Christs miracles delivered in a sermon. By Arthur Dent, preacher of the word of…Christes miracles deliuered in a sermon. By Arthvr Dent, preacher of the word of…

Secondly, I call it a rare work of ⟨image 5⟩God, for of the works of God, there be some which are usual, common, & ordinary: as the preservation of mankind, is an ordinary and usual work of God, and it is truly said of the holy Ghost, that we live, move, and have our being in the Lord: yet because this is usual, ordinary, and common, yea daily and hourly, (for the Lord doth ordinarily every day and hour, preserve men, otherwise they could not live) I say because it is ordinary, daily, and hourly, we cannot properly call it a miracle, for it doth make men to marvel, to muse, to be amazed and astonied at it, seeing it is so usual and ordinary among them. For it is the nature of miracles, to make men, muse and marvel at them: and therefore when as in the Evangelists, any miracle which our Saviour Christ wrought, is set down, there also immediately followeth, that the people were astonied: therefore that which is usual, and common, cannot properly be called a miracle. A miracle therefore must be a rare work of God seldom ⟨image 5⟩brought to pass, and for this cause we cannot say, that repentance, or regeneration is a miracle, for although repentance be wrought in few, yet is it not properly a miracle, because it is ordinarily, & usually at one time or another, wrought in the hearts of all Gods children. There be also many strange and wonderful works of nature, yet because they are not rare but usual, and ordinary, they be no miracles. An Adamant stone (we know not by what force) will draw Iron to it self: Iron is heavy of it self, and of it self cannot possibly move from place to place, yet an Adamant if it be above it will draw it to it self, which is very strange and admirable, yet because it is usual and common, it cannot be called a miracle. So we may see the nature, and power of some water, to turn that which in nature is gold, into stone: that is known to be true by experience, yet no man can show any reason, why that water should rather do it, then any other. Although this be strange & ⟨image 6⟩wonderful, yet because it is usual and ordinary, yet in those waters, it is no miracle: for every miracle is a rare work that cometh to pass, not ordinarily, but very seldom.

Secondly, I call it a rare worke of ⟨image 5⟩