nay it is most certaine if they be not renewed by faith and repentance they shall fall both the sorts of them into the pit of euerlasting destruction By all this it is plaine that if we transgresse the commaundements of God in committing of any sinne it is not ignorance that shall excuse For then would not the Lord haue commanded sacrifice to be offered for the same as he doth in the 4. cap. of Leuit. ver 2 and 3. in these words Speake vnto the children of Israel saying if any shall sinne through ignorance in any of the commandements of the Lord which ought not to be done but shall doe contrary to any of them If the priest that is annointed doe sinne according to the sinne of the people then shall he offer for his sinne which he hath sinned a young bullocke without blemish vnto the Lord for a sinne offering The which law is repeated also in the Epistle to the Heb. cap. 9. vers 7. And the prophet Abacuck maketh a solemne prayer for ignorances in the 3. cap. of his prophesie Furthermore the same is manifest in the whole course of the scriptures by the punishment that hath beene laid vpon such like offenders as we may perceiue by the 17. cap. of the second booke of the King where when the Lord had cast out the ten tribes of Israell with their king out of their owne country for their wicked abominations that Shalmaneser had caried them away captiue with him he sent other of his own natiue people to supply their roome in ludea who because they were Gentiles and had not beene brought vp in true religion therefore it is said in the 25 and 26. verses of the same chapter That at the beginning of their dwelling there they feared not the Lord therefore the Lord sent lyons among them which slew them wherefore they came to the king of Ashur saying the nations which thou hast remooued and placed in the cities of Samaria know not the manner of the God of the land whereupon the king commaunded to send vnto them a priest of the Israelites to instruct them as it followeth in the next vers of the same chapter And in the prophet Esa. cap. 5. vers 13. the Lord hath these words Therefore my people goeth into captiuity because they haue no knowledge Out of which two places we may note that the Lord doth not onely not hold guiltles those offendours which haue the greatest meanes of knowledge in religion as were the Israelites in times past as it appeareth by the 13. cap. of the Epistle to the Rom. where it is said by Saint Paul that to them were committed the oracles of God euen as the Gospel of Christ Iesus is now vnto vs Gentiles but also doth punish those to whome it is not graunted to haue such oportunity to learne And truely no maruaile For if we account it lawfull for an earthly prince to punish those whosoeuer which doe dwell within his dominion if they offend against his lawes being once set forth though they doe it of ignorance why should not the king of kings and Lord of Lords exact the like obedience vnto his lawes set downe in his holy word of all those whome it pleaseth him to place in his visible church and kingdome heere vpon earth For the Lord hath giuen vs his word as a law wherein he hath set down whatsoeuer he would haue done learned or beleeued and likewise what he would haue vs to eschew as the Apostle Saint Paul doth say in the 1. epistle to Tim. cap. 3. vers 16. 17. that the whole scripture is giuen by inspiration of God and is profitable to teach to improoue to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse that the man of God may be perfect and prepared vnto all good workes So that whatsoeuer God would haue vs to know or doe it is contained in the same Howbeit we must as our Sauiour Christ saith Iob. 5. cap. v. 39. search the scriptures It is not enough for vs negligently and carelesly and as it were superficially to read them but we must with all diligence reuerence humility study them and as the prophet Dauid did meditating therein day and night conferring of one place with another and considering the drift of the holy Ghost in euery of them and aboue all things vsing humble and hearty prayer vnto God that he would graunt vs his holy spirit which may so enlighten vs that we may see those wonderfull things which are contained in his lawes that we may conceiue aright of the truth in his sacred word For as Saint Peter 2. epist. cap. 1. vers 20. saith no prophesie in the scripture is of any priuate interpretation that a man may expound it according to his owne mind and imagination but holy men of God did speake as they were directed and ledde by the holy Ghost as it followeth there in the next vers who as he is the onely author and inditer of the Scripture so he is the onely interpreter of the same as being alone priuie to his owne meaning And therefore the Euangelist Saint Iohn in his first epistle cap. 4. vers 1. doth bidde vs not to beleeue euery spirit but to try the spirits whether they be of God or not as if he should haue said There are many which will make a great shew of religion and godlinesse and will seeme as though they had warrant from God for all their dealings when as it is nothing so Wherefore beleeue note uery one vntill you haue first madetriall and examined their actions by the touch-stone of the scriptures whether God be the author of them or not The which precept if the prophet spoken of in the 13. cap. of the first booke of the King had obserued he had done well but because he did not so but beleeued the false tale of the old Prophet and came backe again contrary to the cōmandement of God and did eate and drinke in Bethel by his procuremēt when as the Lord had said vnto him that he should neither eate bread nor drinke water there Therefore the Lord said that his body should not come into the sepulchre of his fathers which came to passe presently for he was slaine of a lyon in the way as he returned home and so was brought againe to Bethel and there buried Whereas if hee had first examined the truth