perilous and sinfull times wherein iniquity shall abound soe as the sonne of man when he commeth shall scarcely finde any fayth vp on earth Howe can it be denyed but that the lorde may smyte some with this iudgment yea and as I conceaue of this scripture will also which is more And lest we should vnderstand this of the Iewes only and restraine it to the time of the lawe either of which is absurd we must remember that we haue the same or like threate renewed vpon vs by the spirit of god in the time of the gospell and expresly agaynst euery man aswell Gentile as Iew as all men will graunt I protest saith the spirit vnto euery man that heareth the wordes of the prophecy of this booke that if any man shall add vnto these thinges god shall add vnto him the plagues that are wrytten in this booke and yf any man shall diminishe of the wordes of the booke of this prophecy c Seing then that it cannot be denied but that there are in these last euill dayes both which add to this boke dyminish from it that this plague of possession by deuils is written in the same we must nedes acknowledg caÌ„not doubt but that god may send this plague also in this last age of the worlde Againe seing possession is a punishment or correction of the lord laid vp â—n a man by the ministery of sathan for his sinne and that men are now as greuous sinners as euer the lord also in like sorte affected now towardes sinne and sinners as heeretofore as ready euerie way to chastice men for sinne in these dayes as in former it cannot bee but that men may bee possest now yf the lorde thinke good that way to correct them yea euen as well and vsually as in former time Lastly it is to be remembred that as all churchs so al righter ancieÌ„t latter christians and papists which haue spoken more or lesse of this matter giue theire full consent heereto and many examples from age to age are giuen hereof Here might be brought in a multitude greate heape of testimonies to proue that men maye be nowe possessed but I will let them alone and only coate them in the margent because I thinke it a needelesse thing in so plaine and euident a matter to vse so many wordes specially seing hereafter I alleadge the most of theire testimonyes for the confirmation of dispossession since miracles ceased which is farr more doubtfull then this other of possession and coÌ„prehendeth in it this also For if men haue bene and may be now dispossessed ergo possessed Wierus in the begining of his 4. booke de prestigijs doemonum speaketh of many that haue of late yeares bene possesed with diuels shewing at large their strange admirable most greuous vexations by sathan and among others he maketh mention of about 70 damsells which togither in one night 1555. in an house at Roome where Orphanes were kept became Demoniacks whereof saith he not one of them was recouered two yeares after yea it may be not at all which sure is more strange then their possession considering the great power and authority the Romanists haue ouer diuels euen the same with the Apostles if you will beleue them as hereafter you shall heare Also of later time and nearer vs euen at Amsterdam a greate towne in Holland Anno 1566. there were as he declareth at large 30 children or thereabouts in 8. or 10. weekes possessed with diuels But to let the dead and their writings goe let vs inquire of the liuing Aske of our trauailers what they haue seene credibly heard in other countries beyond the seas and you shall heare what they will say demaund of the papists and they with one consent will tell you that meÌ„ may be possest that among them ther daily are such Thyreus a man now liuing in a booke lately written of this argument nameth a great many that long since miracles ceased were possessed with diuels whereof some were great and honorable personages children to Emperours and kings Shall we say of them as it is said of our possessed persons in England that they were counterfeyts their calling of Exorcists also and formes of Ezorcisme proclaime their iudgment herein to all the world yea who knoweth not how they greatlye vaunt of the power that in theire Church they haue to cast out diuels This brage of theirs is answered by D. Fulk and diuers others but neither he nor any other returneth in answer that men cannot in these daies be possest which had it bene a truth they wold neuer haue omitted But why doth it seeme so incredible and impossible vnto some for one to be nowe possest Because myracles are ceased It shoulde seeme then to be possest with the diuell is a miracle and not a disease sometime by miracle cured For the ceasing of miracles putteth an end only to miracles and not to the diseases which miraculously were healed else we should haue none sick of feauers palsyes and other infinit diseases none dumbe deafe blind halt or maimed NotwithstandiÌ„ge then that miracles are ended possession with diuels may remaine seing it is certaine it is no miracle but a sicknes or supernaturall disease which somtimes miraculously was healed by Christ and his Apostles as appeareth by the 17. of S. Mathew where the father bringing his possessed child saith thus to Iesus I brought him to thy disciples and they could not heale him and presently after it followeth and Iesus rebuked the diuell and he went out of him and the child was healed at that houre In like manner it is said in the 9. of S. Luke that Iesus rebuked the vneleane spirit and healed the child and deliuered him to his