then surely how succinctly or how feruently soeuer they should put vp their prayers to God their labours therein had been vtterly lost Lastly you were made priuie it seemes to the Apostles purpose then in not praying at all who perceiuing some want of time for the timely performance of those speciall exercises would not therefore vndertake them at all for losing their labors but tooke as it seemes their said want of time for a backesette or a profered aduantage in their proper defence if haplie they should faile as they did in the powerfull dispatch of that enterprise Now surely the Disciples of Christ are highly beholding vnto you for this their proper defence whereof they themselues it should seeme were vtterly ignorant Howbeit had the Disciples dreamed in deed of such a sillie defence yet surely that dreaming defence it had beene directly against the whole course of the historie as may very plainely appeare by the seuerall circumstances concerning the same For first the possessed childe was presented vnto them at the very selfe same time their master Christ was gone vp to the mount being in the mount he was forthwith transfigured in the presence of Peter Iames and Iohn In the time of his transfiguration he talked a time with Moses and Elijah After his transfiguration he comforted the three Disciples who were greatly amazed at that which they saw and heard Hauing comforted and reuiued their troubled Spirites he wils them very carefully to conceale the vision it selfe till after his death After this speciall charge he reformed their error concerning Elijah his comming These things thus dispatched in order he forthwith descended from out of the mount Being so descended he saw the people thronged together and the Pharisees very hotly disputing with his other Disciples about their not dispossessing of the child as it seemes These circumstances duely considered it is apparantly euident that the Disciples they had time enough to haue prayed and therefore that your imagined want of time it could be no colourable excuse to colour their carelesse negligence in awakening their faith by feruent praier to God Moreouer in saying the Apostles would neuer haue omitted that profered excuse from the want of time to those spirituall exercises therein you derogate much from the Disciples their conscionable dealings in such sacred matters For what other thing else doth your speech import but that either there was in the Disciples themselues such absolute perfection of foreseeing knowledge as they neither would nor possiblie could haue ouerseene or pretermitted whatsoeuer might make for their proper defence or that the Disciples at least if especially they had been men of your humour and quicke conceite they would vpon euery occasion haue beene forward enough in making their present apologies how preposterous absurd or vnsound soeuer Brieflie howsoeuer you dreame that the Disciples would haue made their excuse from that your imagined want of time to such spirituall exercises it seemeth rather their conscience being fully conuinced before from the due consideration of the precedent circumstances concerning the sufficiencie of time for such businesse that they in all good conscience did plead themselues guiltie of carelesse negligence in not vsing the meanes of feruent prayer for the timely stirring vp of their faith And therefore they by their purposed silence doe secretly consent to Christs reprehension as a reprehension very iustly imposed vpon them for their former negligence so farre off are they from falsely excusing themselues by any falsely pretended want of time By all the premisses then it is very apparant that this your first reason hindreth nothing at all but that the former speech of our Sauiour Christ may peculiarly and onely be appropriated vnto the Apostles themselues Exorcistes If by the purport and drift of this text we must necessarily be made to vnderstand that the Disciples themselues in their present weakenesse of faith for that present businesse should in deede haue fasted and prayed then surely our Sauiour Christ he had not in those words directly answered vnto the very point it selfe of the Apostles former demaund nor rendred any reason at all why they had not cast foorth the spirit they not hauing sufficient time to fast and to pray as was shewed before Orthodoxus And we haue sufficiently shewed before that they had time sufficient for the timely performance thereof Howbeit doe tell vs plainely in which words our Sauiour Christ had not answered directly to the Disciples demaund nor rendered a sufficient reason for their not doing the present worke Exorcistes In these words namely this kinde goeth not forth but by prayer and fasting For the Disciples demaunding why they could not driue forth that diuell and Christ telling them the reason was because they had not solemnely prayed and fasted before they might iustly haue answered that they had no spare time for the orderly vndergoing of such solemne and sacred exercises Orthodoxus By forging a reason of the nullitie of that worke from whose words of Christ it is to be feared Exorcistes you doe purposelie fight and struggle against the very light of your conscience