The Height of Israels Heathenish Idolatry, Section 2 · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. Popiſh imitation of Satan in Miracles and Ʋiſions, for the furthering and effecting the forenamed three ends.
THus now at the length wee hauehave found the Court remoued, and the god of the Heathen to beare rule,The former three ends furthered by Miracles and Apparitions. though more couertly, in the perſon of the late Popes, each of whom we may finde ſitting in the Temple of God, ſhewing himſelfe that he is God. Wee hauehave diſcouered him, by his pride againſt God, by his ſeducing the ſoules, and killing the bodies of men, euen of the Saints; and wee hauehave traced him in part by his footſteps. Yet ſee, how to effect the former three ends, and to win authoritie and credit to his perſon, to his practiſes, to his doctrine, the Pope and popiſh Church hath alſo made vſe of, or rather abuſed, ſuch diuine Miracles and Reuelations as were in vſe in the primitiue times of the Church, abuſed, I ſay, by an apiſh imitation, euen of Satan,Sup. Chap 2 ſine Chap. 3. & 4. whom we hauehave ſhewed to hauehave eſpecially preuailed with the Heathen, by his imitation of God in his workes of power and preſcience.
Not to ſpeake any thing in ſpeciall of the hereſies of the Mirabiliarij, and Enthouſiaſtae; wee ſay,See Danaeus on Auguſt. de…aereſ. cap 94. that the popiſh Church would aduance it ſelfe, and alſo hath, by Miracles and Apparitions, which yet all of them, are (not true, as done by the power of God, for the confirmation of the truth of God, but) falſe, Vel à falſ…, ve… ad falſiam.as being either from a falſe worker, or to a falſe end. We ſay not that all popiſh miracles are fained by themſelues, but that, as many of them are fained to delude others, ſo, many alſo hauehave the deuill, who is falſe and a lier, for the chiefe author of them; by which, the ſuppoſed miracle-workers his inſtruments, doe not only delude others, but are deluded themſelues. And ſo we ſay of Apparitions. For thus it is foretold of Antichriſt, that his comming is after the working of Satan, 2 Theſ. 2.9.10.11.with all power and ſignes, and lying wonders, and with all deceiueableneſſe of vnrighteouſneſſe in them that periſh, becauſe they receiued not the louelove of the truth, that they might be ſaued: and for this cauſe God ſhall ſend them ſtrong deluſion, that they ſhould beleeue a lie. So that whereas Papiſts require of vsus ſuch things now, and challenge vsus to be no true Church becauſe we worke no miracles, but from miracles would approue themſelues for the only true Church of God vponupon earth; we, contenting our ſelues with that eſtabliſhment of our doctrine which we hauehave from the Miracles and Reuelation of Chriſt and his Apoſtles, whoſe doctrine wee hold and profeſſe, doe reſt herein ſecure, aſſuring our ſelues wee are thus farre no part of the Church of Antichriſt, whoſe propertie it muſt be, in the latter dayes, to worke miracles; wiſhing them of the Church of Rome, ſeriouſly to conſider, whether they or we, or yet any other Church in the world, be liker to be the Church of Antichriſt, ſeeing they bragge and ſtand ſo much on Miracles and Viſions, as to iuſtifie their Church thereby, eſpecially conſidering that the conſciences of many among them are conuinced of the falſehood and forgerie of many of their Miracles, and that ſome of themſelues allow the faining of tales, fables, and Legends, and Miracles of Saints, for the prouoking of the common people to deuotion towards their Saints, which therefore they call their pias fraudes, godly and holy deceits.
We heare and read of many ſtrange Miracles and Viſions in Popery, on which it is, for many (if not moſt) chiefe points founded, and by which it ſtands Wee had once here in England, a holy maid of Kent, Elizabeth Barton, a Nunne, which by the deuice of certaine Monks and Friers could ſeeme only to be fed by Angels, ſtrangely to alter her countenance and other parts of her body, and ſo lying in a traunce, to ſpeake many things in commendation of Poperie, and particularly in diſallowance of King Henries diuorce from the Lady Catharine. But the knauerie being found, it coſt them all their liues. A like holy Nunne wee reade of, Mary de la Ʋiſitation in Spaine, about the yeere 1588, Prioreſſe of a Monaſterie in Liſbon, of whoſe Miracles, Wounds, Viſions, a Dominican Frier wrote in French, dedicating his booke to the Queene of France. This Mary, ſaith he, our Lord Ieſus tooke to wife, often appearing to her, granting her many particular graces and fauours, conuerſing and ſpeaking as familiarly with her, as euer God did with Moſes, he oftentimes being accompanied with He and She Saints. The Inſtructions drawne by that Frier from her Miracles and Viſions, were, That it is needfull to honour Images, That Saints in Paradiſe are Interceſſours for vsus, That it is needfull to acknowledge the truth of the Sacrament of the Altar. The like fountaines of Miracles are opened in the houſes of our Lady of Lauretto (of which there is a ſpeciall booke written, and tranſlated into Engliſh) of Hales, of which Lipſius makes relation.
