Chapter: CHAPTER XXXVII. OF MIRACLES, AND THEIR USE





A Miracle Is A Work That Causeth Admiration

By Miracles are signified the Admirable works of God: & therefore they
are also called Wonders. And because they are for the most part, done,
for a signification of his commandement, in such occasions, as
without them, men are apt to doubt, (following their private naturall
reasoning,) what he hath commanded, and what not, they are commonly in
Holy Scripture, called Signes, in the same sense, as they are called by
the Latines, Ostenta, and Portenta, from shewing, and fore-signifying
that, which the Almighty is about to bring to passe.




And Must Therefore Be Rare, Whereof There Is No Naturall Cause Known

To understand therefore what is a Miracle, we must first understand what
works they are, which men wonder at, and call Admirable. And there be
but two things which make men wonder at any event: The one is, if it
be strange, that is to say, such, as the like of it hath never, or very
rarely been produced: The other is, if when it is produced, we cannot
imagine it to have been done by naturall means, but onely by the
immediate hand of God. But when wee see some possible, naturall cause of
it, how rarely soever the like has been done; or if the like have been
often done, how impossible soever it be to imagine a naturall means
thereof, we no more wonder, nor esteem it for a Miracle.

Therefore, if a Horse, or Cow should speak, it were a Miracle; because
both the thing is strange, & the Naturall cause difficult to imagin: So
also were it, to see a strange deviation of nature, in the production
of some new shape of a living creature. But when a man, or other Animal,
engenders his like, though we know no more how this is done, than the
other; yet because 'tis usuall, it is no Miracle. In like manner, if a
man be metamorphosed into a stone, or into a pillar, it is a Miracle;
because strange: but if a peece of wood be so changed; because we see it
often, it is no Miracle: and yet we know no more, by what operation of
God, the one is brought to passe, than the other.

The first Rainbow that was seen in the world, was a Miracle, because the
first; and consequently strange; and served for a sign from God, placed
in heaven, to assure his people, there should be no more an universall
destruction of the world by Water. But at this day, because they
are frequent, they are not Miracles, neither to them that know their
naturall causes, nor to them who know them not. Again, there be many
rare works produced by the Art of man: yet when we know they are done;
because thereby wee know also the means how they are done, we count them
not for Miracles, because not wrought by the immediate hand of God, but
by mediation of humane Industry.




That Which Seemeth A Miracle To One Man, May Seem Otherwise To Another

Furthermore, seeing Admiration and Wonder, is consequent to the
knowledge and experience, wherewith men are endued, some more, some
lesse; it followeth, that the same thing, may be a Miracle to one, and
not to another. And thence it is, that ignorant, and superstitious men
make great Wonders of those works, which other men, knowing to proceed
from Nature, (which is not the immediate, but the ordinary work of God,)
admire not at all: As when Ecclipses of the Sun and Moon have been taken
for supernaturall works, by the common people; when neverthelesse, there
were others, could from their naturall causes, have foretold the very
hour they should arrive: Or, as when a man, by confederacy, and secret
intelligence, getting knowledge of the private actions of an ignorant,
unwary man, thereby tells him, what he has done in former time; it seems
to him a Miraculous thing; but amongst wise, and cautelous men, such
Miracles as those, cannot easily be done.




