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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67100	A discourse of miracles wrought in the Roman Catholick Church, or, A full refutation of Dr. Stillingfleets unjust exceptions against miracles together with a large discovery of the Doctors unexcusable frauds, manifest in his many false, perverted, and impertinent quotations / by E.W.	E. W. (Edward Worsley), 1605-1676.	1676 (1676)	Wing W3614; ESTC R16804	246,745	416

Hovv happens it that in this latter Age When the Gospel is preached to Infidels Illa vis Miraculorum non cernatur The like force and efficacy of Miracles are not now seen as our Saviour promised to the Primitive Christians who had as you have heard the Gift of Tongues and wrought other great Wonders after Baptism The Question proposed by Acosta implies only à comparison between those Ancient Signs then usually seen and necessary and These in our dayes and he gives not one only but many excellent reasons thereof Here begin's the Dr's Dr Still page 614. jugling If saith he such Persons vvho are Employed upon the vvork of converting Infidels do vvant the Testimony of Miracles I knovv no reason to believe that God Imployes it for other Ends. Mark those words Do vvant the Testimony of Miracles and to the Dr's confusion turn once more to Acosta Acosta c. 9. page 219. Cited where he first recount's the Miraculous cures of four men Cabeca de Vaca Dorantes Castillo and another wrought in their strange Travels through Florida and more remote places These God favovred with à singular Gift of Curing all infirm and sick Persons much after that Strange Miracles wrought by four Travellers manner as the Apostles did Ten whole years they spent in this Peregrination being ever attended with innumerable Multitudes who no lesse admired the Evident Wonders wrought by them than their most innocent and spotlesse life In fine they gained so much renown among the Barbarians that they were almost adored as Gods and all their commands look'd on as Oracles from Heaven 21. Hence Learn saith Acosta that Innocency of life adorned with glorious Miracles is the easy and certain means whereby Infidels are converted Soon after he demand's How it comes to passe that such Miracles as the novv mentioned Travellers vvrought were not so common but rather grown Scarce in the dayes when he wrote his Story This Acosta lament's and humbly Petition 's Almighty God to glorify his name by showing the like admirable Signs and Miracles Cum videatur tam effusa necessitas when now saith he there appear's so great necessity of them for the Conversions of Barbarians Is this Reader to tell us as the Dr unworthily Writes that Acosta saies Miracles vvere necessary in the beginning of Christian Religion but not novv When he deplor's the want of those admirable Signal Wonders already specifyed and beg's Almighty God once more to vvork them in the sight of those incredulous Infidels Again doth Acosta deny all great Miracles because he complain's of the want of Eminent Wonders granted the Apostles by Special Priviledge and those others in their Peregrination through Florida No. The Dr may justly blush at his Jugling and manifest suppressing Truth if he read Acosta where he Saith Though the Apostles vvere enriched vvith à Acosta c. 9. page 220. more Plentiful Gift of the Holy Ghost and had the first fruits of the Spirit yet the Povver of vvorking Miracles vanished not vvith the first Age. Which is to say the Age passed but Miracles still continued in the Church and he proves the Assertion Ecclesiastical History saith he relates that Acosta owns latter Miracles as undoubted in the time of Constantine the great the whole Province of Iberia next to Armenia was converted to Christ by the admirable works and Miracles of à Christian woman taken Captive We read also they are his words in the English History of many and great Miracles done by Austin Iustus Melitus and other Monks Alas what is England compared with those Immense Regions of Infidels Not so much as à little cottage matched with à vast City How then happens it that these times we live in seem to be deserted or not to afford greater plenty of Miracles Thus Acosta who next endeavours to show why God did not work so many Miracles but his reasons are too long for this place where I am only obliged to note the Dr's fraudulent Dealing which Acosta does home and to the purpose Look saith he upon one blessed man in this our Age Acosta c. 10 p. 226. S. Francis Xaverius of à most Apostolical life who wrought so many admirable Miracles all attested by innumerable sound and substantial Witnesses that scarce the like are read of in any since the Apostles dayes whereof more presently What shall we say of Wrought by S. Xaverias and others F. Gaspar and his fellow Labourers in the East Indies whom God favovred with the grace of working innumerable great Wonders and the like blessing he bestowed upon many worthy Missioners of other Holy Orders Neither is it at all unusual saith Acosta in these our West Indies to see and hear of great Miracles done among the Barbarians 22. Was not Dr Still think ye blind or A great Oversight in the Dr. grosly