DIGITUS DEI OR God appearing in his wonderfull Works For the Conuiction of Nullifidians Quare miramur Quare non credimus Deus est qui fecit St. Aug. serm 147. de Tempore THE PREFACE TO THE READER YOV have here in the first place a faithfull Translation of the eighth Chapt. of the 22. Book of the City of God written by St. Augustine in his latter days upon occasion as himself tells us in his Book of Retractations of the insolency of the Pagans who attributed the loss and saeking of the City of Rome by the Goths under Flavius to the just judgment of their false Gods upon Christianity and the Professors thereof This insolence of theirs moved this zealous man to take greater pains then ordinary in 22. Books to vindicate the cause of Christ and his Church 'T were a happy thing if we had another St. Augustine who could and would oppose himself as a wall for the house of God against so many insolencies as are practised now adays in defiance of it but by none more freely than by those who are so farr from alleaging any thing of a hand of true or false God in what passes in the world that they too too shamefully presume publickly to own those blasphemies which in good King David's time some who perchance had so little witt and grace as to be of their opinion in their hearts yet were so wise and civill as to keep their thoughts to themselves Against such Poyson this whole Tract of St. Augustine is a most excellent Antidote But because the Dose possibly might seem too large I have elected this one Chapter which for the brevity and variety of accidents therein contained cannot chuse but be very easie and pleasant to take And in the second place I have added some of the Virtues of it chiefly against that desperate Epidemicall disease which reignes I fear too frequently and is the cause of many other dangerous and fearfull distempers If what was intended for a private friend prove any way beneficiall to the publick so farr at least as to work kindly with some one good person or other and cause him to mind the great business for which we are come into this world which is to believe in and serve and obey our great and good God I have my end and to God be the Glory The 8th Chap. of the 22th Book of St. Augustine of the City of God Of miracles which have been wrought for introducing the Faith of Christ into the world and do not vet cease to be wrought in confirmation of the same faith already introduced WHy say our adversaries do not such miracles appear in these our days as you pretend have been done in former times I might answer that such miracles were necessary in these dayes that the faith of Christ might be established in the world Whosoever now requires miracles for his faith seemes himself a Prodigy refusing to believe by the worlds generall example But the truth is they who alleage such things have a design to introduce a dis belief even of such wonders as have formerly been done How comes it then to pass that Christ is so generally held and believed to have been taken in body into Heaven How happned it that in thase criticall times when men made such scruples of admitting any thing which seemed to carry impossibility with it they believed things notwithstanding even without the vouching of miracles which were extreamly incredible in themselves Will they perchance say that they therefore believed them because they were credible why then do they themselves refuse to believe them Thus therfore I argue in brief Either some things in themselves incredible and not seen came to be believed upon the evidence and attestation of other things seemingly also incredible which things notwithstanding were both done and seen to be done or else those things were credible in themselves and stood in no need of miracles by way of further proof and as such are a convincing evidence against the incredulity of such Nullifidians Thus much in order to the confuting of such vain sensless men For it cannot be denyed but that many miracles have been wrought for the attesting that one great health-giving Miracle of the bodily Resurrection and Ascension of Christ into Heaven For in the same most infallible writings are delivered both the wonders themselves and the faith intended to be established by them These things were made known for the gaining belief and by that belief which they have gained are come to be better and more clearly known For they are read to the people that they may be believed and yet they would not be read to the people were they not believed For even in our dayes miracles are wought in his name some by his most holy Sacramenes some by the prayers and reliques of his saints but they are not set forth with so much fame as to be spread about the world with the same glory which those others are For it is the Books of Holy writ which were to be every where divulged which makes them to be read and Fixt in the memories of all men But these things are only known where they happen to be done and that scarce of a whole City or the inhabitants of the plaee Many hear nothing of them especially if they happen in some great Town And now when things are carried from one to another they bear not so great an authority as to be believed without doubt or difficulty even although they be told by one Christian to another The miracle which happned at Millan when I my self was upon the place by which a blind man was restored to his sight may indeed have been known by many because both the City is great and the Emperour himself was then there and an infinity of