Hath any founder of a new sect amongst
Christians pretended to miraculous powers, and succeeded by his
pretensions? "Were these powers claimed or exercised by the founders of
the sects of the Waldenses and Albigenses? Did Wickliffe in England
pretend to it? Did Huss or Jerome in Bohemia? Did Luther in Germany,
Zuinglius in Switzerland, Calvin in France, or any of the reformers
advance this plea?" (Campbell on Miracles, p. 120, ed. 1766.) The French
prophets, in the beginning of the present century, (the eighteenth)
ventured to allege miraculous evidence, and immediately ruined their
cause by their temerity. "Concerning the religion of ancient Rome, of
Turkey, of Siam, of China, a single miracle cannot be named that was
ever offered as a test of any of those religions before their
establishment." (Adams on Mir. p. 75.)
We may add to what has been observed of the distinction which we are
considering, that, where miracles are alleged merely in affirmance of a
prior opinion, they who believe the doctrine may sometimes propagate a
belief of the miracles which they do not themselves entertain.
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