Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	wonderful_a	work_n	write_v	13	3	5.0445	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20180	Christes miracles deliuered in a sermon. By Arthvr Dent, preacher of the word of God, at South-Shoobery in Essex.	Dent, Arthur, d. 1607.	1608 (1608)	STC 6613; ESTC S113588	17,721	54

CHRISTES MIRACLES Deliuered in a Sermon By ARTHVR DENT Preacher of the word of GOD at South-Shoobery in Essex AT LONDON Printed by G E. for Iohn Wright and are to be sould at his shop at Christ-church Gate 1608. CHRISTES Miracles Iohn 9. 16. Then said some of the Pharisees This man is not of God because he keepeth not the Sabboth others sayd How can a man that is a sinner doe such miracles And there was a dissension among them IN this verse is set downe a double opinion which the Pharisees held concerning Christ and especially concerning the workes which hee had wrought among them Some of them haue peremptorilie and flatly condenmed him saying that hee was a man that was not of GOD and they render a reason or rather a shadow of a reason namely because he kéepeth not the Sabboth but their opinion was rashe and their iudgement false and erronious procéeding from the malice and hatred of the person of Christ Also that which they haue vsed for a reason we haue shewed that it is likewise false for Christ was so farre from breaking the Sabaoth or any part of the law that he did in full perfection fulfill the whole law of God Now followeth the opinion of the second sort of Pharisees which sayd How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles as if the holy Ghost should say If our Sauiour Christ were such a prophaner and breaker of the Saboth as you surmise him to be then it were impossible for him to doe such strange and wonderfull miracles as we sée he hath wrought of this wee haue spoken before shal speake more hereafter when we haue spoken generally of Miracles of the workes of them therefore of the power of God in working them also of the power of Angels of Satan of men therein Whereas it is said How can a man that is a sinner doe such miracles these men doe insinuate that sinners can do some wonderfull miracles in the sight of men but to doe such a miracle as to cure a man being blinde from his birthe was impossible for them It is impossible that any sinner should doe this or any such miracles which Christ did wee are therefore to shew first what a miracle is that euery one vnderstanding the nature thereof may make such proper and peculiar vse of the same as he ought A miracle is nothing else but a rare worke apparently wrought by the sole omnipotent power of God cleane contrary to the order and instinct of nature farre aboue nature or naturall causes I vse so many words that I may speake to the capacity of all the people wheras otherwise I might vse fewer we are therefore first to know y ● it is a worke for indéed it must be in it selfe a true worke déed or fact otherwise it cannot in it selfe and of it selfe make men to muse and maruell at it at least it cannot make wise men to maruell at it If therefore it be a miracle it must be a sensible worke not a worke in shew illusion or deceit but a worke in nature indéed and in trueth If it be but an apparance of a worke it is no miracle If it be onely in illusion of the senses it is no miracle It is then true that the illusions of Satan are no miracles for he doth nothing but delude the senses of men neither is it the celeritie or agilitie of mens hands which are miracles as of Juglers which deceiue the people by an actiuitie in continuing the thing which they doe For they doe not any true worke but by their dexterity deceiue mens senses These therefore are no miracles for euery miracle must be a true worke and fact indéed I therefore first call a miracle a worke to separate it from those that séeme to be miracles and yet are not as be the workes of Satan and his members and also those that are done by agility of man which are workes in shew but not indéed This kind of miracle which is a true worke hath béene wrought by diuers of Gods children as Moses when he was sent to deliuer the people of Israell out of Egipt did worke many miracles to testifie that he was sent of the Lord. He made Frogs not in appearance but indéed he turned the water of the riuer into bloud not in appearance but in déed So also Elias wrought myracles not in shew but in déed So Christ wrought miracles not in shew but in déed For Lazarus being dead indéed he raised him vp againe in déed when the wine wanted at the mariage he turned water in déed into wine in déed as pure wine as any issued out of the Uine and so were all the miracles which he did workes in déed and not only in appearance When therefore wee sée any wonderfull thing come to passe wee must examine it whether it be a worke in déed or onely in appearance If it be not a worke in déed as be the illusions of Satan and of men which deceiue the senses and do not bring any worke to passe then is it not a true miracle For euery true miracle which the Lord hath wrought himselfe or any of the Prophets or our Sauiour Christ haue béene true workes Secondly I call it a rare worke of God for of the workes of God there be some which are vsuall common ordinary as the preseruation of mankind is an ordinary and vsuall worke of God and it is truly said of the holy Ghost that we liue mooue and haue our being in the Lord yet because this is vsuall ordinary and common yea dayly and hourely for the Lord doth ordinarily euery day and houre preserue men otherwise they could not liue I say because it is ordinary dayly and hourely we cannot properlye call it a miracle for it doth make men to maruell to muse to be amased and astonied at it séeing it is so vsuall and ordinary among them For it is the nature of miracles to make men muse and maruell at them and therefore when as in the Euangelists any miracle which our Sauiour Christ wrought is set downe there also immediatly followeth that the people were astonied therefore that which is vsuall and common cannot properly be called a miracle A miracle therefore must be a rare worke of God sildome brought to passe and for this cause we cannot say that repentance or regeneration is a miracle for although repentance be wrought in few yet is it not properly a miracle because it is ordinarily vsually at one time or another wrought in the hearts of all Gods children There be also many strange and wonderfull workes of nature yet because they are not rare but vsuall and ordinarie they be no miracles An Adamant stone wee know not by what force will drawe Iron to it selfe Iron is heauy of it selfe and of it selfe cannot possibly mooue from place to place yet an Adamant if it be aboue it will draw it to it selfe which is

