-
cration, it says : " The Catholic Church firmly believes,
and openly professes, that in this sacrament the words

256 APPENDIX.

of consecration accomplish three things : first, that the
true and real body of Christ, the same that was born of
the Virgin, and is now seated at the right hand of the
Father in heaven, is rendered present in this sacrament ;
the second, that no part of the substance of the ele-
ments remains in it ; the third, that the accidents,
which are perceived by our senses, are still there, in a
wonderful and inexplicable manner without a subject ;
because (it immediately adds) the substance of the bread
and wine is so changed into the very body and blood
of our Lord, that the substance of the bread and wine
entirely ceases to be."* A little after, the second of
these effects is more fully considered, and both reason
and authority are brought to prove that no part of the sub-
stance of the bread and wine remains after consecration.
And in No. XCII. it is declared that this wonderful
change is performed without any change in Christ,
"because He is neither generated, nor changed, nor
increases, but remains whole in His own substance ; "
Neque enim Christies aut generatur, aut mutatur, ant
augescit, sed in sua snbstantia totus permanet.

From these passages the explanation I have given of
the doctrine of the Council is clear and evident ; for
if Jesus Christ, the same Who is at the right hand of
the Father in heaven, be after consecration present in
this sacrament, where He was not before ; if He suffers
no alteration in Himself — is neither generated, nor
changed, nor increases, but remains whole in His own
substance ; if no part of the substance of the bread and
wine remains, but entirely ceases any longer to be,
— it necessarily follows that the change of substance
declared by the Council can mean nothing else than

* Cum panis et vini substantia in ipsum Domini corpus et san-
guinem ita mutetur, ut panis et vini substantia omnino esse desinat.

APPENDIX. 257

that the substance of the bread and wine ceases to exist,
and that the substance of the body and blood of Christ
succeeds in its place.

Phil. I am now thoroughly satisfied as to the sense
of the 'Council, which you have made perfectly plain ;
nay, the above declaration, that in this sacrament Christ
is neither changed nor increases, but remains whole in
His own substance, necessarily implies the. explanation
you have given ; for it is impossible that this could be
true, if the material substance of the bread should " be
supposed, in any imaginable way, to be any longer there ;
but, pray, is this the way it is explained by the divines
of the Catholic Church ?

Orth. By all without exception. Nay, according to
their principles, it is impossible that they should differ on
any of the three points above mentioned, because these
are taught, not as school opinions, but as dogmas of faith,
truths revealed by God, declared by His Church to be
so, and essentially included in the words of the institu-
tion. You see how the Catechism of the Council above
cited expressly declares that " the Catholic Church
firmly believes, and openly professes, that the words of
consecration accomplish three things," &c. Other di-
vines speak in the same manner: I shall name a few of
the most celebrated for your further satisfaction.

I begin with the learned Cardinal Bellarmine, whose
authority is above exception in delivering the true doc-
trine of the Church, and whose controversial works are
justly esteemed a standard on those subjects. The third
book of his treatise on the Eucharist relates entirely to
the real presence and transubstantiation. In the elev-
enth and following chapters he refutes various errors,
and rejects as heretical the opinion of Durandus, who
taught the very thing which you propose, that the ele-

VOL. II. R

258 APPENDIX.

mentary matter of the bread remains in the Eucharist
after consecration, and becomes the matter of the body
of Christ ; which is an evident proof how widely different
such an opinion is from the faith of Catholics.

In the eighteenth chapter he explains the doctrine of
the Church in opposition to all these errors, and does it
by showing what is meant when we say that one thing
is changed uito another. For this, he says, these three
conditions are required; first, that the thing changed
cease to exist — for it is unintelligible to say that one
thing is changed into another, unless that which is
changed ceases to be what it was before ; secondly,
that something succeed in the place of that which now
ceases to be, otherwise it would not be a conversion,
but a corruption or an annihilation ; thirdly, that there
be a mutual connection or dependence between the
destruction of the one and the succession of the other,
so that the one necessarily implies the other.*

* This third condition is particularly to be observed. Every
change, of whatever kind it be, whether of the thing itself or of its
mode or quality, necessarily supposes the absence of one thing, mode,
or quality, and the presence of another ; and this is essential to the
nature of every change. But there is not in every change a mutual
dependence between the presence of the one and the absence of the
other ; so that the one necessarily follows or presupposes the other
in one and the same action. A man truly changes his coat when he
puts off one and puts on another ; but he does that by two separate
actions, done at different times, and quite independent of one
another. In cases of this kind we cannot say there is a change of
one thing into another, as we cannot say this man changes the coat
he puts off into the one he puts on. To verify this expression it is
requisite that the change be made at the same instant and by the
same action, so that the presence of the one term must necessarily
imply the absence of the other ; as when we say, light is changed
into darkness, heat into cold, and the like : wherein the very same
moment that darkness and cold appear, light and heat cease ; and
the presence of the one necessarily implies the absence of the other.

APPENDIX. 259

Now, as transubstantiation is a change, not of the
accidents or appearances of the bread and wine, which
are admitted to remain unchanged, but of the whole
material substance of the bread and wine into the sub-
stance of the body and blood of Christ, according to
these conditions, by this change nothing can be under-
stood but that the substance of the bread and wine
ceases to exist, and that it is replaced by the body
and blood of Christ. This, his Eminence observes, is
a perfect " conversion of the one substance into the
other;" because the body and blood of Christ, being now
present in virtue of the words of consecration, the verifi-
cation of these sacred words necessarily excludes the
presence of the substance of the bread and wine ; which,
by the almighty power of God, ceases to be where
it was before, at the same instant, and by the same
action by which the body and blood of Christ exist
there. He further observes, that this singular conversion
differs in two points from all other changes that we
know, whether natural or supernatural. First, because
in other changes it is probable that the elementary matter
remains, in utroque termino, both after and before the
change ; * but in transubstantiation, cerium esf, says he,

* I find, however, several who are of opinion that in some, at
least, of the supernatural changes related in the Scriptures, such as
the turning of Moses' rod into a serpent, there was a total change
both of the material substance of the rod and of its form, there
being an instantaneous destruction of the one, and production of
the other ; and this opinion is followed above, under the Criterion,
where this example, among others, is brought as an instance of a
miracle proper to the almighty power of God alone. The truth
seems to be, that without a revelation it is impossible certainly to
know whether the material substance be destroyed in these supernat-
ural conversions, or is only transformed as to its structure and com-
position ; though the turning a dry rod into a living creature doubt-

260 APPENDIX.

materiam primam non manere; " it is certain that the
elementary matter does not remain." Secondly, in other
conversions, either all or some of the sensible qualities
are changed, but, in transubstantiation, all the sensible
qualities remain as they were before, the material sub-
stance alone being changed. This is the explanation
given of this mystery by the celebrated cardinal ; and in
the remaining chapters he repeats and inculcates the
same, both in his proofs and in his answers to objec-
tions.

In all the natural conversions of one thing into an-
other, the change is made only in the form or sensible
qualities of the object, while the material substance
remains unchanged. In transubstantiation the very
reverse takes place. The change is made in the material
substance, while the form or sensible qualities remain

less requires much more than such a change of structure. If the
orginal elementary matter be of different kinds in different crea-
tures, then a change of one creature into another must imply a
change of the elementary matter itself; if this be homogeneal
throughout the whole creation, then it seems sufficient, at least for
all natural changes of one thing into another, that there be a change
of form and structure only. Instantaneous changes of either kind
evidently show the finger of God, especially when anything inani-
mate is changed into a living creature, which implies a new creation
of life ; and hence what the magicians of Egypt did could not be a
real change of their rods into serpents, as we know it was the work
not of God but of the devil, to whom such a power cannot belong.
It may be accounted for by fascination, or we may conceive that
some of the evil spirits by their great agility removed the rods so
quickly as to be imperceptible to those present, whilst others, with
equal celerity, substituted real serpents in their place ; nor can this
seem anyway improbable, as we see among ourselves many similar
and surprising examples done by jugglers from their great dexterity
and sleight of hand. But this was no more changing rods into ser-
pents, than it is changing one coat into another when we put off one
and put on another. See the preceding note.

APPENDIX. 26l

perfectly the same; and as in other conversions the
change consists in this, that the former sensible qualities
are destroyed, and at the same instant other sensible quali-
ties are. introduced in their place, the material substance
remaining common to both ; so in transubstantiation the
change consists precisely in this, that the substance of
bread is destroyed, and at the same instant the body of
Christ succeeds in its place, whilst the sensible qualities
remain the same in both.

The next authority I bring forward is that of Tournely,
a celebrated French theologian of this century, who, in
his lectures upon the Eucharist, after refuting various
errors regarding transubstantiation, thus explains the
sense of the Church concerning it : " The substance of
bread and wine does not cease by a mere suspension of
the divine preservation, but by a positive action — conse-
cration— by which the body of Christ becomes present,
the substance of bread and wine receding." *

In the judicious exposition of Pope Pius's Creed,
published at Paris in the year 1768, with the epitome of
the general controversies of the two learned bishops
and brothers, Adrian and Peter of Wallemburg, the
article of the real presence and transubstantiation is
thus declared : " We believe, according to the truth of
the words of Christ, Who says, ' This is my body,'
that in the blessed Eucharist His body is present
by transubstantiation. For as Christ, after He took
bread, verily pronounced what He offered, under the out-
ward appearances, to be His body — and as His words
could not mean the substance of bread and wine, as
is evident, nor even His own natural body, if the sub-
stance of the bread and wine remained under their

* Qua (consecratione) perfecta corpus Christi sit presens, rece-
dente panis et vini substantial — Toumely, De Euchar.

262 APPENDIX.

proper accidents — it necessarily follows that the substance
of the bread ceases to be, and the substance of His body
alone remains under these accidents."*

To these celebrated authors I shall add a more recent
one, Monsieur de Reval, in his Philosophical Catechism
against the Deists, published at Liege and Brussels in
the, year 1773. He begins the article on the Eucharist
by this question, — " To deny the possibility of the real
presence, is it not to deny the power of "God?" To
which he gives this plain answer, — "It is an absolute
denial of it, for it is refusing to God the power of destroy-
ing a piece of bread, and of concealing a human body
under its appearances." t These distinct testimonies of
such celebrated and standard authors, among innumer-
able others, are more than sufficient to show you
what is the true sense of Catholic divines on this
subject.

Phil. They are so, indeed ; nor can the matter, in my
opinion, admit of the smallest doubt. But, pray, is not
this way of understanding the expression, conversion,
or change of one thing into another, contrary to the
common acceptation of it among mankind?

Orth. Very far from it : on the contrary, a little at-
tention will convince you that this is the common and
universally received meaning of it. Indeed, no example
can be shown where the object changed is ever supposed
to pass into, or compose that into which it is changed ;
but in every case we are persuaded that the object

* Necessario fieri debuit ut substantia panis desineret et sola sub-
stantia corporis sub illis accidentibus remaneret.

t C'est la nier absolument, puisque c'est refuser a Dieu le pouvoir
de detruire un morceau de pain, et de cacher un corps humain sous
ces apparences.

APPENDIX. 263

changed ceases any longer to exist, and that another
comes in its place, but in such manner that the
presence of the one always implies the absence of the
other. Thus, when we say that light is turned into
darkness, does it ever enter into our mind that the
light remains after the change, and enters into the com-
position of darkness ? Never. What we mean is, that
the light ceases to exist, and the darkness comes in its
place, but in such manner that the presence of the
darkness necessarily implies the absence of the light.
When we say heat is turned into cold, we never think
that the heat remains after the change, and goes to com-
pose the cold ; but the plain meaning is, that the heat
entirely ceases, and is banished by its opposite, cold,
supervening in its stead. In like manner, when we say
that a sinner is changed into a saint, do we ever imagine
that his former impiety and guilt remain after his conver-
sion, and enter into the composition of his sanctity ? By
no means ; we understand, by that expression, that his
impiety and guilt are taken away by the grace of God,
which succeeds in their stead.

Examples of this kind are innumerable ; but, to make
the matter still clearer, I shall consider the expression a
little more minutely when applied to compound objects.
In these it commonly happens that the precise thing
changed is only a part of the compound, but as the
change of one part alters the condition of the whole,
we say, in common language, that the object itself is
changed.

In bodies we may consider two parts, in which a
change may be effected — the material substance of which
a body is composed, and the sensible qualities, by which
we distinguish it from other bodies. In all the natural

264 APPENDIX.

conversions of one body into another, with which we
are acquainted, nothing more is required than that a
change take place in the sensible qualities, whilst the
material substance remains the same. This is enough
to enable us to say that the body is changed. Thus we
say that quicksilver, by one chemical operation, is
changed into sweet mercury, by another into red pre-
cipitate, by another into turbith mineral — all which differ
from each other in their sensible qualities, and in the
effects which they produce. Yet these changes take
place only in the structure and composition of the com-
ponent particles of the quicksilver, while the material
substance itself remains the same in all its various pre-
parations, and may, by a counter-operation, be brought
back to the form of quicksilver again. Still, though
the material substance remains, we justly say that the
compound object itself, the quicksilver, is changed into
these its different forms.

In like manner, when we say the food we take is
changed into our flesh and blood, we do not mean that
the material substance is changed in its nature, but only
that the structure which it had in the composition of
food, and the sensible qualities resulting from that struc-
ture, are altered by the action of our organs ; so that the
elementary matter which was in the food is now composed
in the form of flesh and blood, and exhibits their sen-
sible qualities. So, also, we say that the nutritive juice of
the earth is changed into all the vast variety of plants
composing the vegetable world ; but the meaning of this
expression is, that the particles "of matter in the nutri-
tive juice, being imbibed by the different plants, change
their form, and structure, and sensible qualities, into an-
other form, and qualities different from the former, ac-
cording to the nature of the plant which absorbs them,

APPENDIX. 265

the original matter being still the same in the juice and
in the plant.

Now, if we examine all these changes of forms or
sensible qualities, we perceive that they consist precisely
in this, that the form and sensible qualities which the
elementary matter had in the quicksilver, in the food,
and in the nutritive juice, are destroyed ; and, at the
same time, another form and other sensible qualities are
substituted in their place, while the material substance,
which receives this new form, remains unchanged, the
common subject both of the form destroyed and of that
received.

In transubstantiation no change is made in the appear-
ance or sensible qualities of the bread and wine, these
remaining exactly as they were before ; the change takes
place in the material substance alone. As, therefore,
the change of these qualities in the former cases implies
nothing more than the destruction or extinction of one
form or set of sensible qualities, and the substituting of
others in their place ; so in transubstantiation the change
of substances can imply no more than the destruction or
extinction of one substance, and the putting another in
its place. And as the above and other such natural
changes are properly called transformations, because
they are changes of the form or sensible qualities, the
same substances remaining; so this other is properly
called transubstantiation, because it is a change of the
substance, whilst the forms or sensible qualities continue
as they were.

Phil. Sir, I am now thoroughly satisfied with what you
say, and think I have a clear and distinct idea of the
Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, far different in-
deed from what I ever had before. But permit me to
ask you one other question. As Catholics hold that the

266 APPENDIX.

material substance of the bread is no longer there, what
do they say becomes of it? In what manner does it
cease to be ?

Orth. The answer to this question will show you a
very important maxim, by which Catholics are regulated
in matters of religion. Whatever articles they hold
as truths revealed by God, to these they adhere with
invariable attachment. Concerning such points there
are no different opinions; they are not regarded as
matters of opinion, but as absolute truths, declared by
the infinite veracity of God, Who reveals them. Hence
they are taught and believed in the same way, throughout
the whole world, by all the members of the Church,
who, being convinced of their truth, make firm and open
profession of them. Of this kind are the three points
above mentioned concerning transubstantiation — namely,
that Jesus Christ, God and man, Who died on the cross,
and is now glorious at the right hand of the Father in
heaven, is truly, really, and substantially present in the
blessed Eucharist. That no part of the material sub-
stance of the bread and wine remains there, but is wholly
changed into the substance of the body and blood of
Christ, and that Jesus Christ presents Himself to us, in
this holy mystery, under the outward appearance of
bread and wine, which remains, in every respect, the
same as before consecration. These, therefore, they
believe and profess at all times, and in all circumstances.

But besides points of faith or revealed truths, there are
many other things that may be investigated concerning
religious matters, which have not been revealed by God.
With regard to these, Catholic theologians form such
judgments and opinions as appear to them the most
reasonable ; and they are at perfect liberty to adopt what-
ever opinion they please concerning such questions, pro-

APPENDIX. 267

vided it does not contradict any revealed truth. But on
these matters the Church herself forms no opinion. Of
this kind are the questions you have just proposed. If
you ask the Catholic Church what becomes of the sub-
stance of the bread and wine? how it is destroyed? in
what manner it ceases to be ? she will answer you, that she
knows nothing of the matter; and for this plain reason,
that God Almighty has not been pleased to reveal it
to her. The subject is too abstruse for human eyes to
penetrate ; it is absolutely impossible to know it unless
God speak to disclose it ; and since He has not done so,
she rests contented in her ignorance. Her theologians
say, indeed, that we may conceive the substance of the
bread and wine to be taken away by annihilation, de-
struction, or dissolution ; by simple removal, or in num-
berless other ways, easy to almighty power, though incon-
ceivable to us ; but all that can be said upon this is con-
jecture, and mere human opinion. Of this nothing can
be determined with certainty, because the subject-matter
is beyond the sphere of our knowledge, and we have no
data on which to found any reasoning whatever.

Phil. Sir, this gives me particular satisfaction, and
conveys a more exalted idea of the Catholic religion
than anything I had hitherto imagined. I see the main
point with Catholics is to preserve inviolate the sacred
truths which God has revealed, or, as St Jude expresses
it, " To contend earnestly for the faith which has been
once delivered to the saints." This with them is a fixed
point, from which they never vary; but they give them-
selves little concern in inquiring why or how these things
are so. Regarding these it is impossible that the mind
of man, by its own strength, should ever arrive at any
certain knowledge in this mortal state; and therefore
inquiries of this kind form no part of their creed, but

268 APPENDIX.

are considered, as they truly are, more as matters of
curiosity than of practical utility.

Orth. And matters of dangerous curiosity, too, as the
experience of many can attest. Wherefore, leaving that,
I shall now show you some obvious consequences which
follow from the above explanation of transubstantiation,
that will throw additional light on this subject, and in-
validate some of the principal objections of Benevolus
and others against it.

