Discourse of the Subtle Practices of Devils, Chapter 5
Deuils hauehave no power to hurt mens bodies or goods, but vponupon speciall leaue giuen vntounto them. The 5. Chapter.
THe reprobat angels are mightie, fierce and subtill, as we hauehave brieflie noted. They be instrumentes of Gods vengance, and executioners of his wrath, they doe not exercise power and authoritie which is absolute, and at their owne will and appointment, but so farre as God letteth foorth the chaine to giuegive them scope. Touching the reprobat, which despise the waies of God and are disobedient, we are taught, that God in righteous vengeance giueth thē ouer into their hands, for they would not louelove his lawes, nor honour him as their God: therfore they come vnderunder the tirannie of wicked diuels, which worke in them with power, their harts do theyEphes. 2. harden, their eies, euen the eies of their minds do they blind, they kindle and stir vp in them all filthie lusts, and carrie them headlong into foule and abhominable sinnes.
Here is their throne and kingdome, not that they be able to carrie these so far as they would, but as eueryevery one doth more grieuously prouoke God, so are they plunged y• deeper, either into monstrous heresies, or abhominable wickednesse, for God giueth them ouer into a reprobat mind, some indeed are caried further thā other into the depth of impietie, becauseRom. …. God letteth him more stronglie inuade them, and taketh away his graces and gifts, but yet he raigneth in them all, in as much as they be void of the power of grace to resist him, and are caried captiues by him vntounto eternall damnation.
These wicked fiends doe also set vponupon the faithfull and elect people of God, for God vseth them also as instrumentsEphes. 6. 2. Cor. 12. for their triall, they tempt and trie them, they doe wrestle and fight against them, they buffet them, eueryevery way seeking to annoy and molest them both in bodie and soule. God indeed turneth all vntounto the good of these. Hee letteth him hauehave power and scope no further vponupon them, than he giueth strength and power of grace to resist, at the least so farre that the wicked one can not cause them to sinne vntounto death. This then being out of al controuersie, that his power euen in thatIohn. 5. wherein it is greatest, and where he seemeth to hauehave his chiefe right, is limited: how shall it be deemed but that touching the bodies of both men and beasts, or of anie other creature, he can doe nothing but vponupon speciall leaue and commission graunted vntounto him. He can not doe violence to the bodie of a poore swine, naie he can not at his pleasure kill so much as a seelie flie. When God will hauehave him to touch anie creature, either man, beast, fish, foule, tree, corne, or whatsoeuer, he flieth vponupon it, and maketh the greatest shew that he can.
These things are we plainlie taught in the holie scriptures, not onelie by those which were possessed with diuels, and were greeuouslie tormented in bodie: but also by destroying both men and cattell. In the booke of Iob the first chapter, we are plainely taught, first that the diuell could not touch Iob, nor any thing that was his, then that hauing leaue, he slew his children, destroied his seruants and cattell, and plagued him in his bodie with sores, the holie ghost doth so manifestlie teach that the diuell did this, that to denie it is flat impietie, and the vaine and friuolous cautls to prooue the contrarie not woorth the answering. The holie ghost doth applie himselfe in that place to our rude capacitie, It is very true: and so doth he in manie places of the holy scriptures, doth it follow therefore that the things were not? We are not capable of things spirituall, and therefore they be set forth vnderunder the forme of things corporall and visible. We may not imagine that deuils thrust in themselues amongst the holie angels into the glorious presence of God in heauen. Neither must we suppose that GOD talketh with the diuell and he with him: but these and such like things are borrowed to set before vsus things inuisible.
God vseth the diuels by his prouidence to accomplish the woorke which he determineth, eyther in wrath vponupon the wicked, or for chastisement and tryall of his Children. What could more fitly expresse the same, then to liken him to a king which hath seruants & officers for eueryevery purpose, who came before him to giuegive an account what they hauehave done, and to receiue commaundement what they shall doe? God limitteth their boundes, he restraineth, he enlargeth them at his good pleasure. But how Satan doth knowe where leaue is giuen him, we cannot conceiue. For as it is sayd, God tolde him, all that he hath is in thy hand: for vsus hee is brought in speaking in this wise, thou hast hedged about him, and about all that he hath. Yea but Iob saith, God did all? And Iob saith very true, but Iob did knowe God did it by appointing the Diuell to doe it. He knew that the theeues and murtherers which slewe his seruaunts and draue away his cattell, were stirred vp by the Deuill, he stayeth not aboute them nor yet about the Deuill, but looketh and addresseth himselfe vntounto him which hath rule ouer men and Deuils, shall we say then God did it, therefore the Deuill did it not? It may be obiected, that if the Deuill did those thinges, then is hee able to raise vp mighty windes, tempestes, lightning and thunders. If hee sent that mighty winde, which did throwe downe the house vponupon Iobs Children: if he cast downe that fire vppon the Cattell and Seruauntes, Why may not men thinke that vponupon leaue he can do the other? I answere, that the scripture ascribeth the Windes, the Tempests, the Haile and the mighty Thunders and Lightnings vntounto God euen as works peculier to his Maiestie, by which he doth set forth his magnificence and glory. Because he alone hath created them, the deuils are not able to create any thing, though neuer so smal, much lesse those greate thinges. He seeth right well the matter whereof they consiste and how they are▪ by the naturall course which God hath set, brought foorth, vponupon leaue graunted vntounto him, he is able in some sorte to collect the matter of them, or being prepared by the Lorde, to make them more violent: he doth couet also in the darkest tempestes, in the moste raging windes, and terrible crackes of thunder to conuey himselfe into the storme, to come with it, and to shew some terrour of his presence, … if … graunted he appeareth vntounto some in an vglye shape, or renteth vp trees. And this he doth to bring men in beliefe that all those terrible thinges wherein there is so glorious and so mighty power shewed, are his workes. And herein he hath greatly bewitched the blind worlde, for it is a common opinion, when there are any mighty windes and thunders with terrible lightninges, that the Deuill is abroade and doth it. When they heare of houses burnt, or trees rent vp and other harmes by Sea or by Lande, by and by they begin to suspect that there hauehave beene coniurors abroade, then rumors are spread, the coniurors, sayth one, are taken, they hauehave confessed that they raised vp Deuils, & that three are broken loose, yea fiue, saith another, & how they wil get them in againe God knoweth, this wicked folly which possesseth the mindes of the ignorant sort, is a fruit of Poperie. For they tookeaway the light, and the Deuill did delude them in the darke at his pleasure, for beholde the wisedome of their greate Prelates in this poynt.
