withal he remember that to cast out deuils is of miracles the greatest as appeareth by that speach of the 70 Disciples Lorde euen the De uills are subdued vnto vs through thy name as if they had saide Lord by vertue of that power which thou hast giuen vs wee haue not onlye healed the sicke made the blinde to see raised vp the deade and done other great workes but that also which is aboue and surpasseth them all wee haue cast the Deuills out of men whereby we see that they are subiect vnto vs. This consydered who seeth not that forasmuch as ne ther their exorcists preists nor any other in the popish church haue the same power with the Apostles by their anoyntinge to make the sicke whole to make the halt to goe the blinde to see the deafe to heare the dumbe to speake to raise vp they dead c that therfore also they haue not the same power with them to cast out Deuils And where the Iesuite affirmeth that al beleuers haue the same power ouer wicked spirits with the Apostles yf it be so why doe not euery one of ther beleuers exercis that power wheÌ„ occasioÌ„ is offred but only ther exor cistes agayn were this so all the faithful shold haue power also to work othere miracls as appeareth by the premises Now I thinke Thyreus will not saye that euery beleuer hath power to worke miracles considering that of S Paule are all doers of miracle haue all the giftes of heal inge The which if he graunt then must he lykwise confesse that all beleeuers haue not the same power to cast out deuills with the Apostles But saith he sacrae litera docent omnibus fidelibus tâ— the holy scrip turs teach this for it is written Signa eos qui crediderint haec sequen tur ct these signes shal follow them which beleue in my name they shall cast outdeuils If this scripture comprehend al beleuers and the power here giuen shal continve as long as there shal be any to professe the faith of christ as the Iesuit affirmeth then shall euery beleuer haue likwise the gifte of tongues and be able without studie to vnderstand speake any language and power also to worke miracles for it is not only said of these beleuers that in Christes name they shal cast out Deuills but besides that they shal speake with newe tongus and shal take away serpents and if they shal drincke any deadly thinge it shal not hurt them they shall laye there handes on the sicke and they shall recouer but this latter is false as the Iesuit himselfe must needs confesse and is euidentalso by the a foresaid place of scripture doe al speake with tongus and therfore the first also wee are not then to take those wordes them that beleue so ge nerally and to vnderstand therby al them which haue fayth in Christ as this Doctor doth but more strightly of those only which were indewed with the miraculous faith which gift number of beleuers coÌ„ tinued in the church but for a time vntill the gospell and doctrine of Christ crucified which was to the Gentils both a new and foolish doctrine had got among them intertainment But to returne to the Rhemists former glosse It is there to be obser ued also that they accounte there castinge forth of deuills for a miracle and why so I praye you seeinge by their own confession their Exâ—rcists cast them out by the meane of fasting praier besides sundrie toyes fooleries of their own coyning they add therunto Are you that stand so much vpon your miracles building as it were your faith and religion thereon ignorante herein that it is no miracle be the worke neuer so wonderfull which is done by an ordinarie meanes ap pointed of God therto If hetherto you haue bene ignorant hereof disdaine not to learne it nowe at the length out of that hath bene said before in this behalfe Yf it should be granted that to dispossesse deuills by the meanes of praier and fastinge is a miracle and that you only haue power as to worke other miracles so to cast forth deuils yet why affirme you so confidently that hereticks can neuer doe any miracle you meane I am sure such as yours are to confirme there false faith is it not plain by the 13 of Deut. that false Prophets may and shal worke miracles and that to the ende to bringe men from the true worshipe of God to Idolatrie and therfore to confirme there false faith and religion If there arise among you saith Moses a Prophet or a dreamer of dreams and giue thee a signe or wonder 2 and the sign and the wonder which he hath told thee com to passe saing let vs go after other Gods which thou hast not know on let vs serue them 3 thou shalt not harken vnto the wordes of the Prophet but that prophet or that dremer of dreams shal be slaine because he hath spoken and giuen his signes and wonders to turne you awaye from the Lord your God to thrust thee out of the way wherin the Lord thy God commannded thee to walke And Christ doth foretell vs that before his comming to iudgment their shal arise false Christs false prophets and shal shew signes and wonders or as Mathew saith great signs wonders And that they should worke these miracles to cofirme ther false antichrstian saith appeareth by the wordes following to deceiue saith Christ yf it were possible the very elect As it he had said great miracles shal false Christs and false prophets worke before the last day that so they maye confirme their false and antichristian