1. It is evident, from what we have seen, that transub-
stantiation is not impossible to Almighty God : we see
nothing inconsistent or. contradictory in what is taught
respecting it. It cannot be called in question that Al-
mighty God, when He pleases, is able to change the ma-
terial substance of one body into another, by removing
or destroying the one in an instant, and substituting the
other in its place. We see many examples in the sacred
Scriptures of sensible changes of this kind wrought instan-
taneously by the divine power, as of a rod being turned
into a serpent, water into blood, and water into wine ; and
surely, if the Creator could give being and existence to
what was not, He can with equal ease change the being
and existence of what is. Again, from the examples we
have seen above, both in natural and supernatural things,
of different objects being exhibited to our senses under
sensible qualities not their own, it is evidently not only
not impossible, but perfectly easy for Jesus Christ to
exhibit Himself to us under whatever sensible qualities
He pleases ; consequently it is not impossible for Him
to assume those of bread and wine; and therefore
there is no impossibility whatever in the doctrine of tran-
substantiation, as believed and taught by the Catholic
Church.

2. It is manifest that this doctrine of transubstantia-

.APPENDIX. 269

tion being possible, if we suppose it true, may justly be-
come an object of divine faith. To understand this, you
must recall to mind that faith is the belief of a truth
revealed by God, merely because He has revealed it; I
say merely, because, if either our senses or our reason
convince us of the truth of any subject of revelation,
our belief is no longer purely divine faith, but rather
knowledge.

St Paul tells us that faith " cometh by hearing, and hear-
ing by the word of God," Rom. x. 17; and that it is
" the evidence of things not seen," Heb. xi. i — that is,
the conviction and firm belief which we have of things
that do not appear to us from any other source of know-
ledge than from divine revelation alone ; and our blessed
Saviour declares that the whole merit of faith consists
in believing merely because God speaks, though we
neither see nor understand. "Because thou hast seen
me, Thomas, thou hast believed ; blessed are they who
have not seen and yet have believed," John, xx. Hence,
properly speaking, only supernatural truths, which do not
fall under our senses, and cannot be discovered by reason,
are the immediate and proper objects of revelation and
of divine faith.

The change wrought in transubstantiation is entirely
of this kind ; it does not fall under the cognisance of our
senses, the substances in which it is effected being alto-
gether imperceptible to us. If, therefore, we suppose
the doctrine of transubstantiation true, it is impossible
that either our senses or our reason should ever discover
it, nor could we ever come to the knowledge of it but by
revelation from God ; but if He should declare it to us,
it immediately becomes a proper object of faith, as much
as any other supernatural truth in the Christian religion.

3. It is no less evident, that if transubstantiation be so

2/O APPENDIX.

revealed, its revelation, and consequently its reality and
truth, may be proved by miracles, as well as any other
article of Christian faith. It is a truth which does not
fall under the examination of our senses, and cannot
possibly be known by reason ; it is a fact entirely depend-
ing upon the free-will of God. Hence, then, it is evident
that our senses and our reason are by no means judges
of it, nor in any way concerned in it. All that is required
to convince us of its reality is to know with certainty that
God declares it. But what greater assurance can we have
that God reveals any truth to man, than a miracle pro-
per to Himself, and wrought in his name? Such a
miracle, therefore, wrought in proof of transubstantiation,
must be the most convincing evidence that God declares
it, and consequently that it is true.

4. You will clearly perceive, then, the utter fallacy of the
first argument used by Benevolus against believing in tran-
substantiation, though attested by a miracle. His words,
as you have said, are these : " Because there is the same
evidence against that doctrine that there can be for the
truth of any miracle — I mean the testimony of the human
senses ; and so one cannot rationally believe the one with-
out disbelieving the other : for if I believe my senses, I
cannot believe transubstantiation ; and if \ disbelieve my
senses, I could not believe the truth of your miracle."
Is it not evident that Benevolus knows nothing of the
Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation when he argues in
this manner?

Phil. I must own it is impossible to excuse him •
for it is plain, from what you say, that the change
wrought in transubstantiation is totally imperceptible to
our senses — that they have no part in the belief or disbe-
lief of it, and can give no evidence either for or against
it ; whereas the change wrought by a miracle performed

APPENDIX. 271

in attestation of any doctrine, must be a sensible change,
necessarily falling under the cognisance of our senses,
and subjected to their examination. It is absurd,
therefore, to pretend that there is the same evidence
against transubstantiation that we have for the truth of
any miracle; and I think it clear as noon-day, that the
very reverse of what Benevolus asserts is certainly true ;
" for I may rationally believe transubstantiation with-
out disbelieving my senses, and may be certain from
my senses of the reality of a miracle, without injuring
them in the smallest degree by believing transubstan-
tiation."

Orth. I see you thoroughly comprehend what I have
said, and the conclusion which you draw is most just ;
for surely no man of common-sense, who understands
the real Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, would
ever expose himself by bringing such an argument against
it as Benevolus does. The only excuse I can offer
for Benevolus and Dr Tillotson, from whom he takes it,
is, that both are ignorant of the true Catholic doctrine.
This will be shown still further from the last consequence
of the above explanation.

5. It is clear that our senses are in no way deceived
in our belief of this mystery. Before the change, our
senses represented to us the appearances of bread and
wine, because they were really there, and therefore our
senses were not then deceived ; but of the nature of the
substance of bread and wine, which exhibited these ap-
pearances, they told us nothing — that was quite imper-
ceptible to them. Arguing from the uniformity of the
works of the Creator, we concluded, indeed, from the
appearances, that the substance of bread and wine was
there ; but this was a judgment of pur reason, not the
information of our senses. On the other hand, after

2/2 APPENDIX.

consecration our senses represent to us the same appear-
ances of bread and wine, and for the same reason, be-
cause these appearances are there still ; consequently our
senses are no more deceived now than in the former
case ; for in both cases what they represent is strictly
conformable to truth. But as to the substance of the
body and blood of Christ, which, after consecration, is
presented to us under these appearances, our senses can
tell us no more respecting it than, before consecration,
they could tell us of the substance of bread and
wine.

If, after consecration, we had nothing else to guide
our reason than we had before, our judgment in both cases
would be the same — namely, that as the appearances of
bread and wine continue, so the same substances exist.
We are convinced, however, that God Almighty has de-
clared, that by consecration, the substance of bread and
wine i£ no longer there, but that it is changed into
the body and blood of Jesus Christ ; and as we
confess this change to be perfectly possible to Him, we
readily yield the judgment of reason, and firmly believe
that what God declares is true. Yet in this it is evi-
dent that our senses are as far from being deceived now
as they were before consecration ; for then they told us
what was really there — the appearances of bread and wine
— and now they tell us that they perceive the same : and,
indeed, the same appearances are there still.

Observe, if our faith told us that the sacred host
was red, and our eyes saw it white — that it was bitter,
and our taste felt it sweet, &c. — then, indeed, our faith
and our senses would be opposed to each other, and if
our faith was true, our senses must be deceived. But as
the case stands, our faith and our senses go hand in hand
in everything in which the senses are concerned ; and,

APPENDIX. 273

therefore, though our faith be most true, yet our senses
are by no means deceived. It follows, therefore, that
we may rationally believe transubstantiation without dis-
believing our senses, and this overthrows the whole
foundation upon which the argument of Benevolus
stands.

Phil. What you say, in my opinion, admits of no reply;
for it is evident that the object of our faith in believing
transubstantiation, and the object of our senses when a
miracle is wrought before us, are entirely of different
kinds. The former is an act of the omnipotence
of God, produced in a subject, which is altogether
imperceptible to us, where no visible effect appears,
nor any change is made in the sensible qualities.
The latter is a sensible effect produced by the same
almighty power, but in the sensible qualities of the
objects around us. The former can be known only by the
sense of hearing, informed by the Word of God ; the
latter can be known by the senses of sight and touch,
— is the proper object of these senses, and naturally
falls under their examination. It is as unreasonable,
then, to deny transubstantiation, which can be known
only by hearing, because my sight and touch do not in-
form me of it, as it would be to deny that sugar is sweet,
because I do not see the sweet taste with my eyes.

Orth. Your remark is just, and equally applicable to
all supernatural revealed truths ; they are all above
reason; they fall not under the examination of our
other senses, and can be known by hearing only, as St
Paul expressly declares ; and therefore it is altogether
unphilosophical to argue against them either from sense
or reason. If they be revealed by God, that is sufficient,
and ought to silence every objection ; and if the proofs
of their revelation be the same as the proofs for the other

VOL. II. S

274 APPENDIX.

truths of Christianity, no apparent contradiction can be
urged as an argument against any one of them without
sapping the foundation of all the others.

This observation leads us to the second argument
alleged by Benevolus against the belief of transubstan-
tiation, though attested by miracle, because he thinks
this doctrine involves many contradictions. This argu-
ment is not new any more than the former ; it has been
often urged against Catholics, and as often refuted ; but
as you said that Benevolus mentions some contradictions,
which he attributes to transubstantiation, I shall be glad
to hear what seem to him the most weighty.

Phil. I shall show you that in his own words : * " Our
blessed Saviour," says he, " having consecrated the holy
Eucharist before His death, when His natural body was
unglorified, and in the same state with that of other men,
if transubstantiation be true, the one body of Christ
behoved to be endued with opposite qualities at the
same time — that is, with the qualities of ordinary flesh
and blood, in His living body with which He spoke and
acted, and with the qualities of a glorified body, in the
blessed sacrament which He had just then consecrated.
Or, in other words, our Saviour's one body was mortal,
perishing, and corruptible flesh and blood, in His natural
person; and was an immortal, incorruptible, impassible,
and spiritual body, in the Holy Eucharist lying before Him.
Now, as mortal and immortal, corruptible and incorrup-
tible, passible and impassible, are qualities diametrically
opposed, it is as impossible they can be properties of
one and the same body, at the same time, as it is im-
possible for a thing to be and not to be at the same
time; consequently the doctrine of transubstantiation

* The discussion between Eusebius and Benevolus is a fact, which
occurred not ten years ago.

APPENDIX. 2/5

must be false." This is his great argument, in which he
seems to place particular confidence as altogether un-
answerable.

Orth. I am surprised he did not add other two of the
same kind and no less specious : namely, that if this doc-
trine be true, the body of Christ must be in thousands
of places at the same time, — and the whole living body
of a man must be contained in the small space of a
consecrated host — yea, in every visible particle of it; both
of which seem no less impossible than the other.

Phil. I know that these objections also are brought
against this doctrine, and I have seen some letters of
Benevolus, in which he condemns the assertion that a
body can be in different places at once as the greatest
absurdity ; but I suppose he thought the former so un-
answerable that he required no other argument against
Eusebius. I shall be glad, however, to hear what can
be said to all the three, which I take to be the principal
points alleged from reason against this doctrine.

Orth. They are so ; and I shall now endeavour to
satisfy you thoroughly regarding them. But first, I must
observe that none of these apparent contradictions
brought against tran substantiation are more opposed to
the light of reason than is our belief respecting the mys-
teries of the Trinity and incarnation. That there should
be three persons in the Godhead ; that these should be
really distinct, so that we can with truth affirm of the
one what we cannot say of the others ; and yet that all
three should be but one and the self-same God, — are mys-
teries that humble human reason, and directly contradict
all its lights.

Again, that this divine, increated, self-existent nature
should be intimately united with the created, finite,
and mortal nature of man ; that both these natures should

2/6 APPENDIX.

exist in one and the same Person ; and that in conse-
quence of this union God should truly suffer and die, — is
so opposed to all the ideas of human reason, that it was a
scandal to the Jews, and a stumbling-block to .the Gen-
tiles, and is to this day a matter of ridicule to free-
thinkers and deists. Now Benevolus believes these
truths, notwithstanding the difficulties which they seem
to involve ; nor does he think them of any weight against
the revelation of these mysteries in the holy Scriptures ;
yet the doctrine of transubstantiation is much more
clearly revealed in Scripture than the Trinity or the incar-
nation. How unreasonable, then, is it to believe them,
and yet refuse to believe the other !

Phil. What you say would be unanswerable, if the
contradictions in both cases were only apparent; but
Benevolus affirms the contrary, and says that they are
widely different ; his words are these : " The argument
which I have charged home against transubstantiation
is, that it involves the plainest and most self-evident
contradictions ; but with respect to the Holy Trinity, our
ignorance is an effectual bar against the possibility of
proving it an absurdity, and therefore no parallel can be
fairly drawn between the Trinity and unity of God and
transubstantiation." That is, as I apprehend, the con-
tradictions contained in transubstantiation are self-evi-
dent and real ; those in the Trinity only apparent, owing
to our ignorance of the intermediate links by which the
whole chain is connected.

Orth. That is certainly his meaning ; but do you not
observe one great objection to this bold assertion ? If a
contradiction be self-evident, and therefore real, it must
certainly appear so at once to every man of common-
sense. And yet there have been, and are at the present
day, thousands and thousands of men, eminent for their

APPENDIX. 277

good sense, their learning, and their piety, who do not
see the smallest contradiction in tran substantiation, but
who firmly believe it as a divine truth. Either, then, we
must s.ay that all these are devoid of reason who cannot
perceive the plainest and most self-evident contradiction,
or we must conclude that those pretended contradictions
are neither so plain nor so self-evident as Benevolus
affirms with such presumptuous assurance.

Phil. For my own part, I agree entirely with this last
part of your conclusion ; but Benevolus is so deeply
prepossessed with his own idea that he makes no diffi-
culty in declaring, that whoever believes transubstantia-
tion should be sent to the physicians instead of being
reasoned with.

Orth. At that I am not surprised ; for there are such
ardent spirits in the world. Truth, however, when op-
posed by such, will in reality suffer little, because their
ardour generally carries them beyond the mark, which
always ends in the triumph of truth, and in their own
confusion. But, pray, does he add nothing farther to
show the disparity he appeals to?

Phil. Yes, he says a great deal to explain and illus-
trate it. " An absurdity," he says, " is an opposition
between two known ideas or things ; and therefore, when
we have no knowledge of the nature of the things of
which we speak, it is impossible to prove any contra-
diction between them, even though it should exist. To
explain myself, as I have a distinct idea of a human
body, and as I also know what it is to be liable to death
and corruption, and what it is to be exempt from
them, I can say with certainty, that one and the same
body cannot be mortal and immortal, corruptible and
incorruptible, at the same time, because these are oppo-
site modes of existence. But as I have no idea of what

2/8 APPENDIX.

the divine nature is, nor any idea of a divine person, I
cannot perceive any opposition or contradiction between
the subsistence of three divine persons in one and the
same divine nature.

" Were the nature of God the same with the nature
of man, and a divine person like a human person, the
doctrine of the Trinity would indeed be as absurd, and
therefore as incredible, as transubstantiation ; but as
these natures and persons are infinitely different, there-
fore no argument can be formed from the one to the
other, and consequently the doctrine of the Holy
Trinity, however incomprehensible to human reason, yet
cannot be shown to be contradictory to it. That the
nature of God should be incomprehensible to human
reason need not excite wonder. It not only may, but
must be so ; because a finite nature can never compre-
hend an infinite. But, though the doctrine of the Holy
Trinity be thus above reason, and, as such, may justly
be enjoined by revelation as matter of belief — because
nothing is more reasonable than to believe upon the
testimony of God what is above our reason — yet transub-
stantiation, which is not properly speaking above, but
plainly contrary to reason, cannot be revealed by God,
and therefore ought not to be believed." This is the
whole of his reasoning, as delivered by himself, in his
letters to Eusebius.

Orth. In this long citation from Benevolus, and in
the former one, to which this is a sequel, there are
several expressions which, I fear, will not stand the
test of sound theology; but this I overlook as not
strictly connected with our present subject, and shall
willingly give him all the praise he deserves for several
just principles and solid truths which he has here laid
down, and in which I agree with him. They are as

APPENDIX. 279

follow : i. That an absurdity is an opposition be-
tween 'two known ideas or things. 2. That when
we have no knowledge of the nature of the things
of which we speak, it is impossible to prove any
contradiction between them. 3. That we may be cer-
tain of the truth of a proposition, though we have no
knowledge of the nature of the things or terms which
compose it, as in the case of the Holy Trinity. 4.
That a proposition is said to be above reason when it is
true in itself, but when we do not see the connection
between its terms, from our ignorance of their nature and
properties. 5. That a proposition is against or contrary
to reason, when we have a clear and distinct idea of the
nature and properties of its terms, and see plainly the
opposition or contradiction between them.

Upon these solid grounds Benevolus justly defends
the mystery of the blessed Trinity from all imputation
of absurdity or contradiction. Contradiction can never
be proved against that mystery, for this plain reason,
that we have no idea of the divine nature, or of what
a divine person is ; nor indeed, in our present state, can
we possibly form a clear and comprehensive idea of
them or their properties. Upon the same ground he
pretends to prove that transubstantiation involves a
manifest contradiction, which, according to the above
principles, necessarily supposes a clear and distinct
knowledge of the nature and properties of its object.
His whole assertion, then, depends upon the correctness
of this supposition, and I am willing to rest the issue of
the cause upon it.

Phil. This is very fair indeed ; but, pray, have we not
a clear and distinct knowledge of a human body ? and
was not the humanity of Jesus Christ like unto us in all
things, sin only excepted ?

28O APPENDIX.

Orth. Our knowledge of the nature of the human body,
and indeed of all other bodies, is exceedingly imperfect.
Our knowledge of the nature of the humanity of Jesus
Christ is much more so, and still more ignorant are
we of the objects of the doctrine of transubstantiation.
Call to mind the explanation of that mystery given above
from the Council of Trent, that " the substance of the
bread and wine are changed into the substance of the
body and blood of Jesus Christ, the outward appearances
of bread and wine remaining unchanged." Now, has
Benevolus a clear and distinct knowledge of the sub-
stance of bread and wine ? does he clearly see what is
possible or impossible to be done with it by the almighty
power of the Creator? Has he a clear and distinct
knowledge of the substance of the body and blood of
Jesus Christ? Does he know everything of which it is
capable or incapable ? Does he comprehend fully the
nature and properties of the humanity of Jesus Christ ?
of that sacred humanity which is hypostatically united
with the divine nature in one person ? Does he clearly
understand all that was possible or impossible for this
human nature so united with the divinity to do, even in
its mortal state ? Does he see all that it is capable or
incapable of doing, now that it is glorified at the right
hand of the Father ? And yet all this is requisite to be
known, and to be known as clearly as we know what two
are, and what ten are, before we could prudently pro-
nounce that transubstantiation involves a plain and self-
evident contradiction.