Had they not hallowed belles to ring in greate tempestes, that the Deuill might be driuen awaie, as not able to come within the sounde of them? Did not these graue fathers beleeue that those great and terrible thinges were wrought by the Deuill? And the greater they were, the rather men ascribed them vntounto Deuils, a vile and brutish impietie, that the more glory did appeare, the sooner they shoulde attribute the same vntounto the Deuill, but in very deede it is thePsal. 29. glorious GOD which causeth it to thunder. but it may be thought for all this, that the Deuill doth bring lightning and thunder, and mightie windes, because as it seemeth those were no lesse which he did for to plague Iob.
I will shewe therefore that there is greate difference betweene the mighty workes of God, and those which are asscribed there, vntounto the Deuill, they indeede seeme to be as great lightning, and thundering, as strong windes, but yet they are not, the Deull causeth fire to fall downe vppon the seruauntes and the cattell of Iob and burneth them. Let vsus see whether that bee like vntounto the lightning and thunder, God createth them and sendeth them in the Cloudes with mighty power and terror, they passe through the earth & vponupon the seas at his commaundement, the Deuils did not make nor create that fire, but being already scattered in the ayre a company of them di… gather it together and cast it vppon the men and the beastes, and make it kindle vponupon them, this may seeme a very great matter aboue that which it is, vnlesse we consider how it was done. First this is euident that the sun … beames …, being the fountaine of heate, there is fire dispersed: because when they he collected▪ or the scattered heate which is in them, drawe together, they do burne, as experiēce doth teach by some glasses which … holden in y• sun, Plutarch sheweth concerning the holy fire which the virgines called vestals, did keepe, ordeyned by Numa, that when it was out, either by negligence or mishap, it might not be kindled from common fire: but they had a way to collect the beames of the sun. We see also that by striking a sharpe flint & a sharpe Iron together, there commeth very burning fire. It doth not come out of the stone, nor yet out of the Iron, for so much fire as with a multitude of strokes is brought out of a little stone & a small Iron, could not bee in them, but they must needs be very hot, wheras indeed they be very cold, thus therfore it is: God hath so ordeined that in this whole worlde there cannot be Uacuum, that is to say, any place void or emptye, but it must needs be filled with sōwhat, there is no power in man to make such empty place, so much as a pins head: for somwhat must fill the roome, we see therfore that water will not run out at the bottom of a vessell that hath holes, vnlesse there be way for the ayre to come in, to fill the roome, put a bottle into the water being empty, you shall well perceaue that it is ful of ayre, for no water wil into it but as the ayre goeth out, euen so when a man striketh a sharpe stone, vponupon the sharpe edge of Steele, hee parteth the Ayre in sun…er at some strokes, that if there were not a quicker thing then ayre, there would for some moment of time be Uacuum, the fire therfore being dispersed doth gather to a sparke & fill the place where the ayre was parted. What maruel is it thē though a sorte of malig…ant spirites, which hauehave farre greater power and skill then men, do collect the fire which is scattered in the ayre, and drawe it downe vponupon men. This is nothing to the terrible lighteninges and thunders, which the mighty God hath created and ordereth. But what for the …oisterous windes, did not Sathan raise as greate as it seemeth as the greatest when it threw downe the house, which no doubt was strong, for Iobs Children … no begger's. … answere that this winde was euen the Deuill, or a company of Deuils which moued the ayre and came rushing vponupon the house themselues with noyse, and threw it downe. It doth follow heereof that the Deuill can send foorth windes as the Lord doth, which at his commaundement goe foorth ouer the large kingdomes of the earth, and ouer the wide Seaes, this is a worke farre aboue the power of Deuils, and therefore the Diuel hath bewitched those whieh beleeue that hee can doe such thinges. The Diuels hauehave power also to infect the humors in mens bodies, and of beasts likewise▪ to bring sores and diseases, when God giueth him leaue▪ this might suffice to prooue that the Diuels hauehave no power to hurte, but vppon graunted, and that the same obteyned, they can do much, but yet I will adde one testimonie, because it is very cleare, and bringeth the matter out of all doubt, leauing no place for any cauill▪ the Euangelists doe report that our Sauiour did cast Diuels out of a man possessed, They besought him that they might enter into a great heard of swine which was feeding in the mountaines, he gaue them leaue, and the whole heards was carryed into the Sea and drowned in the waters. We see they could not touch the Swine without leaue, and when that was graunted, what mischiefe they wrought, thus much for this poynt.