Doctor Hills Reasons for Upholding of Papistry Unmasked, Dialogue 7
THE SEVENTH REASON. Visions, and the gift of Prophecie.
T. HILL.
AS true Miracles never were wrought, but by them who were of the true Church, so heavenly Visions and the gift of Prophecte vvere never founde to bee but in the same. And therefore the holy Apostle amonge other things which hee vseth to commende his doctrine and himselfe to the Corinthians against Heretikes, and false Apostles hee bringeth in this as one saying, Now will I come to the Visions 2: Cor: 12:and Revelations of our Lord, &c. And Saint Peter alleageth 2: Pet: 1:for consfirmation of his preaching the transfiguration of our Lords in the mounte vvhichwhich hee savve, and calleth it a Uision: hee had a Uision of Matth: 17: Act: 10, & 11asheete vvith all kindes of beastes in it, vvhen hee vvas to deale vvith the Gentiles, And for the trueth of Religion, and confirmation of that which they did Act. 2 Hee alleadgeth the Prophecie of Iocl, who saith amongst other things, your young men shall see Visions, and to bee Ioel: cap 2:breefe of this sporte is the vvhose booke of the Apocalyps. So that to see these kinde of heavenlee Uisions, and thereby to foretell things most certainly, is only amongst them who are of the true Church.
G. ABBOT.
WHen I hauehave breefly told you, that almost every worde of the greatest part of this Chapter is taken from the seaventh of your Maister … Bristowes Motiues, perhaps … Bristowe Motiv 7:some friend of yours will aske mee, when my purpose is to cease from remē bring you of this matter, since so oft I sing the same song. My answere will be that when you leaue to steale out of other mens writings, I shall leaue to tell you of the same: but that I feare will not be till we come to the ende of your little booke. Such a gift you hauehave to continue that which you hauehave well begunne. Howe and by what meanes miracles to false and evill endes, and yet themselues thinges miraculously done, hauehave and may be by Sathan, Antichrist, and their followers brought about I hauehave shewed before. And it is as certaine that Visions, which to doating and deceived folks seeme heavenly, and so also supposed or pretended Prophecies, are of the same nature in our daies, do proceede from the same roote, & are applyed to build vp falshood and vntruth in the selfe same sort. Neither are these late forgeries or illusions any thing helped, by those divine Revelations which formerly hauehave beene made; since they & these hauehave no affinitye or coherence the one vvith the other. That S. b2. Cor. 12: 1Paule to stoppe the mouthes of the false Apostles who depressed his authoritie, did mention a Vision of his owne, is a matter agreed vponupon; as also, that S. c2: Pet: 1: 17Peter to testifie that what hee preached concerning Christes glorie was true, mentioneth the transfiguration of his maister in the mount, to the which he was an eie-witnesse. And this by Iesus himselfe was teermed a dMath: 17: 9Vision. Neither is it to bee doubted, but at the same time vvhen the same Peter was to bee instructed, that Gods pleasure vvas to giuegive the Gentiles accesse into the Church, as well as the Iewes, he had from heaven an apparition of a eAct. 10, 11: 13.sheete full of all beastes cleane and vncleane, and a voice added therevnto, Kill and eate. But we would gladly learne what it is that you can conclude out of these, since the persons, the times, the vse is now most differēt, you having no affinity, nor keeping any quarter with the Apostles, no not retaining so much interest in them, as the Saracens have in Abraham, from whome by the fSozom. 6, 38.bond-woman they are lineally descended. And yet it would bee helde but a ridiculous dispute for one of thē to say, that Abrahā was familiarly acquainted with God, pleased him, & had many blessings & favours frō him therfore they the Hagarenes and Mahumetanes, are in the same grace with the Lord, & may plead any favours or privilege frō him. Touching that place of the Prophet gIoel. 2: 28:Ioel which you cite, it hath relatiō to the sensible sēding down of the gifts of the holy Ghost, which was fulfilled soone after Christes ascension. And this was intimated again by our Saviour himselfe in other words, He … that beleeveth in me saith the Scripture, out of his body shall flovve rivers of water of life, vntounto which the Evangelist immediately subioyneth … Ioh: 7: 38.This spake he of the spirit which they that beleived on him shold receive, for the holy Ghost was not …et givē, because that Iesus was not yet glorified. The Prophet Ioel thē foretelleth, that when Christ had appeered, there shold be visible & most admirable tokēs of Gods power & louelove to his Church, in so much that many of all ages & sexes first among the Iewes, & afterward by some farther cōmunicating of it among the Gētiles, shold speake with strāg tōgues, shold see visiōi & prophecy. And that the words of Ioel have reference to this & nothing else, S. Peter himselfe shal be witnes, whose speech this is, iAct. 2. 