The Works of Nathanael Emmons, D.D. (Volume 4); With a Memoir of His Life [Written by Himself] (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ESSAY III MIRACLES. All must acknowledge, who have read the sacred volume, that it comes to us under a divine signature, and claims to be the word of God. This claim is not founded upon the bare declaration of the sacred writers; but upon the miracles which were wrought to prove their divine mission. To give this argument in favor of revealed religion its proper force, we shall, first, fix and determine the nature of miracles; then point out the professed purpose for which they were wrought; and, in the last place, make it appear that they sufficiently answer the end proposed. I. We are to explain the nature of miracles. These have been very differently defined by .different authors. But without spending time to examine their definitions, it may be sufficient to say, that a miracle is an effect, wrought by God himself, out of the common course of nature. Though in a loose sense, men may be said to work miracles, yet in a strict and proper sense, they are the immediate production of the Deity. In this light they are uniformly represented in scripture. The miracles of our Saviour are expressly ascribed to God. " Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles, and wonders, and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know." It is plainly said, that " God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul." And it is no less plainly said, that God wrought miracles in favor of the other apostles. " How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation; which at first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles." Agreeably to these representations, those who are said to work mira...