and therefore that it should seeme was the onlie cause why your selfe insisting vpon your falselie supposed answere and reason of Christ doe euen purposelie and perhaps with a setled pertinacie very vnconscionably conceale the wordes themselues from whence you would seeme to collect your falselie supposed inference For howsoeuer it may not be doubted of anie but that our Sauiour Christ did directlie answere the point of his Disciples demaund and very concludentlie yeeld them the reason of their not doing the deed yet is it denied of all that Christ did eyther of both in those selfesame words which your selfe doth alleadge But he hauing in the words before put downe their weakenesse of faith for the principall or maine impediment to that purposed businesse as your owne selfe affirmed a little before in those following words whereupon you fondlie insist hee teacheth them how they should haue quickned their faith namelie by feruent and earnest prayer to God And so this scripture you see notwithstanding any thing hitherto heard may well be appropriated to the Apostles themselues Exorcistes If that scripture must in any wise be meant of the Apostles themselues then surelie so oft as their miraculous faith was vnable of it selfe to encounter with a combersome spirit they must for their further preuailing therein haue necessarilie consumed a whole day together in prayer and fasting for fasting it required a whole day I meane from eeuen to â—euen Orthodoxus Exorcistes you deale too triflinglie with your ignorant Reader do purposelie endeuour to dazell his eyes by your sundrie trickes of legerdemaine For first in vrging so stricktly the ceremonie of time for fasting and prayer all the world may plainelie perceiue that therein you doe but Iudaizare and labour to entangle mens consciences a fresh with the heauie yoke of that
A SVMMARIE ANSWERE TO AL THE MATERIAL POINTS IN ANY OF Master DAREL his bookes MORE ESPECIALLIE TO THAT ONE BOOKE OF HIS INTITVLED the Doctrine of the Possession and Dispossession of Demoniaks out of the word of God By IOHN DEACON IOHN WALKER Preachers And the Sorcerers or Charmers of Aegypt they did in like manner with their inchauntments For they cast downe euery man his rod and they were turned into Serpents but Aarons rod deuoured their rods and so Pharaohs heart was hardened Exdo. 7.11.12.13 Si de veritate scandalum sumitur vtilius permittitur nasci scandalum quà m veritas relinquatur Aug. de libro arbitrio Talis est conditio falsitatis vel erroris vt etiam nullo sibi adsistente consenescat talis autem è diuerso veritatis status vt etiam multis impugnantibus suscitetur crescat Chrys. de laudibus Pauli lib. 3. Eugubinus de perenni Philosoph lib. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heu Tripodes lugete perit praesagus Apollo Aye me alas Tripodes perisheth presager Apollo Propugnaculum vitae patientia LONDINI Impensis Geor. Bishop 1601. TO THE REVEREND FATHERS THE LEARNED PREACHERS AND GODLIE BREthren in this our English Church I. D. and I. W. doe hartily wish the abundance of Reuelation in Iesus Christ with an holy discerning spirit that they may be the better inabled thereby to discerne aright of the things that differ and to hold fast for euer the infallible truth for the glorie of God the Churches good and their owne euerlasting comfort in Iesus Christ. So be it REuerend Fathers and Brethren beloued and longed for in the Lord The blessed Apostle putting downe some certaine precepts or Canons concerning the sacred Schooles of prophesie obserueth in effect this following order First hee permitteth the Prophets to speake by two or by three appointing the other Prophets to determine vprightlie of that which they speake and then next hee decreeth that if any thing be reuealed to another which sitteth by the former should be silent a time and the other man speake because all being thereunto called may prophesie one by one that all may learne and all may haue comfort Howbeit least any the Prophets should happily presume vpon this his permission to speake at their pleasure the Apostle forthwith for auoyding disordered confusion subiecteth the spirits of the Prophets to which more is if wee found them able to mannage their matters to giue them the hand of fellowship concerning their doubtfull cause Or if happily vpon better deliberation they yeelded the question to vs wee protested further to conceale their secret being vntill some good course might forthwith be taken for informing authoritie as well of their present conformitie as also for procuring their speedie deliuerance from the Ecclesiasticall censures so farre foorth as possiblie might be effected Sixtly beholding the holie Religion of Christ verie shrewdly scandalized by reason of such falsely pretended miracles we knew in our conscience we might doe nothing at all against the truth but for the truth and therefore not possiblie conceale those truthes which the Lord hath discouered vnto vs. Seuenthly our holy established Religion being verie scornefully derided with Papists and Atheists as a Religion that needeth now at length to be presentlie supported by superfluous miracles we verely perswaded our selues that no good Christian heart