aside from the way they shall not onlie saue a soule and couer the multitude of sinnes but which more is they may in hauing this learning and in knowing the deepnes of Satan concerning these mysticall matters very assuredly expect with patience their happie coronation with Christ in the celestiall throne And thus much in effect for the holie vses of this doctrine whether they concerne the Lord himselfe or his creatures Lycanthropus These vses they are euery way so pertinent and so consonant to the substance of the doctrine it selfe as none but the headie and obstinate who hauing with a setled pertinacie euen secretly and finally deuoted themselues to their selfe-conceit will any waies mislike or impugne the same But what saith Exorcistes vnto them Exorcistes I neither could nor would willingly be opposite to them especially if the Doctrine it selfe from whence they are drawne were so currantly sound as Master Orthodoxus and the rest would beare me in hand Howbeit notwithstanding any thing hitherto heard I am and must still be in the selfe same opinion I was in at the first For if none in these daies be essentially possessed of Satan do tel me I pray you how we are to esteeme of such extraordinarie actions or passions as do eftsoones befall to sundrie distressed persons Orthodoxus I will simplie tell you what my owne selfe suppose them to be and how also I would haue your selfe and all others accompt of such accidents First such extraordinarie and vnwonted occurrents may eftsoones appeare and be practised by meere cousoning collusions and craftie conueiances of legerdemaine Yea and these counterfeite actions or passions may also bee broached either by the only pretended Demoniake himselfe as did the dissembling caitife who cousoned that reuerend father Master Fox without the assistance of any other besides or else such extraordinarie actions they may be effected by the ioynt assistance helpe and direction of some craftie confederate conioyned with that the aforesaid pretended Demoniake in the couert dispatch of those his counterfeit prankes Of this kinde of Demoniakes the world hath been successiuely pestered in euery age since the Primitiue Church and therefore no wonder at all though now in these daies some certaine persons should likewise depart from the faith giuing heede to spirits of error and to doctrines of Diuels Sometimes againe the pretended Demoniake may in deed and in truth be easily drawen to beleeue that he is without doubt essentially possessed of Satan when there is no such matter at all he hauing onely at vnwares to himselfe and by some paltrie Priest or cunning Impostor beene before verie grosly abused partly by Patheticall and circumuenting perswasions and partly also by some intoxicated perfume some filthie confection or potion The which bewitching sorceries doe so strangely disorder the poore Patients body his minde it selfe with all the powers and faculties concerning them both as for the present the very beholders themselues are easily perswaded with the people of Samaria to beleeue that the partie in deed is essentially possessed Yea and which more is the very Exorcist himselfe who pretendeth and vndertaketh the supposed dispossession of this newly supposed Demoniake he may also very easily beare the beholders in hand that he is vndoubtedly some mightie Magnifico in this new-found trade of Diuillitie and make them thus to crie out frō the least to the most Doubtlesse this man is the great power of God Of this kind of Demoniakes as also of that the intoxicated potion it selfe the Iesuiticall Exorcists in their Exorcising pamphlets they affoord vs sundry examples Thirdly these extraordinarie and vnwonted occurrents they may and doe also eftsoones arise from meere naturall causes namely from Mania from Melancholy from Lunacy from Furie from the Phrensie from the Epilepsie from the Mother from Conuulsions obstructions and sundry such other vnnaturall accidents as we haue eftsoones declared in our former discourses By the vnwontednes and efficacie of which vnnaturall infirmities the minde it selfe being mightily disordered before by meanes of the Phantasie doth easily resolue that some extraordinarie operations of Satan doe mightilie distemper his natural constitution and strangely afflict the same in euery part Of this kind of extraordinarie actions or passions very many but lately departed this life and many yet liuing haue oftentimes had an experience yea and the best vse you may possibly make of all those your eight supposed Demoniakes more especially of your newly pretended Patients sprong vp in Cheshire of late is only this Namely that the excesse of melancholy or some other disordered humour did for the present disorder their bodies according to the approued iudgement of learned Physitions concerning especially the boye at Northwitch Lastly the Diuell being alwaies desirous to worke among the deare children of God the greatest disturbance that may be and finding withall some such lewd disposed person as is naturally