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den turn to their minds, and offering visions to them either by day or by night; so that instead of hating the word, they become ready even to lay down their lives for it. I have seen many examples of this sort; and should I only set down such of them as were transacted in my presence, I should expose myself to the loud laughter of the unbelievers, who imagine that we, like the rest whom they suspect of forging such things, are imposing our forgeries 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 another place, he says that miracles began with the preaching of Jesus, were multiplied after his ascension, and then again decreased; but that, even in his days, some remains of them continued with a few, whose souls were cleansed by the word, and a life conformable to it. Again; 'some,' says he, 'in proof of a miraculous power received through faith in Christ, heal the sick, by invoking the name of God over them, and of Jesus, with a recital of some story of his life. I myself have SEEN many so healed in difficult cases; loss of senses, madness, and innumerable other evils, which neither men nor devils could cure.' Again; speaking of devils, 'We are so far,' says he, 'from worshipping them, that by prayers and the rehearsal of some pas sages of the sacred writ, we drive them before us; out of men and places, and also out of beasts; for they sometimes attempt to do mischief also to these.' Then as

to the method of performing this miracle, 'it was not,' he says, 'by any curious, magical or enchanting arts, but by prayer alone, and certain plain adjurations or exorcisms, which any simple Christian might perform: for even common and illiterate laymen were generally the actors in this case.' In which no man was more eminent, than one of his own disciples, Gregory, called the Wonder-worker, who cast out devils, not only by word of mouth, but even by a message, or mandatory letter to them; as the ecclesiastical writers have recorded of him.

Cyprian, the scholar of Tertullian, who wrote about the middle of the third century, speaking of prophetic vision, which was the peculiar gift of that age, says: 'Besides the visions of the night, even boys among us are filled with the Holy Ghost, and in fits of ecstasy,* see, hear, and speak things, by which the Lord thinks fit to instruct us.' And describing all the various pranks of the devils, 'they insinuate themselves,' says he 'into the bodies of men, raise terrors in the mind, distortions in the limbs, break the constitution, and bring on diseases: yet adjured by us in the name of the true God, they presently yield, confess, and are forced to quit the bodies which they possessed. You may see them by our command, and the secret operation of the divine power, lashed with scourges, scorched with fire, tortured by an increase of pains; howling, groaning,

*Is it not possible that these phenomena were the results of Animal Magaetism?

begging; confessing whence they came, and whither they go, even in the hearing of their own worshippers: and they either fly out immediately, or vanish gradually, according to the FAITH of the PATIENT, or the grace of him who works the cure.'* In another place, treating again on the same miracle, 'it is performed,' says he, 'at this day, so that the devil is lashed and burned and tortured by the exorcists, with human words, but a divine power: and when he promises to go out, and to dismiss the men of God, he often deceives, and by the same lie of obstinacy and fraud, does what Pharaoh had done before, till he is oppressed by the salutary water of baptism.'

Arnobius, who is supposed to have published his book against the Gentiles, in the year of Christ 303, tells us that 'Christ used to appear sometimes in those days, to just and holy men, not in vain dreams, but in his pure and simple form: and that the mention of his name put the evil spirits to flight; struck their prophets dumb; deprived the soothsayers of the power of answering; and frustrated the acts of the arrogant magicians.'

Lactantius, the disciple of Arnobius, who flourished and wrote about the same time, speaking of those demons or evil spirits, says that 'being adjured by the Christians in the name of God, they retire out of the bodies of men; and being lashed by their words, as by scourges, confess themselves to be demons; and even

*It seems that "faith" had something to do with the success of these miracles, as well as with those of the New Testament.

tell their names; the same which are adored in the temples; and this even in the presence of their worshippers; yet casting no reproach on religion, but on their own honor, because it is not in their power to lie either to God, in whose name they are adjured, or to the just, by whose voice they are tortured: wherefore after many howlings, they frequently cry out, that they are scourged and burned, and are going out instantly."

These are the principal testimonies, which assert the miraculous gifts of the Primitive Church, through the three first centuries; which might be supported still by MANY MORE of the same kind, and from the same, as well as different writers, if it were necessary."*

You are, no doubt, by this time, somewhat curious to know how Dr. Middleton could dispose of such a mass of testimony, which is all direct and very positive against his conclusion. The method which he adopts, for annulling it all, is this: he shows that the Fathers whom he quotes were superstitious and visionary, unfitted for judging impartially of what they perhaps really saw, and thinks, therefore, that their credulity was imposed upon, and that their zeal sometimes led them beyond the bounds of strict honesty. He says:

"I have shown, by many indisputable facts, that the ancient Fathers, by whose authority that delusion [the continuance of miracles] was originally imposed, and

"A Free Inquiry into the Miraculous Powers, which are supposed to have subsisted in the Christian Church, from the earliest ages through several successive centuries," &c. By CONYERS MIDDLETON, D. D. Published in London, in 1749. pp. 10-19.

has ever since been supported, were extremely credulous and superstitious; possessed with strong prejudices and an enthusiastic zeal, in favor, not only of Christianity in general, but of every particular doctrine, which a wild imagination could engraft upon it; and scrupling no art or means, by which they might propagate the same principles. In short; that they were of a character, from which nothing could be expected, that was candid and impartial; nothing, but what a weak or crafty understanding could supply, towards confirming those prejudices, with which they happened to be possessed; especially where religion was the subject, which above all other motives, strengthens every bias, and inflames every passion of the human mind. And that this was actually the case, I have shown also by many instances; in which we find them roundly affirming as true, things evidently false and fictitious; in order to strengthen, as they fancied, the evidences of the Gospel; or to serve a present turn of confuting an adversary; or of enforcing a particular point, which they were laboring to establish."*

May not some things which are here freely charged upon the Fathers, be affirmed, with equal truth, of the apostles of Jesus? In regard to some matters, were not they also "credulous," and "possessed of strong prejudices"? Did not they misapprehend the very nature of their Master's kingdom,-cherishing a worldly ambitious idea, in relation to some of its anticipated * Pref. to Free Inq. pp. 31, 32.

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