this matter it iumpeth iustly with the rich mans in hel For he also being vtterly destitute of all other releefe did very instantly desire that Lazarus might foorth with be sent from the dead to his fathers house to forewarne his fiue brethren of that place of torment Seeing then you thus iumpe in your iudgements I were loath you should iar in the answere and therefore do tel you plainely that the atheistes of our age they haue Moses and the prophets to testifie vnto them the truth of such matters as concerne their saluation whom if they wil not faithfully here and beleeue neither would they beleeue at all notwithstanding they should see a thousand strange miracles Exorcistes Yea but such a miraculous expelling of satan by praier and fasting it woulde notwithstanding all this verie powerfully silence the papists who doe confidently affirme that spirits and diuels cannot possible be driuen out by any the Protestant ministers Physiologus The papists and your selfe it should seeme are in very great hope to delude the world afresh by your fained false miracles and that makes you so earnestly to vrge the continuance of the gift of miracles as though the same were yet still to be executed by some speciall persons But if they or your selfe would either winne or continue your credits by the working of miracles you must not bring in those your counterfeit crankes out of whom you woulde make vs beleeue you haue coniured spirits and diuels not vnlike to the possession of Mildred in Kent 1574. nor to the miraculous restoring of Margaret Iesop againe to her limbes not to the vision of the blacke dogge with other like fables reported by Bristowe but you must bring vs in some such miracle-workers as are able extempore to talke with new toongs to take away serpents or to drinke any deadly thing without danger for so your credites might haply be deemed the greater although yet if you taught not the truth we would take you for Antichrist As for the Protestant Ministers they neuer durst nor now dare professe themselues to be miracle mongers Both because the doctrine they teach it hath beene sufficiently and finallie confirmed before by the approoued miracles of Christ and his holie Apostles and for that also if there be yet still a continuance of any power in men for the working of miracles that power they confesse it belongeth to Antichrist and his Antichristian ministers of whom they are precisely warned by Christ to beware These therefore they are seely poore causes you see to prooue the continuance of miracles Exorcistes But yet the holy exercise of praier and fasting which with the prophane is so shamefully scorned it would by this and such other like admirable actions be notablie confirmed Orthodoxus Why man if praier and fasting be an ancient true ordinance of the eternall God then the truth there of was sufficiently confirmed before by the vndoubted true miracles contained in the worde so as it needeth not the accursed supplie of anie such patched and paltrie confirmations Howbeit if the same were a newe and neuer knowne ordinance in the Primitiue Church then surely all the fained miracles and signes in the world woulde neuer be able either to shelter the same from the scornes of the wicked or to procure it estimation among the godly In consideration whereof you your owne selfe haue beene highly to blame thus badly to abuse so sacred an ordinance For these your preposterous courses concerning the practise thereof hath more hindred that holy and orderly exercise then all the scornes of the vngodly could euer haue done and therefore forethinke it in time Exorcistes Should I forethinke me of that which is so generally helde of all for an infallible truth yea and which more is should I most cowardly disclaime that Christian cause which manie great Diuines doe confidently holde and haue so constantlie offred by publike disputation to vphold against all men Offring not onely to prooue the continuance of actuall possessions but which more is the perpetuall establishment of this selfesame continued meanes for the powerfull expelling of spirits and diuels from time to time Orthodoxus If these matters were so generally held of all for an infallible truth your selfe could neuer haue beene so iudicially conuented nor so iustly conuicted a grosse male factour for but putting an infallible truth in practise As for the profered disputations by those your approoued Diuines I doe verily beleeue that you haue borne your selfe much more bolde in presuming thus peartly vpon the proppe of their persons then your commission will warrant Otherwise those your great Diuines hauing heard long since at a Commencement in Cambridge this question disputed and determined negatiuely they might and they would without doubt at some one time or other since then haue taken occasion either by disputation by writing or by preaching at least to mannage the truth of that matter which so directly concerned their open pretended chalenge Especially if they either held the same an infallible truth or had so publikely offred a publike dispute as you would beare vs in hand they haue done And therefore by this their so long continued silence we must either account of your speech as of a Canterburie tale or at leastwaies imagine that those your approoued Diuines they haue had like good Christians their second cogitations concerning the truth of your matters For we will neuer beleeue that they would by any their purposed silence so vnconscionablie betray a professed infallible truth especially if they so approoued thereof as you tell vs they did Howsoeuer this I must tell you is a verie grosse and a palpable folly namely that you your selfe or anie man else shoulde so confidently and so fondlie relie vpon the persons of men without any due triall or proofe of their spirits because great men they are not alwaies the wisest neither doe the aged at all times vnderstand iudgement For howsoeuer there is a spirit in man the inspiration of the almightie it giueth men wisedome Being therefore but a yoong Nouice my selfe in regard of those great Diuines and ancient Fathers I doubted and was a long time afraid to affoord my opinion For I said surely the daies shall speake and the multitude of yeeres shall teach men wisedome Howbeit hauing a long time waited vpon their words and perceiuing withall that no one of those your great Diuines haue hitherto had in their mouthes any answere at all to reprooue your aduersaries nor found foorth their forcible reasons to mannage your cause I was inwardly mooued to answere in my turne For I am full of matter and the spirit within compelleth me Therefore now will I speake that I may take my breath Neither in speaking will I accept the persons of men for feare if I should fondly giue titles to men my maker would sodainely take me away Go to therefore Exorcistes doe either shew vs more probable reasons for the
therein I assure you And about that point my neighbour Lycanthropus and my selfe haue held a hot dispute all the way we haue come But being neither of vs satisfied with the others reply we iointly concluded to refer the whole decision of these controuersies to maister Orthodoxus his determination promising each other to rest satisfied herein vpon his resolute iudgement and thereupon we are now trauelling towards the Iland of Eirtwab for that selfe-same purpose Philologus Such conferences I assure you are both-commendable and comfortable especially in trauell for they do sharpen the witte delight the minde and make the iourney seeme short and sweete And herein withal you are woorthie great praise both because you doe passe foorth the time in profitable talke as you trauell and for that also being loth to loose the fruite of your conference you doe so friendly and so freely referre your selues to the iudgement of such as are able and willing to determine your doubts Howbeit our meeting is wrought I perceiue by the speciall prouidence of God For this I dare tell you for truth that maister Orthodoxus he is not euen now in the Iland of Eirtwab but newly remooued into the confines of Eibrad entending this winter to soiourne there with one maister Physiologus his faithfull friend of very purpose to conferre with the Exorcist himselfe that cast foorth the spirite for the benefite of which conference I also am now trauelling thether my selfe And therefore if it please you I shal not onely be glad of your companies but will verie carefully conduct you the way Pneumatomachus With all my hart if Lycanthopus consent to the same Lycanthropus Else should I dissent from the singular prouidence of God Philologus Well then let vs legge it a little And doe tell me as we trauell I pray you the strange maner of the yoongman his handling in that fearefull possession Pneumatomachus Ah Philologus your eares I perceiue they are itching after some tidings-bringer of new found Diuels Howbeit because my neighbour Licanthropus hath beene and is now ouer credulous concerning such Legerdemaines I doe leaue the relation wholy to him who shall for publishing these vnwonted wonderments haue the whole glorie or shame to himselfe alone Licanthropus As I hunt after no glorie so I hope I shall reape no reproche at all for reporting these newes The rather because my maine purpose in publishing them is and shal be for none other respect in the world but to lay open the Diuels inueterate malice mans miserable condition by nature the extraordinarie faith of the Exorcist and the singular mercie and power of God Philologus All these I assure you are holy respects But relate the maner of his passions I pray you in order Lycanthropus Withall my hart And to my remembrance they were eftsoones vpon him in this following order 1 There seemed to runne along his legge and thence into his toe belly throat toong cheeke eie and other parts a lumpe sometimes bigger or lesser then an egge being soft 2 The lumpe being in his legge it was heauie and inflexible like yron 3 He had such extraordinarie strength that sometimes three fower fiue sixe or moe were scarse able to rule him 4 When fower or fiue struggled with him so as they were wearied he did not sweate pant or change colour 5 He wallowed gnashed with his teeth stared with his eies and foamed at his mouth excessiuely hauing neither eat nor drunke all the day before 6 There seemed to runne vnder the couerlet where he lay as it were kitlings to the number of fower or fiue 7 His face and his mouth were fearfully distorted one lip towards one eare and the other lippe towards the other eare 8 His face was turned directly backward not moouing his bodie at all 9 His necke doubled vnder him 10 His bodie doubled his head betweene his legges suddenly plucked round like a round browne loafe he was cast vp like a ball from the bed three or fower times togither halfe a yard high 11 Being cast into the fire where he lay sometimes against the wals and yron barres in the chimney with great violence he receiued no appearance of hurt at all 12 His bodie seemed to be extended to the height of the tallest man when once he endeuoured to hang himselfe 13 He told of diuers things done in his absence without notice giuen by any person 14 There were strange speeches vttered by him in his fits in a strange voice as that he was his that he was God Christ and a king that he made baptisme I will vse William Summers his toong and members for three daies Ego sum rex ego sum Deus That there was no God that he was king and prince of darkenes And in saying the Lords Prayer he could not say Lead vs not into temptation but Lead vs into temptation Also before Maister Darel had seene him he said Darel comes Darel comes he will haue me out but I will come againe for Nottingham and Burton are iolly townes for me 15 Being recouered out of his fits he knew not what he had said or done 16 In his fits strange smels were in the place where he lay sometimes like brimstone sometimes verie sweete 17 There was a strange knocking perceiued about his bed in his fits both his hands and feete being held vnmooueable 18 He did cry hideously sometimes like a bul beare swine and in a small voice impossible to be counterfeited 19 His legs would be crooked with his fals and remaine vnflexible 20 He spake in a continued speech his mouth being wide open his toong drawen into his throat neither his lips nor chaps moouing 21 He spake a quarter of an hower his mouth being shut close 22 In his fits his pulses and temples did not beat he lay for dead and as cold as yce 23 His eie was blacke and changed colour in his fits These and sundrie other passions at sundrie times appeared in him which I remember not nowe but these which I haue tolde you are certeinly reported by sundrie persons of good accompt and credite being eie witnesses thereof themselues Pneumatomachus The persons reporting these newes may be of good accompt and credite I grant but Lycanthropus how can your selfe so confidently report any thing from them for certeine truth sith themselues as your speeches import do onely but speake of things as it seemed to be Lycanthropus Howsoeuer they seemed to them the newes I assure you was strange vnto me Philologus Trust me these are strange and woonderfull newes indeed Lycanthropus Not so strange I assure thee as true Philologus God grant they may worke in euerie of vs an holy reuerence and feare of his maiestie But come on I pray you and cheare vp your selues for we are now in a manner at our iourneies end Pneumatomachus I do hartily reioyce to heare of that newes being euen toiled and tyred out with the newfangled newes of my neighbour Lycanthropus