enclined to all manner of knaueries he taketh the oportunitie of so fit a subiect and worketh so cunningly vpon the corruption of that lewd persons nature as the partie himselfe is easily brought to beleeue and to beare others also in hand that he is in deede and in truth essentially possessed of Satan Yea and which more is the said vngratious body partly for gaine partly for glory and partly also in an affected desire to be deemed terrible to others about him he doth from thence forth very willingly endeuour himselfe to speake and to act some such strange and vnwonted acts as the like were neuer espied in him before By which his villanous practises the silly beholders surprised before with an inueterate opinion of Demoniacall possessions are easily brought to intertaine for infallible truth that the partie is in deed essentiallie possessed with some Spirit or Diuell Of this kinde of Demoniakes we haue often experience in euery age and the cousoning of good Master Foxe doth plainely confirme By the premisses then you may plainely perceiue that the supposed strange actions or passions in any such falslie pretended Demoniakes they may and are also eftsoones effected without any supernaturall power of a Diuell and therefore you neede not so easilie be ledde to conceiue of those matters in such sort as you doe but ought rather to examine the causes themselues with the sundrie occasions and seuerall circumstances of persons of times and of places with other occurrents that thereby you may more soundly be able to determine thereof Lycanthropus Surely sir these Cautions and considerations being duely obserued there could not possibly be such contrarietie of opinions concerning these matters as now are rashly broached abroad to the intolerable disturbance of the Peace of the Church But what saith Exorcistes to all these matters Exorcistes I say and hold as before that there are essentiall possessions of Spirits and Diuels in these daies of the Gospell and that sole prayer and fasting is a perpetuall ordinance established by Christ for the powerfull expelling of Spirits
the Boy is in deed and in truth essentially possessed of Satan Exorcistes Why sir I my selfe haue beene there sith he was so possessed to take a circumspect view of his fearefull fits and doe plainely perceiue by his supernaturall actions and passions that he is in verie deed essentiallie possessed of some spirit or diuell at the least Orthodoxus So were you with him also as some doe crediblie auouch immediatlie before he fel into these his supposed fittes and might therfore for any thing known to the cōtrary be confederate with himselfe or some others concerning those his cosoning courses But be it supposed you neuer saw him before and then tell vs how you dare so confidently conclude from those his supposed actions an essentiall possession of some spirit or diuell sith diuels you know are such spirituall and inuisible substances as may not possiblie be discerned by any corporall sense Exorcistes Why sir his supernaturall actions do plainely demonstrate the same to all the world Orthodoxus Rehearse some few of those his supposed supernaturall actions I pray you Exorcistes I will First he continuallie waggeth his head without anie intermission at all Orthodoxus So doth the palsie sicke patient as we may see by daylie experience and which more is whereas the palsie-sicke hath no intermission at all that your pretended Demoniake hee onelie waggeth the head in the day time and when people are present howbeit in the night time he sleepes very quietlie as his owne mother reporteth And therefore if an only bare wagging of the head doth necessarilie argue an essentiall possession then euery palsie sicke patient that waggeth the head hee also is essentiallie possessed of Satan Howbeit sir we also our selues haue seene this your supposed Demoniake as well as your selfe but could not perceiue in him any such supernaturall actions or passions as you boldlie report vpon your bare credit Besides that if the onlie bare wagging of the head must necessarilie conclude a supernaturall action then euery little childe that playeth wag-wanton it also effecteth some supernaturall action Moreouer this one and the rest of those your pretended Demoniakes they were and are commonlie ouertaken with those their supposed supernaturall fits when they are layd on their bedde and closelie vnder a couerlid by which meanes they may the more easilie wagge their heads or worke any their pretended actions and so likewise the sooner deceiue the sillie beholders Who being wholie taken vp before with a deepe impression of some supposed essentiall possession were thereby so fearefullie forestalled in iudgement as they could not prouidently behold nor aduisedlie consider the manner of the Demoniakes working And therefore this wagging of the head it is no such supernaturall action as may vndoubtedlie conclude an essentiall possession Exorcistes But sir besides this extraordinary wagging of the head he is also of a supernaturall