fwer, if the Heathen fhould

You say we must

have faidbelieve the Christian Do&trine upon the score of Miracles wrought by Chriftians; We say we may continue Hea thens ftill, fince Miracles have been, and are, and may be ftill wrought, by and among the Heathens; what would a Chriftian have had to reply to this?

B. A Chriftian might have faid--- “ I do not fay that "the Doctrine of Christ

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true, because it has pleafed "God to work Miracles by, "and among Chriftians; "then I could not fay, the Gentile Worship is falle, fince I allow that it hath pleafed

pleafed God, to work Mi"racles alfo by, and among "the Gentiles: But this I fay, that the Doctrine of Chrift is true, because he said he came from God, and was to teach his Will, and, in confirmation of the truth of his coming from God, " and of what he fhould deliver, he faid he had Power to work great and many Miracles, and he did accordingly work great and many Miracles. And I fay, moreover, that the Gentile Theology, and way of Worship, are not built on, or supported by, the Miracles "that have been wrought by "and among the Gentiles, R

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because, they who wrought "them, pretended not tobe " fent of God, nor came to “set up any particular way "of Worship, nor knew that they should be able to work any Miracles, nor affirmed, at any time, upon the "credit of thofe Miracles, "that Christianity was not "the true Religion. All this, I think, a Christian would, or might have faid; at least I venture now to lay it down, as the fureft and most reafonable way of defending Christianity against all Exceptions, I mean as far as the Argument of Miracles is con cern'd to defend it, which I confefs. goes a great way with

A. You

A. You make no great account then, it should feem, of many wonderful things pafs'd among the Heathens, because you say they were Providential Miracles, not EEvidential ones. But what will you fay to the Blind and the Lame that were both of them healed by Vefpafian the Emperor, as Suetonius and Tacitus relate the matter, both of them Men of great Credit. "These two People came,

you know, to Vefpafian, and "told him, the God Serapis "had fhewed them, in their Sleep, that He might re"ftore Sight to the Blind, by fpitting on him, and Feet to the Lame, if he would R 2

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" but

"but touch him with his "Foot. Vefpafian believed nothing of the matter, and "therefore durft not so much ર as try; but being encoura « ged by those who stood a"bout him, he at last at

tempted, and had the Suc"cefs that had been foretold. What say you to this?

B. Why, I fay to it, firft, that it looks as if it had been, in part, transcribed from Mark viii. 23. and other Places, where our Saviour ufes the fame Actions in curing the Blind. Secondly, It appears an Artifice of Vefpafian's Friends and Followers, to raise his Credit with the World: Suetonius fays he was

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