essentiall being The rather because euery creature else how contemptible soeuer being once created it hath an essentiall substance and if the basest of all then much more the Angels they being indeed such excellent creatures Pneumatomachus Well goe to how next from their effectuall operations Orthodoxus Thus their operations haue beene and now are apparantly euident to all the world whether we respect the Lord or his church So that for any to doubt of their essentiall being is to call in question the sun-shine at mid-day and as wel may he denie their operations whatsoeuer Pneumatomachus Good sir is this your substantiall proouing of Angels and Spirits I denie that the Lord God euer created any Angels at all and then to what purpose doe you vrge their supposed operations Orthodoxus Sith you so confidently denie both Spirits and Diuels tell me what you imagine those to be which we generally hold for Spirits and Angels Pneumatomachus Sir I take those your supposed spirits for none other matters at all but the good or euill motions and affections arising in men as also those your imagined Angels I hold them to bee nothing else but the sensible signes or tokens of Gods vnspeakeable power Orthodoxus You do then conclude it should seeme that our faith concerning those matters is grounded altogither vpon bare supposals and idle imaginations of wandring braines I like well your plainnes in laying open your minde although I alowe not your pestiferous opinions iumping so pat with the Parepateticall and Sadusaicall sort Who flatly denying either Angel or Spirite do confidently auouch that there is nothing immortall in man which is a verie dangerous gulph of hell that deuoureth and swaloweth vp all sound diuinitie and sincere knowledge of God For first by opposing your selfe against all the essentiall spirits and powers of the Lord what doe you else in effect but implicatiuely reiect the essentiall being of the holy Ghost and then next you do also by consequence verie flatly deny that there is any God at all for what I pray you is God but a Spirite Pneumatomachus Nay sir howsoeuer I oppose my selfe to the catholike opinion of Spirits and Diuels I do confidently auouch and confesse that there is one true euerliuing God of an incomprehensible inuisible and spirituall essence distinguished into the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost And moreouer concerning men and my selfe I do with like confidence verie cleerely acknowledge that euerie of vs also are essentiallie endued with spirituall and immortall soules Orthodoxus You cannot faithfully finally hold these infallible truthes from your hart but you must and will presently banish those other palpable errours from out of your brest For euen as Aaron his rodde deuoured foorthwith the counterfeite rods of all the Egyptian Sorcerers so surely these your confessed truths concerning the essentiall spirits and powers of the Lord being faithfully held from the hart will in the end I doubt not be another Aaronicall rodde to confute and confound those other Sadusaical sorceries wherewith the Diuel hath so dangerously bewitched your soule Lycanthropus Verie true if he be not to opinionate therein Pneumatomachus Sir howsoeuer I haue beene hitherto opinionate in this speciall point I am notwithstanding very loth that reason should be ouerruled by will or that the holy truth of God should giue place vnto errour and therefore proceed I beseech you in the timely vnfolding of this hidden mysterie Orthodoxus With very good will wherein also for your speedier conceiuing of that which is spoken we will first lay open the originall fountaine from whence this errour floteth abroad and then next hauing fully answered your arguments we wil directly prooue vnto you both Spirits and Diuels Exorcistes A very excellent order For there by first you shall cleere our iudgements and then next you shall the more fully confirme vs in the infallible truth Lycanthropus That is certainly so But what thinkes Pneumatomachos Pneumatomachus I acknowledge no lesse and do promise withall to giue an attentiue eare to whatsoeuer is spoken Orthodoxus Well then to proceede therein accordingly this I dare boldly affirme that your Parepatetical opinion or rather that this your Sadusaicall sorcerie concerning the non being of Spirits and Diuels proceedeth directly from a two-folde false ground Namely first from the naturall corruption of your proper minde and secondly from a carelesse misconstruing of some certeine places of Scripture Both which saide false grounds albeit I could and might well relate them my selfe yet because the first is rather Philosophical then Diuine I do purposely put ouer the prosecuting thereof as of al other like points to this my good brother if it please him to trauell therin reseruing the latter to entreate of my selfe Physiologus Sith it is your good pleasure to haue it so I will gladly giue my endeuour to satisfie the man so it seemeth him good Pneumatomachus With all my hart if first you will tell me who you are and what is your name Physiologus I am I assure you a friend to the truth and my name is Physiologos Pneâ—matomachus In very good time be it spoken But may I be bold by the way to aske you a question without offence Physiologus Propound at your pleasure and aske what you please Pneumatomachus Was not your name also purposely giuen to purport vnto vs your proper nature For Physiologus you say is your name which vnlesse I be fowly deceaued is as much to say as a babler or pratler of naturall Philosophie or it signifieth rather some notable discourser of naturall causes I hope you are none of those cogging companions of whom the Apostle doth wish vs beware who goe purposely about to spoile men with Philosophie and vaine deceit Orthodoxus Nothing lesse For the man I assure you is both a sound Philosopher and a sincere Diuine Neither would I haue you once to imagine that Paul doth there purposely oppose himselfe to all true Philosophie whether naturall or morall no but reprooueth rather that false and counterfeit Philosophie which hauing onely an appearance of truth and not the substance of truth it selfe is cunningly foisted in by cogging companions to spoile and deceiue mens mindes of the truth indeed For otherwaies all true Philosophie is the speciall gift of God and a principall helpe to Diuinitie so far foorth especially as she is made a submissiue Moderatour in naturall causes and not a commaunding Mistres ouer Diuinitie Then I assure you shee comes in her naturall kinde and thrice happie is he that hath a true insight into her according to that old accustomed saying Foelix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas The wight that could all causes skan Might count himselfe an happie man Now then such a Philosopher is this and therefore be bold vpon my warrant to harken freely vnto him concerning the first ground of your errour Pneumatomachus I credit your words let him therefore proceede in his purpose Physiologus
then the father and the sonne both do really and essentially inhabite in the harts of so many as obserue the word which how absurd it is to auouch your selfe may consider Besides that if you so strictly doe tye your selfe to the obseruation of words how vnderstand you this scripture The good Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an euil Spirit of the Lord came vpon him Would you haue vs to imagine fromhence that king Saul himselfe was really possest with an euill spirit or a diuel Lycanthropus Yea what other thing else Orthodoxus Then may we by the same reason conclude that Saul also before that time was really possest with the good spirit of God For when Samuel annointed him king it was said in like sort that the spirit of the Lord should come vpon him Againe that the spirit of the Lord it came vpon Saul Yea then may we likewise conclude that Dauid also himselfe he was really possest with the good spirit of God for it is said that after Dauid was annointed the spirit of the Lord came vpon him Now then tell me I pray you whether you thinke that Saul and Dauid were really possest with the good spirit of God and that the spirit did essentially enter into them Lycanthropus I vnderstand it euen so I assure you Orthodoxus Why man besides the absurditie arising thence the verie letter it selfe importeth a quite contrarie sence to that which you seeme to insert For the wordes of the text are not thus the spirit of the Lord entred into them but the spirit of the Lord came vpon them both Howbeit whether it had beene the spirit of the Lord entred into them or came vpon them it is al one in effect and may in no wise be vnderstood of anie essential possession but of an effectual operation of that spirit of God whether good or euil For in euerie of those places the word in the original is tsalac Which Ierome translates leaped vpon them Lyra he hath entred forciblie vpon them Pagnine he hath rested vpon them Tremellius he hath rushing vpon them Montanus he hath prospered vpon them None of al these howsoeuer they differ in termes they dreame not you see of anie real possession at al. Yea and the word tsalac also it selfe if we respect the natiue signification is properlie to be translated thus The spirit of the Lord preuailed had prosperous successe did happelie proceede or prospered greatlie in Saul and in Dauid al which hath relation to the efficacie and not to the essence of the spirit at all Otherwise if notwithstanding al this your selfe wil needes vnderstand in that place an essential entrance or real possession the grosse absurditie thereof may more plainlie appeare by the conference of this one with some other places of scripture where the selfesame word is also in vse As first where Eleazar saith vnto Laban hinder you me not sith the Lord bath prospered my iourney Would you expound it thus hinder me not sith the Lord hath caused my iorney verie really and essentially to enter into me Againe where it is said that whatsoeuer the godlie man doth it shall prosper Should we translate it thus the godly mens waies shal substantiallie enter into him Againe where the holie ghost saith vnto Salomon prosper thou with thy glorie Should we expound it thus let thy glorie substantiallie and reallie possesse thy person Briefly where Ieremie complaineth thus why doe the waies of the wicked prosper must we imagine that the waies of the wicked doe enter essentiallie into their bodies and soules that were to to absurd And yet in such a strict tying of our selues to the word we may by as good reason enterprete these places thus as those other of Saul and of Dauid the holie ghost vsing especially in euery of them al but one and the selfesame word Exorcistes If the scriptures be so intricate concerning these pointes what waies were we best to take for the vnderstanding of them aright Orthodoxus You must not be haled hedlong an end with an inueterate opinion receiued hand ouer head from hand to hand without further search or due trial of the trueth of the matter but must verie hartelie pray and most conscionablie depend vpon the holie spirit of God for a true vnderstanding and wisedome herein For seeing the proper nature of spirites and diuels is not in the sacred scriptures so exactly so plainely set downe as that thereby we may certeinly know them euen as they are in their proper and essential being we must therefore most humbly endeuour our selues very faithfully to imbrace and constantlie to beleeue the true sence of the scriptures concerning these points yea euen in such simple sort as the holy spirit of God who is the Lord of all spirites hath set downe the same Alwaies remembring this that spirites and diuels they are in the scriptures euermore spoken of as of spiritual substances howsoeuer for the onelie helpe of our slender capacities they be sometimes more groslie expressed by parables and metaphors and in a more sensible or corporal manner then otherwaies they are in themselues And therefore whereas it is said that the spirit of the Lord came vpon Balaam Othoniel Gedeon Iphthah Sampson Saul Dauid Azariah Ezechiel and others Moreouer where it is said that the Lord seperated the spirite of Moses and put in vpon the seuentie Elders againe that the spirit of Eliah was double vpon Elisha that Caleb had a spirit farre differing from the rest of the Israelites and that Daniel he had a more excellent spirite then al the rest yet that selfesame entrance into that resting vpon that multiplying that doubling and that excellencie of the spirit is not to be vnderstood of any real or essential possession but of an effectual and powerful operation of that selfesame spirit concerning the speciall worke for which it was sent So as although the spirites of the Lord whether good or euil are said to be giuen by proportion and nomber yet not the substance or quantitie but the condicion or qualitie of the spirit it selfe must be alwaies presupposed and ment thereby which is a point that I would haue you especially to consider throughout our whole conference concerning spirites and diuels Lycanthropus This I confesse is a verie good caution concerning the condition qualitie and operation of spirits Howbeit for any thing hetherto heard I can at no hand be perswaded but that the diuell albeit mans minde be free doth really and essentiallie enter into the possessed mans bodie Physiologus Goe to imagine that this your supposall were euerie waie sound and then do tell me withall what the diuell doth in the possessed mans bodie Lycanthropus What doth he there verie vntowardly I warrant you for euen in that selfesame bodie and by the helpe of that body he doth effectually accomplish and execute those
