of consolation wherfore it is no maruel if he againe desired the remedy which he had had experiēce of Why Gideon required contrary sygnes He requireth contrary signes bicause the first semed not to be so great a wonder that the rest of the earth should be dry the fleese moyst Bicause such is the nature of wool that by a certaine proper power it draweth moystnes vnto it selfe as the Magnete stone draweth yron and Naphtha fire Naphtha a kinde of chalk Wherefore the wool myght easilye drinke in the dewe and that aboūdantly although the earth wer not yet moist But that about the fleese the earth should be moist and the wool dry it was vtterly against nature What is the Allegorye of these sygnes Augustine vpon the .71 Augustine Ambrose The Allegorye of these signes Psalme writeth and also Ambrose in his first booke de spiriru sancto in the Proheme The fleese they vnderstand to be the people of the Hebrues who in the old time wer watred with the woord of God when as the whole earth that is all other nations wanted the preaching of the woord of God Christ also was the minister of the circumcision in the first embassadge he sēt his Apostles onely to the Iewes But afterward the thing was so altered that the whole worlde after the comming of the holy ghost vpon the Apostles was watred wyth the woord of God and the Iewes vtterly wanted it and as barren bowes were cut of from the fertile and fat Olyue tree ¶ Of Miracles IN the ende of the chapter twoo thinges are to be enquired of The first is of miracles the other is how much or in what sort it is lawful to require them The Etymology of the wordes As touching the firste the Hebrue verbe is Pala or Niphla whiche is it was hard or marueilous wherof ar deriued these nownes Niphlaoth or Miphlaoth By which woordes are noted thinges seuered from other for their dignitye or excellency seperated I say and wonderful The Grecians call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of thys verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is to maruayle The Latines call them Miracula that is miracles bicause they are woorthy of admiration They cal them also Prodigia monstra and Portanta that is wonders monsters and thinges seldom sene that we should vnderstand that God by these thinges wyl shewe that some certayne thing shal come to passe or be done contrary to the cōmon order of things aboue hope or expectation Miracles very muche renoumed Wherfore seing mircales ar done aboue the natural course of thynges they bring with them admiration And vndoubtedlye there are verye many miracles which by writers are made famous as the temple of Diana in Ephesus the Tombe of Artemisia Queene of Caria the horrible great image of the Sūne at Rhodes the walles of Babilon very many other of the sort Wherfore Augustine against the Epistle of the Maniches the .xvi. Augustine A general description of myracles chap. prudently writeth I call a miracle whatsoeuer appeareth harde or vnaccustomed aboue the hope or faculty of the wonderer By which wordes a certaine large description of miracles may be had Transubstantiation is yll fayned to be a myracle And forasmuch as it said that a miracle appeareth they are worthely reproued which do fayne Transubstantiation and wyll haue it to be a miracle which can neither be confirmed by the holy scriptures and seing that it appeareth not neither can it be sene it cannot be called a myracle After this very common and large description ther is to be added that of miracles certaine are true False miracles and certaine are false For those are called false myracles which either are not that which they seme to be or els if they bee they are not done by anye power which passeth nature but by the powers of nature although it be secrete For Angels either good or bad may do them and that thre maner of wayes For sometime they applye vnto matter the strengthes of nature which they perfectly know of which cōiunction of the matter wyth efficient causes do follow effectes ar in dede in a maner vpon the sodaine at the which the beholders cannot but maruayle The deuils know that of thinges putrified are engendred Frogges woormes or some certaine Serpentes so that heate in certaine degrees be added Wherfore seing to them it is not hard to couple these thinges together they do it somtimes to deceaue men with al. And by this meanes Augustine thinketh as he writeth in his .3 Augustine booke de Trinitate that the sorcerers of Pharao did sometimes the same thinges which Moses dyd Farther the mouings of the spirites of the blood and humours doo verye much trouble the bodies of men whereby figures images and shapes of thinges whyche in them are kept are in the same mocion brought before the phantasy or imagination by that maner and order that the troubler of the spirite knitteth them Wherof do spring sundry and manifold sightes which we see doo sometimes happen in suche as are in phrensy And the thing may come so farre that the formes and images which are inwardly kept may be called backe euen vnto the outwards senses Whereby he which suffreth such thinges weeneth that he verilye seeth and feeleth those thinges whiche are in his imagination or phansye and in hys sense when as in very dede there is no suche thing outwardlye done And thys kinde of miracles ought rather to be referred to illusions then to miracles It also commeth to passe that sometimes these spirites by their own power either of the ayre or els other elements do forme certaine bodies that they appeare vtterly like mens bodies and vnder them they appeare to whō soeuer they lust So came they sometimes to Abraham Lot and other fathers These thinges if we speake properly and simply ar not true miracles but in our reason iudgement ther is nothing letteth but that they may so be called Yea and commonly Iuglers are said to do miracles when as for all that they deceaue by the nymblenes of the handes or by the powers of certaine thinges natural do represent thinges wonderful to the beholders What true miracles are But this is the definition of true miracles A miracle is a woorke hard and vnaccustomed by the power of God which passeth al faculty of nature created to this ende wrought to cause the beholders to wonder and to confirme fayth towardes the woord of God Causes of myracles Wherefore the matter of miracles are woorkes and the forme is that they be hard and vnaccustomed The efficient cause is the power of God which ouercommeth nature created And the end of them is both admiration and also confirmation of faith And that we should not doubt of the efficient cause this I thinke good to be added That that power of God which vtterly is aboue the faculties of nature is to be vnderstande sometimes to