People were witnesses of it who were come thither to the bodies of the Martyrs Gervasius and Protasius which bodies being wholly concealed and unknown to any one were revealed to Ambrose the Bishop in his sleep and were found by him at which time and place the foresaid blind man recovered his sight But now unless it be some very few who ever heard of the Cure done upon one Innocentius who had born Office in those parts at which my self was present and beheld it with mine own eyes For he being a very pious and religious person was pleased to entertain me and my brother Alipius coming from beyond Seas who although we were not yet in Orders had already dedicated our selves to Gods holy service and happened to be in his house when the thing fell out of which I shall now give you the relation He was then under the Physicians hands for more then one very dangerous Fistula which he had in the lower and hinder-part of his body They had already made incision and were now perfecting the cure by other applications In the incision he had suffered very great and tedious pains But among the rest one
much upon that which they call Reason that they wholly lose their way to Religion and whilst they please their fancies with some pretty nice speculatious become themselves meer scepticks and too too often downright Atheists They are not altogether behind hand with that great ambitious Spirit who not being able to reduce to known naturall principles or comprehend the cause of the ebbing and flowing of the sea is said to have cast himself as a very rash Sacrifice into it For these men finding the nature of God as it must needs be supposed if we suppose him to be above the reach of their capacity to make short work think it their readiest course to cast him quite off or at least make him so pittifull an one according to the model of things which their slender sense and experience has made them acquainted with that he must have no care or providence of things of this world which are extrinsecall to his own being lest he put himself into a condition of perpetuall trouble and disquiet Others whom I think all their kind ought to be highly offended at do so degrade and even un-man themselves and all their race that they make them as to their beginning and ending little if at all superiour to the meanest of those creatures which enjoy a sensible Being and have a feeling of those pleasures they are naturally capable of placing in them all their present and renouncing all expectation of any other future felicity And so are not at all to be wondered at if having taken up such Principles either upon trust or design they first look upon themselves as the chief if not the only thing they are to observe and gratify and then as is too frequently seen become in their lives and pursuit's like unto those brutes whom they are by a very wise man rightly compared unto sicut equus et mulus quibus non est intellectus without understanding or reason wholly drowned in sensuality and absorp't in bestiality And yet which is not only strange but monstrous also whil'st they thus become meer brutes in conversation pretend still to be the only masters of refined reason and speculation making it one great part of their witty and agreeable divertisements to devide and laugh at all those who having espoused better and nobler principles endeavour to devest themselves indeed of the Man not by degenerating into the Nature of beasts but by raising themselves to the condition of Angels with whom they one day hope and expect to enjoy those pure delights which they know very well are not to be comprehended by poor mortalls here in banishment but believe they are prepared for those faithfull servants of the great God in whose power and will it is to provide for them never-fading yet always satiating delights when those their mortal bodies shall have put on Immortality And now to come close to what I would be at upon this account I would fain know of any indifferent person who has not quite abandoned his reason whether those great pretenders to and Monopolizers of wit be not at a great loss in case these things prove true which you have here seen related by the great St. Augustine whether here does not manifestly appear so far as effects can manifest a cause first that there is some thing in the world above or beyond nature secondly that this some thing has a providence and kindness for mankiud and thirdly that there is some thing remaining after death in those blessed Saints whose prayers and intercessions obtain of the living God such miraculous favours for those who humbly address themselves unto them Against the Verity or certainty of these things thus circumstanced by the person relating the witnesses attesting all succeeding Ages unquestionably accepting it will be worth the seeing what the dissenting party with some pretense of reason do usually object For I take them for men of greater parts and knowledge of the constitution of the world in these dayes then by their peremtory denying the whole story to pretend to oblige mankind to a tame subscription and Acquiescence to their Ipse-Dixit's themselves having already banisht out of the world all Implicite faith of this nature at least for in an other kind I presume when the health of their dear bodies is concern'd they will still think it necessary to advise with and rely upon their Physician in his art though themselves dive not into the reasons nor can give any just account of his proceedings I presume also they will not apprehend