Diversities of Miraculous Operations were but the outward Counter point And therefore herein we may understand the Supernatural Excellency of Grace and Salvation by Christ Even as we Acknowledg Miracle far above Nature so the Salvation of the Gospel being most Perfect Miracle is in every Thing above Nature VVorks of Righteousness we have done is Nature If we are sav'd by them It is then indeed no other than Nature but if by the Free Grace of God Pardoning and Accepting through the Righteousness of Christ This is Miracle Works done by Free VVill is Nature Works done by the Grace and Power of the Divine Spirit is Miracle Oh! how great a Tryal is this of Doctrines whatever enters into that VVorlâ— to come whereof we speak with Acceptanee is Miracle a part of that VVorld to Come And though what we call Nature now is indeed Grace from the Mediator yet It is so mix'd with the Apostasy that if it is not sublimated Raised to the Height by Grace it will subside sink down to the very Bottom of the Apostasy Lastly Miracles Rightly considered shew the Order even the Primary Oorder of Grace For as Miraculous Power was first in Motion and Manifestation of it self ere there could be particular Application and not only so but there was a particular Approach of such Grace ready to Work which excited the Faith of the Person that was to Receive the Benefit of the Miracle and so the Miraculous Power Entred where Miraculous Power had no Place there Unbeleif prevail'd and no mighty Works were or could be done Even so in all the Spiritual Miraculous Powers The Grace given and Working Faith and Repentance and Obedience first Enâ—er and then the Graces Themselves For Grace even as Nature Fabricates and Raises its own Habitation or Reception Even by it Self So it is not of him that willeth or of him that runneth but of God who sheweth mercy Yet it is our Duty to pray earnestly for Grace in ourselves and others even as it is our Duty to wait upon All Means to wait especially on Grace it self Infer 4. How admirable is the Gift and Grace of God in Removing out of the World that Diversity and Strangeness of Tongues that both in different Words and Sounds as well as different Pronunciations of the same Words came in by a Miracle of Judgment on the Builders of Babel and hath continued a certain Diagnostick or Brand of the State of Confusion whose Base and House is in the Land of Shinar the Antichristian Babylonian Kingdom most contrary to the Kingdom of Salem and to the True Melchisedec Jesus Christ King of Righteousness King of Peace Now therefore at his first Appearance in his Kingdom and the Preaching of the Everlasting Gospel by the APostles in an Offerture of it at that time and a Pledg of what shall be There was a very Illustrious Specimen of the Babelism or Confusion of Languages Removed Yet it shall be much more illustrious at the utter Faâ—l of Babylon and its Kingdom For then the Lord shall shall turn to the People universally a pure Language They shall All speak the Language of Canan And this must needs be so when the Everlasting Gospel shall be Preached to Every Tongue and Language under Heaven Then must there be either one Vniversal Language spoken and understood by All to Preach it in or else there must be an Immediate Passing out of one Language into Another both in Speaking and Understanding Either of which is most undeniably the Work of that Infinite Power that made mans mouth that gave it speech and then Activity of Reason Turning every way and guiding that Speech This alone can Conciliate those both Different Voices Sounds Accents and manners of Pronunciation that are found in Different Languages or Tongues and the Different Formings of the same Language and Frame all into one Universal Character or Sound and Expression of Truth of the Gospel most suitable to the Glory of that Vniversal Monarch King of Kings Lord of Lords Then also shall all that Babelism or Confusion of Opinions so proper to Babylon concerning the Truths of the Gospel be Reconcil'd into Speaking one Thing being of the same Mind and Judgmen tand that perfectly or to Perfection Infer 5. And to conclude this Discourse Seeing the Messiah the Second Adam the Lord from Heaven and his Kingdom his World to come and these Miraculous Powers even to the bringing forth the New Heaven and the New Earth are always together Oh that moved by the Blessed Spirit who says Come and Joyning with the Bride which says Come we also Hearing and Sympathizing or moved Alike may say Come Oh let it be said Oh Zion Thy King cometh The Flock of Saints the multitude of Them Come The Lord our God shall come and all the Saints with Thee The Breaker shall come up before them They have broken through They have passed through the Gate and are gone out by it and their King shall pass before them the Lord even Jehovah on the Head of them Mic. 2. 