of his age" generally, that they are either Forgeries of lying men, or Prodigies of deceitful spirits. So far is it from being correct, that he gives any such general character to the miracles of his own time, as Fuller, and the citation from Fuller in Mr. Noel's work, would lead us to suppose.-Augustine," then, does not rank the "miracles of his age," generally, under these two heads, as Forgeries of lying men, and Prodigies of deceitful devils; but only the miracles of the Donatists.

The passage from Chrysostom's twenty-third Homily on St. John, is quoted by Fuller with no very material error or misrepresentation: I mean, as far as respects the words, or rendering, of the passage itself; for, if any man infer from it that Chrysostom denied, or entertained the least doubt, that miracles were commonly wrought in his own times, he will be led into another great mistake. In using these expressions, Chrysostom by no means intends to give up miracles: he has merely been arguing, in the former part of the Homily, that faith in the words of Christ, is better in kind than a faith in miracles only, which surely no advocate of modern miracles will deny; and saying, what all will admit, that "Those were the more decided disciples, who attached themselves to Jesus, not on account of his miracles ONLY, but also on account of his doctrines *." That he did not altogether deny miracles, indeed, might be inferred in some measure from the very passage which Fuller and Mr. Noel quote: for, while he argues,

* Εκείνοι γαρ ακριβέστεροι ησαν οι μαθηται, ὅσοι μη απο σημείων προσῃεσαν ΜΟΝΟΝ, αλλα και απο της διδασκαλιας. Ed. 1603.

merely, that miracles are of no use to believers (an unscriptural position, by the bye), he says expressly, that "they are given" (or granted) "to unbelievers." Elsewhere, however, in arguing with unbelievers, Chrysostom plainly alleges miracles as undeniably and notoriously occurring in his own days. In his Liber contra Gentiles, he begins at once to urge the heathen with John xiv. 12, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father:" (not, by the way, a very likely text for him to bring forward, if he had no works to allege.) He then goes on to observe, That Christ used such words as these, but What if any heathen teacher had used them? Then, be it observed, he refers to some wonders alleged by the heathen, and does not entirely deny these, even; but adds, that none could say what Christ said (i. e. in the above passage from St. John's Gospel); plainly intimating that he had greater wonders to produce, than any that could be produced by his opponents, and that he appeals to them as proofs of the greater glory of Christ. Nor does he appeal merely to any past miracles; for though he refers, for an accomplishment of the above text, to the miracles recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, he adds, "But if any one assert that these are mere smoke, and a fictitious wonder unworthy of credit, let us view those of the present day, which are calculated both to stop and to put to shame the blaspheming mouth, and to check the unbridled tongue. throughout our whole habitable world, there is not a country, a nation, or a city, where these wonders

For,

are not commonly spoken of, which, if figments, would never have occasioned so much admiration. And you yourselves, indeed, might testify for us to this. For we shall have no occasion to receive confirmation of what we assert from others, seeing that you yourselves, our opponents, supply us therewith*.”

Of so little service, then, to Mr. Noel, is the assistance from Chrysostom and from Augustine, afforded him by Fuller. And-what is also worthy of observation-Fuller himself did not deny all miracles, alleged, in his own day, as having occurred within the memory of man; as will be shewn in its proper place.

Mr. Noel also appeals to "St. Isidore."

"St. Isidore, in the fifth century." Then follows the passage already given from Huss, as cited by him "in his defence of Wickliff."