could possiblie forbeare his best endeuour to stay their intemperate courses Eightly Master Darel and his fellowes very confidently persisting in the vnhappie support of those their newly broached opinions hath mightily moued our hearts to haue at the least a compassion of some by putting a difference and othersome again to saue with feare by pulling them violently forth of the fire Ninthly their deceitful and coloured kind of proceeding in that they not onely pretend an holie cause but which more is doe varnish the same with holy pretences with faire words and flattering speeches to intangle if possiblie they may the very hearts of the simple hath made vs the more carefully to discouer vnto all the world what lurking poyson lieth shrowded vnder those glorious pretences Lastlie who would not both speake and write whatsoeuer they conscionablie knowe concerning these causes if hee but respect as in conscience hee ought that shamefull reproch which Master Darell and his fauourits like disordered persons doe verie iniuriouslie impose vpon the whole land vpon Magitracie Ministery and people in these following words Wee doubt not say they but that other nations and kingdomes about vs will both giue credit to this matter of fact so soone as they shall heare thereof and see how the same hath been witnessed vpon the oathes of many and will also receiue the Doctrine of possession and dispossession which we so much haue gaine-saide Blush then oh England and be thou ashamed of this thy incredulitie which is such as the like thereof hath not bin read nor heard of before for others haue yet acknowledged the worke which hath been done in them but thou hast not gone so farre but rather denied the same Loe these in effect be the maine occasions themselues which moued vs especially to labour these matters Now next the principall ends which we propound to our selues in publishing our labours are these that follow Namely we haue first done it to testifie our hearts desire for the timely accomplishment of Ierusalems peace Secondly to make knowne to the world our prouident care for the speedie preuenting of euery such future disordered courses as happily might preiudice the whole or any part of Gods truth as heretofore the Brownists and Hackets haue too inconsideratlie effected by their vnruly and headie conceits Thirdly to insinuate vnto al the world our arnest endeuours to know the truth and to be better informed if happily we erre in these matters Fourthly to lay open our Christian care for the timely informing of such as are contrarie minded Fiftly to discouer our vndoubted detestation of all false waies in any how deare soeuer vnto vs. Sixtly to vnfold the preposterous giddines of such humorous spirits as dare in this our doting age so dangerouslie pester the Church with strange and vnwonted opinions very fitly consorting with their fauourits natures Lastly wee haue more especially published our labours to stand in steede of some prouident watch-word for yong students in Diuinitie and newly conuerted Christians that in any wise they beware how they doe either broach abroad or receiue any such phantasticall conceits of priuate persons as are not primarily examined according to the infallible rules of the word neither yet authentically approued by publike authoritie Loe these in effect were the maine occasions and ends for the now publishing of our labours in print The premisses therefore considered and the arguments on both sides rightly respected we beseech you reuerend Fathers and Brethren to consider diligentlie whether of vs both haue caused diuisions and offences contrarie to the
whatsoeuer Know you not who it is that the father in these last dayes hath finallie appointed to reueale and to speake all truthes to his Church What man will you then forsake the fountaine of liuing waters for the reuelation of truthes and runne to such filthie puddles of your owne deuising as are able to hold no water at all Will you leaue the law and the testimonies and trot after a blind and a trothlesse lad for the reuelation of these hidden truthes will you withdraw your selfe from that holy oyntment whose onelie office it is to lead into all truth whatsoeuer and hunt after a supposed wicked spirit in a graceles and sensles boy Will you returne from the author of truth to the author of lyes from the holy ministrie of God to an extraordinarie ministerie of the diuel and his diuellish instrument In the name of God doe presentlie humble your soule at the fearefull remembrance of this your horrible and fearefull condition Pray earnestlie to God that if it be possible this blasphemous thought of your heart may be forgiuen you when the time of refreshing commeth What great blasphemie is this against our Lord Iesus the Churches sole Prophet For the onlie testimonie of Iesus is that spirit of Prophecie whereupon wee must soundly relie for the reuelation of all truthes whatsoeuer What intollerable iniurie is this to the office of his holy spirit who alone must bring to our remembrance whatsoeuer the Lord Iesus hath spoken before What a fearefull checke giueth this blasphemous speech of yours to the ordinarie ministerie of Christ so singularly graced and