strength Orthodoxus No such supernaturall strength was apparant to vs being present with him I assure you in the very extremitie or middest of those his pretended fits For the one of vs did easily hold his head his shoulders and all the other parts of his bodie from mouing at all yea and this also euen in despight of the boy himselfe or of any supposed Diuell inherent within him and therefore this supernaturall strength is rather supposed and suggested by your selfe and your fauourites then any waies soundly prooued or but probablie demonstrated to vs. Exorcistes Besides all this hee was vndoubtedly of a supernaturall knowledge for if two or three had suddenly come into the parlour where he lay with seuerall bookes of sundrie matters hid close in their hats hee could tell which of them had the holie Bible of God in his hat and at him he would catch and snatch letting all the prophane bookes passe quietly by him without any such stirre at all Orthodoxus So could Bankes his blacke horse very sensiblie demonstrate what money some had in his purse with sundrie other trickes more admirable then this by much and yet not possessed at all with a Diuell So a blind man but casting his staffe at all aduenture may happely at some time to kill a Crow and yet neither indued with supernaturall knowledge nor possest with a Diuell in the doing thereof So likewise a blindfolded lubber playing at blindman buzz may happely by skuffling vp and downe in the house to light vpon one and the selfe same person for two or three times together and yet not assisted therein at all with any supernaturall knowledge or led thereunto by any the extraordinarie directions of either Spirit or Diuell Briefly so likewise a little yong child playing at handie dandie may happely for three or foure times together to make choise of that hand wherein the pin or the point is placed and all this I hope without any supernaturall knowledge at all And therefore it is very absurd that your selfe from any such action as stands only vpon hap and hap hazard should so confidently conclude a supernaturall knowledge and so by consequence an essentiall possession of either Spirit or Diuell Besides that how confidently soeuer you report this point of chusing the Bible before any other booke else there bee some of good credit and such also as fauour your cause so farre forth especially as they perceiue not as yet the contrarie truth who doe confidently report that in deede and in truth this your supposed Demoniake did so much as you say for once or twice but that at some other times againe hee had failed grosly therein and therefore this tricke of hap-hazard is no such certaine signe as may vndoubtedly conclude an essentiall possession in that your pretended poore patient I told you a little before if you haue not forgotten that whensoeuer you hapned afresh vpon some other such new-found Demoniake we then should haue some other new signes of this your supposed essentiall possession to make your game hit and now I perceiue it is growing very fast towards such a pretended period For behold wee haue here now in this your newly pretended Demoniake two other essentiall signes forsooth of an essentiall possession namely the wagging of the head and the playing at handie dandie Alas Exorcistes though your conscience trembleth not yet me thinkes your very face should blush for shame in reporting these trifling toyes for true and infallible tokens of an essentiall possession of some one Diuell or other inherently couching within the very bodie of this your new-found Demoniake Exorcistes But sir besides all this the boy I assure you he is for the whole time of his fearefull fits so senselesse in euery part as he neither seeth nor heareth nor speaketh nor feeleth and therefore essentially possest with a Diuell Orthodoxus How know you for certaine that hee is in deede and in truth so senselesse as you beare vs in hand You are able I confesse to know when your selfe neither seeth nor heareth nor speaketh nor feeleth but that you should in like manner
Because by your Doctrine the ages succeeding they are successiuelie enabled to cope with those combersome diuels against whome the Apostles themselues could not possiblie preuaile with al their poâ—er Furthermore if Christ in those words did but barely establish a perpetuall ordinary meanes for expelling of diuels in the ages succeeding then surely the Apostles of Christ they haue hitherto concealed some necessarie parts of the counsell of God from the ages succeeding for that no one of them all in any their canonicall writings haue so much as mentioned that selfe same ordinance or giuen any directions at all concerning the same Brieflie whereas you confidentlie auouch that Christ in those his words did then vndoubtedlie establish prayer and fasting as a perpetuall ordinarie meanes for the powerfull expelling of diuels to the end of the world you doe therein directlie oppose your owne selfe to good Master Darel your friend For he telleth vs confidently that this