Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	effect_n	nature_n	power_n	3,155	5	5.1866	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70179	A blow at modern Sadducism in some philosophical considerations about witchcraft. To which is added, the relation of the fam'd disturbance by the drummer, in the house of Mr. John Mompesson, with some reflections on drollery and atheisme. / By a member of the Royal Society..	Glanvill, Joseph, 1636-1680.	1668 (1668)	Wing G799; Wing G818; ESTC R23395	62,297	178

cast out Devils by Beelzebub in his return to which he denies not the supposition or possibility of the thing in general but clears himself by an appeal to the actions of their own children whom they would not task so severely And I cannot very well understand why those times should be priviledg'd from VVITCHCRAFT and Diabolical compacts more than they were from Possessions which we know were then more frequent for ought appears to the contrary than ever they were before or since But besides this There are intimations plain enough in the Apostles Writings of the being of Sorcery and VVITCHCRAFT St. Paul reckons Witchcraft next Idolatry in his Catalogue of the work● of the flesh Gal. V. xx and the Sorcerers are again joyn'd with Idolaters in that sad Denunciation Rev. XXI viii and a little after Rev. XXII xv They are reckon'd again among Idolaters Murderers and those others that are without And methinks the story of Simon Magus and his Diabolical Oppositions of the Gospel in its beginnings should afford clear conviction To all which I adde this more general consideration 3. That though the New Testament had mention'd nothing of this matter yet its silence in such cases is not argumentative Our Saviour spake as he had occasion and the thousandth part of what he did and said is not recorded as one of his Historians intimates He said nothing of those large unknown Tracts of America nor gave he any intimations of as much as the ●●●●…nce of that numerous people much 〈◊〉 did he leave instructions about their conversion He gives no account of the aff●●●s and state of the other world but only 〈◊〉 general one of the happiness of some and the misery of others He made no discovery of the magnalia of Art or Nature no not of those whereby the propagation of the Gospel might have been much advanced viz. the Mystery of Printing and the Magnet and yet no one useth his silence in these instances as an argument against the being of things which are evident objects of sense I confess the omission of some of these particulars is pretty strange and unaccountable and concludes our ignorance of the reasons and menages of Providence but I suppose nothing else Thus Sir to the FIRST But the other pretence also must be examined 2 Miracles are ceast therefore the presumed actions of Witchcraft are tales and illusions To make a due return to this we must consider a great and difficult Problem which is what is a real Miracle And for answer to this weighty Question I think 1. That it is not the strangeness or unaccountableness of the thing done simply from whence we are to conclude a Miracle For then we are so to account of all the Magnalia of Nature and all the mysteries of those honest Arts which we do not understand Nor 2 is this the Criterion of a Miracle that 't is concluded beyond all natural powers for we are ignorant of the extent and bounds of Natures sphere and possibilities And if this were the character and essential mark of a Miracle we could not know what was so except we could determine the extent of natural causalities and fix their bounds and be able to say to Nature Hitherto canst Thou go and no further And he that makes this his measure whereby to judge a Miracle is himself the greatest Miracle of knowledge or immodesty Besides though an effect may transcend really all the powers of meer nature yet there is a world of spirits that must be taken into our account And as to them also I say 3 Every thing is not a Miracle that is done by Agents supernatural There is no doubt but that Evil spirits can make wonderful combinations of natural causes and perhaps perform many things immediately which are prodigious and beyond the longest line of Nature But yet These are not therefore to be called Miracles for They are SACRED WONDERS and suppose the POWER to be DIVINE But how shall the power be known to be so when we so little understand the capacities and extent of the abilities of lower Agents The Answer to this Question will discover the Criterion of Miracles which must be supposed to have all the former particulars They are unaccountable beyond the powers of meer nature and done by Agents supernatural and to these must be superadded 4. That they have peculiar circumstances that speak them of a Divine original Their mediate Authors declare them to be so and they are alwayes persons of Simplicity Truth and Holiness void of Ambition and all secular Designs They seldom use Ceremonies or natural Applications and yet surmount all the activities of known nature They work those wonders not to raise admiration or out of the vanity to be talk't of but to seal and confirm some divine Doctrine or Commission in which the good and happiness of the world is concern'd I say by such circumstances as these wonderful actions are known to be from a Divine cause and that makes and distinguisheth a Miracle And thus I am prepared for an answer to the Objection to which I make this brief return That though WITCHES by their Confederate Spirit do those odde and astonishing things we believe of them yet are they no Miracles there being evidence enough from the badness of their lives and the ridiculous ceremonies of their performances from their malice and mischievous designs that the POWER that works and the end for which those things are done is not Divine but Diabolical And by singular providence they are not ordinarily permitted as much as to pretend to any new sacred Discoveries in matters of Religion or to act any thing for confirmation of Doctrinal Impostures So that whether Miracles are ceased or not these are none And that such Miracles as are only strange and unaccountable performances above the common methods of art or nature are not ceas'd we have a late great evidence in the famous GREATRAK concerning whom it will not be impertinent to adde the following account which I had in a Letter from the Reverend Dr. R. Dean of C. a person of great veracity and a Philosopher This learned Gentleman then is pleased thus to write The great discourse now at the Coffee-Houses and every where is about Mr. G. the famous Irish Stroker concerning whom it is like you expect an account from me He undergoes various censures here some take him to be a Conjurer and some an Impostor but others again adore him as an Apostle I confess I think the man is free from all design of a very agreeable conversation not addicted to any Vice nor to any Sect or Party but is I believe a sincere Protestant I was three weeks together with him at my Lord Conwayes and saw him I think lay his hands upon a thousand persons and really there is some thing in it more then ordinary but I am convinc'd it is not miraculous I have seen pains strangely fly before his hand till he hath chased

