nay it is most certaine if they be not renewed by faith and repentance they shall fall both the sorts of them into the pit of euerlasting destruction By all this it is plaine that if we transgresse the commaundements of God in committing of any sinne it is not ignorance that shall excuse For then would not the Lord haue commanded sacrifice to be offered for the same as he doth in the 4. cap. of Leuit. ver 2 and 3. in these words Speake vnto the children of Israel saying if any shall sinne through ignorance in any of the commandements of the Lord which ought not to be done but shall doe contrary to any of them If the priest that is annointed doe sinne according to the sinne of the people then shall he offer for his sinne which he hath sinned a young bullocke without blemish vnto the Lord for a sinne offering The which law is repeated also in the Epistle to the Heb. cap. 9. vers 7. And the prophet Abacuck maketh a solemne prayer for ignorances in the 3. cap. of his prophesie Furthermore the same is manifest in the whole course of the scriptures by the punishment that hath beene laid vpon such like offenders as we may perceiue by the 17. cap. of the second booke of the King where when the Lord had cast out the ten tribes of Israell with their king out of their owne country for their wicked abominations that Shalmaneser had caried them away captiue with him he sent other of his own natiue people to supply their roome in ludea who because they were Gentiles and had not beene brought vp in true religion therefore it is said in the 25 and 26. verses of the same chapter That at the beginning of their dwelling there they feared not the Lord therefore the Lord sent lyons among them which slew them wherefore they came to the king of Ashur saying the nations which thou hast remooued and placed in the cities of Samaria know not the manner of the God of the land whereupon the king commaunded to send vnto them a priest of the Israelites to instruct them as it followeth in the next vers of the same chapter And in the prophet Esa. cap. 5. vers 13. the Lord hath these words Therefore my people goeth into captiuity because they haue no knowledge Out of which two places we may note that the Lord doth not onely not hold guiltles those offendours which haue the greatest meanes of knowledge in religion as were the Israelites in times past as it appeareth by the 13. cap. of the Epistle to the Rom. where it is said by Saint Paul that to them were committed the oracles of God euen as the Gospel of Christ Iesus is now vnto vs Gentiles but also doth punish those to whome it is not graunted to haue such oportunity to learne And truely no maruaile For if we account it lawfull for an earthly prince to punish those whosoeuer which doe dwell within his dominion if they offend against his lawes being once set forth though they doe it of ignorance why should not the king of kings and Lord of Lords exact the like obedience vnto his lawes set downe in his holy word of all those whome it pleaseth him to place in his visible church and kingdome heere vpon earth For the Lord hath giuen vs his word as a law wherein he hath set down whatsoeuer he would haue done learned or beleeued and likewise what he would haue vs to eschew as the Apostle Saint Paul doth say in the 1. epistle to Tim. cap. 3. vers 16. 17. that the whole scripture is giuen by inspiration of God and is profitable to teach to improoue to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse that the man of God may be perfect and prepared vnto all good workes So that whatsoeuer God would haue vs to know or doe it is contained in the same Howbeit we must as our Sauiour Christ saith Iob. 5. cap. v. 39. search the scriptures It is not enough for vs negligently and carelesly and as it were superficially to read them but we must with all diligence reuerence humility study them and as the prophet Dauid did meditating therein day and night conferring of one place with another and considering the drift of the holy Ghost in euery of them and aboue all things vsing humble and hearty prayer vnto God that he would graunt vs his holy spirit which may so enlighten vs that we may see those wonderfull things which are contained in his lawes that we may conceiue aright of the truth in his sacred word For as Saint Peter 2. epist. cap. 1. vers 20. saith no prophesie in the scripture is of any priuate interpretation that a man may expound it according to his owne mind and imagination but holy men of God did speake as they were directed and ledde by the holy Ghost as it followeth there in the next vers who as he is the onely author and inditer of the Scripture so he is the onely interpreter of the same as being alone priuie to his owne meaning And therefore the Euangelist Saint Iohn in his first epistle cap. 4. vers 1. doth bidde vs not to beleeue euery spirit but to try the spirits whether they be of God or not as if he should haue said There are many which will make a great shew of religion and godlinesse and will seeme as though they had warrant from God for all their dealings when as it is nothing so Wherefore beleeue note uery one vntill you haue first madetriall and examined their actions by the touch-stone of the scriptures whether God be the author of them or not The which precept if the prophet spoken of in the 13. cap. of the first booke of the King had obserued he had done well but because he did not so but beleeued the false tale of the old Prophet and came backe again contrary to the cōmandement of God and did eate and drinke in Bethel by his procuremēt when as the Lord had said