CHRISTES MIRACLES Deliuered in a Sermon By ARTHVR DENT Preacher of the word of GOD at South-Shoobery in Essex AT LONDON Printed by G E. for Iohn Wright and are to be sould at his shop at Christ-church Gate 1608. CHRISTES Miracles Iohn 9. 16. Then said some of the Pharisees This man is not of God because he keepeth not the Sabboth others sayd How can a man that is a sinner doe such miracles And there was a dissension among them IN this verse is set downe a double opinion which the Pharisees held concerning Christ and especially concerning the workes which hee had wrought among them Some of them haue peremptorilie and flatly condenmed him saying that hee was a man that was not of GOD and they render a reason or rather a shadow of a reason namely because he kéepeth not the Sabboth but their opinion was rashe and their iudgement false and erronious procéeding from the malice and hatred of the person of Christ Also that which they haue vsed for a reason we haue shewed that it is likewise false for Christ was so farre from breaking the Sabaoth or any part of the law that he did in full perfection fulfill the whole law of God Now followeth the opinion of the second sort of Pharisees which sayd How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles as if the holy Ghost should say If our Sauiour Christ were such a prophaner and breaker of the Saboth as you surmise him to be then it were impossible for him to doe such strange and wonderfull miracles as we sée he hath wrought of this wee haue spoken before shal speake more hereafter when we haue spoken generally of Miracles of the workes of them therefore of the power of God in working them also of the power of Angels of Satan of men therein Whereas it is said How can a man that is a sinner doe such miracles these men doe insinuate that sinners can do some wonderfull miracles in the sight of men but to doe such a miracle as to cure a man being blinde from his birthe was impossible for them It is impossible that any sinner should doe this or any such miracles which Christ did wee are therefore to shew first what a miracle is that euery one vnderstanding the nature thereof may make such proper and peculiar vse of the same as he ought A miracle is nothing else but a rare worke apparently wrought by the sole omnipotent power of God cleane contrary to the order and instinct of nature farre aboue nature or naturall causes I vse so many words that I may speake to the capacity of all the people wheras otherwise I might vse fewer we are therefore first to know y ◠it is a worke for indéed it must be in it selfe a true worke déed or fact otherwise it cannot in it selfe and of it selfe make men to muse and maruell at it at least it cannot make wise men to maruell at it If therefore it be a miracle it must be a sensible worke not a worke in shew illusion or deceit but a worke in nature indéed and in trueth If it be but an apparance of a worke it is no miracle If it be onely in illusion of the senses it is no miracle It is then true that the illusions of Satan are no miracles for he doth nothing but delude the senses of men neither is it the celeritie or agilitie of mens hands which are miracles as of Juglers which deceiue the people by an actiuitie in continuing the thing which they doe For they doe not any true worke but by their dexterity deceiue mens senses These therefore are no miracles for euery miracle must be a true worke and fact indéed I therefore first call a miracle a worke to separate it from those that séeme to be miracles and yet are not as be the workes of Satan and his members and also those that are done by agility of man which are workes in shew but not indéed This kind of miracle which is a true worke hath béene wrought by diuers of Gods children as Moses when he was sent to deliuer the people of Israell out of Egipt did worke many miracles to testifie that he was sent of the Lord. He made Frogs not in appearance but indéed he turned the water of the riuer into bloud not in appearance but in déed So also Elias wrought myracles not in shew but in déed So Christ wrought miracles not in shew but in déed For Lazarus being dead indéed he raised him vp againe in déed when the wine wanted at the mariage he turned water in déed into wine in déed as pure wine as any issued out of the Uine and so were all the miracles which he did workes in déed and not only in appearance When therefore wee sée any wonderfull thing come to passe wee must examine it whether it be a worke in déed or onely in appearance If it be not a worke in déed as be the illusions of Satan and of men which deceiue the senses and do not bring any worke to passe then is it not a true miracle For euery true miracle which the Lord hath wrought himselfe or any of the Prophets or our Sauiour Christ haue béene true workes Secondly I call it a rare worke of God for of the workes of God there be some which are vsuall common ordinary as the preseruation of mankind is an ordinary and vsuall worke of God and it is truly said of the holy Ghost that we