This passage, however, will prove nothing respecting "the fifth century;" as it is cited by Huss, not from St. Isidore of Damietta, who flourished in that century, but from St. Isidore of Seville, who flourished in the close of the sixth and early part of the seventh. The passage from which Huss cites, will be found in the Latin works of the latter, in his work "De Summo Bono †;" not in

* Ει δε τις ταυτα τυφον ειναι λεγοι, και τερατειαν πλασματων απιθανον, αλλα τα γε νυν ὁρωμεθα, ἱκανα τον βλασφημον εμφραξαι στομα και καταισχύναι, και την αχαλίνωτον γλωτταν επισχειν. Ου γαρ εστιν εν τη καθ' ἡμας οικουμένῃ ου χωρα, ουκ εθνος, ου πολις, ενθα ταυτα ουκ άδεται τα παραδοξα, ου θαυμασθέντα ποτε ει πλασματα ην. Και το λογω την μαρτυρίαν ύμεις αν παρασχοιτε ταυτην ἡμιν. Ου γαρ δεησομεθα παρ ̓ ἑτερων την πίστιν των λεγομενων λαβειν, ὑμων των εχθρων ταυτην παρεχομενων ἡμιν. -Λογος προς Έλληνας.—Ed. Par. 1621. tom. i. p. 728 732.

+ Isidori Hispalensis Episcopi Opera, Ed. Colon. Agrip. 1617, p. 424.

the Greek works of the former: so that, as far as the fifth century is concerned, we must look for information to others.

Mr. Noel refers us, in his next note, to Du Pin. "See also Du Pin, 'Bibliothéque des Auteurs Ecclesiastiques,' tom. iv. p. 3, &c." In turning then, to tom. iv. (that is, to the second part of tom. iii.), we there find an account of the St. Isidore of "the fifth century "—" St. Isidore de Damiette "—but not the St. Isidore cited by Huss. Du Pin gives a high character of him; says that he embraced the monastic state, and lived an angelic life; but mentions nothing, that I can perceive, calculated to throw light on the subject of miracles. If we refer to his works*, we shall find some expressions, which, taken alone, like those in Augustine and Chrysostom, may be viewed as discountenancing miracles: but others which favour them; as where he tells a person, who had obtruded himself from carnal motives into the ministry, that even his working of miracles would not help him.

So much for the St. Isidore of "the fifth century." Now, then, for the St. Isidore of the seventh century (i. e. he was made bishop of Seville 595, died 636), the writer really quoted by Huss. An account of this St. Isidore will be found in Du Pin's fifth volume; and, as Mr. Noel has followed Huss in citing him, a short consideration of the passage cited may not be here improper. It may throw light on a later period, though it has little to do with the fifth century. Let us, first, examine it by itself; and, secondly,

* Sancti Isidori Pelusiota, &c. (Paris. 1638).

view it in connexion with the context, as it stands in St. Isidore's treatise.

1. The passage itself, as cited by Huss, and from him by Mr. Noel, runs thus:-"The reason why the Church of God works not now the miracles which it used to work in the Apostolic age, is, that at that time it was necessary for the world to believe in miracles, but now, that it does believe, to shine in good works."

Here we may observe, first, that we again meet with the idea, that the world was now evangelized, that the work was done, and that the occasion for miracles was on this account not the same as formerly.

But, secondly, Huss appears to have somewhat misquoted the words of Isidore: and, though the alteration which he makes is in itself but slight, and does not materially affect his own course of argument, yet it is one of great importance, if the passage he now brought against us, by Mr. Noel, as discrediting all miracles in St. Isidore's days. The words are given by Mr. Noel exactly as we find them in Huss, from whom he cites them*: "The reason why the church of God works not now the miracles which it used to work in the Apostolic age," &c. But the words, as I find them in St. Isidore, run thus: "The reason why the church works not now those miracles which it used to work in the Apostolic age," or "such miracles as it used to work in the Apostolic age †.”

* J. Hus et Hieronymi Pragensis Confessorum Christi Historiæ et Monumenta. Ed. Noriberg. 1558. Pars i., p. 116.

Huss, or his editor, seems to have substituted Dei for ea. The words of St. Isidore are, “Quod nunc ecclesia non ea miracula faciat, quæ sub Apostolis faciebat." (Opera, Ed. Colon. Agrip. 1617, p. 424);