ordinance of prayer and fasting for the dispossessing of diuels it was so farre off from being then first establisht by Christ as that it had been euer an ordinance thereunto in the Church continuallie euen from Adam himselfe And this saith he may plainely appeare by the wordes of our Sauiour himselfe who saith not thus this kind shal not go forth as speaking in the future or following time as of that which should afterwards bee put in vse but hee rather saith thus this kind goeth not forth as meaning purposelie of the present and former seasons or of that which had beene practised long before the dayes of our Sauiour himselfe and therefore the same was no ordinance then presently establisht by Christ. Exorcistes Why sir there were sundrie others besides Christ himselfe and his own Apostles that were commonlie conuersant in casting out diuels as may plainely appeare by the scriptures But Christ gaue vnto them no such speciall power for casting out spirits as he gaue his Disciples and therefore they did it eyther by prayer alone or by prayer and fasting according to the kind of spirit possessing the partie Orthodoxus That is not so for M. Darel doth plainely auouch that euen those others also besides our Sauiour and his own Apostles they accomplished those selfe-same extraordinarie actions and that also by the selfesame finger of God and therfore by no such supposed ordinarie meanes as your selfe doe imagine Againe you your owne selfe doe likewise affirme that this ordinance of prayer and fasting it was not then an established ordinance and Christ he telleth vs further that those other whatsoeuer they were they also eiected spirits and diuels by the onlie miraculous faith as appeareth in the seauenth of Matthew and therefore they did not the same by any ordinarie meanes as you verie fondlie would beare vs in hand Brieflie if those other besides the Disciples then and the rest whatsoeuer in these dayes of the Gospell now may none other waies driue out diuels but by this your new-found ordinarie meanes namelie by prayer alone or by prayer and fasting together according to the kind of spirit possessing the parties then it is necessarilie required that men should first be throughlie acquainted with the kind of spirit possessing the partie or euer they vndertake to accomplish so waightie a worke Exorcistes That is not requisite neyther in deed can be Orthodoxus Then may no certainely know eyther how or when to deale in so doubtfull a businesse Exorcistes Yes let him first of all deale in the ordinarie and perpetuall meanes which is left to the Church namelie by prayer alone for some two three or more houres together and then if in that time the meanes so obserued he preuaile not at all let him ioyne fasting thereunto and that certainely if God will shall forthwith accomplish the worke Orthodoxus Very true as you say Prayer and fasting together if God will shall be sure to preuaile and euen so likewise should prayer alone if God saw it good Howbeit it should seeme by the manner of your speech that the powerfull effect of this new-found ordinance doth wholy consist vpon doubtfull vncertainties and therefore doe tell vs directly from whence you receiue your apocryphall canons or rules and from what vnwritten veritie you haue drawne these your vnwritten directions in practise Is it not Exorcistes an intolerable pride of heart that you should dare thus impudently to institute in the name of Christ any of these your vnwritten ordinances and apocryphall Canons concerning the same without either warrant or word from the mouth of Christ Againe how shall you be able in the day of your fearefull account to iustifie your blasphemous taking of the Lords holie name in vaine by so vainly abusing the holie ordinance of prayer for three or foure houres together for no other purpose at all but only to proue an idle experiment concerning the vncertaine effect of this your newlie conceited ordinance Know you not man that wee are to pray onely in faith without any doubting and that faith it selfe must needes haue a ground from the written word And therfore how should not those your idle prayers for three or foure houres together be turned to sinne they hauing especially no one word for their warrant Moreouer who tels you that fasting annexed forthwith to those your experimentall prayers will vndoubtedly make them marueilous effectuall seeing the most glorious Ceremonies of all not proceeding froÌ„ a faith grounded fast on the word are but holie abominations yea and sith fasting it selfe when it is at the highest of all is but a bodilie exercise which the Apostle telleth vs doth profit but little Besides all this if prayer alone be the only ordinarie meanes that euer was or shall be in the Church for the ordinarie expelling of Spirits and Diuels as you told vs a little before how then can you warrant that your superfluous additament of fasting to be annexed therewith Briefly these your apocryphall Canons concerning the exercise of prayer alone for some three or foure