certainly so as that S. Donston did hold the diuell fast by the nose with a paire of pincers the very first day he appeared vnto him in such an assumed bodie wherein Donston serued the Diuell of trust and according to his due desertes to teach him to be medling with the worke of creation before he had gotte a Comission from God But alas Lycanthropus are you not highly ashamed to hold so maine absurd and horrible impieties or rather such execrable and intollerable blasphemies For be you throughly assured of this that your selfe imagening the diuell a creator of bodies you doe thereby ascribe vnto him a supernaturall power and therein also doe attribute that vnto diuels which onely is due vnto God because creation of substances was neuer yet graunted to man or Angell much lesse vnto diuels Besides that if it were in the power of diuels either to create or assume to them selues essentiall bodies at pleasure it is not then to be doubted but that such and so endlesse is their malice towards men we should shortly haue the whole world replenisht with corporall diuels yea and their number would farre surmount the number of men if all be true that is set downe in Salomons notes of coniuration Wherein are named seauentie nine principall diuels hauing euery of them vnder them and at their commaund some tenne twentie thirtie fortie fiftie sixtie seauentie yea and some of them eightie legions of diuels at the least So then howsoeuer your selfe shall otherwaies dreame of a power in Satan for assuming of bodies sith they can be no such bodies as are newly created either by God or the diuell sith they can be no bodies created before sith they can be no bodies of men either dead or aliue it must necessarily follow that those imagined bodies which the diuels are supposed to assume to them selues they are in deed and in truth no true naturall bodies Lycanthropus It is like then that the diuels they do onely assume to themselues but a phantasticall body Physiologus And it is like then that the diuels they haue onely in men but a phantasticall possession which is the very same issue you were brought vnto before when we discoursed of the mental possession of diuels Philologus How now Lycanthropus are you brought to a non-plus before you well wiste Lycanthropus I wot not I assure you which waies to winde my selfe out from these windings and turnings howbeit for any thing hitherto heard I will neuer beleeue but that the diuell can assume to himselfe a true naturall bodie Orthodoxus What man will you with such setled pertinacie dwell in your opinion not hauing sound reason therefore Lycanthropus Yes sir I haue reasons and authorities both support me therein Orthodoxus Let vs first heare your reasons Lycanthropus With verie good will wherein first from the like I doe reason thus The good Angels of God they haue appeered to men in assumed bodies therefore spirits and diuels they may also appeere vnto men in assumed bodies Orthodoxus Your argument is faultie the same not consisting of things essentially alike in euery respect For neither haue the infernall diuels those heauenly priuiledges which the celestiall Angels enioy neither yet are they equall with them in knowledge and power So as although the good Angels doe sometimes assume to themselues essentiall bodies yet doth it not necessarilie folow that therefore the euill Angels or diuels are able to do the like Againe howsoeuer the good Angels haue at some time assumed essential bodies yet doth it not appeer and your selfe cannot prooue that they created those bodies themselues but by the prouident power and appointment of God they had them from else where for that speciall seruice whereunto they were sent Moreouer there is no sound consequence in this viz. Good Angels they do visible appeere vnto men in assumed bodies therefore euill Angels they doe the like This I say doth not folow because of the good Angels appearing in visible bodies we haue had often and manifest experience but of the euill Angels appearing so no example or instance at all can be giuen Briefly your argument is but a deceaueable Elench from a may be to the being indeed whereof no certeine conclusion can folow For thus you reason Good Angels haue appeared to men in assumed bodies therefore spirites and Diuels they may also appeare vnto men in assumed bodies This your may be concludeth nothing for certeine Whereas you should haue argued thus Good Angels appeare in assumed bodies therefore spirits and diuels do appeare vnto men in assumed bodies but then your consequent woulde haue been ouer-hard to prooue and besides that it is the very question it selfe By the premisses then it is very apparant that this your first reason hath in it no reason at all to support your opinion Lycanthropus But sith it is certeine that the good Angels doe oftentimes appeare in assumed bodies why should not spirites and diuels be able to do the like Orthodoxus As though because the omnipotent God doth furnish and endowe his heauenly messengers with sensible bodies when and so oft as seemeth good to himselfe therefore euery impotent and infernall spirit or diuell is able also to do the like at their pleasures Lycanthropus Why may not the Lord do as much for spirits and diuels Orthodoxus The Lord may do whatsoeuer he please that it will be his good pleasure to do this which you dreame of who can certeinly say His pleasure in the one hath beene made apparant vnto vs by often experience for the other we haue neither worde nor promise nor example to my remembrance Exorcistes Yes there is a plaine proofe heereof in the Psalmes where Dauid saith plainly that the Lord powred foorth the fiercenes of his wrath vpon the Egyptians by sending his euill Angels among them Orthodoxus What vnderstand you by the euil Angel there Exorcistes Those spirits and diuels wherewith they were dailie tormented Orthodoxus Consider diligentlie the story concerning the Egyptian plagues and tel me where you find any one diuel afflicting them nay tel me what one plague was among them which was not inflicted vpon them by the message and ministery of Moses and Aaron And therefore you are deepely deceiued in mistaking these words by sending the Angels or messengers of euils Which place Tremellius vnderstands not of spirites and Diuels sent among them but of Moses and Aaron rather whom the Lord sent to the Egyptians as his only Angels that is the only messengers and executioners of all those his euils which were cast vpon Egipt And this sense is in my opinion according to the purpose coherence and scope of the Psalme it selfe Lycanthropus But it is as Exorcistes saith in the vulgar translation Orthodoxus It is true and therefore let it so stand as he saith for euil Angels I meane for spirits and diuels But now tel me withal how much this place doth make for the assuming of bodies by
you now confesse by an vnorderly course of nature which vnorderly course is nothing else in effect but an errour in nature declining from the true matter and forme it selfe in producing her worke Thus then you conclude at vnwares that they were no true serpents indeed by any orderly course of nature but either miracles or monsters in nature preposterouslie produced in an vnorderly course of nature it selfe Howbeit miracles you may at no hand auouch them to be because neither sorcerer not diuell could euer worke miracles And euen in that very point also appeered the difference betweene Moses his serpent and theirs it being supernaturally effected by the miraculous power of God theirs being subtilly exhibited by some craftie legerdemaine betweene them and the diuell Neither yet may you iustly affirme them any monsters in nature For then howsoeuer nature her selfe had failed in producing the worke they should yet haue had in them naturally their true matter and forme of true natural serpents which they neuer had and therefore no monsters at all in nature So then sith those your supposed serpents could not possiblie be true serpents indeed neither by any orderly nor vnorderly course of nature it foloweth consequently that they were not serpents by any naturall necessitie Lycanthropus Then were they such by some supernaturall necessitie Physiologus What meane you by that Lycanthropus My meaning is that they were formed true naturall serpents by some supernaturall and secret worke of the diuell himselfe Physiologus You are groslie deceiued for the diuell neuer had supernaturall power neither could he euer haue formed true naturall serpents by any supernaturall skill whatsoeuer Because a corporall substance such as true serpents are was neuer at any time so much subiected vnder the power of the diuell as that he was absolutely able of himselfe to transpose the said corporall matter to any true naturall forme no surely such an absolute power is onely and altogither reserued to God That the diuell himselfe hath no such supernaturall power I prooue it thus In all such naturall bodies as are compounded of matter and forme neither is the matter by it selfe nor the forme by it selfe but the whole composition is wholie formed togither and therefore the whole is wholâ—e transformed into the whole As for example the whole aire is whollie made fire so soone as the said airs is conuerted to fire Besides that the effect is euermore like to the agent and in that selfesame agent doth effectually preexist at the least And therefore a naturall bodie compounded of true matter and forme cannot possibly be produced but by such an agent as is either it selfe compounded of the selfesame matter and forme or hath otherwaies that whole composition in his owne proper power But a Spirit or Diuel is only a simple forme not hauing in himselfe any material part of such a bodily substance neither hath he at any hand the same in his proper power for the Lord only and he alone hath an absolute abilitie of producing such matter and forme And therefore by any operation of the Diuel there cannot possibly be formed any such a natural bodie as is compounded of true matter and forme no although euery thing in nature continued entire and sound But the essential transforming of a rod into a very true serpent doth implicatiuely include an essential bodie compounded of true matter and forme by a natural production and therefore impossible the same should be truly accomplished by any operation of the Diuel whatsoeuer And so by consequence those your supposed serpents compounded of rods they are in deede and in truth no true serpents at all but sleights of legerdemaine Licanthropus If they were not true serpents in deede why then doth the scripture terme them serpents Physiologus Because howsoeuer no serpents in substance yet being vndoubtedly such in an outward appeerance the scriptures doe purposely terme them according to the acceptation of Phaaroh and all the Egyptians Lycanthropus Yea but how could they possibly be seen such in appeerance not existing at al in a true bodily substance or how could Aaron his rod deuoure them they hauing no essential being at all Physiologus I doe freely confesse there might at that present be seene true serpents in deede but withall I doe flatly denie that the sorcerers rods were essentially transformed to serpents which is the very point it selfe that we argue vpon Those rods I say were not essentially changed into true naturall serpents but onely they seemed such in an outward appeerance Lycanthropus How should there be wrought a transformation in outward appeerance and no change in substance at all Physiologus Yes such an appeerance might easily be performed of Satan by sundry meanes First because notwithstanding the present remoouing of sensible things there might still remaine phantasies and imaginations within the head it may be that the very sensible and earnest beholding of Aaron his rod essentially transformed to a serpent before did by reason of the vndoubtednes take in the beholders so deepe an impression as that thereby only through some locall motion of sensible things remaining in the imaginatiue facultie together with the humours themselues wherein they were seated as in their proper subiect there might still be existing in phantasie a very liuely appeerance of some such bodily substance as was not subsisting in nature at all For much blood descending before into the sensitiue facultie there descends withall many imagined formes whereby there is forthwith procured a very liuely resemblance of some such things as are not existing at all By this meanes therefore there being beforehand procured a commotion of humours as well in the interiour as exteriour senses of all the beholders the Diuel might both inwardly and outwardly also applie certaine apparant formes to the very organons of all the senses euen as effectually as if they had risen only from outward sensible obiects and by such a legerdemaine might cause the sorcerers rods to seeme in appeerance as though they had beene true serpents in deede A notable experiment of such deceiuing of senses may fitly be found forth in a candle of Adders grease which all the while it be burning alone in the night will cause all the russhes strawed in the parlour to seeme as if they were crawling snakes Lycanthropus It is incredible that the external senses of all the beholders should by any such legerdemaine of the Diuel haue beene so grosly deluded Physiologus Why not they as well as the senses of all in the parlour aforesaid Secondly the diuel might not onely delude them thus by some false resemblance of serpents but might giue them withall an appearance of true serpents in deed For howsoeuer a corporall matter is not so freely and so fully subiected to the power of the diuel as that he either may or can possibly transforme the same to some other forme from that which essentially it is of it selfe yet notwithstanding such