father And for further profe hereof serueth excellently that in the 8 of S. Luke verse 2. where it is said that certaine weomen were healed of euill spirits and infirmityes as Mary which was called Magdalen out of whome weÌ„t seauen diuels where by the word healed we may learne that possession is a disease to wit supernaturall and that the miracle is when the dguell by rebuke that is by a charge or comaundement to depart is caste out in which case the party is healed or made whole of this vnnaturall disease For thus it is written in the 9. of S. Marke when Iesus c. he rebuked the vncleane spirit saying vnto him thow dumbe deafe spirit I charge thee come out of him Then it is said the diuell came out the very same we haue in the first of S. Marke verse 25. and a little after it followeth verse 27. he commaundeth the foule spirits with authority and they obey him And in S. Luke with authority power he comaundeth the foule spirits and they come out In these cases we all knowe Christe wrought a miracle now what did he he comaunded the dyuells that were in men to come out of them
diabolicall speaches supernaturall strength and knowledge which were in Somers and the other persons came not only from the diuell whereof there is no question or doubt at all but from him being within them yea how can we otherwise thinke or how can it otherwise possibly be except these effects all or most of them might procede from some other cause the which I haue heretofore shewed cannot be In naturall diseases and in other cases we reason from the effects to the cause and gather or conclude the cause by the effects neyther doth it at any time deceaue vs though it may be soÌ„times we deceiue our selues The phisitian if he perceiue in his patient that he hath a cough stich and that his sicknes began with an ague knoweth thereby as by signes or effects that he hath the plurisy In case we see one euery other day quiuering and shaking for cold presently and truly wee say he hath a tertian and who is so simple that when he seeth smoake ascendynge vp out of a chymney knoweth not that there is fyre why then should we doubt when in the strange handliÌ„g torments of a man such as haue bene described we se as I may say the smoake of a spirit that is the operationes and effects of an euill spirit but that there is in that man a wicked spirit Is there any disease of the body wherein men are so handled as these persons were must it not needes then be some supernaturall disease and other then this it hath bene shewed I trust in the begininge it can not be Our Phisitianes if the haue the pulse vrin and some two or three other signes of a disease straightwaies they affirme it is such a disease and we beleue them though they receiue their skill from the wrytings of men which are subiect to error How much more ought we to beleue that the aforesaid 10. persons were sicke of the disease wee treate of to wit possest with diuels seing we haue not 3. or 4. but so many signes thereof and those not taken out of the bookes of men which may yea often do erre and deceiue but out of the boke of god the word of truth And here this I affirme that the spirit of god in descrihing at large the manner of their handling and vexation by sathan who were possessed in Christ's time according to that we haue heard doth not sett it downe only as a matter of fact but in reporting the same did besides thereby purpose as I conceiue to giue a rule and leaue a direction to his church whereby to discerne of possession in the time to come to the end of the world implying therein thus much that when wee shall see one handled after the same manner that thereby wee learne and from thence gather that the said party is possessed with an vncleane spirit And for confirmation hereof serueth excellently the question of Christe to the father of the possessed child after he had seene his sonne in one of his fits how long time is it since he hath bene thus for it is as if he had said Indeede thow saist true thy child hath an euill spirit in hym for whosoeuer is thus handled hath the diuel in hym causing the same but how long hath he bene possessed where wee see that instead of askynge the father how long time hys sonne had bene possessed he sayth thus handled thereby secretly teaching vs that they which are handled after that manner there mentioned are possessed Againe if it be so that Christ Iesus hath left a medicine for the cuâ—ing of this supernaturall disease that is a meanes for the casting of sathan out of those he possesseth and the same perpetuall as I hope is here after made manifest who can doubt but that the lorde Iesus hath lefte some direction for the discerning of this disease now all men will confesse he hath left none other It must nedes thereforebe that he did it in setting downe the manifould effects and operations of the diuell which being in men he sendeth forth from whence he would haue vs being reasonable creatures when we shall see the same effects in any to gather and assure our selues that there is the very same cause viz an vncleane spirit in the party so afflicted That which many obiect heere forasmuch as Thyreus hath donne it effectually as he supposeth I will produce that which he saith instead of all who although I doubt not but if he vnderstood how it was with our Demonyacks as well as the papists among vs doe he would say with them that ther is no question but they were possest yet because in his booke