doctrine and make semblance that they are true of God therby to perswad men to be leue the same so deceiue them euen the very electe if it could be Yea in the 2 epistle to the ThessaloniaÌ„s it is sett downe for a marke to knowe discerne Antichrist by that his comminge is with all power and signes and lying wonders and that this he should doe to confirme his false faith appeareth by the wordes followinge where it is sayde that he should doe these miracles in al deceiuablenes of vnrighteousnes and againe God shal send them strong delusions that they should beleue lies that is lying false doctrine the very same with this we reade in the 13 of the reuel where the beast which came out of the earth meaninge antichrist is said to do great wonders so that he made fier to come downe from heauen on the earth in the sight of men deceiued them that dwel on the earth by the signs which were permitted him to doe How then say â—he Romanists and with what truth that hereticks to confirme their false faith can neuer doe any miracle that false prophets false Christs are heriticks that I knowe you wil not denye that Moses in the law and Christ in the gospell speaketh of such true miracles
perilous and sinfull times wherein iniquity shall abound soe as the sonne of man when he commeth shall scarcely finde any fayth vp on earth Howe can it be denyed but that the lorde may smyte some with this iudgment yea and as I conceaue of this scripture will also which is more And lest we should vnderstand this of the Iewes only and restraine it to the time of the lawe either of which is absurd we must remember that we haue the same or like threate renewed vpon vs by the spirit of god in the time of the gospell and expresly agaynst euery man aswell Gentile as Iew as all men will graunt I protest saith the spirit vnto euery man that heareth the wordes of the prophecy of this booke that if any man shall add vnto these thinges god shall add vnto him the plagues that are wrytten in this booke and yf any man shall diminishe of the wordes of the booke of this prophecy c Seing then that it cannot be denied but that there are in these last euill dayes both which add to this boke dyminish from it that this plague of possession by deuils is written in the same we must nedes acknowledg caÌ„not doubt but that god may send this plague also in this last age of the worlde Againe seing possession is a punishment or correction of the lord laid vp â—n a man by the ministery of sathan for his sinne and that men are now as greuous sinners as euer the lord also in like sorte affected now towardes sinne and sinners as heeretofore as ready euerie way to chastice men for sinne in these dayes as in former it cannot bee but that men may bee possest now yf the lorde thinke good that way to correct them yea euen as well and vsually as in former time Lastly it is to be remembred that as all churchs so al righter ancieÌ„t latter christians and papists which haue spoken more or lesse of this matter giue theire full consent heereto and many examples from age to age are giuen hereof Here might be brought in a multitude greate heape of testimonies to proue that men maye be nowe possessed but I will let them alone and only coate them in the margent because I thinke it a needelesse thing in so plaine and euident a matter to vse so many wordes specially seing hereafter I alleadge the most of theire testimonyes for the confirmation of dispossession since miracles ceased which is farr more doubtfull then this other of possession and coÌ„prehendeth in it this also For if men haue bene and may be now dispossessed ergo possessed Wierus in the begining of his 4. booke de prestigijs doemonum speaketh of many that haue of late yeares bene possesed with diuels shewing at large their strange admirable most greuous vexations by sathan and among others he maketh mention of about 70 damsells which togither in one night 1555. in an house at Roome where Orphanes were kept became Demoniacks whereof saith he not one of them was recouered two yeares after yea it may be not at all which sure is more strange then their possession considering the great power and authority the Romanists haue ouer diuels euen the same with the Apostles if you will beleue them as hereafter you shall heare Also of later time and nearer vs euen at Amsterdam a greate towne in Holland Anno 1566. there were as he declareth at large 30 children or thereabouts in 8. or 10. weekes possessed with diuels But to let the dead and their writings goe let vs inquire of the liuing Aske of our trauailers what they haue seene credibly heard in other countries beyond the seas and you shall heare what they will say demaund of the papists and they with one consent will tell you that meÌ„ may be possest that among them ther daily are such Thyreus a man now liuing in a booke lately written of this argument nameth a great many that long since miracles ceased were possessed with diuels whereof some were great and honorable personages children to Emperours and kings Shall we say of them as it is said of our possessed persons in England that they were counterfeyts their calling of Exorcists also and formes of Ezorcisme proclaime their iudgment herein to all the world yea who knoweth not how they greatlye