16:These are not drunken as you suppose, since it is but the third houre of the day, but this is that vvhichwhich was spoken by the Prophet Ioel, And it shall be in the last daies saith God, I wil powre out of my spirit vponupon all flesh, & your sonnes & your daughters shall prophecy, & your younge men shall see visions, & your olde men shall dreame dreames. And to shew that this is appropriated to that, which thē & quickly after was shewed by the Apostles (I meane the speaking with strang tōgues, & the imparting of that gift to other, by thē as the instrumēts of God) the same Peter hath these words afterwards, Since k33.then that Christ hath received of his father the promise of the holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this which yee now see and heare. Looke then how lōg speaking mitaculously with strang tongs cōtinued in the Church, so long you may pleade out of this texte, that visions and Prophecies had their place: but that hence you should inferre that these thinges have perpetuall vse in the Church, is most incongruous and inconsequent: since the gifte of speaking strange languages is long since ceased, which at that time vvas more eminent and apparaunt then Visions and Prophcying. Now that the words of Ioel, are to bee vnderstood of that time only, witnesseth S. lAd Marcellam adversus Montanū.Hierome, who being vrged out of that very text to allow the visions & prophecies of Montanus, saith plainly that the same Prophecy agreeth to the time of the Apostles wherein Peter spake, and vntounto none other. And as this maketh nothing for that which you are to prove, if your meaning bee to prove any thing, so your mentioning of the Apocalypse maketh lesse then nothing: for that which Iohn there sawe is the last Revelation commended to vsus by the Lords warrant, and wee may not looke for any more such, where-vponupon as on a matter of certainty, we may build our faith. S. Iohn made Canonicall Scripture of his Visions, which I trust yours cannot be. Which yet nevertheles you might as wel proue, as to make this argumēt, Iohn did see Revelations & Visiōs which were frō God, & they gaue testimony to his doctrine, Ergo you see such, and yours be of that sort. Your Reason from those auncient ones to these of your Papacy, is a bacule ad angulum, tyed togither with points, most vnorderly and vnconcluding. So that to allowe you that these kinds of hea…ly Uis…s, and thereby to f…tell things …, is … …gst them who are of the tr… Ch…h, I may adde, and of such as are immediatly inspired from God; is nothing at al to your purpose. When you proue your Vision-seers to hauehave the same warrant, authority and inspiration which the Apostles had, we will readily harken vntounto you. But you must take a long day to make that good, as the thirtith of February, or ad Gr… Calend…, and till that time we must looke after you.
T. HILL.
FOr although there hauehave beene Prophecies amongst the Heathens, yet were they not vndoubtedly true, as the Oracles of Apollo, and such like illusions, except they were for the confirmation of right religion, a… Euseb. li. 5. hist. c. 16. & 18: Cochlaeus in act: Luth.the Prophecies of the Sybils and of Balaam. And the same may be said of Heretikes … of Montanus, of Luther, of Muncer, and of such like, who tooke vponupon them to prophecie, some to their vtter shame, and some to their owne destruction.
G. ABBOT.
2 VVEE will not much striue with you about the Prophecies among the Heathen, although we doubte not but in ordinary actions of civil affaires, the Divel oftentimes did speake vndoubted truth. VVhichWhich was, the more to draw on and allure those who were the children of vnbeleefe, and repaired to him for counsaile, that they might beleeue him in such other forged matters as vvere more for his purpose. Else they would never with such frequēcy hauehave runne to his Oracles. And the meanes vvhereby Sathan attained to that knovvledge, vvas partly by revelation from God, who sometimes imparteth his proiects vntounto the … Divell, and partly by coniecture of precedent … Iob 2. 6. …. 22. 2…necessary signes, which would inferre or inforce the effects mencioned in Sathans answere, vnlesse God by miracle did alter the consequents. But it is of irrefragable truth, that to confirme divine Religion, the Lord hath vsed the mouth of the reprobat, … Num. 2…. 24. c: 24. 2… …. 17…yea of the Divell himselfe, in foreshewing things to come. … Balaam prophecied rightly of the Israelites, of the Amalekites, of the Kenites, yea of the comming of Christ himselfe, the Saviour and victorious conquerour of the world. … Caiphas truely foretolde … Ioh: 11: 50that one should die for the people, and not all the nation perish. And yet both Caiphas and Balaam were the children of perdition. Apollo in his Oracle, which was nothing else but the voice of Sathan, did vtter many verities: for he was over-ruled by one who was greater then himselfe. Let that one instaunce suffice, vvhichwhich is cyted by Lactantius, and falleth fitly vponupon God, and Christ his sonne. For pLacta. d… fals. religion: cap. 7:Apollo at Colophon being consulted by one to shewe vvho or what God was, it vvas answered,
foreign,
foreign
foreign.
