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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68204	Spirituall preseruatiues against the pestilence. Or Seuen lectures on the 91. Psalme First printed in Anno. 1593. And now reuised, corrected, and published, as generally for the instruction of ignorant people: so specially for the confirmation of the weake seruants of Iesus Christ; descibing the most diuine and most soueraigne preseruatiues against the pestilence. By H. Holland. Hereunto is added a sweete prayer of M. R. Greenhams, neuer before published.	Holland, Henry, 1555 or 6-1603.; Greenham, Richard.	1603 (1603)	STC 13589; ESTC S117101	86,406	214

serue him 3. They do Gods will 4. They do it faithfully according to his word Thus far for the first point The 2. thing to be knowne is their loue to Gods Church and great care ouer the faithfull members of the same And certainly their loue is great For it is saide they reioyce ouer one sinner that repenteth and turneth vnto God The Psalmist testifieth of their loue and care when hee faith They pitch their tents round about them which feare the Lorde and desiuer them And here it is said they beare them like as louing parents nurces do their children in their hands and armes to keepe them from scandals and offences And the Lord giueth them in charge thus to doo faith this Prophet heere And hence it is the Author to the Hebrewes describeth them to be Ministring spirits sent from their sakes which shall be heires of saluation And as for their number wee must not curiously search how many each man hath to keepe him for the scriptures tell vs that sometimes many are sent to one man and againe sometimes one Angell is sent for the deliuerance of the whole Church To saue Elisha against the king of Syria the mountaine was full of horses and chariets of fire round about Elisha But in Da●●els time one Angell seemeth to be sent for the protection of the whole Church And in Ezechias time one was of strēgth sufficient to kil and destroy in one night 185000. of the enemies of Gods people And if yet we further desire to learn what ther causes besides that speciall charge of God moue them so to loue vs affect vs and to minister vnto vs for our protection and deliuerance the holy Ghost teacheth vs that first they are members with vs of one bodie which is the whole catholicke Church wherof part is triumphant in heauen part militant vpon earth secondly they haue with vs one spirit for their Lord as to conuert and sanctifie 〈◊〉 so to confirm them in the truth Thirdly they haue with vs one Gospel of com●…ort for the Angels saith Peter desire to ●…ehold the mysteries therein contained ●…or their confirmation and our conuersion and euerlasting saluation They are present in the holy assemblies reioyce no doubt greatly to see the Gospell of Iesus Christ preached vnto thei●…●…retheren Lastly they haue one head with vs euen Iesus Christ our Lorde this the Apostle speaketh Christ is set at the right hand of the father in heauenly places farre aboue all principalitie and power and might and domination and euery n●…me that is named not in this worlde but also in that that is to come and hath made all thinges subiect vnder his feete and hath giuen him ouer all things to bee the head to the Church which is his bo●…y euen the fulnesse of ●…im that ●…th all things Here foolish Rabbims obiect by occasion of the words of this Psalme Of bearing in their hands That the holy and elect are more worthy persons and more honorable then the Angels because the Angels must as it were attend vpon them and keepe them Their reasons are weake and they too too curious for parents beare children and yet the children are not the ●…re worthy the good shepheard fin●…th the sheepe which was lost and carrieth it home on his shoulders and yet is not the sheep more worthy then the shep●…eard An other question is here demanded of their appearance what letteth it now more then in elder times They know now their visible appearance is both needelesse and dangerous 1. Needlesse for instruction for they know we haue now in the booke of God all the counsell of God reuealed vnto vs so they had not in the old times in that cleare maner that we haue 2. Needlesse for our protection for they can do this inuisibly as well as in sight Elishas guard was as strong and as faithfull before he sawe them as after Lastly their ●…ppearance now is dangerous since Antichrist hath peruerted many with the false worship and inuocation of Angels for since this Idolatrie crept into the Church wee know assuredly that wicked spirits haue taken the forme of good Angels and haue bene adored of miserable men and so deluded many And the visible appearance vnto men would be more terrible in these daies then it was to Manoab and his wife Iudg. 13. And thus farre of their loue towardes the Saints The third and last point to be considered briefly is how long their charge lasteth ouer vs the answere is So long as they walke in their wayes This is that which Sathan left out when hee made assault against Christ for hee can both pare and shred the scriptures and stretch them also