so notablie qualified with sundrie giftes from aboue for the manifestation of all truthes whatsoeuer to the end of the world Yea besides these your sundrie and intolerable blasphemies what a deadlie blow haue you giuen your owne selfe and your fellow-laborers as though that might be made knowen to the world by the ministerie of diuels which could not nor cannot possiblie be found forth by the Lord Iesus his ordinance A very dangerous conceit and flat opposite I assure you to our Sauiour himselfe who saith they haue Moses the Prophets let them heare them That wee should therefore expect reueâ—ations of truthes from any other meanes els was neuer taught from heauen but from hell yea euen out of the lying mouth of that damned rich glutton who reiecting the reuelations of the word did say vnto Abraham that if one should arise from the dead they would vndoubtedly beleeue and be saued Behold here the infernall author of that your vile and fearefull conceit and be forthwith ashamed of such a tutor The Lord open your eyes and instruct you better that so you may be enabled hereafter to deuide the word more truelie and to shew your selfe a more sound and substantiall teacher of truth For consider I beseech you how harshlie this blasphemous speech of yours would sound in the verie eares of your prophanest hearers namelie if you should say thus vnto them Good people be not troubled I pray you with any your owne ignorance concerning these hidden truthes which wee intimate to you and which are now in question among vs. For be you well assured that this truth which hitherto hath bin hidden from manie it shall now notwithstanding very shortly be manifested vnto you by such a corrupt boy or rather if you will by some diuell in the boy at the least Were not this pockie good stuffe think you to pester your Pulpit withall And yet this in effect is euen the very same which you affoord vnto vs froÌ„ that your former most filthie conceit Hauing thus in some sort discharged my conscience by giuing you admonition in time doe you now produce better arguments to proue your supposed essentiall possessions of spirits and diuels or els doe forthwith giue ouer the field for shame Exorcistes Why sir I dispossest them all by prayer and fasting therefore they were all essentiallie possessed Physiologus What man are you quite spent vp concerning the pretended essentiall possessions of those your eight Demoniakes that you are now like a steale-counter thus couertly creeping vnto their supposed dispossessions by prayer and fasting Surely sir if while we be but in dealing spare blowes the one with the other you begin like a cowardlie crauen so soone to set vp the heckle it is to be feared you will neuer hold out when once we come to the deadly fight Exorcistes Yes yes I warrant you feare it not For neither is my cause so crasie that I neede to feare your encounter nor my courage so cowardly as that I will euer fight crauen be the bickering neuer so sharpe Phyfiologus Well said Exorcistes when the cause it selfe becomes desperate then well fare a valourous heart howbeit it were much better in my simple conceite to yeeld vp the field by a faire and a friendly perswasion then in a foole-hardie or humorous course to continue a desperate fight till you receiue a deadly foyle Lycanthropus Surely Exorcistes howsoeuer you braue it in words it were better the controuersie were brought to an issue because the faster you runne the further you range and the more fiercelie you fight the more feeble you growe yea all men may plainely perceiue that howsoeuer you prate you will neuer preuaile Exorcistes Tush man feare you not that Philologus Nay feare that feare will we feare not at all Exorcistes Neither yet I I assure you Orthodoxus Well then Exorcistes hauing said what possiblie you can concerning your first distribution I meane the supposed essentiall possessions of those your eight pretended Demoniakes let vs now for one houre or two goe take the fresh aire and then reuiue our skirmish afresh concerning your second distribution I meane your dispossessing of those eight by your prayer and fasting Exorcistes I doe willingly yeeld to your motion The end of the first Dialogue The second Dialogue THE ARGVMENT Whether this fresh encounter containing an hotch-potch of matters confusedly shuffled together hath found a better successe concerning the pretended Dispossession of Diuels by prayer and fasting then any the precedent particulars propounded at large in those our former Discourses The speakers names PHILOLOGVS LYCANTHROPVS PNEVMATOMACHVS PHYSIOLOGVS ORTHODOXVS EXORCISTES Orthodoxus THis pleasant fresh ayre I assure you hath well refreshed our feeble spirits and therefore that we protract no further time doe tell vs directly Exorcistes what you say now to your falslie pretended Dispossession of Diuels by Prayer and Fasting Exorcistes Sir hauing sufficiently proued that the eight persons we speake of were euery of them essentiallie possest by the Diuell yea and this also with such vnanswerable and inuincible arguments as may fully perswade an indifferent Reader there needes no further labour herein Nnotwithstanding because that which makes for the proofe of their Dispossession tendeth directlie to the further confirmation of that their said essentiall possession I am therefore