Borne of himselfe, vntaught, vvithout a mother, stable or individed, his name is not expressible by speech, dwelling in the fire. This is God, and wee Angles are but a small p…ce of God. And the like may be saide of the Sibilles, vvhichwhich vvere tenne in number as the same qCap: 6:Lactantius shevveth, and as it may bee gathered out of him there, had many things touching the vnity and power of God, and of his Creating of the world. And rDe ira Dei ca: 22: & 23else vvhere the like are by him mentioned to bee delivered from them, as also of the vvrath and vengeaunce of the Lorde against sinne. Saint sDe civit. Dei l. 18. 23Augustine hath in like māner certaine verses of Sibilla Erithrea, vvhichwhich are as a Prophecie foretelling and describing the comming of Christ, and are the more notable for that Acrostich … Christ the S…e of God, the Saviour, every verse beginning with one letter of those wordes in the Latin, the … Originall whereof … In annot. in eū ….is cited by L. Vives in the Greeke. Neither doth the holy tIn orat ad sanct cae…ū. apud EusebEmperour Constantine forget to apply to our Saviour, that Ecloge of Virgile which was borrowed from the Dictates of Sibilla … Cumaea. Yea all the Sibilles hauehave spoken so plainely of Christ, that … Vir. Ecl 4….some hauehave imagined them to be of the number of Gods electe, and chosen of purpose out of the Gentiles: but Gregory Nazi…zene is directly of another iudgement, uAd Nemesium.saying that whereas sometimes they ioine with the truth, it is not that this happened vntounto them from God, but because they looked …slaunt or squinting-wise on the bookes of the Scripture. This may be some reason, but I rather suppose, that God who enforced … Sathan to confesse Christ to be the sonne of the Almighty, and so to giuegive … Mar: 1: 24testimony to him among the Iewes, did also vrge these to giuegive witnes of Christs comming among the Gentiles, although the speakers like Caiphas knew not what they said.
3 Of Montanus and his followers, as also of Priscilla & Maximilla two women, yEccl. hist: lib: 5: 16: 17Eusebius out of Miltiades and Apollonius maketh mention: that he tooke on him to be a Prophet, and they to bee Prophetisses, and that when they would vtter any thing, they were not like true Prophets soberly inspired, and grauely demeaning themselues, but as frantike folkes, & persons possessed with an evill spirit. It is added that their behaviour otherwise was full of covetousnesse, wantonnesse and vanity. In breefe they and their doctrine came to naught: which had beene the lesse to be pittied, had not zHier: adv: Helvidium:Tertullian, otherwise a worthy man, and a great light in the Church sometimes, beene over-taken by them. … Muncer whom you name was a ring-leader of the … Sleid: l: 5:Anabaptists, and he togither with one Phiferus his companion, drew togither many thousands of people, perswading them that by visions and dreames they were warned from God to doe as they did. Among otherthings a litle before the ioyning of a battaile, he would hauehave made them beleeue, that a raine-bow which appeared was a signe from heavē that they should prosper. One of his doctrine… was, that we were to aske signes from God, and that the Lord did much like that we should so demaunde them, yea and eagerly expostulate with him, if he did not grant them. The end of this man was, that the army which he had assembled of countrey-people was ruinated, divers thousands of thē slaine, he was put to flight, & being taken was executed by the sword. This man could not endure Luther, but publikely preached and inveighed against him; and Luther on the other side detesting his vprores and rebellious sedition, did write against him and his proceedings, whiles he was aliue, & in his greatest strength. And as Luther nothing respected th… fained Visions and Prophecies of Muncer, so did hee never assume any such gift vntounto himselfe. He would m…y …, … truth which he did bContra Regē Angl…teach should …sper, which h… vttered a… grounding i… on Gods generall pro… that the word like the … raine from aboue should not returne in vaine, and vponupon the experience … Isa: 55: 10:which he had of the dayly spreading of it more & more in his owne sight: but t…t … mad… shevv of any such Revelations as you woulde fasten vponupon him, the very authour whom at randon you ig…ntly …, shall cleare him: for hee alle…ging the speech of one whom he calleth Paulus Abb… … w…ng against Luth… …ngeth in these words of his: I pray th… … thy …, … …: … act. Luther. A…: 1534:t…gh all the … of L…r, Th… … in th…, w…re L…her … of …, … of the spirite of God, …t all his …, all his … and … is …. The … p…t he addeth, perverting Luthers humble and Christ… …ssion that he was tempted by Sathan, as all men are, so… more, some lesse, to vvickedness… but can a man hauehave a more ample and gen…all testimony, th… this is out of …, that Luther never tooke on him the shew of …, … prophecies? So that which you being against the … maketh for the truth, & your ow… tongue or penne doth cause you to fal…by your own sword you do perish. Luther knew that those were the iuggling trickes of your Romish Synagogue and therefore he both wisely & religiously declined them.
