Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
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A48797
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Wonders no miracles, or, Mr. Valentine Greatrates gift of healing examined upon occasion of a sad effect of his stroaking, March the 7, 1665, at one Mr. Cressets house in Charter-house-yard : in a letter to a reverend divine, living near that place.
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Lloyd, David, 1635-1692.
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1666
(1666)
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Wing L2649; ESTC R12386
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29,587
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51
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WONDERS NO MIRACLES OR Mr. Valentine Greatrates GIFT of HEALING EXAMINED Upon occasion of a Sad Effect of his Stroaking March the 7. 1665. at one Mr. Cressets house in Charter-House-Yard In a Letter to a Reverend Divine living near that place 1 COR. 12. 9. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to another the GIFT of HEALING 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To another the Working of Miracles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to another discerning of Spirit LONDON Printed for Sam. Speed at the Rainbow in Fleetstreet 1666. Wonders no Miracles OR Mr. VALENTINE GREATRATES Gift of Healing Examined Upon occasion of a Sad Effect of his Stroaking Mar. the 7. 1665. at one Mr. Cressets house in Charter-House-Yard SIR WHen I consider in how many respects the world is now under the sad Judgement of being given over to beleeve Lies because it receiveth not the Christian truth in the Love and Power of it Errours and Impostures as a Great man observeth being at once the Sins and Punishments of the later Ages of the World When I read that some pretensions in the last times will almost deceive the very Elect insomuch that one of those Elect writing to his Brethren hath left this as the greatest Caveat amongst them Beloved beleeve not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they be of God And adde to all these those sad words 2 Thes. 2. 7. That the Mystery of iniquity doth already work only he who now Letteth will Let until he be taken out of the way and then shall that wicked one be revealed even he whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and LYING WONDERS and with all deceiveableness of unrighteousness in them that perish When I reflect on the state of the World now so parrallel to that it was 4000 years agoe especially in one particular viz. that it is immersed in Fancy Imagination and Lust which are all Inter-woven with its Phylosophy its Religion Worship Doctrine Discipline and Government so far that it is as subject to Diabolical Impressions leading to Atheism now towards the end of the World as it was to such as led to Polutheism then in the beginning of it I do not so much admire your Caution in complying with the Vulgar apprehensions of this late Gift of Healing so much cryed up amongst us as I do others unwillingness to comply with your Cantion so much more strange is it that the generallity should allow such groundless and ill contrived pretences than that any man should scruple then were not we in England famous almost to a Proverb for our folly in reference to Prodigies and Prophesies and a People that would make it necessary that as it was one condition in the Judges of the Sanedrim that they should be skilled in Magick that they might detect and Judge others for it so it should be one in our Councils that they should be expert in the works of Nature that they might understand what is above it Sir Seriously since there is not a greater confirmation of what God speaks than what he doth and so no greater evidence of Religions proceeding from God than Miracles wrought by God And there being no ordinary way of conveighing the evidence of divine Truth into the mindes of Men but by a concurrence of a divine power set before their eyes to confirm that Truth The World is not capable of diving into the depth of Religious Mysteries so shallow narrow and dark are mens capacities and intellectuals and so apt are men to suspect impostures in things of subtilty reason and mystery and therefore they must have plain confirmations of those mysteries before their senses which they think will not deceive them so true is it what that excellent person observes The world being to be taught of God must be taught with actions which they can trust and not with words wherewith they may be deceived and hence Miracles or the performance of matters above the reach of Nature hath been alwaies looked on as the greatest testimony to divine authority and revelation For the course of nature being settled by an omnipotent power and all Agents acting by the force of that power whosoever in doing wonders altereth the course of nature is esteemed to have the Divine presence going along with him Since I say the working of Miracles and performing things above the course of Nature hath been looked upon by mankinde since God hath made use of men to act in his name here in the world as the best evidence of Gods presence going along with them as the fairest credentials for their Message and the greatest argument for the truth of the Religion by them at several times published in the Name of God As it is certainly of very dangerous consequence to Counterfeit the Kings Seal by which all Acts of State are confirmed and made authentickly known to the people so it is to pretend to Gods Seal whereby he doth convincingly make known his will in the world And as all the Kings Leige People should beware of conniving at the one for fear of a mis-understanding likely thereby to grow between the King and the People none then being able to discern what is really the Kings Act and what is not what they should obey and what they should not as they would not be guilty of mis prision of Treason against the Government so all Gods people should be very cautious in allowing the other for fear of a mis-understanding between God and their Souls none in case of such Counterfeits being able to discern what is really confirmed to be Gods will and what is only pretended so what is a Religion and what is a chear Whence really there cannot chuse but ensue these two sad things viz. 1 An opportunity in distracted and divided Times to broach strange and dangerous Opinions For if a man can but prevail with the People to beleeve that God assists him to Effect new and extraordinary things he may easily perswade them that the same God inspires him to speak new and extraordinary Opinions when they see God in what he doth they will easily believe he is in what he saith and where they observe omnipotence there they will believe infallability and if the man saith now I received a voice from Heaven bidding me Cure all Diseases he may if this take say anon I am Commissioned by a Voice from Heaven to reduce the World to the unity of the Roman Church to teach the infallability of the Pope to reveal a Messiab to come a fifth Monarchy and what not Thus the Arrians pretended Miracles by the infinite power of Christ to confirm the denial of his Deity Menander to blinde his followers would restore their sight Basilides stroaked and deluded the multitude Cerinthus and Ebion performed as strange things as they taught Valentinus and Heracleon first set up with new Cures and afterwards with new Opinions Marcus Carpocrates and Cerdon were Magicians first and then Hereticks
