12. Donatus l. 2. c. 1. de hist. medic mirab Lemnius de Occult Nat. mir l. 1. c. 12. Cardan l. 18. de rerum varietate Camer 1 Cent. c. 54. hor. subseciv Fienus de viribus Imaginationis Laurentius de melanchol Philostratus vitâ Apollon l. 1. Sennertus l. 1. p. 2. c. 8. de melancholiâ Benevenius de abditis rerum Causis G. Fablicius Cent. 3. Observ. P. de Sancta Creuz in Hippocratem de morbo sacro Zacuthus Praxis admiranda Observations on the time of Greatraies setting up this pretence of healing * Observations on his first attempt upon the Kings-evil and the reason of that and his proceeding to other diseases †Vid Primrosium de vulgatis erroribus cap. ultimo a A Papist in Prison being troubled with the Kings-evil and being cured by Queen Elizabeth after five years Expence upon Physicians in vain and being demanded what Newes I perceive said he now at last by plain experience that the Excommunication against the Queen is of no effect since God hath blessed her with such a Gift b Vid. Laurentium de mirabist flrumarum Curatione Tackerum de chorismate Peùcerum de fascinatione b St Lewis of France not performing it till 145 years after King Edward begon it c Vid Ferrer l. 2. Me bc 11. de Homer Curat The voice from Heaven which he preterds twice to have heard and his account of it in a Letter to the Lord Bishop of Chester examined Consideration touching the Voice Mr. Greatrates heard 1 â— 14. 22. The Impulse that moved him to hearken to this voice considered His taking no mony examined His being followed examined What Cures he performed at the Charter house A Fellow in the Charterhouse which Greatrates had almost killed and how a And our Saviour wrought Miracles on things that had no fancy as the Fig-tree the dead the water the windes the Heavens people at distances the loaves Of the temper of the body and whether some by virtue of their Crasis or Complexion can work Miracles and of Dr. Moâ—es opinion concerning him Vid. Medin 1. 2. c. 7. fol 66. Fuse hanc questionem explicantentem Videsis etiam Leon Vairum 1. 3. de Fascin c. 6. * De in cant c. 3. * Besides if so what need the pinching stroking and cutting * Anan l. 4. de nat daemon Albert. Mag. l. 3. de motu animal Which cures the Jaundice at sight Vid. Viarum de Fascino The danger of running after such Pretenders as this Greatrates Mr. Stubbe saith that Nature hath and may do more than his Miracles pretend to a Whose right and genuine Notions are lost See Mr. Patricks excellent Book called the Pilgrim and I fear Men will not bee more than ordinarily careful in opening the genuine meaning of such fundamental words in Religion as Faith Spirit c. now so much wrested and abused by the ignorance and interest of Modern Preachers and Hearers the whole is like to run into Gibberish and Enthusiasm as by the mistake of the fundamental words Religion of old was turned into Mythology and Gentilism vid. voss. de Idol a The Devil may do strange things and what we would think were above nature but nothing really so a Rules to discern true Miracles from false This third Rule is drawn from the History of Moses Elisha Elias and our Saviours Miracles And this 4th And this 5th And this 6th * Miracles indeed are gratia gratis data but seldom performed by any but such as were at the time of the working of them under the power of gratia graâ—um faciens For to what end should God shew himself by a wicked mans hand who denycth him in his life a Vid. Grotius in 2 Thes. 2. 9. in opusculis a Judas might work Mâ—raclâ—â— and the mâ—n that Christ knew noâ— might pretend they hed wrought them buâ— neâ—â—ther since they leâ—t Christ or were cast off by him The reason why the Salutators of Spain have been restrained and punished Vid. MallevtÌ„ tract de mortissimis a Called the Miraculous Conformist b Page the 3. of that Book c Page 4. d Page 4. e Of the said Poole where he sheweth how Nature and Art doth as much as Mr. Greatrates pretendeth to f The Gentleman at my Lord Coâ—wayes whâ—m hee Pinched from place to place to no purpose a Page 4 5. 14. he saith he had not the happiness to converse with him long b The substance whereof together with c.