houres and then next of fasting annexed vnto it do directly crosse your owne practise with Sommers for you proceeded in prayer and fasting together without making an experiment first by prayer alone Exorcistes Very true Howbeit that was done so because we would make sure worke at the first and driue out any Diuell from him how combersome soeuer without any further adoe in the matter Orthodoxus But in the meane time what became of your appointed rules and how was this your prescribed order obserued therein Nay who seeth not the same to be a very phantasticall and friuolous order For what needes an experiment first by prayer alone sith prayer and fasting together wil strike it dead Well sir howsoeuer you prescribe rules to your pupils I perceiue you will be your selfe an irregular person yea and that you can at your pleasure expell any Diuell how dangerous or deadly soeuer Howbeit it is wonderfull you tooke not that
as an ordinarie fruite of faith for the sanctifying of all those the aforesaid ordinarie meanes to their sette and appointed ends Exorcistes Who being well in his wits will euer denie the same Orthodoxus Well then be it supposed that all those the aforesaid operations namely the conuersion of sinners the conception of children the sustentation of nature and the fruitfulnesse of fields should euery of them be forthwith effected by sole prayer alone without any ordinary vse of any the forenamed meanes were not euery of those the aforesaid operations notwithstanding any your said praiers to be euery of them accompted miraculous actions Exorcistes Yes no doubt euery of those the forenamed operations being so effected by sole prayer alone they were then to be repuâ—ed miraculous actions Orthodoxus But how comes it to passe I pray you that such naturall operations so effected by sole prayer alone should forthwith be deemed miraculous actions and the supernatural expelling of Satan by sole praier alone should be no miracle in any respect Exorcistes The reason is because prayer alone is the onely spirituall meanes ordeined by God to that supernaturall worke whereas those other naturall operations doe euery of them enioy by the singular appointment of God their sundrie peculiar meanes besides Orthodoxus Howsoeuer you would seeme to insinuate vnto vs that sole prayer is an ordinarie and peculiar meanes appointed by God for the powerfull expelling of Diuels very certaine I am you shall neuer be able to proue sole prayer and fasting a purposed ordinance of Christ to any such speciall worke Besides that if you were able in deed to proue it so yet then also euen those your pretended speciall meanes they could not possiblie of themselues expell either Spirite or Diuell But that supernaturall worke it must as good Master Darell affirmeth be necessarilie effected by the onely absolute authoritie and power of Iesus Christ. Exorcistes Very true Christ being earnestly intreated by sole prayer alone doth of his owne absolute authoritie cast forth the Diuell Orthodoxus Then is it not the force of your prayer but the absolute authoritie and power of Christ that expelleth the Diuell A thing very well knowen to Master Darell himselfe and therefore he telleth vs confidently that the seuen in Lancashire W. Sommers and the other two I meane Th. Darling and K. Wright were in deed essentiallie possessed of Satan and being so were vndoubtedly dispossessed by the finger of God which said finger of God was euermore a miraculous manner of expelling Spirits and Diuels Notwithstanding all this how could your selfe apprehend and applie that absolute authoritie and power of Christ without the meanes and helpe of a miraculous faith Exorcistes In deed I must and doe freely confesse that faith also in that selfesame admirable action is necessarily required for the powerfull apprehending and applying of that absolute authoritie of Iesus Christ. Orthodoxus Then not any force of your prayer entreating but the power of your faith apprehending and applying the absolute authoritie of Christ was the meanes alone that effected the worke and so your pretended false meanes of sole prayer and fasting falles flat in the dust But goe to sith faith as you say now is required in that action what manner of faith doe you meane The miraculous faith is ceased you know and the iustifying faith it may not possiblie be as in our ninth Dialogue is plainely declared And therfore it must by your owne speech be the historicall faith or no faith at all Exorcistes Very true as you say For howsoeuer the iustifying faith be in deed the best and were to be wished in this speciall case yet notwithstanding the faith temporarie or the historicall faith may fullie suffice for the expelling of Satan after this manner or by this ordinary meanes Which standeth not so much in the faith of the person vsed therein as in the mercie of God apprehended thereby man vsing the meanes which the Lord to that end hath ordained Orthodoxus This answere of yours is fearefullie fraught with manie irreligious and absurde