of Demoniakes which he hath very satly set forth is in the handes of many he saith somthing against this first reason of mine and the certainty and sufficiency of the aforesaid signs which I haue gathered out of the gospell I will therefor labour to answer him and weaken that hee obiecteth that so my aforesaid reason may styll stand and remayne in his full strength And therewithall I will say somthing of the signes which the papists principally rely vpon trust vn to for the discerning of their possessed His words be these followinge Addo quod nec ipsa signa c. I adde that neither the very signes which are found in those possessed of whom the gospell maketh mention are certaine and sufficient tokens of men possessed Some of them were blynd some dease others dumbe some of them were cruell to themselues some to others They seemed to be the workes of such as wer possessed but they were not the signes of possessed persons vnlesse per aduenture we will haue all that be blynd dumbe and deafe and also all feirce and cruell men to be possessed And in the 25. Chap hauing spoken newly before of the excedinge greate strength of possessed persons euen such as passeth all humane strength and of their casting into the fye and water he saith of them that they be not certa et indubita signa certaine and vndoubtfull signes his reason is Quoniam non doemones tantum verum etiam praeter doemones alios authores et causas habere possunt Because theis things or signes may haue not only the dyuels but al so besides the diuels some other authors and causes which hee further coÌ„firmeth by examples as of Maximinus the Emperor and Iunius whoe were of extraordinary and supernaturall strength as he sheweth there at large non tamen saith he pro obsessis habiti sunt and yet notwythstanding they were not held to be possessed Thus we se Thyreus flatly denyeth and argueth against that which hath bene somuch insisted vpon and pressed by mee To passe by that absurdity of his where graunting these thinges to be the workes of the possessed that is of sathan possessing he yet deny eth them to be signes thereof as though the seuerall operations of sathan in any were not so many seuerall signes of
his inhabyting the saÌ„e person or the proper effect was not alwayes a signe of the cause which seemeth to be his first reason To passe by that I say let vs coÌ„e to the main reason he vseth against the signes mentioned in the gospell whervpon onlye as the foundation my former reason wherby I indeuor to proue Somers the 7. in Lancashyre and the other two were possessed resteth and is buylt Against which argument of myne for proofe of theire possession thus out of Thyreus it maye be Obiected The Euangelicall signes wherevpon I ground and infer the possession I contend for are not certaine sufficient and vndoubted signes of men possessed with sathan and therfore notwithstanding the said signes were seene and knowne to be in Somers and the rest it may well be that they were not possessed That the Euangelicall signes are not such Thyreus proueth thus yf to be blynde dumbe deafe to be feirce and cruell towardes himselfe and others to gnash the teth fome to be of supernaturall strength so of the other signes be certaine and sufficient signes of sathan his possessinge of â—n an then all that be blynde dumbe deafe be feirce and cruell towards theÌ„selues and others or gnash the teeth or foame or be of supernaturall strength and so of the other signes are possessed with sathan but that is most falce therfore the other also To the proposition or first part of this reason I answer that to be blynde or to be dumbe or deafe or to be feirce and cruell towards him selfe and others c. without any further trouble or vexation is no token of possession but yf any of these meete with other signes of this supernaturall disease it greatly confirmeth the same vnto vs and is a good signe therof As for instance of foming when foming is alone seuered from other markes it is no signe of one possessed for in the falling sicknes a man fometh and yet hath not an vncleane spirit in hiÌ„ But let it meete in the same person with diuers other tokens of one possessed though not all so as the same man which fometh doe also gnashe his teeth wallowe be caste into the fyre be of supernaturall strength and knowledge then and in such case I say it is a very significant signe thereof And this may be made playn by the like An ague cough and stich are the signes of a plurify seauer these so as a man hath onely one of them and that which of them soeuer it is can giue no assurance to the sick person or phisitian of the plurisy but let them concure mete togither they signifie that as it were proclayme him to be sick of the saide disease Euen soe it is in this case if Thyreus had said that no one of the signes mentioned in the gospell was a certaine and sufficient token or argument of possession I for my part woulde haue subscribed vnto him but to say as he doth indefinittely and in the plurall number that the signes there spoken of are not certayne and sufficient signes of sathan his possessinge I hould it to be moste false and derogating to the honor and high estimation and accounte we should haue of gods sacred word For shall the signes or any of the signes giuen by men in their writings of this or that disease be certain and sufficient signes and the signes giuen by the Lord himselfe in his holy writings of this supernaturall disease or of any