work Miracles when he pleased. GoD only when he pleafed, exerted that Power, and by whomfoever it pleafed him. But if a Man could work Miracles when he fleased, yet is there no Scripture-Authority, nor even Example for Going it in order to fatisfy fuch a Demand as this. I do not read, that either our Lord, or any of his Apoflles, wrought any Miracle on fuch an Occafion. Nay, how sharply does our Lord rebuke those who | made a Demand of this Kind? When certain of the Scribes and of the Pharisees answered, faxing, Mafter, ave would fee a Sign from thee; (Obferve, this was their Method of answering the ftrong Reasons whereby he had just proved the Works in question to be of GGD !) He answered and feid to them, an evil and adulterous Generation feeketh after a Sign. But there fhall no Sign be given to it,but theSign of the Prophet Jonas, Mat.xii.38, 39. An evil and adulterous Generation! -Else they would not have needed fuch a kind of Proof. Had they been willing to do his Will, they would, without this, have known that the Doctrine was of God. Miracles therefore are quite needless in such a Cafe. Nor are they fo conclufive a Proof as you imagine. If a Man could and did work them, in defence of any Doctrine, yet this would not fuperfede other Proof. For there may be tigara Jeudus, lying Wonders, Miracles wrought in fupport of Falfhood. Still therefore his Doctrine would remain to be proved, from the proper Topicks of Scripture and Reafon. And thefe even without Miracles are fufficient. But Miracles without these are not. Accordingly our Saviour and all his Apoftles, in the midst of their greatest Miracles, never fail'd to prove every Doctrine they taught, by clear Scripture and cogent Reason. 30. I prefume, by this Time you may perceive the grofs Abfurdity, of demanding Miracles in the prefent Cafe: Seeing one of the Propofitions in queftion, . fover and above our general Doctrines) viz. “That Sinners are reform'd," can only be proved by Teftimony : And the other, "This cannot be done but by the Power of GOD," needs no Proof, being self-evident. Why ment Tenaciousness of their own Opinions; their Bitternefs toward all who differ'd from them; their Impatience of Contradiction, and utter Want of Forbearance. even with their own Brethren. But the grand Stumbling-block of all, was, their open avowed Separation from the Church; their rejecting fo many of the Doctrines and Practices, which the others accounted the moft facred; and their continual Invectives against the Church they feparated from, fo much fharper than Michael's Reproof of Satan. Were there fewer Stumbling-blocks attending the Reformation in England? Surely no. For what was Henry the Eighth ? Confider, either his Character, his Motives to the Work, or his Manner of purfuing it! And even King Edward's Miniftry we cannot clear, of perfecuting in their Turns, yea and burning Hereticks. The main Stumbling alfo ftill remained, viz. open Separation from the Church. 7. Full as many were the Offences that lay in the Way of even the fincere Members of the Church of England, when the People called Quakers first profeffed, that they were fent of GOD to reform the Land. Whether they were or no, is befide our Queftion It fuffices for the prefent Purpose to obferve, that over and above their open, avowed, total Separation from the Church, and their vehement Invectives against many of her Doctrines, and the whole Frame of her Difcipline: They spent their main Strength in difputing about Opinions and Externals, rather than in preaching Faith, Mercy, and the Love of God. In these Respects, the Cafe was nearly the fame when the Baptifts first appeared in England. They immediately commenced a warm Difpute, not concerning the Vitals of Christianity, but concerning the Manner and Time of adminiftring one of the External Or dinances of it. And as their Opinion hereof totally differed from that of all the other Members of the Church of England, fo they foon openly declared their Separation from it, not without fharp Cenfures of those that continued therein.. 8. The fame Occasion of Offence was, in a smaller Degree, given by the Prefbyterians and Independents : For they also spent great Part of their Time and Strength, in opposing the commonly received Opinions concerning fome of the Circumftantials of Religion; and for the fake of these, Separated from the Church. But I do not include that venerable Man, Mr. Philip Henry, nor any that were of his Spirit, in this Number. I know they abhorred contending about Externals. Neither did they separate themselves from the Church. They continued therein, till they were dri'ven out, whether they would or no. I cannot but tenderly fympathize with thefe; and the more, because this is, in part, our own Cafe. Warm Men fpare no Pains at this very Day, to drive us out of the Church. They cry out to the People, where-ever one of us comes, "A Mad Dog, a Mad Dog!" If haply we might fly for our Lives, as many have done before us. And fure it is, we fhould have complied with their Defire, we fhould merely for Peace and Quietnefs have left the Church long before now, but that we could not in Conscience do it. And it is on this fingle Motive, it is for Confcience fake that we ftill continue therein; and fhall continue (GoD being our Helper) unless they by Violence thrust us out. 9. But to return. What are the Stumbling-blocks in the present Cafe, compared to those in any of the preceding? We do not dispute concerning any of the Externals or Circumftantials of Religion. There is no room; for we agree with you therein. We approve of, and adhere to them all: All that we learned together when we were Children, in our Catechism and Common-Prayer Book. We were born and bred up in your own Church, and defire to die therein. We always were, and are now, zealous for the Church; only not with a blind, angry Zeal. We hold, and ever have done, the fame Opinions, which you and we received from our Forefathers. But we do not lay the main Stress of our Religion on any Opinions, right or wrong: Neither do we ever begin, or willingly join in any Difpute concern 8. The fame Occafion of Offence was, in a smaller Degree, given by the Prefbyterians and Independents : For they also spent great Part of their Time and Strength, in oppofing the commonly received Opinions concerning fome of the Circumftantials of Religion; and for the fake of thefe, Separated from the Church. But I do not include that venerable Man, Mr. Philip Henry, nor any that were of his Spirit, in this Number. I know they abhorred contending about Externals. Neither did they separate themselves from the Church. They continued therein, till they were dri'ven out, whether they would or no. I cannot but tenderly fympathize with thefe; and the more, because this is, in part, our own Cafe. Warm Men fpare no Pains at this very Day, to drive us out of the Church. They cry out to the People, where-ever one of us comes, "A Mad Dog, a Mad Dog! If haply we might fly for our Lives, as many have done before us. And fure it is, we fhould have complied with their Defire, we should merely for Peace and Quietnefs have left the Church long before now, but that we could not in Confcience do it. And it is on this fingle Motive, it is for Confcience fake that we ftill continue therein; and fhall continue (GOD being our Helper) unless they by Violence thrust us out. 9. But to return. What are the Stumbling-blocks in the present Cafe, compared to those in any of the preceding? We do not dispute concerning any of the Externals or Circumftantials of Religion. There is no room; for we agree with you therein. We approve of, and adhere to them all: All that we learned together when we were Children, in our Catechism and Common-Prayer Book. We were born and bred up in your own Church, and defire to die therein. We always were, and are now, zealous for the Church; only not with a blind, angry Zeal. We hold, and ever have done, the fame Opinions, which you and we received from our Forefathers. But we do not lay the main Strefs of our Religion on any Opinions, right or wrong: Neither do we ever begin, or willingly join in any Difpute concern |