Sceua would haue driuen out Deuils in the name of Iesus whom Paul preached to whom the Deuil said Iesus in deede Paul I know but not you Which when he had spoken Ciprian he inuaded them And the same thing doth the act of Ciprian testify of the third kinde before he was conuerted vnto Christ For by magical artes he assayed to perswade a godly virgin to his filthy pleasure which thing at the last the Deuil confessed that he could not performe vnto him Howbeit we must marke that these miracles which are by a priuate contract done Thei be not miracles in deede which the Deuil woorketh are not in very dede miracles but pertaine onely to those which we made mencion of before the definition for although sometimes they bee that in verye dede which they seme for yet are they not true miracles For who doubteth but that it was true fyre wherwith the Cattel of Iob were burnt and a true blast of winde wherwith his house being throwen downe his children were slayne Yea and Augustine contēdeth that the Serpents which the Sorcerers brought forth were not illusions Augustine but true Serpentes in dede For the history sayth that when they came vnto the third signe the Sorcerers sayde This is the finger of God and they testified that now their cunning failed them that they could no more do those things which Moses by the power of God did And that is a token that they wrought not before by illusions that the Sorcerers euen tyll that time contended with Moses in things in dede not in illusions But some wil say Whiche signes say of Antichrist ar called lyes If the matter be thus that the thinges which are done by the diuell Sorcecers be in very dede that which they seme for why is it vnto the Thessalonians of Antechrist written that by him very many should be deceaued by false signes wonders We must say that the lye ought not to be referred to that which is to bee done but vnto the miracle For although the thinges which are done shal sometimes be the same things in dede which they seme to be yet shal they not be miracles although they seme so But Augustine answereth Signes wonders ar called lies either bicause they appeare are not in dede or els bicause they leade men to lyes For Antechrist by those signes shall seeke nothing els but to deceaue and allure men to beleue false thinges That is no newe or vnaccustomed thing that the cause should by his effect obtain his name or propriety But in that they appeare and are not it may be two maner waies vnderstand either bicause among true thinges some illusions are mingled or els bicause thei are set forth for miracles when as they are no miracles in deede There is an other doubt to be dissolued how that power of God whiche passeth nature vseth either Angels or mē as wel good as euil to worke miracles He vseth them as certaine instrumentes sometimes he doth miracles at their desire prayers and commaundement without any of their outwarde woorke And sometimes he wyl haue them to adde some woorke or maistrye of theirs For Moses smote the sea and the rock with his rod. Christ touched the leprous and anointed the eyes of the blinde But we must vnderstande that there is two kindes of instrumentes Some are so ordained that althoughe they are not the principal causes efficient yet do they very much profite for the bringing foorth of the effect as is pron to cut hard thinges and medicines to heale when as for all that they are instrumentes of the woorkemen What strength instruments of God haue in doing hys miracles But God in woorking miracles vseth an other kinde of instrument namely which of their own nature haue no strength to bring forth the effect For what good could the rod do to open the sea What could the shadow of Peter helpe to heale the sicke Vndoubtedly nothing if thou looke vpon nature it selfe The instrumentes therefore which god vseth in these miracles do of their own nature either nothing helpe vnto them or rather sometimes let them as the beholding of the brasen Serpent the salt of Helizeus the water of Elias which he poured on the burnt offering and the clay which Christ put to the eyes of the blinde Wherfore when miracles are done by instrumentes of this kinde which nothing helpe yea rather do let the might and power of God is much more apparantly illustrated Christ also to teache that natural strength seemeth nothing hereunto at the mariage sayd vnto his mother What haue I to doo with thee O woman Not that he woulde in that thing derogate the authoritye of his mother but that it might manifestly appeare that the nature which hee tooke of her was by hys own power nothing able to woorke miracles Wherefore God vseth both good and euyll aswel mē as angels to woorke miracles forasmuche as God for the working of miracles vseth men and Angels and those as well good as euyl and sometimes those miracles are benefites and sometimes punishments wherewith men are either punished or holpen we must not doubt whether God do sometimes punish by good Angels For it is very manyfest that Sodome was ouerthrowne by Angels the host of Senacherib slayne by an Angell and Dauid saw the Angel which was the minister of the pestilence of the Israelites But Augustine vpon the .78 Whither God doth by angels directlye helpe Psalme doubteth whither God by euyll Aungels hath wrought miracles whereby men wer immediatly endued with some benefite And he faith that he hath not red it in the holy scriptures neither vndoubtedly haue I red it Vnlesse we wyl say that at the length it profited Paule that he was vexed by the angel of Sathan And that for that cause some wer by him deliuered vnto Sathan that their spirite in the day of the Lord might be saued But the question of Augustine tendeth not to this but whither perfect and manifest benefites as restoringes to health prophecies giftes of tonges foode deliuerye and suche like are of God sometimes by the Deuill geuen vnto holye men by some certayne miracle I thinke herein as Augustine thincketh that the same is no where testified in the holy scriptures But that by euyll Angels as wel the godly as the vngodly are tempted punished vexed it is euident But after a diuers sorte Augustine bicause as Augustine in the same place affirmeth there are after a sorte two flockes of men namely one of the wicked and an other of the good The good are the flocke of God euen as the wycked are the flocke of the Deuyll wherefore towardes them he woorketh more frely as toward his own he vexeth mocketh and handleth them yll as by hys owne ryght And yet towardes them can he not do any thing beyonde the measure prescribed of God But against the flocke of God he