It is clear, then, that the objects of transubstantiation
are far above the reach of our understanding, being the
internal substance of bread and wine, which is wholly
imperceptible to us, and the glorified body of Jesus
Christ, intimately and incomprehensibly united in one

APPENDIX. 28l

person with the divinity. These, in our present mortal
state, we can never in the least degree comprehend nor
understand ; consequently, according to Benevolus's
own principles, it is impossible to prove a contradic-
tion in what is affirmed regarding them. Transubstan-
tiation, therefore, for anything we know, may be true —
and if true (to use Benevolus's own words), though in-
comprehensible to human reason, yet cannot be shown
to be contrary to it. It is above reason, and, as such, may
justly be enjoined by revelation as a matter of belief,
because nothing is more reasonable than to believe upon
the testimony of God what is above our reason.

Thus you see that upon the very principles adopted
by Benevolus, the mystery of the Trinity and of tran-
substantiation, and indeed all supernatural truths pro-
posed to our belief by revelation, must stand or fall
together. Their objects are concealed from our eyes.
We have an exceedingly imperfect knowledge of their
nature and properties. Without revelation we never
could have formed the least idea of them ; and there-
fore, any objections raised against them, from reason or
the senses, must either affect all revealed truths or none,
for they all rest upon the same foundation.

Phil. From this clear reasoning I perceive where
Benevolus's mistake lies, and the only excuse I can plead
for him is, what you have mentioned — namely, that he
has never understood the Catholic doctrine of transub-
stantiation, otherwise he would not expose himself, by
arguing so violently against it, as if he had a distinct
idea of that doctrine, which he certainly has not, and
without which, the whole train of his reasoning concludes
unanswerably against himself.

But what I cannot account for is this, that though,
in his whole reasoning, he manifestly assumes that he

282 APPENDIX.

has a thorough knowledge of the properties of a glorified
body, yet, in one of his letters to Eusebius, he fairly
owns that he knows nothing whatever of the matter.
His words are these : " You ask me whether the same
body cannot, by the power of God, be in different places
at the same time ? to which I answer, that if you mean
a glorified body, I cannot tell, because I know no more
of the properties of a glorified body than I do of a spirit."
Now, after this plain confession of his ignorance, wherein
he certainly speaks the truth, how can he declaim so
violently against transubstantiation, .as involving manifest
contradictions ; when, according to his own principles,
he cannot prove any contradiction in it, without having
a thorough knowledge of all the properties of a glorified
body ? Is this acting like a theologian, a philosopher, or
even like a man ?

Orth. This, my dear sir, need not surprise you ; it is
only one instance, among many, of the self-contradic-
tions into which every one must necessarily fall who is
engaged in defending error. Truth is ever consistent,
and its beauty never appears in a stronger light than
when contrasted with the inconsistencies and contradic-
tions of the self-sufficient adversaries who oppose it.

Phil. Your observation is just. But now, suppose the
above pretended contradictions were urged against you,
I should be glad to know what answer you would give to
each.

Orth. In the first place, I say, I am not obliged to
give an answer to any of them till you first prove their
reality, which, from your ignorance of the things them-
selves, you never can, just as Benevolus would answer
to the pretended contradictions in the mystery of the
Trinity or incarnation. In the second place, I should
observe, that the contradictions urged against transub-

APPENDIX. 283

stantiation, have even less weight against it than those
regarding the Trinity have against that mystery. Those
which deists urge against the Trinity appear in the mys-
tery itself, in the very terms in which it is proposed ;
whereas it is not even asserted that the doctrine of tran-
substantiation, as above explained, contains in itself a
shadow of contradiction or impossibility — and I might
defy Benevolus himself to point out any such in it.

All the contradictions or impossibilities supposed to be
involved in transubstantiation, are pretended to be found
only in its consequences. If it be true, say they, then it
will follow that the same body of Jesus Christ must be in
many different places at one and the same time ; that the
same one body of Christ may have opposite qualities ;
that the whole body of a man must be contained in the
small space of a host, — and so on. But these are brought
forward only as consequences of the doctrine, whilst the
doctrine itself stands free of all contradiction — whereas
the contradictions alleged against the Holy Trinity attack
the very mystery itself; as it is apparently impossible,
say they who deny it, that three persons really distinct
among themselves, and of each of whom we can affirm
what we cannot say of the others, should yet be but one
and the self-same individual divine being. If, therefore,
our ignorance of the nature of the objects in the blessed
Trinity invalidates these apparent contradictions, and
exonerates us from any obligation of even attempting to
explain them, though they affect the very existence of
the mystery itself; how much more must our ignorance
of the nature of the objects, in the mystery of transub-
stantiation, destroy the apparent weight of any contradic-
tion brought against it, and excuse us from the obligation
of explaining or endeavouring to reconcile them, con-
sidering that they attack not the mystery itself, but affect

284 APPENDIX.

only the consequences supposed to flow from it? — But,
in the third place, from what I have said above, you
will find no difficulty in giving an answer even to each
of those supposed contradictions.

Phil. I should be glad to see what could be said to
each of them.

Orth. That I will now show you, and begin with ex-
amining whether it be possible for one and the same
body to be in different places at the same time. This,
though readily acknowledged by several learned Pro-
testants, is held by Benevolus and others as an absolute
impossibility. But I fear it would not be easy for them
to show any clear contradiction in it, because of our lim-
ited and imperfect knowledge both of body and place.

The miracle of feeding five thousand men, besides
women and children, with five barley loaves and two
small fishes, affords so strong an argument to prove that
the power of God can make even natural bodies exist
in different places at the same time, that I might defy
Benevolus to give any satisfactory answer to it : but
upon that I shall lay no stress. The question is not of a
natural body, but respecting the body of Jesus Christ ;
that body which even before His death, while in a mor-
tal state, as well as now, was intimately united with
the divinity, was even then capable of assuming the
qualities of a glorified body, as was done at the trans-
figuration, and is now totally and unchangeably in a
glorified state at the right hand of His Father. Now, if
transubstantiation be true, it will evidently follow, not
that a natural body may be in different places at once,
but that this glorious body of Jesus Christ may be, nay,
must be, in numberless places at one and the same time.
But who shall dare affirm this to be impossible ? Does
Benevolus, or any mortal man, comprehend the qualities

APPENDIX. 285

and perfections of that glorified body, which is incom-
prehensibly united to the divine nature in one Person ?
Shall finite man dare to pronounce what is possible or
impossible for the glorified body of a God, made man ?
Shall the creature take upon him to explain what the
body of his Creator is capable or incapable of doing !
We must therefore acknowledge here, as Benevolus
does, with regard to the Holy Trinity, that our ignorance
of the nature and qualities of a glorified body, especially
of that united in one person with the divinity, is an
effectual bar against disproving its existence in different
places at the same time, and therefore no parallel can be
drawn between it and a natural body.

This being the case, the second pretended contra-
diction said to flow from transubstantiation, that the same
one body of Jesus Christ would have opposite qualities
at the same time, at once falls to the ground. For if the
body of Jesus Christ can be in different places at one
and the same time, what contradiction can there be in His
exhibiting Himself to us with certain qualities in one
place, and with others in another ? Observe that these
qualities are extrinsic to the essence of the body ; they do
not affect or alter its nature. It was the self-same Holy
Ghost that appeared at the Jordan under the form of a
dove, and to the apostles under the form of fiery tongues ;
and surely no man can doubt that He could have taken
both these appearances, had He pleased, at the same time.

It is the self-same Jesus Christ Who sat at table in a
human form with His apostles, and was at the same time,
in the blessed sacrament, under the form of bread. The
outward appearances under which He exhibited Himself
to His apostles in two different places at once, made no
difference in His nature. He was perfectly the same in
both, and hence the force of this argument, in which

286 APPENDIX.

Benevolus so much exults, vanishes. It is clear that the
fallacy couched under it arises from supposing that the
different qualities of which he speaks, change the nature
of our Saviour's body ; and that they would be in it not
only at the same time, but also in the same place, — both
of which suppositions are false.

As to the other pretended impossibility, that the whole
body of a man should be contained under the small
space of a host, and in all its visible particles, it disappears
at once upon the same principles. Our Saviour Himself
assures us, that at the resurrection even our bodies shall
become like the angels of God, putting on the properties
and qualities of spirits. Now one quality of spirits is to
be unconfined to any magnitude in themselves, and much
less in the appearance which they assume to our eyes.
The angels that appeared of old to the servants of God
were the same, whether they assumed the form of a man
of large or small stature ; and shall it be called in ques-
tion that Jesus Christ, God and man, can appear to us
under any form or magnitude He pleases ? Our ig-
norance of the qualities of His glorious body puts an
effectual bar to the possibility of proving any absurdity
in His doing so.

Phil. What you say admits, in my opinion, of no
reply; and to me it seems evident that no contradiction
can be proved in transubstantiation, for the same reason
that it is impossible to prove any such in the mystery of
the Trinity, or indeed in any of the sacred mysteries
of the Christian religion. Our imperfect knowledge, or
rather our total ignorance, of the objects of these mys-
teries, precludes us from judging of what is possible or
impossible in them, because they are all above our
reason. What we know of them we could never have
imagined, had not God revealed it to us; and His

APPENDIX. 287

revelation gives us the utmost certainty of what He
announces concerning them. On that ground, therefore,
we rationally believe, though we neither see nor under-
stand them.

Ortfi. Your observation is just ; and the natural con
sequence is, that as there cannot be a more convincing
proof that God reveals any doctrine, than a miracle
proper to God wrought in attestation of it, so the doctrine
of transubstantiation is as capable of being proved a
revealed truth by such a miracle wrought for that end, as
is any other mystery whatever of the Christian religion.
The incredulity of Benevolus, therefore, is without excuse,
and his celebrated proposition is not only blasphemous
in itself, but all he says in defence of it is totally destitute
of reason, and can proceed only from an unpardonable
ignorance of the real doctrine which he undertakes to
condemn.

Phil. Sir, I am much obliged to you for all the trouble
you have taken, and shall endeavour to improve by your
instructions.

Orth. You are exceedingly welcome. Adieu.

THE END.

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ungen.

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ject."— Lancet.

" An exceedingly useful volume." — Athenceum.

Memoir of the Political Life of the Right Hon-
ourable Edmund Burke, with Extracts from his Writings. By the Bev.
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Handbook of the Mechanical Arts

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WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS.

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The History of Scotland :

From Agricola's Invasion to the Extinction of the last Jacobite Insurrection.
By John Hill Burton, Historiographer- Royal for Scotland. New and
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The Book-Hunter.

By John Hill Burton. In crown 8vo. Second Edition, 75. 6d.

1 ' A book pleasant to look at and pleasant to read — pleasant from its rich
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The Scot Abroad,

AND THE ANCIENT LEAGUE WITH FRANCE. By John Hill Burton.
2 vols. crown 8vo, in Roxburghe binding, 153.

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The Cairngorm Mountains.

By John Hill Burton. In Crown 8vo, 35. 6d.

"One of the most complete as well as most lively and intelligent bits of
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Sermons.

By John Caird, D.D., Professor of Divinity in the University of Glasgow.
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ously expressed that we should grudge being hurried away from them by a
rapid speaker, without being allowed to enjoy them a second time." — Fraser's
Magazine.

Religion in Common Life:

A Sermon preached in Crathie Church, October 14, 1855, before Her
Majesty the Queen and Prince Albert. By John Caird, D.D. Published
by Her Majesty's Command. Bound in cloth, 8d. Cheap Edition, 3d.

LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

Autobiography of the Rev. Dr Alexander Cirlyle,

Minister of Inveresk. Containing Memorials of the Men an \ Events of
his Time. Edited by John Hill Burton. In 8vo. Third Edition, with
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"This book contains by far the most vivid picture of Scottish life and man-
ners that has been given to the public since the days of Sir Walter Scott. In
bestowing upon it this high praise, we make no exception, not even in favour
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ranks next to it in interest." — Edinburgh Review.

"A more delightful and graphic picture of the everyday life of our ancestors
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A Treasury of the English and German Languages.

Compiled from the best Authors and Lexicographers in both Languages.
Adapted to the Use of Schools, Students, Travellers, and Men of Business ;
and forming a Companion to all German-English Dictionaries. By Joseph
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"An excellent English-German Dictionary, which supplies a real want."—
Saturday Review.

' ' The difficulty of translating English into German may be greatly alleviated
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equivalents. It also supplies an abundance of idiomatic phraseology, with
many passages from Shakespeare and other authors aptly rendered in German.
Compared with other dictionaries, it has decidedly the advantage. " — Athenaum.

Captain Clutterbuck 's Champagne.

A WEST INDIAN REMINISCENCE. Post 8vo, 123.

"We can conscientiously commend 'Captain Clutterbuck's Champagne' to
all who like a really original story with no nonsense in it." — Press.

The Punjab and Delhi in 1857 :

BEING A NARRATIVE OF THE MEASURES BY WHICH THE PUNJAB WAS
SAVED AND DELHI RECOVERED DURING THE INDIAN MUTINY. By the
Eev. J. Cave-Brown, Chaplain of the Punjab Movable Column. With
Plans of the Chief Stations and of the different Engagements, and Portraits
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Brig. -Gen. J. Nicholson. 2 vols. post 8vo, ais.

" This is a work which will well repay the trouble of perusal. Written by
one who was himself present at many of the scenes he narrates, and who has
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H. Edwardes, it comes with all the weight of official authority, and all the
vividness of personal narrative." — Press.

Coquet-Dale Fishing Songs.

Now first collected by a North-Country Angler, with the Music of the
Airs. 8vo, 55.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. II

Sporting Days.

By John Colquhoun, Author of 'The Moor and the Loch,' &c. Crown
8vo, 53.

Rocks and Rivers;

Or, Highland Wanderings over Crag and Correi, " Flood and Fell." By
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Salmon-Casts and Stray Shots.

Being Fly-leaves from the Note- Book of John Colquhonn, Esq., Author of
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The Coming Race.

Sixth Edition, crown 8vo, 6s.

"Language, literature, and the arts, all touched on with admirable veri-
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the delights of this underground Utopia, have we sighed for the refreshing
tranquillity of that lamp-lit land." — Athenaum.

"Its kindly satire, its gentle moralisings, its healthy humour, and its extensive
knowledge well applied, combine to separate it from the mass of ephemeral
publications, and give evidence of literary skill very rarely to be met with in
books written for the circulating libraries." — Examiner.

" The book is well written, and ingeniously worked out." — Saturday Review.

Venus and Psyche,

WITH OTHER POEMS. By Bichard Crawley. Fcap. 8vo, 53.

' ' Mr Crawley writes verses through which there runs an abundant vein of
genuine poetry. . . . Much, very much, of Mr Crawley's poetry is per-
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the vision and the faculty divine, and is equally powerful in painting scenes of
terror and tenderness. His minor poems are most of them beautiful, and some
of them exquisite pieces of piercing satire." — Evening Standard.

The Genesis of the Church.

By the Eight Eev. Henry Cotterill, D.D., Bishop of Edinburgh.
Demy 8vo, i6s.

' ' The book is strikingly original, and this originality is one of its great
charms — the views of an able and cultivated man whom long study has made
fully master of his subject." — Scottish Guardian.

" In Dr Cotterill's volume a book of great ability has been presented to the
world." — Edinburgh Courant.

" His book breathes the spirit and is stamped with the character of the
present age. It requires, and will amply repay, the most careful and attentive
reading ; and it is likely to carry conviction to many a mind which has been
merely repelled by the ordinary quoting of texts or appeals to Church History
to prove the existence of the three Orders, and the necessity of the apostolical
succession. " — Literary Churchman.

12 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

Chronicles of Carlingford.

Salem Chapel, as. in boards, or 2S. 6d. in cloth.

The Rector, and the Doctors Family, is. in boards, or is. 6d. in cloth.

The Perpetual Curate. 23. in boards, or as. 6d. in cloth.

Miss Marjoribanks. 2s. in boards, or 23. 6d. in cloth.

Cornelius CfDowd upon Men and Women,

AND OTHER THINGS IN GENERAL. 3 vols. crown 8vo, ios. 6d. each.

"The flashes of the author's wit must not blind us to the ripeness of his wis-
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servant spirits of the present time." — Daily Review.

The Fatherhood of God:

Considered in its General and Special Aspects, and particularly in relation
to the Atonement ; with a Review of Recent Speculations on the Subject.
By Thomas J. Crawford, D.D. Third Edition, revised and enlarged, with
a Reply to the Strictures of Dr Candlish. 95.

"The plan of this work is comprehensive and yet definite. It embodies
much original thought, and the author's habits of searching inquiry and careful
arrangement stand him in good stead. Whatever difference of opinion there
may be on sundry topics, it would be idle to question the great ability shown
by the learned Professor. As the subjects treated of have been and are so
much discussed, it will be satisfactory to many to receive a book which expounds
so fully, and maintains so forcibly, and on a Scriptural basis, the views of one
so well qualified to speak." — Journal of Sacred Literature.

The Doctrine of Holy Scripture respecting the

Atonement. By Thomas J. Crawford, D.D., Professor of Divinity in the
University of Edinburgh. 8vo, 123.

"This addition to the latest contributions to the elucidation of the doctrine
of the atonement must inevitably take a high rank among them. It collates and
analyses the teachings, not only of the apostles, but of all Scriptural authors on
the subject. The work is done in a critical, thorough, exhaustive manner, and
gives us an exhaustive thesaurus of Scriptural doctrine on the subject." — Prince-
ton Review.

Sketches of the South and West ;

Or, Ten Months' Residence in the United States. By Henry Deedes.
Fcap. 8vo, 53.

Descartes

On the Method of Rightly Conducting the Reason, and Seeking1 Truth in
the Sciences, and his Meditations, and Selections from his Principles of
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WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 13

Japan ;

Being a Sketch of the History, Government, and Officers of the Empire.
By Walter Dickson. Svo, 155.

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ought to be read and re-read by all who wish to attain anything like a coherent
idea of the real condition of Japan. Its value can hardly be overestimated." —
London and China Express.

"Mr Dixon's work gives a general account of the History of Christianity in
Japan more accurately than any preceding writer in the English language.
. . . . His work is the most valuable one that has yet appeared." — Quar-
terly Review.

A Family Tour round the Coasts of Spain and

Portugal DURING THE WINTER OF 1860-61. By Lady Dnnbar of North-
field. Post 8vo, 53.

The Divine Footsteps in Human History.

Svo, IDS. 6d,

Seats and Saddles^ Bits and Bitting,

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gravings, 73. 6d.

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who are fond of the science of horsemanship, and who will give themselves time
for some study of it, we know no work that comprehends so much good matter
in so small a space."— Daily's Monthly Magazine.

Essays.

By the Rev. John Eagles, A.M., Oxon. Originally published in ' Black-
wood's Magazine. ' Post Svo, IDS. 6d.