that they have forfeited any share of their reason when they give credit to and rely upon their Councel in point of law though themselves perchance never read so much as Littleton or understand not the full import of all those great hard words those learned men insert into Conveyances c. In these and the like cases the Great St. Augustine Confesses l. 6. Confess c. 5. that after many doubts and perplexities which himself as well as some others in his days had been subject to he found it absolutely necessary to have recourse to Faith even in human proceedings much more was he convinced of the necessity of it in things supernaturall which as such are ex terminis concluded to be above the reach and capacity of our weak-sighted Understandings In things therefore of this high nature we may confide though we penetrate not into the intrinsick Principles of the things proposed that we proceed rationally and as becomes prudent men if having discovered sufficient motives of the credibility of the things offered to be believed we submit and yeild assent regulating our judgments and behaviours accordingly Thus much a good Christian knowes to be his duty when ever things appear vested with Gods revelation But that only which in our present case concerning things in themselves immediatly of an inferiour degree I think reasonable to demand and necessary for the persons we are arguing with to grant is not to deny human or historicall faith at least to matters of fact proposed with so many circumstances of Unquestionable credibility that peremptorily to deny them without positive and clear evidence against them would make the world believe their whole soules were turn'd fancy or will and that they had renounced all right to the noblest part of man Reason and Vnderstanding Their only course then if they purpose to maintain their pretentions to Rationality must be to argue closely with convincing proofs both in matter and forme with undeniable Premises and fairely deduced Conclusions One thing let me begg of them by the way that they will please to be mindfull that it is highly against Reason and the Rules of reasoning first to resolve upon and fix the Conclusion and then come lamely in with the Premises Thus may you have heard many a good woman prove her child to be the fairest because he is Thus may you see many a cause menaged with great earnestness at the Barr though the Councell be not
also was not without miracle for having by the power of God escaped the ordinary cruel torture of water used by those Barbarians and which none use to pass without certain death he was at length beheaded after the executioner had several times endeavoured to do his office but without effect his strength failing him till the holy man himself gave him leave or commission for it And of this prophesie concerning his dying for Christ which could not be but from the all-seeing providence of God there are many yet living and among others my unworthy self who can declare upon oath that they had notice of it some years before it came to pass In so much that as I have been informed from a very good hand the late Lord of Caernarvan that valiant and worthy person who afterwards testified his loyalty to his prince by the loss of his life happening to be in the court of Spain when Mastrilli pass't by Madrid in his way to take shipping for the Indies and in the presence and by the command of the king of Spain was obliged to make relation of the whole passage of his miraculous cure the said Lord of Caernarvan was heard to say that if the man did go into the Indies and there lose his life as he had said was foretold him he would believe all he said for scripture I would to God some of our Nullifidians could be perswaded to believe it at least as farr as human faith seems to oblige them I should hope it would be a step or disposition toward their believing something in which they are more nearly concerned But against much of this I hear there is a certain English Doctour who notwithstanding would gladly see some of these things with his own eyes and then he would tell us more of his mind who for once is contented to enter into league with a Roman Doctour though otherwise he seems to hate as bad as Hell does Holy-water any thing that has relation to that superstitious place and he tells us from his Roman Dr. that it is so ordinary an effect of nature to preserve bodies a long time from corruption by the use of lime c. that it is meere ignorance to take the late mentioned incorruption of the body of St. Francis Xavier which the rest of the world so much admires as an effect of the divine goodness to that Apostolical man for any thing extraordinary and praeternatural But with this Doctours good leave the general perswasion of the world amongst whom we find some Doctours also grounded upon experience and the corroding or rather Caustick quality and force of unsleck't lime not so properly perchance expressed by the Roman Doctours single word Calx with which the body of St. Xaverius was twice covered is contrary But then we would gladly know from this learned empirick how this dead body of the Saint came to be preserv'd entire fresh moist and sweet more then ordinary living bodies many moneths nay years after that natural preserver of his was taken from it or whether he has any thing in his own or his Roman Doctours experience which tells him that bodies once covered with lime do afterwards preserve themselves or are preserved by some relict quality from the lime for moneths