sheweth the punishment wherwith for the same they wer punished As soone as their good Prince was dead the people fel againe to their olde wyckednes neyther did they onely commit those sinnes which before they had committed but to them they added some sinnes more grieuous The last fallinges wer for the most parte more grieuous than the first Seruitude is against the nature of man For the last falinges were for the most part greuouser than they which wer past for at the least thei added this in that they more more became ingrate for the benefites past when they againe fel from God with whom they were before reconciled into fauour Their punishment was bondage wherin they wer bound serued the Moabites Without doubt a grieuous kinde of punishment bicause it is marueylouslye agaynst the state and nature of man For al men by nature ar borne free And bondage as euen the Lawyers also do confesse Seruitude was brought in by cause of sinne was brought in by a commō law among men agreing to natural reason But it may more truly be said that it was brought in bicause of sinne Enemies when they wer ouercome in warre wer somtimes saued compelled to serue them which ouercame them and ther can be no iust warres taken in hand vnles it be to reuenge some facinorous acte Wherefore we said wel that seruitude was deriued of sinne is therfore a grieuous punishment bicause it is against the nature of man Certaine subiections are natural I graunt in deede that this is natural for the children to be obedient vnto the parentes the subiect vnto the Magistrates the vnlearned vnskilful vnto the wiser the weake ones must apply themselues to the mightier But this kinde of obedience and seruice namely toward them whych are fauourable vnto vs and seeke for our profyt is voluntary Wherefore it very much differeth from the seruitude wherof we now intreate For that voluntarye kynde of obedience myght haue bene vsed when men were in perfecte state but thys whyche was brought in for synne coulde not bee there And bondmen are compelled to serue not suche as are their friendes but straungers and enemyes and that in thynges vnprofitable vnto them Which is the more greuous bondage yea and often tymes thynges hurtfull and vnhonest Seruitude also is then far more grieuous when people are subiect vnto those enemies which once wer ouercome by them and whom before they ruled These euyls happened vnto the Israelites The Moabits were enemyes to the Iewes from the begining For the Moabites were enemies vnto the Hebrues euen from the beginning and they hired Balaam to curse them and in the wildernes they abandoned their women vnto them for the which the people was afterward grieuously plagued Farther the Iewes ouercame the Moabites by warre and punished them sore as we reade in the booke of Numbers Besides that the Moabites wer a filthy and an infamed people for their father was Moab the sonne of Loth who begat him by incest Nether would God suffer that they should be admitted into his church For these causes therfore was this bondage most hard and especially vnto the Hebrues which were alreadye before by god set at liberty both from the Egiptians and also from the Sirians and by wonderfull woorkes from them redeemed God strengthned Aeglon namely in geuing him courage and strength making him prompt and styrring him vp also by some certaine occasions And adioyned vnto hym Ammon and Amalek This may be vnderstand twoo wayes either that Eglon adioyned vnto him selfe such confederates or that god caused this league to be made betwene these nations And vndoubtedlye both significations are true for that which they dyd they coulde not haue executed without the wyll and ayde of god Let vs note in this place that the vngodly which otherwise agree not verye wel among them selues The vngodly do easilye conspire agaynst the people of god do easely conspire against the people of god Wherfore these three nations being ioyned together did easely ouercome the Israelites which wer forsaken of god And they possessed the city of Palme trees which is Iericho as it appeareth in Deut. and as it is before declared But in that it is said that they tooke possession of it it signifieth that they did not spoyle it and leaue it voyde for they claimed it vnto them selues making the landes and possessions therof proper vnto them selues Neither is it vnlykelye but that they put in it a garison of soldiors for to oppresse the Hebrues more grieuously And yet I do not thinke that they restored again the city vnto them for that came to passe afterward in the time of Achab as it is declared in the booke of Kynges Why god punisheth his people by vngodly ones But this peraduenture may seeme maruellous vnto some that god vsed to punish his people by other nations farre woorse than they wer for as muche as the Ammonites Amalekites and Moabites wer Idolatrers nations that were ouerwhelmed in all kinde of wickednes To this I wil answer that it was the prouidence of god which as I haue before declared doth in the sorte punish syns with synnes and in such maner chasten the vngodly by others that are vngodly Whi god soner punisheth his owne than he doth strangers Farther by it he declareth that these things though they be euyll yet they can not escape but that some way they shal serue his wil. But whi he differeth to punysh nations which otherwise are wicked and his own he straight ways punisheth this is the cause bicause they pertaining to god do synne against his law which they know Wherfore ther is no cause why the Turkes and Papists though they somtimes preuayle against vs to punish our sinnes should flatter them selues therby God wyll not easeli suffer his worde beynge knowen receiued to be despised as though they were much better than we are or as though their supersticions were better than our religion For if the Moabites Chananites and Assirians were not counted better than the Iewes whom they ouercame no more shall the Turkes or Papistes obtayne the same thoughe sometymes by the wyl of God they afflict the Gospellers Wherfore god doth quickly punish his for his woord sake which is among them published hee wyll not easely suffer that his woord being receaued and knowen should be despised and escape vnpunished There were vndoubtedly very many lyers and false men at Ierusalem and yet god suffered them where as he strayght waye destroyed Ananias and Saphira For he would adorne set forth the gospel holy ministery And now that the Ethnikes do see how seuerely God punisheth vs they maye easelye coniecture what hangeth ouer their heades according to the saying of Christ If this be done in the grene tree what shall be done in the drye tree And if by reason of their blindnesse they vnderstand not this we ought diligently to remember it