liue mooue and haue our being in the Lord yet because this is vsuall ordinary and common yea dayly and hourely for the Lord doth ordinarily euery day and houre preserue men otherwise they could not liue I say because it is ordinary dayly and hourely we cannot properlye call it a miracle for it doth make men to maruell to muse to be amased and astonied at it séeing it is so vsuall and ordinary among them For it is the nature of miracles to make men muse and maruell at them and therefore when as in the Euangelists any miracle which our Sauiour Christ wrought is set downe there also immediatly followeth that the people were astonied therefore that which is vsuall and common cannot properly be called a miracle A miracle therefore must be a rare worke of God sildome brought to passe and for this cause we cannot say that repentance or regeneration is a miracle for although repentance be wrought in few yet is it not properly a miracle because it is ordinarily vsually at one time or another wrought in the hearts of all Gods children There be also many strange and wonderfull workes of nature yet because they are not rare but vsuall and ordinarie they be no miracles An Adamant stone wee know not by what force will drawe Iron to it selfe Iron is heauy of it selfe and of it selfe cannot possibly mooue from place to place yet an Adamant if it be aboue it will draw it to it selfe which is
with the age of men he knoweth what be their affections what is their nature and what is their disposition hee knoweth what things be offensiue to men hee knoweth also what pleaseth them best in their young age what in their middle age and what in their olde age And as in these things so also hath hee experience in supernaturall things For he remembreth by whom he hath béene resisted and who will not yéeld to him This then must greatly amplifie his knowledge séeing he hath alwayes had such long experience of all things that come to passe As put the case there were one man aliue which were perfect in sense in body in minde in reason and memory and in all the faculties both of the body and the minde that had liued from the beginning of the world vnto this daye and had obserued all things that had fallen out heretofore this man would tell such wonderfull things both past and to come by naturall causes and continuall obseruation that I feare me least many would worship him as a GOD therefore the Diuill must néedes haue great knowledge séeing that he hath had all these But he knoweth more then any man could haue done for hee doth not onely know those among whom he liueth and the things that falleth out amongst them but hee goeth about into euery familie and countrie obserueth what is done and is well acquainted with their conuersation Fourthly besides this hee hath also another meanes to increase his knowledge When the Lord commandeth him to appeare before him to render accounts of all the workes that hee hath done Iob. 1. 16. When the children of GOD that is the good Angels came before the Lord Sathan stood amongst them and the Lord said vnto him Whence commest thou and hee answered From compassing the Earth too and fro and the Lord sayd Hast thou not considered my seruant Iob how there is none like him in the earth an vpright and iust man Sathan answered It is not for nothing that Iob feareth thee hast thou not made a hedge about him and his house and about euery thing which hee hath on euery side but touch all that hee hath and then see whether hee will not blaspheme thee to thy face Sathan knew well enough that man will make shew of religion in prosperitie but in aduersitie by impatience would fall away For herevpon the Lord gaue him libertie to afflict Iob in visiting his body with sicknesse in taking away his children and his goods but whence hath hee this knowledge from the reuelation of the Lord hee knew that Iob should bee visited with great sicknesse and loose his children and his goods when he heard it from the Lord and so he knoweth many other things which are to come to passe and after hee once knoweth them hee goeth to Witches or such like and tels them thereof who like wise tell others of the same before it comes to passe and so deceiue men thereby making them to thinke that they knowe it of themselues but neither they nor the Diuell know it of themselues but by reuelation of the LORD vnto Sathan Fiftly Sathan hath another excellent meanes to increase his knowledge which the Lord hath also granted vnto men for they know what is to come by the Reuelation of the Prophets for if there be any curse belonging to the people the Prophets do denounce the same make the people to know thereof by the preaching of the word whereas therefore the worde is preached there is Sathan present he obserueth the doctrine whether it be of power to bring men from the kingdome of darkenesse to the Lord from sinne vnto repentance If it bee then is he must busie either to step it from the Care or to pull it out of the heart if they haue once receiued it as Math. 13. 