well shut as fast or close as art can make them which was one of Christ's Miracles and I see not neither but that Christ may indeed so minorate his Body that he may be easily comprehended within the narrow compass of a Waser-cake and if a man by the help of the Devil can be in diverse and far distant places at one time It is no wonder strange thing or miracle at all that Christ's Body be in Ten thousand different or distant places at one and the self-same instant Ten thousand sure as well as ten or two unless the power of Christ be less than the Devils CHAP. XXVI It is a Blasphemous and abominably Idolatrous yea an Atheistical Doctrine I 'le add but this It is a Sacrilegious Blasphemous and most abominably Idolatrous Doctrine never more never so much horrid Sacriledge Blasphemy and Idolatrousness in any Opinion or Practise that ever was in vogue amongst men It steals from Christ the honour of his Godhead and of his Miracles he wrought to prove himself the Son of God from the Father the glory of his incommunicable Attributes and from the Spirit the credit of these special Operations for which we Adore him And is not this Sacriledge Sacriledge in the highest from the highest and from the Holiest too For Blasphemy it intimates that Christ had not wit enough to chuse an Argument nor power enough to do a Work for proof of that which he especially intended to prove viz. His eternal Power and Godhead The Devil can do as much as he did as God doth or did by his stretched out Arm upon Pharoah yea or the blessed Spirit can do even in his most Spiritual and Heavenly way as I have shewed And for Idolatry it teacheth not peradventure the Worship of Saints and Angels nor of Sun Moon Stars or Host of Heaven nor of Stocks and Stones nor of Leeks and Onions nor of Crocodiles and Serpents nor of Crepitus ventris Deae cloacinae which were the lowest Degenerancies of the most besotted Heathens But of something worse lower and baser It teacheth the Worship of the very Devil himself in his utmost Devilship as he is a most malicious envious and villainous Devil when Men attribute these works that power and these excellencies to the Devil which he deserves not but are proper to God is not this Worship in their most devout Worship of God what is it that they do or can do more than heartily zealously and religiously ascribe these great stupend and wonderful things to him and are not then the great Phylosophers Doctors Professors that write and stickle so much to uphold the Doctrine of Devils are they not I say the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This may be taken by way of question but this me seems I may affirm positively that of all the strange wild mad Heterodoxes that were ever invented broach't or suggested by the Conclave of that infernal Association none ever was is or can be more Abominable All other desperate Heresies what ever how ever desperate in themselves had yet some pretence sucus o◠glosse upon them to make them look seemly as either God's glory the comfort of the Church or the benefit of Mankind But this hath none of these no pretence of either of these nothing good in it at all nothing that is good commendable or tolerable It is mere Devil rank and entire Devil generally Universally Catholickly and throughout from Top to Bottom from Head to Foot Root and Branch and all the result if not the design of it is to bring in the Demonomany and to exalt the Grandure Magnificence augustness and Kingdom of that Prince of Darkness I need add no more this is enough if we be Christians if Deists nay if but rational Men I might have added it as a Rebellious Doctrine some Exorcists upon the account of it as I have shewn instigate to Rebellion we conquer Devils can flesh and blood stand out follow us It may be thought I have been too violent and bitter against this Opinion Answ It is the cause of God all the three persons are immediatly concern'd in it their honour and God-head ly at stake the comfort of the Church the preservation of Mens lives and the Salvation of more Souls depend upon the truth opposed to it and should I be mild should I gently stroke or claw such a desperate Opinion that strikes at all and would if possibly stabb both God and Man to the Heart I might justly fear a sharper reproof than that to Ely His fault was but a connivance in respect of his Sons he preferred them before God and should I prefer the Devil's honour before God's glory the Churches good and the safety of Mens lives and goods and Souls too CHAP. XXVII Ex. 22.18 Considered and the Objection taken thence answered THe objections against the opinion that I defend and for the maintenance of the Doctrine of Devils are as the Spaniards used to say of the Portugals few and poor scarce considerable indeed but that by vulgar Error they are generally received as Demonstrations I shall touch therefore now but one the rest as many as I could meet with yea and this too I have answered sufficiently and at large in another place It is this The Scripture intimates that there are Witches and it allots death as their punishment Exo. 22.18 Ergo There are a sort of persons that act strange and stupend things through a power derived to them from the Devil or the Devil can impower such persons with a kind of Omnipotency Answ Truly this follows not at all not any thing like it but that Witches there are is without