dareth do thing but so much as God himselfe wyll somtime permit him as we reade was done of Iob. God sometime suffreth the sayntes to be greuously afflicted of Sathan to the ende his grace towardes them may most manifestly be declared Whither the plagues of the Egiptians wer done by good Aungels or by euyll But when Augustine expoundeth these wordes of the Psalme namelye the sending out of euyll Angels he doubteth whither the plagues of the Egiptians were done by a good Angel or by the Deuyl And at the length he sheweth that the plague and destruction of the first begotten maye be ascribed vnto the ministery of the Deuyl but the other plagues are to be attributed vnto good angels that the sentence both of the booke of Exodus and of the Psalme may stand fast Howbeit as touching that plage of the firste begotten in Exodus it is written vnder the name of God I wil this night passe through Egipt and wil smite c By these woordes that destruction semeth to be ascribed eyther vnto god or to a good Angel and not vnto the Deuil But that moueth me not much bycause although it were done by the ministery of the Deuil yet maye it be ascribed vnto the Lorde For Iob when by the woorke of the Deuil he was bereft bothe of goodes and children said neuerthelesse The Lorde hath geuen and the Lorde hath taken away and that sayd he was done by the Lorde which was done by the Deuil But some obiect If we assigne these things vnto the Deuil then shal he seme to haue fought against himself For the Sorcerers by the help of deuils withstoode Moses when they did the same thinges that he dyd And if plagues were by euyl Angels sent against the Egiptians and the Sorcerers went about to withstand them then Sathan semed to resist Sathan Neither could the Sorcerers haue trulye sayde that they fayled and testified that it was the fynger of God whych wrought But these reasons in my iudgement are not strong bycause the thinges done by the Sorcerers were done by the power of Sathan which is vnto him naturall For by it he is able to applye the seedes of thynges and woorking causes to his matter prepared and to woorke wonders as touching the sight of man But those thinges wherewith God afflicted the Egiptians were by his most mighty power wrought by the instrument of the Deuyll Wherefore it is no maruail if the Sorcerers failed and felt the most excellent power of the finger of God The place of Exodus and of the Psalme is conciliated Howbeit the booke of wysdome the .xviii. chap. semeth vtterly to ascribe these plagues vnto God wher he saith while al thinges wer stil and when the night was in the middest of her course thy almighty word c. And in the .xvii. chap. it is written that the Egiptians being among those plagues especially when they were oppressed with darknes wer with horrible vexations of minde and sights very terrible so vexed as though most doleful spirites had perpetuallye bene before their eyes and about their phantasy which vndoubtedly might be done by the sending of euyl Angels as the Psalme doth mencion Their hart also was hardened and their mindes were dayly made much more obstinate againste the Israelites And that semeth to haue pertained to the sending downe of euil angels Wherfore these two places may easely be made to agree in ascribing the plagues which ar mencioned in Exodus to good Angels and the terrible sights and hardning of the hartes to the sending of euyl Angels vpon them of whych the Psalme now alledged maketh mencion The power to work miracles maketh not mē better or woorser But forasmuch as God as it is declared for the woorking of miracles vseth both euil good angels men the godly men ought not therfore to be greued bicause oftentimes he geueth not vnto them this faculty For they are not for the cause of any worse condition then are they to whom God graunteth to woorke miracles For the Lord said vnto his Disciples when they returned from theyr embassadge Reioyce not in this bicause spirites are subiect vnto you reioyce ye rather for this bycause your names are wrytten in heauen There are some which are so desirous of such thinges that to obteine signes they are not afraid to vse euen the help of the deuill and vnder this pretence they excuse themselues To worke signes we must not vse the help of the deuill bycause god himself to worke signes vseth Sathan in following of whome they do well so farre ar they of that they can be cōdemned guilty of any crime They say also that Paul deliuered some to the deuill to be vexed and therfore they also may vse his ministerye But what manner of men are they whiche wil affirme that it is lawfull for them to do asmuche as is lawfull vnto god God is the author of all creatures wherfore it is no marueile if he vse them all But vnto vs it is by the law of god prescribed that we should not do it It is not lawfull to imitate God in all thinges And the immitation of god is so farforth commended vnto vs as by his law it is commaunded vs and no otherwise For he reuengeth his owne iniuries And who will saye that priuate men may do the same God adioyned vnto his owne burnt offring the bullocke appointed for Baal as we haue haue now hard with the wood also dedicated vnto the same idole Shall euerye one of vs therefore eate thinges dedicated vnto idoles The rule of our actiōs is the word of God Wherfore we ought not to be drawen to imitate him but so muche as the lawe suffreth That lawe hath he made not for himself but for men that they should frame theyr life after it Wherfore it was to him lawful to require of Abraham the immolation of his sonne which thing none of vs can require of our frend Paule and other Apostles had euill sprites subiect vnto them and by them it was sometimes lawfull vnto them to punish the guilty for theyr saluation Wherefore those to whome such a gift is not graunted ought to abstayne from excercising the same Wherefore the vse of the power of euil spirites is of two sortes wherof one is with authority and that belongeth chiefelye vnto god also to the Apostles and to the sayntes of the primitiue church The other by compact obedience which is vtterly forbidden mē For what participatiō cā ther be of the light with darknesse of god with Belial And for that cause the sorcerers which beleue thē can not be excused yet they ar by the law condēned guilty of superstition idolatry And it is not to be thought but that god vpō very iust causes and to vs most profitable hath forbidden these things to be done Why God forbad men to vse the helpe of the deuil to worke myracles For he prouideth that we should not