CONTENTS : — Church Music, and other Parochials. — Medical attendance, and
other Parochials. — A few Hours at Hampton Court. — Grandfathers and
Grandchildren. — Sitting for a Portrait. — Are there not Great Boasters among
us? — Temperance and Teetotal Societies — Thackeray's Lectures : Swift. —
The Crystal Palace. — Civilisation : the Census. — The Beggar's legacy.

The Sketcher.

By the Eev. John Eagles, A.M. Originally published in ' Blackwood's
Magazine.' Svo, los. 6d.

"This volume, called by the appropriate name of 'The Sketcher,' is one
that ought to be found in the studio of every English landscape-painter.
. . . . More instructive and suggestive readings for voung artists, espe-
cially landscape-painters, can scarcely be found."— The Globe.

Sonnets.

By the Eev. John Eagles, A.M. Crown Svo, 53.

14 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

Works of George Eliot. Library Edition.

Adam Bede. 2 vols., fcap. 8vo, 125.

The Mill on the Floss. 2 vols., fcap. 8vo, 123.

Scenes of Clerical Life. 2 vols., fcap. 8vo, 123.

Silas Marner. Fcap. 8vo, 6s.

Felix Holt. 2 vols., fcap. 8vo, I2S.

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Adam Bede. 33. 6d.
The Mill on the Floss. 35. 6d.
Scenes of Clerical Life. 33.
Silas Marner. 23. 6d.
Felix Holt. 35. 6d.

Middlemarch ; A Study of English Provincial

Life. By George Eliot. In Eight Books, 55. each.

1. Miss BROOKE.

2. OLD AND YOUNG.'

3. WAITING FOR DEATH.

4. THREE LOVE PROBLEMS.

5. THE DEAD HAND.

6. THE WIDOW AND THE WIFE.

7. Two TEMPTATIONS.

8. SUNSET AND SUNRISE.

The SAME complete in 4 vols. crown 8vo, bound in cloth, 423.

The Spanish Gypsy.

By George Eliot. Fourth Edition, crown 8vo, 73. 6d.

" It is emphatically a great poem, great in conception, great in execution."
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work. " — Times.

" It is impossible, indeed, to speak too highly of the intellectual conception
at the basis of the poem, and the finish and power with which it is worked out
and adorned." — Spectator.

Wise, Witty, and Tender Sayings,

In Prose and Verse. Selected from the Works of George Eliot. By
Alexander Main. Handsomely printed on Toned Paper, bound in gilt
cloth, 53.

' ' But undoubtedly George Eliot is the only woman of our time whose writ-
ings would be remembered for their humour alone, or whose sayings, just now
collected into a volume by themselves, are at all likely, like Shakespeare's say-
ings, to pass into the substance of the language. "—Specta tor.

' ' This little volume, which is everything that could be desired in the way of
get-up, brings George Eliot's weightier thoughts and reflections, which lie
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easily repair the results of inevitable haste by frequently devoting to it a spare
half-hour. It is a book to have beside one, to be often taken up and laid
aside again ; for every page supplies food for meditation, and something, too,
that is well calculated to be helpful in the conduct of life." — Nonconformist.

A Memoir of John Elder,

Engineer and Shipbuilder. By W. J. Macquorn Eankine, with Portrait.
Crown Svo, 2S. 6d.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. IS

The Education (Scotland} Act, 1872.

With Introduction, Explanatory Notes, and Index. By Alexander Craig
Sellar, Advocate, Secretary to the Lord Advocate of Scotland. Price 6s.
Another Edition— the Text only — price 6d.

Essays on Social Subjects.

Originally published in the 'Saturday Review.' A New Edition. First
and Second Series. 2 vols., crown 8vo, 6s. each.

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men and manners, and they display a subtle analysis of character, as well as a
breadth of observation, which are remarkable. With much of occasional force,
these Essays have sufficient solidity to make a book ; and while they recall the
wit of Montaigne and the playfulness of Addison, they are animated by a
better moral tone, and cover a larger range of experience." — Christian Remem-
brancer,

Eiichologion ; or, Book of Prayers :

Being Forms of Worship issued by the Church Service Society. A New
and Enlarged Edition, 6s. 6d.

"We know of no book which could be recommended as likely to be of greater
use to the clergyman, especially to the young and inexperienced, than this
second edition of ' Euchologion.'" — Scotsman.

The Crown and its Advisers ;

Or, Queen, Ministers, Lords, and Commons. By Alexander Charles
Ewald, P.S.A. Crown 8vo, 53.

" We may congratulate Mr Ewald on the possession of a popular style and
a clear method. . . . His observations on everything connected with the
usages of Parliament are sound, and calculated to be very useful to the class
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simple and popular language the machinery of the English Government." —
Pall Mall Gazette.

" May be regarded in some respects as a Constitutional Manual." — Standard.

Institutes of Metaphysic :

The Theory of Knowing and Being. By James F. Perrier, A.B. Oxon.,

Professor of Moral Philosophy and Political Economy, St Andrews.
Second Edition. Crown 8vo, los. 6d.

Lectures on the Early Greek Philosophy,

AND OTHER PHILOSOPHIC REMAINS OF PROFESSOR FERRIER OF ST

ANDREWS. Edited by Sir Alexander Grant and Professor LusMngton.
2 vols. post 8vo, 243.

' ' These lectures, in so far as they treat of Greek philosophy down to Plato,
have been carefully elaborated, and are of much value— of higher value, indeed,
than any writings on the same subject in the English language ; and in point
of clearness, depth, and resolute search after truth, and tenacious hold of it
when found, we doubt if they are surpassed in any language. . . . For
our part, we do not know any philosophical writings so fascinating to a young
student of philosophy as these early oapes." — Scotsman.

1 6 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

Field- Map, Lothians Hunt;

with List of the Meets and Distances from General Post-Office, Edinburgh,
and from the nearest Railway Stations. Bound in leather, 55.

History of Greece under Foreign Domination.

By George Finlay, LL.D., Athens. 7 vols. 8vo — viz. :

Greece under the Romans. B.C. 146 to A.D. 717. A Historical View of
the Condition of the Greek Nation from its Conquest by the Romans
until the Extinction of the Roman Power in the East. Second Edition,
1 6s.

History of the Byzantine Empire. A.D. 716 to 1204 ; and of the Greek
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£1, 75. 6d.

Mediaval Greece and Trebizond. The History of Greece, from its Con-
quest by the Crusaders to its Conquest by the Turks, A.D. ^204 to 1566 ;
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Greece under Othoman and Venetian Domination. A.D. 1453 to 1821.
IDS. 6d.

History of the Greek Revolution. 2 vols. 8vo, £i, 45.

" His book is worthy to take its place among the remarkable works on Greek
history which form one of the chief glories of English scholarship. The history
of Greece is but half told without it. " — London Guardian.

" His work is therefore learned and profound. It throws a flood of light
upon an important though obscure portion of Grecian history. ... In
the essential requisites of fidelity, accuracy, and learning, Mr Finlay bear's a
favourable comparison with any historical writer of our day." — North American
Review.

Flowers from Fatherland in English Soil.

Translations from the German by John Pitcairn Trotter; A. Mercer
Adams, M.D. ; and George Coltman, M.A. Crown 8vo, 6s.

"A volume of translations that may be heartily recommended for their rare
excellence." — London Quarterly Review.

"This is a very elegant volume of poems. The translations are good in
most cases, spirited often, and readable always. And it is as gratifying as it is
astonishing to mark the ease and elegance with which some of Heine's perfect
gems are placed in their English setting." — Illustrated London News.

The Campaign of Garibaldi in the Two Sicilies :

A Personal Narrative. By Charles Stuart Forbes, Commander, R.N.
Post 8vo, with Portraits, 123.

"A volume which contains the best sketch hitherto published of the campaign
which put an end to Bourbon rule in the Two Sicilies. It is accompanied
with plans of the chief battles ; and its honest unexaggerated record contrasts
very favourably with the strained and showy account of the Garibaldians just
published by M. Dumas." — Examiner.

Geological and Pal&ontological Map of the British

Islands, including Tables of the Fossils of the different Epochs, &c. &c.,
from the Sketches and Notes of Professor Edward Forbes. With Illustra-
tive and Explanatory Letterpress, zis.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 17

Earl's Dene. A Novel.

By E. E. Francillon. 3 vols. post 8vo, 315. 6d.

A Dictionary of the Gaelic Language,

Comprising an ample Vocabulary of Gaelic Words, and Vocabularies of
Latin and English Words, with their Translation into Gaelic, to which is
prefixed a Compendium of Gaelic Grammar. Compiled and published
under the Direction of the Highland Society of Scotland. 2 vols. quarto,
cloth, £$, SS.

The Novels of John Gait.

Annals of the Parish.

The Provost.

Sir Andrew Wylie.

The Entail, or the Lairds of Grippy.

4 vols. fcap. 8vo, 25. each.

The Gardener:

A MAGAZINE OF HORTICULTURE AND FLORICULTURE. Edited by
David Thomson, Author of ' A Practical Treatise on the Culture of the
Pine-Apple,' 'The Handy Book of the Flower-Garden,' &c. ; Assisted by a
Staff of the best practical Writers. Published Monthly, 6d.

Publications of the General Assembly of the

Church of Scotland.
1. — Family Prayers.

Authorised by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. A

New Edition, crown 8vo, in large type. 45. 6d.
ANOTHER EDITION, crown 8vo. as.
2.— Prayers for Social and Family Worship.

For the Use of Soldiers, Sailors, Colonists, and Sojourners in India, and

oth«r persons, at home and abroad, who are deprived of the ordinary

serTOes of a Christian Ministry. Second Edition, crown 8vo, 45. Cheap

Edition, is. 6d.
3.— The Scottish Hymnal.

HYMNS FOR PUBLIC WORSHIP, Published for Use in Churches by

Authority of the General Assembly.

VARIOUS SIZES — VIZ. :

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2. Bourgeois type, cloth, red edges, is. ; French morocco, 2S.

3. Minion type, limp cloth, 6d. ; French morocco, is. 6d.

4. School Edition, in paper cover, 2d.

No. i, bound with the Psalms and Paraphrases, cloth, 33. ; French

morocco, 45. 6d. ; calf, 75. 6d.
No. 2, bound with the Psalms and Paraphrases, cloth, 25. ; French

morocco, 35.
4. — The Scottish Hymnal, with Music.

Selected by the Cormnittees on Hymns and on Psalmody. The har-
monies arranged by W. H. Monk, cloth, is. 6d. ; French morocco, 35.
6d. The same in the Tonic Sol-fa Notation, is. 6d. and 35. 6d.

B

1 8 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

TJie Principles and Practice of the Law of Trusts

and Trustees in Scotland, with Notes and Illustrations from the Law of
England. By Charles Forsyth, Esq., Advocate and Barrister-at-Law.
8vo, i8s.

Idylls and Lyrics.

By William Forsyth, Author of ' Kelavane,' &c. Crown 8vo, 55.

"This is a little volume of unpretending but genuine poetry." — Standard,
"Good poetry is not so common a commodity nowadays that it should be
passed over without special mark. When found, it should be brought to light
that it may be admired. It is for this reason that special attention is here called
to a little volume of ' Idylls and Lyrics,' by Mr William Forsyth. . . . Mr
Forsyth is a poet. There is genuine music in almost every line he writes. He
sees what most men fail to see ; he hears what most men fail to hear ; and he
writes with a felicity of style that few men can equal. In all this volume there
is scarcely a page which does not teem with beauties — all the more beautiful
that while they want not in vigour and in fineness of perception, they are simple
and clear to every reader." — Scotsman.

Introductory Addresses

Delivered at the Opening of the University of Glasgow, Session 1870-71.
With a Prefatory Notice of the new Buildings by Professor Allan
Thomson, M.D. ; and Photograph of the University. Small 410, 43. 6d. ;
small Paper Edition without Photograph, 25. 6d.

The Subaltern.

By G. E. Gleig, M.A., Chaplain - General of Her Majesty's Forces.
Originally published in ' Blackwood's Magazine.' Library Edition.
Revised and Corrected, with a New Preface. Crown 8vo, 75. 6d.

"Originally published in 'Blackwood's Magazine' in 1825, it was at Once
received with favour, and the present generation of readers will no doubt en-
dorse the verdict of their fathers, and find pleasure in reading Mr Gleig's faith-
ful and picturesque account of his boyish campaign. The volume^though as
interesting as any novel, is in all respects the actual record of its author's own
experience, and it is in fact the day-to-day journal of a young officer who
embarked at Dover with his battalion in 1813, joined Lord Wellington's army
a few days before the storming of San Sebastian, just as the French, under
Soult, were being driven back through the Pyrenees on to their own soil, and
had his share of the fighting on the Bidassoa. . . . We must not omit to
notice the new preface which gives an additional interest to the present issue
of ' The Subaltern," and which recounts the present-day aspect of the tract of
country where were fought the last battles of the Peninsular War. There is
something touching in the old clergyman thus going over the ground he trod
sixty years ago as a young soldier, full of military ardour, and recognising
the cities and the soil on which were acted the glorious and unforgotten scenes
in which he bore a hero's part." — The Times.

On the Influence exerted by the Mind over the

Body, IN THE PRODUCTION AND REMOVAL OF MORBID AND ANOM-
ALOUS CONDITIONS OF THE ANIMAL ECONOMY. By John Glen, M.A.
Crown 8vo, as. 6d.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 19

Goethe s Faust.

Translated into English Verse by Theodore Martin. Second Edition,

post 8vo, 6s.
Cheap Edition, fcap., 35. 6d.

"The" best translation of ' Faust' in verse we have yet had in England." —
Spectator.

"Mr Theodore Martin's translation is unquestionably the best in the lan-
guage, and will give to English readers a fair idea of the greatest of modern
poems." — Press.

Poems and Ballads of Goethe.

Translated by Professor Ayton and Theodore Martin. Second Edition,
fcap. 8vo, 6s.

' ' There is no doubt that these are the best translations of Goethe's marvel-
lously-cut gems which have yet been published." — The Times.

A Walk across Africa;

Or, Domestic Scenes from my Nile Journal. By James Augustas Grant,
Captain H.M. Bengal Army, Fellow and Gold Medallist of the Royal
Geographical Society. 8vo, with Map, 155.

"Captain Grant's frank, manly, unadorned narrative." — Daily News.
"Captain Grant's book will be doubly interesting to those who have read
Captain Speke's. He gives, as his special contribution to the story of their
three years' walk across Africa, descriptions of birds, beasts, trees, and plants,
and all that concerns them, and of domestic scenes throughout the various
regions. The book is written in a pleasant, quiet, gentlemanly style, and is
characterised by a modest tone. . . . The whole work is delightful read-
ing."— Globe.

Memoirs and Adventures of Sir William Kirkaldy

of Grange, Governor of the Castle of Edinburgh for Mary Queen of Scots.
By James Grant. Post 8vo, IDS. 6d.

"It is seldom, indeed, that we find history so written, in a style at onc-e
vigorous, perspicuous, and picturesque. The author's heart is thoroughly with
his subject. "—Black-wood's Magazine.

Memoirs and Adventures of Sir John Hepburn,

Marshal of France under Louis XIII., &c. By James Grant. Post
8vo, 8s.

Memorials of the Castle of Edinburgh.

By James Grant. A New Edition. In crown 8vo, with 12 Engravings,
35. 6d.

1 ' Of the different books of this nature that have fallen in our way, we do not
remember one that has equalled Mr Grant's ' Memorials of the Castle of Edin-
burgh.' " — Spectator.

20 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

Symbolism ;

OR, MIND, MATTER, AND LANGUAGE AS THE NECESSARY ELEMENTS
OF THINKING AND REASONING. By James Haig, BLA. Crown 8vo,

I2S.

" The book is in reality a popular exposition of philosophy and philosophical
systems expressed in the clearest language. . . . The author occasionally
displays considerable originality and ingenuity in his investigations. . . .
He seems to suggest that philosophy and theology should go hand in hand.
. . . Here we must take leave of this sturdy thinker with some admiration
of his bold ideas and careful research. . . . The general reader will gather
with little trouble from his pages some of the flowers of philosophical literature. "
— Examiner.

Wenderholme :

A STORY OF LANCASHIRE AND YORKSHIRE LIFE. By Philip Gilbert
Hamerton, Author of ' A Painter's Camp, ' &c. 3 vols. post 8vo,
£1, us. 6d.

Lectiires on Metaphysics.

By Sir William Hamilton, Bart. , Professor of Logic and Metaphysics in
the University of Edinburgh. Edited by the Eev. H. L. Mansel, B.D.,
LL.D., Dean of St Paul's; and John Veitch, M.A., Professor of Logic
and Rhetoric, Glasgow. Fifth Edition. 2 vols. 8vo, 245.

Lectures on Logic.

By Sir William Hamilton, Bart. Edited by Professors Mansel and
Veitch. Second Edition. In 2 vols., 245.

Discussions on Philosophy and Literature,

EDUCATION, AND UNIVERSITY REFORM. By Sir William Hamilton,
Bart. Third Edition. 8vo, 2is.

Memoir of Sir William Hamilton, Bart.,

Professor of Logic and Metaphysics in the University of Edinburgh. By
Professor Veitch of the University of Glasgow. 8vo, with Portrait, i8s.

" No better piece of philosophical biography has hitherto been produced in
this country." — North British Review.

" Professor Veitch has succeeded in blending the domestic with the intel
lectual life of Sir W. Hamilton in one graphic picture, as biographers rarelv
do succeed." — Saturday Review.

" Hamilton's was a heroic life, and Professor Veitch has told it affectionately,
truly, and well."— Pall Mall Gazette.

Annals of the Peninsular Campaigns.

By Captain Thomas Hamilton. A New Edition Edited by P. Hardman,
8vo, i6s. Atlas of Maps to illustrate the Campaigns, ias.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 21

Men and Manners in America.

By Captain Thomas Hamilton. With Portrait of the Author. Fcap.,

75. 6d.

The Operations of War Explained and Illustrated.

By Edward Bruce Hamley, Colonel in the Royal Artillery, Companion cf
the Bath, Commandant of the Staff College, &c. 3d Edition, 410, with
numerous Illustrations, 283.

"Colonel Hamley's treatise on the 'Operations of War' is, we do not hesi-
tate to say, the best that has been written in the English language." — The
Times.

" On all matters relating to the practice of the profession it forms the most
perfect book of reference that has been published." — United Service Magazine.

The Story of the Campaign of Sebastopol.

Written in the Camp. By Col. E. Brace Hamley. With Illustrations drawn
in Camp by the Author. 8vo, sis.

