Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	apostle_n	believe_v	faith_n	6,183	5	5.3553	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86498	Dæmonologie, and theologie The first, the malady, demonstrating the diabolicall arts, and devillish hearts of men. The second, the remedy: demonstrating, God a rich supply of all good. By Doctor Nathanael Homes, [sic]	Homes, Nathanael, 1599-1678.	1650 (1650)	Wing H2562; Thomason E1341_2; ESTC R209143	95,747	222

doe they walke after or according to then Even after their owne lusts both corporall lusts namely those Principles that please the flesh and also intellectual lusts and mentall wantonnesses phantasies of their owne spirits What ever pleasant dreames they dreame or new devises they imagine to sooth up themselves and put away all true feare of God and the thoughts of judgement to come of locall Hell and Heaven and the immortality of the soule such dreames and imaginations I say as these that put away all fundamental truths and the thoughts of them are their Principles of truth And like Principles like conclusions Upon such premises must needs follow damnable heresies That the Creature cannot sin because God acts in him That the Creature hath done nothing that he should torment himselfe by denying himselfe any contentment That all things are common and to be enjoyed in common And thus they depart from the Faith As in that 1 Tim. 4.1 of the evil times the Apostle speaks of he saith Some shall depart from the Faith Est fides quâm fides qua There is either the Faith which we beleeve that is the object and ground of Faith namely the Doctrine of Faith the holy Scriptures or the Faith with which we beleeve namely the quality of Faith The parallel of our times to this is that there is in this Nation such an apostasie of Men and Women called formerly Professors from the Faith as I never heard or read of in any Ecclesiastical Story of any Nation We have them that deny the Scriptures and with those blasphemous reproaches cast upon them and with such audacious equalizing yea preferring of their owne dreames above them as it wil be safer to be silent touching the particulars then to carry the sound of them to your eares And if they depart from the object of Faith the Doctrine of the Word of God they must necessitatedly depart from the quality of so much Faith as may be in an Apostate before his faling away As from a fundament all Faith to wit That there is a God and from an historical Faith whereby hee once did beleeve that the Scriptures were the truth of God and so becomes worse then the Devill James 2. And worse then the generality of Heathens * For the Devill cannot be an Atheist but his sinne is properly the sin against the holy Ghost maliciously to hate and persecute that truth of which he is fully convinced And the generality of Heathens could not be Atheists because of the Common Law of nature Rom. 2.15 whoever of them as generally they all did set up any thing to be their God did withal acknowledge some Oracle secret conference or tradition c. whereby they knew the minde of that God And lastly these Apostates are worse then the Jewes or Papists whom they pretend to detest for they both in all their Heresies and Errors in opinion and practice stil in the maine keep to those Scriptures they first imbraced Nor is it a sufficient excuse for them to pretend they have all things dictated to them by the spirit because we are commanded to try the spirits by the Doctrine of the Scriptures 1 John 4.1 And if this place of Scripture is not of weight with these Anti-scripturians let them heare reason How were they two both ledd by the good Spirit when at the same time the one of them preteuded to Preach by the Spirit strange high Hyperphysicall transcendencies and the other in the auditory at the same time breakes out into lowd expressions of sublime spirituall raptures pretended to be upon the parties spirit to the occasioning of the Preacher to hold his peace a while til by and by he cryes out to the other Be silent O flesh Sure the spirit of God is not contrary to it selfe nor the author of confusion And if there be a lying spirit as wel as a spirit of truth how shal we know to distinguish the good from the lyer but by the old good way ever since there was a written Word on Earth namely by the written Word Isa 20.8 CHAP. III. A particular parallell of our times with that in the 1 Tim. 4.1 that men shall give heed to seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Devils SSould seeme that in the last times there shal be seducing Spirits and their Doctrines as wel as the Spirit of truth and his Doctrines And as Satan is called a lying spirit so hee is sayd to be a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahabs foure hundred false Prophets for one Michaia that spake by the spirit of truth so that mens spirits are also sayd to be lying