to sacrifice any other wher yet after the Salomon had built the tēple it was not lawful to offer out of it wherfore the highe places were to be takē away they should sacrifice no where but at Ierusalē But of al the kings onely Iosias Ezechias toke away the high places so hard a thing was it to leade the people to the true obediēce of god But Elias was moued by a certayne peculiar inspiration of God to Sacrifice other where Manoah demaundeth after the name of the Aungell neyther dyd he that so simply as hys wyfe dyd But that he should not be thought to demaund it curiously or without a cause he addeth a reason of hys request That if that come to passe whiche thou hast sayd we may honour thee that is with some reward But I cā not recōpence thee vnles I know who thou art where thou dwellest This Hebrew worde Peli is ambiguous to the Hebrues R. Salomon Aungels ar named of those things whiche they worke signifyeth both wonderful and also secrete R. Salomon sayeth that the names of aungelles are secrete so that they themselues knowe not their owne names And he addeth also that the Aungelles haue no names of their owne but onely haue surnames geuen them of those thynges whiche they are sent to take charge ouer Whiche thyng also the Epistle to the Hebrues toucheth when it calleth them ministryng spirites R. Salomon bryngeth examples out of the holy Scriptures An Aungell was sent vnto Esaye and bycause he dyd put a burnyng coale to his lyppes he was called Seraphim of this verbe Seraph whiche signifieth to burne So maye we saye of Raphaell that he was so called bycause he had healed Tobias as thoughe he were the medicine of GOD. Gabriell also after the same manner was called the strength of GOD. Also thys woorde Peli signifieth wonderfull for therefore came the Aungell to woorke a miracle And vndoubtedly it was very wonderfull to bryng fire out of a rocke whiche shoulde consume the Sacrifice And it may bee that the Aungell would not open hys name bycause menne at that tyme were prone vnto Idolatrye and they would easely when they had hearde the name of an Aungell peraduenture haue woorshypped it to muche religiously That which we haue called an oblation in Hebrew it is Minchah But what manner of oblation that was is vnderstoode by the .2 chapter of Leuit. There wer diuers kindes therof but it euer consisted of corne but yet not alwayes prepared after one manner it was so offred that some part of it was burnt vnto the Lord the other part was left for the Priestes The Papists babble that Minchah was a shadowe of their bready Sacrifice whiche thinge they haue fayned most impudently But hereof we will intreate in an other place Manoah layd the Kid and Minchah vpon the rocke Manoah myght not Sacrifice vnto the Lord by the lawe bycause he came of the tribe of Dan and not of the tribe of Leui. Wherefore he deliuered the fleshe vnto the aungell whom he thought to be a Prophete that he should sacrifice it For Prophetes had an extraordinary vocation that althoughe they were not of the famely of Aaron yet it was lawfull for them to sacrifice as we rede of Helias and Helizeus For whē religiō was decayed in the Priests god suffred others to minister their office But the aungell when the fleshe was put vpon the rocke wrought wonderfully He raysed vp fire out of the stone whiche consumed the offring Whiche thing we rede also was done in Gideon Althoughe it be not herein expressedly shewed that fire was drawen out of the rocke as it was openly sayd in Gideon yet is no mention made of fire that was brought by Manoah at the last it is sayd that the angell vanished away in the flame therfore it is credible that fire was striken out of the stone The angell ascended into heauen as though he vsed the flame for a chariot He dissolued the body whiche he bare and vanished away into the flambe whiche was a notable miracle They fell to the ground for feare for they were wonderfully amased and astonished when they sawe that it was an aungell whom before they thought to haue ben a man 22 And Manoah sayd vnto his wife We shall surely dye bycause we haue sene God 23 But hys wife sayde vnto hym If the Lorde would kill vs he woulde not haue receaued a burnt offryng and an oblation of our handes neither would he haue shewed vs all these thinges nor at this tyme told vs such thynges 24 And the wife bare a sonne and called his name Samson And the childe grewe and the Lord blessed hym 25 And the spirite of the Lord began to strengthen hym in the host of Dan betwene Zora and Esthaol In dyeng we shall dye That is we shall moste assuredly dye For the Hebrues in doublyng the woordes doo earnestly affirme Bycause we haue sene the Lord. Whereof this opinion sprang I haue tolde in the Hystory of Gideon where also I haue declared how God was sene of the fathers The opiniō of R. Leui ben Gerson Wherfore it nedeth not to repeate them in this place But this will I not ouerpasse that R. Leui ben Gerson writeth that this was not an aungell but a man of god and a Prophet namely Pinhas the sonne of Eleazar But he was called angel bycause Manoah and his wife thought hym to be so For after the same maner Ezras although he was a man yet was he called an aungell And Christ whiche is very man is called the aungell of the Testament But how he being a man vanished awaye in the flambe Leui ben Gerson declareth not But I more simply doo iudge him to haue ben an aungell in dede For Pinhas had not a secret name but a name well knowen in his tyme and the wordes of the texte do tend to this Of the name of Elohim to teache that it was an aungell VVe haue sene the Lord. In Hebrewe it is Elohim which althoughe it be the name of GOD yet is it communicated to aungelles yea and also to prynces and Prophetes accordyng to that saying I haue sayde ye are Goddes And Christe in the Gospell sayeth If they are called Goddes vnto whome is come the woorde of GOD why doo ye meruayle c This woman seemeth to be of a stouter courage them the man for she comforteth her husband Whose Oration is grounded vpon two argumentes The first is I do not thinke we shall dye bycause God would not haue accepted our sacrifice if he would haue destroyed vs. Wherfore seyng our sacrifice was acceptable vnto him he counteth not vs as enemyes But whereby knew she that that sacrifice was acceptable vnto GOD. Firste bycause the Aungell had commaunded it to be done which vndoubledly he would not haue don vnles he had vnderstoode that it should be acceptable vnto God Farther bycause the flambe had consumed the Sacrifice and