man and euery liuing thing with their proper nature substance forme constitution qualities and gifts and directeth their wils faculties and powers accordingly so hath he alotted to spirituall creatures their owne substance and properties seuerall alone to themselues and appointed them their lawes and limits beyond which they cannot possiblie passe the bredth of an haire And therefore as it is absolutely against the ordinance of God that I should flie like a bird or swim like a fish or creepe like a worme or become another creature in forme to that which by nature I am insomuch as if God would giue me leaue I could not possiblie do it for it were flat contrarie to his owne ordinance and decree yea and euen opposite to the naturall constitution of that bodie which he hath created and giuen me so is it vndoubtedly incredible that either a diuell should be essentially transformed into a man or a man substantially turned into a diuell or that either of both should reallie change themselues into any other nature substance forme constitution qualitie or gift then those verie same which they haue by creation yea or that they should possiblie applie those which they haue to any other end or vse then that which God himselfe naturally decreed and directeth them vnto Otherwise either God should be contrarie to himselfe which is farre from him or else those things must needs be supernaturall and so a true miracle in whom soeuer Neither yet is Gods omnipotencie hereby qualified but the diuell his impotencie is rather manifested and more liuely declared Who hath no further power then that which God from the beginning hath appointed vnto him and the same also consonant to his owne nature and substance The diuell I confesse may well be restrained from his naturall faculties power and will but being Gods minister beyond the same he cannot possiblie passe the bredth of a pinne neither yet any other waies or further imploie his endeuour then onely in that verie worke which the Lord from the beginning hath enabled him to do Which is that he being himselfe a spirit may vitiate and corrupt the spirit of man and therein also he is diligent enough howbeit for the doing heereof he cannot substantially alter his forme at all Philologus I haue heard many very confidently affirme that the diuell hath appeared to them in the likenes of a man a cocke a catte or a dogge Orthodoxus Yea but how are those confident affirmers certeinly sure that the man the cocke the catte or the dogge whose likenesse they sawe in appearance was indeed and in truth either spirit or diuell and not rather the Legerdemaine of some coniuring Priest or cousening companion For if a diuell can indeed essentially transforme himselfe into the likenes figure or shape of a man a dogge a catte a mouse or a toade whie can he not also transforme a man a dogge a catte a mouse or a toade into the likenes figure or shape of a diuell sith there is a like reason and possibilitie of both Howbeit we may not beleeue saith Augustine that a mans bodie can by any Arte or power of the diuell be transformed into the lineaments of a beast much lesse into the forme or substance of any infernall diuell Besides that if spirits and diuels may possiblie transforme themselues into an humane bodie then could not Christ his argument propounded to Thomas be currant good where he saith behold my hands and side and put thy finger into my hands and thrust thy hand into my side and be not faithlesse but faithfull All this how truely soeuer deliuered by Christ could neuer in truth haue satisfied Thomas concerning the resurrection of Christ if it be true in deed that diuels can truely transforme themselues into true naturall bodies For Thomas remayning vnsatisfied might boldly haue answered thus oh sir why doe you will me to handle your hands and sides that is no certeine argument to demonstrate vnto me your rising againe from the dead Because spirits and diuels you know they can truely transforme themselues into true naturall bodies and therefore notwithstanding such an experimentall or sensible knowledge you may rather be some transformed spirit or ghost to deceiue me then my Lord and my God which came for to saue me Thus then you see that if these essentiall transformations be concluded for currāt Thomas his incredulity for any thing heard might passe vncontroled Exorcistes Though the diuell cannot alter his forme substantially yet may he change the same in shape or figure I doubt not and such a distinction hath Bodin saying The essentiall forme namely reason it selfe is not changed but onely the outward shape or figure Orthodoxus Bodin he strikes it dead no doubt For here he maketh the diuell a cunning iugler who by casting a miste before mens eies can giue to spirituall substances what outward figure and forme he please Howbeit till Bodin be able to demonstrate truely vnto vs that the diuell may haue power to alter essentially a spirituall substance we will neuer acknowledge any possibilitie of transforming their shape or formes at all Exorcistes Well yet Augustine subscribes to such transformations Orthodoxus He doth I confesse Yea those and other like matters are so common in many of his workes as I am driuen to suspect they were rather cunningly foisted in by some cunning popish coniuring Priest to credit his cosening practises then carefully inserted by Augustine himselfe to set foorth a truth Howsoeuer I say with Cardanus that how many of those transformations Augustine saith he hath seene with his eies so many I am content for the reuerence I owe him to giue credit vnto All the rest I account but Cabalisticall conceits and no better in effect then foolish toies to mocke an Ape Yea and so much the rather because Augustine himselfe affirmeth those transformations to be but phantasticall and that they are not according to the veritie but according onely to their outward appearance Lycanthropus Yet such then according to outward appearance Orthodoxus I alow no such supposed appearances made by diuels because I find no such power giuen them by God in all the scriptures Besides that if we admit that diuels may take onely but formes or shapes vpon them though not the very substance it selfe of a true naturall body yet then also Christ his argument made else where vnto his disciples had not been sound in euery point saying thus handle me and see for a spirit it hath not flesh and bones as you see me to haue Setting downe visibility and palpability as things opposite to the nature of spirits and diuels reducing his disciples in discerning of spirits to the iudgment first of their eies and then next of their hands and arguing thus Spirits can neither be seen nor felt but I may both be seen and felt therefore I am no spirit And then next he reasoneth a disparatis thus A spirit it hath
multitude in the doing of euill nor agree in a controuersie to decline after many in ouerthrowing the truth You also held the reall possession of diuels not long since which now you disclaime and so will you do this other I doubt not before it be long Lycanthropus Verie true as you saie and therefore I lay my hand on my mouth Exorcistes Sir notwithstanding these your cloked insinuations I make no question at all concerning the actual possession of diuels euen now in these daies of the Gospell Orthodoxus Why man The Lord God neuer purposed much lesse hath he openly auouched the perpetuitie thereof in any part of his word therefore the same was onely temporarie and no way perpetuall Exorcistes Yes sir a perpetuall commission for repelling the actuall possession of diuels was vndoutedly giuen by Christ and the same very formally executed also by his owne disciples as appeareth plainely in sundry scriptures Orthodoxus Frame your argument from those places of scripture Exorcistes I frame it thus The commission giuen by Christ for repelling the actuall possession of diuels remaineth perpetuall therefore the actuall possession it selfe remaineth also perpetuall Orthodoxus Prooue in your antecedent the perpetuitie of that commission Exorcistes Why sir there is no one expresse inhibition thereof in all the scriptures Orthodoxus Sith you so resolutely insist vpon the perpetuity of that commission I entend to driue you away from that couert by arguing from the tenour of that selfesame commission against you thus If that commission giuen by Christ for repelling the actuall possession of diuels be vndoutedly perpetuall in these daies of the Gospell then the drinking of deadly poison with warranted safety from all bodely harme is also perpetuall Good sir let vs foorthwith behold I beseech you in your owne person an experimentall demonstration of this one thing first and we wil the rather beleeue you in all the rest Philologus Maister Exorcistes you were much better in my simple conceite to giue ouer this argument quite then be forced thus to demonstrate the truth thereof to the world Exorcistes Not so For the whole contents of that selfesame commission saue onely the expelling of diuels were altogither temporary and no waies perpetuall Orthodoxus Who dare auouch the perpetuitie of that actuall possession of Diuels more then of any the rest Nay who would not much rather account both it and the rest of those the miraculous operations comprised iointly together in one and the selfesame commission to be euerie of them vndoubtedly determined because those temporarie officers whereunto they properly appertained namely Apostles Prophets Euangelists and the seauentie disciples are long since determined Who being euerie of them extraordinarie officers receiued togither with the office it selfe extraordinarie grace and power from aboue to accomplish the same Whereas the ministeriall functions of Pastor and Doctor perpetually remaining to the ende of the world are both of them ordinarie functions and therefore to be ordinarily directed disposed and guided according to the ordinarie Constitutions and Cannons contained in the word Exorcistes Notwithstanding the Pastor and Doctor be in verie deed but ordinarie officers yet I doubt not at all but that some certaine of them as seemeth good to the Lord may also be endued with an extraordinarie power and grace for repelling the actuall possession of diuels Orthodoxus Seeing you stand with such a setled pertinacie in your proper conceit I doe argue against you a fresh on this sort The extraordinarie power of casting out diuels was peculiarly appropriated to Christ himselfe and his owne disciples therefore the said extraordinarie power doth not ordinarily appertaine to any ordinarie ministerie succeeding that primitiue age And if no extraordinarie power for expelling the actuall possession of diuels remayneth perpetuall then neither the actuall possession it selfe remaineth perpetuall Exorcistes But why should that extraordinarie power be peculiarly appropriated to Christ himselfe and his owne disciples Orthodoxus Because the verie maine endes of euerie such extraordinarie and miraculous worke were to be accomplished especiallie and onely by them For first our sauiour Christ being both God and man but yet vtterly vnknowne to the world it was therfore vndoubtedly meete that he especially and only he himselfe by some such extraordinarie and miraculous workes as none other might possiblâ—e do shoulde apparantly make knowne to the worlde the admirable power of his Deitie As also his owne disciples they being extraordinarily and specially appointed to preach and to plant the Gospel of Christ throughout the whole world it was likewise vndoubtedly necessarie that the infallible truth of such heauenly doctrine so extraordinarily deliuered from them should in an especiall regard of the strangenes thereof euen by those their extraordinarie actions also as by the supernaturall seales of the Almightie himselfe be perpetually established to the ende of the world In an onely consideration whereof euen those their peculiar prerogatiues together with an extraordinarie abilitie in preaching the Gospell were especially and onely bestowed on euerie of them as verie plainely appeareth in the authenticall tenour of that selfe-same commission saying Goe preach to all people and tell them the kingdome of heauen is at hand heale the sicke cleanse the leapers raise vp the dead and cast out diuels Now then this the aforesaid coÌ„mission with these peculiar graces powers being thus extraordinarily appropriated to the disciples themselues they proceeded accordingly in an extraordinarie execution therof preached the Gospel euerie where the Lord working together in euerie of them and confirming the word with miracles following Exorcistes Sir howsoeuer you seeme to determine the extraordinarie power for repelling the actuall possession of diuels togither with the Disciples daies yet this I am certeine that Iustinuâ— Martyr Tertulian Cyprian Augustine also and the Councel concluded at Bracha doe all ioyntly affirme that the working of miracles was verie ordinarilie practised in euerie of their times yea and it may plainly be gathered from the Ecclesiasticall histories that the continuance thereof was found in the Church for eight hundred yeeres after Christ at the least Orthodoxus They all write as you say and the Ecclesiasticall histories also auouch the same but what inferre you thereof Exorcistes I inferre from thence the actuall possession of diuels in these daies of the Gospell Orthodoxus I perceiue no such inference thence for this I suppose is your argument Iustinus Martyr Cyprian Tertullian Augustine the Councell of Bracha and Ecclesiasticall histories doe all iointly auouch the continuance of miracles for eight hundred yeeres after Christ at the least therefore the actuall possession also of diuels so long time continued in vse This as it foloweth faire and farre of so surely it makes nothing at all for that actuall possession which you plead for your selfe sixteene hundred yeeres since the comming of Christ. No surely it doth rather conclude a finall determination thereof aboue