spirits or spirits or error 1 John 4.1 prompted no doubt also by Satan The Parallell of these times to our times in this suits thus Men yea nominal Professors First are Levellers which was the Devils Doctrine to Adam Secondly Familists saying that men are Deified and God is the Creature which also was in effect the Devils Doctrine Thirdly are much given to heed and beleeve Diabolicall Magick and Divinations under the notion of lawfull Mathematicks and laudable Art to tel and foretel things which God doth not and nature cannot declare or Predict I speake not against proper lawful Art which I am ingaged to honour but against such practises as are above Art and belong to Diabolical assistances whereby many in these dayes are at last decoyed into the Circle of the Devils power of prevailing suggestions and bewitched Obsession if not also most probably by what I could tel you unto possession In Revel 12. Vers 10 11 12. in the type of the last times afore Christs appearance t is sayd Now is the Kingdome of our God and the power of his Christ and the Saints overcome by the blood of the Lamb. But immediately afore shal be a Woe to the Inhabitants of the Earth for the Devill is come downe unto you I say immediately AFORE because t is sayd first That the Devill and Satan were cast out And then it followes Now is salvation and the Kingdome of our God and his Christ Secondly t is sayd The Devil is come downe having great wrath because hee knoweth he hath but a short time * And Master Perkins shewes in his Booke of Witchcraft that a man that doth confidently beleeve that upon such Figures Circles and the like Diabolical traditions he shal be told such and such things not knowing any divine or natural reason WHEREFORE it should be so may be in an implicit Covenant with the Devil .. It is not enough for a right knowledge by Art to know That it shal be so but to know justly why and wherefore it shall be so The knowledge of wherefore promiseth Art But the knowledge of onely THAT it shal be so may be suspected of farr worse And doubtlesse some good men in these times whose returne to the truth witnesse their goodnesse of which we have but rare examples have been really bewitched being forced with an irresistable

For Idolatrous worship and ceremonies are the seales of a Diabolical Covenant and amongst Idolaters are most Inchanters Wiches c. as in Italy c. and formerly in England in the Popish times even as the Heathenish Idolaters had commonly a great interest in the Devil to give them answers predictions and counsel as is abundantly to be seen in the Roman Histories and to appeare to them and doe strange things for them that give to him Heathenish idolatrous or Diabolicall worshipp the Apostle makes them all one 1 Cor. 10.20 as appeares in the Devils proceedings with the Indians and their Powwowes in New England and elsewhere And yet further If these Diviners Inchanters c. were not in some Covenant with the Devil why doth the Scriptures mention them under the notion of THEM THAT HAVE AND DEALE WITH FAMILIAR SPIRITS Levit 19. v. 31. Levit. 20.6 Deuter. 18.11 1. Sam. 28.3 7 9. 2 Kings 21.6 and Chap. 23. Vers 24. 1 Chron. 10.13 2 Chron. 33.6 Isa 8.19 Isa 29.3 4. Surely this notation of a Familiar Spirit and to HAVE a Familiar spirit must of necessity import formally or equivalently some Covenant or Compact as the knot and league of this Familiarity Heare learned Antiquity Aben-Ezra a learned Jew whom Buxtorffe and Doctor Willet and Schindler follow and enlarge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say they the word for a Familiar spirit or one having a Familiar spirit used in all those Scriptures but now quoted signifies one who in giving answers by diabolicall Arts enticeth men away from God Also the word signifieth a Bottle Hence according to the composition of both significations persons having familiar spirits were so called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because from the belly as swollen and blowne up the Oracular answer proceeded And for that they were called of the Greekes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Such as spake out from the belly Vocula quadam saith Tertullian ab eorum pudendis excitabatur And they were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pythones by the Greeks and Latines forsan 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the same cause The uncleane spirit making his seat in an uncleane place And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Haoboth in Levit. 