and years This I am sure would be new and worth so great an English Doctours invention For his Roman Doctour does here absolutely desert him who in the same place and number cited by our English Doctour concludes it to be miraculous where there are found such circumstances as were discovered by many curious Inspectours into the incorrupt body of St. Francis Xavier But any thing must pass rather then God should seem to have any regard to the honour of his Saints or any miraculous thing be done by them or at their intercession And yet I am half of opinion that this good Gentleman whether before he was well awars or no I cannot well tell had some more respect then ordinary for this great Apostle of the Indies seeing he is pleas'd to own that if it were at any time reasonable to expect a power of miracles it would be for the conversion of Infidels and Xaverius and his companions poor Romish Priests and Jesuits going upon so generous a design might be favoured in it by some extraordinary effects of divine power Only he the good Doctour would willingly have appointed God what miracles he should have empowered them to work in this and the like occasions Vtinam saperet intelligeret c. But now the scene is altered again For as to all those miracles whose relation we have from the Jesuits we are saies he to consider what credit their testimony deserves with us For if they are men who think it lawful to lie for a good cause as no doubt the honour of their society is such with them how can we with any tolerable discretion relie upon their words Thus this severe Doctour is pleased to preingage his Reader What credit they may have with such pre-resolv'd Gentlemen as himself and his like I know not But we have a very ill account of things abroad if very many who think themselves no fools neither and who have had some reason to be better acquainted with these mens principles and proceedings then he who for all that we know never saw or convers'd with any of them in his life have not another opinion of them then the character here bestowed upon them seemes to allow And yet I perceive the man is something wary too and ushers in this pretty piece of Civility of his with an If. If they are men who think it lawfull to lye for a good cause c. It would be something satisfactory to see in what Authour of theirs and it is ten to one he has seen more then one of them in the libraries of the universities or perchance in his own closet he finds this supposed doctrin of theirs that it is lawfull to lie for a good cause Thus much I promise him that if he can prove this to be their doctrin I will joyn with him and proclaim them not only knaves but very fools also and that is not the Character the world generally gives them For though a lie may take for once when 't is handsomely told and may bring some advantage with it yet to make a trade and open profession of it which they must needs be supposed to do who hold it lawfull c. and hope to thrive by it were to take the rest of the world to be of very weak capacities and to go about to impose upon all mankind which were in effect to declare themselves utterly void of all wit and unfit for human conversation It is true Omnis homo mendax Every man one time or other by the common corruption of nature is subject to be false to his principles and to offend against some known verity neither do I find that Black coates are excepted
in the general clause But to do it and hold it lawfull to lie for a good or bad cause is a thing for which I am pretty sure none of their Authors can be quoted whom the Doctour is so civilly pleased to father it upon I confess it is a pretty odd passage especially with those pleasant Comments upon it which the Doctour upon the back of this his unexpected Caution fetches as farr as Persia But I find the Doctour himself is pleased to furnish Hierom Xavier with several Authors good or bad I am not now in humour to dispute for so much as his talent of inventing untruths is concern'd for part of which this one very possibly indiscreet Jesuit did utter the Doctour himself making up the rest of the story with several interpolations from others whom we take to be none of Xavier's tribe But yet we do not find that he was either so impious as to promulge this by way of a new Gospel or so insolent as to insert many things taking them even from the Doctours own relation which notwithstanding I begg his leave with time and opportunity to examin a little further before I enter it into my Creed so maliciously false as to ground so general a supposal that those of his calling think it lawfull to lie for a good cause But it is remarkably the fortune of this great Doctour to be alwaies undertaking and endeavouring at great and extraordinary things such as indeed many have soberly questioned whether himself did in reality hold to be such Truths as he seems to set them out for Sure we are most or many of his own pretended Party do not think themselves obliged to maintain or believe them as such Qui nimium probat nihil probat is an Axiome which every fresh man is soon acquainted with and knowes by the very light of nature what such Proofs amount to But now as to this particular of the Jesuits holding it lawfull to lie for a good cause the thing appearing to me to be matter of Fact to be made good either out of their Books Lessons Sermons c. or notorious general practice me thinks I have reason to expect something more home and positive then has hitherto been alleaged or brought to light Till this be