assertions For first you therein verie groslie bewray an vnspeakeable Pride presuming to controll the abolute wisedome of the onlie wise God Who hauing instituted the onlie miraculous faith for the powerfull expelling of diuels you your selfe doe proudly oppose your idle conceit to his said absolute wisdome auouching very presumptuouslie the iustifying faith farre better and much more to be wished in this speciall case Secondly you doe in the following speech very fondlie dallie with your former assertion For if the temporarie or the historicall faith may fullie suffice to the powerfull expelling of Satan the supposed ordinarie meanes being vsed therwith how should the iustifying faith be farre better and much more to be wished in this speciall case Besides that it is very absurd to auouch that the only historicall faith may fullie suffice for doing the deed because then one diuell may possiblie driue forth another for they haue the historicall faith as fullie as the best of you all And so by consequence you therein doe giue a very daungerous blow to Christ his argument drawen from the absurditie of such an assertion telling vs plainely it is to too absurde to imagine a dispossessing of one diuell by the help of another because if Satan be deuided against Satan his kingdome it cannot possiblie endure Moreouer whereas your selfe so confidentlie auouch that the expelling of diuels by such your falsly pretended meanes doth not stand so much in the faith of the person for that action imployed as in the mercies of God apprehended thereby you doe directly crosse M. Darel himselfe who telleth vs confidentlie that this worke may well be effected by any one reprobate But this also we suppose is vtterlie vntrue For if the timely accomplishment of that speciall worke consistes as you say your selfe in the only apprehension of the mercies of God then surely no reprobate may possiblie driue forth a diuell Because a reprobate being vtterly destitute of the true sauing faith he cannot possiblie please the Lord nor any wayes apprehend his said mercies in Iesus Christ. Yea and which more is your owne quoted scriptures doe plainely declare that reprobates if at any time they cast forth diuels they accomplish that worke by the miraculous faith as by an extraordinarie meanes appointed of God to that speciall busines And therefore notwithstanding anie of these your supposed reasons it is very apparant that if diuels at any time be driuen out of men the worke it selfe is a miraculous action yea albeit the same as you say should be effected in deed by the onlie meanes of your prayer Euen as many other things els haue beene brought to passe by the prayers of sundrie persons and yet notwithstanding the actions themselues they were vndoubted true miracles as in our ninth and tenth Dialogues appeareth at large Besides all this euen the very instances
or rather their vnwarranted trifling toyes as they haue bin hitherto receiued hand ouer head among the irreligious and prophane of the world with no lâ—sse admiration forsooth then if they had been the Alcoranean Oracles of Mahomet himselfe so are they alas at this present to too readily entertained with many of no small accompt in the Church as the infallible truths of the eternall God Howbeit the same being once equallie waied and wisely examined according to the very touchstone of truth they will notwithstanding any the supposed sway of their bookes appeare to be no better in effect than old wiues fables then the Legerdemaines of cunning Imposters and the cousoning sleights of some Popish priests as hath beene proued at large The premisses therefore considered let the authors or fauourers of those published Pamphlets endeuour what they possiblie may to support and vphold those fondly conceited fooleries in their former account with the people of God they will notwithstanding very shortly vanish away like snow in the Sunne be deemed no better in effect then Hobgoblings Bugboies Night-sprites or Fairies to make the yoong children afraid with their supposed shadowes while the aged ones in Christ doe take their comfortable rest in an assured confidence concerning the ouerruling power and prouidence of Iehouah himselfe And thus much in effect for those seuerall vses which doe generally appertaine to all men Pneumatomachus They are all singular vses no doubt But proceede now I beseech you to the putting downe also of such as are more particularly befitting some speciall persons Orthodoxus With very good will Wherein we haue first to consider that the seuerall vses more particularly befitting some speciall persons they are summarily of two sorts Namely either such only as concerne the affectors of that new-found Diuillitie or else such also as respect the mislikers thereof Lycanthropus What are those vses I pray you which more speciallie concerne the affectors thereof Orthodoxus They are summarily such as doe purposely tend to the timely informing either of the authors themselues or of any their fauourits Philologus Declare first