the whole of thefe a ridiculous comparison between the miracles of our Saviour and those of the Abbé; wherein' it is afferted, that the evidence for the latter is equal to that for the former: As if the teftimony of men could ever be put in the balance with that of God himself, who conducted the pen of the inspired writers. If these writers, indeed, were to be considered merely as human testimony, the French author is very moderate in his comparifon; fince he might, with fome appearance of reafon, pretend, that the Janfenift miracles much furpass the other in evidence and authority. The following circumftances are drawn from authentic papers, inferted in the above-mentioned book.

Many of the miracles of Abbé Paris were proved immediately by witnefies before the officiality or bifhop's court at Paris, under the eye of cardinal Noailles, whofe character for integrity and capacity was never contested even by his enemies.

His fucceffor in the archbishopric was an enemy to the Janfenifts, and for that reason promoted to the fee by the court. Yet 22 rectors or cures of Paris, with infinite earneftness, prefs him to examine thofe miracles, which they affert to be known to the whole world, and undisputably certain: But he wifely forbore.

.

The Molinist party had tried to difcredit these miracles in one inftance, that of Mademoiselle le Franc. But, befides that their proceedings were in many refpects the most irregular in the world, particularly in citing only a few of the Janfenift witneffes, whom they tampered with: Befides this, I fay, they foon found themselves overwhelmed by a cloud of new witneffes, one hundred and twenty in number, most of them perfons of credit and fubftance in Paris, who gave oath for the miracle. This was accompanied with a folemn and earnest appeal to the parliament. But the parliament were forbidden by authority to meddle in the affair. It was at last observed, that where men are heated by zeal and enthusiasm, there is no degree of human teftimony fo ftrong as may not be procured for the greatest abfurdity: And thofe who will be fo filly as to examine the affair by that medium, and feek particular VOL. II.

I i

flaws

flaws in the teftimony, are almoft fure to be confounded. It must be a miserable imposture, indeed, that does not prevail in that contest.

All who have been in France about that time have heard of the reputation of Monf. Heraut, the lieutenant de Police, whofe vigilance, penetration, activity, and extenfive intelligence have been much talked of. This magiftrate, who by the nature of his office is almoft abfolute, was vefted with full powers, on purpose to fupprefs or difcredit these miracles; and he frequently feized immediately, and examined the witnesses and subjects of them: But never could reach any thing fatisfactory against them.

In the cafe of Mademoiselle Thibaut he fent the famous De Sylva to examine her; whofe evidence is very curious. The phyfician declares, that it was impoffible fhe could have been fo il as was proved by witneffes; because it was impoffible fhe could, in fo fhort a time, have recovered fo perfectly as he found her. He reafoned, like a man of fenfe, from natural caufes; but the oppofite party told him, that the whole was a miracle, and that his evidence was the very best proof

The Molinifts were in a fad dilemma. They durft not affert the abfolute infufficiency of human evidence, to prove a miracle. They were obliged to fay, that these miracles were wrought by witchcraft and the devil. But they were told, that this was the resource of the Jews of old.

No Janfenift was ever embarraffed to account for the ceffation of the miracles, when the church-yard was shut up by the king's edict. It was the touch of the tomb, which produced thefe extraordinary effects; and when no one could approach the tomb, no effects could be expected. God, indeed, could have thrown down the walls in a moment; but he is mafter of his own graces and works, and it belongs not to us to account for them. He did not throw down the walls of every city like thofe of Jericho, on the founding of the rams horns, nor break up the prison of every apostle, like that of St. Paul.

No

No lefs a man, than the Duc de Chatillon, a duke and peer of France, of the highest rank and family, gives evidence of a miraculous cure, performed upon a fervant of his, who had lived feveral years in his house with a visible and palpable infirmity.

I fhall conclude with obferving, that no clergy are more celebrated for strictness of life and manners than the fecular clergy of France, particularly the rectors or cures of Paris, who bear teftimony to these impostures.