asking counsell of the Lord pertayneth vnto vs. Why the Leuite aunswered in the name of Iehouah And in this Hystorye let vs consider as I haue before sayde that the Leuite aunswereth in the name of Iehouah that is of the Lord bycause he would signifie that he knewe well ynough that the Idole was nothyng I sayeth he aunswere in the name of the Lorde This sentence which R. Selemoh followeth seemeth plausible But to me it seemeth not so For I thinke that the younge man dyd it to get authoritye to his Religion For whiche cause he is the more grieuously to be accused for that he contaminated the name of GOD in applyeng it vnto an Idole He aunswereth your waye is in the sight of the Lorde that is God himselfe will go out before you and direct your iorney all thinges shall go well and prosperous with you when as God is with you and directeth you And so did it succede in very deede For they luckely spyed out all thynges the euent came to pas as they desired Wherfore it may well here be demaunded why God so prospered these euill workes Before I aunswere to thys question Our workes do not therfore please God bycause they haue good successe this I thinke good to put in by the waye that we ought not to take it for a sure token that our doynges do please GOD bycause sometymes they haue a prosperous successe otherwyse if we should measure thynges by the euent and successe we should allowe the wicked and most euil doers for as much as fortunate and prosperous thinges doo happen vnto them We should also prayse deuiners sorcerers southsayers and coniurers bicause they haue sometimes foretolde thinges that are true It is sometymes permitted vnto the deuill to deuine by them Let suche foretellynges be referred vnto the .13 chapter of Deuteronomye where it is thus written If a Prophet ryse vp among you or a dreamer of dreames and shall geue thee a signe or wonder and that whiche he hath foretolde thee come to passe Thou shalt not harkē vnto his voyce If he entise thee to Idolatry let hym be killed sayth he neither let hym be spared The Lord proueth his by the miracles of the vngodly Afterward is added a reason why God dealeth after this maner which thyng was at the begynnyng demaunded bycause sayth he the Lord proueth you whether ye loue him or not And therwith agreeth Paul in his .2 Epistle to the Thes the .2 chap. wher he entreateth of Antechrist His comming saith he shal be by the working of Sathan with power signes liyeng wonders withall deceatefulnes in those whiche perish bycause they receaued not the loue of the truth to that end they might be saued And therfore God shall send thē the efficacy of illusion that they should beleue lyes that all they should be iudged whiche haue not beleued the truth Wherfore althoughe we do see signes yet must we not straightwaye geue fayth vnto those by whom they are wrought but must diligently examine whether they attempt to teache any thyng contrary to the worde of God In the Papistical Masses marchādise of reliques were oftentymes wrought great miracles yet ought we not to beleue such superstitiōs to fall frō Christ the true worshipping of god How miracles profite for saluation God suffreth this kind of miracles to be wrought that ingrate men those which haue forgotten their God should be deceaued be taken as it were by these nettes that the godly should become the more vigilāt better Neither ar these things spokē to despise al miracles For they which are done in a true cause for sound doctrine are certaine praises of god trumpets of the truth But cōtrarily they which vnder the pretēce of miracles do with drawe men from the worshipping of GOD we ought to counte them cursed thoughe they worke neuer so great miracles 7 Then the fyue men went and came to Lais and sawe the people whiche were in it dwelling carelesly after the manner of the Sydonians quiet and sure And for that there was no mā in the land whiche made them ashamed in any thyng nor whiche by the inheritance receaued the kingdome and for that they were farre from the Sidonians neither had they any busines with other men 8 So they came agayne vnto theyr brethren in Zora and Esthoall and their brethren sayd What haue ye done 9 And they sayd Arise that we may go vp vnto them For we haue sene the lande and beholde it is very good and do ye sit stil Be not slouthfull to go to enter and possesse the land 10 When ye shall enter ye shal enter into a careles people farther the coūtrey is large in roome for god hath geuen it into your hāds a place whiche wanteth nothing that groweth in the earth 11 Thē there departed thēce of the family of the Danites frō Zorah frō Eshtaol sixe hundreth mē appoynted with instrumētes of warre 12 And they went vp pitched in Kiriah iearim in Iudah Wherfore they called that place Mahaneh dan vnto this day and it is behind Kiriah-iearim 13 And they went thence vnto mount Ephraim and came to the house of Michah 14 Then answered the fiue men that went to spye out the countrey of Laish and sayd vnto their brethren Knowe ye not that there are in these houses an Ephod and Theraphim and a grauen and molten Image Now therfore consider what ye haue to do 15 And they turned thetherward and came to the house of the yong man the Leuite whiche was in the house of Michah and saluted hym peaceably 16 And the sixe hundreth men appoynted with their weapons of warre whiche were of the children of Dan stoode by the enteryng of the gate 17 Then the fiue men that went to spye out the lande went in thether and tooke the grauen Image and the Ephod and the Theraphim and the molten Image and the Priest stoode in the entrynge of the gate with the sixe hundreth men that were appoynted with weapons of warre 18 And the other went into Michahs house and fet the grauen Image the Ephod and the Theraphim the molten Image Then sayd the Priest vnto them What do ye 19 And they aunswered him holde thy peace laye thyne hande vpon thy mouth and come with vs to be our father and Priest Whether is it better thou shouldest be a Priest vnto the house of one mā or that thou shouldest be a Priest vnto a tribe to a familye in Israel 20 And the Priestes hearte was glad and he tooke the Ephod and the Theraphim and the grauen Image and went in the middest of the people 21 And they turned and departed and put the children and the cattell and the substaunce before them The City of Lais is in the booke of Iosuah called Lesem And they saw the people dwelling in security This worde people is in this place ioyned with an adiectiue