19.31 is taken for Bagnale oboth the Masters of Familiar spirits As the Witch at Endor is called Bagnaleth obh the Dame or Mistresse of a Familar Spirit As the Familiar spirits are wont to call them Dames or Mistresses And the Hebrew Doctors doe further declare the league of familiarity that is between the familiar spirits and them that have them saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one having a Familiar spirit is hee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Qui ex juncturis aut axillis loquitur vel demonem facit ascendere seu evocat Who from Conjoynings or from between the meetings of the bodily members c. speaketh or cals up a Spirit c. Take it any way it can import no lesse then a Covenant between man and the Devil as those that have searched or heard the confessions of Witches wil easily yeeld The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Talmud for a Familiar is the name of the Divil giving answers whom some WORSHIP or of the WORSHIP of the Devil that gives answers Which import also a Diabolical compact For this worship is saith Schindler a sort of Idolatry And such Idolatrous worship and ceremonies saith Master Perkins are the seales in part of some Diabolical Covenants 6. The advantages and opportunities Satan takes to bring men to this to enter into Covenant with him for that is his Art to improve his devices upon men taken at an advantage 2 Cor. 2.11 I say the opportune advantages are chiefly two one when a man is very high another when he is very low First when high High with pride and selfe-admiration affecting novelties and wonders This was the Devils fall and therefore out of much experience he knowes this to be a fit time to draw away others By the rule of proportions If wicked men doe great wickednesses when swollen with great pride selfe-admiration and affectation of novel wonders As Theudas did when boasted himselfe to be some body c. Acts 5.36 And others did when durst speake great swelling words having mens persons in admiration c. Jude Vers 16. Then wicked men may doe greater wickednesses as to compact with the Devil to be able to be more wicked when more swollen with greater pride and selfe-admiration c. Wee have a plaine Text for it Acts 8.9 There was a certaine man called Simon which before time in the same City used SORCERY and bewitched the people of Samaria GIVING OUT that himselfe was some GREAT ONE to whom they all GAVE HEED c. Saying THIS MAN IS THE GREAT POVVER OF GOD. In which Text without my enlarging the meditational Reader may easily see that to be true that I have asserted What will not men of infinite prowd spirits doe that they may be admired Simon Magus as it follows in this eighth of Acts that is Simon the Magician first gave himselfe to the Devil that he might be admired But when the Apostles by their most divine and more wonderfull Doctrine and Miracles drew away his admirers to the Faith then Simon Magus pretended also to beleeve and also would be baptized but stil having an eye to the Apostolicall new wonders admiring them and as it follows hoping to attaine to that power For seeing by the Apostolicall imposition of hands the holy Ghost was communicated to men he offered Money for that power of communicating the holy Ghost to them on whom he should lay his hands An evident Character how men first bewitched in a spiritual sense with swelling pride and self-admiration wil become any thing to advance themselves They wil pretend to be on Gods side and they wil be really on the Devils side by Compact This pride and selfe-admiration and wonder-seeking in Simon made it evident to Peter that he was yet in the gaull of bitternesse and bond of iniquity We see in these dayes that men wil pretend to be Preachers and wil in publike deliver most blasphemous and impious things that please the flesh and promote beastial licentiousnesse to the end that they may be followed and admired of the multitude which generally saith Christ goe the broad way To mee t is cleere by laying all good informations together that Men and Women come to their height of impieties in this method of pride First they thinke that a low thing to waite on Ordinances which all doe They must be above the generality of men Secondly Next they must pretend they have revelations and can of themselves understand strange things as one of them sayd shee was as wise as Solomon Thirdly They are strangely bewitched and carried by the Devill to say and doe any thing that may please the flesh and promote their admiration They can prophesie future things and not misse as they pretend They can goe naked use