should you thus precisely apply this destroying of Satan to the actuall determination also of Satan his temporarie power of actuall possession Orthodoxus Because Christ elsewhere so expounds and applies it himselfe saying thus Goe you and tell Herod that foxe behold I cast out diuels and will heale still to day and to morrow and the third day I shall be perfected or will make an end As if Christ should haue said thus to the Pharisies you goe verie cunningly about to discourage me from doing my dutie by telling me of Herod his threatning my death But know this for a certen that I am so farre off from fearing the threats of that foxe as I would haue you tell him plainely from me that for the whole time I haue yet to liue I will be throughly industrious in doing the busines I haue now in hand especially in driuing out diuels and in curing diseases vntill I haue both fully confirmed the glorie of my Deitie and am come to the verie period it selfe of satan his actuall destruction The which also I am now the more earnestly in hand withal because within these three daies I must euen actually accomplish the same by my determined death And then I shall be perfected or then I will make an end of that busines Which perfecting or ending of Christ may in no wise be vnderstood of Christ his essentiall being because that could not be destroyed by death in as much as he was to be quickened againe by the mightie power of the father in his resurrection from death Neither could it haue reference to the finall determination of his office of mediation for therein he stil liueth and must liue an high priest for euer And therefore it must needs be vnderstood of the actuall accomplishment of that his glorious tryumph ouer satan his actuall possession according to that he saith here behold I cast foorth diuels to day and to morrow and the third day I shall be perfected or I will make a finall ende of that speciall busines Exorcistes But why should you so precisely apply the determination of satan his power of possession to the very period it selfe of Christs death sith after his said death it is very apparant there were dispossessions of diuels by the twelue Apostles and seuenty disciples Orthodoxus There were dispossessions I grant effected by them a time after Christ his death for confirmation of his glorious Gospel but none at all for the declaration of Christs deity no Christ alone did fully determine the dispossessions for that speciall purpose by his owne death and resurrection which to that end was the last miracle for euer as him selfe hath auouched saying An euil and adulterous generation seeketh a signe but no signe shal be giuen vnto it saue the signe of Ionah the prophet For as Ionah was three daies and three nights in the whales belly so shall the sonne of man be three daies and three nights in the hart of the earth Loe here he maketh his death and resurrection the last miracle of all for the glorious manifestation of his actual power ouer satan Exorcistes Whatsoeuer you say or whomsoeuer you produce for the proofe of your purpose the former exposition of the 12 of Iohn is something more then that which hath beene vsually receiued Orthodoxus Wel I doe freely confesse that the spirits of the prophets they are authentically subiected to the censure of the prophets If therefore any thing be reuealed to another let him in the name of God propound the same with pregnant proofes and my selfe will foorthwith be silent In the meane time I conclude from thence as before that seeing our sauiour Christ hath long since determined the extraordinary power of actuall possession therefore none now may possibly reuiue the opinion of any such possession nor yet conscionably auouch the continuance thereof Exorcistes Conclude what you please but I hold as before the actuall possession of diuels Orthodoxus What man will you wilfully oppose your selfe against vnanswerable reasons against authoritie of ancient writers and which more is against the plaine euidence of sacred scriptures Exorcistes If the propounding and persisting in truth be deemed a plaine opposition to that which you hold then for any thing hitherto heard I must constantly dwell in such an opposition for I may doe nothing against the truth but for the truth Orthodoxus You dwell you say in a truth and yet haue you no one colour of truth to vphold your supposed truth For what one probable reason haue you at all that may make you so confident in this your preposterous conceit Exorcistes Why sir what better reason then common experience Orthodoxus Common experience I confesse will carrie a woonderfull sway in any apparant truth Howbeit because this point doth craue some longer discourse then the state of our bodies without some intermission wil be able to endure Let vs therefore goe take the fresh ayre for one hower and then returne to our purpose a fresh Physiologus We like verie well of your motion Orthodoxus Come then arise and let vs depart The end of the sixth Dialogue The seuenth Dialogue THE ARGVMENT Common experience what it is Whether the actuall possession of Spirits and Diuels especially that your supposed possession in the yoongman at Magnitton may be prooued thereby And of the Diuell his power of obsession The speakers names PHILOLOGVS LYCANTHROPVS PNEVMATOMACHVS PHYSIOLOGVS ORTHODOXVS EXORCISTES Orthodoxus NOw surely this fresh aire it hath woonderfully reuiued my spirits and made me as apt to any good action as I was in the morning Oh how highly are we beholding to God for the sanctified vse of so singular a creature Physiologus Sir not onely this one but all the other creatures of God they are comfortable and helpefull vnto vs if we had the grace to vse them aright Orthodoxus Vertue true as you say howbeit this is besides our entended purpose Come on therefore Exorcistes tell vs what one reason you haue for this your confident persisting in so fond a conceite Exorcistes Sir in the verie last speech which passed betweene vs I told you I had common experience not onely to prooue the actuall possession of spirits and diuels but also to approoue of my owne action wrought at Magnitton Orthodoxus What meane you by common experience Exorcistes I do vnderstand thereby such an experimented knowledge concerning these matters in question as hath beene experienced in euerie age of the worlde testified of old and yoong and approoued directly by a generall consent Such an experience I am certeine I haue to confirme me in this my opinion Physiologus Maister Orthodoxus this point more especially respecteth my proper profession and therefore if you thinke it any ease to your selfe do put ouer the prosecution thereof vnto me Orthodoxus With verie good will Physiologus Come on then Exorcistes let vs heare the best argument you haue for this your opinion Exorcistes There can
or by subtracting therefro doe mightily forestall the verie true naturall courses thereof As for example when ouer and besides the orderly parts of nature a man hath two heads two noses and fower hands or but one eie one arme one legge and such like All these with many other such vnnaturall accidents are things directly besides nature whereof sundrie approoued writers especially Hierom himselfe and Nicephorus also haue written at large in their seuerall discourses Now sir you may not and which more is you dare not without blushing affirme that any of your matters at Mahgnitton were indeed and in truth any such monstrous or vnnatural occurrents and therefore from thence you cannot possibly conclude any actuall possession at all Or if notwithstanding you will impudently affirme that those your said matters were vndoubtedly some of them such monstrous occurrents and thereupon inferre an actuall possession it must necessarily follow that either the yoong-man at Mahgnitton was not possessed at all or else that onely the monstrous persons are actually possessed which were a verie absurd and monstrous opinion 3. Briefly the things directly aboue nature are al those matters actions whatsoeuer which beyond their owne natural force and rather in then by the verie things themselues are estsoones effected although yet not by any order and facultie of nature but by an extraordinarie and supernaturall power of God As to make yron swim fire to freese water to burne the dead to returne to life and such like Now sir if you dare flatly affirme that your maters at Mahgnitton were things vndoubtedly of this selfesame kinde then must you not only verie necessarily auouch some supernaturall power in the diuell and yoong-man possessed for the admirable effecting of all those your supposed supernaturall actions but which more is you must verie confidently conclude that such an admirable dispossessing of the yoong-man possest at Mahgnitton was vndoubtedly the miracle of miracles Exorcistes Make of it a miracle a monster or what pleaseth your selfe possessed I am certaine he was Physiologus Possessed you are certaine he was and yet cannot certainly shew in what sort Howbeit hauing hitherto searched foorth soundly the verie nature of the things themselues and finding them in effect to be things neither naturall nor not naturall and so by consequence but meere delusions Let vs notwithstanding imagine them all for such as you say and therefore now here in like manner Lay downe some certaine rule of right iudgement to examine them by Lycanthropus I pray you doe so Physiologus Content The rule of right iudgement is some certaine direction leuell or square whereby is declared vnto vs both what is true and what is false and for which onely respect it is also verie fitly termed the rule of truth Moreouer this selfesame rule of truth is either naturall or supernaturall The naturall rule of truth is that naturall direction which nature herselfe doth truely declare and verie sufficiently affoorde vnto vs. And this selfesame natural rule of truth is also twofold namely either some naturall principles or vniuersall experience The naturall principles are some certeine generall notions or vniuersall directions verie naturally engrafted and knowen vnto men by nature it selfe and which also are so necessarilie so certeinly and so vnchangeablie true as whosoeuer shall dare to call them in doubt he may iustly be termed a mad-man or foole And these naturall principles also are either theoricall or practicall The theoricall principles are all such speculatiue demonstrations as doe certeinly direct and guide the iudgement in a true vnderstanding knowledge of things As for example twise two are fowre Againe there is one onely truth Againe the whole is greater then any part thereof Againe the cause is not after the effect Againe there is one onely naturall motion of a simple bodie and so foorth The practicall principles are such certeine and infallible grounds of truth as do certeinly direct and gouerne the manners of men As for example God is to be serued Men may not be hurt Honest things are to be done Falshood is to be fledde and so foorth Now then this naturall rule I meane these natural principles whether theoricall or practicall they can be no competent Iudges to examine and trie foorth the truth of those your supposed maruels wrought at Mahgnitton First because this selfesame rule being onely but naturall in what kinde soeuer cannot possiblie extend foorth it selfe to the full compasse and reach of those your admirable actions manie of them especially being so absurd as they are so supernaturall and euerie way so impossible in nature Secondly for that manie wise men in the world no lesse wise then your selfe yea and as sufficientlie qualified with those selfesame naturall principles whatsoeuer are of a farre different iudgement to yours and therefore by force of this rule you cannot possiblie put downe vnto vs any such infallible and certeine conclusions as may possiblie perswade an actuall possession And thus much brieflie for that first rule of truth which ariseth onely from meere naturall principles Lycanthropus Shew vs in like sort I beseech you that other infallible rule of truth which proceedeth from vniuersall experience Physiologus With verie good will And because this is that verie loadstone it selfe whereunto Exorcistes attendeth for his special directions in those supernaturall accidents I will therefore first vnfold the thing it selfe and then next discouer the sundrie degrees thereof Pneumatomachus A verie excellent order I praie you proceede Physiologus Content First then for the thing it selfe the same is called in the Hebrew toong Cheker that is a diligent scrutinie inuestigation inuention inquisition or searching out of a thing to the bottome It commeth of the Radicall worde Chakar which signifieth to make diligent inquirie for a thing to the bottome to make a profound inquisition to gage verie deepely into and to search downe to the first fountaine it selfe In the Greeke toong it is called Emporia that is an experience skil specialty or proofe In the Latinâ— toong experientia that is an experiment a due triall a patterne or president And in our English toong we commonly call it a common vse example or practise Now then all these the aforesaid Etymologies so fitly consorting in one as they doe liuely portend at a blush a â—erie admirable and most certeine demonstratiue rule so doe they teach vs withall that vniuersall experience is a perpetuall vse of things wherein al men of sound iudgement howsoeuer seuered by times and places do by due experiments prooue and knowe that they haue euermore receiued one and the selfesame thing after one and the selfesame maner And that therefore it is called a catholike or common experience As for example Fire is hot life is one thing and death is another wine and pepper haue an inflaming facultie snowe is white the heauens are mooued circulerly and so foorth Lycanthropus Let this suffice for the thing
