them, as men to whom God hath given a part of the Spirit of their Soveraigne. For when
Christian men, take not their Christian Soveraign, for Gods Prophet; they must either take
their owne Dreames, for the Prophecy they mean to bee governed by, and the tumour of their
own hearts for the Spirit of God; or they must suffer themselves to bee lead by some strange
Prince; or by some of their fellow subjects, that can bewitch them, by slaunder of the
government, into rebellion, without other miracle to confirm their calling, then sometimes an
extraordinary successe, and Impunity; and by this means destroying all laws, both divine, and
humane, reduce all Order, Government, and Society, to the first Chaos of Violence, and Civill
warre.
CHAP. XXXVII.
Of MIRACLES, and their Use.
A Miracle is a work that causeth Admiration.
BY Miracles are signified the Admirable works of God: & therefore they are also called Wonders.
And because they are for the most part, done, for a signification of his commandement, in such
occasions, as without them, men are apt to doubt, (following their private naturall reasoning,)
what he hath commanded, and what not, they are commonly in Holy Scripture, called Signes,
in the same sense, as they are called by the Latines, Ostenta, and Portenta, from shewing, and foresignifying that, which the Almighty is about to bring to passe.
And must therefore be rare, and where of there is no naturall cause known.
To understand therefore what is a Miracle, we must first understand what works they are,
which men wonder at, and call Admirable. And there be but two things. which make men
wonder at any event: The one is, if it be strange, that is to say, such, as the like of it hath
never, or very rarely been produced: The other is, if when it is produced, we cannot imagine it
to have been done by naturall means, but onely by the immediate hand of God. But when wee
see some possible, naturall cause of it, how rarely soever the like has been done; or if the like
have been often done, how impossible soever it be to imagine a naturall means thereof, we no
more wonder, nor esteem it for a Miracle.
Therefore, if a Horse, or Cow should speak, it were a Miracle; because both the thing is
strange, & the naturall cause difficult to imagin: So also were it, to see a strange deviation of nature, in the production of some new shape of a living creature. But when a man, or other
Animal, engenders his like, though we know no more how this is done, than the other; yet
because 'tis usuall, it is no Miracle. In like manner, if a man be metamorphosed into a stone, or
into a pillar, it is a Miracle; because strange: but if a peece of wood be so changed; because
we see it often, it is no Miracle: and yet we know no more, by what operation of God, the one
is brought to passe, than the other.
The first Rainbow that was seen in the world, was a Miracle, because the first; and
consequently strange; and served for a sign from God, placed in heaven, to assure his people,
there should be no more an universall destruction of the world by Water. But at this day,
because they are frequent, they are not Miracles, neither to them that know their naturall
causes, nor to them who know them not. Again, there be many rare works produced by the Art
of man: yet when we know they are done; because thereby wee know also the means how
they are done, we count them not for Miracles, because not wrought by the immediate hand of
God, but by mediation of humane Industry.
That which seemeth a Miracle to one man, may seem otherwise to another.
Furthermore, seeing Admiration and Wonder, is consequent to the knowledge and experience,
wherewith men are endued, some more, some lesse; it followeth, that the same thing, may be
a Miracle to one, and not to another. And thence it is, that ignorant, and superstitious men
make great Wonders of those works, which other men, knowing to proceed from Nature,
(which is not the immediate, but the ordinary work of God,) admire not at all: As when
Ecclipses of the Sun and Moon have been taken for supernaturall works, by the common
people; when neverthelesse, there were others, could from their naturall causes, have foretold
the very hour they should arrive: Or, as when a man, by confederacy, and secret intelligence,
getting knowledge of the private actions of an ignorant, unwary man, thereby tells him, what
he has done in former time; it seems to him a Miraculous thing; but amongst wise, and
cautelous men, such Miracles as those, cannot easily be done.
The End of Miracles./Exo. 4. 1, &c.