facts which true Philosophers and Artists can declare unto them But the Delusion we speak of is above any true natural cause wrought by the help of the Devil not of God or of nature Instances of Delusions we have Exod. 7 8 and 9. Chapters Where the Magicians turned Rods into Serpents Rivers into blood Waters into Froggs Which could not be really done by them but onely they made an appearance of some such things First because the real working of such things is mediate creation like the making of Adams body of Earth Now Creation is so the immediate worke of Gods Divine power that wee justly in our Creed according to the Scriptures make it the peculiar distinguishing title of God Therefore onely those that are assisted extraordinarily with the immediate concurrence of God can doe so As the Prophet in raising the dead Childe to life Christ in turning Water into Wine and Moses in doing these and the Apostles other Miracles But these men of Aegypt are called Magicians and their Art Inchantment both which are abhorringly forbidden every where in the Scriptures and therefore they did not act by the power of God Secondly because in token of Gods defiance against their wicked artifice Moses Serpent swallowed up theirs as a sufficient token that Moses wrought by the power of God which overmastered their devices Thirdly Because there are such testimonies given to the Miracles done by Moses through the power of God that they were done really as are not given to them done by the Magicians namely That the Rivers turned into blood stunk killed the Fish were so loathsome that the Aegyptians could not drinke of them And that the Froggs had really life so that when by the power of God they were killed they putrified and annoyed all Aegypt with the evil favour of their putrifaction Fourthly Because the Magicians could not doe lesser things as to keep off the Boyles inflicted upon all Aegypt off of themselves nor could they make the shew of Lice But which is the fifth reason they confessed there was the finger of God in that Miracle And by the same proportion there was the finger of God in the other Miracles seeing they were greater Thus much of Diabolical operation of strange things Next of the other general namely of Declaration of hidden things either past present or future called Divination These things the Devil can help his Agents to declare so farr as God permits partly by his skill in the Prophesies of the Scriptures as before we gave an instance of his telling Alexander future things out of Dan. 11. partly by his swiftnesse as a spirit quickly to be any where and so the Legions of these evil spirits are at all the consultations of state in several Nations and places Dan. 10.13 Job 1.7 Matth. 4. Luke Chap. 4 Vers 5 6 7 8 9. Partly by his great knowledge above all naturall men of the Complexions of men nature of Hearbs Stones Beasts and all Creatures as appeares in part in the Story of possessing the Swine of the Gadarens and their discontent that owned them Partly by his effectual power God permitting to make men and things to doe as he doth predict For hee can by Divine permission possesse a man within or obsesse him without or suggest present and inspire into his phantasie strange imaginations CHAP. V. Of Divination by immediate helpe of the Devill THE Devil in this Art of Divination either maketh the Witch or Diviner his Instrument or else maketh other things the Diviner or Witches instruments the Devil stil concurring 1. The Devil makes the Witch or Diviner his immediate instrument in Divination when hee immediately informing the Witches and Diviners inableth them to tel many hidden things he speaking in them or by them In this respect in part is the Devill called a Familiar spirit and the Diviner is called one that hath a Familiar spirit so frequently in Scripture as we touched afore shewing there that the ground of this familiarity was a Diabolical Covenant and now we add that the Devils continuall presence in or with the Diviner or Witch to assist in Divination is the manner of the familiarity In the Diviner giving answers and predictions as in Acts 16.16 A certaine Damosell possessed with a spirit of divination met us which brought her Master much gaine by soothsaying Sooth is an old English word to signifie truth as in stead of in good truth men were wont to say In good sooth Marke it in this Text shee is said to have a spirit of Divination and it was in her for he possessed her and that spirit gave answers thence for shee brought her Master profit by Soothsaying And Vers 18. that spirit is commanded and accordingly is remanded out of her Whereby its plaine that from within her he gave the answers Of the manner we spake afore in discussing the name Obh of one that had a Familiar spirit Weigh well Isa 29.4 The Devill is with the Diviners or Witches when he by his wonderful inspirations and putting them into strang transes and furies revealeth hidden things to them as we have Histories of experiences in this kinde Which transes of Diviners are farre different from divine heavenly extasies namely both because those deprive the Witches of their reason for that time mixing a kinde of madnesse and frenzie with their imaginations Isa 44.25 Hos 9.7 these on the other side preserve the reason of Saints and speak distinctly to reason As also those in Witches may utter some peices of truth yet doe tend to disparage it or draw men to doubt of it But these in the Saints are altogether for manifestation and confirmation of the truth We read in the Scriptures and in Histories what madd fits the Diviners had crying out and clamouring like frenzie men And though the Devill in them confessed Jesus Mark 1.24 yet with a prejudice cast upon him that he was of Nazareth which was in Galilee Matth. 