vaunt of the power that in theire Church they haue to cast out diuels This brage of theirs is answered by D. Fulk and diuers others but neither he nor any other returneth in answer that men cannot in these daies be possest which had it bene a truth they wold neuer haue omitted But why doth it seeme so incredible and impossible vnto some for one to be nowe possest Because myracles are ceased It shoulde seeme then to be possest with the diuell is a miracle and not a disease sometime by miracle cured For the ceasing of miracles putteth an end only to miracles and not to the diseases which miraculously were healed else we should haue none sick of feauers palsyes and other infinit diseases none dumbe deafe blind halt or maimed NotwithstandiÌ„ge then that miracles are ended possession with diuels may remaine seing it is certaine it is no miracle but a sicknes or supernaturall disease which somtimes miraculously was healed by Christ and his Apostles as appeareth by the 17. of S. Mathew where the father bringing his possessed child saith thus to Iesus I brought him to thy disciples and they could not heale him and presently after it followeth and Iesus rebuked the diuell and he went out of him and the child was healed at that houre In like manner it is said in the 9. of S. Luke that Iesus rebuked the vneleane spirit and healed the child and deliuered him to his father And for further profe hereof serueth excellently that in the 8 of S. Luke verse 2. where it is said that certaine weomen were healed of euill spirits and infirmityes as Mary which was called Magdalen out of whome weÌ„t seauen diuels where by the word healed we may learne that possession is a disease to wit supernaturall and that the miracle is when the dguell by rebuke that is by a charge or comaundement to depart is caste out in which case the party is healed or made whole of this vnnaturall disease For thus it is written in the 9. of S. Marke when Iesus c. he rebuked the vncleane spirit saying vnto him thow dumbe deafe spirit I charge thee come out of him Then it is said the diuell came out the very same we haue in the first of S. Marke verse 25. and a little after it followeth verse 27. he commaundeth the foule spirits with authority and they obey him And in S. Luke with authority power he comaundeth the foule spirits and they come out In these cases we all knowe Christe wrought a miracle now what did he he comaunded the dyuells that were in men to come out of them
and they came forth The myracle then is by aword or commaunde to caste the diuell out and this is ceased with other myracles but to be possessed of the diuell is noe myracle no more then to be blynde sick or lame which are iudgmentes of god vppon man for his synne wherevppon possessyon with dyuelles is often brought in amonge other plagues of god and namely in the 4. of Math where it is saide They brought vnto Iesus all sick people that were taken with diuers diseases and grypings and them that were possessed with diuels and those which were lunatick thos that had the paâ—â—y and he healed them The like we reade in the 8. of Luke And at that time he â—ured many of their sicknesses and plagues and of euill spirits and vnto many blynd men he gaue sight freety Seing then it is no miracle to be possest of the diuell but a disease as is the lunacye palsy c. the myracle consisting in casting out the diuel by a worde notwithstanding myracles are ceased possession may remayne for as notwithstanding this miraculous healing heere spoken of is ceased gone yet men still are sick and taken with diuers diseases and some are lunatick some haue the palsy c. so also some are or may be possessed with diuels and for my owne parte I will as sone hould that meÌ„ cannot now be sick â—unatick haue the palsy be blind deafe lame as this other that men in these dayes cannot be possest which many meÌ„ yea some otherwise of great learning haue presumed to maintayne yea who is so simple that by these few wordes seeth not that the ceasing of myracles proueth not the ceasing of possession by diuels and yet if you aske these men who will haue no possession in these dayes the reason thereof forthwith they will tel you that myracles are ceased then which answer nothing can be more absurde And whereas some affirme that men were possest to the end that the diuinity of Chryst might appeare and shew it self so the casting forth of the spirits and the gospell be confirmed and get the better entertaynement by the eiectyon performed by the apostles and for no other cause for otherwise they say nothing as shall forthwith appeare and therefore the deity and gospell of Christ being now sufficiently confirmed possession with diuells must needes cease I desyre them to send me to some parte of gods worde for my information therein If they can not whereof there is no doubt then they must needes confesse that the reason is because heerein they knowe or vnderstand not aright howsoeuer otherwise their knowledg may be greate For so saith the holy ghoste to the lawe and to the testimony yf they speake not according to this word it is because there is no light in them I maruaile at men especially of vnderstanding that they will open their mouthes to speake where god is sylent and that they will be so bould