ON MIRACLES, 339 



fp irits is only fuppofititious, not matter of fa&, and 

 their effective influence on the things of this fublunary 

 world is only hypothetical, which to this very day, has 

 never been verified by any inconteftible experience. 



Monuments, authorities, teftimonies, can only de- 

 monftrate natural, not fupernatural facts. 



It cannot be often enough repeated : The argument 

 whereby we grant our belief to any relation is moflly 

 drawn from the limilitude of the related matter with 

 what has commonly paffed under our obfervation in the 

 ordinary courfe of nature ; that is from its agreement 

 with the known and ftated laws of nature. The more 

 a fact that is related to us is in oppofition to thefe, the 

 lefs is it to be believed, infomuch as we cannot be fure 

 of the infallibility of the witnefs. 



/ 



DISORDERED EYES. 



I N gratitude to providence for the reftoration of 

 tny eyes to a very tolerable degree of ferviceablenefs, I 

 think I cannot do better than draw up a faithful ftate • 

 ment of what I fuffered, and the means I employed 

 in recovering their ufe to a degree altogether unexpec- 

 ted, for the comfort and benefit of tliofe who find 

 themfelves in the fame fituation, — Let the youth who 

 is hurried on by a reliefs and ardent curiofity to the 

 immoderate purfuit of nocturnal ftudies, behold in my 



% % ffcdrjr. 



