A Collection of Theological Tracts Volume 4 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1791 Excerpt: ... an immediate and infallible revelation from God: because, Matth. xii. 25. (besides that it cannot be supposed that, evil spirits would overthrow their own power and kingdom), should God in such cases as these permit evil spirits to work miracles to impose upon men, the error would be absolutely invincible; and that would in all respects be the very fame thing as if God worked the miracles to deceive men himself. No man can doubt, but evil spirits, if they have any natural powers at all, have power to destroy men's bodies and lives, and to bring upon men innumerable other calamities; which yet, in fact, it.is evident God restrains them from doing, by having set them laws and bounds which they cannot pass, Now, for the very fame reason, it is infinitely certain that God restrains them likewise from imposing upon men's minds and understandings in all such cases, where wise and honest and virtuous men would have no possible way left, by which they could discover the. imposition..the Difference Between Those Who Teach That Tub Immediate Power Of God Is, Or Is Not, Necessarily., Requisite To The Working Qf A Miracle, Is Not Very Great At Bottom, And here at last the difference between those who believe that all miracles necessarily require the immediate power of God himself to effect them, and those who believe created spirits able to work miracles, is not very great. They who believe all miracles to be ef. fecLed only by the immediate power of God, must do it upon this ground, that they suppose God by a perpetual law restrains all subordinate intelligent agents from intejpoling at any time to alter the regular course of things in this lower world (for, to fay that created spirits have not otherwise a natural power, when unrestrained, to do what we call miracles...