Again, it belongeth to the nature of a Miracle, that it be wrought for the procuring of credit to
Gods Messengers, Ministers, and Prophets, that thereby men may know, they are called, sent,
and employed by God, and thereby be the better inclined to obey them. And therefore, though
the creation of the world, and after that the destruction of all living creatures in the universall
deluge, were admirable works; yet because they were not done to procure credit to any
Prophet, or other Minister of God, they use not to be called Miracles. For how admirable soever
any work be, the Admiration consisteth not in that it could be done, because men naturally
beleeve the Almighty can doe all things, but because he does it at the Prayer, or Word of a
man. But the works of God in Egypt, by the hand of Moses, were properly Miracles; because
they were done with intention to make the people of Israel beleeve, that Moses came unto
them, not out of any design of his owne interest, but as sent from God. Therefore after God
had commanded him to deliver the Israelites from the Egyptian bondage, when he said They
will not beleeve me, but will say, the Lord hath not appeared unto me, God gave him power, to turn the Rod he had in his hand into a Serpent, and again to return it into a Rod; and by
putting his hand into his bosome, to make it leprous; and again by pulling it out to make it
whole, to make the Children of Israel beleeve (as it is verse 5.) that the God of their Fathers
had appeared unto him: And if that were not enough, he gave him power to turn their waters
into bloud. And when hee had done these Miracles before the people, it is said (verse 41.) that
they beleeved him. Neverthelesse, for fear of Pharaoh, they durst not yet obey him. Therefore the other works which were done to plague Pharaoh, and the Egyptians, tended all to make the
Israelites beleeve in Moses, and were properly Miracles. In like manner if we consider all the
Miracles done by the hand of Moses, and all the rest of the Prophets, till the Captivity; and
those of our Saviour, and his Apostles afterward; we shall find, their end was alwaies to beget,
or confirm beleefe, that they came not of their own motion, but were sent by God. Wee may
further observe in Scripture, that the end of Miracles, was to beget beleef, not universally in all
men, elect, and reprobate; but in the elect only; that is to say, in such as God had determined
should become his Subjects. For those miraculous plagues of Egypt, had not for end, the
conversion of Pharaoh; For God had told Moses before, that he would harden the heart of
Pharaoh, that he should not let the people goe: And when he let them goe at last, not the
Miracles perswaded him, but the plagues forced him to it. So also of our Saviour, it is written,
( Mat. 13. 58.) that he wrought not many Miracles in his own countrey, because of their
unbeleef; and (in Marke 6. 5.) in stead of, he wrought not many, it is, he could work none. It was not because he wanted power; which to say, were blasphemy against God; nor that the
end of Miracles was not to convert incredulous men to Christ; for the end of all the Miracles of
Moses, of the Prophets, of our Saviour, and of his Apostles was to adde men to the Church; but
it was, because the end of their Miracles, was to adde to the Church (not all men, but) such as
should be saved; that is to say, such as God had elected. Seeing therefore our Saviour was
sent from his Father, hee could not use his power in the conversion of those, whom his Father
had rejected. They that expounding this place of St. Marke, say, that this word, Hee could not, is put for, He would not, do it without example in the Greek tongue, (where Would not, is put sometimes for Could not, in things inanimate, that have no will; but Could not, for Would not, never,) and thereby lay a stumbling block before weak Christians; as if Christ could doe no
Miracles, but amongst the credulous.
From that which I have here set down, of the nature, and use of a Miracle, we may define it
thus, A MIRACLE, is a work of God, (besides his operation by the way of Nature, ordained in the Creation,) done, for the making manifest to his elect, the mission of an extraordinary
Minister for their salvation.
The definition of a Miracle
And from this definition, we may inferre; First, that in all Miracles, the work done, is not the
effect of any vertue in the Prophet; because it is the effect of the immediate hand of God; that
is to say, God hath done it, without using the Prophet therein, as a subordinate cause.
Secondly, that no Devil, Angel, or other created Spirit, can do a Miracle. For it must either be
by vertue of some naturall science, or by Incantation, that is, vertue of words. For if the
Inchanters do it by their own power independent, there is some power that proceedeth not
from God; which all men deny: and if they doe it by power given them, then is the work not
from the immediate hand of God, but naturall, and consequently no Miracle.
Exod. 7. 11./Exod. 7. 22./Exod. 8. 7.