vnto him that he should neither eate bread nor drinke water there Therefore the Lord said that his body should not come into the sepulchre of his fathers which came to passe presently for he was slaine of a lyon in the way as he returned home and so was brought againe to Bethel and there buried Whereas if hee had first examined the truth of the olde Prophets speech he had no doubt neuer fallen into that daunger For he had a sufficient warrant from God afore for that which he did vpon the which he might safely haue relyed if hee would haue gone forward according vnto the same and not haue hearkened to the deceitfull words of the said olde Prophet vnlesse the Lord himself had giuen him another contrary commaundement as otherwhiles he doth in particular cases as it may appeare by Genesis chap. 22. where after that God had giuen Abraham in charge to sacrifice his sonne Isaacke in the 2. verse of the same chapter afterward it is said that the angel of the Lord did bidde him not to doe it when he had prooued his faith and obedience therein till which time he could by no meanes be drawne from executing the former commaundement of God Euen so wee seeing that we are forbidden by the word of God to goe or seeke vnto any witches inchaunters charmers or any such like vaine and superstitious practisers and seeing that ignorance will not excuse vs as hath beene before declared it behooueth vs to trie and examine the dealings of euery one in this case whether they be of God or not by their calling in this behalfe by their meanes they vse and by the ende whereat they aime and by all other waies and meanes which it shall please God to minister by his holy spirit out of his word before wee giue credite vnto them whatsoeuer shew they make of religion and godlines in this point lest the Lord in his wrath lay vpon vs all those plagues punishments threatned in his word as hath beene said before against such persons There are many other things which might be fitly and profitably gathered noted out of this text which I haue willingly omitted both because they haue beene sufficiently handled at large by other men and also because it was my only purpose at the beginning to vtter that which I thought meetest concerning sorcery and such other like wicked vaine and diuellish abominations before spoken of It remaineth therefore now to exhort euery good Christian to consider diligently to make vse of it and to desire almighty God that he would make it profitable which hath beene said both to his owne glorie and to our eternall comfort in Christ Iesus to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost bee all honour praise and thanksgiuing now and euermore Amen FINIS
Cor. vers 29. and 30. therefore we must marke and consider the third note of difference VVhich is to what end and intent they doe worke miracles And this note or marke may be gathered out of the 13. cap. of Deut. where the Lord saith thus if there arise vp among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreames and giue thee a signe or a wonder and that signe or wonder which he hath foretold come to passe saying let vs goe after other gods which thou hast not knowne and worshippe them hearken not thou to the words of that prophet or dreamer of dreames for the Lord your God trieth you to know whether you loue the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soule follow the Lord your God and feare him and keepe his commaundements and giue eare vnto his voice and worshippe him and cleaue vnto him By which words it appeareth that whosoeuer he be that worketh miracles and doth not thereby seeke the glory of the onely true God but rather his owne gaine praise or commendation Or doth it for any other sinister respect we are not to goe nor to hearken vnto him for he doth not the Lords message but his owne Neither is he sent of God but vsurpeth the authority of himselfe or is Satans minister herein The which the Lord sometime doth suffer to be done to try what is in the heart of his people whether in loue they wil cleaue vnto him and keepe his commaundements which he hath set downe in his word for confirmation whereof he hath wrought so many and so wonderfull miracles And indeed the gift of working miracles as also other such like graces wherewith the Lord doth indue and adorne his Church and the ministers of the same is in a manner bestowed vpon it to this end that his elect children being in minde and conscience assured setled and grounded in the truth of Gods word may grow and encrease together more and more in the faithfull and zelous practise thereof in all godly and honest conuersation to the glory of God and their owne saluation This is prooued to be true by the 12. cap. 1. epist. Cor. where Saint Paul recounting the spirituall gifts of God bestowed vpon his Church in these words saying that to one is giuen by the spirit the vtterance of wisedome to another is giuen the vtterance of knowledge by the same spirit to another faith by the same spirit to another the gift of healing by the same spirit to another power to do miracles to another prophesying to another iudgement to discerne spirits to another diuerse tongues to another the interpretation of tongues saying in the seauenth verse going before in the same chapter that all and euery one of these gifts is giuen to profit withall But whome not him selfe alone to whome any of the aforesaid spirituall graces is giuen but the Church of God and therefore the Apostle making a comparison afterward in this same chapter betwixt the naturall body of man and the Church which is the mysticall body of Christ seemeth thus to reason viz. Euen as there are many members in mans body yet none of them is for himselfe alone but each of them is carefull to procure the health and welfare of the whole body so in the Church of God euery member thereof ought to vse those gifts and graces aforesaid and such like not to their owne gaine commodity or glory but to the good of their fellow-members and of the whole Church And that in spirituall matters pertaining to the true knowledge and seruice of God and eternall saluation in Christ Iesus and not in temporall and wordly things but so farre forth and to that end that thereby they may the better be inabled to goe forward in their spirituall course vntill they come to the end thereof which is the saluation of their soules For as the gift of working miracles and the other gifts aforesaid are spirituall so the obiect and end of the same is spirituall namely the edification and building vp of the Church as it is the mysticall body of Christ Iesus whereof himselfe is the head as it is plaine by the 4. cap. of the epist. of Saint Paul to the Ephesians where the Apostle speaking of the aforesaid spirituall gifts although he rehearseth not all saith that they were giuen for the gathering togither of the Saints for the worke of the ministery and for the edification of the body of Christ vntill we all meete togither in the vnity of faith and knowledge of the some of God vnto a perfect man vnto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ that we henceforth be no more children wauering and caryed about with euery winde of doctrine by the deceit of men and with craftinesse whereby they lay in waite to deceiue but let us follow the truth in loue and in all things grow vp into him which is our head euen Christ. And therefore Saint Paul continuing his speech concerning the spiritual gifts begun set downe 1. Cor. 12. hath these words vnto them in the 14. c. of the same Epistle Seeing that ye couet spirituall gifts seeke that ye may excell to the edifying of the Church As if he should haue said If so be that ye be so desirous to excell others in the extraordinary gifts of the spirit see that ye may goe beyond others in the right vse of the same which is the edificatiō of gods church Wherfore they which make not this vse of the aforesaid spirituall gifts and namely of working of miracles which is the chiefe thing which we stand vpon at this time doe most mightily abuse the same Nay rather which is more probable they haue not this gift giuen and inspired into them by the spirit of God but they are the diuels seruants and ministers herein by whose meanes and aide they may be thought to effect those wonders For euen Iudas Iscariot albeit otherwise a most wicked person and one that afterward betraied his master Yet when he had receiued of our Sauiour Christ the gift of working miracles he preached the Gospell of the kingdome as did the other Apostles For whomsoeuer the Lord doth furnish with such extraordinary spirituall gifts he will haue them will they nill they to vse them to that end which he hath appointed And as Saint Paul saith in the 1. epist. Cor. cap. 9. vers 16. and 17. If I preach the Gospell I haue not wherin to boast for necessity is laid vpon me Woe be to me therefore if I preach not the Gospell for if I doe it willingly I haue a reward but if I doe it against my wil the dispensation is committed vnto me So when the Lord had made Ionas his prophet to goe vnto Niniue to tell them what he had determined concerning their destruction although Ionas was very vnwilling to doe it in so much that he fled another way onely that he might eschew the performance of that message Yet God
drew him backe againe as it were through the midst of the sea and constrained him to fulfill his commaundement herein And Balaam howsoeuer before and at other times he may seeme to haue beene a sorcerer and to worke by inchantment for his owne estimation and profit Neuertheles when it pleased God to make him his minister and had inspired him with the gift of prophecy to pronounce his blessing concerning the children of Israell albeit he laboured by all meanes possible to the contrary being thereunto mooued with the desire of wealth and preferment promised to him by king Balack as it is in the 22. cap. and 23. cap. of the booke of Numbers Notwithstanding at the last he was forced to yield to gods determinatiō in blessing the Israelites whom before he endeauoured to curse Numbers cap. 24. Now they which are only Satans instruments in working wōders haue no purpose at al to glorifie god in obeiing of his precepts and in preaching of his word to the edifying of his Church For as Satan the aduersary both to God and man is the author of these miracles so will he haue his ministers to direct their actions accordingly Neither doth the Lord inforce them to make that vse of their faculty of working miracles which he appointeth to all those that are wrought by his spirit because they haue neither receiued the gift from him nor yet any commandement to doe any such thing But they are led of themselues and of their master whome they serue to aime in all their practises at other ends and work for other worldly and deuilish respects As the sorcerers of Egypt wrought miracles onely that thereby they might disgrace Moses the seruant of God and discredit his office and authority So Bariesu the sorcerer in the 13. cap. of the Act. of the Apostles endeauoured what he could to turne away Sergius Paulus from the faith of Christ which Paul preached And what was the end of Simons practises which in the 8. cap. Act. is