I pray you those seuerall vses which more particularly respect the authors themselues Orthodoxus Content Wherein wee haue first to consider that for so much as all those the former conceits which Exorcistes hath broached abroad concerning these matters in question are euery of them vndoubtedly such as notwithstanding any his glorious pretences doe not onely not bring any one benefit to the Church in generall or to any the particular members thereof but doe rather tend couertly to the timely support of his owne priuate purposes without hauing relation to publike good nay rather to the vntimely procuring of many publike and priuate mischiefes The consideration hereof may serue to discouer those secret plots and vnder-hand practises which our miracle-mongers of what condition soeuer doe mutually obserue among themselues with one harmonicall consent and course For they all in the very first progresse of any their plotted proceedings doe primarily propound to themselues such purposed proiects as they notwithstanding any their outward iollie pretences doe cunningly prosecute and eftsoones accomplish by the secret meanes of many their vnder-hand practises and iuggling sleights of legerdemaine yea and this also with such a slie and nimble conueiance as a man would hardly imagine that not any other but May-butter it selfe could possiblie melt in their mouthes For these cunning practitioners as they haue euermore had an insatiable thirst to the filthie pleasures and pelfe of the world as to the onely true obiects of their hearts desire and the very purposed proiects which they principally propound to themselues in any their vnder-hand practises though they falsely make shew of a quite contrarie end in all outward appearance so haue they their sundrie deuices to further their said enterprise and to accomplish effectually that their primarie pretended purpose wherein also they are resolutelie bent notwithstanding any crossing occurrents although yet with as little suspition as they possiblie may And therefore in the very first progresse of those their proceedings they solemnely pretend the glorie of God the gracing of sundrie his sacred ordinances and the singular great good of his Church Namely either an approbation of the real presence of Christ in their Masse or a confirmation of publike fasts in those their solemne meetings or a perpetuall establishment of the worship of Saints of Purgatorie of Masses of Trentals of Dirges of praying for the dead of plodding on Pilgrimage with tenne thousand such other deuices Howbeit notwithstanding these wonderfull sturres if wee more prouidently respect the full period of those their proceedings wee may plainly perceiue that their primarie propounded pleasures and profits which they hourely expect as an ordinarie interest successiuely arising from such coloured courses they are that quickening spirit which only affoordeth life and motion to those their entended actions yea and that onely preexisting efficient which giues an essentiall forme to all their purposes and without which their vnder-hand practises would become an vntimely birth would quickly vanish away of themselues and forthwith come vnto nothing Neither only these their lewd plots and practises are apparantly laid open but the fearefull effects also of such counterfeit pranckes they are by the consideration hereof verie plainly discouered For who seeth not how opposite the same is to the eternall purpose of God concerning the actual brusing of the Serpents head how derogatorious to the supereminent dignitie and power of Christ for the finall determination of Satan his power of possession how iniurious vnto the certaine established truth of the Gospell in that it reuiueth the miraculous confirmation thereof afresh how hurtfull to the Church of Christ by breeding therein such vnnecessarie and fruitlesse garboyles how grieuous to the godly in procuring such an horrible prophanation of prayer and fasting vnder an holie pretence of doing great good to the Church how scandalous to the weake in making them doubt whether the Gospell bee yet fully confirmed by miracles how offensiue to Atheiâ—â—s in causing them to skorne the holie things of God so odly prophaned how gratefull an enterprise to Antichrist in that it puts vpon the true spouse of Christ the proper badge of his whorish strumpet how dangerous to all men by drawing them thereby into many idle conceits and needlesse troubles and lastly how acceptable a seruice it is to the Diuell and his Angels in that it erecteth and holdeth vp their kingdome afresh by bearing the world in hand that Spirits and Diuels haue such an essentiall inherencie in the bodies of men as cannot bee helped without fasting and prayer when there is no such matter at all but only the bare imaginations of idle braines and the deluding deuices of such cunning Impostors as accompt worldly gaine the greatest godlinesse and thereunto also doe hourely applie all their purposed plots and predetermined practises as experience in euery age