these two men flew out the sea like winged fowls, but they were soon brought down. * Symbols,1 they also prophesied, but all by the works of the devil. And, if we look into ancient and modern historians, it will be found that numbers have. performed wonders, and all by enchantment; but none of them can say, I command that a fire shall come down from heaven: none of them can say, I command the sun to stand still.

Observe what is said: "And the Pharisees came forth and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and said, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you,* There shall no sign be given unto this generation. And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side." Mark viii. 11-13. Here we may observe, If Jesus was the true Messiah, it was his duty to have complied with all their requests; for, if not, why should they believe him? but what shall we say here? he who could shew no sign from heaven, himself teaches the world that they should give no credit if any person should come and say, I am the Messiah, and here I will shew you signs and wonders; he says, "Believe him not, for there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect: believe it not." Matt. xxiv., 24, 26: You see here, that bad and wicked men may shew great signs and wonders,

There can be no doubt, I conceive, that the word symbols has been here substituted, probably by a mistake of the printer, for Sybils.-J. S.

and yet does Jesus himself say, Believe not. Now the question will be, Why should any one believe his miracles, and not believe another? what is the proof that he should be believed there is none. Hence you may learn, that miracles are no evidence of the coming of the Messiah. Now, if miracles are no proof, then he was not the Messiah, and was no more than another person. Further I shall come to shew you, that even a prophet cannot be established by miracles. Moses, * the Lord of all the prophets, although he has shewn signs and wonders in the sight of nations, yet was not established as a prophet sent by God, until the giving of the law. But did Moses perform miracles, that Israel should believe him to be the prophet of God? no; for we read thus: * "And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders, which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go." Exod. iii. 20. "And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee." iv. 1. You see here, God said to Moses that he should do wonders, and they would believe him but Moses knew that miracles were not sufficient to convince them that he was sent by God, therefore he said, Behold, they will not believe me. Then God said, It is true what thou sayest; but I will give you a particular mark, whereby Israel will believe that I have sent you; "And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee; When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt,

ye shall serve God upon this mountain." iii. 12. Here we are instructed, * that miracles did not establish Moses as a prophet, until the giving of the law. Now, in the case of Moses, he could not bring forth Israel out of Egypt without miracles; for see here the answer of Pharaoh : “And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go?" v. 2. In this case Moses was forced to shew some miracles, to convince Pharaoh that there was a Lord above him ; and yet, after nine miracles were performed, the heart of Pharaoh still remained hard, until the last of the ten; then he let Israel depart. Although Pharaoh and his people were plagued ten times, yet again he assumed courage, took his army and followed them unto the Red Sea in this case again no alternative was left for Israel, but either to return to Egypt, or to cast themselves into the sea? What could Moses do here? nothing else but by a miracle to shew to Pharaoh that there was a Lord above him: the sea was divided, the one party walked over on dry foot, but the other party perished. * In the same manner, all the miracles which were done in the desert were necessary things, but not to establish himself as a prophet: for, although Israel had seen signs and wonders, yet still did not all Israel believe that he was sent by God; for, whenever they wished or longed for any thing, and Moses did not fulfil their desires immediately, they murmured. Thus they went on only for fifty days, and then the whole nation was brought forth out of the camp to meet

with God, and they stood at the nether part of the mount: here all the men of Israel, their wives, their sons, and their daughters all stood. Exod. xix. 17.

Now, to make them all fit to hear the voice of the great God of Israel, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon each that stood there, and thus became a whole nation, in one moment, prophets; for who is able to hear the voice of God, if he is not holy? * We find that afterward, when any one of the prophets was inspired, at that very time he lost the use of all his limbs; he lay like dead, and when he recovered he knew his commission. With all the prophets God spoke either in a dream or in a vision, except that with Moses he spoke mouth to mouth.

Now learn from the children of the fathers all the prophets were the children of that generation which came forth out of Egypt; but here, to the fathers and mothers he spoke face to face; for so it is written in the text: "The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount, out of the midst of the fire." Deut. v. 4. Every one must acknowledge that at that time each of the nation was a prophet; and here the Lord gave his law to a nation of prophets. This was the day for Moses to be established as a prophet of God; every man of Israel, every woman of Israel, knew now that Moses was the man whom God had chosen; and the whole nation cried out, and said, "Behold the Lord our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man and he liveth." Deut. v. 24. Observe the term; "We have seen this day that God doth talk with man and he liveth." Here you

may learn, that until now they did not believe that God ever spake to man; but now they believed, and said, "For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, and lived?" v. 26. This was the time when all Israel believed that the miracles which Moses had wrought in Egypt, by the Red Sea, in the wilderness, were all performed by the power of God; thenceforward they believed whatever he told them. On this account the people said unto him, " Go thou near and hear all that the Lord our God shall say; and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it and do it,” v. 27.

Thus far I have proved, that a prophet cannot be established by miracles: for miracles can be performed even by bad and wicked men.

*THE AUTHORITY AND POWER OF THE LAW OF MOSES ESTABLISHLD FOR EVER, AS WELL IN HEAVEN, AS ALSO UPON EARTH; AND THERE NEVER WILL BE ANY OTHER LAW EXCEPT THIS.-In the book of Deuteronomy, chap. xxviii, is pronounced the blessing for obedience, and the curses for disobedience. In chapter xxx we read thus: "And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee," &c. v. 1-10. Moses, the great prophet, foretold Israel what would befal them; "For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befal you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in