There be some texts of Scripture, that seem to attribute the power of working wonders (equall
to some of those immediate Miracles, wrought by God himself,) to certain Arts of Magick, and
Incantation. As for example, when we read that after the Rod of Moses being cast on the
ground became a Serpent, the Magicians of Egypt did the like by their Enchantments; and that after Moses had turned the waters of the Egyptian Streams, Rivers, Ponds, and Pooles of water
into blood, the Magicians of Egypt did so likewise, with their Enchantments; and that after
Moses had by the power of God brought frogs upon the land, the Magicians also did so with
their Enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt; will not a man be apt to
attribute Miracles to Enchantments; that is to say, to the efficacy of the sound of Words; and
think the same very well proved out of this, and other such places? and yet there is no place of
Scripture that telleth us what an Enchantment is. If therefore Enchantment be not, as many
think it, a working of strange effects by spells, and words; but Imposture, and delusion,
wrought by ordinary means; and so far from supernaturall, as the Impostors need not the
study so much as of naturall causes, but the ordinary ignorance, stupidity, and superstition of
mankind, to doe them; those texts that seem to countenance the power of Magick, Witchcraft,
and Enchantment, must needs have another sense, than at first sight they seem to bear.
That men are apt to be deceived by false Miracles.
For it is evident enough, that Words have no effect, but on those that understand them; and
then they have no other, but to signifie the intentions, or passions of them that speak; and
thereby produce, hope, fear, or other passions, or conceptions in the hearer. Therefore when a
Rod seemeth a Serpent, or the Waters Bloud, or any other Miracle seemeth done by
Enchantment; if it be not to the edification of Gods people, not the Rod, nor the Water, nor any
other thing is enchanted; that is to say, wrought upon by the Words, but the Spectator. So
that all the Miracle consisteth in this, that the Enchanter has deceived a man; which is no
Miracle, but a very easie matter to doe.
For such is the ignorance, and aptitude to error generally of all men, but especially of them
that have not much knowledge of naturall causes, and of the nature, and interests of men; as
by innumerable and easie tricks to be abused. What opinion of miraculous power, before it was
known there was a Science of the course of the Stars, might a man have gained, that should
have told the people, This hour, or day the Sun should be darkned? A Juggler by the handling
of his goblets, and other trinkets, if it were not now ordinarily practised, would be thought to
do his wonders by the power at least of the Devil. A man that hath practised to speak by
drawing in of his breath, (which kind of men in antient time were called Ventriloqui,) and so make the weaknesse of his voice seem to proceed, not from the weak impulsion of the organs
of Speech, but from distance of place, is able to make very many men beleeve it is a voice
from Heaven, whatsoever he please to tell them. And for a crafty man, that hath enquired into
the secrets, and familiar confessions that one man ordinarily maketh to another of his actions
and adventures past, to tell them him again is no hard matter; and yet there be many, that by
such means as that, obtain the reputation of being Conjurers. But it is too long a businesse, to
reckon up the severall sorts of those men, which the Greeks called Thaumaturgi, that is to say, workers of things wonderfull; and yet these do all they do, by their own single dexterity. But if
we looke upon the Impostures wrought by Confederacy, there is nothing how impossible
soever to be done, that is impossible to bee beleeved. For two men conspiring, one to seem
lame, the other to cure him with a charme, will deceive many: but many conspiring, one to
seem lame, another so to cure him, and all the rest to bear witnesse; will deceive many more.
Cautions against the Imposture of Miracles.
In this aptitude of mankind, to give too hasty beleefe to pretended Miracles, there can be no
better, nor I think any other caution, then that which God hath prescribed, first by Moses, (as I
have said before in the precedent chapter,) in the beginning of the 13. and end of the 18. of
Deuteronomy; That wee take not any for Prophets, that teach any other Religion, then that
which Gods Lieutenant, (which at that time was Moses,) hath established; nor any, (though he
teach the same Religion,) whose Prædiction we doe not see come to passe. Moses therefore in
his time, and Aaron, and his successors in their times, and the Soveraign Governour of Gods
people, next under God himself, that is to say, the Head of the Church in all times, are to be
consulted, what doctrine he hath established, before wee give credit to a pretended Miracle, or
Prophet. And when that is done, the thing they pretend to be a Miracle, we must both see it
done, and use all means possible to consider, whether it be really done; and not onely so, but
whether it be such, as no man can do the like by his naturall power, but that it requires the
immediate hand of God. And in this also we must have recourse to Gods Lieutenant; to whom
in all doubtfull cases, wee have submitted our private judgments. For example; if a man
pretend, that after certain words spoken over a peece of bread, that presently God hath made
it not bread, but a God, or a man, or both, and neverthelesse it looketh still as like bread as
ever it did; there is no reason for any man to think it really done; nor consequently to fear
him, till he enquire of God, by his Vicar, or Lieutenant, whether it be done, or not. If he say
not, then followeth that which Moses saith, ( Deut. 18. 22) he hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shall not fear him. If he say 'tis done, then he is not to contradict it. So also if wee see not, but onely hear tell of a Miracle, we are to consult the Lawful Church; that is to say, the
lawful Head thereof, how far we are to give credit to the relators of it. And this is chiefly the
case of men, that in these days live under Christian Soveraigns. For in these times, I do not
know one man, that ever saw any such wondrous work, done by the charm, or at the word, or
prayer of a man, that a man endued but with a mediocrity of reason, would think
supernaturall: and the question is no more, whether what wee see done, be a Miracle; whether
the Miracle we hear, or read of, were a reall work, and not the Act of a tongue, or pen; but in
plain terms, whether the report be true, or a lye. In which question we are not every one, to
make our own private Reason, or Conscience, but the Publique Reason, that is, the reason of
Gods Supreme Lieutenant, Judge; and indeed we have made him Judge already, if wee have
given him a Soveraign power, to doe all that is necessary for our peace and defence. A private
man has alwaies the liberty, (because thought is free,) to beleeve, or not beleeve in his heart,
those acts that have been given out for Miracles, according as he shall see, what benefit can
accrew by mens belief, to those that pretend, or countenance them, and thereby conjecture,
whether they be Miracles, or Lies. But when it comes to confession of that faith, the Private
Reason must submit to the Publique; that is to say, to Gods Lieutenant. But who is this
Lieutenant of God, and Head of the Church, shall be considered in its proper place hereafter.
CHAP. XXXVIII.
Of the Signification in Scripture of ETERNALL LIFE, HELL, SALVATION, THE
WORLD TO COME, and REDEMPTION.
THE maintenance of Civill Society, depending on Justice; and Justice on the power of Life and
Death, and other lesse Rewards and Punishments, residing in them that have the Soveraignty
of the Common-wealth; It is impossible a Common-wealth should stand, where any other than
the Soveraign, hath a power of giving greater rewards than Life; and of inflicting greater
punishments, than Death. Now seeing Eternall life is a greater reward, than the life present; and Eternall torment a greater punishment than the death of Nature; It is a thing worthy to be well considered, of all men that desire (by obeying Authority) to avoid the calamities of
Confusion, and Civill war, what is meant in holy Scripture, by Life Eternall, and Torment Eternall; and for what offences, and against whom committed, men are to be Eternally
tormented; and for what actions, they are to obtain Eternall life.
The place of Adams Eternity if he had not sinned, had been the terrestiall Paradise./Gen. 3. 22.
And first we find, that Adam was created in such a condition of life, as had he not broken the
commandement of God, he had enjoyed it in the Paradise of Eden Everlastingly. For there was
the Tree of life; whereof he was so long allowed to eat, as he should forbear to eat of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evill; which was not allowed him. And therefore as soon as he had
eaten of it, God thrust him out of Paradise, lest he should put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and live for ever. By which it seemeth to me, (with submission neverthelesse both in this, and in all questions, whereof the determination dependeth on the Scriptures, to
the interpretation of the Bible authorized by the Common-wealth, whose Subject I am,) that
Adam if he had not sinned, had had an Eternall Life on Earth: and that Mortality entred upon
himself, and his posterity, by his first Sin. Not that actuall Death then entred; for Adam then
could never have had children; whereas he lived long after, and saw a numerous posterity ere
he dyed. But where it is said, In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die, it must needs bee meant of his Mortality, and certitude of death. Seeing then Eternall life was lost by
Adams forfeiture, in committing sin, he that should cancell that forfeiture was to recover
thereby, that Life again. Now Jesus Christ hath satisfied for the sins of all that beleeve in him;
and therefore recovered to all beleevers, that ETERNALL LIFE, which was lost by the sin of
Adam. And in this sense it is, that the comparison of St. Paul holdeth ( Rom. 5. 18, 19.) As by the offence of one, Judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the
righteousnesse of one, the free gift came upon all men to Justification of Life. Which is again (1
Cor. 15. 21, 22.) more perspicuously delivered in these words, For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall
all be made alive.