of the olde Prophets speech he had no doubt neuer fallen into that daunger For he had a sufficient warrant from God afore for that which he did vpon the which he might safely haue relyed if hee would haue gone forward according vnto the same and not haue hearkened to the deceitfull words of the said olde Prophet vnlesse the Lord himself had giuen him another contrary commaundement as otherwhiles he doth in particular cases as it may appeare by Genesis chap. 22. where after that God had giuen Abraham in charge to sacrifice his sonne Isaacke in the 2. verse of the same chapter afterward it is said that the angel of the Lord did bidde him not to doe it when he had prooued his faith and obedience therein till which time he could by no meanes be drawne from executing the former commaundement of God Euen so wee seeing that we are forbidden by the word of God to goe or seeke vnto any witches inchaunters charmers or any such like vaine and superstitious practisers and seeing that ignorance will not excuse vs as hath beene before declared it behooueth vs to trie and examine the dealings of euery one in this case whether they be of God or not by their calling in this behalfe by their meanes they vse and by the ende whereat they aime and by all other waies and meanes which it shall please God to minister by his holy spirit out of his word before wee giue credite vnto them whatsoeuer shew they make of religion and godlines in this point lest the Lord in his wrath lay vpon vs all those plagues punishments threatned in his word as hath beene said before against such persons There are many other things which might be fitly and profitably gathered noted out of this text which I haue willingly omitted both because they haue beene sufficiently handled at large by other men and also because it was my only purpose at the beginning to vtter that which I thought meetest concerning sorcery and such other like wicked vaine and diuellish abominations before spoken of It remaineth therefore now to exhort euery good Christian to consider diligently to make vse of it and to desire almighty God that he would make it profitable which hath beene said both to his owne glorie and to our eternall comfort in Christ Iesus to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost bee all honour praise and thanksgiuing now and euermore Amen FINIS
to set forth in any speciall manner the Gospel of Christ Iesus doe take vpon them the working of miracles nay rather they dishonour God and discredit his word arrogating vnto themselues that which is proper vnto God asking oftentimes when any commeth vnto them whether they do beleeue that these wizzards can do that for them which they come for when as we cannot read in the whole Scripture of any of the Prophets or Apostles or any other holy men which euer required the like at any mans hand Indeede our Sauiour Iesus Christ did so but he was the eternall God in whome we ought to beleeue and to put our whole trust and confidence onely and not in any childe of man whose breath is in his nosthrels as saith the Prophet Esay cap. 2. vers 22. for vaine is the helpe of man when as he cannot thinke a good thought of himselfe 2. Cor. cap. 3. vers 5. much lesse performe any good action Wherefore Saint Iames in the 4. chapter of his Epistle inueigheth mightily against those which doe presume to affirme peremptorily that they will doe any thing when as they know not whether they shall liue till the morrow Wherefore we ought to say if the Lord will and if we liue we will doe this or that But now saith he ye reioyce in your boastings all such reioycing is euill and therefore the Lord by the Prophet Ieremie saith Cursed be the man that trusteth in man Ierem. cap. 17. vers 5. Then cursed are these wizzards which would haue others to beleeue and trust in them for in God we liue mooue and haue our beeing Act. cap. 17. v. 28. and he is the onely worker of miracles as it followeth in the next words God wrought It is not said that Paul wrought but that God wrought This thing Nichodemus seemeth very well to haue vnderstood when he saith Ioh. c. 3. v. 2. that hee knew that Christ Iesus was a teacher come from God because that no man could doe such miracles except God were with him as though no man of himselfe or by any other meanes but only by the power of God alone working in him could effect such miraculous workes And our Sauiour Christ doth insinuate as much in the 10. chapter of Saint Iohns Gospel vers 38. saying If ye beleeue not me yet beleeue the workes that ye may knowe and beleeue that the father is in me and I in him As if he should haue said If I doe not such workes as are farre aboue the reach of any mortal man to do then beleeue me not but if I doe then thinke that God which is the onely worker of all such miracles is the Author of those which ye see done by me Wherefore the Apostle Saint Peter after that hee with S. Iohn had healed the creeple which was borne lame lest the people should attribute the said worke of healing to their power or godlinesse telleth them that it was done onely in the name and by the power of Iesus Christ Act. cap. 3. So he telleth Aneas who had kept his bedde by reason of a palsie the space of eight yeares that Iesus Christ had made him whole and not he and therefore biddeth him to arise and make his bedde Act. cap. 3. vers 33 34. There are many other places of scripture which inforce the truth of this matter but the case is so cleare that I will stand no longer vpon it but will passe ouer to that which followeth No small miracles That is great miracles and it is an vsuall kinde of speech in many languages The words in greeke doe signifie no common or ordinarie powers because that thereby the power of God is shewed after an vnwoonted sort which power being supernaturall albeit it belongeth and is proper to God alone yet he doth otherwhiles exercise the same by his creatures as it is said heare By the