other thinge be vncertaiÌ„e insufficient or shall the signs giuen by you Papists of â—n possest forged out of your owne braine set downe in your bookes be vndoubted certain and suffitient as you affirme and the signs giuen by god himself thereof and set downe in his booke be vncertaine and insufficient O monstrons impiety Is not the Lord Iesus trowe we much beholding to this Iesuite in this doctrin of possession as he is to the rest of that generation in all their other doctrins who placeth the signes which Christ Iesus hath giuen in his holy word of one possessed among those which are vncertaine and doubtfull signes as appeareth further by the title of his 22. Chap yea among those which are not true signes although they be so accounted by some â—or marke what his words be in the begining of this said chapter Reijciemus hoc loco primum illa quae c. we will first speke in this place of those which are not true signes of men possest although they be held for true signes of some in the conclusioÌ„ of which chapter he vseth the wordes before conscerning the Euangelicall signes then afterward we wil asigne those which truly proue diuels to be in men But what are those which are such true and inâ—allable signes wherwith the signes set downe in the gospell are not to be compared forsoth these Yf they refuse to call vpon the name of the lord or any of the saints to pronounce the name of Iesus to rehearse a psalme or some godlye prayer or yf they tremble and quake for feare break forth into clamors or outcryes become impatient blaspheame and make shew to doe vyolence vnto themselues when the reliques of saints are applyed vnto them or an Agnis Dei is applyed or besigned on the forchead with the signe of the crosse or sprinckled with holy water or haue the most holy body of Christ gyuen vnto them in the sacrament of the Eucharist or shall haue thes words whispered into their eare in a strange tongue which they vnderstand not Deum qui te genuit derelinquisti et oblitus es Domini Creatoris tui thou hast forsaken god which made thee and hast forsaken the lord thy creator Finally if they cannot abide the charges giuen in the exorcismes or at least most ympatiently indure them Wherevnto after he addeth the touchyng of holy men His saith the Iesuite et similibus signis Demones prodi dubium nullum est That the diuels by these and such like signes are descryed or knowne to be in men there is no doubt And this he goeth about to confirme partly by examples and partly by reason which consisteth of two partes * This quoth he is manifest if we consider first haec ipsis inuisa et molesta esse doemones illo ferre non posse that these things ar hatefull greuous vnto the diuels and that they are not able to abyd theÌ„ Secondly non posse fieri c that it cannot be that either a christian man should tremble when these things are vsed or show himself troubled yf he be commaunded to vse them religiously or to rehearse certaine praiers And a little after vt vero homines haec horreant quis credat horrebit forsitan christianus homo si psalmum Miserere vel dicat vel dici audiat c. That men should be afrayd of these things who can beleeue will a christian man tremble yf he either say the psalme called Miserere or
all in there behalfe and might striue with strong cries that the lord would haue merci vpon them but as theÌ„ I was displeased with thos that neclected such a praier and weare abroad at the time so nowe presently I iudge that I am to be very sharpe with those which staye within not for that they tarry with in but that tariing in the place where they ought they are nothinge better affected then they who gadd abroade for they are talking amonge themse lues and eyther iest or coÌ„fer about ther busines in the most fearfull time oâ— maÌ„ what doest thou wheÌ„ thou seest thy brethreÌ„ present before thee in so ma-many bonds thou talkest about things which nothing concerne thee can not the very sight terrifie the sufficiently drawe thee to som compassion and pittie thy brother is in chaines and yet thou art drowsy and carlesse how canst thou be pardâ—ned when thou art so harde harted so far from humani tie so cruel fearest thou not least whilst thou talkest omitest thy dewtie and art carles some diuill leaping out from the possessed finding thy soule idle and swept cleane should conuaye himselfe into it and with great easinesse enter into the house thus set wide open how wel doth it beseme euery one at that time to be swallowed vp of greife to poure out riuers of tears and none but watered eyes to be seene rounde about and al the Whole congregation to weepe to sighe and sobbe canst thou not shed teares what purginge can these thy horrible sinnes receiue if thou wilt not lament the state of thy bro ther yet at least feare thou for thine owneselfe and awake if thou shalt see thy neigbonrs house al on fier although that negbour be to thee very hatful wilt thou not runne with as possible speede to heelpe to quench it least that the fyer creping by lyttle and litle enter into thy house also consider thou the same thing in those which are possessed with the diuil the tormenting of Diuils is a fier and a burning and consuminge flame take hede therfore cas further followeth there Thvs wee see Chrisostome in this pathetical homeli of his sheweth the ordinarie custome of the church in his time for the dispossessing or castinge out of Sathan by the pulicke praiers of the churche wher in no doubt