Texts concerning the place of Life Eternall, for Beleevers.
Concerning the place wherein men shall enjoy that Eternall Life, which Christ hath obtained for
them, the texts next before alledged seem to make it on Earth. For if as in Adam, all die, that
is, have forfeited Paradise, and Eternall Life on Earth, even so in Christ all shall bee made
alive; then all men shall be made to live on Earth; for else the comparison were not proper.
Hereunto seemeth to agree that of the Psalmist, ( Psal. 133. 3.) Upon Zion God commanded
the blessing, even Life for evermore: for Zion, is in Jerusalem, upon Earth: as also that of S.
Joh. ( Rev. 2. 7.) To him that overcommeth I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. This was the tree of Adams Eternall life; but his life was to have been on Earth. The same seemeth to be confirmed again by St. Joh. ( Rev. 21. 2.) where he
saith, I John saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a Bride adorned for her husband: and again v. 10. to the same effect: As if he
should say, the new Jerusalem, the Paradise of God, at the coming again of Christ, should
come down to Gods people from Heaven, and not they goe up to it from Earth. And this differs
nothing from that, which the two men in white clothing (that is, the two Angels) said to the
Apostles, that were looking upon Christ ascending ( Acts I. II.) This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come, as you have seen him go up into Heaven. Which
soundeth as if they had said, he should come down to govern them under his Father, Eternally
here; and not take them up to govern them in Heaven; and is conformable to the Restauration
of the Kingdom of God, instituted under Moses; which was a Political government of the Jews
on Earth. Again, that saying of our Saviour ( Mat. 22. 30.) that in the Resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the Angels of God in heaven, is a description of an Eternall Life, resembling that which we lost in Adam in the point of Marriage. For seeing Adam,
and Eve, if they had not sinned, had lived on Earth Eternally, in their individuall persons; it is
manifest, they should not continually have procreated their kind. For if Immortals should have
generated, as Mankind doth now; the Earth in a small time, would not have been able to afford
them place to stand on. The Jews that asked our Saviour the question, whose wife the woman
that had married many brothers, should be, in the resurrection, knew not what were the
consequences of Life Eternall: and therefore our Saviour puts them in mind of this
consequence of Immortality; that there shal be no Generation, and consequently no marriage,
no more than there is Marriage, or generation among the Angels. The comparison between that
Eternall life which Adam lost, and our Saviour by his Victory over death hath recovered;
holdeth also in this, that as Adam lost Eternall Life by his sin, and yet lived after it for a time; so the faithful Christian hath recovered Eternal Life by Christs passion, though he die a natural
death, and remaine dead for a time; namely, till the Resurrection. For as Death is reckoned
from the Condemnation of Adam, not from the Execution; so Life is reckoned from the
Absolution, not from the Resurrection of them that are elected in Christ.
Ascension into heaven.
That the place wherein men are to live Eternally, after the Resurrection, is the Heavens,
meaning by Heaven, those parts of the world, which are the most remote from Earth, as where
the stars are, or above the stars, in another Higher Heaven, called Cœlum Empyreum,
(whereof there is no mention in Scripture, nor ground in Reason) is not easily to be drawn from
any text that I can find. By the Kingdome of Heaven, is meant the Kingdom of the King that
dwelleth in Heaven; and his Kingdome was the people of Israel, whom he ruled by the
Prophets his Lieutenants, first Moses, and after him Eleazar, and the Soveraign Priests, till in
the days of Samuel they rebelled, and would have a mortall man for their King, after the
manner of other Nations. And when our Saviour Christ, by the preaching of his Ministers, shall
have perswaded the Jews to return, and called the Gentiles to his obedience, then shall there
be a new Kingdom of Heaven; because our King shall then be God, whose throne is Heaven;
without any necessity evident in the Scripture, that man shall ascend to h