and you your own selfe doe flatlie affirme such a sense of the place Eyther you are to too forgetfull what you affirme or els you are groslie impudent in auouching the thing you dare not beleeue nor receiue for infallible truth But what might be the reason of such your sodaine Apostasie concerning this point Exorcistes Surelie sir euen this and none other First when I but remember those wonderfull workes which the Apostles themselues did eftsoones effect and consider withall that absolute power of Christ whereby they effected the same I perceiue not how any infernall power could euer be able to resist or hold out against that diuine and absolute power of Christ. Orthodoxus It appeares by your speech that eyther you haue had your later cogitations concerning these matters or that els you haue filthilie forgot what you said but a little before and or euer it be long will be forced eftsoones to auouch it a fresh Howbeit this in the meane time wee doe flatlie confesse for an answere and Master Darel also auoucheth as much namelie that all the infernall powers of hell shall neuer be able to withstand that absolute power of Christ which must necessarily driue them from the possessed Although notwithstanding it followeth not but that the diuell might then be able enough to withstand the Apostles miraculous faith in the timely apprehending of that selfesame absolute power of Christ. And this also by their own carelesnes in stirring vp their said faith by earnest prayer to God for which their said carelesnesse they were then so sharpelie rebuked of Christ and for confirmation of which faith from thenceforth they eftsoones practised such feruent prayer about the powerful accomplishment of many their miraculous actions Exorcistes They sometimes prayed I confesse at their working of miracles howbeit they needed not so to haue done their faith being strong Orthodoxus Verie true But their faith being weake there was great cause they should doe it yea and euen then also our Sauiour Christ very sharpely rebukes them for not doing the same And which more is you your owne selfe doe affirme that at other times also they did earnestlie pray for the encrease of their faith which faith of theirs being then but weake M. Darel hee tels you that was the cause why they could not driue forth the diuell Exorcistes Nay sir the very words of our Sauiour himselfe are so directly against this interpretation as wee may by no meanes admit of the same For he tels his Disciples that nothing should be impossible to their miraculous faith and therefore not the casting out of any diuell how combersome or crabbed soeuer Vnlesse happilie you will make these wordes of Christ this kind goeth not forth but by fasting and prayer a particular exception from out of that generall power of the Apostles miraculous faith whereunto nothing should be impossible saue only the expelling of diuels of that kinde which is vtterly vnsound and flat opposite to the meaning of Christ himselfe Orthodoxus Yea but M. Darel he tels you a quite contrarie tale For hee very confidentlie affirmeth that the scope and purpose of Christ was to make knowen to his owne Disciples that the spirit possessing that child was one of the worst kind of spirits for as much as it was one that would not be remooued without the strong and chiefe of those meanes which were ordinarie and perpetual and that thence partly it was that the Disciples themselues did not cast him forth And for this cause M. Darel doth tell vs that our Sauiour Christ from out of those words this kind goeth not out noteth a certaine distinct sort order or degree of diuels some way differing and distinguished from others with one of which number hee implieth that the child was possessed whereby it came that they themselues had not cast him out Exorcistes Howsoeuer it pleaseth you to make your selfe sport with Master Darel his speeches M. Darel vpon better deliberation now telleth you plainely that so oft as hee considers the authoritie and power which Christ gaue his Disciples ouer al vncleane spirits and their mightie preuailing therewith as also when he remembers that this selfesame receiued power of theirs was not bounded or limited to this or that kind of diuel but stretched it selfe ouer all euill spirits whatsoeuer so that if he were but a diuell they had power to expell him so oft I say as M. Darel considers and remembers these matters hee dare boldlie conclude that no diuell how combersome or cruell soeuer was able to withstand the Apostles miraculous faith Orthodoxus If M. Darel be fraught with such variable and flitting considerations no maruell at all though the poore man be carried hither and thither with such variable and chaungeable opinions as are like to the chaungeable taffeta resembling all colours Howbeit such wauering weathercockes should make wise men beware how they credit any his vncertaine oracles concerning this new-found diuillitie howsoeuer the beake stands full in the winde More especiallie then it behooues them to haue their eyes in their head when Master Darel concludes so directlie against