2.22 23. which names of Nazareth and Galilee were both prejudical to the Jewes receiving Christ because it was prophesied he should come out of Bethlehem which though he did Matth. 2.1 Yet this the Devill in his possessed would not confesse but proclaimed him to be of Nazareth and this took with the people generally especially because he had dwelt there a while because of persecution See Matth. 21.10 11. And when hee came to Jerusalem all the City was moved saying Who is this And the multitude sayd This is Jesus the Prophet of NAZARETH of GALILEE So Matth. 26.71 They accuse Peter one saying This fellow also was with Jesus of NAZARETH And then another saying Thou also wast with Jesus of GALILEE And this made them that were good men that knew not so perfectly his birth at Bethlehem as his living at Nazareth in Galilee to wonder at a good Prophets arising out of Nazareth So good Nathanael John 1.46 Can any good thing come out of Nazareth But the unbeleevers upon this account refuse him

dominion over Babylon And Caesar stepping on the Affrican shore and falling by the slipping of his foot cryed out clasping the Sands in his armes Teneo te Affrica I possesse thee O Affrica though the standers by looked on it as an evil signe CHAP. VIII Of Necromancy or the Black Art THE next way of unlawful Divination is Necromancy or as t is commonly called the Black Art which is a divining by consultation with the Devil appearing unto the Diviners in the shape of one formerly dead So the Witch of Endor raised up to Saul some shape of Samuel This is forbidden Deut. 18.11 There shal not be found among thee a Necromancer Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. One that seeketh to the dead Which in Isa 8.19 is prohibited under that notion of explanation Should not a people seek to their God Should they seek so the words to be repeated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for or in stead of the living 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unto the dead To the Law and the Testimony if they speake not according to this rule it is because there is no light in them So that its justly called the Black Art for there is no true light in them that use it God is pleased to raise some from the dead extraordinarily for that extraordinary end to confirme the cal of them that he appointeth the great Reformers of the Church and to cause men to beleeve their Doctrine As one by Elijah 1 Kings 17. Elijah was wonderfully to reclaime the Jewes from Idolatry in the very next Chapter Another by Elisha 2 Kings 4. who was Elijahs second to confirme them in that Reformation Againe others were raised by Christ and his Disciples when by them the Christian Church was to be founded and established and Jewish Ceremonies to be abrogated And lastly all the Saints shal be raised as we have proved in another Treatise of the glorious state on earth yet to come when the Church is to be restored from all misery to a kinde of happinesse on earth But for any to raise men to answer private men about private phantasies and enquiries it is but a dreaming mistake It is nothing else but the Devil himselfe presenting the shape of some dead persons to the Diviner For as that appearance to the Witch at Endor foretold such things and so certainely to Saul as argued it was not a man raised from the dead for then Abraham and Jacob or Israel are ignorant of us Isa 63.16 So sure enough it was the Devil himselfe in that shape not Samuel or any other Saint For First They rest from their labours in blessednesse Revel 14.13 Therefore not raised or made to walke as some phantasie after their death Secondly God had afore denyed to answer Saul in any way 1 Sam. 28.6 Thirdly This shape suffered Saul to adore him with his face to the ground 1 Sam. 28.14 Which the Angel in Revel 19.10 Would not suffer John to doe much lesse would departed Saints suffer it Fourthly That shape if it had been Samuel would have as wel reproved Saul of that greatest sinne of going to Witches contrary to the known Word of God as of other lesser faults Vers 16 17. Indeed the Devil made him seem like Samuel and made the Woman and Saul to think and cal him Samuel and Ecclesiasticus a peice of Apocrypha as appeares by the Preface craving pardon saith Samuel prophesied after his death Chap. 46. Vers 20. But the Scripture and reason say the contrary and forbiddeth any such way of knowledge as we have heard For in this Art there appeares these five great evils First The Devils power God permitting to forme and represent the shape of any deceased person Secondly The Devils will to be at the beck and command of the Necromancer