hands of Paul that is by the ministery of Paul for so the words doe signifie in this place And it is an vsuall phrase in the scripture as Act. cap. 5. vers 12. it is said that by the hands of the Apostles were many signes and wonders shewed among the people So Act. cap. 14. vers 3. also And it seemeth to bee a metaphor borrowed from the common course accustomed dealings of masters with their schollers especially of those which beginne to learne to write whose hands the master ruling although the scholler holdeth the penne in his hand yet the master maketh the letter The like case is theirs which do worke miracles for God is the onely worker of them howsoever it pleaseth him to vse those men as instruments in effecting of the same for his greater glorie both in himselfe as the chiefe efficient cause and also in his instruments to the further confirmation of their calling and of the truth of his word And to that end in the 4. chap. vers 29 30. of the Actes the Apostles Saint Peter Saint Iohn do pray vnto God that he would stretch forth his hand to worke miracles by them in these wordes Graunt vnto thy seruants with all boldnes to speake thy word so that thou stretch forth thine hand that healing and signes and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy sonne Iesus By which prayer it appeareth that God doth not bestow the gift of working miracles for any man whatsoeuer to vse at his owne pleasure or after what manner he thinketh good but so as that God may haue alwaies one end of the staffe as they say in his own hand to vse or not to vse as he knoweth most conuenient both for his owne glorie and for the good of those for whose sake secondarily those miracles are wrought For wee vse rather to giue thankes then to pray for that which we haue alreadie receiued except it be for the continuance of it And that this is true it is manifest by 1. Cor. 12. where S. Paul reciting the spirituall gifts of the H. G. bestowed vpō the Church at that time for the edification of the same reckoning the gift of working miracles for one in the end he concludeth that al these things worketh euen the self same spirit distributing to euery man seuerally euen as he wil. If as God wil then not as man wil neither in regard of the circumstance of time place nor yet in maner of working And to speake generally of the time it is more then probable that miracles are now ceased so saith S. Chrysostome about 1200 yeares since vpon the 17. chapter of Matthew vers 20. in these words Cúm hodie ista viz. miracula in ecclesia non fiant an propterea dicemus Christianos destitui fide auertat deus vt de populo deitam male sentiamus Adest fides iustificans sed ea quae miraculorum dicitur iam desijt which is thus much in english Because that now at this day these things to wit miracles are not wrought in the Church shall we
or vnder the table but on a candle-stick that they that enter in may see the light so these men if they had an effectuall calling from God they could not but in some measure exercise the same to the glory of God and the good of his Church As the prophet Ieremy when as he saw little or no profit of his labours in so much that he was euen smitten and cast into prison for preaching of the word yet he could not forbeare but saith that the word of God was in his heart as a burning fire shut vp in his bones So that he was weary with forbearing and could not stay Ieremy the 20. cap. vers the 9. But these men of whome I speake are much vnlike to the prophet Ieremy For they are either so ignorant in the word of God and Christian religion that they know not the truth thereof and therefore how should they giue testimony vnto the same by the working of miracles Or els their life is so lewd and vaine that their witnes would rather giue offence then any wise confirme the truth of the word preached But to leaue this and come to the next note or marke whereby we may discry the working of miracles whether it be of God or not Let vs first consider the nature and difference of miracles A miracle may be defined a rare and vnwoonted thing or worke which either is or seemeth impossible to be wrought by any naturall force or meanes and thereby mooueth admiration Hence we may gather two kinds of miracles Namely right and true miracles and false or feined miracles The true miracles are those which cannot possibly be done by any naturall meanes or creature but onely by diuine vertue and power and these are of two sortes For some are so of and by themselues as was the feeding of the children of Israel with Manna in the wildernesse in the 16. cap. of Exod vers 36. The staying of the sunne in the time of Iehosuah cap. 10. vers 12. The raising of the dead Yea and the healing of diseases that by no natural meanes of any creature can be cured and a great many more such like set down in the scripture the which cannot be wrought but onely by the finger of God and therefore not by any diuilish meanes or sorcery Albeit the diuell may sometimes counterfeit the same Yet his legerdemaine is heere sooner espied then in any other kind of miracles by reason that he wanteth the ground of naturall causes to support it The second sort of right and true miracles are those which are so onely in regard of their manner of working being not effected by nor proceeding from any naturall cause but from the power of God As the curing of diseases with the onely shadow of Peter Act. cap. 5. if the said diseases were otherwise curable although hardly by naturall meanes And in this chap. ver 12. with the napkins and partletes of Saint Paul As also the raine and cloudes of Elias in the first booke of the King cap. 18. And the thunder of Samuel 1. Sam. cap. 12. In this sort of miracles the diuell doth often intermeddle his ministers the sorcerers vsing otherwhiles the same outward meanes which the seruants of God haue vsed in such like cases and the diuel vnder this veile worketh the effect intended