to them.

And this feems to have been the cafe of the people of Ifrael heretofore, in whose history there are many relations, not only of witches and apparitions, but also of angels affuming human shapes, * and of their appearing to, and having personal conferences with men and women; and fometimes in affairs not of the greatest importance. Thus it is recorded, that an Angel stood in the way, to hinder the paffage of Balaam's afs, in order to inftruct Balaam in a point which he was before fully determined to abide by, and that no worldly confideration should turn him from. Thus, again, it is recorded, that an Angel appeared to Manoah and his wife, to acquaint them of the birth of their fon Sampson, and to instruct the mother in what she should not eat nor drink; when it does not appear that Sampson was remarkable for any thing more than his great strength, and his being weak enough to be Delilah'd out of it. Indeed, the Angel faid, that Sampson fhould begin

The miniftry of Angels, (for any thing that appears) did not take place till Abraham's time, Hagar being the firft the Jewish history takes notice of, who had been ministered to in this way; an Angel finding her in the wilderness, advised her to return back and be fubject to her miftrefs, from whofe face fhe had fled. Gen. xvi. 7, 8, 9.

to deliver Ifrael; and the history faith, that he flew a great number of the Philiftines, while yet, notwithstanding, it does not appear that he delivered Ifrael at all. The belief of the perfonal appearance of Angels prevailed at that time, and that laid a foundation for the relations referred to, by dif pofing the minds of the people as aforefaid. But when men grow Sceptical and incredulous, or are unbelievers, with regard to these things, and when this becomes general; then they are not alike difpofed to impofe upon themselves, or to be put upon by others; and then things of this kind seldom or never happen, and this feems to be the the cafe with us at this day. We have no fuch things among us as the perfonal appearance of Angels, or of witches, or apparitions, or, at leaft, it is very rarely fo; and the reafon of this is obvious, viz. because our faith is too weak to admit them; for had we faith fufficient for these things, then, no doubt, they would take place among us, that is, this would be believed to be the cafe with us, as well as in the Church of Rome; and we should hear of thofe things as frequently now, as at any other time, or in any other part of the world. Moreover, the perfonal

ap

appearance and miniftry of Angels, furely, are as much wanted, and would be as useful to us now, as to any other people, or at any other time. And, I think, it may fairly be presumed, that Angels are as kind and benevolent now, as heretofore; and confequently, are as much difpofed to ferve the people of England, in these latter days, as they were the people of Canaan, in the days of the Jewish Patriarchs; and therefore, seeing we have no fuch things among us, it may justly be queftioned whether there ever were. I know it does not follow, by a neceffary confequence, that fecing we have no fuch things now, therefore there were none heretofore; but then, I think, it may by fairly prefumed to be the cafe. And, forafmuch as there are feveral relations ofAngels appearing, and having perfonal conferen ces with men and women, in the histories of Chrift's life and miniftry; to which I may add the account that is given of the graves opening, and of the dead bodies of faints that flept rising out of them, and appearing to many in the holy city, after Chrift's refurrection, which are facts of like kind; thefe relations, I think, weaken the credit of thofe hiftories. For if an historian could be weak.

and

and credulous enough to bring fuch stories as thefe into his hiftory, and represent them to be real facts, with refpect to which we have no certainty that fuch things take place in nature, but feem rather to be grounded on fancy and ftrong imagination, or on the cunning and craftiness of men, or, to say the best, on the vulgar errors of those times; then he may have been weak and credulous enough to introduce other things into his hiftory upon as flight grounds. Again,

As the miracles that were wrought by Christ were mostly done, not in the cities, but in the more obfcure parts of Judea; and as they were not entered upon record till long after the performance; and seeing it does not appear that the hiftories of these things were made publick at, or near the place of action as foon as they were written, but were rather kept as a facred treasure in the hands of believers, who were scattered

up and down the world; fo this rendered it exceeding difficult to have detected a fraud if there had been any; and this, I think, weakens the credit of thofe hiftories. I am fenfible it is often faid, that whereas Chrift's miracles were wrought in the open day-light,

and

and before a multitude of spectators; therefore, it would have been very easy to have detected a fraud, if there had been any fuch thing. But then, they who urge this do not confider that we have no other authority for it than the bare teftimony of the hiftorian; fo that the circumftance referred to, namely, that Chrift's works were performed before a multitude of fpectators, amounts to juft nothing at all. The multitude referred to have left no teftimonies concerning thofe facts; and therefore, the cafe is the fame to us as if they had not been fpectators of them. Witneffes without a teftimony are in fact but fo many mutes, and are not witnesses at all. So that the credit of the whole refts only upon the teftimony of the hiftorians, whofe hiftories, as I have already obferved, were written long after the facts took place, and do not appear to have been made publick at, or near the place of action as foon as they were written; nor, perhaps, could fuch a thing eafily have been done, taking all circumstances into the cafe, which yet feems necessary to have been done, in order to the detecting a fraud if there had been any; because without such a publication at the time of perform

ance,