2 TriES. II. 9, 10.] THE SEVENTH SERMON. 73
such thing could be alleged, or was pretended, therefore these were sufficient.
2. After the faith of Christ was sufficiently confirraed, miracles ceased ; and it was fit they should cease, for God doth nothing un- necessarily. The Christian doctrine is the same that it was, and is to be the same till the end of the world ; we have a sure and authentic record of it, which is the holy scriptures. The truth of Christ's office and doctrine is fully proved, and cometh transmitted to us by the consent of many successions of ages, in whose experience God hath blessed it to the converting, comforting, and saving of many a soul. Look, as the Jews, every time the law was brought forth, were not to expect the thunderings and lightnings, and the voice of the terrible trumpet, with which it was given at first on Mount Sinai (one solemn confirmation served for after ages) ; they knew it was a law given by the ministry of angels, and so entertained it with veneration and respect ; so Christianity needed to be once solemnly confirmed (after ages have the use of the first miracles) ; for the apostle compareth these two things, the giving of the law and the gospel : Heb. ii. 2-4, ' For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgres- sion and disobedience received a just recompense of reward : how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by them that heard him ? ' we must be contented with God's owning it now only in the way of his Spirit and providence.
3. That upon the ceasing of miracles, or their growing to be un- necessary, we have the more cause to suspect them who will revive this pretence of a power to work miracles ; especially after we are cautioned against these delusions, as here in the text against the lying wonders of Antichrist, and elsewhere : Mat. xxiv. 24, ' For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch, that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect;' and again, Rev. xiii. 13, 'He doth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven upon earth in the sight of men.' But herein they triumph, when did they ever pretend to do so? Ans. This is not to be taken literally, for the whole chapter is mystical ; none can be so ignorant that Antichrist shall arise as a beast out of the sea, with seven heads and ten horns ; therefore, to fetch fire from heaven is only an allusion to Elias, that he should pretend to work miracles, as did Elias, who brought fire from heaven, 1 Kings xviii. 24 ; and yet, in the letter, it was fulfilled in Pope Hildebrand, or Gregory VII., as one Paulus, who wrote his life, testifieth, who mentioneth divers wonders of fire wrought by him, and sundry times resembles him to Elias. The meaning is, he shall make his followers as confident of their errors as if they saw fire come from heaven to confirm them. But to return. We being thus cautioned and forewarned, miracles thus performed are deceitful. But you will say, though miracles are not necessary to confirm the faith, yet they are necessary to convince the falsehood of heresies. Ans. Heresies being a corruption of the faith once received, are to be confuted by arguments, not miracles ; by evidence of doctrine, not wonders : partly lest the people be deceived by magical impostures,
74 THE SEVENTH SERMON. [2 TllES. 11. 9, 10.
for it requireth some skill to distinguish true miracles from those that are deceitful, and done by the power of the devil ; partly because verum est index sui et ohliqni — faith stated and confirmed showeth i what is error ; so that to confute error by miracles is nothing but to confirm truth by miracles.
4. Whosoever teach false doctrine, not consonant to the truth of scriptures, or that faith of Christ which was confirmed by miracles, their wonders are lying wonders, and, how plausible soever they seem, are lying wonders, and not to be believed. Surely miracles must needs be false and pretended which are brought to confirm a doctrine contrary to that which is already confirmed by miracles ; for God is faitliful, and cannot deny himself, and therefore he cannot be the author of miracles whereby things contrary to each other may be confirmed. If the faith once be established by other miracles, we are to believe the latter miracles to be a mere imposture ; for Christ is not yea, and nay, but 'yea, and Amen,' 1 Cor. i. 19, 20. The appari- tion of an angel is a great miracle, but ' if an angel preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed,' Gal. i. 8. It is a supposition of an impossible case, necessary to forewarn the people of God against the delusions of the devil, changing himself into an angel of light. Surely God will never contradict himself.
5. The miracles wrought by Antichrist and his adherents are mira, but not miracula, some wonderful things, but no true and proper mi- racles ; else, as Austin saith, Figmenta mcndacium Jiominum, poj^tenia fallacium spirituum — either the fictions of lying men, or the illusions of deceiving spirits. Many times the matter of fact is not true ; at other times the thing done is but some illusion of the senses by the devil, or something taken for a miracle which doth not exceed the power of nature. Either way it is an imposture ; and, indeed, the miracles of the legends are so false, so ridiculous, so light and trivial, that they expose Christianity to contempt ; or else, if there be any- thing in it, it giveth suspicions of magical illusion and converse with the devil wliich, among their votaries and recluses, is no unusual thing.