by naturall meanes as many sorcerers in these our daies doe send cloathes vnto their patients the which being done the diuell doth secretly infuse some naturall remedy whereby the malady wherewith they are greieued is cured And when things are thus wrought they are not true but false miracles for right and true miracles as I said before are those which are effected by the diuine power of God onely of which sort were all those which were done by the Prophets Apostles and our Sauiour Christ himselfe and his disciples For the grace of working miracles is a spirituall gift and not a naturall as it is set downe in the 12. cap. of the 1. epist. Cor. And therefore the meanes of the said working must needs be supernaturall being wrought by the same spirit who is the author and distributer of the said gift For euen as the Lord God hath created heauen and earth so hath he giuen to euery thing therein in the creation a seuerall nature vertue and property to be wrought or to worke this or that effect if it be rightly vsed and applyed the which it is not possible for any creature in the world to alter or change but onely for the creator who made al things of nought at the first as the Psalmist saith He set the earth vpon hir foundations that it neuer should mooue Psal. 104. Wherefore neither man angell nor diuell can doe any thing but onely by naturall meanes for they cannot create any thing of nothing for that is proper to God alone and therefore they of themselues can doe no true and right miracles but as God himselfe by his diuine power doth supernaturally worke the said miracles by them But they may worke false and counterfeit miracles Which are those which either are not the thing that they seeme to be or els if they be so yet are they wrought by naturall meanes albeit to vs vnknowne For the diuell doth often times deceiue and delude the senses so that things do shew to be other and otherwise then they are indeede as it commeth to passe in night spells as they tearme them when as it seemeth that a wal or some great water is obiected and set against the party that is within the circle of the said spell that he cannot passe forth Which is nothing els but a meere delusion of Satan For let them goe backward and they may passe the circle without any such let with many other such like Howbeit sometimes he exhibiteth the thing it selfe which in shew appeareth as was the fire which consumed Iobs sheepe and his seruantes Iob. 1. cap. And this he doth by diuerse and sundry waies and meanes but especially by three The first is by applying the efficient or working cause vnto the matter whereof they know any thing which they intend may be effected And so it is thought that Pharaohs sorcerers made the frogges before him Exod. 8. The like wherof we may see by daily experience amongst vs when as by the blowing of flyes vpon flesh there arise wormes or maggotes And by this means partly they both bring diseases vpon men and likewise sometimes cure them by applying or infusing secretly either inwardly or outwardly to the bodie things that may hurt or heale the same Secondly by the stirring and moouing of things as in the aire when he raiseth windes and lightnings as Iob. cap. 1. vers 19. and when he maketh any to be carried aloft in the same In the waters when he causeth inundations In the body of man or beast when he mooueth the spirits or humours whereby diuers and sundrie diseases are ingendred the which it were long here to recite
Cor. vers 29. and 30. therefore we must marke and consider the third note of difference VVhich is to what end and intent they doe worke miracles And this note or marke may be gathered out of the 13. cap. of Deut. where the Lord saith thus if there arise vp among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreames and giue thee a signe or a wonder and that signe or wonder which he hath foretold come to passe saying let vs goe after other gods which thou hast not knowne and worshippe them hearken not thou to the words of that prophet or dreamer of dreames for the Lord your God trieth you to know whether you loue the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soule follow the Lord your God and feare him and keepe his commaundements and giue eare vnto his voice and worshippe him and cleaue vnto him By which words it appeareth that whosoeuer he be that worketh miracles and doth not thereby seeke the glory of the onely true God but rather his owne gaine praise or commendation Or doth it for any other sinister respect we are not to goe nor to hearken vnto him for he doth not the Lords message but his owne Neither is he sent of God but vsurpeth the authority of himselfe or is Satans minister herein The which the Lord sometime doth suffer to be done to try what is in the heart of his people whether in loue they wil cleaue vnto him and keepe his commaundements which he hath set downe in his word for confirmation whereof he hath wrought so many and so wonderfull miracles And indeed the gift of working miracles as also other such like graces wherewith the Lord doth indue and adorne his Church and the ministers of the same is in a manner bestowed vpon it to this end that his elect children being in minde and conscience assured setled and grounded in the truth of Gods word may grow and encrease together more and more in the faithfull and zelous practise thereof in all godly and honest conuersation to the glory of God and their owne saluation This is prooued to be true by the 12. cap. 1. epist. Cor. where Saint Paul recounting the spirituall gifts of God bestowed vpon his Church in these words saying that to one is giuen by the spirit the vtterance of wisedome to another is giuen the vtterance of knowledge by the same spirit to another faith by the same spirit to another the gift of healing by the same spirit to another power to do miracles to another prophesying to another iudgement to discerne spirits to another diuerse