Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	apostle_n	speak_v	word_n	1,386	5	3.9429	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26563	Henry Cornelius Agrippa's fourth book of occult philosophy and geomancy magical elements of Peter de Abano : astronomical geomancy : the nature of spirits : and Arbatel of magick / translated into English by Robert Turner ...; De occulta philosophia. Book 4. English.	Agrippa von Nettesheim, Heinrich Cornelius, 1486?-1535.; Turner, Robert, fl. 1654-1665.; Petrus, de Abano, ca. 1250-ca. 1315. Heptameron, or magical elements of Peter de Abano.	1655 (1655)	Wing A785A; ESTC R40727	133,640	309

that they may thrust men into errors and draw them from the worship of the true God through whom alone eternal death can be escaped Pollux It is expedient for me now to be more inquisitive in this discourse whether there be power given to the Devils to foretell things to come concerning which thing hitherto I have not been able to dart at the right mark for this question seemeth sufficiently doubtful unto me Castor St. Augustine in his book De Natura Daemonum dissolveth this Gordoneus knot saith that the damned spirits being filled full of all manner of impiety and wickedness do sometimes challenge to themselves power of foreseeing things to come because in the sense of their airy bodies they have a far more strong prevalent power of foreknowing than men of earthly bodies can have or because of the incomparable swiftness of their airy bodies which wonderfully exceedeth not only the celerity of men and wild beasts but also the flying of birds by which means they are able to declare things long before they come to be known which we by reason of the earthly slowness of our sense cease not to wonder at and admire or because of the benefit of their continual life they obtain this wonderful experience of things which we cannot attain to because of the shortness of our momentaneous life which is but as it were a bubble Poll. This last assertion of St. Augustine seemeth unto me to be more true than the rest because the series of many years doth cause great experience Cast. If any one shall deny these opinions of Augustine as erroneous Damascenus setteth a greater witnes● of these things without all exception before our eyes who in his second book of Orthodox faith saith thus That the devils cannot foreknow things to come for that belongs only unto God but so much as they are able to know they have from the disposition of the celestial and inferior bodies Poll. Why therefore do the Devils so willingly and of their own accord undertake Prophecies and to answer Oracles what benefit have they from hence Cast. Nothing but that hereby they seek to get great estimation and covet to be counted worthy of admiration and to be adored instead of Gods Poll. We know that the devil is the father of lyes Castor from whence we are piously to believe that those things which he foretelleth he extracteth from his own lyes Cast. Furthermore the Prophet Esaias saith thus Shew the things that are to come hereafter and tell us that we may know that ye are Gods And the Apostle Peter also saith The prophecie came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost Poll. No man therefore will deny that they do sometimes fortel things to come Cast. No man certainly but for what cause that it attained to Crysostome doth most clearly teach in these words It is granted he saith that sometimes the devil doth speak truth that he might commend his own lying with verity whereas if he should never tell the truth he could deceive no man neither would his lying suffice him to tempt with Thus far Chrysostome Notwithstanding If he understand that he hath not grace granted unto him of himself to foretel the truth he fortelleth things nevertheless but so obscurely saith St. Augustine that he always layeth the blame of the things by him so foretold upon the interpreter thereof Porphyrius in his book of Oracles although he be the greatest maintainer of Devils and the most expert teacher of diabolical Arts nevertheless he saith with the aforesaid Doctors that the foreknowledge of things to come is not only intricate to men but uncertain to the gods and full of many obscurities Poll. Thou hast said that the predictions of the devils are done in this manner that they may gain authority to themselves amongst the credulous people and be worshiped instead of Gods for what end do the evil spirits work miracles Cast. What is a Miracle Pollux Poll. A new and unwonted accident which cometh to pass contrary to its course and custom and draweth men into admiration thereof Cast. But do they work Miracles Poll. They do for whereby dost thou believe that Aesculapius was honoured in his consecration for a God but only by the means of a miracle when he conveyed a serpent from Epidaurus to Rome What gave so great authority to Juno but only the working of a miracle when her Image of wood was asked by Furius Camillu● whether it would be carried to Rome and it answered with a human voice It would Also from thence Fortune was made a Goddess because her Statua in the way of Latium in the hearing of many people not once but oftentimes spoke with a human voice In the 8 Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles we read of miracles done by Simon the son of Rachel and in Exod. 8. of the Magicians of Pharaoh who in the sight of many people brought forth frogs and serpents and turned the waters into blood Apuleus doth testify the power of men to be so great in Inchantments that the Devils do not only work miracles by the means of men but they are able also to subvert nature and with a Demoniacal Incantation make violent streams to stay their course to turn the winds to make the sun stand still to break the course of the moon to lay impediments upon the stars to prolong the day and to shorten the night as Lucanus excellently sheweth Cessaverre vices rerum dilataque longa Haesit nocte dies legi non paruit aether Torruit praeceps audito Carmine mundus The course of things did cease obstructed light Opprest stuck fast in dusky shades of night Amazed skies their usual laws forbear The world was scorch'd when it her charms did hear And Tibullus of a certain Demoniacal Charm Hanc ego de coelo ducentem sydera vidi Fulminus ac rapidi Carmine vertit iter Haec cantu funditque solum manesque sepulchris Elicit tepido devorat ossa rogo Cum libet haec tristi depellit lumina coelo Cum libet aestivo convocat orbe nives Her have I seen draw down nights sparkling eyes With a dead Palsie swiftest streams surprize Turn earth to water from a desart tomb Make the departed drowsy Manes come With charms she 'll muffle the sad skies in mist In Summer Winters snow bring when she list Cast. I do not any more wonder that Moses called God Wonderful that he doth so connive at this sink of wickedness and most wicked seducers that he granteth them power to act such things so freely Poll. Firmianus excellently sheweth why God doth so in his last book but one of the works of God De opificio Dei for he saith that virtue is not virtue unless it have some like in ruling whereof it may shew and exercise its power for he saith As Victory cannot stand without virtue so neither can virtue