when he wil act any such wicked delusion Thirdly The Devils wit that he can gather out of circumstances when God hath forsaken a man and left him to Satan and what is the temper of men what they will doe and what wil probably follow And if God hinder not he wil foretel the ruine of men or cause wicked men to doe as hee foretels to come to their ruine Fourthly The Devils wickednesse that though he be an unspeakable proud spirit witnesse the cause and manner of his fal and his malice still against God yet notwithstanding his mighty pride he wil stoop to the meanest Man or Woman to be at their command whereby he may cheat them and their clients of Salvation This obedience of the Devil to Necromancers is emphatically noted in that 1 Sam. 28.7 by calling the Woman Witch of Endor twise in that one Verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Mistresse of the spirit Fifthly The Diabolical ground of all aforesayd namely the Compact between the Devill and the Necromancer else why or how could this be peculiar to such filly creatures as the Witch at Endor Saul was a King had in his Dominions all sorts of Artists and learned men yet not he nor all they could thus raise up the Devil but onely the Masters and Mistresses of spirits in Covenant one with another From all inferr first That we beware of departings between God and us that we doe not depart from him to cause him to depart from us for from us begins the woe of departing So in Saul he went on in Rebellion against God therefore God departed from him Beware first of departing in Principles Viz. to depart from the Word of God Thence is the Originall of our departing from God 2 Chron. 39.15 16. Prov. 29.1 No where else is it sayd there is no remedy because to leave the Word is to leave the remedy And this departing from the Word is the introduction to use Diabolical Arts. So the Prophet Isaiah intimates Isa 8.19 20. In putting those two together Mens seeking to the dead in stead of the living and not going to the Law and the Testimony and so to want light marke it well Secondly Beware of departing from God in point of obedience beware of disobedience to God contrary to the Principle of the Word Saul disobeying God his sin is charged to be like the sin of Witchcraft Because disobedience to God is a service of the Devil and is the introduction to encourage Satan to tempt them to his Diabolical Arts. Secondly Consider that if wee depart from God and so cause him to depart from us Satan will finde it out and take the opportunity to tempt as we see he did in the story of Saul Thirdly That if Satan doth suggest tempt c. let us resist as James saith that is firstly and fully have no conference at all with him which was Eves sin and fall * And therefore the Apostle warnes the Corinthians of it 2 Cor. 11.3 CHAP. IX Of Oneirologie Oneiromancy Somnispicine or Divination by dreames THat there is such an unlawful Art is evident by the Scriptures forbidding it Deut. 13.1 c. If there arise among you a

Prophet or dreamer of dreames and giveth thee a signe or a wonder and it come to passe c. thou shalt not hearken to them for the Lord your God proveth you And the Prophet or dreamer shall be put to death c. Jer. 23.25 c. I have heard what the Prophets sayd that prophesie lyes in my name saying I have dreamed a dreame c. By which places it appeares that that we cal Divination by dreames the Scripture calls Prophesying by dreames condemning it as unlawful That we may be cleer in the thing note that there are foure sorts of dreames First Divine Secondly Naturall Thirdly Humane Fourthly Diabolicall The first must needs be lawfull and pre-significative The second and third may be lawfull Namely lawful as to the essence of dreaming as thinking and speaking according to the actings of reason and they may be somehow significative But the fourth cannot be either lawfull or pre-significative or significative unlesse it be to shew that which may be seen without a dreame Viz. that such a man is much under the power of the Devil Divine dreames are either immediately presented to a mans understanding by the spirit of God Numb 12.6 Job 33.15 Or mediately by an Angel presented to the phantasie and by the phantasmes thereof conveighed to the understanding Matth. 1.20 Matth. 