overseen in remitting me to Josephus Acosta as one opposite to all Miracles excepting such as Christ and his Apostles wrought Had he his Wits about him when he tell 's us that the Persons employed upon the work of converting Infidels vvanted the Testimony of Miracles while you see this Author he cites decryes the folly and to the Dr's eternal Disgrace acknowledges many famous Miracles wrought in the Church after the Apostles though that Special Apostolical Priviledge in working them in some measure granted also to the Primitive Christians was not as you have heard Usual in after Ages Hence the Dr's Inference of Miracles not being now necessary among Heathens or ceasing upon this Ground that the primitive Prerogative in doing them seem's very seldom granted any in latter Ages is nothing but à foul cheat and an open fraud All I will say now is that either Mr Dr thought his produced Testimonies would never be examined or that all would believe what he scribles upon his bare word He is grosly deceived in both And thus much of Josephus Acosta We go on 23. The second Author perused by me concerning E manu Acosta Hist rerum in Orie●●ge starum Parisiis typis data 1572. Ema Acosta l. 1. p 72. p. 74. lib. 2. p. 109. Acosta l 3. page 132. Miracles in the East Indies is Emanuel Acosta in his History of matters done there Not far from Bungo saith he à blind youth 13. years old immediatly after Baptism had his perfect sight restored Another sick of the Palsey and Dumbe when Baptized rose up sound and spake without the least impediment If you desire to hear other Miracles wrought by Holy water and reciting the seven Poenitential Psalms as likewise of the strange Punishments God inflicted upon some prophane Barbarians that strove to cut down à Crosse erected by the Christians you may peruse this Author To insist on more particulars would be too large à task and needlesse Finally if you require an Answer to Dr Still wise Question What shall vve Dr Still Page 614. say to the Miracles pretended to be vvrought by Xaverius and others in the

cited 5. Now to rescue the Truth of this liquifying Blood contained in S. Mary Magdalen's Vial from all doubt or opposition please to hear what F. Silvester quoted recount's as à most clear Evidence of the Miracle For his own greater Satisfaction He wrote à large letter to à Religious man then Prior of the Dominicans Convent Called S. Sixtus at Rome who before had been Superiour of the Monastery where this admirable Miracle of the liquifying blood is yearly seen The Substantial Contents of his letter are as follow 6. Diva Maria Magdalena c. S. Mary Magdalen à Guest à Teacher of Faith and of Holy Conversation in the City of Marseils where God directing the Vessel that carried her she hàppily arrived is said to have brought with her not an Alablaster Box full of precious Oyntment but the price of mankind Enquiry made by letter after this liquifying blood the Sacred Blood of our Redeemer or at least sand embrued with that Blood gathered under the Crosse at Christ's Sacred Passion And that She being to depart this life left the precious Treasure as à legacy to that Province in reward of her Entertainment .... In the first place this is thought very strange that the Blood there or earth mingled with blood thrice every year growes red melt's and bubbles up though the rest of the year it bee concrete not ruddy but rather of à dark colour This Enquiry I here make being weighty and worth knowing I consult you who have lived on the place attentively beheld the Miracle and Therefore cannot but be so prudent in this matter of Fact as to perswade us that your Eyes were not deceived This favour I Ask from you what soever you Say for Truth shall be esteemed by me à great benefit The Answer to this letter followes thus 7. The Relation you have had of that stupendious Miracle every yearSeen in the Sacred blood of our Lord by the People of S. Maximin and there honoured is no vain or lying Story but exactly so as you have told it .... This therefore is to be seen upon Fryday in the Holy week not every houre of the day but neer Noone about one of the Clock the time t' is thought when our Saviour suffered you may see I say that sand or earth mingled with our Redeemers Blood which all the rest of the year remain's thick and hard together by little and little move it selfe grow red liquify and boyle up Now it is that the blood having left that thicker matter in the bottom of the Vial becomes pure refined Thin like à light cloud or subtle vapour And first rises up to the middle Parts then to the Top of the Vial soon after falling down beat 's upon the sides of the glasse as it fall's and presently ascend's again This Motion visible The answer to that letter to all continues about an Hour that time expired it leisurely return's to its first place colour and state as before And thus that sweet and pleasant Spectacle ceaseth to be seen in the Vial but the Sight of it will ever live in mans Memory while not only the Kingdom of France but the whole world both admires and approves the Wonder These things I write not only as à prudent Esteemer but also as à diligent Spectator and à most faithful Witness of this Miracle and to Authori●ze this my Answer for you I here set my hand Given at Rome in the Convent of S. Sixtus May 20. 