power of the word being preached powerfully among them And this also either by working effectually vpon the hearers infirmities namely vpon their naturall blindnes dumbenes deafenes as also by making their eares without hearing or otherwaies by practizing all possible resistance against the powerfull preaching and preachers themselues Howbeit this his resistance against the power of the word and preachers thereof is not alwaies effected after one and the selfesame manner For sometimes he vseth an inward and sometimes an outward resistance By inward resistance he laboureth chiefely either to make the holy word it selfe vnfit for mens mindes and this sometimes by stealing the word from out of their harts sometimes by corrupting the puritie of the word it selfe through a confused mixture of his cockell and darnell sometimes by peruerting the true purpose and sense of the Scripture it selfe and sometimes also by calling in question the certaintie and truth of the word Or if notwithstanding these the aforesaid meanes he cannot possibly make the holy word vnfit for mens mindes then he taketh a quite contrarie course and endeuoureth to make mens mindes at least vnfit for the word And this partly by entring effectually into their harts and so filling them full of all iniquitie partly by circumuenting their harts so violently as no preaching at all may poâ—â—ibly penetrate or pearce thorough the same partly by prophaning their harts with the filthie pollutions of profits and pleasures and partly also by insnaring and captiuating their harts so powerfully as they may not possibly be brought to acknowledge the truth And this in effect for his inward resistance His outward resistance against the power of the word and preachers thereof is partly by faire meanes and partly by foule meanes By faire meanes first And this especially by making some outward faire shew concerning the holy religion professed or otherwaies by fawning vpon the professors themselues with an holy pretence of wishing their good By fowle meanes also he withstands the power of the word and preachers thereof And this especially either by sifting and winnowing the professours thereof as was shewed before or by entangling and intrapping them by some manner of meanes or by a Iudas-like and trecherous betraying of their persons states or by procuring fiery trials persecutions and troubles against them or by committing the professours themselues vnto prison or lastly by an outragious tortoring racking tormenting and killing of their bodies outright Loe these in effect are the most principall meanes whereby Satan effecteth his power of obsession without any actuall possession at all Exorcistes Good sir I beseech you beware what you doe And so much the rather because this your absolute deniall of actuall possessions will open a wide doore vnto Atheisme and loozen the reines of our vnruly affections to an irreligious licentious and dissolute carriage For let men but once heare they are free from all bodily danger of diuels and what will they not foorthwith aduenture Orthodoxus Nay rather this your obstinate auouching of actuall possession it the verie high way vnto Atheisme to an irreligious behauiour and all carnall securitie For by making men verie idlely to gaze as they do at an imagined actuall possession of diuels when no such matter in deed and in truth may soundly be prooued what doe you else in effect but lull the whole world fast a sleepe in the cradell of carnall securitie Yea and which more is by this meanes you make men forgetfull and carelesse of Satan his pernicious power of obsession wherein lieth couertly enfolded a very pestilent poyson and most deadly confection for bodie and soule Neither may you more fitly pleasure the diuell nor more fully make him beholding vnto you in any thing else then in vpholding for him as you do a falslie imagined actuall possession For by this meanes the mysterie of iniquitie doth more freely and more forciblie worke in the mindes of men and the diuell may more easily seduce their soules at vnwares by vsing at his pleasure the power which he hath while the whole worlde at their pleasure so improuidently and so carelesly stand musing vpon an imagned power which he hath not indeed And herein the subtile dealing of Satan is nothing inferiour to the craftie bird-catcher who while the silie poore birdes sit prying at and playing with the whirligig or staling before them doth cunningly clap them vp at vnawares in his net and nippes them all dead in the head Howbeit that which is spoken may fully suffice I perceiue for a caueat herein you your selfe being thus driuen as you are into a maruelous maze concerning the matters in question For these your idle vagaries and often startings aside from the purpose propounded do import a woonderfull defect in your skill or implie a maruelous distrust in your cause at the least Exorcistes Nothing lesse I assure you For I am resolute as before in the actuall possession of diuels which may yet more effectually be prooued thus I draue out the diuell from the yoongman at Mahgnitton and therefore the yoongman no doubt was actually possessed before Orthodoxus And I disprooue it effectually thus The yoongman at Maghnitton was neuer actually possessed of satan and therefore you did not nor could not possibly driue foorth the diuell from him For how is it possible you should dispossesse the diuell of that partie whom indeed in truth he neuer possessed Howbeit this question fals foorth verie fitly for another discourse wherein shall be purposely put downe the verie true meanes for subduing the power of diuels Notwithstanding the time now is farre spent and our Supper doth stay on our comming therefore Let vs goe and refresh our selues with such repast as God sends and afterwards conferre of the point for an hower or twaine if you please Otherwaies I must put ouer the perfecting of our present discourse till some other appointed season because the next day if God will I must sequester my selfe to some other more priuate meditations for the Saboth daies exercise Lycanthropus And we also our selues must returne homewards to morrow vpon vrgent occasion Howbeit we are all verie loth to leaue the matter so raw as it is and therefore if it please Exorcistes and the rest of the companie we will rather loose an howers sleepe or two then goe home vnresolued herein Exorcistes I am for mine owne part verie willing thereto and so much I dare say for the rest Orthodoxus Let vs then arise and depart The end of the seuenth Dialogue The eight Dialogue THE ARGVMENT Of the vndoubted true force for the timely subduing of this the forenamed power of the Diuell Whether anie created meanes may therein preuaile yea and whether praier and fasting haue in them selues any power to effect such a worke The speakers names PHILOLOGVS LYCANTHROPVS PNEVMATOMACHVS
catholike faith doe iointly auouch that spirits and diuels are of an Angelical nature and that howsoeuer by malice corrupted their naturall faculties doe still remaine absolute in them we may consequently conclude that therefore no sensible matter or corporall vertue is able of it selfe directly or indirectly to effect in them any such action they beeing properly of a spirituall substance So that the diuels themselues they cannot by any such created or corporall meanes be compelled to any thing much lesse may they be violently expelled from their actuall possessions in men Although yet I dare not deny but that by a diuine and supernaturall power whether immediate or mediate they may be dispossessed or driuen from their hold Exorcistes But the very text it selfe doth plainely auouch that when Dauid did play on his harpe the euill spirit of the Lord departed from Saul Physiologus My answere is this It is generally doubted and our selues do flatly deny that Saul was euer essentially possest with either spirit or diuel Howbeit because you labour with tooth and naile to prooue the dispossessing of Demoniakes by an onely created or meere naturall meanes and thereupon also would threape vpon vs a supposed essentiall possession in Saul go to let it for arguments sake be granted which will neuer be prooued that Saul in deed was so possest as your selfe do happely imagine what then infer you thereof Exorcistes I infer from thence his vndoubted dispossession and that also by the onely bare meanes of a melodious instrument For Dauid but plaid with his harpe and the euil spirit of the Lord departed from Saul Physiologus Howsoeuer your selfe may conceiue of the matter it is doubted of some whether the euil spirit did euer depart from Saul neither is any man bound to beleeue the same as a certeine truth For this is vndoubtedly true that a man may be alwaies actually possessed and yet not alwaies apprehend the violent or actuall outrage of satan Besides that if Saul had been dispossessed in deed yet that selfesame dispossession was effected neither by the inherent holinesse of Dauid himselfe nor by any supposed helpe of his harpe For a meere created nature it hath of it selfe no possible power to expel the possession of spirits or diuels as was shewed before no that is onely an extraordinary and supernaturall work of the Lord. Exorcistes Yea but the text it telleth vs plainely that when Dauid once handled his harpe the euil spirit of the Lord departed from Saul Physiologus That is the euill spirit he shewed not his outragious force as before in Saul Vnderstanding thereby that the torments of Saul through the melodious sound of Dauids harpe they might for the time be something abated though the euill spirit it selfe if any such there was not vtterly expelled from Saul himselfe and thus much also affirmeth the text Namely that when Dauid did handle his harpe king Saul was refreshed or eased Yea and the seruants also of Saul they accordingly aduised him a little before to procure to himselfe some excellent harper that when the euill spirit should vexe him the said harper might play with his harpe And wherefore I pray you to expell the diuell nay but to ease the king for the present Exorcistes How should the king be eased at all and the spirit not expelled out of his bodie Physiologus Verie well I assure you For this we may boldly auouch namely that by meanes of a melodious sound or some other like sensible matter such as are actually afflicted of Satan they may haue their afflictions for some season abated notwithstanding the actuall possession of Satan it selfe be not vtterly expelled and this also in a double respect First because the action of all actiues are euermore actuall in a predisposed patient in such a subiect I meane as is proportionably appliable and fitted before to the orderly apprehension of those selfesame intended actions For spirits or diuels they cannot essentially alter any one qualitie in a corporal matter when and so oft as it pleaseth themselues they onely may effect some such kinde of thing by meanes of some corporall actiues And for that selfe-same consideration when they would afflict any man with their actuall torments they doe eftsoones respect the naturall disposition of some corporal matter whereupon they may worke their intended effects Knowing this by experience that in euerie such matter as naturally hath in it the selfesame naturall qualities a transmutation of qualities may more easily be effected by much And hereof also it is that certaine Lunatike persons are eftsoones verie strangely and diuersly afflicted at some one time more then another according to the variable disposition of the Moone it selfe as was shewed before Because the Moone being predominant ouer all moist bodies and the braine also of man it being naturally more moist then any part else the said braine is therefore more apt at one time to receiue the actions of Satan then it is at another according to the variable dispositions of the Moone it selfe being then more effectuall in them â—uen as also we see by dayly experience that all shel-fish in the seas they are at the increase of the Moone verie full and eftsoones againe by the onely decrease thereof they become verie emptie So surely the diuell he obserueth those selfesame seasons wherein the bodies of men being weake are more subiect to sicknesses and abuseth those times to his pestilent purposes And therefore euen as by the onely obseruation of meere naturall causes the diuell he may aggrauate his actuall torments in men so surely on the other side by the onely bare meanes of a melodious harmonie or some other such sensible matter there may be procured in the bodies of men such an apt disposition as is lesse subiect by much to those the operations of Satan And so by consequence those sefesame afflictions or torments which were actually inflicted vpon them by Satan they may verie well be abated or lessened notwithstanding the diuell his actuall possession be not vtterly expelled Lycanthropus In what respect else may their said torments be abated Physiologus Secondly this said mitigation of satan his actuall torments inflicted on men it may very easily be effected also if we but consider aright as we ought that to the actuall afflicting of any there is required in the patient an apt apprehension of the intended affliction For euen as delectation or pleasure is none other thing els but the coniunction of some conuenient actiue to some conuenient passiue with an apt apprehension of the present delight in so much as where there is no such apprehension there is no delectation so surely in affliction or heauinesse which is the coniunction of some conuenient actiue to some conuenient passiue there must needs be an apt apprehension of the obiected affliction otherwise where such apprehension is wanting there the affliction is