The End Of Miracles

Again, it belongeth to the nature of a Miracle, that it be wrought for
the procuring of credit to Gods Messengers, Ministers, and Prophets,
that thereby men may know, they are called, sent, and employed by God,
and thereby be the better inclined to obey them. And therefore, though
the creation of the world, and after that the destruction of all living
creatures in the universall deluge, were admirable works; yet because
they were not done to procure credit to any Prophet, or other Minister
of God, they use not to be called Miracles. For how admirable soever any
work be, the Admiration consisteth not in that it could be done, because
men naturally beleeve the Almighty can doe all things, but because he
does it at the Prayer, or Word of a man. But the works of God in Egypt,
by the hand of Moses, were properly Miracles; because they were done
with intention to make the people of Israel beleeve, that Moses came
unto them, not out of any design of his owne interest, but as sent from
God. Therefore after God had commanded him to deliver the Israelites
from the Egyptian bondage, when he said (Exod 4.1. &c.) "They will not
beleeve me, but will say, the Lord hath not appeared unto me," God gave
him power, to turn the Rod he had in his hand into a Serpent, and again
to return it into a Rod; and by putting his hand into his bosome, to
make it leprous; and again by pulling it out to make it whole, to make
the Children of Israel beleeve (as it is verse 5.) that the God of their
Fathers had appeared unto him; And if that were not enough, he gave
him power to turn their waters into bloud. And when hee had done these
Miracles before the people, it is said (verse 41.) that "they beleeved
him." Neverthelesse, for fear of Pharaoh, they durst not yet obey him.
Therefore the other works which were done to plague Pharaoh and the
Egyptians, tended all to make the Israelites beleeve in Moses, and were
properly Miracles. In like manner if we consider all the Miracles
done by the hand of Moses, and all the rest of the Prophets, till the
Captivity; and those of our Saviour, and his Apostles afterward; we
shall find, their end was alwaies to beget, or confirm beleefe, that
they came not of their own motion, but were sent by God. Wee may further
observe in Scripture, that the end of Miracles, was to beget beleef,
not universally in all men, elect, and reprobate; but in the elect
only; that is to say, is such as God had determined should become his
Subjects. For those miraculous plagues of Egypt, had not for end, the
conversion of Pharaoh; For God had told Moses before, that he would
harden the heart of Pharaoh, that he should not let the people goe: And
when he let them goe at last, not the Miracles perswaded him, but the
plagues forced him to it. So also of our Saviour, it is written, (Mat.
13. 58.) that he wrought not many Miracles in his own countrey, because
of their unbeleef; and (in Marke 6.5.) in stead of, "he wrought not
many," it is, "he could work none." It was not because he wanted power;
which to say, were blasphemy against God; nor that the end of Miracles
was not to convert incredulous men to Christ; for the end of all the
Miracles of Moses, of Prophets, of our Saviour, and of his Apostles
was to adde men to the Church; but it was, because the end of their
Miracles, was to adde to the Church (not all men, but) such as should
be saved; that is to say, such as God had elected. Seeing therefore
our Saviour sent from his Father, hee could not use his power in the
conversion of those, whom his Father had rejected. They that expounding
this place of St. Marke, say, that his word, "Hee could not," is put
for, "He would not," do it without example in the Greek tongue, (where
Would Not, is put sometimes for Could Not, in things inanimate, that
have no will; but Could Not, for Would Not, never,) and thereby lay
a stumbling block before weak Christians; as if Christ could doe no
Miracles, but amongst the credulous.




The Definition Of A Miracle

From that which I have here set down, of the nature, and use of a
Miracle, we may define it thus, "A MIRACLE, is a work of God, (besides
his operation by the way of Nature, ordained in the Creation,) done
for the making manifest to his elect, the mission of an extraordinary
Minister for their salvation."

And from this definition, we may inferre; First, that in all Miracles,
the work done, is not the effect of any vertue in the Prophet; because
it is the effect of the immediate hand of God; that is to say God hath
done it, without using the Prophet therein, as a subordinate cause.

Secondly, that no Devil, Angel, or other created Spirit, can do a
Miracle. For it must either be by vertue of some naturall science, or
by Incantation, that is, vertue of words. For if the Inchanters do it
by their own power independent, there is some power that proceedeth not
from God; which all men deny: and if they doe it by power given them,
then is the work not from the immediate hand of God, but naturall, and
consequently no Miracle.

There be some texts of Scripture, that seem to attribute the power of
working wonders (equall to some of those immediate Miracles, wrought
by God himself,) to certain Arts of Magick, and Incantation. As for
example, when we read that after the Rod of Moses being cast on the
ground became a Serpent, (Exod. 7. 11.) "the Magicians of Egypt did the
like by their Enchantments;" and that after Moses had turned the waters
of the Egyptian Streams, Rivers, Ponds, and Pooles of water into blood,
(Exod. 7. 22.) "the Magicians of Egypt did so likewise, with their
Enchantments;" and that after Moses had by the power of God brought
frogs upon the land, (Exod. 8. 7.) "the Magicians also did so with their
Enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt;" will not a
man be apt to attribute Miracles to Enchantments; that is to say, to the
efficacy of the sound of Words; and think the same very well proved out
of this, and other such places? and yet there is no place of Scripture,
that telleth us what on Enchantment is. If therefore Enchantment be not,
as many think it, a working of strange effects by spells, and words;
but Imposture, and delusion, wrought by ordinary means; and so far
from supernaturall, as the Impostors need not the study so much as of
naturall causes, but the ordinary ignorance, stupidity, and superstition
of mankind, to doe them; those texts that seem to countenance the power
of Magick, Witchcraft, and Enchantment, must needs have another sense,
than at first sight they seem to bear.




That Men Are Apt To Be Deceived By False Miracles

For it is evident enough, that Words have no effect, but on those
that understand them; and then they have no other, but to signifie the
intentions, or passions of them that speak; and thereby produce, hope,
fear, or other passions, or conceptions in the hearer. Therefore when a
Rod seemeth a Serpent, or the Water Bloud, or any other Miracle seemeth
done by Enchantment; if it be not to the edification of Gods people,
not the Rod, nor the Water, nor any other thing is enchanted; that is
to say, wrought upon by the Words, but the Spectator. So that all the
Miracle consisteth in this, that the Enchanter has deceived a man; which
is no Miracle, but a very easie matter to doe.

