Six Discourses on the Miracles of Our Saviour, and Defences of His Discourses

In Short

This book serves as a defiant, scholarly assault on the literalism of 18th-century English divinity. The author contends that the miracles of Jesus—such as the healing of the blind or the driving of money-changers from the Temple—are logically impossible if read as history. Instead, he argues they are "mystical" parables meant to be deciphered through the lens of the early Church Fathers. By insisting that these stories are "types and figures" rather than mundane events, the author invites his readers to discard the "letter" of scripture in favor of a deeper, allegorical truth that aligns with reason.

The Story

The narrative arc of the book is essentially a series of deconstructive interrogations. It begins by addressing the ecclesiastical authorities—specifically the Bishop of London—whom the author accuses of misrepresenting his earlier work and unfairly prosecuting him as an infidel. From this defensive posture, he pivots to an aggressive, systematic critique of specific gospel miracles. He takes the reader through several well-known biblical accounts, including the healing of the woman with the spirit of infirmity and the raising of Lazarus. In each instance, he applies a sharp, skeptical scalpel to the narrative, pointing out what he deems to be "absurdities, improbabilities, and incredibilities." He asks, for instance, why a miracle would involve such convoluted circumstances as breaking open a roof or why the historical record is silent regarding the later lives of those resurrected.

As the argument progresses, the author shifts from mocking the literal readings of his contemporaries to championing the interpretations of the Church Fathers. He asserts that these early thinkers never intended for the miracles to be accepted as literal, physical facts. Instead, he treats the entire gospel history as a "prophetical and parabolical" map of spiritual states. By framing the miracles this way, he attempts to rescue Jesus from the "senseless" literalism he believes is being imposed by the modern clergy.

The arc concludes with a broader indictment of the contemporary Church. The author characterizes the modern priesthood as "ministers of the letter" who have abandoned the allegorical wisdom of the past to serve a rigid, hollow orthodoxy. He challenges his opponents to stop hiding behind the civil courts and "battle" him on the field of reason. He explicitly aims to dismantle the foundational reliance on miracle-as-history, arguing that if these stories cannot survive a logical audit, then the current defense of Christianity is crumbling. He ends by reaffirming his own commitment to what he considers a "true" understanding of the faith, while simultaneously goading the establishment into further conflict, fully aware that his work will likely lead to his continued public and legal persecution.

How It Unfolds

The call to arms The text opens with a pointed, combative dedication to the Bishop of London, demanding that the clergy defend their interpretation of scripture through reason rather than legal prosecution. The author asserts his own status as a scholar and a defender of truth, setting the stage for a public intellectual battle.

The anatomy of absurdity The middle chapters dissect specific gospel miracles, treating them as if they were testimony in a court of law. By highlighting the logical gaps and seemingly ridiculous details of these stories, the author effectively invites the reader to laugh at the literalism of his contemporaries.

The appeal to tradition Throughout the critique, the author frequently pauses to cite the Church Fathers, using their mystical, non-literal interpretations as a shield against accusations of atheism. He demonstrates how these ancient authorities viewed biblical events as emblems of higher, internal realities.

The final challenge The book concludes with a sharp rebuke of the Bishop of St. David’s and a renewed call for an open, un-coerced debate. The author insists that his work is not a rejection of Jesus, but a necessary restoration of a deeper, more sophisticated spiritual wisdom that the modern Church has lost.

The People

The central figures are the author himself, Thomas Woolston, and his ecclesiastical antagonists, primarily the Bishop of London and the Bishop of St. David’s. Woolston acts as a "moderator" and provocateur, presenting himself as a misunderstood seeker of truth who is being stifled by dogmatic power. He wants to force the clergy into an open, intellectual defense of their dogma, which he believes they are incapable of sustaining.

The Bishops represent the institutional wall against which Woolston throws himself. They want to preserve the established interpretation of Christianity and the legal order that upholds it. By attempting to silence Woolston through the civil magistrate, they transform him from a mere polemicist into a martyr for the freedom of debate. The author views them as "hireling priests" who prefer force to argument.

Lastly, the Church Fathers play a silent, supporting role. Woolston uses them as an intellectual authority to legitimize his own radical ideas. He invokes them not because he necessarily shares their entire worldview, but because their existence proves that his "mystical" reading of the Bible is not a modern invention, but an ancient, legitimate tradition that modern divines have callously ignored.

In Its Own Voice

In his introduction, the author challenges the Church to rely on its own intellectual merits rather than the power of the state.

And I don't know but I might be, with your Lordship, on the persecuting side of the Question; but that it looks as if a Man was distrustful of the Truth of Christianity, and conscious of his own Inability to defend it; or he would leave that good Cause to God himself and the Sword of the Spirit, without calling upon the Civil Magistrate for his Aid and Assistance.

In his analysis of the miracles, the author contrasts the literal, physical reading of the text with a spiritual, or mystical, interpretation.

Neither is there any other Way to solve the Difficulty, than by looking upon the whole, with the Fathers, as Type and Figure.

What It's Really About

The central theme is the tension between the "letter" and the "spirit" of the law. The book asks whether religion should be grounded in the external validation of miracles—which the author suggests are historically shaky—or in the internal, allegorical lessons they signify. It is a fundamental questioning of the nature of truth in scripture. By stripping away the literalism of the 18th-century Church, the author is really probing the limits of what a rational mind can be expected to accept as historical fact. He posits that religious faith, when tied to a literal interpretation of improbable events, becomes vulnerable to the scrutiny of reason. Ultimately, the work is a desperate plea for a religion that can survive the Enlightenment by migrating from the realm of the physical, miraculous, and historical to the realm of the metaphorical and moral.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the history of ideas, the evolution of religious thought, or the roots of skeptical inquiry will find this book a fascinating, if challenging, artifact. It provides a raw, unfiltered look at the high-stakes religious debates of the 1720s, capturing the ferocity of an age where theology was a matter of civil life and death. The prose is sharp, occasionally bitingly sarcastic, and remarkably direct for its period.

However, the reader must be prepared for the dense, 18th-century theological jargon and the frequent reliance on Latin citations, which remain in their original form. The author’s aggressive, repetitive tone—driven by his genuine fear of state-sanctioned persecution—may feel alien to a modern reader accustomed to secular religious discourse. Nevertheless, the experience of reading this book is like stepping into the middle of a heated, world-shaping argument. What stays with you is the author's relentless conviction that faith must be reconcilable with reason, even if it requires burning down the traditional structures of the Church to achieve that end. It is a testament to the power of the printed word to challenge the most established institutions of a society.