faith is most generall and reacheth euen to the reprobates in so much as satan also himselfe is thought to enioy it according to that of Iames. Thou beleeuest there is one God thou dost well the diuels also they beleeue and tremble The second kind of faith is onely that sauing faith of the Adopted sonnes by which they are firmely incorporate saued in Christ. Of this faith the Euangelist speaketh not heere neither yet can they that haue this sauing faith effect any miracles by vertue thereof The third kinde of faith is onely a particular faith in some certaine speciall persons and the same not alwaies in force but hath her speciall times and peculiar reasons annexed vnto her This kinde of faith may fitly be called a particular or singular faith it being the singular gift of the holy Ghost and hauing from thence her singular directions as the Apostle declareth saying to another is giuen faith by the same spirit The which without doubt must in no wise be vnderstood of the iustifying faith because this being peculiar to some one or a fewe the iustifying faith it belongeth indifferently to all the elect This miraculous faith it saueth none nor changeth the minde neither is any man bettered thereby the woorth of one haire Yea and it is also eftsoones bestowed vpon manie reprobate persons who will say vnto Christ in the general iudgement Lord Lord haue we not by thy name prophesied and by thy name cast out diuels and by thy name done manie great workes to whom he will answer I neuer knew you depart from me yee workers of iniquitie Againe saith the Apostle If I had al faith so as I could remooue mountaines and haue no loue I am euen as nothing Of this faith our Sauiour speaketh in the place you alleage saying If you had faith so much as is a graine of mustard seede and should say to this mountaine remooue hence to yonder place it should foorthwith obey you By all these testimonies it is very apparant that Christ in that parcell of Scripture which you produce for your purpose speaketh nothing at all of the iustifying faith in Iesus Christ. Exorcistes Howsoeuer your selfe doe conclude and those your contestes may seeme to confirme those tokens which Christ puts downe in that place they are I am sure the essentiall signes or effects of a iustifying faith Orthodoxus Although by reason of a selfe conceit the iudgement of learned diuines be vnable to ouersway your setled partinacie concerning this point yet let the absurditie of your owne speech enforce you at the least to forsake such a palpable errour for shame For if the tokens put downe in that place be indeed and in truth the essentiall and ordinarie effects of a true iustifying faith as you would beare vs highly in hand then surely this palpable absurditie must necessarily ensue so absurd an assertion Namely that either there are none now in these daies of the Gospell who may truely be said to be iustified or that now at the least we haue the true iustifying faith in another edition quite differing from that which was then in the primitiue Church For verie certeine I am that no Christians now how holie soeuer are able by the onely efficacie of their iustifying faith to driue out a spirit or diuell in any possessed howsoeuer your selfe durst so boldly I will not say blindly aduenture vpon such a woonderfull worke Exorcistes Sir you doe ouer grosly abuse me with girding quippes I would you knew it I did not blindlie vndertake that admirable enterprice as your selfe doth bluntly imagine Orthodoxus My imaginations herein are nothing so blunt as the bluntnes of your cause doth require For if the vndertaking of such an admirable enterprise without some apparant directions and warrant from the word be but a walking in darkenes yea a verie desperate and a blinde rushing vpon the worke it selfe then I hope I do not grosly abuse you with girding quippes because it is lawfull to call darkenes darkenes But your selfe did vndertake that admirable enterprise without any apparant directions or warrant at all from the worde as hath beene sufficiently declared and therefore you rushed but blindly vpon that woonderfull worke So then the premisses you see being dulie considered you are now enforced perforce to confesse that either you draue foorth no diuell at all from the yoongman at Mahgnitton or that else you draue him foorth at the least by the onely meanes of a miraculous faith Howbeit the miraculous faith you may at no hand auouch in that action because you disclaimed the same but euen now as a thing ceased long since Exorcistes Not so I onely affirmed that the miraculous faith it was thought of some to be ceased long since but told you not what opinion I hold my owne selfe concerning that matter Orthodoxus Are you opinionate then concerning this point Let vs heare I beseech you your proper opinion and tell vs without anie doubling whether you hold for certeine that the miraculous faith is yet still continued in these daies of the Gospell Exorcistes If I auouch the continuance thereof it is no heresie I hope Orthodoxus A man by the course of your speech may giue a shroud gesse concerning the length of your foote Howbeit the night is farre spent and I am ouer wearie to hold out the controuersie without a breathing fitte at the least Let vs therefore breake off for a little short space and then set vpon it afresh For I am vnwilling to giue ouer the conference now before the matters be brought to some better perfection Lycanthropus Gods name be blessed for your Christian care in doing vs good and we willingly yeeld to your motion Orthodoxus Arise then let vs go walke a turne or two in my parlour Philologus We attend on your person The end of the ninth Dialogue The tenth Dialogue THE ARGVMENT Whether a miraculous faith apprehending the power of God for the powerfull expelling of Diuels be yet still continued What a true miracle is And whether the working of miracles be now fully determined in the Churches of Christ The speakers names PHILOLOGVS LYCANTHROPVS PNEVMATOMACHVS PHYSIOLOGVS ORTHODOXVS EXORCISTES Orthodoxus A Pennie-woorth of ease I perceiue is woorth a pennie Oh how this little recreation hath reuiued my wearied spirits Do not you also verie sensiblie perceiue the self-same effect in your selues Physiologus Yes sir blessed be God for the same For my owne part I feele my selfe as liuely in bodie as sharpe in conceit yea and as fit for the conference as I was at the first beginning Lycanthropus The same I dare say for my selfe and the rest Orthodoxus Let vs then go roundly to worke Come on Exorcistes tell vs in good sadnes doe you hold it for certaine that the miraculous faith is yet still continued in these daies of the Gospell Exorcistes What reason haue you to imagine the contrarie Orthodoxus What reason I will giue
you one reason for this once in stead of a thousand thus The working of miracles is ceased long since and therefore also the miraculous faith Exorcistes Why sir to remooue the diuell by prayer and fasting is no miracle at all Physiologus Maister Orthodoxus doe rest you a little and let me argue this point Come on Exorcistes and answere directly Is the driuing out of diuels by prayer and fasting no miracle I pray you Exorcistes It is no miracle at all Physiologus Well then I perceiue we are of necessitie enforced to declare plainely vnto you first what a miracle is with the sundrie kinds of miracles and then next we will exactly consider of your action at Mahgnitton to see whether the same pretended to be done by your selfe as it was may truely be termed a miracle in any respect Lycanthropus I pray you proceed in your purposed course Physiologus With very good will Wherein first for the word miracle it selfe we haue to consider that that thing which we commonly account a miracle is named of the Hebrewes niphlah I meane a most admirable or a merueilous matter Or rather niphlath if you will that is a woonder quite hid from our eies And therefore all those obscure and admirable matters which do highly surmount the reach of our reason they are commonly called niphlaoth that is very strange and admirable actions Or rather miphleoth I meane such hidden and such secrete occurrents as cannot possibly be conceiued by the narrow compasse of our common and naturall sense They do fitly proceed from the radicall word palah or niplah which is as much to say as to be vailed obscured quite hidden difficult and very highly surmounting the shallow reach of our reason Because euery miraculous action is alwaies some such kind of matter as is ouer much vailed obscured hidden and difficult beyond our common capacity yea and such an vnwonted occurrent as seemeth most admirable and very hard in our present apprehension In like manner the Gretians they entitle it thauma that is a merueile or woonder And it commeth of the verbe thaumazo which signifieth to admire to merueile or woonder The latines they call it miraculum quasi occuli mirum the woonder of the eie for that it seemeth a merueile in euery mans eies and therefore they do oftentimes expound it a prodigious a monstrous or an admirable matter for that the Lord by such an vmvoonted meanes doth extraordinarily foreshew some admirable accident quite contrary to the accustomed order of nature her selfe So then by all the premisses it is verie apparant what a miracle is Namely it is by the extraordinary working power of the Lord some such vnaccustomed action as verie highly surmounteth the whole faculty of euerie created nature and is therefore thus admirablie effected to the end it might the rather affect the beholders with an admiration thereof might the more certeinly confirme their faith in the truth of the worde In this definition we may easily discerne all the essentiall causes of myracles For first the efficient cause of euerie such admirable action is an extraordinarie working power of the Lord. The materiall cause are all those admirable actions themselues The formall cause is the vnaccustomed maner of effecting those actions The finall cause is partly to affect the beholders with some serious admiration concerning the omnipotent power and wisedome of God and partly to confirme their faith in the truth of the worde By all which you may plainely perceiue what a miracle is Lycanthropus Verie true but what be the sundrie kindes of miracles Physiologus They are those variable and differing sorts of admirable actions which both may be and are diuersly discerned according to their diuers and sundrie conditions And these sundrie sorts of miracles are twofold namely either true or false miracles Philologus Which are the true miracles Physiologus They are al those admirable actions whatsoeuer which both for their matter and forme are rightly and truely effected and which also are wholie directed to their certeine determined endes namely the glorie of God and credit of his glorious Gospell And such are all those admirable actions how sielie soeuer in shew which were miraculously accomplished either immediately by the Lord alone or mediately at least by his extraordinarie ministers Pneumatomachus Which are the false miracles Physiologus They are all those admirable matters in shew which either are not in deed and in truth the selfesame thing they seeme to portend or which else are effected not by any supernaturall power surmounting the reach of our reason but by some such naturall facultie of nature herselfe as is hidden and secret from the present apprehension of those that behold the same Yea and which also are eftsoones directed to some such specialpurpose or sinister end as is directly opposite to the glorie of God and the truth of the Gospell These later sorts of miraculous actions how admirable soeuer in sensible appearance they may without any extraordinarie helpe of the Lord be easily effected by Angels by diuets and expert persons euen onely thorough some hidden facultie of nature her selfe three manner of waies 1. For first verie certaine it is that Angels diuels and men expert in naturall philosophie hauing a deepe insight into the hidden secrets of nature and being thoroughly experienced in the powers thereof they may and can easily apply those saide natural powers to some such perexisting matter as hath in it selfe a naturall disposition to euerie such action entended For from the naturall coniunction of some such perexisting matter with some proffered efficients there will euen naturally succeed some such vndoubted effects as the partie procuring such naturall coniunction propounded before Yea and those also vpon the sudden and beyond the expectation of all the beholders therof which doth eftsoones enforce them to admire at such rare and vnwoonted euents For the diuell himselfe as also those experienced persons in natures secrets they doe verie well know that frogs wormes yea and also some serpents are easily engendred of some putrified matter perexisting in nature especially if there be added to euerie such putrified matter and of heat by such certaine degrees as is correspondent thereto Now then this the foresaid conioyning of putrified matter an actiue heat together being not verie difficult for diuels and for cogging companions to effect if they please they therefore eftsoones doe attempt the timely effecting thereof and all to circumuent and deceiue the beholders themselues Euen as did Iannes and Iambres the Egyptian sorcerers if Augustines iudgement be adiudged Canonicall 2 Secondly the diuell himselfe and so many besides as haue any insight at all into the secrets of nature they doe very well know that some sodaine commotion of the naturall spirits of bloud and of humours do mightily disturbe and distemper the bodies of men Insomuch as the imaginations the