But we may obſerue that all of them tend, either to ſeduce from truth to falſehood, or to giuegive allowance to treacherie and murther, or laſtly to exalt the Pope.
For the firſt, it might eaſily be ſhewed how that the end of all popiſh miracles and viſions is to confirme, if not to teach & eſtabliſh ſuch popiſh doctrines as hauehave no ground in the holy Scriptures. Purgatory, a maine prop of Popery, for which our aduerſaries themſelues confeſſe they hauehave no expreſſe Scripture, hath no better ground then viſions and apparitions of the dead. So is the Maſſe confirmed by many Miracles which the conſecrated Hoſt hath done. So Garnet a traitor, is now made a canonized Saint, by an artificiall face vponupon a ſtraw taken vp (being firſt caſt downe) at the place of his execution. Thus their aduancing of Images, their making the bleſſed Virgin to hauehave beene wholly without ſinne, and ſo the Feaſt of her Immaculate Conception, the making of her alſo more mercifull then Chriſt, & many the like points of Popery, receiue ſtrength from viſions and dreames of their owne, the which might with eaſe very plentifully be ſhewed, but that I take, none of themſelues can or will deny it. I will content my ſelfe (hauing already exceeded the bounds which at the firſt I ſet to my ſelfe) to inſtance in their doctrine of Inuocation of Saints, which hauing no expreſſe teſtimony of Scripture, by their owne confeſſion, hath no better ground then apparitions of Satan in and vnderunder the likeneſſe and names of deceaſed Saints, a thing wherein they may be very eaſily deluded. For if Satan can take vponupon him the perſon of an Angell of light, if hee alſo among the Heathen could take vponupon him the names of Iupiter, Iuno, and the like, who we …en, and get himſelfe worſhipped vnderunder their names, how may he not alſo by Gods iuſt permiſſion vſurpe the names of deceaſed men or women, whether indeed Saints or no, and ſhew himſelfe vnderunder the names of Ʋalentinus, or Anaſta…ius, or Barbara, &c. And doth he not ſo, eſpecially when hee meetes with the credulous?Euſeb. …. Euſebius tels vsus that one Potamiaena, ſome three dayes after her martyrdome, by night ſtood by Baſilides her tormenter, put a crowne vponupon his head, and told him ſhe made requeſt to God for him.Bonfin …. So Bonfinius tels vsus that one Conrade a Germane was enioyned this penance by Hildebrand the Pope, that carrying with him a catalogue of his ſinnes ſealed vp in letters, he ſhould ſeeke remiſſion of them by going a Pilgrimage to all holy places of the world; and that praying at the graue of Emmericke ſonne to Stephen King of Hungary, his letters were open and his ſinnes quite blotted out of the paper. Hereupon, to this Chappell concourſe was made from the remoteſt countries. Now here to this purpoſe one fetch of the Papiſts is remarkable.
To confirme the doctrine and practiſe of Inuocation, they take the aduantage of ſoueraigne baths and waters, and where they eſpie any fountaine good againſt the ſtone, or other diſeaſes, preſently there is the Statue of Image of ſome Saint or other ſent and erected by it, by whoſe vertue the cure and miracle muſt ſeeme to be done; or ſome Chappell is erected to this or that Saint, vntounto whom prayers before, and thankes after waſhing, muſt be offered.
2 For the next points, I will giuegive but one inſtance for each of them. When in the yeare 1588. Philip the 2. King of Spaine intended the conqueſt and ſubuerſion of England, the forenamed Prioreſſe gaue incouragement to the enterpriſe, bleſſed his Standard Royall, and deliuering it to the chiefe Generall the Duke of Medina Sedonia, openly pronounced and promiſed good ſucceſſe and victory to him. This Standard was after carryed in ſolemne Proceſſion. For all this the euent proued her a falſe Propheteſſe.
3 See one tricke of legerdemaine in this kind, vſed by an ambitious ſpirit aſpiring to the Popedome. When Celeſtine the 5. poped it, and had made himſelfe odious and hated for his humility in riding on an Aſſe by our Sauiours example, eſpecially for beginning reformation of manners in the Clergy at Rome; ſee a pretty politique deceit practiſed by Benedict a Cardinall, by which hee attained the Popedome vnderunder the name of Boniface the eight. He ſuborned diuers, who priuily in the night by a reed or trunke conueyed to the eare of Celeſtine, admoniſhed him, ſaying, Celeſtine, Celeſtine, renounce the Papacy, giuegive it ouer if thou meaneſt to be ſaued, the burthen is beyond thy ſtrength. Hereupon the ſimple deluded man, taking it for the voice of God which many nights thus ſpake vntounto him, by no intreaty, could be perſwaded to retaine the Popedome. Thus an Angell of Satan transforming himſelfe into an Angell of light and of God, ſeated himſelfe in the Papacy: who as he entred like a Foxe, ſo hee ruled like a Lyon, and at the length died like a Dog.