them out of the body dimness cleared and deafness cured by his touch twenty persons at several times in Fits of the Falling Sickness were in two or three minutes brought to themselves so as to tell where their pain was and then he hath pursued it till he hath driven it out at some extream part Running Sores of the Kings Evil dryed up and Kernels brought to a Suppuration by his hand grievous Sores of many months date in few dayes healed Obstructions and Stoppings removed Cancerous Knots in the breast dissolved c. But yet I have many reasons to perswade me that nothing of all this is miraculous He pretends not to give Testimony to any Doctrine the manner of his operation speaks it to be natural the cure seldom succeeds without reiterated touches his Patients often relapse he fails frequently he can do nothing where there is any Decay in nature and many Distempers are not at all obedient to his touch So that I confess I refer all his vertue to his particular temper and complexion and I take his pirits to be a kinde of Elixir and universal Ferment and that he cures as Dr. M. expresseth it by a sanative Contagion This Sir was the First Account of the Healer I had from that Reverend Person which with me signifies more then the attestations of multitudes of ordinary Reporters and no doubt but it will do so likewise with all that know that excellent mans singular integrity and judgment But besides this upon my inquiry into some other particulars about this matter I received these further Informations As for Mr. G. what opinion he hath of his own Gift and how he came to know it I answer He hath a different apprehension of it from yours and mine and certainly believing it to be an immediate Gift from heaven and 't is no wonder for he is no Philosopher And you will wonder less when you hear how he came to know it as I have often received it from his own mouth About three or four years ago he had a strong impulse upon his spirit that continually persued him whatever he was about at his Business or Devotion alone or in company that spake to him by this inward suggestion I have given thee the gift of curing the Evil. This suggestion was so importunate that he complained to his Wife That he thought he was haunted She apprehended it as an extravagancy of Fancy but he told her he believed there was more in it and was resolved to try He did not long want opportunity There was a neighbour of his grievously afflicted with the Kings-Evil He stroked her and the effect succeeded And for about a twelve-month together he pretended to cure no other Distemper But then the Ague being very rife in the Neighbourhood the same Impulse after the same manner spoke within him I have given thee the gift of curing the Ague and meeting with persons in their Fits and taking them by the hand or laying his hand upon their Breasts the Ague left them About half a year after the accustomed Impulse became more general and suggested to him I have given thee the gift of Healing and then he attempted all Diseases indifferently And though he saw strange effects yet he doubted whether the cause were any vertue that came from him or the peoples fancy To convince him of his incredulity as he lay one night in bed one of his hands was struck dead and the usual Impulse suggested to him to make tryal of his vertue upon himself which he did stroking it with his other hand and then it immediately returned to its former liveliness This was repeated two or three nights or mornings together This is his Relation and I believe there is so much sincerity in the person that he tells no more than what he believes to be true To say that this Impulse too was but a result of his temper and that it is but like Dreams that are usually according to mens constitutions doth not seem a probable account of the Phoenomenon Perhaps some may think it more likely that some Genius who understood the sanative vertue of his Complexion and the readiness of his minde and ability of his body to put it in execution might give him notice of that which otherwise might have been for ever unknown to him and so the Gift of God had been to no purpose This Sir is my Learned and Reverend Friends Relation and I judge his Reflections as ingenious as his report is sincere I shall say no more about it but this that many of those matters of Fact have been since critically inspected and examined by several sagacious and deep searches of the ROYAL SOCIETY whom we may suppose as unlikely to be deceived by a contrived Imposture as any persons extant And now Sir 't is fit that I relieve your patience and I shall do so when I have said that You can abundantly prove what I have thus attempted to defend And that among the many Obligations your Country hath to you for the Wisdom and Diligence of your Endeavours in its service your Ingenious Industry for the Detecting of those Vile Practicers is not the least considerable To which I will adde no more but the Confession who it is that hath given you all this trouble which I know you are ready to pardon to the respect and good Intentions of SIR Your Affectionate and Obliged Honourer and Servant J. G. PALPABLE EVIDENCE OF SPIRITS AND Witchcraft In an ACCOUNT of the Fam'd Disturbance by the DRUMMER In the House of M. MOMPESSON With Another Modern and Certain Relation In two LETEERS One to the Right Honourable VVilliam Lord Brereton The other to the Learned Dr. Henry More D. D. London Printed by E. C. for James Collins at the Kings Head in Westminster-Hall 1668. To the Right Honourable WILLIAM Lord Brereton My Lord THE ENTERTAINMENTS your Lordships Discourse hath often given me in matters of the best consequence have left a relish on my minde which 't is a pleasure to me to remember and acknowledge And certainly of all the matters the various and busie minde of man imployes it self in there is nothing more agreeable and importing than the enquiries of the other world about which your Lordship is so much and so affectionately concern'd Indeed as things are for the present the LAND of SPIRITS is a kinde of AMERICA and not well discover'd Region yea it stands in the Map of humane Science like unknown Tracts fill'd up with Mountains Seas and Monsters For we meet with little in the Immaterial Haemisphere but Doubts Uncertainties and Fables and whether we owe our ignorance in these matters to the nature of the things themselves or to the mistakes and sloth of those that have enquired about them I leave to your Lordships happy sagacity to determine Only perhaps more of the supra mundane light had shone in upon us but for Superstition Despair and the wranglings of the Schools And did the SOCIETY