otherwhiles to serue his purpose So he can heape vp iudgements to terrifie and amaze poore consciences which are humbled and multiply mercies before such as stand to breede in them dangerous presumptions By these words Their wayes The Psalmist vnderstandeth our seuerall vocations wherein we must walke circumspectly and not rashly runne forth to any vnlawfull meanes as Sathan would haue Christ to do for so doing wee shall tempt God as Christ answereth the diuell in the second temptation Here then we are taught to walke wisely within our boundes and not to vse vnlawfull meanes or to neglect the good meanes giuen vs of God for our benefit and good We must not ●…lie in the ayre for God hath not giuen vs wings to flye but legges to walke We must not talke of reuelations for God doth not so teach vs now but by his written word Wee must not goe to witches in extremitie to theft in pouertie for so wee walke out of our w●… and the holy Angels forsake vs 〈◊〉 wicked spirits will maister vs and confound vs. The workes of our calling are called in scripture the way wherein we must walke desiring the Lord to blesse them and all lawfull meanes appointed for vs. Now to make vse of this doctrine briefly for our present purpose no doubt of all other spirituall preseruatiues this of the Angels is one of the best against the pestilence For we may not doubt but ●…mly beleeue they pitch their tents and ●…et as it were an hedge about vs for our custodie and preseruation as the diuell con●…esseth it of Iobs protection So then consider euill angels are cruel good Angels are mercifull euill angels are olde and subtile good Angels are of ●…ke yeares and more wise euil angels are very expert to send forth venimous exhalations to poyson the ayre the good Angels are more wise to purge the same the euill angels are strong and mightie but they be fearefull and feare abates strength the good angels are more mightie and excell them in strength and voyd of feare for that they be voyd of 〈◊〉 To bee short looke wherein the eu●…●…ngels haue any might to hurt vs and annoy

that thereby hee may haue entrance into vs againe Finally to end this point and to come vnto our purpose againe there is nothing we ought in all our liues to bee more carefull of then to striue to discerne betweene the true the blessed and most comfortable peace of Iesus Christ in our hearts and consciences and the false peace and most dangerous and deadly sleepe of carnall and benummed consciences where Sathan dwelleth That if wee haue the one we may with all our might endeuour to preserue it and if we be miserably deluded and so endangered by the other wee may with all speede come to the meanes appointed in the Gospell of Iesus Christ for our deliuerance Great and deadly is the sleepe of all Atheists hypocrites and carnall men before Sathans face by the light of the Gospell bee discerned They are like men which haue drunke some deadly poyson they can but sleepe and delight in sleeping and yet perswade themselues in this miserable security that all is wel Our Sauiour rendereth a reason of this when he saith Sathan watcheth them with all his strength munition armour and with all violence st●…uing to keepe blinde in this state all he can to the day of death There can bee no true peace before Christ by his word and spirit cast forth Sathan out of the mindes and hearts of men as long as men loue darkenesse and hate light as long as the sloni●… slintie polluted heart ' and conscience remaineth the peace and sleepe is to be suspected to be Sathanicall Secondly before Christ giue peace hee must needes warre with Sathan Luk. 11. 21. In this warfare the prisoner that Christ taketh which fought against him is the soule of man c. a man therefore must be captiuat and so in soule humbled vnder Christ before true peace in Christs kingdome that peace therefore which is before humiliation is to be suspected Thirdly where Christ hath ouercome there his goood spirit watcheth for hee will not leese any that he hath found Io. 10. 28. Where that spirit is there hee worketh true sanctification of soule spirit and body I. Thess. 5. 23. Where therefore true sanctification is wanting the peace is dangerous and to be suspected But of this more in an other question Now to returne to that wee purposed let vs consider briesly whether the wicked spirites are Gods instruments and messengers to smite vs with the Pestilence The Lorde vseth no doubt as in many other of his iudgements so in this the ministerie of Angels good and euill Hee maketh his Angels like the windes and his ministers are like a flame of fire It was as it seemeth to me a good Angell which with his sword drawne flew so many thousands in Israel in Dauids time Howbeeit Augustine saith hee can neuer remember that the good Angels execute any iudgements vpon any good people And it was the Angell of the Lord that flew in Senacheri●…s campe in one night 185000. And they were good Angels which came to Sodome and Gomor when it was destroyed with fire and brimstone It was likewise the Angell of the Lord which smote proud Herod that hee was eaten of wormes Act. 12. 