Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	cause_v	disease_n	humour_n	1,824	5	8.2513	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09402	A discourse of the damned art of witchcraft so farre forth as it is reuealed in the Scriptures, and manifest by true experience. Framed and deliuered by M. William Perkins, in his ordinarie course of preaching, and now published by Tho. Pickering Batchelour of Diuinitie, and minister of Finchingfield in Essex. Whereunto is adioyned a twofold table; one of the order and heades of the treatise; another of the texts of Scripture explaned, or vindicated from the corrupt interpretation of the aduersarie.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Pickering, Thomas, d. 1625.	1610 (1610)	STC 19698; ESTC S114527	101,186	282

and so behaued themselues And the Histories of men in former ages haue recorded strange testimonies of some that haue been thus turned into wolues lyons dogges birds and other creatures which could not be really in substance but onely in appearance and phantasie corrupted and so these records are true For God in his iust iudgement may suffer some men so to be bewitched by the deuill that to their conceit th●y may seeme to be like these bruit beaste though indeede they remaine true 〈◊〉 still For it i● a worke surmounting the deuills power to change the substance of any one creature into the substance of another By this kind of delusion the Church of Rome in the times of blindnesse and ignorance hath taken great aduantage and much encreased her riches and honour For there be three points of the religion of that Church to wi●●e Rurgatorie Inuocation of 〈◊〉 Saints and honouring of Reliques whereby she hath notably inriched her selfe all which had their first foundation from these and such like Satanicall impostures For the onely way whereby they haue brought the common sort to yeeld vnto them both for beleefe and practise hath beene by deluding their outward sense● with false apparitions of ghosts and soules of men walking and ranging abroad after their departure and such like● wherby simple persons ignorant of their fetches and delusions haue beene much affrighted a●d caused thorough extremitie of feare and dread to purchase their owne peace and securitie by many and great expenses And indeede these were the strongest arguments that euer they had and which most preuailed with the common people as is manifest in stories of all nations and ages where such deceits haue taken place though oftentimes by the iust iudgement of God they were taken in their craft and their feat● reuealed The second kind of illusion is of the minde whereby the deuill deceiues the minde and makes a man thinke that of himselfe which is not true Thus experience teacheth that he hath deluded men both in former and latter times who haue auouched and professed themselues to be kings or the sonnes of Kings Yea some haue holden themselues to be Christ some to be Elias some to be Iohn the Baptist and some extraordinarie Prophets And the like concei●s haue entred into the minds of sundrie Witches by the suggestion and perswasion of the deuill To whome when they haue wholly resigned their soules and bodies they haue beene mooued to beleeue things impossible touching themselues as that they haue indeed beene changed into other creatures as catts birds mise c. The inquisitions of Spaine other countries wherein these and such like things are recorded touching Witches really metamorphosed into such creatures cannot be true considering that it is not in the power of the deuill thus to change substāces into other substāces And those conuersions recorded by them were onely Satans illusions wherewith the mindes of Witches were possessed and nothing else which though they were extraordinarie as the rest of this kinde are yet they went not beyond the power of nature The second sort of the deuills wonders are reall workes that is such as are indeede that which they seeme and appeare to be These howsoeuer to men that knowe not the natures of things nor the secret and hidden causes thereof they may seeme very strange and admirable yet they are no true miracles because they are not aboue and beyond the power of nature If it be here alleadged that the deuils workes are not reall and true actions because the holy Ghost calleth them Lying wonders 2. Thes. 2. 9. I answer that they are called Lying wonders not in respect of the workes themselues for they were workes truely done and effected but in regard of the deuills end and purpose in working thē which is to lie vnto men and by them to deceiue The truth of which point will appeare in the viewe of some particular examples First we read in the historie of Iob that Satan brought downe fire from heauen which burnt vp Iobs sheep and seruants and caused a mightie winde to blowe downe the house vpon his children as they were feasting to destroy them Againe he smot the bodie of Iob with botches and boyles All these were true reall works very strange admirable and yet no miracles because they exceeded not the compasse of nature For first when he cast downe the fire from heauen he did not create the fire of nothing for that is a worke proper to God alone but applied creature to creature and therefore produced such a matter as was fit to make fire of If it be demanded how he is able to doe this we must remember that his knowledge in naturall causes is great and therefore he was not ignorant of the materiall cause of fire which beeing throughly knowne and founde out Satan brought fire vnto it and so putting fire to the matter of fire he brought it downe by his power and agilitie from heauen vpon the cattell and seruants of Iob. Againe the winde which blewe downe the house where his sonnes and daughters were eating and drinking was not created by the deuill but he knowing well the matter wherof winds are generated naturally added matter to matter and thence came the winde whereunto he ioynes himselfe beeing a spirit of a swift and speedie nature and so makes it for his own purpose the more violent and forcible Thirdly he smote Iobs bodie with sore boyles from the crowne of his head to the sole of his foote Now this may seeme strange that he should haue such power ouer mans body as to cause such diseases to breed in it Therefore we are further to vnderstand that his knowledge extendeth it selfe to the whole frame and disposition of mans bodie whereby it comes to passe that the causes of all diseases are well knowne vnto him and he is not ignorant ho●e the humours in the bodie may be putrified and what corrupt humours will breede such and such diseases and by what meanes the aire it selfe may be infected hereupon preparing his matter and applying cause to cause he practised vpon the bodie of Iob and filled him with grieuous sores Another example of Satans reall workes is this By reason of his great power and skill he is able to appeare in the forme and shape of a man and resemble any person or creature and that not by deluding the senses but by assuming to himselfe a true body His power is not so large as to create a bodie or bring againe a ●oule into a bodie yet by his dexteritie and skill in naturall causes he can worke wonderfully For he is able hauing gathered together fit matter to ioyne member to member and to make a true bodie either after the likenes of man or some other creature and hauing so done to enter into it to mooue and stirre it vp and downe and therein visibly and sensibly to appeare vnto man which though it be a strange worke and