ftian, but that he often hath, ftill does, and always will difpenfe great Favours to the Gentiles alfo, and, where he finds occafion, work great Wonders for, and with them; and therefore there is no need of denying Miracles to have been wrought among the Heathens. These I call all of them Providential Miracles, but they fignify nothing to the confirmation of any other truth, than that there is a Good, a Merciful, and Powerful God, that governeth the World, and loveth Mankind.

A. But granting this, yet what shall we fay to Miracles faid to be wrought among

mong and by the Heathens, even after the Coming of Jefus Chrift, when they might rather do Mischief?

B. I do not fee, why God fhould not be favourable to Heathens, even after Chrift's coming, and, by permitting Miracles to be now and then wrought, keep up the Senfe of his Being, Power, and Goodness among them: If you think thefe Miracles would rather hinder them from entertaining the Christian Doctrine, by affording them an Answer to the Chriftian Preachers and Apostles, namely that they had alfo Miracles wrought among them I anfwer, that all

thefe

these were Providential Miracles, and were not wrought either in Opposition to, or Confirmation of any Doctrine, or way of Divine Worship, and therefore could be of no advantage to the HeathenCause, nor difadvantage to the Chriftian. But let me ob ferve to you, upon this occafion, that many more Miracles have been difcourfed of, and pretended to be wrought, by and among the Heathens, fince our Saviour's days, than before them; which is a fort of Evidence to the truth of Chrift's Miracles, a Confirmation I mean of the truth of the matter of fact, that Miracles were wrought

by

by Christ, and a confirmation that Christians infifted much upon that Argument to prove their Doctrine true. For this it was that occafioned the cunninger fort of Gentiles to fpread abroad among the Vulgar, that other People wrought Miracles, as well as Chrift, and Christians; and therefore that the pretence of Miracles, was not fufficient to withdraw them from their Antient, Universal Worship of many Gods. They could not deny that Chrift, and Christians wrought both great and many Miracles, nor could they deny the natural force of fuch an Argument, unless they could oppofe Miracles

wrought

wrought by their own People, to the Miracles of Chrift and Christians; for then they must fignify nothing on either fide, or as much on theirs, as on the Chriftian fide. And there. fore the Temptation to invent a great many strange Stories, was too great for them to withstand, and they fell into it. And therefore, as I faid, there is a great deal more to do about Miracles, among the Heathen, fince the days of Chrift, than before.

A. But if the Chriftians had allowed that Miracles were and might still be wrought by and among the Heathens had they not wanted an Anfwer,