effectually done I must believe I am obliged to confirm my judgment to that of the generality of knowing men who have heard them so often teach much better things in their Schools and Pulpits and who have found them more civil in their conversation then either to practise any such thing themselves or brand a large community with it in which there be many who by their quality in the world as Gentlemen deserve more civil treatment from those who know what Breeding is Amongst others of them I find the forementioned Marcello Mastrilli upon whom was wrought that remarkable cure described so lately and which happened so few years ago This good man was and is owned by the chief nobility of Naples to have been a near relation of theirs and one who by his actions brought no stain upon his family And yet he also must fall under the general censure of our kind Doctour and be reckoned among those who make no scruple to lie for a good cause c. But could the Doctour make this action good of his being a lier I should not stick to enter that other of his being a fool For that a man should stretch a little too farr in hopes of some profit or preferment is that which perchance may pass for wit as the world goes now a dayes But that a man should invent a story which should oblige him to leave his native country where he was in good esteem both for his birth and parts which in probability had been attended with a fortune answerable before he abandoned it as many more are known to have done upon better motives as may well be imagined then to take up a trade of lying That he should I say in this manner oblige himself to quit all these advantages and expose his person to a long and dangerous Journey and to the cruelty of a savage people from whom he could expect nothing but what he found barbarous usage and a cruel death is beyond any maxims of modern wit or discretion But the piercing Doctour will perhaps tell us that the honour of his society was the good cause which put him upon the contrivance and obliged him to the execution accordingly If this could be made out I should confess it were something to be admired indeed that a man in this age for such meer human respects should become so great a self denier But I doubt would hardly be imitated by any but some of his own party who by his example have been moved to abandon likewise their native countries and comforts and venture their lives through sea and land upon the only score of relieving the spiritual necessities of those poor desolate Nations Could we once see an example of this kind in some of those who pretend so much Zeale for the Gospel we might perchance be moved to think better of their Principles But though their merchants and factours venture indeeed yearly into those Eastern and Western parts to fetch us home gold and silver and silks and spices and Jewels c. Yet I never heard of any of the good Doctours Partizans who ventur'd without or with a Viaticum to go to those remote parts upon the bare hopes of encreasing the flock of Christ and improving their stock no otherwise then by suffering all manner of evil usages dangers wants and many times death it self But not to wrong the good Doctour nor put more incivility upon him then some perchance may apprehend he deserves I must own that I find him sometimes inclined as pag. 684. of his Second discourse to suppose this passage of Mastrilli's miraculous cure to have something of truth in it and I am apt to think he has some reason for it there being such irrefragable testimonies of many who were not Jesuits for the positive verity of it and so little to be said for the negative For which notwithstanding could it have been done I believe he might have found some curious wel-willers of the Jesuits who would have been industrious and ready enough to have furnished materials But then he comes off again with E. W. And asks him what this or the like would make to the proof of Pope Pius the fourth's Creed As to that I shall leave him to E. W. and others who I make no question will do him reason But I must entreat him in the mean time that out of his animosity against E. W. he will not deprive us of such grounds as make against Atheism for Christianity the supporting of which was my only design whilest I mention this and some few other late passages some of which I hope the kind Doctour will not be two earnest against but think well of and allow at
half so confident of his cause as he is pleased at the liberality of his Client Affection Willfullness and Interest are the true Premises and Proofs in such Causes and conclusions Many an odd argument is alleaged not so much proving the thing in question as evidencing our good will for it But I expect better things from rationall men and pretended lovers of truth First then they may perchance say St. Augustine was a man and might consequently both deceive and be deceived That he was a man and no Angel is without question but withall you may take notice that he is held by the whole world to have been an honest and a holy man therefore he did not go about to deceive he was ever esteemed a learned and a discreet man he had the testimonies of unsuspected disinteressed persons of whole Communities of whole Cities nay of his own eyes in many remarkable particulars Ergo he was not deceived If this be not a better consequence then any your Might be can afford to your purpose I must needs confess we are to seek for new Principles of arguing For to affirm positively upon so remote a possibility that he was either