"We strongly recommend this ' Story of the Campaign ' to all who would
gain a just comprehension of this tremendous struggle. Of this we are perfectly
sure, it is a book unlikely to be ever superseded. Its truth is of that simple
and startling character which is sure of an immortal existence ; nor is it paying
the gallant Author too high a compliment to class this masterpiece of military
history with the most precious of those classic records which have been bequeath-
ed to us by the great writers of antiquity who took part in the wars they have
described." — The Press.

Wellingtons Career ;

A Military and Political Summary. By CoL E. Bruce Hamley. Crown
8vo, 2S.

Lady Lees Widowhood.

By Col. E. Bruce Hamley. Crown 8vo, 25. 6d.

"A quiet humour, an easy, graceful style, a deep, thorough, confident know-
ledge of human nature in its better and more degrading aspects, a delicate and
exquisite appreciation of womanly character, an admirable faculty of description,
and great tact, are the qualities that command the reader's interest and respect
from beginning to end of ' Lady Lee's Widowhood." " — The Times.

Oiir Poor Relations.

A Philozoic Essay. By Col. E. Bruce Hamley. With Illustrations, chiefly
by Ernest Griset. Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 35. 6d.

"This is a charming little book, such as maybe read through in half an
hour ; nor would it be easy to spend half an hour more pleasantly, or indeed to
more profit. Slowly, very slowly indeed, but still by a sure progress, we are
struggling out of the merely selfish and masterful view of the relations between
ourselves and the lower animals ; and Colonel Hamley's Essay, with its wide,
kindly sympathies and delicate fancy, will help it on." — Spectator.

22 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

The Position on the Alma.

In Seven Sketches from the Field on the Day after the Battle. By Col. E.
Bruce Hamley. Cloth, 53.

A New Sea and an Old Land ;

Being Papers suggested by a Visit to Egypt at the end of 1869. By Gene-
ral "W. G. Hamley. 8vo, with coloured Illustrations, IDS. 6d.

"Such are the contrasts the hook deals with, handling them in a style that
is not only pleasant but picturesque ; and those who care to have ancient Egypt
made easy will attain their object with the smallest possible expenditure of
temper and trouble by placing themselves under his guidance." — Saturday
Review.

Handy Book of Laws

CHIEFLY AFFECTING SCOTLAND. Abridged and plainly stated for gene-
ral use. By an Ex-Sheriff-Substitute. Sewed, 6d.

The Handy Horse-Book;

Or, Practical Instructions in Riding, Driving, and the General Care and
Management of Horses. By " Magenta." A New Edition, with 6 Engrav-
ings, 43. 6d.

" As cavalry officer, hunting horseman, coach-proprietor, whip, and steeple-
chase-rider, the author has had long and various experience in the management
of horses, and he now gives us the cream of his information." — Athenaum.

"He propounds no theories, but embodies in simple untechnical language
what he has learned practically." — Sporting Gazette.

A Glossary of Navigation.

Containing the Definitions and Propositions of the Science, Explanation of
Terms , and Description of I nstruments. By the Rev. J. B. Harbord, M. A. ,
Assistant Director of Education, Admiralty. Crown 8vo. Illustrated with
Diagrams, 6s.

Definitions and Diagrams in Astronomy and

Navigation. By the Rev. J. B. Harbord, M.A. is. 6d.

Short Sermons for Hospitals and Sick Seamen.

By the Rev. J. B. Harbord, M.A. Fcap. 8vo, cloth, 43. 6d.

Scenes and Adventures in Central America.

Edited by Frederick Hardman. Crown 8vo, 6s.

Poems. By the Lady Flora Hastings.

Edited by Her Sister, the late Marchioness of Bute. Second Edition,
with a Portrait. Fcap., 73. 6d.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 23

Works of D. R. Hay, F.R.S.E.

A Nomenclature of Colours applicable to the Arts and
Natural Sciences, to Manufactures, and other purposes of General
Utility. 228 examples of Colours, Hues, Tints, and Shades. 8vo, £,$, 3$.

The Laws of Harmonious Colouring. Adapted to Interior
Decorations; with Observations on the Practice of House -Painting.
Post 8vo, 6s. 6d.

The Geometric Beauty of the Human Figure Defined. To
which is prefixed a System of Esthetic Proportion. Applicable to
Architecture and the other Formative Arts. 16 Plates. Royal 410, 303.

The Harmonic Laiu of Nature applied to Architectural

Design. 8 Plates. Royal 8vo, boards, 25. 6d.
The Orthographic Beauty of the Parthenon referred to a Law

of Nature. 12 Plates. Royal 8vo, sewed, 53.
The Natural Principles of Beauty, as developed in the

Human Figure. 5 Plates. Royal 8vo, sewed, 55.

The Science of Beauty, as developed in Nature, and applied

in Art. 23 Plates. Royal 8vo, cloth, los. 6d.
The Natural Principles and Analogy of the Harmony of Form.

1 8 Plates and numerous Woodcuts. 410, 153.
Proportion, or the Geometric Principle of Beauty analysed.

17 Plates and 38 Woodcuts. 410, 253.
Original Geometrical Diaper Designs. Accompanied by an

Attempt to develop and elucidate the true Principles of Ornamental

Design, as applie^ to the Decorative Arts. 57 Plates and numerous

Woodcuts. Oblong folio, 423.

The Principles of Beauty in Colouring Systematised. 14 Col-
oured Diagrams. 2d Edition. 8vo, 155.

First Principles of Symmetrical Beauty. 100 Plates. Post
8vo, 6s.

On tJie Science of those Proportions by which the Human
Head and Countenance, as represented in ancient Greek Art, are dis-
tinguished from those of ordinary Nature. 25 Plates. Royal 4to, 363.

The Works of the Right Rev. Bishop Hdy,

of Edinburgh. Together with a Memoir of the Author, and Portrait
engraved from the Painting at the College of Blairs. Edited under the
supervision of the Right Bev. Bishop Strain. A New Edition, in 5
vols. Crown 8vo, 213.

"Able and original work." — London Scotsman.

" There is a good deal of original thought in this work. . . . There is
hardly a chapter which does not contain something that may be termed sug-
gestive."— John Bull.

24 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

Bishop Hay on Miracles.

The Scripture Doctrine of Miracles Displayed, in which they are impartially
examined and explained, according to the Light of Revelation and the
Principles of Sound Reason. By the Eight Kev. Dr George Hay, Bishop
of Edinburgh. 2 vols. crown 8vo, tos. 6d.

The Poems of Felicia Hemans.

Complete in One Volume, Royal 8vo, with Portrait by Finden, Cheap
Edition, 53. Another Edition, with Memoir by her Sister, Seven Volumes,
fcap., 355. Another Edition, in Six Volumes, cloth, gilt edges, 155.
The same 6 vols. bound in 3, 125. 6d., or cloth, extra gilt edges, 155.
The following Works of Mrs Hemans are sold separately, bound in cloth,
gilt edges, 45. each : —

RECORDS OF WOMAN.
FOREST SANCTUARY.
SONGS OF THE AFFECTIONS.

DRAMATIC WOEKS.

TALES AND HISTORIC SCENES.

MORAL AND RELIGIOUS POEMS.

Select Poems of Mrs Hemans.

In One Vol., fcap. 8vo. 35

Memoir of Mrs Hemans.

By her Sister. With a Portrait, fcap. 8vo, 55.

The Practice in tJie Several Judicatories of the

Church of Scotland. By Alexander Hill, D.D. Sixth Edition, Revised
and Enlarged. Fcap. 8vo, 45.

A Book about Roses,

HOW TO GROW AND SHOW THEM. By S. Eeynolds Hole, Author of ' A
Little Tour in Ireland.' Fourth Edition, Enlarged. Crown 8vo, 75. 6d.

"It is the production of a man who boasts of thirty 'all England' cups,
whose Roses are always looked for anxiously at flower-shows, who took the
lion's share in originating the first Rose-show pur et simple, whose assistance
as judge or ainicus curice is always courted at such exhibitions. Such a man
'ought to have something to say worth hearing to those who love the Rose,'
and he has said it." — Gardeners1 Chronicle.

" We cordially recommend the book to every amateur who wishes to grow
Roses as at once the pleasantest and the best yet written on the subject."—
The Field.

"A very captivating book, containing a great deal of valuable information
about thcj Rose and its culture, given in a style which cannot fail to please.'1—
Journal of Horticulture.

The Six of Spades ;

A Book about the Garden and the Gardener. By the Eev. S. Eeynolds
Hole, Author of 'A Book About Roses,' &c. Crown 8vo, 55.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 25

Homer's Odyssey and Iliad.

Translated into English Verse in the Spenserian Stanza. By P. S. Wors-
ley, M.A., Fellow of Corpus Christ! College, Oxford; and John Coning-
ton, M. A., Corpus Professor of Latin in the University of Oxford. 4 vols.
crown 8vo, 395.

" If the translator has produced a work which, having caught the spirit of
the poem, can delight those to whom the original is a sealed book, he can de-
sire no higher praise : and this praise belongs justly to Mr Worsley. . . .
He has placed in the hands of English readers a poem which deserves to out-
live the present generation." — Edinburgh Review.

"We assign it, without hesitation, the first place among existing English
translations." — Westminster Review.

The Odes and Epodes of Horace,

A Metrical Translation into English, with Latin Text, Introduction, and
Commentaries. By Lord Lytton. Crown 8vo, 145.

Mary Queen of Scots

AND HER ACCUSERS. By John Hosack, Barrister-at-Law. This work
contains the ' Book of Articles ' produced against Queen Mary at West-
minster, which has never hitherto been printed. A New and Enlarged
Edition, with a Photograph from the Bust on the Tomb in Westminster
Abbey. 8vo, cloth, 155.

" A careful study of Mr Hosack's book'will show that he has explicitly or
implicitly answered every one of the fifteen arguments in the famous Note L.
of Hume's History of this reign." — Quarterly Review.

"Whatever surmises may be formed about Mary's knowledge or assent,
there can now be no doubt that the murder was contrived, not by Mary, but by
her accusers." — Scotsman.

" He has confuted those who, by brilliant writing and a judicious selection
of evidence, paint the Queen of Scots as an incarnate fiend, and who are dra-
matic poets rather than historians." — The Times.

A Treatise on the Conflict of Laws of England

and Scotland. By John Hosack, of the Middle Temple, Barrister-at-
Law. 8vo, xos. 6d.

Decisions of the Court of Session, 1781-1822.

Collected by David Hume, Esq., Professor of the Law of Scotland in the
University of Edinburgh. 410, boards, ^3, 33.

Ballads from the German.

By Henry Inglis. Fcap. 8vo, 55.

Marican, and other Poems.

By Henry Inglis. 8vo, 8s.

26 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

The Law of Creeds in Scotland.

A Treatise on the Legal Relation of Churches in Scotland, Established and
not Established, to their Doctrinal Confessions. By A. T. Innes. 8vo,
cloth, 155.

Historical Record of the ^th Regiment of Foot,

OR CAMERON HIGHLANDERS. By Captain Robert Jameson, H.P.
Depot Battalion, late Quartermaster jgth Highlanders. Crown 8vo,
ys. 6d.

The Mother s Legacie to her Unborne Childe.

By Mrs Elizabeth Jcceline. Edited by the Very Rev. Principal Lee.
Cloth, gilt edges, 32mo, 45. 6d. Also in morocco antique, 8s. 6d.
"This beautiful and touching Legacie." — Athencaum.

"A delightful monument of the piety and high feeling of a truly noble
mother. "—Morning Advertiser.

The Scots Musical Museum.

Consisting of upwards of Six Hundred Songs, with proper Basses for the
Pianoforte. Originally published by James Johnson ; and now accompanied
with Copious Notes and Illustrations of the Lyric Poetry and Music of
Scotland, by the late William Stenhouse ; with additional Notes and
Illustrations, by David Laing and C. K. Sharp. 4 vols. 8vo, Roxburghe
binding, £2., 125. 6d.

The Royal Atlas of Modern Geography.

In a Series of entirely Original and Authentic Maps. By A. Keith
Johnston, F.R.S.E., F.R.G.S., Author of the 'Physical Atlas,' &c. With
a complete Index of easy reference to each Map, comprising nearly 150,000
Places contained in this Atlas. Imperial Folio, half-bound in russia or
morocco, _£$, 153. 6d. ; or with General Index in a separate volume, 8vo,
both half-bound morocco, £6, xos. Each Plate may be had separately
with its Index, 33. Dedicated by special permission to Her Majesty.

"Of the many noble atlases prepared by Mr Johnston and published by
Messrs Blackwood and Sons, this Royal Atlas will be the most useful to the
public, and will deserve to be the most popular." — Athenceum.

" We know no series of maps which we can more warmly recommend. The
accuracy, wherever we have attempted to put it to the test, is really astonish-
ing."— Saturday Review.

"The culmination of all attempts to depict the face of the world appears in
the Royal Atlas, than which it is impossible to conceive anything more perfect. "
— Morning Herald.

" This is, beyond question, the most splendid and luxurious, as well as the
most useful and complete, of all existing atlases." — Guardian.

' ' An almost daily reference to, and comparison of, it with others, since the
publication of the first part some two years ago until now, enables us to say,
without the slightest hesitation, that this is by far the most complete and
authentic atlas that has yet been issued."- -Scotsman.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 7

The Handy Royal Atlas.

45 Maps clearly printed and carefully coloured, with General Index. By
A. Keith Johnston, F.E.S.E., F.E.G.S., &c. Imp. 4to, £2, 123. 6d.,
half-bound morocco.

This work has been constructed for the purpose of placing in the hands of
the public a useful and thoroughly accurate ATLAS of Maps of Modern Geo-
graphy, in a convenient form, and at a moderate price. It is based on the
' ROYAL ATLAS,' by the same Author ; and, in so far as the scale permits, it
comprises many of the excellences which its prototype is acknowledged to
possess. The aim has been to make the book strictly what its name implies, a
HANDY ATLAS — a valuable substitute for the ' Royal,' where that is too bulky
or too expensive to find a place, a needful auxiliary to the junior branches of
families, and a vade mecum to the tutor and the pupil-teacher.

"This is Mr Keith Johnston's admirable Royal Atlas diminished in bulk and
scale, so as to be, perhaps, fairly entitled to the name of " Handy," but still not
so much diminished but what it constitutes an accurate and useful general
AtLis for ordinary households." — Spectator.

" The ' Handy Atlas ' is thoroughly deserving of its name. Not only does it
contain the latest information, but its size and arrangement render it perfect
as a book of reference." — Standard.

Keith Johnston s School Atlases.

Atlas of General and Descriptive Geography. A New and Enlarged
Edition, suited to the best Text-Books ; with Geographical information
brought up to the time of publication. 26 Maps, clearly and uniformly
printed in colours, with Index. Imperial 8vo, half-bound, 125. 6d.

Atlas of Physical Geography, illustrating, in a Series- of Original Designs,
the Elementary Facts of GEOLOGY, HYDROGRAPHY, METEOROLOGY,
and NATURAL HISTORY. A New and Enlarged Edition, containing
4 new Maps and Letterpress. 20 Coloured Maps. Imperial 8vo, half-
bound, i2S. 6d.

Atlas of Astronomy. A New and Enlarged Edition, 21 Coloured Plates.
With an Elementary Survey of the Heavens, designed as an accompani-
ment to thisAtlas, by Robert Grant, LL.D., &c., Professor of Astronomy
and Director of the Observatory in the University of Glasgow. Imperial
8vo, half-bound, 123. 6d.

Atlas of Classical Geography. A New and Enlarged Edition. Constructed
from the best materials, and embodying the results of the most Recent
Investigations, accompanied by a complete INDEX OF PLACES, in which
the proper quantities are given by T. Harvey and E. Worsley, MM.A.
Oxon. 21 Coloured Maps. Imperial 8vo, half-bound, 125. 6d.

"This edition is so much enlarged and improved as to be virtually a new
work, surpassing everything else of the kind extant, both in utility and beauty."
— AtheiKEum.

Elementary Atlas of General and Descriptive Geography, for the Use of
Junior Classes; including a MAP OF CANAAN and PALESTINE, wiib
GENERAL INDEX. 8vo, half-bound, 53.

28 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

Keith Jolinston's School Atlases— OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.

"They are as superior to all School Atlases within our knowledge, as were
the larger works of the same Author in advance of those that preceded them."
— Educational Times.

" Decidedly the best School Atlases we have ever seen." — English Journal
of Education.

" . . . The Physical Atlas seems to us particularly well executed. . . .
The last generation had no such help to learning as is afforded in these excellent
elementary Maps. The Classical Atlas is a great improvement on what has
usually gone by that name ; not only is it fuller, but in some cases it gives the
same country more than once in different periods of time. Thus it approaches
the special value of a historical atlas. . . . The General A tlas is wonder-
fully full and accurate for its scale. . . . Finally, the Astronomical Atlas,
in which Mr Hind is responsible for the scientific accuracy of the maps, supplies
an admitted educational want. No better companion to an elementary astron-
omical treatise could be found than this cheap and convenient collection of
maps." — Saturday Review.

"The plan of these Atlases is admirable, and the excellence of the plan is
rivalled by the beauty of the evecution. . . . The best security for the
accuracy and substantial value of a School Atlas is to have it from the hands of
a man like our Author, who has perfected his skill by the execution of much
larger works, and gained a character which he will be careful not to jeopardise
by attaching his name to -anything that is crude, slovenly, or superficial."—
Scotsman.

Keith Johnstons Hand Atlases.

Being the Maps of the School Atlases on Large and Thick Paper, bound
in half-morocco. Imperial quarto, 253. each, — viz.,

General and Descriptive Geographv

Physical Geography.

Astronomy.

Classical Geography.

Keith Johnstons Tourists Maps.

(From the Royal Atlas), each with Index, in cloth case for the pocket :—

Scotland, two sheets, ..... ^o 7 6

Italy, two sheets, . . . . . . 080

Switzerland, one sheet, . . . . . 046

The Shores of the Mediterranean, one sheet, . . 046

The Canadas, two sheets, . . . . . 080

Austria, two sheets, . . . . . . 080

Prussia, one sheet, . . . . . . 046

America (U.S.), two sheets, . . . . 080

America (South), two sheets, . . . . 080

Australia, one sheet, . . . . . 046

Belgium and the Netherlands, one sheet, . . . 046

China and Japan, one sheet, . . . . 046

England, two sheets, . . . . . 080

India, two sheets, . . . . . . 080

Ireland, one sheet, . . . . . . 046

Palestine, one sheet, . . . . . 046

Spain and Portugal, one sheet, . . . 046

Sweden and Norway, one sheet, . ..046

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 29

Map of Europe.