said to haue vsed witchcraft but onely his owne gaine and worldly honour and credit as it appeareth by the circumstances of that place And although the magitians sorcerers such like people sometime do vse good and godly words in outward appearance and that as it may seeme to a good end yet at other times and that for the most part you shall find them to haue other badde worldly and wicked intents and to doe this but onely in hypocrisie to couer and colour their owne wicked dealings and that they may worke the greater mischiefe afterward as it may be gathered out of the sixteenth chapter of the Actes of the Apostles by the history of the damsell which being possessed with a spirit of diuination which seemeth to be such an one as they vse amongst vs to goe vnto to know of them their fortunes or what is become of things lost stolne or such like whereby shee inriched her maister with whome shee dwelt shee I say this damsel seeing Paul with the rest of his company passing by cryed out saying These men are the seruants of the most high God which preach vnto vs the way of salnation But to what end thinke ye did shee this to confirme the Gospel which Paul preached No for that is farre from Satan and all his ministers But rather because that shee or Satan by her and in her thought it the best course to bring to passe their purpose that whereas they neither could nor durst openly and manifestly contrary the preaching of the Gospel yet by this means they might thinke secretly by crafty pollicy to weaken and diminish the authority of the same by bearing men in hand as it were that they were indued led by one the selfe same spirit that the Apostles were that there was no difference in their doctrine So that hereby the doctrine of the gospel might be brought into suspition The which when Paul perceiued fore-seeing the inconueniēce that might arise therby to take away al occasion of misdeeming he commanded the spirit to depart out of the said Damsel making therby as it were an open profession of the enmitie betwixt Satan him and so of the contrariety of both their doctrines and of the endes of the same So in like manner our Sauiour Christ commaunded the foule spirit to hold his peace when hee said hee was the holy one of God Mark 1. cap. and Luk. cap. 4. Now to conclude If these three notes before set downe be duely weighed and considered with a single eye and an vpright heart they will not a little helpe to discerne the true seruants of God from the instruments of the diuell in the working of miracles But alas now a daies people are more prone and readie to lay a stumbling blocke before their owne steppes and to hang a veile before their owne eyes that they may not see the truth in this behalfe feigning and framing vnto themselues reasons and arguments against the same to vpholde and maintaine magicke and sorcery in deede and in truth albeit they like not altogither of these names To the which arguments I meane God willing to answer when I come to the handling of the 13. verse of this chapter In the meane time I will proceede vnto the next which is the 12. verse So that In the which as I tolde you before the particular amplification of the miracles which God wrought by Saint Paul is set downe where wee are to obserue two things viz. The matter of these miracles or the miracles themselues and the meanes by which they were wrought But for the better explaining thereof although it be placed last in the text yet wee will speake first of the miracles themselues whereof two especiall and principall are here rehearsed to wit the healing of the diseases of the body and the dispossessing of Satan the enemy of the soule in these words And the diseases departed from them and the euill spirits went out of them These two sorts of miracles our Sauiour Christ in the 10. chap. of the Gospel after Saint Matthew and Marke cap. 6. and Luke cap. 9. when he sent them forth to preach the Gospel gaue power and authoritie vnto his twelue Apostles to worke And so likewise hauing made and appointed Saint Paul in the 9. chapter of the Actes to be an Apostle to preach his Gospel vnto the Gentiles endued him with gifts of the holy Ghost and as we see heere adorned him with the same grace of working miracles which he had bestowed vpon the other Apostles aforesaid thereby ratifying confirming his functiō ministery as he did of the rest Where we may also note that these miracles were no vaine and iugling trickes to mooue laughter amongst pleasant heads nor yet framed or deuised for those of grauer wittes to wonder at but they were wrought for the profit and commodity of mankind in this mortall life albeit that be not the chiefe end wherefore God gaue them this
the word of God Wherefore whatsoeuer action it bee let men pretend what they will if it haue no warrant out of the scripture it is but a meere imagination of their owne braine springing either of their own corrupt nature or else of the suggestion of the diuell and therefore is wicked and sinnefull The which thing if it be so it followeth of necessity that the seeking vnto sorcerers charmers inchaunters and all such like wizzards albeit men beleeue neuer so much that they may lawfully do so yet because that it is not onely not allowed but also condemned in the word of God therefore this their beliefe is no true faith but a vaine diuellish presumption and most abominable in the sight of God Neither will ignorance which they pretend serue their turne to couer their offence herein albeit it may sometimes extenuate and lessen the fault as our Sauiour Christ saith in the 12. chapter of the Gospel after S. Luke vers 47. 