Gates and walles of cities shoulde not be violated 227 Gedeon refused to be king 2 Gelousy may be in good men 204. b Generall worde proued the particuler or species doth not alwaies fol. 272. b Genesis booke what it entreateth of 1 Gentle aunswer asswageth anger 141. b Gentlenes praeposterus 101. b Gedeon of the tribe of Manasses 114 Gedeon was beautiful 145. b Gedeon why he had his sonne kill the kinges of the Madianites 146 Gedeon refuseth to be king 147 Gedeons fall 150 Gedeon sinneth â— wayes 151. b Gedeon whether he wer saued 155 Giftes of God are not bounde to the estates or conditions of men 251 Giftes of God some remaine and some are taken away after sinne 226. b Giftes of free grace common to the godly and vngodly 134 Gifts in way of reward 188 Gifts may be reuoked 188. b Gifts when they may only be reuoked 199. b Giuing vnhonestlye is vnlawfull 231. b Gilgal where it lieth 59. b Gilgal a religious place 82. b Gilead 173 Gilty persoÌ„s it is not ignominious to slay them 146 Gyauntes names inscripture and their originall 15. b Glasse of the deuine essence 68. b Gladnes described 142 Glory may be desired the matter ende therof 97 Glories desire is mother of enuyt 143 God what he is 121. b God author of histories 3. b God taketh tities and surnames of his benefites bestowed 59. b God appointeth maiestrates 25â— God ruleth in other Maiestrates when 149. b God is the distributer of kingdoms 187. b God calling anye man to office geueth him habilitie to execute the same 71. b God was king of the Israelites 1. b. 2. God reioyceth not in bloud 194. b God is bound to no maÌ„ to geue his grace vnto him but is free 167 God is not bound to his lawes 4. b God may do against his lawes wheÌ„ he list 93 God chaungeth not 175 God changeth not his mind 33. b God when he repenteth is not chaÌ„ged 72 God whether he bee the cause of sinne 78 God deliuered the Israelites to their enemies 70. b. God punisheth sins by sins 24. 8. b. Gods operatioÌ„ in bringing sinne to light 166. b God beholdeth not Idols mens doinges but worketh together with them 78. b God instilleth no new malice 79. b God may we not feele in al thinges 129 God is to bee imitated of Christen men 249. b God can doo many thinges that he wil not 97. b God saith he will do that he wil do and contrary 174. b God how he intermedleth and vseth our corruptioÌ„ by his gouernment 167 God punisheth his owne and beareth with straungers 80. b God whether he be without a bodye 121 God how he may be sen of men 118 God neuer fayleth them that obey him following their vocatioÌ„ 83 b God wyl be worshipped as he hath commaunded 1. 1. b God sendeth som dreames but not all 138 God forgiueth synnes but doth not by and by restore the thynges taked away 65. b Gods helpe is not to bee dispayred of though it be deferred 92. b Gods grace is in degrees 167. b Gods of the sea worshipped 234. b Godly vngodly haue many times like succes 236 Godly to make peace with the vngodly whether it be lawful 99 Godlye men flye vnto god in ouerthrowes 271. b Godly to ioyne power with the vngodly whether it be lawful 99. b Golden age of the Israelites 2. b Good age what 155 Good intent 152 Good workes what they requyre 153 Good workes are so acceptable to God he rewardeth them 72 Good workes morall 72 Good workes must not be without faith no more then a body wythout a soule 242 Good workes in hope of reward lawfull or vnlawfull 23. b Goods wast with droÌ„keÌ„nes 164. b Gospell and law is the sum of the Scripture 1 Gospell promises 175. b Gouernment of god whether it be excluded by humane maiestrates 149. b Grace god would haue it knowen 182 Grace of God whether we can resist 167. b Grace of god why it worketh not alike alwayes in vs. 167. b Grapes gathering with wantonnes 168 Gregory deceiued 90 Gregories error 56 Gregory thought it absurd that the Pope should be aboue the Emperour 147. b Griefe described and deuided into his braunches 142 Grosnes oft in Princes 82 Groues to worship Gods in 77 Groues about Idols 123 Ground of all impiety and folye is security 246. b Guile or deceit handled 84 Guile good and bad 84. b Guile to breake an othe 282. b H HAbituall intent 153 Heresy defined 58. b Heresy of the Marcians 58. b Heretikes if they may be suffred among christians 58. b Heretikes how they must be ordered 61. b Heretikes ought men to kepe faith with 86 Hand bredth measure 16. b Hand maiden cannot by the Romain lawes be a concubine 154. b Hangmen Hebrewes had none 146 Harlots how daungerous 228. b Harlot differed from a concubine 154 Harlots are not to be suffered in a city 230. b Harlots are not rapt though they they be had away with violence 283. b Harlots son a iudg in Israel 176. b Harpers 102 Harte or minde and body or outward vesture to worshippe God with 49 Hate of enemies not permitted to vnperfect 31 Head of the church who 241 Head of the whole church caÌ„not the bishop of Rome be nor none els there 148. b Heades couered in token that they haue authority aboue them 93 Heads of captaines ouercumde cut of and presented to the victors 141 Heare growing or clipping 201. b Hebrues sinned three wayes 77 Hebrues vsed the superstition of the Egiptians 122. b Hebrew wordes is none in the Latine churche but such as came by the Grekes 41. b Hebron called Kiriath Arba. 14 b Hebron a city of refuge 18 Helizeus delighted in musike 102. b Helpe at Infidels handes may not be desired 99. b Helpe of God may we not dispayre of 92. b Helpes humain are not to be despised 97 Helping of the Lord. 110 Helth lesse estemed then profit 174 Hems of the Hebrewes 47. b Hercules praise 29 Herod eaten of lice 13 Hesron called also Iephuna 18. b Heauines described 142 Hypocrates of factors 274 History defined 3 History praised 3. b Histories fruite 235. 288. b Holidaies dauncing 287. b Holidaies bestowing 288 Holy ghost is iii. waies in meÌ„ 190. b Honour due to parentes 214. 212. b Honour defined 157. b. How it is the reward of vertues 158 Honestye is the sure foundation of amity 166. b Honest and iuste thinges are to bee done although they be not expresly commaunded in the worde of God 250 Hooring what it signifieth 151 Hops bytter become swete beyng stiept in water 161. b Hope described 142 Hope is a meane betwene securitye and desperation and springeth thereof 246. b Hooredome handled 229 Hooredome punished 4 Hornets of dead Ashes 218 Hospitality 4 Hospitality praised 251 Hospitalitiâ—s lawes broken 100. b more of them 101 Hoste cruell Busiris 252. b Houres of the day among the Elders 277. b House of euerye