question and more than a good many what ever is meant by them what is the Scripture-Witch and what is that Witch the vulgar counteth a Witch that is the question as for the word Witch which the Scripture often useth Josephus a great Rabbi a learned Doctor and an Eminent person among the Jews and therefore knew doubtless the meaning of his own Country Language his Mother Tongue and the terms of the sacred Text as well as any Man else can be supposed Translates it Poysoner and very rightly according to the natural genuine and proper signification of the word the word Casaph in the first prime and original sense signifying one that hideth covereth or disguiseth one thing with another so do Poysoners cover a delitorious Dose with some delicious sweet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seems to be either from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Litera similitudinis nota 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Medicue 1 Quasi sicut velut medicus and what more consonant to this Etymon than a Poysoner Philterer Jugler Cheater or Deceiver one that mixeth compoundeth bindeth things together as a Physician though he do it to a good end they to a mischievous the Sugar must cover the Poyson so the cunning-subtile seeming-good words trickes feates glosses must
can raise a Man though dead four Months and more as Cautius Nay Four years peradventure as Samuel The Devil or a Witch by his help ejects a real Devil as 't is said which Christ as I have proved never did Christ fed Five thousand Men once with an inconsiderable pittance the Devil out of a glewish dew can and often doth mould up so many various dishes of choice Viands and Butts of lascivious Wines that many Thousands may sill and feed and feast themselves most deliciously and for a need can raise a most glorious Palace in the midst of a desolate Wilderness to entertain his guests in state and not suffer them to sit upon the cold Grass and all in an instant Christ could in a short time convey himself from one side of the Channel to the other Pagh this is but a poor trick A Witch can be at several Places very far distant at the very self-same instant as Pythagoras and Magdalena Crucia Nay again Christ indeed did many Miracles but 't was Four thousand years after the World begun ere he began to do any The Devil in all Ages from the beginning of the World had done many Millions before Christ was born Christ continued doing of such things but Three or Four years in Person nor above Fifty or Sixty by his Apostles He and they began later continued but a short time and have been doing such things even about Sixteen hundred years since Where the Devil as he began many Thousand years before Christ or his Agents did so much as one Miracle and will so continue to the end Christ did a few Miracles in a corner of the World a canton of Asia a nook of Palestine where the Devil hath doth and will do his Miracles all the World over Christ did his Miracles among a peevish foolish sottish people as the World accounted them the Jews and his own Apostles The Devil doth his among the Politicians the Philosophers the wizers of the World Christ did his Miracles a great while ago and a great way off and who can tell whether there were any such thing or no We have but heresay tradition a few old Books written by his own favourites and commented upon by his hypocondriack Friends where for the Godhead of Devils we may our selves be eye-witnesses and ear-witnesses of it in his Miracles every day may behold them if we will be so bold or else our Demonological Doctors tell old Wives Fables few and poor paltry and suspicious are the Miracles of Christ compared to those of a Witch or Devil if we will believe the teachers of this doctrine concerning Devils But whether that Doctrine that yieldeth such undervaluing conceits in respect of Christ be allowable I leave to the Consciences of Christians to consider CHAP. XIV It nullifies the admiration Angels had for him VVEll this of that particular justified in or by the Spirit The next is seen of Angels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seen looked upon observed and admired of them Spectabatur or spectabilis erat a very honourable Person according to that of St. Peter The things of Christ were so mysteriously admirable that the very Angels desire to look peep into or have a glance of them chap. 1.12 And St. Paul says they were such as in them appeared the manifold Wisdom of God unknown formerly to the principalities and powers even in the heavenly places much more unknown to Devils Ephes 3.10 Yea the Psalmist tells us and the Apostle out of him or rather God himself by them both That the Angels generally all the Angels of God the best of them and that in part for his works which were infinitely more excellent than theirs were to worship him Heb. 1.6 And yet how so If Devils could and had been incarnated could and had done as many or as great yea more and greater Miracles than ever Christ did any I might go on and shew That in all those other particulars as well as the former Men hugely derogate from the Honour of Christ apostate from the truth and comfort of the Gospel when they be so credulous as to entertain this Doctrine of Devils CHAP. XV. This Doctrine intrencheth upon the incommunicable attributes of the Holy-Ghost BUt go we on and see how and