tongues to another the interpretation of tongues saying in the seauenth verse going before in the same chapter that all and euery one of these gifts is giuen to profit withall But whome not him selfe alone to whome any of the aforesaid spirituall graces is giuen but the Church of God and therefore the Apostle making a comparison afterward in this same chapter betwixt the naturall body of man and the Church which is the mysticall body of Christ seemeth thus to reason viz. Euen as there are many members in mans body yet none of them is for himselfe alone but each of them is carefull to procure the health and welfare of the whole body so in the Church of God euery member thereof ought to vse those gifts and graces aforesaid and such like not to their owne gaine commodity or glory but to the good of their fellow-members and of the whole Church And that in spirituall matters pertaining to the true knowledge and seruice of God and eternall saluation in Christ Iesus and not in temporall and wordly things but so farre forth and to that end that thereby they may the better be inabled to goe forward in their spirituall course vntill they come to the end thereof which is the saluation of their soules For as the gift of working miracles and the other gifts aforesaid are spirituall so the obiect and end of the same is spirituall namely the edification and building vp of the Church as it is the mysticall body of Christ Iesus whereof himselfe is the head as it is plaine by the 4. cap. of the epist. of Saint Paul to the Ephesians where the Apostle speaking of the aforesaid spirituall gifts although he rehearseth not all saith that they were giuen for the gathering togither of the Saints for the worke of the ministery and for the edification of the body of Christ vntill we all meete togither in the vnity of faith and knowledge of the some of God vnto a perfect man vnto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ that we henceforth be no more children wauering and caryed about with euery winde of doctrine by the deceit of men and with craftinesse whereby they lay in waite to deceiue but let us follow the truth in loue and in all things grow vp into him which is our head euen Christ. And therefore Saint Paul continuing his speech concerning the spiritual gifts begun set downe 1. Cor. 12. hath these words vnto them in the 14. c. of the same Epistle Seeing that ye couet spirituall gifts seeke that ye may excell to the edifying of the Church As if he should haue said If so be that ye be so desirous to excell others in the extraordinary gifts of the spirit see that ye may goe beyond others in the right vse of the same which is the edificatiō of gods church Wherfore they which make not this vse of the aforesaid spirituall gifts and namely of working of miracles which is the chiefe thing which we stand vpon at this time doe most mightily abuse the same Nay rather which is more probable they haue not this gift giuen and inspired into them by the spirit of God but they are the diuels seruants and ministers herein by whose meanes and aide they may be thought to effect those wonders For euen Iudas Iscariot albeit otherwise a most wicked person and one that afterward betraied his master Yet when he had receiued of our Sauiour Christ the gift of working miracles he preached the Gospell of the kingdome as did the other Apostles For whomsoeuer the Lord doth furnish with such extraordinary spirituall gifts he will haue them will they nill they to vse them to that end which he hath appointed And as Saint Paul saith in the 1. epist. Cor. cap. 9. vers 16. and 17. If I preach the Gospell I haue not wherin to boast for necessity is laid vpon me Woe be to me therefore if I preach not the Gospell for if I doe it willingly I haue a reward but if I doe it against my wil the dispensation is committed vnto me So when the Lord had made Ionas his prophet to goe vnto Niniue to tell them what he had determined concerning their destruction although Ionas was very vnwilling to doe it in so much that he fled another way onely that he might eschew the performance of that message Yet God
are infused and wherewith they are mixed and the greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 betokeneth the same thing Neither do I see wherefore Satan should vse naturall meanes in the parties before specified and such like rather then supernaturall if it had not past his reach seeing that he doth for the most part endeauour to couer his dealing as much as he can that it may not be espied As he did when he laid his hand vpon Iob as it apeareth in the first chapter of his booke And therefore it is to be thought that he made vse in the aforesaid persons of those naturall meanes which came first into his minde and were nearest at hand for that present time And as concerning the second kind of miracle which S. Paul is heere said to worke by napkins and partlets sent vnto the parties grieued To wit the casting out of diuels the same is to be iudged and said which hath beene spoken of the miracle of healing both in regard of the outward and also of the inward meanes of the same For as for the inward which is the onely meanes It is the power and spirit of God alone and as for the outward manner it maketh as I said before nothing to the working of the miracle Wherefore they are all in a mighty errour which thinke that Satan can be cast out by certaine set and conceited words or characters as they vse in magicke For we must not thinke that the diuell is either so simple or so weake if God permit him to vse his strength as to be as it were blowne out with the winde or sound of words or so timorous that he may be fraied away with the sight of figures or characters when as he durst tempt our first parents in their state of innocency Gen. cap. 3. Nay he was not afraide to set vpon our Sauiour Christ as it is in the 4. cap. of Saint Luk. although he was God albeit in the forme of man