By A. Keith Johnston, F.E.S.E., F.R.G.S., Geographer to the Queen.
The Map is fully coloured, and measures 4 feet 2 inches by 3 feet 5 inches.
Price, mounted on Cloth and Mahogany Roller, varnished, 253., or Folded
in Quarto in a handsome Cloth Case, 2is.

Index Geographicus :

Being a List, Alphabetically arranged, of the Principal Places on the
Globe, with the Countries and Subdivisions of the Countries in which they
are situated, and their Latitudes and Longitudes. Compiled specially
with reference to Keith Johnston's Royal Atlas, but applicable to all
Modern Atlases and Maps. In i vol. Imperial 8vo, pp. 676, 213.

Notes on North America :

Agricultural, Economical, and Social. By Professor J. F. W. Johnston.
2 vols. post 8vo, 2is.

" Professor Johnston's admirable Notes. . . . The very best manual for
intelligent emigrants, whilst to the British agriculturist and general reader it
conveys a more complete conception of the condition of these prosperous
regions than all that has hitherto been written." — Economist.

The Chemistry of Common Life.

By Professor J. F. W. Johnston. With 113 Illustrations on Wood, and a
Copious Index. 2 vols. crown 8vo, us. 6d.

" It is just one of those books which will best serve to show men how minute
is the provision which has been made for human support, and that if the laws
prescribed by Nature are duly observed, she, on her part, will see to it that her
functions are performed with fidelity and success." — Durham Chronicle.

Professor Johnstons Elements of Agricultural

Chemistry and Geology. A New Edition, revised and brought down to
the Present Time. By G. T. Atkinson, B.A., F.C.S. Fcap., 6s. 6d.

Professor Johnstons Catechism of Agricultural

Chemistry. A New Edition. Edited by Professor Voelcker. With
Engravings, is.

Ex Eremo:

Poems chiefly written in India. By H. G. Keene. Crown 8vo, 6s.

The Invasion of the Crimea :

Its Origin, and an Account of its Progress down to the Death of Lord
Raglan. By Alexander William Kinglake. Vols. I. and II., 323., and
Vols. III. and IV., 343.

30 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

John Knox's Liturgy:

THE BOOK OF COMMON ORDER, AND THE DIRECTORY FOR PUBLIC
WORSHIP OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. With Historical Introduc-
tions and Illustrative Notes by the Eev. George W. Sprott, B.A., and the
Eev. Thomas Leishman, D.D. Handsomely printed, in imitation of the
large editions of Andro Hart, on toned paper, bound in cloth, red edges,
8s. 6d.

" We heartily recommend Mr Sprott's Introduction to the ' Book of Common
Order ' to every one who wishes honestly to get the truth, and the whole truth,
about the history, so far as Scotland is concerned, concerning a devotional
formulary which has had so curious a destiny. This Introduction is full of
learning, used with a candour that deserves all honour. In reading it we can-
not find whether the author is a supporter or an opponent of a formulary of
worship— he has undertaken the history of one book of that kind, and he tells
it fairly out." — Scotsman.

On Primary Instriiction in Relation to Education.

By Simon S. Laurie, A.BL ; Author of ' Philosophy of Ethics, &c. Crown
8vo, 45. 6d.

The Rural Economy of England, Scotland, and

Ireland. By Leonce de Lavergne. Translated from the French. With
Notes by a Scottish Farmer. In 8vo, 123.

' ' One of the best works on the philosophy of agriculture and of agricultural
political economy that has appeared." — Spectator.

Lectures on the History of the Church of Scotland,

FROM THE REFORMATION TO THE REVOLUTION SETTLEMENT. By the
late Very Rev. John Lee, D.D., LL.D., Principal of the University
of Edinburgh. With Notes and Appendices from the Author's Papers.
Edited by the Eev. William Lee, D.D. 2 vols. 8vo, 2is.

The Physiology of Common Life.

By George H. Lewes, Author of 'Sea-side Studies, ' &c. Illustrated with

numerous Engravings. 2 vols., 125.

CONTENTS :— Hunger and Thirst — Food and Drink— Digestion and Indi-
gestion— The Structure and Uses of the Blood— The Circulation — Res-
piration and Suffocation — Why we are warm, and how we keep so —
Feeling and Thinking — The Mind and the Brain — Our Senses and
Sensations — Sleep and Dreams— The Qualities we Inherit from our
Parents — Life and Death.

Linda Tressel.

By the Author of ' Nina Balatka.' 2 vols. fcap. 8vo, 125.

Doubles and Quits.

By Laurence Lockhart, late Captain gad Highlanders. With Twelve Illus-
trations. In 2 vols. post 8vo, 213.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 31

Fair to See :

A Novel. By Laurence W. M. Lockhart, Author of ' Doubles and Quits.'
New Edition in i vol. post 8vo, 6s.

" But politics are the smallest part of this very readable novel, the interest of
which never flags, for the story is as full of 'situations' as a good play." —
Times.

" ' Fair to See' is something better than a clever novel. It shows no little
artistic power ; and as you read it you feel that there is much more in the book
than at first you fancied. . . . The scenes on the moors, in the barracks,
and the ball-rooms are all dashed off by an expert. These are minor merits,
but they go far towards assuring the success of a story which marks a decided
advance on the author's first novel." — Pall Mall Gazette.

History of the Rise and Progress of Freemasonry

In Scotland. By David Murray Lyon, one of the Grand Stewards of the
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Kenelm Chillingly.

His Adventures and Opinions. By the Author of 'The Caxtons,' &c.

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Works of the Rev. Thomas M'Crie, D.D.

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Life of John Knox. Containing Illustrations of the History of the Refor-
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and Literary History of Scotland in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Cen-
turies. Crown 8vo, 6s.

History of the Progress and Suppression of the Reformation in Italy in the
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judicial pen." — Law Magazine and Review.

WILLIAM BLACKAVOOD AND SONS. 33

A Mamial of Modern Geography,

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676, 75. 6d.
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Catullus. With Life and Notes. Post 8vo, 6s. 6d.

The Vita Nuova of Dante. With an Introduction and Notes.
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Alladin : A Dramatic Poem. By Adam Oehlenschlaeger.
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King Rene's Daughter: A Danish Lyrical Drama. By
Henrik Hertz, Second Edition, fcap., 25. 6d.

The System of Field Manoeuvres

Best adapted for Enabling our Troops to meet a Continental Army. Being
the Wellington Prize Essay. By Lieutenant F. Maurice, Royal Artillery,
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" We are prepared to say that this brilliant and most readable treatise clearly
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Journal of the Waterloo Campaign :

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C

34 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

Maxims of Sir Morgan O'Dokerty, Barf.

Originally published in Blackwood's Magazine. Cloth, is.

The Life and Labours of the Apostle Paul.

A continuous Narrative for School and Bible Classes. By Charles Michie,
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Biographies of Eminent Soldiers of the last Four

Centuries. By Major-General John Mitchell, Author of ' Life of Wallen-
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Poetical Works of D. M. Moir (Delta).

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Lectures on the Poetical Literature of the Past

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Memoir of Count De Montalembert.

A Chapter of Recent French History. By Mrs Oliphant, Author of the
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ter as could be desired, and while the skill of the author makes it as interest-
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French history.' " — Examiner.

" It is to Mrs Oliphant that we owe the very beautiful English translation of
the ' Monks of the West.' The author has written to her : — ' What I must in-
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forward equity of a most literal translation ' (p. 337). We are happy to be
able to say that Mrs Oliphant has shown equal ' good faith and straightforward
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Tablet.

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among standard English biographies." — The Nonconformist.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 35

The Wedderburns and their Work;

Or, the Sacred Poetry of the Scottish Reformation in its Historical Relation
to that of Germany. By Alexander F. Mitchell, D.D., Professor of
Hebrew, St Andrews. Small quarto, 2s. 6d.

The Origin of the Seasons,

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A Geological Map of Europe,

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and Ireland ; and James Nicol, F.R.S.E., F.G.S., Professor of Natural His-
tory in the University of Aberdeen. Constructed by Alex. Keith Johnston,
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Scale —^ of Nature, 76 miles to an inch. Four Sheets Imperial,
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In Sheets, £•$, 33. ; in a Cloth Case, 410, ,£3, los.

Manual of the Law of Insolvency and Bank-
ruptcy: Comprehending a Treatise on the Law of Insolvency, Notour
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tions ; with Annotations on the various Insolvency and Bankruptcy Stat-
utes ; and with Forms of Procedure applicable to these subjects. By
James Murdoch, Member of the Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow.
Third Edition. 8vo, 193.

Catalogue of the Coleoptera of Scotland.

By Andrew Murray of Conland, W.S., Member of the Royal Physical
Society of Edinburgh, of the Entymologicai Society of France, &c. Fcap.
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A Glance at some of the Principles of Comparative

Philology. As illustrated in the Latin and Anglican Forms of Speech.

By the Hon. Lord Neaves. Crown 8vo, is. 6d.

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36 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

On Fiction as a Means of Popular Teaching.

A lecture. By the Hon. Lord Heaves. 6d.

The New " Examen ; "

Or, An Inquiry into the Evidence of certain Passages in Macaulay's ' His-
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A Manual of Zoology,

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Introduction to the Study of Biology.

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so popular and yet so minutely accurate in scientific detail. " — Scotsman.

A Manual of Paleontology,

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8vo, with upwards of 400 Engravings, 155.

Nina Balatka :

The Story of a Maiden of Prague. In 2 vols. small 8vo, IDS. 6d. cloth.

Piccadilly :

A Fragment of Contemporary Biography. By Laurence Oliphant. With
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WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 37

Narrative of Lord Elgin s Mission to China and

Japan. By Laurence Oliphant, Private Secretary to Lord Elgin. Illus-
trated with numerous Engravings in Chromo- Lithography, Maps, and
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" The volumes in which Mr Oliphant has related these transactions will be
read with the strongest interest now, and deserve to retain a permanent place
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Russian Shores of the Black Sea in the Aiitumn

0/1852, with a Voyage down the Volga and a Tour through the Country
of the Don Cossacks. By Laurence Oliphant. 8vo, with Map and other
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The Transcaucasian Campaign of the Turkish

Army under Omer Pasha : A Personal Narrative. By Laurence Oliphant.
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Patriots and Filibusters ;

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Crown 8vo, 53.

Historical Sketches of the Reign of George Second.

By Mrs Oliphant. Second Edition, in one vol., los. 6d.

" Her aim has simply been, by means of judicious selection and careful and
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" Mrs Oliphant's Historical Sketches form two attractive volumes whose
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"The most graphic and vigorous Historical Sketches which have ever been
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yohn : A Love Story.

By Mrs Oliphant. 2 vols. post 8vo, 213.

Brownlows.

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The Athelings;

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Zaidee: A Romance.

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38 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

Katie Stewart: A True Story.

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"A singularly characteristic Scottish story, most agreeable to read and
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Chronicles of Carlingford.

By Mrs Oliphant.

Salem Chapel, as. in boards, or 25. 6d. cloth.
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The Poems of Ossian

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Dissertation on the Authenticity of the Poems. By the Eev. Archibald
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"The most thoughtful and able book in connection with Celtic literature
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The Conquest of Scinde.

A Commentary. By General Sir James Outram, C.B. 8vo, iSs.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 39

The Metamorphoses of Ovid.

Translated in English Blank Verse. By Henry King, M.A., Fellow of
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Crown 8vo, IDS. 6d.

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Our Domesticated Dogs:

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Highway Law :

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Introductory Text- Bo ok of Geology.

By David Page, LL.D., Professor of Geology in the Durham University of
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Advanced Text- Book of Geology,

Descriptive and Industrial. By David Page, LL.D. With Engravings
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Handbook of Geological Terms, Geology and

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40 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

Geology for General Readers.

A Series of Popular Sketches in Geology and Palaeontology. By David
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The Past and Present Life of the Globe.

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The Crust of the Earth :

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Spindrift.

By Sir J. Noel Paton. Fcap., cloth, 55.

Poems by a Painter.

By Sir J. Noel Paton. Fcap., cloth, 53.

•'in Essay on the National Character of the

Athenians. By John Brown Patterson. Edited from the Author's
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Essays in History and Art.

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WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 4!

The Economy of Capital ;

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Analysis and Critical Interpretation of the Hebrew

Text of the Book of Genesis. Preceded by a Hebrew Grammar, and Dis-
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Poems. By Isa.

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The Course of Time: A Poem.

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42 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED £Y

The Port Royal Logic.

Translated from the French : with Introduction, Notes, and Appendix.
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On the Priory of Inchmahome :

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Winchester — Westminster — Shrewsbury — Harrow — Rugby. Notes of
their History and Traditions. By the Author of ' Etoniana.' Crown 8vo,
8s. 6d.

" In continuation of the delightful volume about Eton, we have here, by the
same author, a volume of gossip as delightful concerning five other public
schools. Neither volume professes to be history, but it is history of the best
sort."— Pall Mall Gazette.

Two Lectures on the Genius of Handel \

AND THE DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER OF HIS SACRED COMPOSITIONS.

Delivered to the Members of the Edinburgh Philosophical Institution. By
the Very Rev. Dean Ramsay, Author of ' Reminiscences of Scottish Life
and Character.' In Crown 8vo, 35. 6d.

An Historical View of the Law of Maritime

Commerce. By James Reddie, Esq, Advocate. 8vo, 143.

The Life of Carl Ritter.

Late Professor of Geography in the University of Berlin. By W. L. Gage.
Crown 8vo, 73. 6d.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 43

Life of the late Rev. James Robertson, D.D.,

F.R.S.E., Professor of Divinity and Ecclesiastical History in the Univer-
sity of Edinburgh. By Professor Charteria. With Portrait. 8vo,
IDS. 6d.

"This-is a beautiful record of the life of a true man. . . . Mr Charteris
has discharged the duty of biographer with fidelity and candour, with rare good
taste, and an affectionate reverence. The memoir is worthy of its subject, and
supplies one of the most interesting biographies which has seen the light for
many a day." — Aberdeen Free Press.

The Geology of Pennsylvania :

A Government Survey ; with a General View of the Geology of the United
States, Essays on the Coal Formation and its Fossils, and a Description of
the Coal-Fields of North America and Great Britain. By Professor
Henry Darwin Rogers, F.B.S., F.G.S., Professor of Natural History in
the University of Glasgow. With Seven large Maps, and numerous Illus-
trations engraved on Copper and on Wood. In Three Volumes, Royal
4to, j£8, 8s.

A Visit to the Cities and Camps of the Con-
federate States. By Fitzgerald Boss, Captain of Hussars in the Imperial
Austrian Service. Crown 8vo, 75. 6d.

The War for the Rhine Frontier, 1870 :

Its Political and Military History. By Col. W. Eustow, translated from
the German, by John Layland Needham, Lieutenant R.M. Artillery. 3
vols. 8vo, with Maps and Plans, £i, us. 6d.

"Colonel Rustow is already well known as an able military writer, and the
present work cannot fail to increase his reputation. . . . He has given
to the world a valuable book ; and we honour him for his evident desire to be
just. The military merits of the book are great; and the reader derives much
advantage from the numerous maps interspersed throughout the three volumes.
As to the translator, he has performed his task in a thoroughly satisfactory and
highly creditable manner. — Athenceum.

"The work is faithfully and intelligibly executed; and it is of importance
that the work of one who was once himself a Prussian Officer, and who is con-
fessedly one of the first military critics of the day, should be placed ready at
hand for the perusal and consultation of that great mass of Englishmen who do
not read German works in the original. " — Saturday Review.

The St Andrews University Calendar.

Published yearly, price is. 6d.

Lord St Leonards' Handy Book on Property

Law. Eighth Edition. Revised and Enlarged, 53.

' ' Seven large editions indicate the popularity which this admirable manual
has obtained, not merely with the profession but with the public. It should
be made a text-book in schools. It gives just as much of the law as every man
ought to know, conveyed in a manner which every man can understand. This
new edition has been considerably enlarged by the venerable author." — Law
Times.

44 LJST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

The Great Governing Families of England.

By J. Langton Sandford and Meredith Townsend. 2 vols., 8vo, 153., in
extra binding, with richly-gilt cover.

" In the ' Great Governing Families of England ' we have a really meritorious
compilation. The spirit in which it is conceived, the care expended on the
collection and arrangement of the material out of which the various memoirs
are fashioned, and the vigorous and sometimes picturesque statement which
relieves the drier narrative portions, place it high above the ordinary range of
biographical reference books. " — Fortnightly Review.

"Some of these sketches, of these family pictures, are admirably done, none
of them are otherwise than well done. Anecdote and comment serve to relieve
or explain the narrative of incidents. The book is, in its kind, a thoroughly
satisfactory book, showing research, thought, and decision." — Westminster
Review.

St Stephens ;

Or, Illustrations of Parliamentary Oratory. A Poem. Comprising — Pym
— Vane — Strafford — Halifax— Shaftesbury — St John — Sir R. Walpole —
Chesterfield— Carteret— Chatham— Pitt— Fox— Burke— Sheridan— Wilber-
force — Wyndham — -Conway — Castlereagh — William Lamb (Lord Mel-
bourne)—Tierney — Lord Gray — O'Connell — Plunkett — Shiel — Follett —
Macaulay — Peel. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 55.

Lectures on the History of Literatiire.

Ancient and Modern. By Frederick SchlegeL Translated by J. G.
Locknart. Fcap., 55.

Physiology at the Farm.

In Aid of Rearing and Feeding the Live Stock. By William Seller,
M.D., F.R.S.E., Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh,
formerly Lecturer on Materia Medica and Dietetics ; and Henry Stephens,
F.K.S.E., Author of the 'Book of the Farm,' &c. Post 8vo, with En-
gravings, i6s.

The Passion Play in the Highlands of Bavaria.

By Alexander Craig Sellar. Third Edition. Fcap., sewed, is.

A Treatise upon Breeding, Rearing, and Feed-
ing, Cheviot and Black-faced Sheep in High Districts. By a Lammer-
moor Farmer. Crown 8vo, cloth, 25. 6d.

Traverse Tables to Five Places,

FOR EVERY 2' OF ANGLE UP TO too OF DISTANCE, By Robert Short-
rede, F.E.A.S. Edited by Edward Sang, F.R.S.E. 8vo, sis.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 45

Sketches of French Life and Character.

Originally published in ' Black wood's Magazine.' [/« the Press.

Italian Irrigation :

A Report on the Agricultural Canals of Piedmont and Lombardy, addressed
to the Hon. the Directors of the East India Company ; WITH AN AP-
PENDIX, containing a Sketch of the Irrigation System of Northern and
Central India. By Lieut. -Col. E. Baird Smith, P.G.S., Captain, Bengal
Engineers. Second Edition. 2 vols. 8vo, with Atlas in folio, 305.