the plaine wordes of Christ who tels his Disciples that the very cause why they could not cast forth that spirit was their vnbeleefe and weakenesse of faith which they should haue stirred vp by fasting and prayer Exorcistes Sir by your patience you are quite from the purpose of Christ For he speakes there of the miraculous faith as appeares by the text it selfe which tels vs of such a faith no doubt as being effectuallie had is able to remoue mountaines out of their places Orthodoxus And we also vnderstand it of such a faith but what then Exorcistes Doe you aske me what then Why sir that kinde of faith it was giuen without meanes to certaine men And as the Lord appointed no meanes for the begetting of that selfe-same miraculous faith so neyther hath hee ordained anie meanes at all for the encrease thereof Orthodoxus A mad man might happily imagine that Exorcistes by this his immediate miraculous faith had striken the Popingay dead beholding him especially so crowslie to set vp the crest But sir how are you sure the miraculous faith was giuen the Apostles without any meanes or that the Lord hath appointed no meanes at all for the begetting thereof Very certaine it is that the miraculous faith how extraordinarie soeuer is giuen vnto men by the inspiration of God and therfore the spirit it selfe is a meanes whereby the Lord begetteth that selfesame miraculous faith in some certaine speciall persons foreordained by the foreknowledge of God to that speciall busines For to some saith the Apostle is giuen faith by the same spirit whereby you may plainly perceiue that euen the miraculous faith it selfe hath also a meanes for the timely begetting thereof Exorcistes These are but starting holes whereby to slip foorth when you feele your selfe hardly
beset For sir I speake only of an ordinarie and not of any extraordinary meanes for the begetting of faith and which more is I would gladly know where the Lord hath sanctified any ordinarie meanes for the begetting or encrease of that which he giues without such meanes Orthodoxus And these are but quick-sands wherewith you doe grauell your deepe skill of Diuillitie so oft as you plunge your selfe in the same Howbeit thus much for aduantage you confesse by the way namely that euen the miraculous faith it selfe is extraordinarily begotten in men by the spirit of God But tell me I pray you doth the Lord inspire the miraculous faith into the mindes of some by his onely immediate spirit or hath he appointed no ordinarie meanes at all whereby his said spirit may engraue or beget that selfesame faith in their hearts It is one thing to haue the bare matter of that faith it selfe and another to haue withall the admirable manner of executing the same And therfore me thinks you might learne to distinguish betweene the bare habite of that faith and the admirable execution thereof Touching the onely bare habite of such a miraculous faith I see not as yet to the contrary but that we may boldly auouch the spirit alone to be the immediate and the word it selfe the mediate cause which begetteth both the iustifying the historicall and also the miraculous faith it selfe For as all faith whatsoeuer doth come by hearing the word so surely the miraculous faith it selfe being none other thing else but an vndoubted perswasion by which we firmely beleeue that there is nothing impossible to God it also must necessarily fetch the ground-worke of such a perswasion from the infallible word of God for what els but the word it selfe may certainly assure vs that there is nothing impossible to God By this then you may also very plainly perceiue an apparant begetting of the miraculous faith respecting especially the bare habite thereof by an ordinarie meanes I meane by the word of God And as this the miraculous faith doth vndoubtedly gather her first begetting from the word it selfe respecting especially the onely bare habite thereof so surely the minde it selfe being in that selfe same habite of faith extraordinarily raised vp by some speciall motion from the spirit of God vnto the timely execution of that selfesame faith begotten as before by the word and spirit of God it doth extraordinarily vndertake the powerfull effecting of some such admirable matters as seemeth best to the Lord for the present good of his Church And this vndoubtedly is that extraordinarie execution of the miraculous faith whereof the Apostle purposely speaketh saying thus To one is giuen faith by the same spirit that is an extraordinarie execution of that the miraculous faith for the edification of the Church of God And according to this selfesame begetting of the miraculous faith by the ordinarie meanes of the word the Apostle elsewhere hauing spoken of many miraculous operations a little before aduiseth the Corinthians to desire to follow after and very earnestly to labour for the best spirituall gifts which neither hee would haue aduised them to neither yet could they possiblie haue attained vnto them if so bee there had been no ordinarie meanes by the word by prophesie by conference by meditation or prayer at least to beget them withall Exorcistes Well sir be it there are some such both extraordinarie and ordinarie meanes for the