Phil. cap. 2. vers 6. And S. Peter likeneth him to a roaring lyon in his first epist. and cap. 5. And our Sauiour Christ in the 12. cap. of S. Mathewes Gospell seemeth to compare him to a strong man which will not yield till a stronger then he compelleth him Indeede sometime he will faine as though he were forcibly dispossessed by the vaine trickes of magitians and coniurers but it is onely to this end that he may thereby the more strengthen and enlarge his owne kingdome by bringing into detaining men in this wicked errour to thinke that such things are brought to passe by magicall conceits when as the diuell goeth out of himselfe euen as when we see two men pulling at a thing one of them contrary to the other and the stronger will seeme to be forced to yield and so letteth goe his hold but it is when he seeth his most aduantage to giue his aduersary the greater fall Euen so Satan albeit he may sometime seeme to be forced yet indeed and in truth it is but policy thereby to worke the more harme For he is not constrained to go out by any such vaine follies or by any other howsoeuer vsed but onely by the meere power and finger of God as it will appeare by that which followeth in the text Then certaine of the vagabond Iewes exorcistae Heere in this verse we see the effect of those miracles which Paul is said to worke in this place in the wicked sorcerers who when the Apostle had preached the Gospell of our Sauiour Christ and by his power and in his name had done these said miracles for the confirmation of the same went about most wickedly to abuse his sacred name to the establishing of their magicke and sorcery For although the name which they are called by may seeme to haue no badde but an indifferent signification being vsed in the primitiue Church for those which hauing receiued the gift of working miracles from God did vse his name in casting out of diuels and the very etymologie of the word in the originall tongue doth shew the same Yet it is most euident by the circumstance of this place that these men were nothing but meere wicked magitians and namely of that sort which we cal coniurers who although there be no difference in respect of the substance of their wicked seruing of Satan in this behalfe Notwithstanding the fashion and manner of their seruice seemeth somewhat to differ For those which we call witches or sorcerers seeme to be in a more vile and slauish condition being alwaies at the diuels commaundement but these which we terme coniurers will make as though they commaunded the diuell howbeit they profit nothing thereby sauing that they serue his turne herein and sometime their own so farre forth as their practise may stand with the furtherance of Satans purpose in the same which is the enlargement of his owne kingdome Otherwise they may commaund as they say and goe without he will doe what himselfe listeth and not what they would haue him to doe The which peraduenture when these Exorcistes saw hauing eftsoones vsed their accustomed manner and ceremonies of coniuration and neuertheles many times missing of their purposes And likewise seeing and considering the Apostle Saint Paul how he neuer fayled in the working of his miracles by the name of the Lord Iesus They thought that they would make triall what they could bring to passe thereby and so as they traueliled about the country as fortune-rellers charmers inchanters and such like do with vs they tooke in hand to cast out diuels out of those which were possessed with the same by naming ouer them which had the said euill spirits the name of the Lord Iesus Marke I pray you the incredible boldnes of these wicked coniurers who not considering neither the occasion end nor authority whereby S. Paul did worke Nor their owne daunger which might ensue vnto them thereby rashly take vpon them to doe such miracles by the name of our Lord Iesus without any further direction But such is all kinde of magicke and sorcery being founded neither vpon reason nor yet vpon common sense albeit they will seeme to make an art of it For whosoeuer shal examine the truth of the grounds and principles thereof in their bookes shall finde no pith nor any sound matter worth the noting but onely foolish and vaine trickes as are circles characters and such like or words notvnderstood or vainely or wickedly applied as in abusing the name of God or his word and such like when they vse them not to that end for the which they were appointed as doe heere the aforesaid forcerers the exorcists and therfore for the most part they are frustrate of their purposes except it be sometime by God his permission that the diuell of his owne minde for causes before rehearsed doth worke the effect for them The which when the Emperour Nero saw as it is recorded in the thirtieth booke and first chapter of Plinies naturall
bee a worker of miracles by the same faith which is false For Simon the sorcerer in the 8. chap. of the Actes of the Apostles is said to beleeue and yet had not the gift of working miracles but would haue bought it for money afterward of Peter Nay it is manifest by the 12. chap. of the 1. Epist. Cor. that euen the elect children of God and those that are workemen and builders in his Church beeing of the clergy haue not all this gift But will some say This maketh nor so much to the purpose for why may not our cunning men and women be of the number of those vpon whome God hath bestowed that gift To this I answer That besides that I haue shewed before that the said grace of working miracles is already ceased it is requisite that they shew some especiall promise or reuelation from God by the which they doe work Or else they do but only presume thereof taking the authority vnto themselues before the same be giuen thē which is most abominable sacriledge Euen as the Exorcistes doe in this place For it is not enough to prooue that they are indued with the grace of working miracles from God And that they doe that