desired the Lord not to speake to them himselfe any more but that they might haue Moses to speake vnto them and they would heare him Thirdly the Lord vseth meanes for the tryall of our faith of our religion and conscience whether wee will ascribe the worke that is wrought to the worker thereof or to the meanes or partly to the worker and partly to the meanes or as some doe all to the meanes and none to the worker The Lord tryeth whether we will be constant to ascribe the power that is in miracles vnto his Maiestie for in the miracles of Christ we sée how diuersly they were expounded albeit they were effected by the finger of God yet the Pharisees would not ascribe them to the worker but sayd that hee wrought miracles by Belzebub the Prince of Deuils This is the corruption of man and want of faith they are ready to ascribe though not all yet at the least some part of the miracle to creatures which are but the meanes and not wholy to the Lord who is the onely worker of miracles for these causes the Lord vseth meanes in working miracles to teach vs these things thereby for all miracles are wrought not for him but for our cause The meanes which the Lord vseth are of diuers sorts but especially thrée First some meanes which the Lord vseth in working of miracles are such as may séeme to men to haue some power in them for the working of the miracle As when Moses came to the red Sea he lift vp his Rod and stretched out his hand ouer the waters So when he came to the Rocke to get water for the people he strooke the Rocke with his staffe which séemed to haue some power in it to make the water gush out of the Rock as afterward it did The second sort of meanes which the Lord vseth are such as haue not so much as an appearance of any force or power or vse in the working of the miracle Such was the hem of Christs garment the hem of a garment hath not so much as an appearance that it should heale any that are diseased Such was the handkercher of Paule to cure diseases what are handkerchers or swadling cloutes as we may aswell say for the curing of diseases such was the shadow of Peter where vnto some comming were healed of their diseases These were wrought when the Apostles were ignorant thereof and when they were occupied about other matters But yet it pleaseth the Lord to vse such means although they haue not any appearance of any power in the working of a miracle Thirdly the Lord vseth such meanes as are not auaileable for the worke but séeme to hinder it as in curing of the blinde man the claye which was made and layde vpon his eyes this CHRIST who was God and man vsed though it séemed to containe in it a naturall hinderance to the Miracle These thrée sorts of meanes the Lord vseth to teach vs thrée notable points First he vseth the first meanes to trie the trueth of our faith to sée whether we be so firme in faith and whether we will so wholy relie vpon him as that hée will giue all glory to him for the working of the miracle though the meanes vsed doe séeme to haue some power of bringing it to passe wee must therefore learne to giue all glory to the Lord whatsoeuer Secondly the second sort of meanes that the Lord vseth is to teache vs that it is he alone that worketh miracles and not the creature which is vsed his sole omnipotent power doth worke it Let the meanes doe or bee what it will whether it be any creature what-so-euer or no creature as was the shadowe of Peter which was nothing but the absence of light Let vs acknowledge the LORD to bee the onely cause and worker of the miracle Thirdly the third sort of meanes teacheth vs to giue nothing to the creature it selfe which is vsed which is contrary to the opinion of many superstitious people and contrarie to all Coniurers Sorcerers or casters of Figures Sathan maketh them to thinke that the miracle is brought to passe by him or the meanes which hee appointeth and not by the power of GOD. But wee must acknowlegde that all Creatures what-so-euer that albeit the power of Angels be great yet if all these were ioyned together yet they were not able to worke the least miracle that could be This doctrine hath singular vse First it teacheth vs what a miracle is Secondly what a miracle is not as all manner of appearances are no miracles whether they bee illusions of Sathan or procéed from the deceipt subtilty and agilitie of man none of them are miracles So the preseruation of mankind albeit it bee a true worke wrought by God onely yet because it is a true vsuall and ordinary worke it is no miracle for euery miracle is a rare worke of God Thirdly it teacheth vs that no worke is a miracle which cannot bee felt smelled or perceiued by some of the senses when men therefore hold vs in hand that there is a myracle yet if wee cannot sée any thing feele smell or taste any thing contrary to the ordinary manner there is no miracle wrought Therefore let the malignant Church of Rome teach write and decrée in their counsels that there is a miracle wrought in the Sacrifice of their Altar yet because I can neyther sée touch smell nor taste any thing but the same that was before it cannot bee any Miracle Fourthly euery miracle is wrought by the sole omnipotent power of GOD. If any worke bee done by the power of Sathan or of any man or any thing bee done wonderfully by the power of Nature it is no miracle If Sathan hath power to doe any strange thing it is a naturall worke and therefore no miracle So also of the good Angels So likewise if we sée strange things come to passe in the Heauens by Naturall causes wee are not to thinke they are any miracles Last of all if any thing fall out according to the rare strength and power of some Waters or other creatures if it fall out by Nature or if partlye by Arte and partlye by Nature it is no miracle Whatsoeuer therefore is not brought to passe by the sole omnipotent power of God and that is not contrary to Nature it is no miracle It followeth now to sée how many sorts and kinds of miracles there be I meane not how many sorts there be in Nature for so there is but onely one true miracle but in name and as they are called for so there may be diuerse and this I gather out of the words of these Pharisees How can a man that is a sinner doe such miracles insinuating thereby that there bee some miracles which sinners may doe yet not such as CHRIST had done Out of this place then wee gather that in name there bee two sorts of miracles One is a true and diuine miracle which is that whereof