to render a cause or reason of the lordes owne fact where he himselfe hath not donne it You take too much vppon you my brethren in presuming to vnderstande aboue that which is written and meete for you to vnderstand and doe not vnderstand accordinge to sobryety Know you not that thinges reuealed belong only to vs and our children why then will any take vppon him to render this for the sole reason or cause of possessyon which god we all know hath not reueled but in truth the contrary But what leadeth men to say that men were therefore possest that the godhead of Christe and his almighty power might be seene in the castinge out of diuells and the doctrine of the gospel be confirmed Suerly this because it is euident that by their eiection these things were performd By the same reason I may inferr that men were therefore sicke had the palsy lunatick lame blynd deafe and dumbe for the diuinity and gospell of Christ were confyrmed as well in the myraculous healynge of the persons soe afflicted as in the dispossessinge of diuells And yet not withstaÌ„ding no man is so absurd as thence to gather and conclud that ther are or can be none sick now none hauing the palsy none lunatycke blind lame c. yet I am sure this followeth as necessarily and ineuuitablye of the former ground as that of the ympossibility of possession in these dayes wee see then that it being graunted that meÌ„ were possest to that ende the deity and doctrine of Christe I meane the gospell might be confirmed by the healynge of those which were possessed which I denye not yet that letteth not but that men maye be possest in these dayes To speake more playnlye therfore as in the bodilye diseases and infirmityes of those men which our Sauiour cured a cause of the same was that in the curynge of them it might be euydent that he was the Messias as appeareth in general by math 8. 16. 17. in perticular by the man that was borne blind and yet notwithstandinge there was some other cause or causes therof namly ther sine as apeareth by christs owne speaches in the cureing of diuers saying to such thy sine are for giuen thee sine no more leest a worse thing come vnto thee the which cause remaining the diseases and other infirmities of mans bodye doe remayne so though of this supernaturall affliction in those which were dispossessed by Christ a cause thereof was that the divine power and mercye of Iesus Christ might appeare in their cureinge as is playne by the aforsaid place of mathew yet that was not the alone cause but the sinne also of the parties as is euident by that aforesayd without which they could neuer haue bine so miserably vexed by satan as the were which sinne in man remaininge it is plaine that the sayde disease doth or maye remayne and shall or may so long as sinne remaineth in man Indeed if for this cause only men had bine possest that in the expulsyon of the spirits by Christ and his Apostles the diuinitye and gospell of Christ might haue bene confirmed it had bene somethinge yea very much they had said and I for my part woulde haue ioyned with them therein but for this cause only men were not possest for then there must neuer haue bene any possessed but such as were by Christ and his Apostles dispossessed or some other indewed with that Apostolicall guiftâ— the contrary whereto appeareth by Math 12. 27. Act 19. 13. The which as these two scriptures proue so by them also it is manifest to the aduised reader that men were possessed before Christs time and vnder the lawe yea this disease was common before the incarnation of our blessed Sauiour so as many were sick thereof otherwise how could the rude and common people haue so readilye and truly discerned thereof as by the gospell it is euident they coulde and did maister saith one of the people to Iesus I haue brought my
as you doe such it is cleare you by these wordes meane it is most sure And here by the waye what cause hath the church of Rome thus to vaunt of the miracles wrought in her aledging the same as a migh tie confirmation of the truth of her doctrine and some singuler priui ledge bestowed vpon her surelv no more then the roge hath cause to bragg of the hole in his eare or the theife of his burnt hande For as these be certaine and infallible signes of a rogue and thefe so miracles wrought by satan and such are the papists miracles are a most certame and infallible marke of the aduersarie to Christ whom wee call Antichrist As he then is rather out of his witts theÌ„ in his right mind that beinge for his theft burnt in the hande will boast therof so had not Sathan bewytched that whore of Rome and depriued her of her iudgmente and vnderstandinge shee woulde neuer boast of her miracles considering they make much against her euen to wytnese that their Pope is that Antichrist which shoulde come and their religion false and Antichristian And where you intimate here and els where affirme that howsoeuer hereticks may happely be able to worke mira cles to some other ende as to confirme some article of the faith or truth of God wherin they agree with you yet not to confirme their false faith therby that you see will not availe you consideringe that the former testimonies of scripture directlye in expresse wordes as wee haue heard affirme and teach the contrarye