timely begetting of this the miraculous faith yet can you not prooue and I would gladly bee made to perceiue where the Lord hath sanctified any ordinarie meanes for the timely encrease and confirmation of that which he bestowes vpon men without such a meanes Orthodoxus Would you gladly bee made to perceiue this mysticall point Why man is not all faith whatsoeuer to receiue her further encrease and growth from those selfesame meanes whereby she was first begotten in the minde of man If therefore the miraculous faith hath her first begetting extraordinarilie from the spirit and ordinarilie from the word of the Lord as hath bin declared who doubteth then but that by those selfesame meanes also she is stirred vp encreased and confirmed from time to time Otherwaies what thinke you of Timothie his extraordinarie gifts and graces of the spirit who being called after an extraordinarie manner to the office of an Euangelist was notwithstanding his said extraordinary calling very earnestly aduised by Paul to stirre vp those his said extraordinarie gifts by the ordinarie vse of the word Yea and according to this sacred counsell of Paul the Disciples themselues did pray vnto Christ for the encrease of their faith Exorcistes You purposely peruert the scope of that Scripture For the Apostles pray there for the onely encrease of their iustifying faith as appeareth very plainly by the essentiall fruites thereof which being put downe by Christ in the verses precedent occasioned the Disciples to pray as they did Orthodoxus Not only they prayed for the timely encrease of their iustifying faith as you say but of their whole faith whatsoeuer Howbeit more especially for the timely encrease of their miraculous faith as appeareth plainly by the answer of Christ who approuing their zeale in crauing so earnestly the encrease thereof commends them more especially for that and tels them withall that if they had but so much of that faith as is a graine of mustard-seede and should say to this Mulberie tree plucke vp thy selfe by the rootes and goe plant thy selfe in the Sea it should forthwith obey their commaund Neither in that place only but elsewhere also the Disciples they doe by their earnest prayers very earnestly entreate the Lord to grant vnto them all boldnes to speake his word and to stretch forth his hand that healing and signes and wonders might be done by the name of his holie sonne Iesus Yea and which more is Master Darell himselfe doth confesse that both Peter and Paul verie earnestly entreated the Lord by their prayers to make their miraculous faith very powerfull in restoring Tabitha to life and in recouering the father of Publius from his dangerous and deadly feauer By al which it is very apparant that as the Apostles miraculous faith was begotten by meanes so surely they vsed an ordinarie meanes for the encrease thereof Exorcistes They did so I confesse howbeit there was no necessitie at all in doing the same for these following reasons Namely first their said miraculous faith it was of it selfe so strong as it needed no helpe of any such ordinarie meanes for the encrease thereof Orthodoxus Your reason it is to too absurd For in saying the Apostles faith was so strong of it selfe as it needed no manner of encrease besides that you directly doe crosse your owne selfe elsewhere you doe therein also first condemne the Disciples themselues for putting vp a needles and superfluous prayer to God so oft as they
and Diuels to the ende of the world Physiologus Master Orthodoxus our endeuour to do the man good I perceiue is vtterly lost And therfore I deeme it a very direct and conuenient course to extract a summarie of all our precedent discourses into seuerall Questions that so the matter it selfe being vniuersally looked into it may in some better order of conference be either soundly answered or syncerely yeelded vnto Orthodoxus I like very well of your motion and will therefore accordingly put downe the seuerall Questions in this following order 1 Whether now in this last age of the world there be essentiall possessions and dispossessions of Diuels 2 Whether sole Prayer and Fasting be an vndoubted true ordinance of Christ for the powerfull expelling of Diuels to the ende of the world 3 Whether if any be truely dispossessed by sole prayer and fasting that selfesame dispossession be not indeed a miraculous worke 4 Whether the working of miracles be yet still in vse in these daies of the Gospell Behold Exorcistes these Questions you see they fully containe the whole scope of our conference doe take them therefore to your fauourits that they and your selfe may more soundly consider vpon them Exorcistes Your questions sir they haue been viewed and reuiewed by a graue and reuerend Preacher who saith they be friuolous vnworthie the consideration of any and such as hee scorned to answere Orthodoxus If the man be so graue and so reuerend as you beare vs in hand we wonder he would euer affoord an answere so answerles For howsoeuer his Seraphicall skill had soared at too loftie a pitch to stoope to a flie yet surelie we expected better measure from the man in an onelie regard of his grauitie Howbeit consider by the way what a deadlie blow his