T. HILL.
BVT the C…ke … Church, … had … in all ages, th… which had tr… Visions and the gift of true Prop…, as Agabus, Act. 11. Gregory Thaumaturge so Basil. li. de spiritu sancto. Cap. 29. Saint Anthony the Abb…, Iohn of wh… s… Saint Aug. l. 5. de civit. Cap. 26. Saint Monica s… Aug. lib. 3. Confes. Cap. 11. Saint Benedict s… Gregor. …. …. …. cap. 15. S. Bernarde see in … vita, lib. 4 cap. 3. S. Frau… s… in eius vita Bo…ventura, with …, for … vv… there any vv… had the gifte of …, … …. A… …, … s…y P… is (… you …) wh… … …tedly w…erfull … you …y …, wi… … and irr…gable t…y.
G. A…T.
4. IT were worth the while that you should exemplify your visiōs throughout al ages, as you did yo… miracles before. But to begin, you do …ost discreetely s… Agabus in the fore. …ont, who by the spirit foretold of a … throughout all Act… ….the world. And what had he to do I pray you with your vn-Catholike Romish strumpet? what doctrine did hee mainetaine which is now in your minte? God knoweth, your forge was not yet going when Agabus spike. He… lived in the time of Visions and Prophecies, and had signific…tion from the holy Ghost what he should say; from vvhichwhich your Se… are most farre. And the Scripture advoucheth this of him. There is nothing his that may touch you, vnlesse you vv… appl… … co…porall famine fore-tolde by …, and veri…d vnd… Claudius Caesar, to note the spirituall famine, vvhichwhich afterward possessed a greate parte of the vvorlde, while the Popes debarted Christians of the foode of their soules, the breade of life, the holy and Sacred Scriptures. Of Gregorius Thaumaturgus, Basile breefely … De spiritu Sancto… cap: 29:speaketh thus, His predictions of future thing… vvere such, that he vvas nothing inferiour to the rest of the Prophetes, vvhere observe that h…e nameth no particular prediction, no revelation. And gSocrat. lib: 4: 22:Socrates speaking of him, breefely toucheth his miracles, but not a word of any Prophecie or Vision. So that this may well be doubted of: … that so much the rather, because Basile sette…h his commendation so high, as that n…ither you, nor any other man can iustify it, if you wil vnderstand the cōparison to be betweene him, & the Prophets mētioned in Gods booke, who have for thē such sufficiēt authority as may not be distrusted, whereas without impiety this narratiō may wel … questioned? Ye… if this were allowed, you are stil as farre to seeke as before for how will you pro… that this man beleeved or maintained your now Romish f…h? A…y … …d … the M…ke, & the …ite, but not othe…. And of … it … …oned, that he saw in a visiō … So… 6: 5:som… ov…ing th… holy …, and sacred table, which was … expo…d of the …. But …ke I pray you …, that he …, and devoide of all learning, and Lib. 1. 13.therefore his … are not m…h to be builte vppon. Secondly that he had little, or nothing in him s…ing with Popery: for the monkish life of him and others in those daies was of a most different sort from these our belly gods, who would never hauehave endured to li… as those olde Heremites; and their profession & religion is much disagreeing. Thirdly that although it bee saide of him, that by the helpe of so gre… vertues, hee had attained divine foreknowledge, yet the same Authour addeth farther that to fore-kn… things to come, he himselfe did not accoūt to be … the number of vertues. And therfore he did gi… … that … rashly should bestowe hi… time & labour in that matter. Bec… …ā which was ignorant of future matters, should suffer …y …, because he was ignorāt of them, neither did he th…ke, that he who did fore-know thē, was therfore blessed, or to be a…red. He then did not make so much of it, as you doe. And so it appeereth that you ha… but ill lucke with the examples which you bringe.
