A Retentive to Stay Good Christians, Title page · Motive 6
The 6. motiue.
Miracles personall, a marke of true Doctors. S. Barnarde Bristow.of our religion with what miracles he confirmed images, churches, the reall presence, transubste …ati…n, sacrifice of the masse, praying for the dead, praying to Sain…tes, and man… other articles. Miracles for & by holy bread & for the signe of the crosse. The signe of the crosse worketh miracles. Excommunication of Pius v to be feared, who by his prayers & signing of the crosse, did cast deuills out of fiue women.
Bristowes principle against which there can be no …ulke.instance, is this. VVhatsoeuer persons at any time since Christes ascention hauehave had the grace of miracles, they were the ministers of Christ, I say not alwayes iust and holy: but alwayes preachers of his truth: and consequently, whosoeuer set themselues against such persons they were against Christ & against the truth. In the last chapter before, I hauehave brought instance, both out of the Law and the Gospell, of salse Prophets and false Christes, which should worke great miracles, and yet preach against God & Christ. Wherefore this conclusion is vtterly false.
Bristow replieth, they are lying signes, such as were wrought by Iannes and Iambres, and shalbe wrought by Antichrist, not able to abide the triall, so say I of all Popish miracles, either they are fayned, or …ls they are counterfaited, or if any wonderous thing be done, it is according to the working of Satan as the Apostle teacheth vsus. 2. Thess. 2. So did Marcus the hereticke make straunge appearaunces in the sacrement of Christes blood, as witnesseth Iren. cus lib. 1. cap. 9. Tertullian affirmeth, the holy Ghost the comforter to be in the M… ̄tanistes, by acknowledging of the promised graces lib de amma cap. de inferis. Where also he maketh mention of prayer for the dead confirmed by a miracle among the Montanists. Augustine speaketh of Paulus & Donatus, that wrought miracles to confirme the heresie of the Donatistes. de vnitat. eccles. Soz…menus lib. 1. cap. 14 reporteth that Eutychianus a Nouatian heretike, was notable in working of miracles. Wherfore if the fables written of Frauncis, Dominike, Becket, &c. were true, yet are not they by such miracles proued true preachers.
But S. Bernard was of our religion sayth Bristow. In deede he maintained many of your opinions, yet not all nor the chiefest, for he beleued that a man might be saued s…la fide by faith only Ep. 77. But he was an enemy to the Henricians which burned images, destroyed Churches and were against all such pointes of Poperie, as the title mentioneth: and these heretikes he ouercame, not only by preaching, but by miracles (sayth Bristow) as he testifieth himselfe Ep. 241. The truth (saith he) was made manifest non s…lum in sermone sed etiam in virtute: not only by preaching but also by working as doth Bristow translate, wheras he should say, not only by speech but also by power, so that of miracle there is no mentiō. Yet Godfrie the Monke, that was his discisciple, writteth of miracles wrought by breade, sanctified with the signe of the crosse. &c: But Godfries writing we holde for no Gospell. Neither know we the contrarie, but some Godf…ie Gods foe, which hued long after Bernarde, might fayne those bookes in the name of one of his disciples that liued in his time, for the number of miracles rehearsed in them, fine passe the number of the miracles recorded by the Euangelists of our Sauiour Christ. And that you may know from what spirite those bookes proceeded, you shall vnderstand, that the same Godfrie lib. 1. cap. 3. extolleth the wisedom of Barnard aboue all the Scriptures. Vicbatur sanè Scripturis tam liber…è commode que , v… non tam sequi illas quam praecedere crederetur, & ducere ipse quô vellet, auctorem earum ducem spiritum sequens. He vsed in deede the Scriptures so freely and fitly that he might be thought not so much to follow them, as to go before them, & to lead them whither he would, following the spirite, the autor of them as a guide. Againe he sayth of him. Nam & confessus est aliquando sibi meditanti velorāti, sacram omnem velut subse positam & expositan… apparuisse Scripturam. For he confessed sometimes while he studied or prayed, that all the holy Scripture appeared to him, as placed vnderunder him and expounded. But Bernard him selfe as appeareth by his wrytings, abhorred from that blasphemous confession: Againe those epitaphes, which were written at his buriall, commende Bernard highly for his learning and vertue, but of miracles they speake not, which they would not hauehave omitted, if they had bene so many as this Godfrie writeth.
The excommunication of Pius quintus, we feare no more then we beleue his miracle, howe soeuer that pageant was deuised, which cōmeth too late to perswade vsus, that the Pope can worke miracles. For it had bene more in season for Leo the 10, or Clemens the seuenth, if they or any of these had receaued such power, to hauehave shewed it in generall councell, or assembly of the states against Luther and his followers, then now that Antichrist is in so great part consumed by the spirite of the Lords mouth, to thinke to establish his throne by lying signes and wonders which fewe of the Papistes doe in their consciences thinke to be other then counterfaited and forged.