answerelesse answere doth giue to whatsoeuer you hold Namelie that his and your owne opinion concerning these matters it is but a friuolous opinion vnworthie of consideration yea and such as anie graue or reuerend person would scorne to answere For doe not these our forenamed questions implicatiuely containe the very body it selfe with the marrow and bowels of that which your selfe doe hold and practise But what doe you hold indeed such phantasticall and idle conceits as are meerely friuolous vnworthie the consideration of any and such as a wise man would scorne to answere If wise men should scorne to answere such friuolous matters what wisedome I pray you in those that doe hold with tooth and nayle such friuolous fooleries as that for the patronizing thereof they will lie al their liues in prison Well we craue an answere we expect an answere and therefore doe vrge them I pray you to yeeld vs an answere eyther one way or other Exorcistes Sir I will take vp your questions and acquaint them with whatsoeuer you haue said concerning these matters Orthodoxus Doe so I pray you and in the meane time you shall not want the assistance of our earnest and hartiest prayers to God for his heauenlie illumination in these and all other things els which may anie waies make for the glorie of his name the good of his Church and the euerlasting consolation of your owne soules And so for this present wee take our leaues Lycanthropus Sir wee are all highlie beholding vnto you for this your Christian care and greatlie bound to pray and praise God for your happie continuance Orthodoxus Well the Lord make vs all wise to saluation and so guide vs with his gratious spirit as we may all speake one thing and that there be no dissentions among vs but that wee may be all knit soundlie together in one minde and one iudgement and mutuallie expect with patience the houre of our happie coronation in Iesus Christ. Physiologus So be it euen so Lord Iesu. Amen The end of this second Conference A TABLE FOR THE PRESENT FINDING FORTH of all the principall points that are handled in this booke THE FIRST DIALOGVE pag. 1. MAster Darel his bookes no better then factious Pamphlets pag. 2 The Epistles Dedicatorie to those his said Pamphlets are sharply and soundly censured 3 Master Darel is a man very peremptorie in deprauing publike authoritie 4.5 From what fountaine such vndutifull railings proceede 6 Master Darel his two tricks of legerdemaine 7 His Doctrinall treatise is but an hotch-potch of things 9 The method of that booke is truly laid downe 10 Whether Master Darel his pretended patients were essentiallie possest with a Diuell 12 The word possession is not to be found in all the originall 12.13 The pretended effects of those eight Demoniakes did not proceed from any supernaturall cause 13 The actions or passions of those his pretended Demoniakes they were not any supernaturall matters 14.15 The Diuell his entring in and going out is to be vnderstood metaphorically as appeares by sundrie places 15 Whether the Diuell be essentially inherent within the possessed or the possessed essentially inherent within the Diuell 17 To be in a Spirit what it importeth 19 To haue a Spirit of an vncleane Diuell what it is 20 Whether Satan be able to dispose of our members being but without vs. 21 It is an idle conceit to dreame that the Diuell hath an earnest desire to be essentially within a man 22 Whether the effects of precedent possessions be the certaine signes of subsequent possessions 23 How the Iewes did discerne of possessions then 24 No possessiōs in Israel till a little before the cōming of Christ. ibid. Whether Saul was essentially possessed of Satan ibid. The word possession is not to be found in the Bible literally and properly appropriated to Diuels 25 The word Daimonizetai is truly interpreted ibid. The word Bagnath rightly expounded ibid. The word Bagnath importeth only but mentall passions and no essentiall possessions 26 The opposition of Spirits ouerthroweth the supposed essentiall possession in Saul 27 The effects of Sauls passions they conclude no essentiall possessions at all 28 The manner of Sauls deliuerance argueth only but mentall passions ibid. Reasons against the supposed essentiall possessing of Saul 30 Whether the curing of the Serpentine stings by the brazen Serpent did typically foreshew Christ his powerfull expelling of Diuels from out of mens bodies 31 Reasons concludently prouing that there were no possessions in Israel before the comming of Christ. 32 Whether senselesnes be a true signe of essentiall possessions 34 Whether Sommers was senselesse in his supposed fits ibid. Whether foming at mouth be any true signe of possession 36 Whether Sommers was of an extraordinarie stature 37 Whether he was of a supernaturall strength 38 Whether he had a supernaturall knowledge 39 Whether he spake Latine supernaturally 40 The historie concerning the eight supposed Demoniakes is shrewdly tainted 41 The examination of Sommers his supposed signes of possession 43 Exorcistes his applying of those signes is censured 45 Whether Scripture signes be put downe as directions to determine of future possession 48 Whether essentiall possession be an ordinarie