Legends, Lyrics, and other Poems.

By B. Simmons. Fcap. 8vo, is. 6d.

Paris after Waterloo.

A Revised Edition of a "Visit to Flanders and the Field of Waterloo."
By James Simpson, Advocate. With Two coloured Plans of the Battle.
Crown 8vo, 53.

Poems, Songs, and Ballads.

By James Smith. Third Edition. 53.

"The collection is certainly a rich and remarkable one, containing many
specimens of finely pathetic and descriptive verse, imbued with the true spirit
of poetry and song." — Scotsman.

" A most meritorious and enjoyable volume." — Courant.

Thorndale ; or, the Conflict of Opinions.

By William Smith, Author of "A Discourse on Ethics," &c. Second
Edition. Crown 8vo, los. 6d.

"Mr Smith has read deeply and accurately into human nature, in all its
weaknesses, fancies, hopes, and fears. It is long since we have met with a
more remarkable or worthy book. . . . We know few works in which
there may be found so many fine thoughts, light-bringing illustrations, and
happy turns of expression, to invite the reader's pencil." — Fraser's Magazine.

Gravenhurst ; or, Thoughts on Good and Evil.

By William Smith, Author of 'Thorndale,' &c. Crown 8vo, 73. 6d

" One of those rare books which, being filled with noble and beautiful
thoughts, deserves an attentive and thoughtful perusal." — Westminster
Review.

" Our space will only allow us to mention, in passing, the charming volume
of subtle thought expressed in a graceful transparent style, which the author
of 'Thorndale' has just issued under the title of 'Gravenhurst ; or, Thoughts
on Good and Evil.' . . . We will simply recommend every reader, fond of
thoughtful writing on the moral aspects of life, to carry ' Gravenhurst ' with him
into some delightful solitude." — Cornhi II Magazine.

46 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

A Discourse on Ethics of the School of Paley.

By William Smith, Author of ' Thorndale.' 8vo. 43.

Dramas by William Smith.

Author of 'Thorndale,' &c. i. SIR WILLIAM CRICHTON. 2. ATHEL-
WOLD. 3. GUIDONE. 24010, boards, 33.

Songs and Verses:

Social and Scientific. By an Old Contributor to ' Maga.' A New Edition,
with Music of sonie of the Songs. Fcap. 8vo, 35. 6d.

"The productions thrown off by this eccentric muse have all the merits of
originality and variety. . . . He has written songs, not essays — such a
hotch-potch of science and humour, jest and literature, gossip and criticism, as
might have been served at the Noctes Ambrosianae in the blue parlour at Am-
brose's."— Saturday Review.

Poetical Works of Caroline Bowles Soiithey.

Tn i vol. fcap. 8vo, 53.

"In one of those well-bound, neatly printed, toned paper editions, in turning
out which our leading publishers so laudably vie with each other, Messrs Black-
wood have gathered up the precious remains of Caroline Bowles Southey. We
call them precious advisedly, because they illustrate a style of authorship which
is somewhat out of date, and has been superseded by other styles neither so
natural nor so attractive to cultivated tastes. Caroline Bowles was nursed, so
to speak, in the school of nature, taught with all the fostering care of home in-
fluence, and allowed to ripen in intellect and fancy amidst the varied charms of
a country life." — The Churchman.

"We do not remember any recent author whose poetry is so unmixedly
native ; and this English complexion constitutes one of its characteristic charms.
No purer model of our genuine home feeling and language." — Quarterly
Review.

The Birthday, and other Poems.

By Mrs Southey. Second Edition. 53.

Chapters on Churchyards.

By Mrs Southey. Second Edition. Fcap. 8vo, 2S. 6d.

Robin Hood: a Fragment.

By the late Bobert Southey and Caroline Southey. With other Fragments
and Poems. Post 8vo, 8s.

What led to the Discovery of the Nile Source.

By John Banning Speke, Captain H.M. Indian Army. 8vo, with Maps,
&c., 143.

"Will be read with peculiar interest, as it makes the record of his travels
complete, and at the same time heightens, if possible, our admiration of his
indomitable perseverance, as well as tact." — Dispatch.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS.

47

Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile.

By J. H. Speke, Captain H.M. Indian Army. 8vo. 215. With a Map of
Eastern Equatorial Africa by CAPTAIN SPEKE ; numerous illustrations,
chiefly from Drawings by CAPTAIN GRANT ; and Portraits, engraved on
Steel, of CAPTAINS SPEKE and GRANT.

" The volume which Captain Speke has presented to the world possesses
more than a geographical interest. It is a monument of perseverance, courage,
and temper displayed under difficulties which have perhaps never been equalled. "
— Times.

"Captain Speke has not written a noble book so much as he has done a noble
deed. The volume which records his vast achievement is but the minor fact —
the history of his discovery, not the discovery itself: yet even as a literary per-
formance it is worthy of very high praise. It is wholly free from the traces of
book manufacture. ... It is, however, a great story that is thus plainly
told ; a story of which nearly all the interest lies in the strange facts related,
and, more than all, in the crowning fact that it frees us in a large degree from
a geographical puzzle which had excited the curiosity of mankind— of the most
illustrious emperors and communities — from very early times." — Athenaum.

Villa Residences and Farm Architecture:

A Series of Designs. By John Starforth, Architect. 102 Engravings.
Second Edition, medium 4to, £2, 175. 6d.

The Statistical Account of Scotland.

Complete, with Index, 15 vols. 8vo, £16, i6s. Each County sold separately,
with Title, Index, and Map, neatly bound in cloth, at the prices annexed,
forming a very valuable Manual to the Landowner, the Tenant, the Manu-
facturer, the Naturalist, the Tourist, &c.

s. d,

Aberdeen 25 o

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Ayr 18 o

Banff... 9 o

Berwick 8 6

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Clackmannan 3 6

Dumbarton 6 o

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Edinburgh 16 6

Elgin 6 o

Fife 21 o

Forfar 15 o

Haddington 8 6

Inverness n 6

Wigtown

s. d.

Kincardine 8 o

Kinross ... 2 6

Kirkcudbright 8

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Nairn i

Orkney 5

Peebles 4

Perth 27

Renfrew 12

Ross and Cromarty 10

Roxburgh 10

Selkirk 2

Shetland 4

Stirling 10

Sutherland 5

...... 6d.

The Book of Farm- Buildings ;

THEIR ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION. By Henry Stephens,
F.E.S.E., Author of 'The Book of the Farm ;' and Eobert Scott Born.
Illustrated with 1045 Plates and Engravings. In i vol., large 8vo, uniform
with ' The Book of the Farm,' &c. £i, us. 6d.

48 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

The Book of the Farm,

Detailing the Labours of the Farmer, Farm-Steward, Ploughman, Shepherd,
Hedger, Farm - Labourer, Field - Worker, and Cattleman. By Henry
Stephens, F.E.S.E. Illustrated with Portraits of Animals painted from
the life ; and with 557 Engravings on Wood, representing the principal
Field Operations, Implements, and animals treated of in the Work. A
New and Revised Edition, the third, in great part Rewritten. 2 vols.,
large 8vo, £2, IDS.

" The best practical book I have ever met with." — Professor Johnston.

"We assure agricultural students that they will derive both pleasure and
profit from a diligent perusal of this clear directory to rural labour. . . .
We have thoroughly examined these volumes ; but to give a full notice of their
varied and valuable contents would occupy a larger space than \ve can con-
veniently devote to their discussion ; we therefore, in general terms, commend
them to the careful study of every young man who wishes to become a good
practical farmer. ' ' — Times.

The Book of Farm Implements and Machines.

By J. Slight and E. Scott Burn, Engineers. Edited by Henry Stephens,
F.E.S.E., Author of ' The Book of the Farm,' &c. In i vol., large 8vo,
uniform with ' The Book of the Farm,' £2, as.

Catechism of Practical Agriculture.

By Henry Stephens, F.E.S.E., Author of ' The Book of the Farm.' With
Engravings, is.

A Concise Hebrew Grammar ;

with the Pronunciation, Syllabic Division and Tone of the Words, and
Quantity of the Vowels. By the Eev. Duncan Stewart, B.A. 8vo, cloth,
limp, y,.

Advice to Purchasers of Horses.

By John Stewart, V.S. Author of ' Stable Economy." 2s. 6d.

To the farmer, the sportsman, and all interested in obtaining a sound and
well-conditioned animal, calculated either for work or pleasure, this work will
be found to be eminently useful It is the result of the experience of a first-rate
authority on the subject.

Stable Economy.

A Treatise on the Management of Horses in relation to Stabling, Groom-
ing, Feeding, Watering, and Working. By John Stewart, V.S. Seventh
Edition, fcap. 8vo, 6s. 6d.

The Anglers Companion to the Rivers and

Lochs of Scotland. By T. T. Stoddart. With Map of the Fishing
Streams and Lakes of Scotland. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 33. 6d.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 49

Graffiti D1 Italia.

By W. W. Story, Author of ' Roba di Roma.' Fcap. 8vo, 73. 6d.

"As a sculptor's sketches in a kind of poetic neutral tint, they are of great
value, quite apart from their intrinsic value as poems. "—Athtnaum.

"In the present volume he has translated the marble for us into poetry.
Goethe used to say that sculpture was the most poetical of all the arts. And in
a certain high transcendental sense he is perfectly right. Those who are inter-
ested in the question should certainly study the Cleopatra of Story in marble,
and the Cleopatra as we find her translated in the present volume into verse." —
Westminster Review.

Etymological and Pronouncing Dictionary of the

English Language. Including a very Copious Selection of Scientific Terms.
For Use in Schools and Colleges, and as a Book of General Reference. By
the Eev. James Stormonth. The Pronunciation carefully Revised by the
Eev. P. H. Phelp, M.A., Cantab. Crown 8vo, pp. 755. 73. 6d.

The School Etymological Dictionary and Word-
Book. Combining the advantages of an ordinary pronouncing School Dic-
tionary and an Etymological Spelling-book. By the Eev. James Stor-
moath. Fcap. 8vo, pp. 254. as.

Lives of the Queens of Scotland,

AND ENGLISH PRINCESSES CONNECTED WITH THE REGAL SUCCESSION
OF GREAT BRITAIN. By Agnes Strickland. With Portraits and His-
torical Vignettes. 8 vols. post 8vo, ^4, 43.

" Every step in Scotland is historical ; the shades of the dead arise on every
side ; the very rocks breathe. Miss Strickland's talents as a writer, and turn of
mind as an individual, in a peculiar manner fit her for painting a historical
gallery of the most illustrious or dignified female characters in that land of
chivalry and song." — Black-wood's Magazine.

Agricultiiral Labourers,

AS THEY WERE, ARE, AND SHOULD BE, IN THEIR SOCIAL CONDI-
TION. By the Eev. Harry Stuart, A.M., Minister of Oathlaw. 8vo,
Second Edition, is.

Lake Victoria.

A Narrative of Explorations in Search of the Source of the Nile. Com-
piled from the Memoirs of Captains Speke and Grant. By George C.
Swayne, M.A., Late Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Illus-
trated with Woodcuts and Map. Crown 8vo, 73. 6d.

"Mr Swayne has admirably discharged his task, and has produced a very
excellent and truly readable volume." — Daily News.

" The volume before us is a very readable one. We anticipate for it a wide
popularity. " — London Review.

D

50 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

Handbook of Hardy Herbaceous and Alpine

Flowers, FOR GENERAL GARDEN DECORATION. Containing Descrip-
tions, in Plain Language, of upwards of 1000 Species of Ornamental
Hardy Perennial and Alpine Plants, adapted to all classes of Flower-Gar-
dens, Rockwork, and Waters ; along with Concise and Plain Instructions
for their Propagation and Culture. By William Sutherland, Gardener to
the Earl of Minto ; formerly Manager of the Herbaceous Department at
Kew. Crown 8vo, 73. 6d.

"This is an unpretending but valuable work, well adapted to furnish infor-
mation respecting a class of plants certainly rising in popular estimation. . . .
We cordially recommend his book to the notice of our readers, as likely to be,
from a gardening point of view, the standard work on Herbaceous Plants." —
Gardeners' Chronicle.

"The best book of its class available for English readers." — Gardeners
Magazine.

Lays of the Deer Forest.

With Sketches of Olden and Modern Deer-Hunting, &c. By John
Sobieski and Charles Edward Stuart. 2 vols. post 8vo, zis.

The Jerusalem Delivered of Torquato Tasso.

Translated by Col. Alex. Cunningham Kobertson. Crown 8vo, IDS. 6d.

Tara ; A Mahratta Tale.

By Captain Meadows Taylor. 3 vols. post 8vo, £i, us. 6d.

"A picture of Indian life which it is impossible not to admire. We have no
hesitation in saying, that a more perfect knowledge of India is to be acquired
from an attentive perusal and study of this work, than could be gleaned from a
whole library." — Press.

The Greek Grammar of Thiersch.

Translated from the German, with brief Remarks. By Sir Daniel K.
Sandford, M.A., Professor of Greek in the University of Glasgow. 8vo,
i6s.

Hours of Christian Devotion.

Translated from the German of A. Tholuck, D.D., Professor of Theology
in the University of Halle, and Councillor of the Supreme Consistory,
Prussia. By the Eev. Eohert Menzies, D.D. With a Preface written
for this Translation by the Author. Crown 8vo, 95.

"To many of these meditations four or five great texts are prefixed, and
the reader feels that the gentle pressure of a powerful hand has crushed these
sacred fruits, and handed him the fragrant wine of the kingdom in a golden
goblet. . . . The abundance and variety of the material furnished in this
volume for quiet pondering render farther characterisation difficult. We are
thankful for the introduction of this wise, thoughtful, helpful book in this dark,
sad season."— British Quarterly Review.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 5 1

Handy-Book of the Flower-Garden :

Being Practical Directions for the Propagation, Culture, and Arrangement
of Plants in Flower-Gardens all the year round. Embracing all classes of
Gardens, from the largest to the smallest. With Engraved and Coloured
Plans, illustrative of the various systems of Grouping in Beds and Borders.
By David Thomson, Gardener to his Grace the Duke of Buccleuch, K.G.,
at Drumlanrig. A New and Enlarged Edition, crown 8vo, 73. 6d.

" Its author is entitled to great praise for the simple and clear manner in
which he has explained the cultural directions, which, if carefully complied
with, will enable the non-professional floriculturist to grow plants as well as
any gardener." — Gardener J Chronicle.

A Practical Treatise on the Culture of the Pine-

Apple. By David Thomson. 8vo, 55.

"The name of the author, one of the very best gardeners in the British
Islands, guarantees that this volume contains no directions that are not sound
and tested by experience." — Journal of Horticulture.

"The best work extant upon this important subject." — Gardeners' Magazine.

A Practical Treatise on the Cidtivation of the

Grape- Vine. By William Thomson, formerly Gardener to his Grace the
Duke of Buccleuch, K.G., Dalkeith Park. Seventh Edition, Enlarged,
8vo, 55.

"We cannot too strongly recommend Mr Thomson's treatise as a thoroughly
practical and sure guide to the cultivation of the vine." — Journal of Horticul-
ture.

"We urge our readers to procure the work, and they will get so clear an
insight into vine-growing that a vinery will become one of the necessaries of
existence. " — Field.

A COMPANION VOLUME TO THE 'HANDY-BOOK OF THE FLOWER-GARDEN.'

The Handy-Book of Fruit Citlture under Glass.

Being a series of Elaborate Practical Treatises on the cultivation and
forcing of Pines, Vines, Peaches, Figs, Melons, Strawberries, and Cucum-
bers. With Engravings of hothouses, &c., most suitable for the cultiva-
tion of and forcing of these fruits. By David Thomson, author of
' Handy- Book of the Flower-Garden,' 'A Practical Treatise on the Cul-
ture of the Pine-Apple, ' &c. , in crown 8vo, with Engravings. [In the Press.

Introduction to Meteorology.

By David P. Thomson, M.D. Octavo, with Engravings, 143.

Notes on the Pecuniary Interests of Heirs of Entail.

With Calculations regarding such Interests in reference to the Acts of
Parliament affecting Entails, and Tables showing the values of Liferent
Interests. By William Thomas Thomson, Fellow of the Institute of
Actuaries, Manager of the Standard Life Assurance Cmpaony. 8vo, ios.

52 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

County Law, a Practical Treatise on the Functions,

Qualifications and Duties of County Officials, Lords-Lieutencnls, and
Conveners of Counties, Commissioners of Supply, Clerks of Supply, &V.
6v. With special reference to the Acts of Parliament which they admin-
ister as members of Road Trusts, Prison Boards, Police Committees,
Local Authorities, &c. By John Comrie Thomson. Esq., in i vol.

[In the Press.

Ralph Darnell. A Novel.

By Captain Meadows Taylor. 3 vols. post 8vo, £1, us. 6d.

The Company and the Crown.

By the Hon. T. J. Hovell-Thurlow. Second Edition, corrected and
revised. 8vo, js. 6d.

"Those who wish to understand what our work actually is in India, and how
it is being done, will find an abundant store of information, both about persons
and things, in Mr Thurlow's interesting pages." — Times.

The Elegies of Albius Tibullus.

Translated into English Verse, with Life of the Poet, and Illustrative
Notes. By James Cranstoun, B.A., Author of a Translation of
'Catullus.' In crown 8vo, 6s. 6d.

"We may congratulate Mr Cranstoun on having occupied a place for which
his poetical skill, no less than his manifest classical training and acquirements,
abundantly fits him." — Saturday Review.

" He comes nearer the originals than any of his predecessors that we are
acquainted with. . . . The notes are scholarly and really illustrative. " —
Examiner.

"By far the best of the few versions we have of this sweet and graceful
poet." — Standard.

Tom Cringles Log.

A New Edition, with Illustrations. Crown 8vo, 6s.

" Everybody who has failed to read 'Tom Cringle's Log1 should do so at
once. The ' Quarterly Review ' went so far as to say that the papers com-
posing it, when it first appeared in ' Blackwood, ' were the most brilliant
series of the time, and that time one unrivalled for the number of famous
magazinists existing in it. Coleridge says in his 'Table Talk' that the
' Log ' is most excellent : and these verdicts have been ratified by generations
of men and boys, and by the manifestation of Continental approval, which is
shown by repeated translations. The engravings illustrating the present issue
are excellent." — Standard.

The Buchanites from First to Last.

3y Joseph Train. Fcap. 8vo, 45.

