OZ The fingerofGod, iathe (Phi' 3 ofGod, &'denotethhis power. Thecalling out ofDeuill notalwaies a frgne ofthe cnmmingof GodsKing. domo. dgsJ .t.r Vpon the third Eigneofthe lining God. But God is not contented onely with this but thatby wordof mouth thou declare whole thou art . Saint estmbrofe expounding that place ofthe Canticles,Pone mevtfignacalumfiepracor tuum,Setmeas afealevp- on thyheart, faith, That Godwill haue this ligne fet vpon thy forehead , vpon thyne arme,andvpon thyheart ;vpon thyforehead, byconfeffing him ; vpon thineami,by feruing him ; &vpon thy heart,by louing him : So that, Q inon ell mecum,contrameeft ; hee that gathereth not,fcattereth ; he that buildeth not vp, pulleth downe; and he thatplanteth not, rootethvp what is planted. If¡ by thefingerofGod call out Deuils,douhtleffe the Kingdomeof Godis come ve- toyou . Saint t'iíathcw hath it, ¡fin theSpirit ofGod call out , &c. Making the fingerof God tobe Gods Spirit. In which opinionagreethS. Hierome,S.Chri- f flome,S. Ambrofe,Gregerie2Kazianzen,and Athanafiut. And ifanymanfhall aske me,What is then tobe vnderftoodby the SpiritofGod S.Gregorie,S. Ambrofe, and S.Aufenanfwer,The Holy- Ghoft. And rendringthe reafon thereof, they fay,That the repartition ofgifts is by the fingers,& theHoly-Ghoft isthat per- fon in the Trinity , which dothdiftribute thefe gifts both tomenandAngels. Athanafius andS.Hierome giue another reafon;The Son,inthe Scriptureis called theArme ofGod,as alfothe Hand ofGod ; and asthe arme and the hand pro- ceed from the bodie,and the finger fromboth, fothe SonneofGodproceedeth from theFather, andthe Holy-Ghoft from themboth. Euthimiva faith, That the finger ofGodand the fpiiit of God fignifie Gods power. The Magi ofPharaoh not beeing able to make thofe Gnats which troubled the /Egyptians, or (as Rabbi Salomonand fome latter Writerswill haue it) thofeLice whichwere fent toplague them ; faid, Digitus Dei eft hic, 7-ha is thefinger of God ; that is, the vertue and power of God : whereby his po- wer is pointed at as it were with the finger. Of thisopinion isTertulian and further addeth, That Godcalls his finger, hispower ; for that the leaft part in God,which is his finger, expreffeth Gods omnipotencie. And that hee might notwrong thishis greatneffe,in this aEtionofhis,ofcaftingDeuills outofmens bodies, hevfeththis phrafe,¡fl by thefingerofGod,&c. Saint Chryf jlome doubtsof this confequence ; Si in digitoDei eÿcio Demonia, peruenietinvosregnumDei,¡ fitaf l out Deuils by thefinger ofGod, theKingdome of Godfhall comeuntoyou. Before thatGod did incarnate his Sonne, there were fome Exorciftsainongflthe Iewes,which in Gods name, and byhisvertueand power did caft out Deuils. And in the r9 oftheAlts itis faid, Thatthere were certaine fonsofScene alew(the Prieft) which did this.And lofe hue makes men- tionofone Eleazar,whobeforevefpaftanand his whole Army didcall out many Deuils. And ofSalomonit is faid,That he left fome exorcifines behind him , in which the nameof Godwas calledvpon, when as yet the Kingdome of God was not come. By whichS.¡erome vnderftands the comming ofour Sauiour Chrift, in his Expofitionofthatplace of S. Luke,RegnamDeiintravos eli. Here= vnto I anfwer,That one ofthetokens ofthe timeof our Sauior Chrift,was,his calling out ofDeuils ; aswellas thofe other, That theBlind fhould fee, the Deafe heare, the Dead arife,&c. But becaufe this Prophecieis notfo fully exprefledinthe Scripture astherett are, it is fufficient, thatour Sauiour Chrift wrought this miracle amongft the reft,in confirmationtharhe was thatpromifedChriftandMeflias,as alfothat he was the SonneofGod. Whenceitfolloweth, TheKingdom ofGodiecome vn- to you. When afirongmanarmedkeepeth hie Palace . Saint Mathew and Saint Make make
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