which they doe in this behalfe by the faith of miracles because that otherwhiles they bring to passe such vnwoonted and extraordinary things as they take in hand For so it may as well follow That the sorcerers of Egypt spoken of in the 7. and 8. chapters of Exod. did worke by the aforesaid meanes Which cannot possibly be For they themselues doe in a manner confesse the contrary when as in the 19. vers of the said 8. cap. of Exod. they are said to affirme that the finger of God was there That is the lies spoken of in the vers going before were made and brought forth onely by the almighty power of God As if they should haue said Heretofore whatsoeuer we haue done in turning our roddes into serpents the water into blood or procuring of frogs It was by naturall meanes and such as was ministred vnto vs by Satan our master But now this causing of lice after such a manner doth passe our cunning or any meanes that can be vsed by man but onely by the diuine and supernaturall power of God and authority from him The which we want and therefore we cannot effect this thing But as for Moses and Aaron they haue their commission from the almighty and therefore whatsoeuer they haue done in this action of causing these lice it is by no other meanes saue onely by the finger and mighty power of God working by them and in them Wherefore it is no maruaile though they goe beyond vs herein And it is most apparant by the circumstance of the 8. cap. of the Act. That Simon the sorcerer did many wonderfull things in the eyes of the people and yet it is as cleare as the sunne that he did them not by any godly and lawfull meanes but onely by magicke and therefore not by any authority or gift from God or by the faith of miracles And truely if so be extraordinary and wonderfull things were not sometimes wrought by euill meanes God would neuer haue inueighed so much against the same in the holy scriptures as it appeareth that he doth in diuerse places thereof But to goe further with them in this case If so be that the gift of healing and other miracles working be the meere grace and gift of God being giuen onely to some especiall body vpon special occasion as the truth is why can these cunning folkes doe nothing without their ordinary set forme of prayers or characters and such like or so many times repeated When as our Sauiour Christ findeth fault with such things in the 6. cap. of S. Math. Gospell where he saith to his disciples these words viz. When ye pray make no vaine repetitions as the heathen doe which thinke to be heard for their much babling be ye not therefore like vnto them And why doth one of these sorcerers giue vnto another certain set formes of prayers or blessings as they call them to cure such or such a disease or to worke these or those wonders if God alone be the onley author of their working what I pray you is this els but to tie the power and will of God in this behalfe vnto words and characters that is vnto his creatures then which there can be no greater Idolatry or sacriledge The fourth and last reason which they bring is not so much to confirme the lawfulnesse of the action of going to these wizzards as to induce or insinuate a tolerablenesse in regard of the necessity as it should seeme thereof For say they there are diuerse and sundry kinds of Maladies which though a man do goe to all the physitions that can be heard of yet he shall find no remedy whereas sometimes they are cured by those which are called cunning folkes and therefore in all likelihood admit it be not altogether so allowable by the word as the common and ordinary manner of curing by medicines yet because that there seemeth to be no other meanes left as it were to cure the said diseases we hold it to be tollerable and in such cases to be vsed without any great offence vnto God vnlesse we should neglect and make no account of our health nay not of life it selfe which is a most especiall benefit and gift of the almighty To this I answer That indeede otherwhiles the sorcerers by the meanes of Satan doe heale-diseases which many physitions cannot The which he is more apt and able naturally to bring to passe then man is both as I haue said before in regard of his nature in his creation and also his long experience especially if the diseases be inflicted by him selfe as many times they be Yea after such a sort and by such meanes that no mortall man can find out the causes or reason of the same as you may perceiue before fol. 41 42 43. And in these cases as our common prouerbe hath he that hideth can best find and he that made the wound and he that wrought the griefe best knoweth the cause thereof and therefore can best cure it being as he is so skilfull in such matters And as the diuell doth at the first cause certaine diseases so it is very likely that he continueth and vpholdeth the same so that by no ordinary meanes they can be cured and that to this end that men may seeke to him or to his instruments for helpe contrary to the word and commandements of God The which ought not to be done For Saint Paul in the 3. cap. of the epist. Rom. vers 8. sheweth that we ought not to doe euill that good may come thereof And he insinuateth as much in the 6. cap. of the same epist. vers 1 and 2. Besides this What good is it I pray you that they looke for at these wizzards hands but onely health and