with what respect this Doctrine useth the Holy Ghost Two glorious and incommunicable excellencies we Religiously believe do belong to that Divine and Infinite Spirit the first is a bestowing of a prophetick Power whereby a Person through an extraordinary and supernatural assistance is enlightened and lightned to such an elevation of Spirit that he can foretel not only future and far distant but even contingent things such as depend meerly upon the will of Man and God I mean not That extatical or rapturous emotion of Spirit whereby Men may sometimes conjecture and predict when they have not any absolute certainty of futurities however confident the Diviners may be of their predictions The other is the Grace and Practice of Piety and Religious Duties in order to a conformity with the Divine Will These are two special and proper effects of or emanations from that Infinitely Gracious Spirit Who-ever attributes either of these to any other origine sacrilegiously steals from that blessed Spirit a special part of his Honour idolizing most basely that Person Thing or Creature to which he attributeth them This I take is undeniable but both of these saith the Doctrine of Devils may be insufflated from Hell A Person may be very pious in conversation Religious in observation of Duties constant in Reading Hearing Praying privately as well as in publick ready willing earnest to instruct others in the Mysteries of the Creed and exhort them to the duties contained in the Decalogue may be ready to offer them the Cordials of the Gospel in their Agonies and in their extravagancies to terrify them with the severity of Gods vengeance This is well enough known by a late example Such a one accused for a Witch upon Oath and hardly escaped the extreamest punishment but that some of the petty Jury were well acquainted with her conversation Yea 2. A Person may predict things future and meerly contingent and all by meer insusurration from the Devil for the former I have hinted an example For the latter I may produce Magdalena Crucia Nay she may pass for an unexceptionable example of both For saith the great Demonologist of this latter Age for such things got she the reputation of a very Holy Woman and a great Prophetess and yet conversed with the Devil as his Wife for Thirty years together Cannot the Devil make Saints too as well as Prophets Yea Prophets and Saints too both Nay and since Omne efficiens tale est magis tale must not that thing which we call Devil be a most good and godly thing Equal to the Holy Ghost for Holiness and for Knowledg Whether this be not such gross abuse to that Infinitely Gracious Spirit that comes very near that grand
intend or mean the Person truely and indeed had a real Devil within him but that he was distracted frantick or mad Joh. 10.20 He hath a devil and is mad 7.20 Thou hast a Devil who goeth about to kill thee or thou art mad to think so John 8.48 Say we not well thou art a Samaritan and hast a Devil Why a Samaritan but because they thought him mad The Samaritans held odd wild mad opinions concerning God his Worship and Religion the Jews therefore thought them mad as the Samaritans did the Jews upon the account of dissonancy in Religion and Tenents Wherefore came this mad fellow to thee Kings 2.9 19. And so the Jews thought of John Baptist because of his strange food raiment life and doctrine That he was mad or had a Devil They say he hath a Devil Mat. 11.18 It is very improbable That the Jews who so generally frequented Johns Preaching and heard him so gladly thought him to be possessed with a Devil and yet some of them might think him to be a little crazed in his intellectuals Nay generally it seems the Gentiles as well as the Jews thought all these men that held any new strange or unheard of Doctrines in Religion to be mad And hence Festus to St. Paul Thou art besides thy self too much learning hath made thee mad Act. 25.24 It was the strangeness of Pauls Doctrine that made Festus think him mad so did the Jews think the Samaritans to be mad and possessed with Devils yea and Christ also upon the same account for the newness strangeness or madness of his Doctrine as they accounted it Demonium habere or Demoniacum esse in Scripture-phrase is to be mad And indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deriving its pedegree from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 can hardly signifie any thing else properly but some such great extraordinary and unusual affliction from God such as is madness And so indeed is the Word used by Polybius concerning Antiochus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was mad and Plutarch useth it in the same sense and why should we not in Scripture interpret it so too when both the word and sence of the Text will bear it Besides did ever any of these Demoniacks mentioned in Scripture ever do any thing or things act or acts feat or feats that a meer madman without a real Devil doth not may not do and often doth Is there any such act any such feat recorded of them by any of the Evangelists They cryed they roared they talkt foolishly ran into mountains and desarts and tombs cutting themselves with stones brake their fetters were mischievous to Passengers but have not may not do not Madmen do all these things By their works ye shall know them saith Christ why how wherefore then may they not be Madmen and