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
Philosophy and Religion illusions and appearances in Opinions and Practises wilde and distracted notions and Enthusiasms unmortified and unbounded Lusts Atheism and Prophaneness canting toning and wording Religion into noise forms and gestures breaking the Community of Church and State into Parties and Factions the ignorance and noise of common Teachers that understand not the grounds of the Religion they Preach and may be imposed on in the Scripture whose Original they understand not that wrest Scripture to what it never meant and make quid libet ex quo libet that set up a parcel of formal words as Faith Spirit Gifts Edification Out-goings In dwellings c. instead of real and solid Religion The Implicite Faith got up among Protestants as well as Papists to follow some Men through thick and thin having their Faith wholly with respect of persons the looseness of Professors so inconsistent with Christian purity the peoples attending Prophesies and expecting strange Events rather than learning and practising their plain duty their uncontentedness with their present condition I say what is this practise but an Essay made to try how far we are prepared by these foresaid particulars for the universal Apostacy so much feared in the latter daies To say no more if because the Man is but only bold enough to pretend Strange Cures hee is so much followed by the undiscerning multitude what if he could really perform them as the Devil now we are so willing is ready and able enough if God should permit him and lengthen his Chain to work any of these Cures perfectly by this mans stroaking what if he could cure every body he toucheth as he might if Satan finding him so willing would assist him how would all the Nations run Wondering after him Sir Since hee performeth not as you see the Cures hee pretends to and if he did it might be so many waies as I have hinted to you privately used though the Stroaking be all that is seen that we need not put God upon making his Miracles so cheap as to perform the part of a Chirurgion and Quack without any further design fix we with all sober people upon this resolution 1 That true Miracles or the altering of the course of nature by God who alone can do it are the greatest Testimonies that God useth to evidence his presence otherwise invisible with any Doctrine or person sent by him to the world 2 That if God should assist a man to work Miracles that hath no Divine truth to confirm nor any suitable Design to carry on by them as this man hath not but possibly may be in an error as this man may be men could not be sure when Miracles confirm truth and when they do not for by this it should seem they might go along with truth in one man and with error in another and so men should see the greatest assurances they have of Gods being with any Doctrine attending the looser and the stricter Opinions of men the indifferency of the Latitude-man and the heat of the Zealot and so men that had a certain way of intercourse with God and discerning of his voice by the Miracle that so solemnly attended his voice will loose it if Miracles be wrought by all sorts of men upon every petty and trivial occasion 3 God doth not work such a Miracle as this is that is produce an effect without any second causes but for some very considerable design for otherwise as a learned man observeth when God works Miracles they would not bee taken notice of nor thought to bee an alteration of the course of nature but only some rare contingencies that lye hid in the order of causes but only break out at some times 4 That if a Simon Magus and Apollonius a Barchochebas David el David or any other pretender should hereafter presume to work Miracles among us upon the Impunity of this undertaker we may judge of him by these rules and criterions whereby true Miracles may be discerned from false 1 Though Jugglers may do much to work upon mens mindes in appearances and Magicians more when permitted by the Divine providedce in reality yet there is such an evidence attending Divine Miracles as after much jealousie and suspition may convince men that they are of God Moses his Miracles after much contest with the Magicians of AEgypt being owned as the effects of the finger of God and Christs as things that evidence him the son of God whereas there is nothing above the art of man and the power of Nature in any Miracle since those of Christ and his Primitive followers 2 Divine Miracles are done without means forms Rites Ceremonies Cuttings Lancings Plaisters c. Sine ullâ vi carminum sine herbarum aut graminum succis sine ullâ aliquâ observatione sollicitâ Sacrorum Libaminum temporum Sine ullis adminiculis rerum sine ullius ritus observatione vel lege non Inquiro non exigo saith Arnobiis whose rule this is Quis Deus aut quo tempore cui fuerit auxiliatus aut quem fractum restituerit sanitati illud solum audire desidero an sine ullius adjunctione materiae i. e. Medicaminis alicujus ad tactum morbos jusserit ab hominibus evolare which words amount in brief to this that Cure is Divine that is done without observations prescriptions and applications otherwise Cures performed by means saith hee are beneficia rerum non curantium potestates to heal men by Prescriptions Applications and ordinary Operations arguing no extraordinary power at all in the Prescriber or Operator but an ordinary vertue in the Prescription or Operation And it 's observed as an Argument of Christs divine power that he practised not on sleight Sores but on the most acute chronical and malignant diseases Some learned Physicians affirming those Diseases our Saviour cured incurable by the ordinary way of Physick and Chyrurgery and all this with a word a touch of himself or garment a thought or such means mystically chosen as naturally would rather as the Clay and Spittle to open blind mens eyes improve the Disease than heal it 3. * Divine Miracles are done in an instant nothing being able to oppose and consequently to delay the workings of a God Those that wrought Miracles formerly did some of them indeed in time and by degrees to comply with the weakness of men I mean such as looked upon them that they might discern the manner of working as well as the work it self but they did most instantly to evidence the power of God 4. * True Miracles were most commonly done under the open Ayre in Fields and publick places before both those that favoured the person that wrought the Miracles and those that opposed him in such a manner as there should be no suspicion of any private dealing or compact usually the people that most suspected the person bringing him patients and those patients afterwards so far from following the Healer as his