13. Even so Come Lord Jesus Come quickly And thus I have Finished the Proof of the Return of Miracles I shall in this following Discourse Essay a Full and Satisfactory Proof by the Sure Word of Prophecy That The Return of Miracles shall be in the Succession of the Kingdom of Christ 1697. THE Great Charter FOR THE INTERPRETATION OF ALL Prophecy of Scripture AND OF The TIMES Defined by it PLEADED In Justification of what hath been Written thereupon against the several Imputations of Curiosity Groundless Presumption Phantastry or Enthusiasm 2 PET. I. 20. Knowing this first That no Prophecy of Scripture is of any private Interpretation IT is very Notorious there is nothing Learned and good Men are more Scandalized at or give slighter Regard to throughout all that is offered to them from the Word of God than the Interpretation of Scripture Prophecy especially if Any come to the Interpretation of those Prophecies that Define Time Now this arises from a strong Pre-judgment or Pre-possession of Mind That such Prophecies and most particularly concerning Time are not possible or hardly Lawful to be Interpreted and that it is presumption to offer at it and that all that is drawn from such Interpretation is no other than Groundless Phantastry I have therefore Resolved since the Lord as I Trust hath Himself engaged my Labours in this his Vineyard to make it my Humble endeavour to Explorate and to Find out by this Scripture How far such Attempts of Interpretation are Justified and the Success assur'd by the Word of God Now this Text and the whole Context seem even at the first sight to give Highest Countenance and Favour hereunto for it expresly affirms No Prophecy of Scripture not of Daniel or of the Revelation or any other Scripture Prophecy nor of the Numbers relating to Time in those Prophecies and wherein the preciseness of Times is Deposited and Lay'd up is of Private Interpretation I
shall be your Judges as in a Conneel The Miraculous Efficacies were also of greater Disposition and freer Distribution Accordingly we may suppose The 144000 with the Fathers Name writ on their Foreheads who learn the New Song First and those who are In structed by Them in it shall very Universally yet according to his Wisdom and Will who is the Supreme Donor be Endued with Power from above as Ministers of State in the Kingdom of Christ and Receiving Gifts for it 3. These Miraculous Powers were Dispens'd in a Frequency in a Continued Dayliness in an universality we find our Lord on all occasions dispens'd these Largesses of Heavenly Bounty and Compassion He never denyed any He extended them to his very Enemies the High Priests Servant onely he was as it were Repuls'd in his Grace by the Vnbelief of some He could do no mighty Works because of their Vnbelief that is he declar'd himself so that he might leave a Testimony against that Sin and Warn all of it Else He went about doing good He Healed all manner of Sickness and diseases And so by the Apostles This Miraculous Power was carried throughout the several Circuits of their Ministry as the Apostle Paul Witnesses concerning his own round about from Jerusalem to Illyricum He Preached the Gospel with mighty Signs and Wonders and Gifts of the Holy Spirit Rom. 15. And without doubt in the same manner shall this Miraculous Power Compass Sea and Land in the Preaching the Everlasting Gospel to every Tongue Nation and Lauguage And till this be I would Require none to believe Miracles are Return'd and then indeed it will be undeniable 4. As there was thus a Power of Miracles given to the Commission'd Officers of Christ and to his Gifted Servants So there was a Faith of both doing Miracles and a Faith of Receiving the Benefit of those Miraculous Efficacies For as the Apostle speaks of All Faith 1 Cor. 13. 1. Viz. Miraculous or Wonder working Faith So that I could saith he remove Mountains c so there is a Faith of Receiving the Benefit of Miracles For Peter and John and Paul are said Acts 2. c. 14 To perceive a Faith to be Healed a Faith of Receiving And our Lord took notice of the Faith of the Centurion and others altho it is True In many Acts of Grace there was no Regard we can Find to the Faith of the Receiver but the mighty Power and Mercy of God Sallyed out upon Persons by the Faith of the Ministers of the Miraculous Power Having Mercy because he would have Mercy And it gives us an Emblem of the Grace and Power of Christ in Conversion and bringing home to himself sometimes as it seems in a way of Preparation sometimes wholly without but however it seems it is certain Divine Power and Grace Drawing near did Erect that Faith that is in the Wise Ordination necessary to Receive Christ Grace Pardon Justification Sanctification even as the Miraculous Power of Christ being abroad and Drawing Nigh Raised so generally a Faith in that Miraculous Power so general and the particular Dtawing Nigh of Christ excited it in the particular Persons on whom the Benefits were bestowed And thus in the Return of Miracles the Servants of Christ both in Ordinary