48. That seruant which knew his masters will and prepared not himselfe neither did according to his wil shall be beaten with many stripes And he that knew not his masters will and committed things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with fewe stripes So that here wee see that there is no defence for ignorance but whosoeuer he be that sinneth whether it be of ignorance or of knowledge must needes bee punished for it For Cursed are all they which doe not continue in all the commandements of God as it is in Deuteronomy cap. 27. vers 26. And the Apostle Saint Paul saith in the 2. chap. to the Romanes vers 12. that as many as haue sinned without law shall be punished without law and as many as haue sinned in the law shall be iudged by the law Wherefore as dutifull seruants in those things which wee know wee ought to bee diligent to put the same in practise and if we be ignorant of any thing we ought to seeke and inquire what the will of God is out of his word and not to rush forth into those actions which we know not whether the Lord doth allow or not But if we seeke for knowledge in those matters no doubt but God wil instruct vs therein by his holy spirit by his word as our Sauiour Christ saith Matthew cap. 7. vers 7. Aske and it shall be giuen you seeke and ye shall finde knocke and it shall be opened vnto you And truely if we would vse zealous prayer and godly meditation comming vnto them with faith and humility and such like wee shall finde the scriptures not to be so hard and obscure to be knowne vnderstood as we take them to be but most plaine euident for our comfort and instruction both in this point concerning those vaine friuolous arts whereof I haue so much spoken and also in all other matters of faith good workes what we should follow and what we should eschew as God in the 30. chapter of Deuteronomy verses 11 12 and 14. saith This commaundement which I commaund this day is not hidde from thee neither is it farre off it is not in heauen that thou shouldest say who shall goe vp for vs to heauen and bring vs and cause vs to heare it that we may doe it but the word is very neere vnto to thee euen in thy mouth and in thy heart for to do it So that it is our own pride negligence contempt or such like sinister affections which is cause of this our ignorance and that in some more and in some lesse according to the outward meanes of knowledge and as they are inwardly mooued in this behalfe In so much that we may hereof gather two kindes of ignorance to be in men One is that which although it be not without the afore said euill affections yet they doe little appeare in their actions no not to the parties offending themselues and much lesse vnto others thinking that to be good which is euill and that to bee euill which is good And such was the ignorance of Saint Paul before he was illuminated by the spirit of god as he saith in the first Epistle to Timothie cap. 1. v. 13. that he was before-time a blasphemer a persecutor and an oppressour but hee was receiued to mercy because hee did it ignorantly through vnbeliefe And yet notwithstanding for all this hee accounteth himselfe the chiefe of all sinners for the same and most worthily doth attribute his conuersion to the wonderfull and exceeding great mercy of God alone who had not onely forgiuen him this his sinne but also had made him a fit vessell to cary his name abroad and to preach the Gospel among the Gentiles whereas he had reiected other of his countrimen which offended of ignorance as well as he as it is in the 10. cap. of the Epistle to the Romanes vers 2. where speaking of the Iewes or Israelites he hath these words I beare them witnes that they haue a zeale but not according to knowledge The other kind of ignorance is that wherein malice and hatred doth preuaile as it did in the chiefe of the Iewes which crucified our Sauiour Christ as it is in the 15. cap. of Ioh. ver 22. in these words If I had not done those things among them which no other man did they should haue had no sin but now haue they seene and hated both me and my father And to say the truth not onely this latter kind but also all of vs before we are regenerate are by nature so corrupt that we cannot but bring forth most vile fruites of wickednesse and therefore we doe couet naturally rather to be ignorant of gods lawes and commaundements thereby thinking to couer the hainousnesse of our sinnes wherefore our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell after Saint Iohn cap. 3. vers 19. saith this is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men loued darknes more then light because their deedes were euill Whereupon the Lord in his iust iudgement in times past seeing they regarded not to know him euen so he deliuered them vp into a reprobate minde to doe those things which are not conuenient being full of all vnrighteousnesse and so forth as it is in the 10. cap. of the Epistle to the Rom. vers 28 29 and 30. Euen as he saith also of the Scribes and Pharises Math. cap. 15. vers 14. and in them to all other such like in these words Let them alone they are blind leaders of the blind and if the blind lead the blind both shall fall into the ditch As if he should haue said These men are void of the right knowledge of religion and true seruice of God and yet they wil be instructers of others so that by this meanes they are not onely wilfully ignorant themselues but endenour to bring those that will follow their doctrine into the same condition Wherefore let them alone let them goe on still therein and in the end you shall see