13. Yet Iosephus saith hee sawe an Owle or a Diuell in that likenesse ouer his head presaging that miserable death And he addeth there followed great torment●… in his inwarde parts His grandfather was eaten of lice but this Tyrants death s●…meth to be of some sore griping and guawing wormes in his bowels hee was made wormes meate saith Saint Luke It may be hee was tormented of lice without and wormes within But they were euill spirits and Sathans angels which plagued Aegypt Psal. 78. 49. 50. Hee cast vpon them the fiercenesse of his anger indignation and wrath and vexation by the sending out of euill angels hee made a way to his anger hee spared not their soule from death but gaue their life to the Pestilence And sathan is saide to fill Iobes body all ouer with most pestiferous botches and biles One saith the diuell gathereth of the first seeds of nature and applyeth them to some matter and so can produce strange effects but how farre hee can proceede in nature it is hard to iudge The diuell is limited two wayes First hee cannot out-reach nature Secondly the will of the Lord so saith hee the diuell can bring pestilence famine biles for he knoweth of what causes these euils do arise And an other reuerend diuine saith The wicked angels are Gods instruments in the pestilence working by naturall causes So the diuell is said to send the godly to prison but by meanes of tyrants Reue. 2. 10. and chap. 6. 8. 9. verse 1. At the commandement of God the windes are in like manner sent foorth by euill angels from the which windes doubtlesse it is manifest that many infections of the ayre and this infection chiefly doth arise And Augustine vpon the Psalme 78. hee is of iudgement that the good and euill Angels can vse these visible Elements and by them effect many things As men saith he can vse them not onely to sustaine life but also according to the measure of their knowledge most artificially both in sundrie supersluous trisles and in diuers mechanicall effects There be three sorts of maladies wher●…by the wicked are plagued and the godly chastened of the Lord. The first kinde is meere naturall the second is meere diabolicall the third is mixt Meere naturall I call all those which haue their causes knowne in nature discerned and cured not by rude Empyri●… but by the learned in the practise of Phisicke as the ordinary common diseases among the people Meere diabolicall I thinke wee may c●… those euils wherein no cause appear●… to the most perfect and learned Phisition but some secret cause that is some wicket spirit sent of God to distemper the body and to cause the naturall faculties and parts of the body eyther not to be able to performe their duties or to benumbe the body or to do farre more with greater strength and violence then nature alone can effect such were those the scripture cals d●…moniaci possessed of diuels or holden of diuels or as some learned men reade inspired by diuels In which most grieuous affliction Sathan doth most commonly bereaue the possessed of the vse of common sense and reason working in them beside their ordinarie course of nature straunge effects euen such as the most iudicious both Phisitions and Diuines cannot ascribe to any other cause but to Sathans effectuall working There is great wisedome and heede to bee taken in helping and healing such at this day for it is not done by coniuration or diuination as Popish Priestes professe and practise but by entreating the Lord humbly in fasting and prayer I see no warrant we haue to talke or question with Sathan for hee is the Lords executioner hee hath sent him what authoritie then haue wee to commaund

him to depart where God hath sent him A Prince or Magistrate is offended with a subiect for some disloyaltie an Officer is sent to imprison him shall hee or any other charge the Officer in the Princes name to let him alone and not to touch him Is it not their way onely to pacifie the Prince and so the Magistrate will commaund the Officer to surcease euen so where God sendeth Sathan his executioner to arest any person in any forme or manner in body or minde the onely way no doubt is to entreat the Lord to be pacified and to rebuke Sathan Againe we reade often that Sathan tormented many in sundry most grieuous diseases which I call the third and mixt kinde for by secret poysons hee hath made them incurable to the best practitioners in Phisicke in all ages The good woman mentioned Luke 13. verse 16. shee is saide to bee bounde of Sathan 18. yeares and to haue a spirit of infirmitie And such were many lunatikes and may be to this day they had a disease of causes partly knowne partly vnknowne Matt. 17. 15. Maister haue pittie on my sonne for he is a lunatike The learned deriue the cause of this euill from the Moone as the name importeth because they haue obserued that such as are borne in the change are thus pained but note what the Euangelist addeth and wee shall see the secret cause of it verse 18. Iesus rebuked the diuell and hee went out of him and the childe was healed in that houre Here then we see a disease in part naturall in part sathanicall And maister Caluine hee saith that experience teacheth vs howe this disease dooth increase and decrease according to the course of the Moone yet this lets not but that Sathan can put in his effectuall working in the naturall meanes Neque tamen hoc obstat quo minus sathan naturalibus medijs suos impetus permise uenit The woman also mentioned Marke 5. 