19. By this meanes therefore hee increaseth his knowledge that hee may worke more couertly and bee the lesse discerned for hee can turne him-selfe into an Angell of light Sixtly he hath yet another meanes to increase his knowledge and that is by the obseruation of naturall causes If you speake of an Astronomer he can tell that best if yée speake of an Astrologer he is most cunning there in Yea that which men gesse at and as it were groape at in the darke hee beholdeth and knoweth most certainlie and can tell any thing that is to come to passe by the course of the Starres and other naturall causes If we speake of knowledge in the Artes there is none comparable to him hee is most skilfull in all the tongues and there is no time that is hid from him So that by these meanes hee hath wonderfully increased his knowledge But some may say Hath hee knowledge in any thing in which the good Angels haue no knowledge No for they are as diligent for the saluation of the godly as he is for their destruction Psal 91. 11. GOD giueth his Angels charge to kéepe Christ and all that are his in all their wayes nay they pitche their tents about him that feareth the Lord to kéepe him on euery side that no harme befall him any way And therefore as soone as Sathan had left off tempting Christ the good Angels came and ministred vnto him all things that were requisite for him in this life But doth not Sathans knowledge serue to the working of a miracle No for it is a finite knowledge and therfore cannot produce any miracle for euery true miracle is wrought by an omnipotent power The second thing wherein Satans power doth consist in his action or his déed which as his knowledge is great so it is likewise great Let vs therefore see his actions The déede of perswading is great for hee mooued Cam contrary to his knowledge and contrary to Nature not onely to reuile his brother but to kill him hee talked not with Caine but by motions and perswasions in his heart did allure him therevnto But it appeareth more great in his first action against mankinde as when he came to our first parents in the forme of a Serpent which argueth his great power that hee can transforme himselfe into such a creature and abuse the tongue of a Serpent to that end So wee read of his actions also in Exodus when Moses wrought miracles before Pharaoh by the finger of God Satan also by his Enchanters did worke the same miracles yet not true miracles because they did them not by the finger of God but by the power of Sathan So also 1. Samuel 28. Sathan comes to a witch and would also tell the witch what successe Saule should haue in his battell that hee tooke in hand hee came in the shape of Samuel so that Saule thought he had béene Samuell So also would hee talke familiarly with men therefore the Lord gaue a law that if any one consulted with a familiar spirit he should dye which law had béene in vaine if none had consulted familiarly with him So hee was a lyer
in the mouth of all the false Prophets although they themselues did not at that time perceiue it So he possessed mens bodies as in the Gospell when our Sauiour had cast him out of a man hee straight way went into a heard of Swine and euen so he is able to draw mens bodies after him Wée may also sée his power by a comparison with the good Angels 2. Kings 19. An Angel of the Lord slew an hundreth and 85000. men of Zenacheribs Host in one night Now the same power is in Sathan by his creation which hereby appeareth to be very great So when he carried Christs body vpon a Pinacle of the Temple and vp into a Mountaine to tempt him And Acts 16. 19. there were exoreistes that would cast forth Diuils in the name of Iesus but the euill spirit in the man ranne on them and ouer-came them so that they sled out of the house naked and wounded It is therefore certaine that Sathan is of a wonderfull power and that the children of God haue oftentimes tried both in themselues also in others Among many other I remember one that is worthy remembrance There was a man in Geneua who féeling some-thing to fall out contrary to his minde and for diuers causes which is not néedfull to repeate blasphemed God desired that if there were any Diuils they might come and take him away who was presently in the ayre and neuer heard of after saue only that his cap fel off his head which sheweth that Satan hath great power This teacheth vs that mē must not be carelesse but must looke to themselues For Sathan is a roaring Lion seeking whom hee may soonest deuoure watch therefore and pray least yee fall into temptation But if Satans power be so great how comes it to passe that many men doe so well in this world I answer this power is barred and limitted by the Lord and that by two especiall limits The first limite is his Nature for hee is not able to doe any thing then that which his naturall disposition will permit and suffer The second limit is the will of GOD for hee can doe nothing against the will of GOD. Except the Lord doe eyther permit him or command him hee is not able to doe any thing at all As it is also in other