Howsoeuer then heritickes can not proue their false and erronious doctrines by the scriptures yet they may worke miracles to confirme the same wherby it is euident that whilest they papistes stand and contend for the priuiledg of dispossessing of vncleane spirits the which they arrogate to themselues as pecularly belonging vnto them and denye to all others they shewe themselues in the meane season to be possessed with a foule spirit of error And how soeuer Thyerus hath likwise this aforsaide addition saying nunquam ab hominum corporibus â—t heriticks shall neuer be able to expell diuils out of the bodies of men whensoeuer and as often as euer they shall assay it to confirme their doctrine which they professe yet by the argument he presently addeth he seemeth to proue the generall without any such restraint For first saith he Signa cos qui crediderint ct These signs shall followe them which beleue In my name they shall cast out diuiles But heriticks are not in the number of beleuers therfore they are not able to driue awaye deuills by any power of Christ communicated vnto them a second argument is we neuer read them to haue expelled deuils And a third is It is reported in histories that they haue often bene deluded when they haue gone about to caste out deuills wherby it is cleare that they denye to vs all expulsion of deuils to what end soeuer and meane that if at any time in our church spirites be cast out of some it is by the power of Sathan as appeareth in the end of the saide chapter These thinges well considered who seeth not that they mighttilye freind the papistes and strengthen them in this grosse error and brage of theirs which contend for the counterfeitinge of Somers Dar ling K. Wright confidently deny the 7. in Lancashire to haue bene eyther dispossest or yet possest with deuils doe not such doe them as great apleasure theirin as posible men can and giue them occasion to sport themselues about our dispossession of deuils as Thyreus doth full swetly concerning Luthers dipossessing may not they with some face of honestie and truth publishe in their writings that our former possessed persons did meerlie counterfeite apossession and were not possessed much lesse dispossessed seeing the same is openlye mayntained amonge Vs euen in our Courts and that by great Prelats one of the persones possessed I meane Th. Darling imprâ—â—oned and such as god vsed in the dispossessing of them suspended imprisoned along time theere also vsed more strightlye then other priâ—oners then felons murtherers trators in a worde so handled and dealt with as no table deceiuers and malefactors wheras on the other side had wee acknowledged this worke of God wrought diuers times and vpon sundrie persons amonge vs and laboured withall to haue manifested the truth therof insteade of obscuring it as in deutye we ought then would vndoubtedlie the papistes haue herein bene ashamed and confounded in themselues for the greate vauntes and arrogant bragges they haue here about in many oâ— their books giuen out scatteâ—ed But seeinge the Romanists glory so much in the dispossessing of deuils let us a litle examine the same and see whether it be altogether with them as they beare the world in hand it is wher they must first knowe that it is not denied or doubted off by vs but graunted that by their exorcists exorcising the possessed among them haue ease and deliuerance from the evill spirits formerlie vexing and possessing them but the doubt and question is whether the cast and driue out Sathan For my owne parte I will not denye but that a true deliuerance of the possessed may in the papacie For wheÌ„ I consider that possession with Deuiles is a temporall Iudgment And that the humiliation of Ahab an Idolater a man also that had sould himselfe to worke wickednes preuailed so farr with the Lord to spare him and his sonne concerninge the temporall Iudgment which the Lord had be fore threatned and pronounced by his prophet to bringe vpon him and his posteristie I cannot see why the like humiliation performed by a papistes an Idolater may not obtaine the like I meane a corporall blessinge of the Lord or the remouing of a temporall Iudgment Yet notwithstanding when on the other side I turne my eve to the meanes they vse I cannot but thinke that when their possessed are helped they spirites are not cast out but of themselues goe forth as seruinge greatly for their owne advantage and vpholdinge of there kingdome of darknes amongst them But what are the meanes they vse in the dispossessinge of euill spirites even these as appeareth by Thyreus First the Inuâ—cation of the name of Iesus wherby he doth not meaine Inuocation or praâ—er but the often mentioninge of the name Christ specially Iesus which bare name is greuious to the diuil and hath great power in it saith he 2. the vse of holy râ—licks 3. vsing the signe of the crosse 4. the vse of consecrat things as holy water hallowed salt bread drinke ct 5. exorcismes Now how can one imagine that these or any of them should be of force to expell Sathan seeinge they are not onlye such as weare not appoynted of God theirvnto but also in his worde condemned as offensiue to his maiestie and vnlawfull at all to be vsed and are besides in themselues most vaine and such as in the