1641. Subscribed Ita est Frater Ioannes Richeome Prior Conventus S. Sixti Ordinis Praedicatorum The Dr has here à hard Task for he must either prove this Religious man an Impudent Lyar and all those innumerable Spectators of the Miracle to have had their eyes dazled when year after year they palpably see the Motion of this Blood or he is obliged to crave pardon for his rash and inconsiderate Writing against à manifest Truth 8 The Objections he let 's fly at this visible Work of God are meer empty words not worth mentioning Our Saviours Blood saith he was Page 477. never shed to shew tricks with Tricks Mr Dr A most ungodly Expression uttered without Proof in contempt of Christ who if the best Authors that ever wrote may gain Beliefe hath left upon earth some quantity of his Sacred Blood to the comfort of faithful Christians whereof more presently He goes on Certainly there were never more shameful Impostures than about Reliques and Miracles in the Roman Church whereat some of the Wiser abroad shake their heads and are ashamed of Doctor you may here justly hide your head and be ashamed of this Talk at random no lesse boldly spoken than coldly made out by you Produce me but one of those called VVise men of our Church that slight Reliques or Miracles Authoritatively approved and No Catholick Author denies Miracles or Reliques of Saints I will either show he is no Catholick or à very bad one like Launoy your much esteemed Author Next comes in the Dr's Exclamation Gentlemen Religion is à grave and serious Thing and à severe Account must be given to God of any thing we Say about it Sr my Account of this Miracle is already given I produce Ey-witnesses and most approved Authors What have you against them Nothing but à few vain insignificant words much to this Sense VVe magnify Miracles still as though the People of England were as capable of being made fools as ever That you abhorre the Hypocrisie and fraud of our Church which cannot be upheld without Abusing mankind and the most excellent Religion in the world 9. One word Mr Dr Because you are so much upon giving Account of grave Matters Satisfy me in this plain Question VVhich among so many different Religions call you the grave Serious and most Excellent one If you say as I think you must it is Protestancy You know Sr and your own Judgement tell 's you that Protestancy despicable all over Christianity the whole Christian world look s upon it as à most despicable and contemptible Novelty Abyssins Gracians Georgians Arians Monothelits laugh at the folly of your more than ridiculous Reformation Catholicks compassionate your deplorable Fate and never cease to wonder that an Ingenious Nation as our English is can be fooled to use your own word into à Beliefe of this Protestancy which never yet did nor shall hereafter do Good to Christian or Heathen yet all forsooth must be thought grave and serious We seriously enquire after your Unity in Faith the life and soul of Religion and you show us the gastly Spectacles of endless Divisions amongst Protestants Quaquers Latitudinarians and no man knowes who besides Is this fine grave and serious We Luther and Calvin demand who commissioned you to preach à Novelty never heard of before two Libertins broach't it and your Patents are nothing but à Blanck or white paper without Licence from God or man to teach as you doe Yet all is

on him Fevardentius saith he confesses the Church has never determined that Hereticks cannot work true Miracles He makes no such open confession either in words or Sence much less doth he Say as you Sr unworthily Cite That those who hold the Affirmative have plain Testimonies of Fathers for them It is utterly false Fevardentius barely relates the Sentiment of others who seem to teach that Hereticks may work Miracles Some saith he think Tertullian favour's the Opinion others bring in Sozomenus and Socrates others seek Patronage from S. Augustin Doth this lessening way of speaking import that those who hold the Affirmative have plain Testimonies of the Fathers for them 17. Had you Sr perused Fevardentius in Fevard in cap. 8. lib. 1. Irenaei another place he remit's us to you might have been ashamed of this Jugling There he expresly denies the Power of working Miracles to Hereticks and grounds his Denial upon the Authority of Clemens Romanus Iustin Martyr and S. Augustin Then he tells you There is not one Doctrin of our Catholick Faith which Almighty God has not confirmed by most evident Miracles Which Miracles saith he wrought in every Age Some Chief Hereticks have gathered together written of and divulged to the world yet you Sr building upon one Testimony of Fevardentius would fraudulently perswade us that Miracles prove nothing as to the Truth and Infallibility of the Church And that they may be only wrought when the Communion of Christians are different from each other for the Verifying of some Common Truths received among all Christians With what Countenance can you avouch this when you see the Author quoted Miracles saith Fevardentius have confirmed Every Catholick Doctrin