I 1i The Epifl le Vedicatorie. - -- 1 thm1. Againe, ifth~re be a miracle in the facramenr, it is conrrarie to the nature of all ! \ thofc that were wrought, either by Mofes and rhe Prophet<, or by Chrrfl, and his Apo- 1 1 flies. For they were apparant to the cye,bm this isinfcnfible: and ,therefore neitherofI force ro mooue admimion, nor to conuince the minde of man, and make hinl to be. ! lceue. As for thofe~ which are pretended to be wrought by faints, in that Church; if we make rccourfero the Primitiue times, wherein God gaue the gift, to breede faith in the Gentiles; we i1ull fin de that the power ofproducing fiteh workcs, was neuer a~tlQljy inr All.l·"·''· herentiu the Apofllcs,but difpcnfcd b,y,them in the 1J..<me o(Chrijl, Neith·e,r w~~it in their liberrie, to worke miracles, when they would, but whet) it pJpJI.fc;dGod,vpgnfpe· eiall ,caufe,to·c•ll rhem thereunto. And if neither the power nor..th.<l",WiU )Vas i!t 1tJem, '1l\1cl! leffe is it likely to be found in any of rl)e faints. An~. f~r their Rcliqrtes, ,-<5f 1 what name foeucr, fi, greatly tmgnified and rcfortcd vnro:. "'(~ sleniether~ is any fi!~)l.vcrrue ill them. For :hey may not be thought robe more etfcetualltqcn the hem ofC'hrins gacL,~.4<. \nenr, frpm which the power of healing the woman did notproceep,e·, burfr9m~i.mfllfe: ' .a.•,.... u. Or,.then t!te Napkin of Pattl, which did not cure the ficke, b11t the.power ofGod •T¥1J, dif– penlcd by theh4nds ofPaul. Miraclesthercfor,e, auouched,bythem, to.be wroug)tr ;it the Tombs and Statues offaims, and by rhei~.Rdiquesand M_onumenrs, :jre but m~ef.e.Sata· nicall wonders, fcruing to nuimaine Idol.t.trie-:md fitp<;tfl,ition: and-are in trueh., t)O berAus,l.c!cv 4 nitateecl. cap.r6. ~.cor.of+ rerthenrhe.wonders of the Donarifls in S.Auguflinestime, aut Ji.gmmta mendaciumho– min~m~, autportrJ?tafoi!JCium.!Jirituum. IV. That the )ight of the Go(pcl purely prea· flted,is a foncra,ig11e meane, to di(cotH;r ancj confound the po1yer :j~d_ p9lic_ie,qJ (<tan irt ,,co..r•·•· Wirch-craft and Sorceric. The word of God preached, is the wapon of tlic thrifli– ~ns .warfore, and umightiethrough Godtocafldowne flrong poldn. At ~he difpeaf•rion of it bythe Dilciples of Chrill, Satan fillfrom hcauen M lightemng. ,fl.fter the a(cepfion·of Chriil into Heauen, in rhe rimes of Claudius C:eflr, ~ the Deuill flirred vp fillldrie per· (ons, who in regard ofrhe ad,noirablc workcs whi.;h tbey did, by the helpe of.M<gicke ~ndSorcerie, wcreac~aunr~d as Gods, and t.hcir Statues ereCted and worfhipped with tuk.to.r8. "'lufl.M.ut. ~~Lad An· greatteuerence. Amongfl1t~e reil oneSimon,called by a killd Cif eminencie, Magm ,pra– Ctiling his trade with liteceffc, t9 the admiration ofthe multitude, wa.sholqen eo betht A"-'·'"' grwpo..,tr of God. Vihofe dc~lin_g Wosfiril di(couered by rhelighcoft_he word, lllining in the MiniUerie of the Apolllt;§, and himfelfeconuietcd .wirh luch euidence of rr;llh, eo bean Inilrurncnt of faran, th~t he was forced at length toflic outo( Samaria ilito-the .,r,h.'"L weilerne parrs, as Et{ebius.recordcth in his Eccleliaflicall Hifl0~j~. By rhis, Chri!l: ~~·.::" the true Angel! of the Couenanr,locktdand b•undvp Satanfor a ~ooo'yearrs after his r.cu•L•M· afce~fion, that hec might nor be fo gencr~lly powerful! ir reducing the Genrilcs,-as hee hadbeene before his incarnation. Bur toward rhcexpi~arion of thpf,c;yearcs, wl)_en co.r– ruption beganne to creepc into the Papacie: when the Bilbops ajf~cred that Sea; a.nd af· pired vnto it by Diabolica!l Arrs: when the Canons, Dccrees,Senrcnces,Synod~II<,De· cretalls,Clementincs,Exrrauaganrs, with other Lawesand Conflitutions, prcoailed a– bouethe fcriprures:then began Satan again to ereet his kingdom,and thefe works ofini· quitieto befetabroach. . Thefepointscogerherwirhthe whole worke enfuing, I humbly commend eo your Honourable Patronage, thatvnderyour proteCtion theY. may freely palfe to the common viewe ofthe world. Wherdn if I feeme oucr-cold, thus eo prelfe vpon your Lordlhip vnknowne: my an[wer is at hand; T'natall by-refpeCts fct apare, .I haue beene hereun– to induced many waycs. Firfl, vpona reuercnt )pinion ofthofe rare giftsofknow– ledge.and pierie, wherewi~h God ~arh beamified your perfon, and thereby aduanccd y(lu to high plac,c, and elhmauon m th~s C?mmon-wealrh: '0'hcrcofthofe your graue and iudicious (pccches, cuen mthe werghueil matters touchmg God and Cxfar, as al– fqchofe many learned L.aw-wriring•, haue giuen large tellimonie. From which h~rh if– ftted the greattielfe ofyour pame, both in the prefent iudgement of the world, and in future expeCtation. N exr, out ofa re(oluedpcrfwafion ofyour honourable dtfpofitton , as·ingenerallro the whole houfeof Leui,fo particularly to thofe, whofe labours haue l fruitfully flowed our ofrhe Schoole$ of-the Prophets,amongil whom the '-:'*•thorofrhrs boc>.k~, in his time, was none of the mcanefl. Laflly, by theconfider~tlon ofthe Ar– gument, arifing out of a Law Indici,ll,agreeable to the calling and qualme of a Iudgc_: !_____ ,--____ · ALaw
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