2.13 For as the Devil being a most intelligent and subtile spirit can as we know by sad experience inject into our phantasies both waking and sleeping such evil things and make our minds receive them thence and thinke upon them which not onely our grace but our very reason abhorrs so much more a good Angel deputed by God to that end can good things Now for these extraordinary divine dreames First It is most probable that they are ceased Keckerman a godly and most learned man both in Divinity and Philosophy hath these words in his natural Philosophy Syst Phis l. 3. Cap. 29. Cum somnia c. i. e. Seeing that Diabolical dreames may impose themselves upon men as if they were divine therefore they are to be judged and discerned or discriminated by these two rules First That after the light of the Gospel is manifested God doth no more act by dreames Secondly Whatsoever dreame is conjoyned with the danger of some sinne or superstition albeit it may seeme divine yet it is a Diabolical dreame You see how his judgement is that divine dreames are ceased to Christians And it seemes so to me because 1 Cor. 13.8 t is sayd Prophesies shall faile Greek be done away Tongues cease And knowledge done away i.e. Knowledge of Mysteries of Revelations Vers 2. Now we see the gift of tongues gone and the interpretation of Mysteries and so in like manner Prophesies Therefore in opposition to all former wayes of manifestation the Apostle Heb. 1.1 puts an emphasis on Christ speaking God speakes to us in these last dayes by his Son Christ by his Apostles to be the last extraordinary speaking til Christ come againe Secondly It is evident that the divine Prophetical dreames of them mentioned in the Scripture are fa●r different from divinatory or divineing dreames which this evil Age runs after First difference Those truely divine dreames concerned the great affaires of God were of high concernment to his Church As first of the comming of Christ Matth. 1.20 Secondly The alterations of States and Kingdomes that have opposed the Church As that of Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 2. He had the Shel of the dreame but Daniel the Kernel Thirdly The preservation of the Church as that dreame whereof Pharoah had the Shel the type but Joseph the Kernel Gen. 41. Fourthly Or to bring his Saints into request for interpretation of dreames as an introduction to some great designe therefore God put dreames into carnal men that his Saints might interpret them and be advanced for the good of the Church So Gen. 40. in the Story of the Butler and Baker And so in part to that end was Nebuchadnezzars dreame 5. To pull down Antichrist Dan. 7. Dan. 11.12 Second Difference Divine dreames were alwayes very evident in the thing The type was plaine to signifie what it meant as Jacobs Ladder c. to signifie Gods presence should be with him Or the type was doubled in application to the person As Gen 37. Your Sheaves did obeysance to mine The Sun and Moone and eleven starrs made obeysance to me Or else there was a plaine interpretation given to him that dreamed as to Daniel Chap. 7. or to others as to Daniel of Nebuchadnezzars dreame to Joseph of Pharoahs dreame or to both As to Joseph and to his Parents and Brethren who all understood the meaning or the type was plaine and doubled and an interpretation too was given as of that of Pharoahs eares of Corn and the Kine God either made impressions of assurance on good mens heatts that dreamed what was the meaning or God sent his Angels to expound to them as to Daniel or else exceedingly inlightened the Saints by his spirit to interpret the dreames of others As they sayd of Joseph interpreting of dreames that he was full of the spirit of God Gen. 41.38 Third Difference Divine dreames are agreeable to the revealed will of God They doe not contrary it but Comment and enlarge upon it See all along the Bible the dreames that come after enlarge upon the truth revealed afore Fourthly Divine dreames alwayes tend to promote truth holinesse godlinesse edification and the glory of God by these We heard what Keckerman sayd afore to which we add what he adds Whatsoever dreames tend to superstition and not to the glory of God are Diabolicall So that dreames are not to be judged but by all these jointly not by the subject at all for badd men as well as good men have dreamed true divine dreames Nor by the object onely because some things may be lawful in all dreams but by the weightinesse of matter by the cleernesse of the manner by their agreeablenesse to the Word and their end to promote godlinesse and Gods glory But we have no such dreames of future things in these dayes and therefore we are not to pretend a justifiable Divination by dreames If we by heavenly mindednesse and by helpe of the spirit of God dreame of the future judgement eternall blisse the ruine of the Churches enemies or any thing else knowne to us by the Word of God these are dreames of Prophesies not propheticall dreames or meditationall not divinatory dreames And if we have no propheticall divine dreams which proceed from God and carry our mindes towards God according to his Word we have no sort of divinatory dreames left us but such as we are to speak against as to the matter of divination and foretelling by them accordingly as God we heard afore speaks against them in his Word Secondly Therefore wee come to Naturall dreames which arise from meer naturall causes as either from the predominant qualities of a mans complexion in health or from