upon the imagination as well as Princes and finding it feasible by one or two experiments hee with other cunning peoples suggestions might set up an Healing power as well as the King levelling his Gift as well as they would his Office with a design that when it appeared he could do no more than other men he should be no more than other men yea and when parity of reason led them to attempt in other Diseases what with some success they had begun in the Kings Evil they might not only out-do his Majesty but be in a fair way to give Laws to the world 5 For mark the ground of this mans attempts and he tells you in his Letter to the L. Bishop of Chester that he had a voyce from Heaven assuring him first that he had a power to cure the Kings Evil and afterwards that he might cure all Diseases that he could not be quiet untill be had undertaken it And that a Woman unknown to him had a Vision to come to him and that hereupon notwithstanding he was dissuaded by his Friends from the practice and jeared out of the imagination he had a constant impulse to force him upon the several experiments that he had made till the whole Country thronged to him This is sum of what the man saith for himself 1 How dangerous it is to admit of Impulses Vifions and how common it was with men of Mr. Greatrates former way to obtrude need no further proof than Olivers Impulses James Naylor and other Quakers Visions and light within which would have superseded if allowed all Religion Law Duty Right and wrong and common honesty there being hardly any villany Imaginable against any of these that hath not been and may be perpetrated upon the account of this Impulse and Inspiration and if people will but allow any thing to be true upon these Enthusiastick grounds they must allow all things that a deceivers fancy or interest shall suggest to them And more particularly 1 Hee voucheth a voice from Heaven for his extraordinary Performances when yet hee should vouch extraordinary performances to make good that voice from Heaven the voice of God gives not evidence to Miracles because the Devil in the Air or the Fancy in the Brain may counterfeit such a voice but Miracles give evidence to his voice How shall the people be assured saith Moses Exod. 4. 1 2 3 4 5. that thou O God hast appeared to me take the Rod and it shall turn to a Serpent that they may beleeve that the Lord God of their Fathers hath appeared to thee saith the Lord. It s impossible for us to be satisfied of any appearance of God to this man bidding him work Miracles unless we had other Miracles to satisfie us about the appearance of God 2 Gods revealing himself to men by Bath Col or the daughter of a Voice which was indeed the last way that he was pleased to communicate his minde to his people seems to be now superseded by that of the Apostle 2 Pet. 1. 18 19. And this voice which came from Heaven we heard when we were with him in the Holy Mount 19. We have also a more sure word of Prophesie whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts and we are obliged by the voice of God confirmed by uncontrolled Miracles not to give heed to any voice pretended to give credit to new unnecessary and doubtful ones 3 The Voice of God concerning any extraordinary Person under the Old and New Testament was not spoken only to the Person himself as it is in this case in private but to several others in publick as you may see Exod. 4. Mat. 3. Act. 1. 2 Pet. 1. and the History of the Transfiguration These things as the Apostles argue were not done in a Corner 4 The Voice of God was agreeable alwaies to the dispensations that were then a foot so that when they heard the Voice they had Prophesies Precepts and Rules directing them to the beleif and use of the voice a particular defective in this Case where the dispensations of God amongst us are so far from concurring with this pretended Voice that the established Religion is inconsistent with it we having a compleat platform of the will of God conveighed to us by Voices and Signs from Heaven that rendereth it needless to have any more extraordinary revelations til the great day of the Revelation of all things unless we ad mit menstruam diurnam fidem a new Faith every month and day for what is this Voice for is it to confirm our faith that is already done or we have been Infidels all this while and indeed know not when we shall be compleat Christians because we know not when these pretenders will have done Is it to reform the corruption that hath overgrown Religion in the theory and practice of it Indeed the Prophets under the old Testament had extraordinary Voices to this purpose but it was provided by the Law of Moses in the time of the Theocratia that it should be so and the Paedagogy of the Jews might look for it but it s not so under the Gospel whereby we are Conjured not to be soon shaken in minde either by Spirit or by Word or by Letter or by Voice is it to beget Faith Signs saith the Apostle who had Signs to confirm what he said are for unbelievers is it to supply any defect in natural causes This pretends not to it the ordinary way of Physicians being together with Phylosophy the ground of it at the heighth in these times and however God never wrought a Miracle for no other design than to alter the course of nature Is it to do good to some particular persons God never miraculously did good to any particular but with reference to the common good of mankinde shall we make providence so cheap as to put it upon such mean Offices as helping the Patient to another stool more than his Physick could work to cure a poor body of a swelling to save 20 s. charge It s true when God hath a great and suitable design to be carried on by Miracles he condescendeth to shew those Miracles in such charitable and good Offices as these but not barely for them Christ confirmed Christian Religion by Healing here and there a poor person but neither he or any other extraordinary person came to the world with so low a design as only to perform those Cures Is it to set out this person for an eminent instance of Heroick virtue and holiness besides that the man pretends not to such heroick attainments his carriage being loose and like a good Fellow his Religion Latitudinary his discourse unsavory sometimes breaking out to Oaths as I have been Informed by a very discerning and honest person at the Charter-House who heard him in much passion say that though the poor