c. 16. n. 4. by you point blank against you Most evident Miracles saith Fevardentius have been wrought not only to attest some common Truths amongst Christians but to confirm every Doctrin held by the Catholick Church VVhereof see more in à foregoing Chapter 18. The Dr in the Page cited drives on à Lingendes in Conc. quadr to 2. Conc. 2. long Quotation borrowed From F. de Lingendes very true Doctrin as delivered by the Author But Mr Dr's Inferences drawn from it which as strongly impugne Miracles wrought by Christ and the Apostles as any done in the Church have been already weighed in the foregoing Chapter and are there fully Answered Lingendes saith the Dr grant's that to all outward Appearance Hereticks may do as great Miracles as any And you Sr grant or you cheat the Reader that Heathens have done Miracles to appearance as great as ever our Saviour or Apostle wrought Now Sr as you Difference Christ's Miracles from such false Signs we also difference and distinguish Of the Difference between all false Signs and true Miracles Miracles done in the Church and Oppose their vast number manifest in all Ages their Majesty and Greatnes in raising the dead restoring sight to the blind and curing mortal Infirmities to those few inconsiderable dull wonders pretended by Hereticks whereof if not all more than the halfe are False The Circumstances also accompaning our Miracles add à singular Lustre having been wrought in à Church ever owned Orthodox and by men of eminent known Sanctity who upon their invocating the Saints in Heaven obtained what they prayed for But enough of this particular in the precedent Chapter cited 19. The Dr think's we cannot show our Page 684. Church Miracles wrought for no other End but to prove the Church Infallible Answ No more can the Dr prove that the Apostolical Miracles were wrought only to prove Apostolical Doctrin Infallible as I have clearly shewed above Now that c. 16. n. 1. innumerable have been done to testify the Truth and consequently the Infallibility of Catholick Doctrin is so manifest that nothing but Impudence can deny it VVhy have so many glorious Martyrs joyfully suffered bitter Persecution before Tyrants why have they openly professed to dy for our Catholick Faith why has God evidenced so many Miracles not only at their death but afterwards at their Shrines and Monuments Were not these things done to testify that the Faith they dyed for was True and Infallible If any doubt be made hereof Ecclesiastical History will clear all Peruse Reader among others Victor Vticensis who Victor Uticens l 1 wrote three Books of the VVandals Persecution where he set's forth the admirable fortitude of Martyrs Se also Eusebius Nicephorus Tertullian and Eusebius lib 5 Hist per totum Niceph lib 3 c 29 l. 9. c. 17. Tertull in Apolog. S. August lib. 18 de civit c. 50. Chiefly S. Augustin who recount the horrid Persecution of Martyrs living after the Apostles dayes And Say that God made his eternal Truths known Signis portentis variis virtutibus by Signs prodigious wonders and sundry sorts of Miracles which those blessed men wrought before Kings and Tyrants that formerly endeavouvred to destroy the Church 20. In the next place the Dr has another fling at the poor Boyes restored Leg in Spain and most simply Ask's What signifies this to the Proof of the Roman Churches Infallibility I Answer it signifies very much and manifestly proves one Article of Catholick Doctrin The Invocation of Saints The Miracle surpassed all natural Power Divels when the blessed Virgin was called on did not doe it God therefore who cannot Employ his Power to confirm à falshood approved by that Prodigious Cure page 684 the Catholick Doctrin of praying to Saints CHAP. XVIII VVhether it be reasonable to have Missionaries now sent into England and work Miracles there The Dr wishes this done More of the Dr's many false and impertinent Quotations Antichrist's VVonders no true Miracles Miracles known upon Moral Certainty sufficiently induce to Faith 1 IN the same the page Dr Proposes what he would have done Let their Missionaries saith he come here among us whom they account Hereticks and do the same things that Christ and his Apostles did in raising the Dead and healing all manner of Diseases But let them not think to put us off with painted strawes and counterfeit Trances Good The Dr's uncivil Expression Mr Dr speak I beseech you more reverently were all the stupendious Miracles related by S. Irenaeus S. Augustin S. Hierome and S. Chrysostom painted Strawes and counterfeit Trances Was that great Miracle wrought lately at Calais upon cap. 3. n. 3 à young Gentlewoman whereof you have à full relation à painted cure or the Boyes restored Leg in Spain à painted Leg Were all those dead raised to life at the Intercession of Blessed S. Thomas Cantilupe manifest in your own England counterfeit Resuscitations Nothing but impudence can Judge so Know therefore Sr and it is your Duty to know it that all these admirable All the Miracles wrought in the Church were done for Hereticks Works of God with innumerable more were wrought for you and for this End that you if not perverse may se how gloriously Christ our Lord has beautifyed