and Extraordinary Commission'd to Work Miracles shall be Cloath'd with a Faith to that End that those who can by no means Believe now such a Power shall Return will by Feeling that very Power comming upon them and the Hand-writing of the Fathers Name by the Spirit on their Foreheads will be fully perswaded of his wondrous works being as near as his Name to Declare it and these effects flowing out from it upon others There will be a Rousing the Senseless sleepy World that knows not yet the Blessings near it to wait for the Graces to be bestowed by this Power Till these things are No Opinions or best Fram'd Discourses No Essays Beginnings or Scatterings of such a Power can perswade I know none would have it so that Miracles are Returned But when these are none will be able to perswade the contrary and in the mean time the Hopes Expectations and Prayers of Christians are hereby rais'd 5. There arose then and there will arise at the Return of Miracles such full Assurance such Plerophory of Persuasion concerning the Truth of Things that they can be no more doubted than the Assurances of the Light and of the Day and indeed as Cartes Argues Rational Intellectual Assurance surmounts all Sensible even so Spiritual Surmounts both Sensible and Intellectual and this both as to matter of Fact that indeed such things are wrought and that they are wrought by God by a Divine Power and that herein is the Finger of God 6. Herewith a mighty Stream and Torrent of Truth pass'd along and Fill'd the World with the Light and Glory of it in very wonderful manner then and shall much more do so at the Return of Miracles that the Isles shall wait for the Law of Christ his Name shall be great from the Rising of the Sun to the going down of the same The Knowledg of the Lord and of his Glory shall Cover the Earth as the VVaters do the Sea The Light of one Day shall be as the Light of Seven For so hath the mouth of the Lord spoken He hath spoken and he will do it He will VVork and none shall let it He the Lord will hasten it in his own Time No one of these things shall want it's Mate and tho it be wonderful in our Eyes yet shall it be so in his 7. There was a mighty Power of Converting Grace a change of the Hearts Tempers purpose manner of Life and Conversation of men as appears by the 3000 Converted at one Sermon of the Apostle Peters Acts 2. a Real and Sincere and Sound Conversion as the Spirit of God Implies to us saying the Lord Added to that Number then of his Church and to his Church Daily such as should be saved The Five first Chapters of the Acts plainly shew us what the State of Christianity and of the Churches of Christ was before the Apostasy made some Inroads upon it c. 6. How they walk'd in singleness of heart all Spiritual Joy and Gladness of Heart in the Fear of the Lord and had all things Common a Heavenly Spirit and Temper prevailed in them And so shall it be at the return of Miracles a Spirit of Holiness Heavenly Mindedness Love Charity Singleness of Heart and all Purity shall come back with them For these inward Powers of Grace and Divine Presence are the Life and Spirit to Miracles when the one returns so shall the other also and nothing will indeed so convince the World of a Divine Power and Presence as to find it self thus Chang'd and quite other than as now it Criminates and recriminates upon it self as it now perpetually complains of Accuses and Condemns it self 8. As in the Miracles of Christ and of the Apostles there
to the Believer in Christ Rom. 8. 3. I would but parallel it thus A Man is Blind or Lame or Sick or Lunatick or any of those things we read of in the Gospel All the Power of Nature summoned together the whole Colledge of Physicians and of all the Wise Men in Nature being summoned together they could not have healed a Man born Blind They could not have interposed in the Case of those persons at all much less in an Instant as Christ healed them in the Instant I say therefore what Nature could not do and all the Power of Art joyn'd with it could not do that God sending his Son in the likeness of sinful Flesh did He hore away our Sicknesses carried our Sorrows so as to heave them off from us upon himself This we greedily enough allow to be Miracle In the same manner whatever the Law the Eternal Rule of Righteousness cannot in regard of the Sinfulness and Guilt of the Nature and of the Transgressions and Iniquities of Men do in the point of Justification before Gâ—d when this Justification is accomplished by the Righteousness of God in the Mediator it must needs be Miracle For as is the Power of God and his Omnipotency in Point of Efficiency such is the Righteousness of God in the Point of Justification and as is the Loss or Deprivation of any of the Faculties of the Soul or Body of the Power due to Innate or Connatural to Them So is the want of a Righteousness of Approbation or Acceptaâ—ce in a Man wherein he may stand before the Just Jâ—dg as of full Number Weight and Measure according to that Law of Righteousness Given to Man and by which his Righteousness shall be Judged whether it be a Righteousness or not If therefore there had been any Law or Rule of Righteousness that Mans Sin being consider'd could have given Righteousness let it have been the First Law or any After Law Verily Righteousness should have been by it Gal 3. 