For such is the ignorance, and aptitude to error generally of all men,
but especially of them that have not much knowledge of naturall causes,
and of the nature, and interests of men; as by innumerable and easie
tricks to be abused. What opinion of miraculous power, before it was
known there was a Science of the course of the Stars, might a man have
gained, that should have told the people, This hour, or day the Sun
should be darkned? A juggler by the handling of his goblets, and other
trinkets, if it were not now ordinarily practised, would be thought
to do his wonders by the power at least of the Devil. A man that hath
practised to speak by drawing in of his breath, (which kind of men in
antient time were called Ventriloqui,) and so make the weaknesse of
his voice seem to proceed, not from the weak impulsion of the organs
of Speech, but from distance of place, is able to make very many men
beleeve it is a voice from Heaven, whatsoever he please to tell them.
And for a crafty man, that hath enquired into the secrets, and familiar
confessions that one man ordinarily maketh to another of his actions and
adventures past, to tell them him again is no hard matter; and yet there
be many, that by such means as that, obtain the reputation of being
Conjurers. But it is too long a businesse, to reckon up the severall
sorts of those men, which the Greeks called Thaumaturgi, that is to say,
workers of things wonderfull; and yet these do all they do, by their
own single dexterity. But if we looke upon the Impostures wrought by
Confederacy, there is nothing how impossible soever to be done, that is
impossible to bee beleeved. For two men conspiring, one to seem lame,
the other to cure him with a charme, will deceive many: but many
conspiring, one to seem lame, another so to cure him, and all the rest
to bear witnesse; will deceive many more.




Cautions Against The Imposture Of Miracles

In this aptitude of mankind, to give too hasty beleefe to pretended
Miracles, there can be no better, nor I think any other caution, than
that which God hath prescribed, first by Moses, (as I have said before
in the precedent chapter,) in the beginning of the 13. and end of the
18. of Deuteronomy; That wee take not any for Prophets, that teach any
other Religion, then that which Gods Lieutenant, (which at that time was
Moses,) hath established; nor any, (though he teach the same Religion,)
whose Praediction we doe not see come to passe. Moses therefore in his
time, and Aaron, and his successors in their times, and the Soveraign
Governour of Gods people, next under God himself, that is to say, the
Head of the Church in all times, are to be consulted, what doctrine
he hath established, before wee give credit to a pretended Miracle, or
Prophet. And when that is done, the thing they pretend to be a Miracle,
we must both see it done, and use all means possible to consider,
whether it be really done; and not onely so, but whether it be such, as
no man can do the like by his naturall power, but that it requires the
immediate hand of God. And in this also we must have recourse to Gods
Lieutenant; to whom in all doubtfull cases, wee have submitted our
private judgments. For Example; if a man pretend, that after certain
words spoken over a peece of bread, that presently God hath made it not
bread, but a God, or a man, or both, and neverthelesse it looketh still
as like bread as ever it did; there is no reason for any man to think
it really done; nor consequently to fear him, till he enquire of God,
by his Vicar, or Lieutenant, whether it be done, or not. If he say not,
then followeth that which Moses saith, (Deut. 18. 22.) "he hath spoken
it presumptuously, thou shalt not fear him." If he say 'tis done, then
he is not to contradict it. So also if wee see not, but onely hear tell
of a Miracle, we are to consult the Lawful Church; that is to say, the
lawful Head thereof, how far we are to give credit to the relators of
it. And this is chiefly the case of men, that in these days live under
Christian Soveraigns. For in these times, I do not know one man, that
ever saw any such wondrous work, done by the charm, or at the word,
or prayer of a man, that a man endued but with a mediocrity of reason,
would think supernaturall: and the question is no more, whether what wee
see done, be a Miracle; whether the Miracle we hear, or read of, were
a reall work, and not the Act of a tongue, or pen; but in plain terms,
whether the report be true, or a lye. In which question we are not every
one, to make our own private Reason, or Conscience, but the Publique
Reason, that is, the reason of Gods Supreme Lieutenant, Judge; and
indeed we have made him Judge already, if wee have given him a Soveraign
power, to doe all that is necessary for our peace and defence. A private
man has alwaies the liberty, (because thought is free,) to beleeve,
or not beleeve in his heart, those acts that have been given out for
Miracles, according as he shall see, what benefit can accrew by
mens belief, to those that pretend, or countenance them, and thereby
conjecture, whether they be Miracles, or Lies. But when it comes
to confession of that faith, the Private Reason must submit to the
Publique; that is to say, to Gods Lieutenant. But who is this Lieutenant
of God, and Head of the Church, shall be considered in its proper place
thereafter.

 Alek, Hoffman, Bauer, and Hirst try to get the engines going very quickly. On the other side of the ship, Klopp starts his engine. These aren't the only engines going: the German ground attack has been joined by an aerial assault force they see rising over the mountains. Yikes. If this isn't suspense, we don't know what is. The Leviathan is in the air, but something is dragging her down. What could it be? Everyone on board is dropping everything that can be spared over the side, but it's not helping. Let's ask Count Volger about this, shall we? Yeah, he totally snuck those gold bars aboard. Mo' money, mo' problems. Hoffman gives Volger away, and Alek darts off to find Volger and what's left of his fortune.