vnwoonted deluge or ouerflowing of waters or else the fire had consumed them For this generation was farre more sinneful and wicked then those that dwelt in Sodome Here wee see that this Iosephus who was an eye-witnes and partaker of that misery and calamity which he wrote of doth reckon magicke and iugling or charming for one of the chiefe capitall sinnes for the which the cittie of Ierusalem was destroyed And doubtlesse when men are come to this passe that they maintaine and practise magicke and sorcery it is a signe that they are come in a manner vnto the highest degree of wickednes For here they seeme to make as it were a publike profession of the religion and seruice of the diuell whereas they doe not so altogether in other sinnes except it bee in open blasphemy wherefore when this is generally practised without controlement in any cittie or countrey it cannot possibly bee but that the Lord must needes bring a vniuersall destrustruction vpon the same The which I beseech God to keepe farre from vs for I am perswaded that this kinde of wickednes albeit the good and wholesome lawes which are made against it was neuer more practised amongst vs especially for the recouery of health For many I might say most men now a daies if God doe not restore them to health when how they thinke good they will leaue Gods ordinarie meanes by physicke and will goe to sorcerers that is to the ministers of Satan which is all one as to go to Satan himselfe And although it may be that they will answer me and say that they whome they goe vnto for remedy doe vse good meanes and godly words in these cases Yet it followeth not as I haue said before that they are therefore no sorcerers For no doubt those which Iosephus speaketh of vsed as good meanes in outward appearance and so do the sonnes of Sceua in this place But because this pertaineth not so directly to the verse which I haue in handling I will passe to the next words where I shall haue fitter occasion to speake of this matter when I come to the 15. and 16. verses In the which as I haue said before is set downe the issue or euent of the practise of these lewd sorcerers and that in two respects First in regard of that which was said vnto them in the 15. verse And secondly what was done vnto them in the 16. verse The wordes which were spoken vnto them are these Iesus I know and Paul I know but who are ye The which is an answer of the foule spirit vnto the aforenamed sorcerers being as much in effect as if hee should haue said in this manner Whereas you sorcerers the sonnes of Sceua doe charge and commaund me so straightly by the name of Iesus to goe out of this man I see no reason why ye should doe so Indeed I know Iesus to be the sonne of the eternall God yea God himselfe equall to the Father as touching his godhead and therefore of sufficient might power euen of himselfe to driue me out of possession where I am And likewise I knowe Paul to be sent and to haue lawfull power authority from him to cast me out But as for you and such as you are I acknowledge you for none such neither by your selues nor by any commission from God to commaund me to goe out but ye are onely vsurpers and presume to doe that which ye are not able to performe For although God doth bestow this grace of casting such as I am out of those men whom we haue possessed vpon some men whome it pleaseth him vpon speciall occasion yet ye are none of the number of them to whome he hath granted this gift Therefore in vaine doe ye take in hand to dispossesse me with your goodly and glorious wordes for it is not the words which is able to worke such wonders but it is onely the working power of God which bringeth such mighty things to passe as ye shall well see and so hee caused the man which hee had possessed to run vpon the said sorcerers and all to beat them and wounded them as it followeth in the next verse Thus wee may perceiue that God doth not tye his power of working miracles vnto words or characters whatsoeuer or howsoeuer vsed for then might euery one be a worker of miracles which could vse those meanes But God bestoweth that grace vpon the person and that not vpon euery one nor vpon the most part but only vpon some particular and that vpon especiall occasion as I haue said before and this place doth most euidently prooue especially in the next vers where it is said The man in whome the euill spirit was c. We must not thinke that it was this man alone heere spoken of which dealt thus with these sorcerers For could one poore silly man be able to ouercome so many being young no doubt and lusty men who as it appeareth plainely by the words of the text did not stand still and suffer themselues to be thus shamefully intreated and handled but resisted what they could For it is heere said that he ouercame them as it were in the combat and so preuailing against them did driue them out of the house both naked and wounded wherefore it was the diuell which was the chiefe actor in this fray and vsed the man possessed as an instrument to bring this matter to passe Where we see that the Lord doth oftentimes especially punish that sinne wherein men doe take most delight and thinke that it should be most for their honour commoditie or pleasure euen that doth God turne to their greatest shame and confusion and to his greater glory So our first parents when they had thought to haue gained pleasure profit and wisedome by eating of the forbidden fruit they lost themselues and their posterity with all good things els had not the Lord to the great glory of his mercy saued some of them by the promised seed of the woman And those men in the old world Genesis cap. 11. which imagined to keepe themselues from being dispersed by building of that huge tower and citie of Babylon were by the same occasion scattered into all partes of the world So the faction of Corah Dathan and Abiram dreamed of honour and preferment by resisting of Moses in the 16. cap. of the booke of Numbers but it was the cause of their euerlasting shame and ouerthrow as it is there set downe There are infinit examples in the scriptures which doe inferre the truth of this point but I will let them passe and come to the text it selfe where we may behold these sorcerers most extreamely and shamefully beaten of him euen of the diuell by whose seruice in this action they had thought to haue obtained greatest credit Neither are we hereby to gather that Satan was grieued with this profaning of the name of Christ Iesus or with this sorcery of theirs But because God bringeth as