the regions belonging to the Jews. But no fuch difpofitions were to be found in the Gentiles. There was among them no matter prepared for imposture to work upon, no knowledge of Chrift, no thought, of his power, or of the power of those who came in his name. Thus when, at Lyftra*, St. Paul healed the man who was a cripple from his birth, fo far were the people there from fuppofing that he could be able to do fuch a thing as an Apofile of Chrift, or by any virtue derived from him, that they took Paul and Barnabas to be gods of their own, come down in the likeness of men, and would have facrificed to them as fuch.

Now I ask, Did, the citizens of Lyfira concur in this matter to the deceiving. themselves? Were their imaginations, overheated with any conceits of a miraculous. power belonging to Paul, which could difpofe them to think he worked fuch a miracle. when he did not? As the contrary is evident, fo in all other places to which he

* Acts xiv.

carried

carried the Gospel, it may be proved to demonstration, that he could find no difpofition, no aptnefs, no bias to aid his imposture, if the miracles, by which he every where confirmed his preaching, had not been true.

On the other hand let us examine, whether without the advantage of fuch an affiftance there was any confederacy trong enough to impofe his falfe miracles upon the Gentiles, who were both unprepared and undifpofed to receive them. The contrary is apparent. He was in no combination. with their priests or their magiftrates; no Ject or party among them gave him any help; all eyes were open and watchful to detect his impoftures, all hands ready to punish him as foon as detected. Had he remained in Judea, he would at least have had many confederates, all the Apostles, all the Difciples of Chrift, at that time pretty numerous; but in preaching to the Gentiles he was often alone, never with more than two or three companions or followers. Was this a confederacy powerful enough to carry

on

on fuch a cheat, in fo many different parts of the world, against the united oppofition of the magiftrates, priefts, philofophers, people, all combined to detect and expofe their frauds?

Let it be alfo confidered, that thofe upon whom they practifed thefe arts were not a grofs or ignorant people, apt to mistake any uncommon operations of nature, or juggling tricks, for miraculous acts. The churches planted by St. Paul were in the most enlightened parts of the world, among the Greeks of Afia and Europe, among the Romans, in the midft of fcience, philofophy, freedom of thought, and in an age, more inquifitively curious into the powers of nature, and lefs inclined to credit religious frauds, than any before it. Nor were they only the lowest of the people that he converted. Sergius Paulus, the proconful of Paphos, Eraftus*, Chamberlain of Corinth, and Dionyfius the Areopagite, were his profelytes.

➜ cixoní, pos rõs wóλsws, treasurer or bailiff of the city.

Upon the whole it appears beyond contradiction, that his pretenfion to miracles was not affifted by the difpofition of those whom he defigned to convert by those means, nor by any powerful confederary to carry on, and abet the cheat, without both which concurring circumstances, or one at leaft, no fuch pretenfion was ever fupported with any fuccefs.

Both thefe circumstances concurred even in the late famous miracles fuppofed to be done at Abbé Paris's tomb. They had not indeed the support of the government, and for that reafon appear to deserve more attention than other popish miracles; but they were fupported by all the Janfenifts, a very powerful and numerous party in France, made up partly of wife and able men, partly of bigots and enthufiafts. All these confederated together to give credit to miracles, faid to be worked in behalf of their party, and those who believed them were strongly difpofed to that belief. And And yet with thefe advantages how eafily were they suppressed! Only by walling up that part of the church,

where

where the tomb of the Saint, who was fupposed to work them, was placed! Soon after this was done, a paper was fixed on the wall with this infcription:

De par le roy defenfe à Dieu

De faire miracle en ce lieu.

By command of the king, God is forbidden to work any more miracles here. The pasquinade was a witty one, but the event turned the point of it against the party by which it was made: for if God had really worked any miracles there, could this abfurd prohibition have taken effect? Would he have fuffered his purpose to be defeated by building a wall? When all the Apostles were fhut up in prifon to hinder their working of miracles*, the angel of the Lord opened the prifon doors, and let them out. But the power of Ablé Paris could neither throw down the wall that excluded his votaries, nor operate through that impediment. And yet his miracles are often compared with,

*Acts v..16. & fequentes, to the 26th.