deceiv'd or design'd to deceive would be a ready way indeed but it must needs be a very rash one For never was a meer Possibility yet admitted amongst rational men for a positive proof of either side of a contradiction which does admit of a contingency Much less can it have place indifferently where one side is fortifyed with such proofs as greater cannot be required by any unbiassed judgement to a determination in the subject matter of inquiry And if this be not allow'd as exactly rational then cannot I imagine upon what Principles we can be induced to apositive crediting any thing of this nature in any age of the world before us For they all being Contingencies and the positive and negative not being possible to coexist no Might be or May be can determine the judgement any further then to a meer suspension which is not only prudent but necessary where proofs come equal on both sides And as this is necessary upon equality so certainly is it most rational to incline to some one side upon the prevalency of motives or even absolutely to assent where they arrive to that degree that no wise man can find or hope to find greater in matters of this nature Demonstratiuely no May be or Might be can be thought to be upon equall terms with it But that which I suspect may make you so backward in giving assent to this Relation of St. Augustine may be the generall prejudice you have against all things of this nature And this haply has been bred and nourish't in you by your aversion from those many Legends stuff't up as you imagin with such kind of old-wives tales which to you appear not only improbable by their number but also very lyable to exceptions by reason of Circumstances what if I should freely grant as I shall not make much difficulty to do what you seem here resolved to suppose that there have been mistakes and perchance abuses in this kind what if I frankly own that some ignorant person has taken that for a miracle which some more understanding man knowes very well to be within the compass of nature or some strong-fancied creature has taken her devout dream for a Vision Will your inference hold Ergo all are such Ergo these related by St. Augustine are such Is there no true gold because some upon the touch has been found false Are there no true Diamonds because the skillfull eye of a Lapidary or the wheel has discovered some to be counterfeit Then I pray call to mind whom you deal with whose reputation you so severely call in question It is that of St. Agustine out of whom I did purposely select these passages not that I doubt but there are a thousand as unquestionable things of this nature in other grave Authors but because I did suppose and I imagined I had reason for it that the great esteeme and respect the world generally has for this great man would gain him some credit with you also 'T is He that tells you here of many cures such as whole Consults of Physicians esteemed incurable wrought suddenly and permanently 'T is He that tells you of Devills cast out by the force of Prayer and Exorcismes 'T is He that tells you of many dead persons rays'd suddenly to life and health 'T is he that tells you he saw many of these things when they happened with his own eyes 'T is he that tells you of the Testimonies of whole Communities whole Towns and Cities in proof of many particulars 'T is he that tells you of Memorialls given in and read publiquely and kept carefully that they might be confirmed or contradicted if any thing occurr to any one of those thousands who saw or heard them 'T is he that tells you that there were so many other Miracles wrought in the places he mentions and known by his brethren then living to have been wrought that he thought himself obliged to put down his excuse for not specifying them also as well as others which he happens to mention 'T is he who writ these Things in a time when he could not but know that there were enemies enough both at home and abroad Heathens and Heretiques Manicheans and Pelagians c. who would have been very glad of the opportunity of diminishing his credit and authority by disproving what he had writt with so much advantage to his own cause and so much prejudice of theirs This certainly must needs have obliged so discreet and sober a person to have used more care then ordinary in the examination of those Things which he intended for publique view in proof of those great mysteries of our faith The Resurrection and glorious Ascension of Christ our Saviour in Body into heaven And here by the way give me leave to tell you that this ever has been and to this hour is the constant endeavour of Prelates in the Church and it is their high obligation that nothing of this kind be taken or divulged as miraculous but upon very strict examination authentique proofs and depositions of sworn witnesses c. So that it cannot in reason be thought other then willfull rashness in any man positively to deny them all upon no better ground then meere prejudice or suspicion I pray taken notice of what I said last to deny them all For to come a little home to you I must take the liberty to tell you that if any one of these hundred Miracles related here by Saint Augustine or any one of those thousands related examined and attested by others proves true your business is done You will be compelled to own something beyond the reach of your eyes or perchance understandings which has a beeing and a power above the force of nature manifesting it self abundantly in such admirable and Supernaturall operations But