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book_n	church_n	england_n	true_a	2,893	5	5.1810	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19860	A true narration of the strange and greuous vexation by the Devil, of 7. persons in Lancashire, and VVilliam Somers of Nottingham Wherein the doctrine of possession and dispossession of demoniakes out of the word of God is particularly applyed vnto Somers, and the rest of the persons controuerted: togeather with the vse we are to make of these workes of God. By Iohn Darrell, minister of the word of God.	Darrel, John, b. ca. 1562.	1600 (1600)	STC 6288; ESTC S109297	131,635	124

A TRVE NARRATION OF THE STRANGE AND GREVOVS VEXATION BY THE DEVIL OF 7. PERSONS IN LANCASHIRE AND VVILLIAM SOMERS OF NOTTINGHAM WHEREIN THE DOCTRINE OF POSSESSION AND DISPOSSESSION OF DEMONIAKES OVT of the word of God is particularly applyed vnto Somers and the rest of the persons controuerted togeather with the vse we are to make of these workes of God BY IOHN DARRELL MINISTER of the word of God He that is not with me is against me and he that gathereth not with me scattereth Math. 12. 30. PRINTED 1600. 〈…〉 We reade in the 11. of the Actes that the Apostles and bretheren that were in Iudea hearing that the Gentles had also receiued the word of God by the preaching of Peter were offended with him for preaching vnto them and that when Peter was come vp to Hierusalem they contended against him and rebuked him for the same But Peter beginninge and expounding the thing in order vnto them and shewinge that he was commaunded of god so to doe in a vision they held their peace and glorified god Even so many of the ministers and brethren in England hauinge bene offended with me for sayinge and standing in this that William Somers Thomas Darling Katherine Wright and 7. in Lancashire were possessed with vncleane spirites and dispossessed of them by prayer and fastinge will I trust when they shall heare the matter in order sett downe in this treatise following not onely cease to be offended with me but acknowledging the workes of god magnifie him for them True it is that the people of god are borne mightelye in hand that these are counterfeites and haue bene theirvnto scholed if not all yet some of them by me and the better to perswade this even to the whole Church of England theire hath bene a booke latelye published by one S. H. entituled A Discouerie of the fradulent practises of IOHN Darrell but how vntruly this is saide and vnpossible to be true appeareth at large by the Detection of that Discouery and partly by this treatise and peece of the Detection here following VVhich beinge so this ought no more to hinder vs from embracinge these workes of god then the gainsayinge of the Pharises ought to haue kept backe the Iewes from beleiunge and acknowledginge the great worke which Christ did in giuinge sight to the man which was borne blind or that blasphemous speach of theirs he casteth out deuils through Beelzebub the prince of deuils from confessing iustifiyng that worke of his or that false absurd and ridiculous reporte of the watchmen wherevnto they were hired by the Hie Preistes and Elders that Christ his disciples came by night and stole him away while they slept from beleiuing the resurrection of Christ Let not any then be hereby kept from giuinge eare vnto that which followeth but rather prouoked to examine throughly what is saide of both sides and then I doubt not but whosoeuer he be it shall be as easie vnto him to perceiue on which side the truth is as opening his eyes to discerne betwixt light and darknes And to the end the truth might appeare not alwayes lye hid and the falshood be conuinced which hath hetherto prevailed I haue presumed to publish these followinge lynes wherein I could not be wantinge if there were any loue in me to the truth or feare or loue to the god of truth seeing the truth so vniuer sally suppressed and troden as it were vnder the feete of men as mire in the streetes and the falshod raigne as a queene what christian hart or louer of the truth could endure to behold this and let this vsurper alone if in his hand there was any power to plucke her out of her thrones we can not saith the apostle doe any thing against the truth but for the truth If at all times then we are to contend for the truth by speach by writing by euery good way as their shall be cause yea to doe any thing for the truth the manifestation and publishing of it and the inducing of men to receiue it much more when the truth is impugned and this is our present case And that it may be more manifest that heerin I haue performed a necessarie dutie such as without sinne against god I could not haue omitted we must remember that we are commaunded to publishe the workes of god whereof any of vs be witnesses as appeareth by Psalme 105. 1. 2 and 107. 8. 21. 31. Mar 5. 19 perswaded thervnto by reasons or arguments as appeareth by Psalme 78 and 111. 2. 3. 4. Math. 10. 32. It is commended vnto vs in the practise and example of the servants of god as appeareth by Psalme 9. 1. and 66. 5. and ●1 17. 78. 4. Luk. 2. 17. mar 5. 20. Act. 12. 17. 14. 27. we are threatened if herein we faile as appeareth by exodus 20. 7. math 10. 33. If now euery eye or eare witnes of the workes of god is to publish and make knowne the same to others much more the principall witnesses and such a one was I and most of all they whom god hath giuen and called to suffer for giuing testimonie to his workes as he hath done me Such aboue all others must with Peter Iohn say we can not but speake and publish the thinges which we haue seene and heard And if at all times we ought to testifie make knowne iustifie the great workes of god much more then when such a worke is not onely gainsaid but an evill name and vile report brought vpon it and him whom the Lord vsed theirin and this is our present estat and condition VVhen the holy ghost fell vpon the Apostles in visible manner so as they begane to speake with other tongs as the spirit gaue them vtterance some mocked and said they are full of new wine Against this vile slaunder of the wonderfull worke of god and his most righteous servantes Peter stoode vp and made an Apologie sayinge ye men of Iudah these are not drunken as yee suppose since it is but the third houre of the day But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Ioell c. as it followeth their vntill verse 37. In like sorte dealt our blessed Sauiour in this very worke we haue in hand when he cast the deuill out of some which were possessed the people in deede were a●●ased therat and wondered saying the lik● was neuer seene in Israel But the Pharises said he casteth out deuils through Beelzebub the prince of deuils Against this blasphemous speach and report giuen out by the pharises against this great worke and Christ him selfe whom theirein they counted for a coniurer bare the people so in hand Christ Iesus maketh a de●ence and in the same by sundrie reasons convinceth them the which also is writtē for our learning And what are we to learne out of these scriptures surely by their examples practise to doe the like in the like