withstand the creator and Lord of nature Come on therefore Exorcistes let vs goe strictly to worke Either you wrought no woonder at all or you wrought a wonder at least in the yoongman at Mahgnitton If no woonder at all then did you grossely delude the world by making them to stand gazing and woondring so long at a matter of nothing On the other side if you wrought a woonder at least then was the same either a false or true woonder If onely a false woonder then you effected the same either as a false Christ to draw sillie soules into a falsely conceited holines concerning your person or as a minister of Antichrist to establish vnderhand some pretended deuise of your owne besides the authoritie of Christ. Howbeit if that which you wrought at Mahgnitton was in deed and in truth a true woonder such I meane as the Scriptures doe vnderstand by signes and woonders then surely whether the same was effected by meanes or without meanes it was an vndoubted true miracle And therefore you are now perforce constrained to confesse that either you did nothing at all but iuggle with men in that your pretended action or must flatly acknowledge that you wrought a true miracle Because the expelling of spirits and diuels whether with meanes or without meanes is no lesse admirable now then it was in the primitiue Church Exorcistes Nay sir the miraculous curing of feuers palsies leprosies and other diseases by Christ his Apostles in those daies gaue credit to the Gospell but if God by prayer and fasting should heale the falling sicknes or phrensie or should graunt raine drought victorie or such like requests were this a miracle Physiologus If I should but imagine the contrarie men might verie well thinke I were not well in my wittes for what hath prayer in it selfe for the orderly effecting of any such action without the extraordinary working power of the Lord which was euer reputed miraculous Howbeit a miracle you may neuer auouch it to be both because you disclaimed the same before and for that the working of miracles is ceased long since Exorcistes Howsoeuer you vrge the ceasing of miracles there is no determination thereof in the holy scripture Physiologus Why man the two maine causes of working miracles namely the testification of Christ his Deitie and the confirmation of the Gospell are long since determined by the sacred scriptures and therefore the working of miracles are thereby also determined The first it was vndoubtedly determined by Christ himselfe where he saith that the euill and adulterous generation require a signe Howbeit no signe shall be giuen them but the signe of Ionah the Prophet For as Ionah was three daies and three nights in the Whales belly so shall the sonne of man be three daies and three nights in the hart of the earth Christ there declareth vnto vs that his death and resurrection should be the last signe wherewith he would testifie to the world the truth of his Deitie The other I meane the confirmation of the Gospell it also was long since determined by the spirit of God in the sacred scriptures as may verie plainely appeare by conferring the sixeteene of Marke with the second to the Hebrewes For first in the sixeteene of Marke he speaketh of a power from the Lord for confirming the word with miracles following Putting downe in that place the confirmation of the Gospell in the present time saying thus The Lord Bebaiountos that is confirming the word as if the said confirmation had euen then beene in working Howbeit in the second to the hebrewes he speakes thereof as in the preter time telling vs plaine the Gospel was ebebaioothei that is confirmed vnto vs. Declaring thereby that the confirmation of the Gospel by miracles was then so fully accomplished and so finally determined as now to let slip the certeinty of that truth which they had heard before for want of a further confirmation thereof by miracles they could not possibly escape the iust recompence of such a preposterous negligence By the premisses then you may plainely perceiue that those two maine ends of miraculous actions being long since determined the working of miracles was euen then also determined And therefore although you had wrought a true miracle at Mahgnitton in deede yet had the same beene merely superfluous Exorcistes This I suppose is your argument The Gospel it was fully and finally confirmed before by miracles therefore the further confirmation thereof by miracles now is meerelie superfluous Physiologus It is euen the very same Exorcistes Then the sequel I suppose is vnsound For why may there not be as much neede of such a miraculous confirmation in these daies of atheisme as euer before Sure we are that the scripture the deity and al religion is by some among vs no lesse called in question now then it was in any the former ages as the ecclesiasticall courts can testifie and daily experience approoueth vnto vs. Physiologus This your irreligious insinuation concerning some supposed necessity of miracles now in these daies of the Gospel as it doth very blasphemously derogate from the absolute wisedome of God in not foreseeing as it ought the future necessity of miraculous actions in euery age so doth it dangerously vndermine the certeinety of that sauing faith which was onely confirmed vnto vs by former miracles For that faith could neuer be fully nor finally confirmed before if any future necessity of confirming the same afresh be eftsoones admitted euen as that princes broade seale may at no hand he accounted authentically currant which needeth eftsoones to be iterated or imprinted afresh Besides that this pestiferous insinuation of yours it doth open a wide gap to all manner of iuggling knaueries and crafty legerdemaines For if vpon euery such insinuation the working of miracles be once freely permitted then euery cogging companion vnder an holy pretence of miracles may foist into the church at his pleasure whatsoeuer best pleaseth his phantasie and so the certeine truth of our hoped saluation should neuer be certeine vnto vs. And therefore tel me plainely I pray you whether you hold the continuance of miracles in these daies of the Gospel Exorcistes Whether I hold or not hold the continuance thereof it makes no great matter because that article in this action is not to be controuersed at all Physiologus If not in this then in no one action whatsoeuer Howbeit because you are very loath I perceiue to acknowledge that truth which you must needes be enforced at length either openly to confesse or else vtterly to disclaime your admirable action wrought at Mahgnitton let me here what one apparant reason or end you are able to propound for the continuance of miracles in these daies of the Gospel Exorcistes Alas sir an vrgent necessity in these daies of atheisme requireth the same Physiologus Oh then I perceiue your iudgment concerning
respect either of the Churches primitiue the Churches I meane more immediately succeeding the Apostles themselues or in the Churches successiue at the least And heere we handled at large the continuance and compasse of that Ecclesiasticall power declaring plainely vnto you that this selfesame Ecclesiasticall power howsoeuer most egerly attempted and apishly imitated of some in euerie age it consisted not in anie created or meere naturall meanes whatsoeuer neither yet in the onely bare practise of praier and fasting as was sufficientlie shewed by force of reason authoritie of writers and the apparant euidence of canonicall Scriptures And this also in effect was the summe of our eight conference Exorcistes You haue very faithfully abstracted the same Orthodoxus Then next for the practise of praier and fasting we prooued directly vnto you that the same was neuer put downe by Christ as any ordinarie perpetuall meanes for the powerfull expelling of diuels That if any such power shoulde effectually proceed from the practise thereof The same must needs be either a vocall or a personall power at the least The vocall power we reiected as too too 〈…〉 The personal power we tolde you it must more especially proceede from either the partie who praieth or the partie that is praied vnto The partie that praieth we told you he hath no such personall power howsoeuer you laboured to support that opinion from a personal power in Christ. The partie that is praied vnto namely the Lord although he vndoubtedly hath such an absolute supernaturall power as is able foorthwith to effect such a worke yet the participating therewith must needs be effected by the timely apprehension either of a iustifying or miraculous faith The apprehension of that power by the meanes of a iustifying faith we flatly denied it being an opinion too too preposterous as we shewed you by reasons by writers by the canonical scriptures And this in effect was the summe of our ninth conference Exorcistes It were too to absurd for my selfe to denie it Orthodoxus Then next for the effectuall apprehending of that selfe-same supernaturall power of God by the onely meanes of a miraculous faith that apprehension also we flatly refuted Telling you first what true miracles are And declaring withall that this your supposed action wrought at Mahgnitton if it were in such sort effected as you beare vs in hand then surely howsoeuer you would cunningly suppresse the appearance thereof by your new coyned distinction of mirandum and miraculum the same vndoubtedly it was a true miracle And that therefore either you must vtterly disclaime the whole action it selfe as a meere sophisticall practize of some or acknowledge at least that you effected a miracle Which we told you you might in no wise auouch because the working of miracles was long since determined All which we prooued directly by the verie sway of argument by a grand-Iurie of ancient fathers and by the vnmeasurable true euidence of the canonicall scriptures And this in effect was the verie true summe as I take it not only of our tenth conference but of all these our dialogical discourses Tell vs therefore directly your answere vnto them Exorcistes My answere in few words is this I cannot gainesay the vndoubted truth of any your summarie abridgements of these Dialogicall discourses Orthodoxus Seeing then you haue hitherto heard that the word possession is not any where to be found respecting this Question in all the Canonicall scriptures Seeing albeit such possession of spirits and diuels should be admitted in an onely metaphoricall meaning yet there was neuer any reall but onely an actuall possession seeing such actuall possession was onely but temporarie for some speciall respects and long since euen actually also determined by Christ seeing moreouer that the dispossessing of spirits and Diuels whatsoeuer and by whomsoeuer attempted was euermore effected by an extraordinarie power of the Lord either immediately or mediately Seeing the mediate power was onely peculiar and peculiarly applied by some speciall persons for speciall respects seeing that power is now finally restrayned from men because those the former respects are fully accomplished seeing also the working of miracles is ceased long since briefly seeing the improbable affirmation of any thing opposite to any the precedent points is not onely absurd in Philosophie but also vnsound in Diuinitie as hath beene declared at large we doubt not but that the truth of the premisses breaking foorth now as it doth like the Sunne in his strength the same will now be so pretious in your eies and so far forth preuaile with your iudgement at least as that in an holy approbation thereof you will willingly submit and subscribe to the same Exorcistes Nay sir howsoeuer I doe happily iumpe with your selfe in the soundnes of iudgements concerning the sound truth of euerie thing handled before yet may I by no meanes submit to your motion for many respects Orthodoxus What man doe neuer say so for shame Shall any respects how substantiall soeuer in outward appearance so much ouerswaie your enlightened iudgement as that they should foorthwith enforce your vnruly affections against your owne conscience against the common consent of writers yea and which more is against an apparant truth God forbid that so grosse a corruption should euer discouer it selfe But goe to lay open vnto vs those selfesame respects Exorcistes First by such a submission I should be discredited much be deemed too to inconstant yea accounted but a cowardly dastard in now growing wearie vnder that selfesame crosse which I haue hitherto so confidently and so couragiously endured Orthodoxus Oh now I perceiue what hath hitherto with held you from submitting your selfe to authority namely the paltry respect of your worldly estimation But goe to let vs soundly examine the seueral points of this your primary respect First therefore concerning your supposed discredit by such an holy submission doe know this I beseech you and beleeue it for certeine that it is vndoubtedly a good Christians praise before God and his church to cease to do euil and to learne to do well and which more is to submit him selfe his senses his reason his wil and all his affections to a sounder dexteritie in all things and to bee onelie constant in that which is good As for valour and courage we must hold this for infallible truth namely that onely in good matters it is good to be feruent and zealous whether the Apostle I meane any of the godly be present or absent Yea and to be highly ashamed of the ignorance of your owne soule but not ashamed at all to submitte to the truth As for constancy vnder the crosse consider I pray you whether that which you suffer be the true crosse of Christ or a iust scourge for your sinnes There were three you know on the crosse at once the first a sauiour the second to be saued the third to be damned All these they endured the selfesame paine but did not all vndergoe