25. labouring of an issue of bloud twelue yeares may seeme to be grieuous on this manner for some cause or causes seene to bee secret and vnknowne such be sathans practises for it is said shee had suffered many things of the Phisitions and had spent all shee had and it auailed her nothing but she became much worse and this woman was one of Gods elect for shee heard afterwardes these gracious wordes Daughter thy faith hath made thee whole goe in peace and be whole of thy plague Of this third and last kinde I iudge to bee our common plague and pestilence at this day My reasons are First it is partly naturall for if there were here no naturall cause then those whom the plague hath infected cannot doubtlesse so much as bee cased much lesse healed by naturall remedies but this second to bee very false our common sence and experience dayly teacheth vs. Secondly it must haue also some secret cause for the learned as I haue before noted cannot finde it to arise of any elementall qualitie in nature But my greatest and surest ground is this the word of the Lorde speaketh it plainly that the wicked spirits are his messengers and his instruments for this purpose If any doubt of this let him looke into the iudgements which were inflicted vpon Egypt and Iob by the ministerie of wicked spirites for so the Psalmist speaketh they vexed and tormented Egypt with wonderfull plagues They turned the water that was in the riuer into blood They which can corrupt one element for the destruction of mankind can corrupt another the water with blood the avre with the pestilence But wicked spirits did the first therefore they can doe the second when and where God permitteth Againe they which can poyson the water with frogs may poison in like manner the aire with pestiferous exhalations euill spirits did the first ergo Thirdly they which cā destroy beasts with the morraine may as easily destroy men with the Pestilence the wicked spirits did the first and therefore can doe the second Exod 9. 3. Fourthly they which can breed scabs and blisters can breed the pestilence cha 9. 10. Lastly the destroyer which flue so many in one night throughout all Egypt with the Plague can plague in like manner to this day where and when he is sent hee was an euill angel saith Dauid he sent euil angels he gaue their life to the Pestilence In Iobs story wee see sufficient demonstrations for this purpose They which can bring downe fire from heauen to destroy beastes may in like maner poison the aire and men with the pestilence the wicked spirits did the first Ergo can do the second Secondly they which can driue windes and tempests together to beate downe houses most violently may be as fit instruments to execute the like iustice and iudgements in the pestilence the wicked spirits c. Thirdly they which can poison the soules of men suggesting and breathing most pestilent motions into the mindes of men to their destruction can much more easily poyson their bodyes when GOD sendeth them for that purpose But Sathan did that first wee see in the Sab●…ans and in the Chaldeans and in all the pestilent crewe of rebellious sinners at this day hee driueth them before him as men driue beastes saith August Ergo. Lastly he that would plague that blessed man of God Iob with most grieuous poyson and torments in his bodie can doe much more vpon all the wicked enemies of God and vessels of wrath and the like also vpon Gods good people to this day but Sathan and his wicked spirites smote Iob with most pestiferous vlcers or pestilentiall carbuncles or biles scabs and sores most noysome Wherefore these wicked spirits may and doe no doubt serue the Lord in the like iudgements to this day And for this cause some of the learned Interpreters haue sayde these two names vsed in this Psalme Keteb and Deber are the names of certaine euill spirites which poyson the ayre with pestilent and venimous exhalations Of all the premises let vs conclude that wee must in this visitation of the Lorde principally lift vp our mindes aboue the secondarie causes Winter Sommer colde heate drought moisture all the elementarie qualities and fasten our eyes vpon the mightie hand of GOD who when and where it pleaseth him sendeth foorth his raunging hunter this olde Dragon these venimous Aspes and bloodie Lyons Sathan and his wicked spirites against vs as in the warres and famine so likewise in the pestilence the Scriptures speake often that the wicked spirites flye about and doe many euils as Iob 1. 7. 2. 2. 1. King 22. 22. Matth. 12. Luke 8. 31. Ro. 16. 20. 2. Cor. 12. 8. Ephe. 2. 2. 6. 11. 1. Pet. 5. 8. 9. But how agrees these Scriptures with Saint Peter●… words 2. Pet. 2. 45. wee read that the Angels which sinned were cast downe into hel and deliuered into chaines of darkenesse to bee kept vnto damnation so Iude verse 6. They are reserued in