maye as in a glasse bebold the mallice rage cruelty vnsatiable desire of the diuell as a roaring lyon to deuoure and destroye mā in his restraint from hurting or not performing it notwithstanding his great and manifold offers that way we may se as the power of god ouer thes principalities and powers I meaine the diuils and the awe and subiection they are in vnto the Lord as well as the least or weakest of hys creatures so lhe greate mercye of god towards man remembring mercy euen 〈◊〉 And here this is worthy the obseruing that howsoeuer they which are possessed receiue no hurt at all by that which the spirit doth though it be neuer so much and neuer so fearfull to behold but are as well notwithstanding the same after their fits as before yet if any man doe but wrest or strayne their little finger which is as nothinge in respect of that is done by the spirit though for the present they complayne not thereof as being then without feeling yet after the fit they ●oe this was often seene in Somers Herevnto we may add for the 18. signe of possession extraordinary and supernaturall strength This is euident by the 5. of Marke where it is sayd of one possessed that no man could bynde him noe not with chaynes that being often bound withfetters and chaynes he plucked the chaynes asunder and brake the fetters in peeces neither could anye man ●ame h●m And by the 19. of the Actes where the man possessed ouer came and wounded 7. men After this manner it was with these wee speake of their strength was extraordinary and supernaturall insomuch as two or three strong men could scarcely hould one chyld of the age of 10. or 11. yeares but speciallye this was seene in Sommers who in sundry of his fits did shewe such strength as somtime 3. 4. or 5. sometimes 6. or 7. men though they had greate aduantage of hī as bound to a chair or lying vpon a bed could scarcely rule him though they labored hard that they swet therewith yet he was not perceyued to pant or blowe no more then if he had not strayned his strength nor strugled at all as is deposed The like strength was perceyued to be in Darling as is noted in the printed booke who being a boy of 13. yeares of age was of that strength that 2. stronge men could not hould him downe or rule him Of such extraordinary and supernaturall strength also was Kath Wright True it is that there is greate difference betwixt his strength mentioned Marke 5. and the strength these shewed and noe maruaile For the man there mentioned was possessed with a legion of diuils these each of them with one onlye as I suppose no maruell then though his strength and his rage and furye exceeded theirs And hence I take it to be that of all those mentioned in the gospell to haue bene possessed we reade not of on that was of like strength and rage with him or them possest with a legion For besides that already hath bene saide of their exceeding greate strength vnrulynes it is recorded by S. Mathew that they were very feirce that no man might go by that way The last signe of possession that in the holy scriptures I obserue is ex traordinary and supernaturall knowledge which appeareth by the 5. of S. Marke where one that was possessed as sone as he sawe Iesus a farr off said of him that he was the sonne of the most high God Now if we consider that this man had neither heard of Iesus his doctrin miracles nor seene hys person at any tyme before as may appeare by this that he was not onlye a Gadaren but had besides his abidinge among the graues and in the mountaines and not amongste men and consider also that he was not in his right minde and 3. that he had * had deuils a long time as St. Luke noteth we can not but see and confese that this knowledge or acknowledgment of our blessed Sauiour was supernaturall This is further confirmed by the 16. of the Acts wher it is not only said of a certaine mayd of Philippi which was possesed that she followed Paul and Silas crying and sayiug these men are the seruants of the most high God which shew vnto us the way of saluation but that which for this purpose is much more that she had a sperit of diuination so as she could divine and foretell some thinges to come whereby she got her master much vantage Such supernaturall knowledge as well as strength haue all those had whom I affirme to haue bene possesed with vncleane spirites For hence it came to passe that those in Lancashire foretold there fits the number manner and continuance of them Iohn star could tell whether it was cleane water they brought him and two other of them hauinge their eyes closed and ther faces from the glase tould directly when the sand in the hower glasse was rune out thus hower after hower as for Th. Darling his supernaturall knowledg plainlye appeared by the booke written of him and touching Kath. Wright I saye this as in the presence of God that she tould me of diuers thinges which no earthlye creature knewe besids my selfe Also I sent Th. Wright her brother 2 miles of to one M. Iohn Beresford and she declared what he said to the said messenger before he returned and the daye after I going from her with the said gentleman and leauing her with many about her at my returne she tould some of the speaches which had secretlye in the feildes passed betwene vs. But this supernaturall knowledge was most manifest in Somers who tould of sundrye thinges which were done and spoken diuers miles of him and that at or about the same instant they fell out to diueres strangers comming vnto him he made knowne such secrets as therat both they and others vpon the acknowledgment of the truth the of wondred greatly From hence likwise it came that divinlike saue that he intermingled one or two errors he continued his speach in expounding the Creed for an howere together and sometimes also speake of other misteris Hence also it was that he did divine and foretel things to come For shortly after his repossession in a traunce he vttered these words I must goe to St. Iones at St. Iones Darrell must not come nor neuer ablacke coate of them all it is as I would haue it they are myne enimyes At s●es I must be before the iudges the iudges must * see Somers 3. or 4. dayes after he spake these thinges among many more whereof some are set downe before which all were written from his mouth in the presence of diuers credible persons was accordingly * carryed from his fathers house where then he was to S. Ioanes whither neither my selfe nor yet any in the ministery who wold haue rebuked him sharply when once that was perceiued might be