The learning, genius, and probity of the gentlemen, and the aufterity of the nuns of Port-Royal, have been much celebrated all over Europe. Yet they all give evidence for a miracle, wrought on the niece of the famous Pascal, whofe fanctity of life, as well as extraordinary capacity, is well known. The famous Racine gives an account of this miracle in his famous hiftory of Port-Royal, and fortifies it with all the proofs, which a multitude of nuns, priefts, physicians, and men of the world, all of them of undoubted credit, could beftow upon it. Several men of letters, particularly the bishop of Tournay, thought this miracle fo certain, as to employ it in the refutation of atheifts and free-thinkers. The queen-regent of France, who was extremely prejudiced against the Port-Royal, fent her own phyfician to examine the miracle, who returned an abfolute convert. In fhort, the fupernatural cure was fo unconteftable, that it faved, for a time, that famous monastery from the ruin with which it was threatened by the Jefuits. Had it been a cheat, it had certainly been detected by fuch fagacious and powerful antagonists, and must have haftened the ruin of the contrivers. Our divines, who can build up a formidable caftle from fuch despicable materials; what a prodigious fabric could they have reared from thefe and many other circumftances, which I have not mentioned! How often would the great names of Pafcal, Racine, Arnaud, Nicole, have refounded in our ears? But if they be wife, they had better adopt the miracle, as being more worth, a thousand times, than, all the reft of the collection. Befides, it may serve very much to their purpose. For that miracle was really performed by the touch of an authentic holy prickle of

I ì 2

the

the holy thorn, which compofed the holy crown, which, &c.

IN

NOTE [M], p. 155.

N general, it may, I think, be established as a maxim, that where any caufe is known only by its particular effects, it must be impoffible to infer any new effects from that caufe; fince the qualities, which are requifite to produce these new effects along with the former, must either be different, or fuperior, or of more extenfive operation, than thofe which fimply produce the effect, whence alone the caufe is fuppofed to be known to us. We can never, therefore, have any reason to suppose the existence of thefe qualities. To fay, that the new effects proceed only from a continuation of the fame energy, which is already known from the firft effects, will not remove the difficulty. For even granting this to be the cafe (which can feldom be fuppofed), the very continuation and exertion of a like energy (for it is impoffible it can be absolutely the fame), I fay, this exertion of a like energy, in a different period of space and time, is a very arbitrary fuppofition, and what there cannot poffibly be any traces of in the effects, from which all our knowledge of the cause is originally derived. Let the inferred caufe be exactly proportioned (as it fhould be to the known effect; and it is impoffible that it can poffefs any qualities, from which new or different effects can be inferred.

THIS

NOTE [N], p. 165.

HIS argument is drawn from Dr. Berkley; and indeed moft of the writings of that very ingenious author form the beft leffons of fcepticism, which are to be found either among the ancient or modern philosophers, Bayle not excepted. He profeffes, however, in his title-page (and undoubtedly with great truth) to have compofed his book against the fceptics as well as against the atheists and free-thinkers. But that all his arguments, though otherwife intended, are, in reality, merely fceptical, appears from this, that they admit of no answer and produce ne conviction

conviction. Their only effect is to caufe that momentary amazement and irrefolution and confusion, which is the result of scepticism.

NOTE [O], p. 166.

WHATEVER difputes there may be about mathema

tical points, we must allow that there are physical points; that is, parts of extenfion, which cannot be divided or leffened, either by the eye or imagination. These images, then, which are present to the fancy or fenfes, are abfolutely indivifible, and confequently must be allowed by mathematicians to be infinitely less than any real part of extenfion; and yet nothing appears more certain to reason, than that an infinite number of them compofes an infinite extenfion. How much more an infinite number of those infinitely small parts of extenfion, which are still fuppofed infinitely divisible.

NOTE [P], p. 168,

IT feems to me not impoffible to avoid thefe abfurdities

and contradictions, if it be admitted, that there is no fuch thing as abstract or general ideas, properly speaking; but that all general ideas are, in reality, particular ones, attached to a general term, which recalls, upon occafion, other particular ones, that refemble, in certain circumftances, the idea, prefent to the mind. Thus when the term Horfe is pronounced, we immediately figure to ourselves the idea of a black or a white animal, of a particular fize or figure: But as that term is alfo ufually applied to animals of other colours, figures and fizes, these ideas, though not actually prefent to the imagination, are eafily recalled; and our reafoning and conclufion proceed in the fame way, as if they were actually prefent. If this be admitted (as feems reafonable) it follows that all the ideas of quantity, upon which mathematicians reason, are nothing but particular, and fuch as are fuggefted by the fenfes and imagination, and confequently, cannot be infinitely divifible. It is fufficient to have dropped this hint at prefent, without profecuting it any farther. It certainly concerns all lovers of science not

to