Again, Deuteronomy 13, “If there arise among you a Prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and give you a sign or a wonder (i. e. a miracle,) and the sign or wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee saying, let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them:  thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that Prophet, or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God proveth (or tryeth) you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all you heart, and with all your soul.”

And now Christian reader, I ask you what you think of miracles, or “signs and wonders,” as proof of a divine mission, to teach doctrines novel and innovating, after such clear and unequivocal language as this, from such high authority?  I am sure, that if you are a sincere lover of truth, you must certainly abandon that ground as untenable.  For, from these direc-tions, the Jews were commanded these things#. 1.  That the Prophet who presumes to speak a word, as from God, which God hath not commanded him to speak, must be put to death. 2.  That the test, or criterion by which they are to discern a false prophet from a true one, is this:  not his miracles, but the fulfillment of his words.  If what he says comes to pass, he is a true prophet; if the event foretold does not take place, he has spoken presump-tuously, and must die the death. 3.  “If any man arise in Israel,” and advise, or teach them to worship any other besides the Eternal; and in proof of the divinity of his mission promise a sign, or a wonder, and in fact does bring to pass the sign or wonder promised, he is nevertheless, not to be hearkened to; but to be put to death.  And these criteria given by God, or Moses, as the means whereby they might know a true Prophet from a false one, most exquisitely prove his wisdom and foresight.  For if he had not expressly excluded miracles, or “signs and wonders,” from being proof of the divinity of doctrines, the barriers which divided his religion from those of idolaters, must have been broken down; since, as we have seen, well attested miracles (meaning always by miracles, “signs and wonders,” brought to pass by human agency,) are related to have been performed in proof of the divinity of every religion under Heaven.  But veritable prophecy is, and can he a proof proper only to a true Revelation, because none can know what is to come but God, and those sent by him.  Accordingly, we find that the Jewish Prophets were not acknowledged as such, but on account of their foretelling the truth, or being supposed to do so.

Thus, it is said, 1 Samuel iii. 20, “And all Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, knew, that Samuel was established to be a Prophet of the Lord.”  Why?  Because he performed miracles?  No! he performed none.  But he was known as a Prophet because “the Lord was with him, and let none of his words fall to the ground,” i. e. fail of their accomplishment.  The same, may be said of all the Hebrew Prophets, from Nathan to Malachi.  For though Elijah and Elisha performed miracles, yet it was not in proof of their mission, for that was established before; but these miracles were occasional acts of beneficence, or protection, but were never considered, or offered by them as proofs of their being sent from God.