The true reason of my not doing it, then, is this: He burnt a good many of them himself at Paris, and, by a writing found among what were left, signified, that these were the only ones, fit to be printed; so that without acting contrary to the Bishop's opinion of his own performances, of which he was certainly the best judge, no more could, and therefore no more ought to be published: and it being from thence resolved that no more should, the only effectual way of preventing it, was, to commit the rest to the flames. Which was accordingly done, in my presence, by WILLIAM MORICE, Esq., his dutiful and worthy son-inlaw and executor. To whom I take this opportunity of acknowledging myself much obliged for several considerable acts of friendship; but particularly for the benefit of publishing these pious remains of my dear friend and patron, whom I greatly admired, loved and reverenced; and to whose memory I therefore dedicate them, with a heart full of gratitude and respect. THOMAS MOORE. THE public Manner in which the Gospel was at first The frequent attempts of infidelity make it necessary for I. The fair, open, and illustrious manner, in which it Our Saviour opened his commission without any parti- His miracles performed often upon the most solemn and - II. Reflections that arise from hence are Page ib. 3 1. The great advantage which the christian religion has on this account over all other religions The credibility of Numa's conferences with a goddess, Neither of them wrought miracles to confirm their - The miracles said to be wrought in the East and West ib. And the truth of the Jewish revelation depends, as the infidels object, on the testimony of friends only 2. The inexcusable and incurable obstinacy of those, who, notwithstanding the open incontestable manner, in which the divine authority of the Gospel was manifested, continue still to stand out against it 3. The vanity of pretences to miracles in the Romish communion; which have been generally done pri- vately, in religious houses and places of retirement, or in remote regions of the world, whither no one will go to disprove them: or in superstitious coun- Private visions and illuminations, being a sort of miracles transacted only between God and the souls of those 6. The more any new doctrine affects secrecy, the more reason we have to suspect it The church of Rome, that prescribes implicit belief, and The conduct of the church of England in this particular The Baptist's Message to Jesus, and Jesus's Answer 1. The reason of this message from the Baptist His disciples were at that time incredulous notwithstand- 1. Because their master being now in prison, they 3. Their suspicions might be increased by observing, II. In the reply, the manner of it remarkable, because it ib. ib. the disciples an occasion of answering that ques- tion themselves, which they had proposed to our blessed The matter of it remarkable, 1. For the gradation of its particulars, the last of which 2. For the appositeness of it, in relation to the persons First, since they were not to be convinced by oral tes- Secondly, miracles were a proof of our Saviour's pre-emi- Thirdly, the particular facts our Saviour mentions, all of them acts of benevolence, were rightly suited to insinu- ate that pre-eminence, and to correct those ill notions the disciples might have conceived from their master's Fourthly, the answer is expressed in words taken from the prophet Isaiah, whose writings had more particu- larly pointed out their own master, and in which con- sequently they had been most conversant The passage in the text is remarkable for its containing the chief marks and characters of such miracles as are sufficient to confirm the authority of any person pre- An exhortation to attention in perusing the several parts of Scripture, which, like the works of nature, always ib. . ib. |