Journal of Agriculture,

AND TRANSACTIONS OF THE HIGHLAND AND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY
OF SCOTLAND. Old Series, 1828 to 1843, 21 vols. bound in cloth, £3, 33.
New Series, 1843 to 1865, 22 vols., £.\, 43.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 53

Rational Theology and Christian Philosophy in

England in the Seventeenth Century. By Eev. John Tulloch, D.D. , Senior
Principal in the University of St Andrews ; and one of Her Majesty's Chap-
lains in Ordinary in Scotland. Author of 'Leaders of the Reformation,'
&c. 2 vols. 8vo, aSs.

Leaders of the Reformation :

LUTHER, CALVIN, LATIMER, and K.NOX. By the Eev. John Tulloch,
D. D. , Principal, and Primarius Professor of Theology, St Mary's College,
St Andrews. Second Edition, Crown 8vo, 6s. 6d.

English Puritanism and its Leaders:

CROMWELL, MILTON, BAXTER, and BUNYAN. By the Eev. John Tulloch,
D.D. Uniform with the ' Leaders of the Reformation." 75. 6d.

" It is a book which, from its style — firm and interesting, dispassionate and
impartial, but yet warm with admiration — will be hailed for fireside reading in
the families of the descendants of those Puritan men and their times." — Eclectic
Review.

Theism.

The Witness of Reason and Nature to an All- Wise and Beneficial Creator.
By the Eev. John Tulloch, D.D. 8vo, los. 6d.

' ' Dr Tulloch's Essays, in its masterly statement of the real nature and diffi-
culties of the subject, its logical exactness in distinguishing the illustrative from
the suggestive, its lucid arrangement of the argument, its simplicity of expres-
sion, is quite unequalled by any work we have seen on the subject." — Christian
Remembrancer.

Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural

Society of Scotland. 1866-1871, 6 Nos., sewed, 43. each; 1872, cloth, 53.
Continued annually.

A Treatise upon Terrestrial Magnetism.

With numerous Charts, 8vo, los. 6d.

Tweed Salmon Reports, 1866.

Reports on the Natural History and Habits of Salmonoids in the Tweed
and its Tributaries. Published by authority of the Tweed Fishery Com-
missioners. Demy 8vo, 35. 6d.

Narrative of a Journey through Syria and

Palestine. By Lieut. Van de Velde. 2 vols. 8vo, with Maps, &c., j£i, xos.

' ' He has contributed much to knowledge of the country, and the unction
with which he speaks of the holy places which he has visited, will commend the
book to the notice of all religious readers. His illustrations of Scripture are
numerous and admirable." — Daily News.

54 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

The sEneid of Virgil.

Translated in English Blank Verse by OK K. Bickards, M.A., and Lord
Eavensworth. 2 vols. fcap. 8vo, IDS.

" Mr Rickards has done good service to the non-classical public by the faith-
ful and beautiful version of Virgil's ^Eneid now before us, and he has enhanced
the boon by a preface of special value, as setting forth fairly and conclusively the
respective merits of previous translations, and the special qualities of Virgil as
a poet." — Standard.

" Lord Ravensworth's success and strength are to be found, not so much in
his verbal force as in the Virgilian spirit which breathes throughout his lines.
No English reader can well miss their poetical grace and vigour ; no scholar
will deem unfaithful the clean cut, decisive lines of this masterly version." —
Evening Standard.

The Wonder Seeker,

Or the History of Charles Douglas. By M. Praser Tytler, Author of
' Tales of the Great and Brave,' &c. A New Edition. Fcap., 35. 6d.

Memoirs of the Confederate War for Independence.

By Heros Von Borcke, lately Chief of Staff to General J. E. B. Stuart. 2
vols. post 8vo, with Map, 2is.

Works of Samuel Warren, D.C.L.

Library Edition.

The Diary of a late Physician. In 2 vols. fcap., I2s. Also an

Illustrated Edition, in crown 8vo, handsomely printed, 73. 6d.
Ten Thousand A-Year. Three vols. fcap., i8s.
Now and Then. Fcap., 6s.
Miscellanies. 2 vols. crown 8vo, 243.
The Lily and the Bee. Fcap. 8vo, 53.

Samuel Warren's Works.

People's Edition, 4 vols. crown 8vo, cloth, i8s. Or separately : —

Diary of a late Physician. 33. 6d.

Ten Thousand A-Year. 53.

Now and Then. Lily and Bee. Intellectual and Moral

Development of the Present Age. i vol., 45. 6d.
Essays, Critical, Imaginative, and Juridical, i vol., 53.

The Moral, Social, and Professional Duties of

Attornies and Solicitors. By Samuel Warren, Esq., F.R.S., of the Inner
Temple, Barrister-at-Law. Fcap. 8vo, 93.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 55

Essays Written for the Wellington Prize.

Selected for Publication, by His Grace's desire, from those specially men-
tioned by the Arbiter. 8vo, 125. 6d. 4

List of Authors.

• I. By Lieut. J. T. HILDYARD, 7151 Highland Light Infantry.
II. By Lieutenant STANIER WALLER, Royal Engineers.

III. By Captain J. C. RUSSELL, loth Royal Hussars.

IV. By Colonel Sir GARNET J. WOLSELEY, C.B., K.C.M.G.
V. By General J. R. CRAUFURD.

VI. By Lieutenant C. COOPER KING, Royal Marine Artillery.

The Eighteen Christian Centuries.

By the Eev. James White, Author of ' The History of France.' Seventh

Edition, post 8vo, with Index, 6s.

•• He has seized the salient points — indeed, the governing incidents — in each
century, and shown their received bearing as well on their own age as on the
progress of the world. Vigorously and briefly, often by a single touch, has he
marked the traits of leading men ; when needful, he touches slightly their bio-
graphical career. The state of the country and of society, of arts and learning,
and, more than all, of the modes of living, are graphically sketched, and, upon
the whole, with more fulness than any other division." — Spectator.

History of France,

FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES. By the Eev. James White, Author of
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6s.

Archceological Sketches in Scotland — Kintyre.

By Captain T. P. White, E.E., &c., of the Ordnance Survey. With 138
Illustrations. Folio, £2, 2S.

Through Burmah to Western China:

Being Notes of a Journey in 1863, to Establish the Practicability of a
Trade-Route between the Irawaddi and the Yang-tse-Kiang. By Clement
Williams, formerly Assistant-Surgeon in the 68th Light Infantry, and First
Political Agent at Mandalay to the Chief-Commissioner of British Burmah,
Crown 8vo, with Two Maps and Numerous Engravings, 6s.

The " Ever- Vic tor ioiis Army."

A History of the Chinese Campaign under Lieut.-Col. C. G. Gordon, and
of the Suppression of the Tai-ping Rebellion. By Andrew Wilson,
F.A.S.L., Author of ' England's Policy in China; ' and formerly Editor of
the 'China Mail.' In 8vo, with Maps, 155.

" In addition to a good deal of information respecting China and its recent
history, this volume contains an interesting account of a brilliant passage in the
military career of an English officer of remarkable promise, and of the impor-
tant results of his skill and heroism. ... It brings out clearly the eminent
qualities of Colonel Gordon, his intrepidity and resources as a military leader,
his rare aptitude for a difficult command, his dauntless courage, calmness, and
prudence, his lofty character and unsullied honour." — Times.

56 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY

Works of Professor Wilson.

Edited by his Son-in-Law, Professor Ferrier. In Twelve Vols. Crown
8vo, £z, 8s.

The Nodes Ambrosiance.

By Professor Wilson. With Notes and a Glossary. In Four Vols. Crown
8vo, i6s.

Recreations of Christopher North.

By Professor Wilson. In Two Vols. New Edition, with Portrait, 8s.

"Welcome, right welcome, Christopher North; we cordially greet thee in
thy new dress, thou genial and hearty old man, whose ' Ambrosian nights'
have so often in imagination transported us from solitude to the social circle,
and whose vivid pictures of flood and fell, of loch and glen, have carried us in
thought from the smoke, din, and pent-up opulence of London, to the rushing
stream or tranquil tarn of those mountain-ranges," &c. — Times.

Essays, Critical and Imaginative.

By Professor Wilson. Four Vols. Crown 8vo, i6s.

Tales.

By Professor Wilson. Comprising ' The Lights and Shadows of Scottish
Life ; ' ' The Trials of Margaret Lyndsay ; ' and ' The Foresters.' In One
Vol. Crown 8vo, 43., cloth. Cheap Edition. Fcap. 8vo, as. 6d.

Professor Wilson's Poems.

Containing the ' Isle of Palms,' the ' City of the Plague,' ' Unimore," and
other Poems. Complete Edition. Crown 8vo, 43.

Homer and his Translators, and the Greek Drama.

By Professor Wilson. Crown 8vo, 43.

Poems and Songs.

By David Wingate. In fcap. 8vo, 53.

"It contains genuine poetic ore, poems which win for their author a place
among Scotland's true sons of song, and such as any man in any country might
rejoice to have written." — London Review.

"We are delighted to welcome into the brotherhood of real poets a country-
man of Burns, and whose verse will go far to render the rougher Border Scottish
a classic dialect in our literature." — John Bull.

Annie Weir, and other Poems.

By David Wingate. Fcap. 8vo, 55.

Fortification :

For the Use of Officers in the Army, and Readers of Military History. By
Lieut. H. Yule, Bengal Engineers. 8vo, with numerous Illustrations,
los. 6d.

"An excellent manual : one of the best works of its class." — British Army
Despatch.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 57

NOW PUBLISHING.

ANCIENT CLASSICS

BY VARIOUS AUTHORS.

EDITED BY

REV. W. LUCAS COLLINS, M.A.

Author of ' Etoniana,' 'The Public Schools,' &c.

OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.

"We gladly avail ourselves of this opportunity to recommend the
other volumes of this useful series, most of which are executed with dis-
crimination and ability." — Quarterly Review.

" These Ancient Classics have, without an exception, a twofold value.
They are rich in literary interest, and they are rich in social and histori-
cal interest. We not only have a faithful presentation of the stamp and
quality of the literature which the master-minds of the classical world
have bequeathed to the modern world, but we have a series of admir-
ably vivid and graphic pictures of what life at Athens and Rome was.
We are not merely taken back over a space of twenty centuries, and
placed immediately under the shadow of the Acropolis, or in the very
heart of the Forum, but we are at once brought behind the scenes of the
old Roman and Athenian existence. As we see how the heroes of this
' new world which is the old ' plotted, intrigued, and planned ; how
private ambition and political partisanship were dominant and active
motives then as they are now ; how the passions and the prejudices
which reign supreme now reigned supreme then ; above all, as we dis-
cover how completely many of what we may have been accustomed to
consider our most essentially modern thoughts and sayings have been
anticipated by the poets and orators, the philosophers and historians,
who drank their inspiration by the banks of Ilissus or on the plains of
Tiber, we are prompted to ask whether the advance of some twenty cen-
turies has worked any great change in humanity, and whether, substi-
tuting the coat for the toga, the park for the Campus Martius, the
Houses of Parliament for the Forum, Cicero might not have been a
public man in London as well as an orator in Rome?" — Morning
Advertiser.

"A series which has done, and is doing, so much towards spreading
among Englishmen intelligent and appreciative views of the chief clas-
sical authors." — Standard.

"To sum tip in a phrase our sincere and hearty commendation of one
of the best serial publications we have ever examined, we may just say
that to the student and -the scholar, and to him who is neither scholar
nor student, they are simply priceless as a means of acquiring and ex-
tending a familiar acquaintance with the great classic writers of Greece
and Rome." — Belfast Northern Whig.

58 ANCIENT CLASSICS

List of the Volumes published.

I.-HOMER: THE ILIAD,

By THE EDITOR.

"We can confidently recommend this first volume of ' Ancient Classics
for English Readers ' to all who have forgotten their Greek and desire
to refresh their knowledge of Homer. As to those to whom the series
is chiefly addressed, who have never learnt Greek at all, this little book
gives them an opportunity which they had not before— an opportunity
not only of remedying a want they must often have felt, but of remedy-
ing it by no patient and irksome toil, but by a few hours of pleasant
reading. " — Times.

11,-HOMER: THE ODYSSEY,
By THE EDITOR.

" Mr Collins has gone over the ' Odyssey with loving hands, and he
tells its eternally fresh story so admirably, and picks out the best pas-
sages so skilfully, that he gives us a charming volume. In the ' Odyssey,'
as treated by Mr Collins, we have a story-book that might charm a
child or amuse and instruct the wisest man." — Scotsman.

III.-HERODOTUS.
By GEORGE C. SWAYNE, M.A.

" This volume altogether confirms the highest anticipations that were
formed as to the workmanship and the value of the series." — Daily
Telegraph.

IV.-THE COMMENTARIES OF C/ESAR.
By ANTHONY TROLLOPE.

"We can only say that all admirers of Mr Trollope will find his
'Caesar' almost, if not quite, as attractive as his most popular novel,
while they will also find that the exigencies of faithful translation have
not been able to subdue the charm of his peculiar style. The original
part of his little book — the introduction and conclusion — are admirably
written, and the whole work is quite up to the standard of its predeces-
sors, than saying which, we can give no higher praise." — Vanity Fair.

V.-V I R G I L.

By THE EDITOR.

"Such a volume cannot fail to enhance the reputation of this promis-
ing series, and deserves the perusal of the most devoted Latinists, not
less than of the English readers for whom it is designed." — Contemporary
Review.

" It would be difficult to describe the '^Enejd ' better than it is done
here, and still more difficult to find three more delightful works than the
'Iliad,' the ' Odyssey, ' and the 'Virgil' of Mr Collins."— Standard.

FOR ENQLISH READERS. 59

VI.-HORACE.

By THEODORE MARTIN.

11 Though we have neither quoted it, nor made use of it, we have no
hesitation in saying that the reader who is wholly or for the most part
unable to appreciate Horace untranslated, may, with the insight he
gains from the lively, bright, and, for its size, exhaustive little volume
to which we refer, account himself hereafter familiar with the many-
sided charms of the Venusian, and able to enjoy allusions to his life and
works which would otherwise have been a sealed book to him." — Quar-
terly Review.

" We wish, after closing his book, to be able to read it again for the
first time ; it is suited to every occasion ; a pleasant travelling com-
panion ; welcome in the library where Horace himself may be consulted;
welcome also in the intervals of business, or when leisure is abundant."
— Edinburgh Review.

" In our judgment, no volume (of the series) hitherto has come up to
the singular excellence of that now under consideration. The secret of
this is, that its author so completely puts himself in Horace's place, scans
the phases of his life with such an insight into the poet's character and
motives, and leaves on the reader's mind so little of an impression that
he is following the attempts of a mere modern to realise the feelings
and expressions of an ancient. Real genius is a freemasonry, by which
the touch of one hand transmits its secret to another ; and a capital proof
of this is to be found in the skill, tact, and fellow-feeling with which Mr
Martin has executed a task, the merit and value of which is quite out
of proportion to the size and pretensions of his volume." — Saturday
Review.

VII.-/ESCHYLUS.

By REGINALD S. COPLESTON, B.A.

" A really delightful little volume." — The Examiner.

' ' The author with whom Mr Copleston has here to deal exemplifies
the advantage of the method which has been used in this series. . . .
Mr Copleston has apprehended this main principle, as we take it to be,
of his work : has worked it out with skill and care, and has given to the
public a volume which fulfils its intention as perfectly as any of the
series. " — Spectator.

VIM.-XENOPHON.

By SIR ALEXANDER GRANT, Bart,

Principal of the University of Edinburgh.

" Sir Alexander Grant tells the story of Xenophon's life with much
eloquence and power. It has evidently been with him a labour of love ;
while his wide reading and accurate scholarship are manifest on nearly
every page." — The Examiner.

6O ANCIENT CLASSICS FOR ENGLISH READERS.

I X.-C I C E R O,

By THE EDITOR.

"No charm of style, no facility and eloquence of illustration, is
wanting to enable us to see the great Roman advocate, statesman, and
orator, in the days of Rome's grandeur, in the time of her first fatal
hastening to her decadence, with whom fell her liberty two thousand
years ago. The first lines of introduction to this fascinating book are
full of help and light to the student of the classical times who has not
mastered the classical literature, and in whose interests this book is
done, simply to perfection." — Saunters' News-Letter.

X.-SOPHOCLES.
By CLIFTON W. COLLINS, M.A.

"Sophocles has now been added to the acceptable and singularly
equal series of ' Ancient Classics for E'.nglish Readers.' Mr Collins
shows great skill and judgment in analysing and discriminating the
plays of the sweet singer of Colonus."— Guardian.

XI.-PLINY'S LETTERS.

By the Rev. ALFRED CHURCH, M.A., and

The Rev. W. J. BRODRIBB, M.A.

"This is one of the best volumes of the series called ' Ancient Classics
for English Readers.' . . . This graceful little volume will introduce
Pliny to many who have hitherto known nothing of the Silver Age." —
Athtnceum.

" Mr Lucas Collins's very useful and popular series has afforded a fit
opportunity for a sketch of the life and writings of the younger Pliny ;
and the writers of the volume before us have contrived, out of their
intimate and complete familiarity with their subject, to place the man,
his traits of character, his friends, and his surroundings so vividly before
us, that a hitherto shadowy acquaintance becomes a distinct and real
personage." — Saturday Review.

XH.-E U R I P I D E S,
By W. B. DONNE.

"This is the twelfth instalment of this admirably conducted series, and
one of the very best that has yet appeared." — Bell's Weekly Messenger.

XIII.-JUVENAL,

By EDWARD WALFORD, M.A.

' ' This is one of the best executed volumes of the whole series of
'Ancient Classics,' and exhibits Mr Walford's critical powers in a very
favourable light." — Pall Mall Gazette.

X I V.- A RISTOPHANES.

By the EDITOR.

Other Authors, by various contributors, are in preparation.
A Volume is published Quarterly, price 2s. 6d.

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Students' Manual of Zoology. By the same, . is.

METEOROLOGY.
INTRODUCTORY TEXT-BOOK OF METEOROLOGY. By

Alexander Buchan, M.A., &c 45. 6d.

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INTRODUCTORY TEXT-BOOK OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY.

By David Page, LL.D., £c., . . . . 2s. od.
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ATLAS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. By A. Keith

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Diagrams. By William Rossiter, F.R.A.S., &c. 53. od.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

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A MANUAL OF ENGLISH PROSE LITERATURE. De-
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A MANUAL OF PALAEONTOLOGY, for the Use of Stu-
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&c. One volume, crown 8vo. [In the press.

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ADVANCED TEXT-BOOK OF BOTANY. For the Use of
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MANUAL OF GEOGRAPHY. By Rev. Alex. Mackay, LL.D.,

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