creatures the waters should by nature ouer-flowe the whole earth yet they doe not because it is the will of God So also is it with Sathan as appeareth when the Lord gaue him power of all Iobs goods beyond the Lords will he could not go for the Lord will not suffer him to doe any thing to his children but onely th◠which shall tend to their good Ar thou in misery or in any dangerous distresse wherein thou art most subiect to the cruelty of Sathan bee of good comfort Sathan is limited hée cannot doe any thing to thée but onely that which the Lord commandeth him But may not Sathans knowledge and power bee vsed I answere it may God vseth it in punishing trying and correcting his children Againe the Apostles vsed his power for they haue deliuered men to Sathan as Paule did 1. Tim. 1. 20. Himeneus and Alexander and as hee would haue done the incestuous Corinths But may not la man vse it in familiar sort in talking barganing and consulting with Sathan No. This is forbidden Deut. 18. Leuit. 20. and wee are commanded to resist the Diuill and to flie from him wee must not therefore consult with him He may oftentimes tell the trueth but wee must not accept it Christ gaue vs example hereof for hee sayd that Christ was the Sonne of God which was a trueth yet Christ commanded him to bee silent to teach vs that the truth is not to be receiued from him for he is the Father of lyes Héere then all men are forbidden to séeke vnto Sathan to know any trueth whatsoeuer And therefore hereby wee condemne those that vse witcherie by the counsell of Sathan and in the former places the very action of consulting with Sathan though no harme come thereby is flatly death to the partie I would this law were established in all Christian Churches then there would not be so many witches in that kinde as now there are I confesse indéed there be some which be counted witches which indéed are not as namely those which hurt Cattell as Oxen Horse Swine or such like or else children not from the counsell of Sathan but by the traditions of other women by poysoning them in dooing nothing but vsing the naturall causes thereof Those I would haue punished yet not in the name of witches but in the name of murtherers Some men thinke that they may ouerrule Sathan by coniuration in vsing this preparation which is set downe by some of late that they must make a Circle and in it make Triangles Quadrangles and Crosses and speake certaine words as saying the Pater-noster and many other such like things that they may call vp Sathan in what shape they will and hee will appeare and doe for them that which they desire But is Sathan a friend of theirs can any such things make him obedient to man Doest thou thinke that y ◠canst ouer-rule him by this means No surely but hee rather by this meanes deceiueth thée and all that are of thine opinion And thus hée deceiueth them that vse Characters So there bee Charmes vsed to get away the Head-ache and Tooth-ache But doth the Charme get it away No Sathan knoweth before that thy headache shall goe away and therefore causeth thée to vse that Charme and thereby would mooue thée to ascribe it to the Charme But when Sathan whispereth men in their eares how shall they know whether it bée hée or a good Angell that speaketh to them I answer there be diuerse manifest tokens whereby thou mayest discerne this First the Lord doth not now vse such meanes to reueale his will vnto men thou art therefore alway to suspect it to be of Sathan Secondly if it be a good Angell thou maiest know by this for if it bee a good Angell it will tell thée eyther at first or at last what it is and for what it commeth and from whence as in times past the good Angels shewed themselues to Abraham and Lot Thirdly if it bee a good Angell hee will allure thee to kéepe the written word of God if hee doe not then suspect him The vse The vse of all this doctrine is to lead vs vnto God to acknowledge him to bee our onely Lord and Sauiour and to embrace the Sonne of God as our King In all things therefore wee must goe vnto him But whereas it is said How can a man that is a sinner doe such Miracles it may bee asked whether Gods enemies can worke any miracles I answer hee that worketh is not against Christ but with him and wee sée that those which indeuoured Acts. 16. to worke a miracle could not And there was a dissension among them Herein we sée that the Lord doth so worke that Christ and his doe finde fauour among their enemies and that by their dissension among themselues Here wee sée that Schisme is neither a note of a false Church nor yet of a true Church heere it is in a false Church Schisme ariseth of the diuersitie of knowledge and iudgement of men for all men haue not one knowledge and iudgement and all sée not the trueth and if they should yet all haue not the like yéelding affection therevnto Wee are therefore to prepare our selues to méet with schismes for it is necessary that there should be Heresies 1. Cor. 11. 10. that in the Church of God that those which are approoued might be knowne FINIS