was vsuallye greate weepinge mourninge syghinge and stronge cryinge vnto the Lorde by al the people presente beholding the tormentes of the possessed and their deliuerance thoughe nowe when Chrisostom spake these words some of his people by reason hap pely they weare much accustomed to these dispossessions and those thinges which fell out in the same failed to be after this manner affected wherupon he reprehended them for the sam which is so sett downe as if Chrisostome had described that which hath fallen out in all sortes of beholders of these late dispossessions so much now in controuersie as they can witnesse Peter Marter in hys booke of common places hath these wordes concerninge this matter Quid ergo faciemus arreptitiis c Therfore what shall we do with those that are possessed when they are vexed with wicked spirrits shal we forsake them they are in no case to be forsakeÌ„ yet notwithstanding we will not by adiuerations commaund the vncleane spi rit to goe forth seeing we knowe we are not indued with any such gift as that wee should by our commaundement cast out diuils wee will then vse faithfull prayers I say prayers most vehement and supplications for their recouery In a word this should be the most laudable and wyse course that exorcismes at this daye be turned into prayers Chrysostomiet Prosperiaetate c. In the time of Chrysostome and Prosper saith Chemnisius they possessed were brought into the Church and were oft deliuered by the common supplicationes of the assembly And Philip Melancton hauinge made mention of diuers which were possessed nam lye of a Damsell in Marchia who had bene healed of that disease by the prayers of the godly of whom he saith et adhuc viuit sana and it she liueth times liuinge and ioyninge with them therin a miracle was wrought if a miracle miracles wear not ceased then which all learned men knowe to be false 2 yf a miracle who wroughte those myracles yf those auncient learned fathers why did others yea oft times their wholl congregations ioyne with them in those miraculous workes and not themselues without theire helpe doe the same as did the Apostles and others which had the guift of miracles why did they not also by prai er giue syghte to the blinde heale the sicke and doe other myracles was ther euer any man hearde of who indewed or guifted of God to worke one only kinde of miracle and had no guifte or power to effect any other yt is manefest theÌ„ that for asmuch as thos fathers assist ed with others did by praier cast diuills out of the bodies of men it ther in did no miracle that expulsioÌ„ of sataÌ„ by praier is not miraculus or at least that Sathan may be so expelled and no miracle wroughte Thirdly the expulsion of Sathan by praier or fasting and praier is no miracle because it is brought to passe by meanes ordained to that ende euen the instant praiers of the seruantes of God somtime long continued in humiliation of fasting for what soeuer is brought to pass by meanes appoynted therunto is no miracle though it be other wise and in it selfe neuer so wonderfull for this is one thing among others necessarily required in euery miracle so as without the same it is non that it be done and brought to passe without any sett and appoynted means of God therunto as that learned reuerent Daneus testifieth otherwise the number of miracles should growe to an infinit number aboue those that here tofore weare taken to be such and we shall haue many miracles dayly and continually wrought before our eyes which all men will deny for then shoulde the couersion of a man be a miracle and so looke how many men weare conuerted so many miracles shoulde be wrought for it is a wonderful worke and not only aboue besids nature but against nature euen as it is to see the Wolfe dwell with the Lambe and the Leoparde lye with the Kide and the calfe and the Lyon and the fatt beaste together and a little childe to leade them yet not withstanding forasmuch as it is broughte to passe by an ordinarie me anes that God hath thearunto appointed euen the preachinge of the worde it therfore ceaseth to be a miracle for admit there were a man in Turkey or amonge the Pagans in the faith and that without al mean es it is certain that that mans conuertion was miraculus and yt when one in the church is brought to the faith by the ministri of the word his conuersion is not miraculus That a child should be conceaued
them with out making any further vse of the same and doe not withall behold consider the invisible things of God as his power wisdom Iustice mercye our beholding of them is in vaine to vs and not onlye so but wee theirby also take the Lordes name in vaine even so shall it goe with vs yf in this extraordinarie worke of God we looke onlye vpon it as some new and strange thing without any further proceeding to profite theirby Yea if we be bound by the lawe of God to profite and receiue good by euery ordinarie worke of the Lord much more by that which is extraordinarie for an extraordinarie worke calleth for an extraordinarie vse and it is adouble sinne to faile therein The vse we are to make of this extraordinarie worke either concernâ—th the glorie of God and the stirring of vs vp to magnifie his great name or the benefit of man and good he may receiue thereby First herein as in a glasse wee may beholde the iustice of god in pu nnishing or correctinge sinne wherby the Lorde teacheth vs to take heed of sinninge against him least either the same