it were light out of darknesse and therefore foreseeing that God would turne this their wicked act into his owne glory and the furtherance of the Gospell therefore Satan being as it were in a rage for this their vnseasonable vsing of the name of the Lord Iesus in their charmes at such a time and in such a place as they did deale thus with them Whereas at other times when it might haue serued his owne turne better no doubt he would haue beene so farre from hurting them for such an act that he would haue seemed to yield vnto them therein that thereby he might the better haue confirmed his wicked craft of magicke and sorcery Nay it is to be doubted that euen at this time he would haue giuen place at the aforesaid words vttered by the sorcerers if the wonderfull prouidence of God had not ouer-ruled him who by this act had determined to glorifie the Gospel of his sonne Christ Iesus as it may appeare by the 17 18 and 19 verses following where it is set downe That after this was knowne both Iewes and Gentiles which dwelt at Ephesus magnified the name of the Lord Iesus confessing their sinnes And among the rest those that had vsed vaine and curious artes that is charmes inchantments coniuring and other magicall deuises came moreouer and brought their vaine books and burned them in the sight of the people The worth of them being counted came at the least rate to about eight hundred pounds For hereby they were driuen to consider more deepely of the infinit power of the Godhead of Christ Iesus to tame the vnbridled rage and malice of Satan and also the wicked vanitie of magicall conceits whereby these sorcerers could bring nothing to passe and finally the punishment of the same which albeit it may seeme not to be so great to be beaten and wounded yet whosoeuer shall weigh the circumstances of the text shall finde that it was no ordinarie kinde of combate that did driue the beholders into such a maze But it was such an one no doubt as the like had not bin seene in their time And it is very likely that they did further conceiue by this example of the iust iudgment of God threatned against such in the scriptures wherein the spirit of God doth mightily inueigh against this kinde of wickednes as in the 10. chapter of Leuiticus vers 27. he commaundeth that they should be put to death in these words If a man or a woman haue a spirit of diuination or sooth-saying in them they shall die the death their blood shall be vpon them And likewise in the 22 cap. of Exodus vers 18. he saith Thou shalt not suffer a witch to liue And the Lord himselfe saith in the 3. cap. of the prophet Malachy vers 5. that he will come in iudgement and that he will be a swift witnesse against the south-sayers Wherefore the good king Iosiah in the feare of the Lord tooke away all that had familiar spirits and the sooth-sayers as it is in the second booke of the King cap. 23. vers 24. But it may be that some men will obiect and say that these places seeme to be vnderstood of those onely which haue made as it were a real contract or haue priuate conference with the diuell the which is a thing that themselues will confesse to be abominable But as for all those which vse any other kind of conceit or deuise whether by word character or otherwise so it be not manifestly wicked and blasphemous they will defend their doings therein to be good or at least wise not hurtfull To these I answer that let them looke into the booke of God and they shall finde the one as well as the other to be condemned as namely in the 18. cap. of Deut. the spirit of God hath these words viz. Let none be found among you that maketh his sonne or his daughter to goe through the fire or that vseth witchcraft or a regarder of times or a marker of the flying of foules or a sorcerer or a charmer or that counselleth with spirits or a sooth-sayer or that asketh counsell of the dead For all that doe such things are abomination vnto the Lord and because of those abominations the Lord thy God doth cast them out before thee c. VVhere we may euidently see and perceiue a difference to be made betweene the one and the oother and that not onely contracts counselling and conference with spirits is forbidden but also all other kinds of vaine friuolous and superstitious artes are counted abominable vnto the Lord as namely witchcraft the original words do signifie him which vseth diuining of which sort are those which will tell of things lost stolne or conueied away and other such like hidden and secret things Secondly regarders of times as they are which will haue one time more lucky then another To be borne at one hower more vnfortunate then at another To take a iourney or any other enterprise in hand to be more dangerous or prosperous at one time then at another As likewise if such a festiuall day fall vpon such a day of the weeke or such like we shall haue such a yeare following and many other such like vaine speculations set downe by our