21. He Brings in these Words Is the Law against the Promises of God God forbid it is as if he had said Is there any Reason the Eternal Law of Righteousness should speaking of it as of a person Weighing its own Honour Reputation have Inclination against the promises of God as undermining it and surprizing that Honour and Glory from it of giving Righteousness or as if God to speak with Reverence were fond of Justifying men by the Righteousness of another or as if for the Glory of his Grace and of his Son he had brought in his Righteousness and begg'd of Men to take it when there was a Law that was worthy to be call d a Law of Righteousness by which they might better or but as well have had it of their own All this saith the Apostle be far from God to bring in his Promises in so Precarious a manner But the Case of Man Absolutely Requires it he could not satisfy he could not Answer any such Law of Righteousness by himself The Scripture â—ath concluded or shut up every way on every side all mankind under sin It must be by Miracle by Free Justification by the Righteousness of Another and by Free Pardon upon that Righteousness wholly out of the Creature and by the Creator Jehovah our Righteousness and this is Miracle It is therefore said Scripture hath shut up men under sin that the promise by Faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that Believe Now what is given by promise is Miracle as Isaac a Son of Miracle Miraculously Given was a Son of Promise as we find Rom. 9. 9. The Promise was At this Time will I return und Sarah shall have a Son And as it is thus in the Point of Acceptance as Righteous before God So it is in the Point of Conversion Regeneration Sanctification It is all by Miracle For it â—s by Promise It is by a covenant of free Grace therefore it is by Miracle A new Heart and a New Spirit will I Give you I will take away the Heart of stone and Give you a Heart of Flesh I will write my Laws in their Heart and put my Fear in their Inward parts and they shall not depart from me Ezâ—k 36. Jerem. 31. Heb. 8. All This is by promise Therefore It is by Miracle It is by a New Covenant as I have said Miracle is a New thing therefore it is All Miracle Both then even Justification and Renovation they look toward the Kingdom of Christ toward the World to come So they are by Miracle For Miracle and the World to come turn one upon another Therefore as Justification so Renovation is by promise by Free Grace and so by Miracle Free Will is according to the Law of the First Creation and not Miracle in any other way than as hath been said before the First Creation and the first Spring of All is Miracle There are Two Frees as I may so speak that make a Great Noise among us Free Grace and Free Will And although they do not so in themselves yet Men set them into an Encounter one with the other They do not so in Themselves any more than the Law and the Promises of God which the Jews Rencountered one against another do For if there had been a Free Will that could have produc'd Faith Repentance Renovation Verily they should have been by Free Will But God hath concluded All under Vnbelief that he might have mercy upon all If therefore the Men of Free Will were speaking of the State of the First Creation I confess they discours'd well excellent wâ—ll but because it is the World to come of which we speak Therefore All Free Will in such sense falls to the Ground All is by Miracle by Miracle of Grace by Miracle of the New Creation For the making tfiis plain by Scripture we shall see how Duely this arises from John 3. 1 c. Christ had a Learned Man in the Jewish Law to deal with Nicodemus a Ruler among the Jews and I doubt not He might have sate among the Doctors of the Chair for Free Will and he would have voted no doubt in all they said with them He came with a Great Complement to Christ calling him Rabbi We know saith he Thou art a Teacher come from God For no man can do the Miracles thou doest except God be with him Here you see he had a great sense of Miracles and of the Miracles of Christ that is his Miracles especially on the Outward Man Christ therefore as it were withdraws him from the Outward Court of Miracles into the Inner Court of Spiritual Miracles that yet as I have said give both inward and outward Assurance of Themselves Christ instructs him therefore in the Point of Regeneration Except a man be born again a new or from above Either way signifies Miracle he cannot see the Kingdom of God What says Nicodemus to this This Great Man that came to acknowledge the Miracles of Christ Oh saith