or a worse thinge come vnto vs. Secondly we see the omnipotencie and power of God 1 in the powere and strength of the deuil which God permitteth him to exercise a ga inst sinners 2 in subduing those principalities and powers Satan I mea ne treading him vnder his feet yea vnder the feet of his seruants who then that is wise will serue the Lord in feare and trembling Thirdly the mercye of God is to be seene in this worke in deliuering them and that at the humble intreatie of others in there behalfe they being disabled by satan to supplicate for themselues This being well considred magnisieth greatly the mercie and compassion of the Lorde vvho can chuse but loue him because of his mercies and why should any dispaire of his mercie seinge he is so ready to shew mercie euen at the intreatie of others How much more when man shall sup plycatt for himselfe This vse Christ Iesus him selfe maketh in saying to the man whom he had dispossessed goe shew how the Lorde hath had compassion on thee Fourthly wee maye here beholde the wisdom immutabilite of God as being the same who neuer changeth In that as he hath bene allwa yes accustomed to doe he brought this rare great worke to passe by smalle and weake meanes base and contemptible men yea such as be vile and odious in the eyes of the world That thereby the power of God might be the better seene man in his wisdom be confounded and the name of God the better praysed In a word that he which re ioyceth in the behalfe of this worke might not reiovce in man but in the Lord. To him therfore to whom of right it belongeth be the prayse and glory of this worke ascribed Fiftly The saitthfulness of God in the performance of his promyse offereth it selfe here to our consideration These wordes this kind goeth not out but by praier fasting secretly containe in them this promise that if any be possâ—ssed we in the humiliti of our souls by fast ing will intreate the Lord to cast the sperit out he will doe it for vs and deliuer the partie from beinge any further vexed by Satan This the Lord hath promised the accomplishmente wherof we haue seene with our eies let vs herby learne to trust to the least and most close secret promise God â—ath made vs in his worde and save in our harts and with our toungs God is not as man that he should lye be vnfaithfull neither as the sonne of man that he should repent and not performe that he hath promised Hath he said and shall he not doe it and hath he spâ—ken and shall he not accomplish it Hath he promised and will he not performe it And thus much breifly concerning the glory of God de cleared in this worke now followe the seuerall vses concerning man and the profite he otherwise is to make hereof First this great and wonderfull worke of the lord serueth to conuince and stope the mouthes of the papistes who as they are alwayes boastinge of their miracles and vpbraiding vs with the same so espetially with this miracle of theirs as they terme it of casting out of diuils whervpon it hath come to passe that some of this bragging generation in Staffordshire in the time of Th. Darlinge his possession as also in Lanca shire in the time of the possession of those 7. there haue broken forth into these and such like wordes of challenge Let vs see one of your ministers cast out these diuils If we might bring a preist wee are sure he could doe it And in a booke latelye written by one of their side wherin some of there exorcists and preists pretend to haue dispossessed 3. here in England I read these wordes Now saith the authour let me see wether they protestants can avouch any such thing to be done in their congregations And in another place thus they protestants haue smale meanes to make triall whether ther be any possessed among them or no lesse iudgment to discerne ther case and much lesse remidie yf any such be found other then to bind beate send them to Bedlem if the be poore or to begg their liuings if they haue any And in theire annotationes of the Rhomes testament vpon these words of they disciples to Christ why could not wee cast him out they gyue this note Noe mareuill yf they exorcistes of the Catholicke Church which haue power to cast out Deuiles yet doe it not allwayes when they will and many times with much adoe wheras they Apostles hauing receiu ed this power before ouer vncleane spirites yet here could not cast them out But as for heritickes they can neuer doe it nor any true myracle to confirme their false faith Thus wee see they doe not only deny that Deuilles are so vsuallye cast out by vs as it is with them but which is more most peremptorilye they affirme that wee whom they terme heritickes can neuer doe it spetiallye to confirme our false faith To passe by the dispossessiones of others even of late veares which might fitly be here obiected against them what say they to the 〈◊〉 ssession of Kath. Wright of Tho Darling finally of they other 〈◊〉 persons wee haue so largly intreated off That they were all 〈…〉 vncleane spirits and that the same were cast out of them I 〈…〉 die bene so evedentlye sheewed and confirmed by reason out of the scriptures that neither papist nor athist can without blushing gaynsay the same And that those whom they call heritickes were the instruments the Lord vsed therin it is also most manifest How then say they Rhemists that heretickes can neuer cast out diuils But to examine the truth of this their annotation a liâ—tle further be that granted which they papistes