Madmen meerly that are meant by Demonium habentes or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I add this Christ himself confesseth that what he cast out that the Children of the Pharisees cast out too Mat. 12.27 And argues largely from it to justify himself and actings But never did or could the Pharisees Children cast out real Devils otherwise Men should be stronger than Devils Flesh than Spirits And yet a stronger than he must come upon him to dispossess him without doubt And is Man stronger than the Devil Can Tom Thumb with his Rushen Spear dismount King Arthur and all his Knights No more can meer Man dispossess the Devil especially if he be so omnipotently powerful as Demonologers predicate him Devils in Scripture are set out as powers in the abstract Men as the abstracts of weakness Now that weakness in the abstract should dispossess power in the abstract is I think altogether inconceivable by any humane intellect Canst thou draw out Leviathan with a fish hook said God to Job or can a Crismer a Child of a span long bind Behemoth with a rushen cord In short thus all that the Children of the Pharisees cast out were Diseases not Devils all that Christ cast out was but what the Children of the Pharisees cast out therefore all that Christ cast out were but Diseases and not Devils And is it not now then a most monstrous Apostacy and most intolerable Idolatry and that even to the Devil himself to attribute such an excellency of operation to the Devil which was never exerted by Christ himself indeed could not because there was never occasion for it Well this is one result of the doctrine of Devils it is an Apostacy from that fundamental Truth God manifested in the flesh This was almost but it must not be forgotten here That though Christ cast not out any real Devil properly so called yet curing Diseases in such a manner as he did He manifested forth his Glory and Godhead as fully and as much as if he had indeed cast out real Devils but of this in another place I have spoken fully enough I shall only add this here If they had been indeed real Devils or infernal fiends that Christ cast out there might peradventure have been possibly some probable ground of that stupend blasphemy of the Pharisees viz. He casteth out Devils by Beelzebub In some sort it might be credible either by some favour connivance complyance complotment or else envy hatred opposition of Devils so that it had been no miracle or argument at all to prove his Godhead That he cast out Devils a Simon Magus an Apollonius yea an ordinary Witch have done as much But there could be no complyance compact envy hatred between Christ and Diseases The curing therefore of Diseases in such a manner as he cured them was more for Christs Honour and the proof of his Godhead than if per impossibile there could be any such thing the casting out of Devils or infernal fiends could have been CHAP. IX Christs Works prove his Godhead I Proceed to a Second The doctrine of Devils detracts and apostates from another special excellency of Christ Justified in the Spirit in or by the Spirit Where by the Spirit no doubt is meant the might power or excellency of Christ to do great wonders and stupend miracles as Mat. 12.27 But if I by the spirit of God cast out Justified in or by the Spirit as the Apostle phraseth it is declared to be the Son of God by Power Rom. 1.4 A Man approved of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by powers or miracles Acts 2.22 And God anointed him with power which is here called Spirit Acts 10.38 Virtus potentiaque regis Messiae nomine spiritus intelligitur justificatus spiritu hoc est virtute sua qua miracula edidit Zanchy and all others upon the place Well then Justified in or by the Spirit is declared manifested and proved to be the Son of God by his works miracles and wonders By these he proved what he pretended to be viz. That he was the Saviour Messias and the Son of God And this truely is the ground of our hope the foundation of our joy the corner-stone of
and Justice in all his Actings Nay more one year of Miracles yea one Month or one Day or one Miracle proves more than Forty years of Holiness This might be counterfeited even for so long time as Christ lived upon the earth as Demonologers say and concede and the hypocrisie not be discovered in all that time but a true Miracle is the Work only of an Omnipotent God A Miracle therefore proves irrefragably though but one Neither could the ends aims intentions or the issues of Christs oeconomy here be a sufficient proof for his Godhead whatever some think these being invisible to all Spectators and Auditors and not intelligible possibly in a very long time How could these beget or settle a belief They might be but pretended and not real they could be only Arguments to the Postnati not to these that lived in his own time And thus the Apostles themselves at least some of them might not be nay were not true and well-grounded believers since they could not see the ends aims intentions or issues of Christs undertakings much less could they be Martyrs and competent witnesses unto us of the truth of Christs Godhead yea or of his Doctrines Nor do Christs Doctrines some urge this though the excellentest and most Divine without doubt that can possibly be proposed to the Sons of Men either for their Moral or Eternal Good or else for the exalting