astrologians hauing neither footing in gods word nor yet natural reason to support them But being grounded onely vpon the superstitious imagination of mans braine Wherefore this kinde is much spoken against in the booke of God as I haue somewhat touched before The next are the markers of the flying or noise of foules as they which prognosticate death by the croaking of rauens or the hideous crying of owles in the night Or some misfortune if a hare do crosse a man with many other such like vaine and wicked toyes By sorcerers in this place seemeth to be vnderstood those wicked persons which take in hand to hurt any man in his body or goods wherefore the old translation termeth them maleficos as it were harme-doers or workers of mischiefe And because these kind of people doe oftentimes vse crafty and cunning sleights to bring their matters to passe therfore they are by Tremellius called Praestigiatores of their iugling trickes of leger demaine whereby the senses of men being deluded they would seeme to doe one thing when as they doe another and that by another meanes then in shew they pretend And of this sort seeme our witches to be among vs whose doings in this behalfe it would belong and needles to recount seeing that they be so well knowne by common speach and experience As for Inchanters and Charmers for they are both one I haue spoken somewhat before although not all that might be said to that purpose These are they which by vsing of certaine conceited words characters circles amulets and such like vaine and wicked trumpery by gods permission doe worke great maruailes as namely in causing of sicknesse as also in curing diseases in mens bodies And likewise binding
therefore say that Christians are altogether without faith God forbid that we should thinke so badly of God his people For they haue iustifying faith but that which they call the faith of miracles is alreadie ceased For seeing that the ende of working miracles was to confirme the word as Saint Paul saith 1. Cor. cap. 14. vers 22. of the miraculous gift of languages that it was a token to them that beleeue not and not to them that beleeue to prepare and mooue their mindes to the imbracing of the Gospel which Gospel beeing now a great while since sufficiently prooued and the truth therof established by miracles what needeth the continuance of the said gift amongst vs And that the gift of working miracles was but for a certaine time at the beginning onely bestowed vpon his Church as diuers other spirituall gifts were which are rehearsed in the 12. chap. of the 1. Epist. Cor. it is very manifest because that all the rest of miraculous gifts there recited are ceased out of vse at this present Wherefore the wizzards of these our daies howsoeuer they colour their legerdemaine in this behalfe yet they are farre from the true practise of working miracles giuen and accepted of God by reason that the vse thereof is ceased with the end for which it was giuen and ordained Neither are we to thinke that the hand of the Lord is shortened therby no more then it was when Manna ceased among the Israelites But the Lord knoweth and doth alwaies that which is most conuenient and profitable both for his owne glorie and for our eternall comfort Yea by his prouidence he so moderateth the particular actions of all those vpon whome hee bestoweth this grace of working miracles that they doe nothing in this behalfe but onely as he doth direct and assigne them So Moses did his miracles alwaies at God his appointment and the disciples of our Sauiour Iesus Christ could not heale the lunaticke childe in the 17. chap. of Saint Matthew Howbeit at other times they did greater wonders And the Prophet Nathan in the second booke of Samuel cap. 7. because he was not first directed by God failed in giuing counsaile vnto Dauid to build the temple Neither may wee thinke that it hath beene otherwise in this case with any other of the seruants of God For albeit it bee not expressed alwaies in the scripture yet it is out of doubt that were inwardly ledde by the spirit of God to doe euery particular miracle that they wrought euen as the disciples of our Sauiour Christ were what they should speake in the 10. chapter of Matth. where our Sauiour Christ saith vnto them Take no thought how or what ye shall speake for it shall be giuen you in that houre what ye shall say for it is not ye that speake but the spirit of your father which speaketh in you Wherefore our Sauiour Christ in the 9. chapter of the Gospel after Saint Luke findeth fault with his disciples because they would haue had fire to come downe from heauen vpon the Samaritans as Elias did procure to fall vpon the two fifties of men and their leaders in the 2. booke of the Kings cap. 1. saying that they knew not of what spirit they were as though he should haue said If that ye did know and consider as the truth is that Elias was mooued by the spirit of God to execute his iudgement vpon