Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	call_v	natural_a	nature_n	1,762	5	5.4373	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19860	A true narration of the strange and greuous vexation by the Devil, of 7. persons in Lancashire, and VVilliam Somers of Nottingham Wherein the doctrine of possession and dispossession of demoniakes out of the word of God is particularly applyed vnto Somers, and the rest of the persons controuerted: togeather with the vse we are to make of these workes of God. By Iohn Darrell, minister of the word of God.	Darrel, John, b. ca. 1562.	1600 (1600)	STC 6288; ESTC S109297	131,635	124

one of his leggs were as heauie as if it had bene irone shortly after to London he went and dwelt with a barber in Eastsmithfeild from whence he went to the Bishope of London wher after he had bene about a month my selfe somwhat longer in the Gathouse for herisie he proceeded further added this to his former iniquitie that I had taught him to counterfeit which accusatiō hath bene in such sort pursued against me as is shewed in the seuerall treatises published by some frendes to the cause the other charge of herisie for which I was sent to prison as appeareth by the warrant ' lyinge in the dust neuer word beinge spoken therof vntill this daye no not so much as the herisie or heriticall opinion once named that I should hold and mayntayne FINIS THE DOCTRIN OF THE POSSESSION AND DISPOSSESSION OF DEMONIAKES OVT OF THE VVORD OF GOD. PARTICVLERLY APPLIED VNTO SOMERS AND THE REST OF THE PERSONS CONTROVERTED TOGETHER with the vse we are to make of the same We haue hard in the former treatyse of 8. Persons that weare vexed with euill spirits viz. 7 in Lanchashire and one at Nottinham and of diuers strange actiones or passions done or suffered by them Now that the glory of God the edification of the christian reader which two thinges only I haue aymed at in the publishing of this story may be the better furthered therby I haue thought it necessarie to treate of these 3 thinges 1. that all those persons were indeed possessed with vncleane spirits and did not counterfeit apossession as is affyrmed by some 2. That they were all vndoubtedly dispossessed and that by prayer and fastinge the meaines which God hath thervnto apoynted 3. what is the holy and right vse we should all make of this rare and great worke of God which euery on should specially in the reading hereof ayme at though it can not be attained without the certaine knowledge of the two former poyntes 1 That they did not counterfeite a possession but were verily possessed with vncleane spirites I doe not say with the poet felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas he is a happie man who can find out the causes of things but this I affirme it is the parte of a wyse man to search out the cause of a thing He therfore yea he onlye shall carrye hymselfe wyslye in the present controversie we haue in hand and iudge aright therin who shall laboure to find out the true and proper cause of those strang accidents whereof a true reporte hath bene made in the former treatyse I wyll not stand here to iterate and heape vp those strange things which are before specyfyed all which may be referred either to ther extraordinary and supernaturall strength or their supernaturally knowledgd or their extraordinary and supernaturall actions or passions of their bodyes only in the spirit of meeknes and with all humilitie I demaund of them which deny and call in question or doubt of their possesion whence or from what cause the actions or passiones acted or suffered by them came can theire any naturall cause be giuen of them or is there any thing in nature that might send forth such effects verilye though yt myght be graunted of some of them yet vndoubtedlye it cannot truly be affirmed of all but that some of them are not humian * but it cam from som other thing then the nature or industri of man And what should that be but wicked spirits within them according as in times past it hath bene with others in the like case except we will be so grosse as to imagine either that God wrought them immediatly without the ministrie of any creature or by the seruice of an elect Angel neither of which can possibly be considering theire vanityes toyes and fooleries the distorting and dissiguring of ther faces with other accidents of that kind and the vncleane blasphemous speaches aboue mentioned On the contararie side they all well be ●ee●e the vncleane spirit and sute exelentlye with his nature and therfore make greatlye for confirmation of their possession If any graunting that these things were done by wicked spirits shall saye that it followeth not theirevpon that the spirites were in them and so possessed them * I answere that a spirit without man may diuers wayes greatly trouble and afflict him as by sightes and visions yea even in his body as he did Iob. So likewise after the deliuerance of the aboue named persons as also of on Thomas Darling aboy not long since dispossesed dwelling in Burton vpon Trent in the countye of Stafford they spirits in their returne to repossese them did many times and sundry wayes that by fearing astonishing and threatning of them they might prevaile mightily molest and trouble them * But that the diuil beīg without mā can rule dispose of the whol body of man and euery part therof according to his pleasure as he dyd with these and doth with all those he posseseth it is absurde to affirme For what more can satan doe to the body of man then rule and torment it thus in the inward and outward partes and in euery parcell and member theiro● accordinge to his lust and pleasure the which if he could doe being without he would neuer desier nor seek entrance into man to posses him the which no man will deny but he doth for what would his said entrance advantag him to the hurting or tormenting of man in his body more then his being without him Secondly satan being without man can not cause or send forth those effects which are indeed signes of possession wherof we haue hard before more shal be spokē afterward because then god should haue left his church destitute of all meaines wherby to discerne of possesion which can n●t be the wisdom of God considered on the on sid and the necessitie of man to be directed herein on the other Againe if it were true that the euill spirit could so torment a man on euerye sid being without him only how could the common people among the Iewes haue knowne when men were possesed as it is euident by the * gospell they did for it is certaine that by no other meaines but the manner of their handling or vexation by satan they knewe it as a● may partly appeare out of the 9. Cha●t of Marke now might not this same obiection as well haue bene obiected vnto them as it is against vs at this present The deuil by some outward operation can do all that which leadeth you to thinke that such and such are posesed you may therfore erre and be deceiued in so thinking and affirming But it hath bene obiected that these things came though not frō nature yet from the corruption of nature in that they were counterfeytes I answer that he which well considereth of the strange accidēts whereof we haue harde may easily perceaue that there are manye particulers