of Gods Honour be an Argument of his Divinity without his Miracles For not to say what some usually say in their Apologies for the Christian Religion That it is not altogether new as some objected That there is no Doctrine in Christs Gospel so excellent heavenly and gloriously Moral as to the practical part but some Philosopher or other hath given the self-same precepts before his coming that Christ did viz. These transcendent moral ones of loving God with all and above all and our Neighbours as our selves forgiving injuries intreating Enemies like Friends Patience Humility Martyrdom for the Truth though without doubt not so fully convincingly incouragingly upon such threats and promises I say that there is one Doctrine of his would spoil all the receptibility of the whole System of Religion promulgated in his Gospel were it not That his transcendent unimitable unparalellable Miracles which he wrought fortified it as an unquestionable Truth I mean the Doctrine of his own Godhead and his equality in all excellencies with the Supreme Being from which he expects faith obedience and recumbency from men for their Salvation upon himself as much as upon the great Jehovah But this must needs by all rational Men be accounted a most high Presumption Luciferian Pride yea Blasphemy and Sacriledg and one dead Fly is able to poison the whole Pot of Oyntment one wild gourd will make the whole broth nauseous and deleterious and urge force compel them to reject detest and abominate all the whole Euruclopedy of the Gospel had he not sufficiently proved that Doctrine as sufficiently he did by his incomparable Miracles Did not the Pagans of old and the Turks now upon this ground in special reject his Gospel And for the Jews it is known by Children That they so blasphemed his Doctrine and persecuted his Person for this above all things That he being but a Man made himself the Son of God This Doctrine of his Godhead never did will can be digested by any but such as by unimitable Miracles there is no other Argument for this are convinced of it And there was not there could not a more sufficient Argument be brought for it than that 't were Miracles that proved this Doctrine yea and his Person too not his Doctrine that proved either his Person or Miracles to be Divine For his Person he might justly have been accounted the boldest Impostor and for his Doctrine the desperatest Heretick that ever was had not his Miracles justified both Christs only or chief Argument I say and the best that can be brought to prove his Divinity is his Works and Miracles justified in or by the Spirit CHAP. XII The Doctrine of Devils nullifies Christ's Argument for his Godhead taken from his Works BUt now this Doctrine of Devils takes off abrogates nullifies this Argument altogether Whereas Christ to prove himself to be the Son of God saith None could do such Miracles as he did his works justifie him None ever did the like Works this Doctrine tells us That Devils yea Witches by Devils help can do as great for matter of work as many nay and Millions of Millions more for number for time exceedingly much longer and for places in many Thousand Thousand more Who now upon this supposition the greater Miracler Who the better Man who the greater God God or Baal Christ or the Devil Christ turned Water into Wine and it was so manifest an Argument of his Power and Godhead That his Disciples were convinced they did and they thought they ought to believe on him Christ cured Men at a distance by his meer Word walked steadily on the Waters commanded the Storms to cease and was obeyed presently cursed the Fig-tree and it withered away straight He fed Five thousand Men with five Loaves and two Fishes raised Men that had been dead yea dead four days before Christ could and did transform himself into a most glorious lustre both his Body and Garments By such Miracles and stupend Works Christ manifested it forth That he was the Son of God that we ought to believe in him and that thus believing we should have life through his name John 20.31 But this Doctrine of Devils tells us That a Devil can turn himself into a Man or Woman a Rat Cat or Dog at pleasure and that a Witch can be any creature that she pleaseth to personate They can cure Mad-men or any other sick Persons at distance can walk and fly in the Air yea ride in that fluid element with Coach and six Horses can raise Storms of a sudden and allay them in an instant can blast not only a single Tree but a whole Wood or Forrest can turn a Town into Ashes in the twinkling of an eye with a wry look can kill as many as he lists and raise them again at his pleasure Stories more than a good many may be produced out of Demonographers for all these particulars but what need more this is a Conclamatum est an Axiomatical Truth among the Doctors of Demonology That a Devil or Witch can for stupendiousness of the work do as much as ever Christ did only the doubt is of the Shibboleth or the Characteristical note How shall we distinguish how shall we know them one from another is not this blasphemy CHAP. XIII This Doctrine attributes greater Works to Devils and Witches than any Christ ever did NAy they attribute to their Devils and Witches some things that do indeed much exceed the things that are recorded of Christ of the same nature too Christ raised one that was dead four days the Devil or a Witch