those men and that ye are onely ledde by your desire of reuenge ye would neuer haue motioned this matter for now ye aske ye wot not what But those that are counted cunning men amongst vs doe at no time looke for God his direction but for the opposition and coniunction of the planets with a sort of other vaine and wicked obseruations fitter for heathen men thē for those that beare the names of Christians which God hath flatly forbidden in the 18. chapter of Deuteronomy and Leuiticus cap. 19. vers 26. and by the Prophet Ieremy he saith cap. 10. Learne not the way of the heathen and bee not afraid for the signes of heauen though the heathen bee afraid of such for the customes of the people are vaine For the right vse of the starres and the motions thereof is set downe by God himselfe in the 1. cap. of Gen. vers 14 and 15. in these wordes And God said let there be lights in the firmament of heauen to separate the day from the might and let them be for signes and for seasons and for daies and yeares and let them be for lights in the firmament of heauen to giue light vpon the earth The like impietie is to be found in these men when they appoint and set downe vnto themselues and their disciples in what place such and such wonders are to be wrought As though the power of God were tied to one place more then vnto another Wherein they are like the Aramites in the 20. cap. of the 1. booke of the King when they say that the God of Israel is God of the mountaines and not of the valleies and therefore the Lord slew them with the edge of the sword Furthermore for euery particular miracle God directeth if it be done as it should be the meanes and manner how it should be wrought either outwardly by his word or inwardly by his spirit Thus the Lord when he did send Moses to worke miracles before Pharaoh Exod. the 7 8 and 9 chapters He instructeth and telleth him after what manner he should doe them So when he ledde the children of Israel ouer Iorden by the hand of Iehosuah cap. 3. he biddeth him to command the priests that did beare the Arke of the couenant that when they came to the brinke of the waters of Iorden they should stand stil in Iorden whereby the people went ouer that riuer dry In like manner in the 6. cap. of the booke of Iehosuah the Lord declareth vnto Iehosuah what he will haue done that the walles of the citie of Iericho might fall downe before the children of Israel the which being once done the wall sell flat downe so the people went vp into the citie euery man straight before him And they tooke the city So in the 1. booke of the Kings cap. 13. assoone as the man of God had vttered the word of the Lord against the altar it claue asunder and the ashes fell out But in the 2. booke of the King cap. 4. because that Elisha did presume of himselfe without the Lord his direction to deuise a course to raise the womans child being dead to life againe by laying the staffe vpon the childes face by the hand of Gehazi his seruant therefore it tooke no effect Neither ought we to imagine by this that God is tyed to these or any other meanes of like sort For he doth the selfe same sometimes by one meanes sometimes by another as in the 4. cap. of Exod. vers 9. he biddeth Moses to powre the water of the riuer vpon the
drew him backe againe as it were through the midst of the sea and constrained him to fulfill his commaundement herein And Balaam howsoeuer before and at other times he may seeme to haue beene a sorcerer and to worke by inchantment for his owne estimation and profit Neuertheles when it pleased God to make him his minister and had inspired him with the gift of prophecy to pronounce his blessing concerning the children of Israell albeit he laboured by all meanes possible to the contrary being thereunto mooued with the desire of wealth and preferment promised to him by king Balack as it is in the 22. cap. and 23. cap. of the booke of Numbers Notwithstanding at the last he was forced to yield to gods determinatiō in blessing the Israelites whom before he endeauoured to curse Numbers cap. 24. Now they which are only Satans instruments in working wōders haue no purpose at al to glorifie god in obeiing of his precepts and in preaching of his word to the edifying of his Church For as Satan the aduersary both to God and man is the author of these miracles so will he haue his ministers to direct their actions accordingly Neither doth the Lord inforce them to make that vse of their faculty of working miracles which he appointeth to all those that are wrought by his spirit because they haue neither receiued the gift from him nor yet any commandement to doe any such thing But they are led of themselues and of their master whome they serue to aime in all their practises at other ends and work for other worldly and deuilish respects As the sorcerers of Egypt wrought miracles onely that thereby they might disgrace Moses the seruant of God and discredit his office and authority