bondeslaue vnto sathan a stranger and forriner vnto god aliant from the common wealth of Israel but one of the houshold of god a citizen with the saincts euen of the greate holy City newe Ierusalem into the which entreth none but these newe and holy creatures for whome only god the builder maker thereof hath prepared it If any obiect All the children of god shall certainly be saued accordig to that scripture If we be children we are also heires enen the heires of god and heirs annexed with Christ therefore whosoeuer be the diuels children and so they before described to be such shall certainlye be damed I answer that if man being the child of the diuel could not possibly become the child of god as he who is once the sonne or daughter of god can neuer after be the child of the diuel then the reason followed and whosoeuer is the childe of the diuel should be condemned but that being most false the other followeth not thereof at all This then I affirme that whosoeuer are the diuels children which are all they who are giuen to blasphemy swearing lying cursing filthy comunication to speake euill of them which are in aucthority to raylinge slaundering to hatred especially of the brethren to adultery fornication vncleannes deceipt defrauding one an other in bargayning and other workes of the diuell and continue therein liuinge and dyinge such shall indeede goe to the diuel their father and with him inherite hell fyer prepared for the diuel his angels Furthermore in obseruing the nature of the diuel we are to consider how he standeth affected towards men how in his nature he is who ly carryed to hate man for when he hath lost him he is not at quye● vntil he he haue recouered him if it be possible to torment him and to destroy him Now who that is wise will not be afraid to fall into the handes of such as one or rather of god whose executioner the diuel is If the diuel deale thus with man being sent forth of god to chastice him for his amendment How wil he intreat him when be shall fall vpō him to execute the vengeance to come that is the punishment which in iustice is due vnto man and answerable to all the dishonor he hath donne vpon earth to the lord of glory If in the former case he cause such crying gnashing of teeth and tormenting as we haue heard what crying what gnashing of teeth what tormenting shall there bee in the latter Thus we see what an agrement there is betwixt the word worke of god as comming both from the same author and tendinge to the same end euen to make men afraid to fall into the hands of the liu●go God They both teach the same thing the one more obscurely the other more plainly VVhy now will not wee rather take forth this and such like lessons out of this work and so make our vse profit therof then impugne and deny the worke as many of vs doe when the lord knowing mans dulnes and backwardnes to learne shall in regard thereof be content to instruct him not only by his word but also by his worke which sometime preuayleth a little with man when his word will not and that man is so farr from being taught and instructed thereby that he reiecteth such kind of instruction wil the lorde or can he possibly take that in good part Seauenthly it serueth excellently to confound our athiests whose say not only with the foole in their hart that there is no god but go somwhat further affirming with their blasphemous mouthes out of that vnspeakable folly and brvtishnes of theirs as Kinge Pharaoh their praedecessor did who is the lorde that I should obey him These lusty gallāts who will haue no heauen nor hell no god nor diuel what say they to this work of that god whome they deny That there is a diuel howe can they deny it seing the worke and effects of the diuell in and vpon the bodye of Somers to let the 7. in Lancashire and other goe the running lumpes his supernaturall strength knowledge wayght in his body and members thereof his speaking without the instrumentes of speach throwing into the fyer without beinge burnt his lying as dead could as yee his face and hands blacke no breath comming frō him and thus sometime by the space of an houre with many more of this kynde will infore them to confesse the worke of the diuel and by consequent that there is a diuell considering that these things can not posibly come either from nature or be donne by art and that som cause of these effects there must needes bee when they haue donne what they can except they will leaue this matter vndecided wherevnto the diuel and the corruption of their nature will be ready to perswad them they must in the ende say will they nill they and others also with them that the said strange accidents and ympossible to be donne by man came and were donne by the dyuel there being no other cause to be found and that Somers therein was a mere patient For to deny the matter of fact that these things were done or rather suffered by Somers is plaine englishe to say that the 17 persons which haue deposed the same are periuered and not only they but about 13 more deposed after in the whole about 30 wherof 7 be preachers the which if some shamles body shoulde not spare to affirme yet that wil not helpe seeinge there are hundreds more redy to auouche the same vpon there othes and to be so for sworne as are the former remember also that I deliuered to the commissioners a bill of about 60 Persons who were redy to be deposed A●udicient number I thinke for the prouinge of any cause concerninge eyther God or man yf inoughe haue not witnessed this matter vpon their oathes there are yet good store remaininge yf they were but called therevnto and in the meane season som credit would be giuen to the bare affirmation of christians or els it goeth amisse with all our historiographers and there bookes yt is then a most shamfull odious thing for man to call the matter of facte into question espetially consyderige the same hath ben done in our own land in the midst of vs so as we need not goe beyonde the seaes for full inquirie into it the circumstances therof as time place persons possessed others dealing in ther dispossession and priuat christians witnessinge the same the commissioners also at Nottīgham with whom or som of them who list when he please may conferr which are able to constraine a man to receiue this for a truth-yf reason can preuaile with him neither do I doubte but that other nations and kingdoms about vs. wil not only giue credite to the mater of facte when they shall heare therof and that the same hath ben witnessed vpon the othes of so many