woorke by it selfe and other sometimes eyther by Aungels or by men and that in such maner as wee shall afterwarde declare Augustine Farther I wyll adde that Augustine writeth in the place before alledged against the Epistle of the Maniches the .xxvi. chap. Miracles woulde not mooue except they were wonderfull and they would not be wonderful if they shoulde be accustomed thinges As therefore they say that by admiration sprang Philosophy whych Plato thought to be the Raynebowe and for that cause calleth the daughter of Thaumans so may we beleue that faith Faithe cometh not of miracles but is by them confirmed which cōmeth of the worde of God although it do not vtterly spring of miracles yet by them it may be confirmed And therefore Augustine in his .xii. booke of Confessions the .xxi. chap. saith Ignorance is the mother of wondring at signes this is an entraunce vnto faith to the sonnes of Adam which haue forgotten thee By this sentence he teacheth that men which haue forget God haue by the admiration of miracles an entrance or cōming vnto faith And without doubt it is so The wyll of God is hidden from vs but he as he is good openeth the same to holy Prophets Apostles which that they may profitably declare vnto men he geueth vnto them the gift of his holy woord But bicause he knoweth that mortal men are contrary against his word he hath graūted the power of working of miracles that those thinges might the easilier be beleued which he would haue his messenger profitably to speake That cōfirmation of faith cōmeth by miracles Marke testifieth who toward the end of his Gospel saith And they went forth preaching euerye where the Lord working with them confirming the word with signes which followed And how apt this kinde of confirmation is hereby it is manifest The promises of God do of no other thing depend then of his wyll power And the signes which we now intreate of do testify the power of God forasmuch as they by al meanes ouercome nature and set forth the truth of his wil for by the inuocation of his name by his grace spirit they are wrought Augustine Wherefore Augustine in the place now alledged against the Epistle of Manicheus writeth that miracles do bring authority vnto the woord of God For he when he did these miracles semed to haue geuen an earnest peny of his promises Neither ar these wordes to be passed ouer which the same Augustine hath vpon Iohn in the .24 Miracles consist not in the greatnes of woorkes treatise That miracles consist not in the greatnes of workes for otherwise it is a greater woorke to gouerne this vniuersal composition of the world then vnto a blinde man to restore light which he is destitute of These thynges declared there remayneth that by apt distinctions we destribute miracles into his partes Some of them are to be wondred at An other distinction of myracles by reason of the thing it selfe which is done for that it is so vnaccustomed and great that in the nature of thinges we cannot finde the lyke of it Suche was the staying of the Sunne in the time of Iosua and the turning of that shadowe in the tyme of Ezechias the conception and byrth of the Virgin the foode of Manna in the deserte and suche lyke But there are some which ar miracles not for the nature and greatnes of the thing but bycause of the maner and waye whiche was vsed in bringing them to passe as was the cloude and rayne of Helias the budding of floures and fruites in the rod of Aaron the thunders of Samuel the turnynge of water into wyne and suche lyke For suche thinges are done by nature but they were then myracles bycause of the maner whereby they were wrought that is not by naturall causes but at the commaundement and wyll of Sayntes There is an other deuision of myracles An other deuision of miracles bycause some of them doo onelye mooue admiration as lyghtenynges and thundrynges in mount Sina the turning of the shadowe of the Sunne in the tyme of Ezechias the transfiguration of the Lorde in the Mount There are other which besides the admiration doo bring a present commoditye vnto men as when by the rodde dryncke was geuen out of the Rocke Manna from heauen and when by the Lord and the Apostles sycke folkes were healed And sometimes they bring punishment and hurt vnto the guiltye For by the woordes of Peter perished Ananias and Saphira Elimas the Sorcerer was made blynde by Paule and some were by hym delyuered vnto Sathan to be vexed By this also are miracles deuided An other partitiō of miracles bicause some of them are obtained by praiers For so did Elias and Elizeus namelye by praying restore their deade to lyfe Moses also praying for Pharao draue away Frogs and other plages And other some are wrought by commaundement and authority Iosua commaunded the Sunne to stay his course The Lord Iesus commaunded the windes and Peter said vnto the lame man In the name of Iesus Christ rise walke Ther ar also other which are done neither by praiers nor by commaundement but of theyr own wyll and accord the saintes them selues doing some other thing Euen as when the shadow of Peter as he walked healed those that were sycke and the napkin of Paul healed also folkes diseased Augustine An other diuision of myracles Lastly Augustine as it is written in his .83 booke of questions question 79. deuideth miracles that some are done by publik iustice that is by the stable and firme will of God which in the world is counted as a publike lawe By it God would that his ministers that is Apostles and Prophetes shoulde in preaching woorke miracles And there are other some which by the signes of this iustice are wrought as when the vngodly in the name of God or of Iesus Christ do work any miracle which is not geuen but by the honour and reuerence which thei vse towardes the name of God not that God or nature or any thinges created desire to gratefy them As when a man stealeth away a publike seale or handwriting he may wrest many thinges either from the men of the countrey or from the Citizens which are not geuen vnto him but vnto the seale which they know doth belong to the Magistrate and Prince So he which followed not Christe did yet in his name cast out deuils Thirdly are those miracles reckoned which by some certaine priuate bargaine are wrought wherby the Sorcerers do binde them selues vnto the Deuyl and the deuil likewise to them But those at done neither by publike iustice nor yet by the signes therof but come onelye of a certayne priuate conuention Howbeit wee must knowe that miracles of the second and third sort are not firme neither do they assuredly happen For asmuch as we reade in the .xix. chap. of the Actes of the Apostles that the sonnes of