So Bariesu the sorcerer in the 13. cap. of the Act. of the Apostles endeauoured what he could to turne away Sergius Paulus from the faith of Christ which Paul preached And what was the end of Simons practises which in the 8. cap. Act. is said to haue vsed witchcraft but onely his owne gaine and worldly honour and credit as it appeareth by the circumstances of that place And although the magitians sorcerers such like people sometime do vse good and godly words in outward appearance and that as it may seeme to a good end yet at other times and that for the most part you shall find them to haue other badde worldly and wicked intents and to doe this but onely in hypocrisie to couer and colour their owne wicked dealings and that they may worke the greater mischiefe afterward as it may be gathered out of the sixteenth chapter of the Actes of the Apostles by the history of the damsell which being possessed with a spirit of diuination which seemeth to be such an one as they vse amongst vs to goe vnto to know of them their fortunes or what is become of things lost stolne or such like whereby shee inriched her maister with whome shee dwelt shee I say this damsel seeing Paul with the rest of his company passing by cryed out saying These men are the seruants of the most high God which preach vnto vs the way of salnation But to what end thinke ye did shee this to confirme the Gospel which Paul preached No for that is farre from Satan and all his ministers But rather because that shee or Satan by her and in her thought it the best course to bring to passe their purpose that whereas they neither could nor durst openly and manifestly contrary the preaching of the Gospel yet by this means they might thinke secretly by crafty pollicy to weaken and diminish the authority of the same by bearing men in hand as it were that they were indued led by one the selfe same spirit that the Apostles were that there was no difference in their doctrine So that hereby the doctrine of the gospel might be brought into suspition The which when Paul perceiued fore-seeing the inconueniēce that might arise therby to take away al occasion of misdeeming he commanded the spirit to depart out of the said Damsel making therby as it were an open profession of the enmitie betwixt Satan him and so of the contrariety of both their doctrines and of the endes of the same So in like manner our Sauiour Christ commaunded the foule spirit to hold his peace when hee said hee was the holy one of God Mark 1. cap. and Luk. cap. 4. Now to conclude If these three notes before set downe be duely weighed and considered with a single eye and an vpright heart they will not a little helpe to discerne the true seruants of God from the instruments of the diuell in the working of miracles But alas now a daies people are more prone and readie to lay a stumbling blocke before their owne steppes and to hang a veile before their owne eyes that they may not see the truth in this behalfe feigning and framing vnto themselues reasons and arguments against the same to vpholde and maintaine magicke and sorcery in deede and in truth albeit they like not altogither of these names To the which arguments I meane God willing to answer when I come to the handling of the 13. verse of this chapter In the meane time I will proceede vnto the next which is the 12. verse So that In the which as I tolde you before the particular amplification of the miracles which God wrought by Saint Paul is set downe where wee are to obserue two things viz. The matter of these miracles or the miracles themselues and the meanes by which they were wrought But for the better explaining thereof although it be placed last in the text yet wee will speake first of the miracles themselues whereof two especiall and principall are here rehearsed to wit the healing of the diseases of the body and the dispossessing of Satan the enemy of the soule in these words And the diseases departed from them and the euill spirits went out of them These two sorts of miracles our Sauiour Christ in the 10. chap. of the Gospel after Saint Matthew and Marke cap. 6. and Luke cap. 9. when he sent them forth to preach the Gospel gaue power and authoritie vnto his twelue Apostles to worke And so likewise hauing made and appointed Saint Paul in the 9. chapter of the Actes to be an Apostle to preach his Gospel vnto the Gentiles endued him with gifts of the holy Ghost and as we see heere adorned him with the same grace of working miracles which he had bestowed vpon the other Apostles aforesaid thereby ratifying confirming his functiō ministery as he did of the rest Where we may also note that these miracles were no vaine and iugling trickes to mooue laughter amongst pleasant heads nor yet framed or deuised for those of grauer wittes to wonder at but they were wrought for the profit and commodity of mankind in this mortall life albeit that be not the chiefe end wherefore God gaue them this