5 Cōcerning Iohn, S. kDe civit. Deil: 5: 26:Austen saith that Theodosius being to fight against Maximus, did not sēd to inchaūters but to Iohn, who abode in the wildernesse of Aegypt; which servāt of God he had learned by cōmō report, to be indued with the spirit of Prophecying, & frō him saith he, …e received a most certaine message of victory. Al this while, what maketh this for the Church of Rome, more thě for the Anabaptists, or any other who wilchalēge him? Monica lConfess: 3: 11.S. Austens mother much grieving that her sonne was a Maniche…, did weepe & pray ince…tly for his cōversion. At last being in a dreame, she imagined that she stood vponupon a woodden ruler, & a yong man with a mery coūtenance came to her, and asked her why shee was so sadde, Shee answered that she bewailed her sonnes destructiō. To which he replied, that she should be of good cheere, for where … was, h… son was. And looking about she saw her sonne stād on the same rulet with her, which impor… to her, that … should in time come to the Orthodoxe. In this vertuous woman you can hauehave no interest, vnlesse it be that according to the mLib. 6. ….custome in Afrike her country, shee brought meate & drinke as to make a bāket at the memory of some martyrs, which I take to be their tombs; but therfore she was rebuked & forbiddē by that reverēd Bishop Ambrose, accoūting hir fact to be but an imitatiō of the heathē; vntounto which inhibition of his, she with quietnes did cōsent. Of nGregor▪ Dialog. lib. …: 15.Benedict we do finde, that he foretold many matters to To…la the King of the Gothes, that he shold enter Rome, raigne 9. yeers, & die the 10. And he also foresignified to a Bishop the desolatiō of Rome, & in what māner it shold be, of what credit the book is whēce this is takē, I have spokē before. That which is cited of S. oVita nern. lib. 4. 3.Bernard is this, that he foretold, that albeit a Prince called Theobald had many troubles frō his enimies, yet at 5. mōths end he shold hauehave peace. Also he acquainted a certain messēger sēt vntounto him, that he the same messēger shold become a mōke. And such like are the Visiōs & predictiōs reported of him, which as the writer of his life taking thē vp on heare-saies might fasten vpō him, to make his life & story the more famous (for this or the lik was the order for al the Saīts) so may it not well be questioned, whether God in this later age would giuegive such an excellent gift as prophecy is, to so smal a purpose, as only to tel such matters of so smal moment, belōging to single yea & some private mē only. pAlois Lippoman, in in vitis Sāctorum.The life of their Frācis writē by Bonavētura, is so foolish & yet so blasphemous a thing, as it is fitter to bee exploded then refuted. There he telleth that this hypocrite had a visiō of certaine crūmes, which betokened the increase of his society of Franciscanes: & to ratifie this, he had 5. wounds set on him by God, like the woundes of our Saviour, & this was a confirmation of his order, as if he the Pope had imprinted some seale on it, & allowed it. He hath afterward a Chapter De divinis condescensionibus ad nutum factis, as if he could hauehave revelations from heaven at the least becke of his. Yea hee saith of him that he could vnderstand the secrets of mens harts. These reports as amōg fools they adde much to the worship of that Frier: So amonge the wisest they appeere to detracte much from the peculiar honour of CHRIST and his Father. These are the examples which you bringe vntounto vsus, whereof there are fewe which so much as in shewe make ought at all for your Popery: and there is none of them, but in that perticuler lieth to manifest exception. So that your miracles and visions maye in like sort be reiected, as vncertaine, fradulent, fained, and communicable to the wicked as well as to the godly, and such mayserue to vphold falshoode as much as truth. In the Scripture they who had the one gift from God, many times had the other ioyned with it: but that alwayes was not so for ought that I finde, and whether it were or were not, it maketh not to your pupose. Your Papisticall visions in our daies are either diabolicall illusions, or the inventions of couseners, whose sufficient and irrefragable testimony, is nothing else but the doting fancy of some melancholike person, or the lewde devise of other who vvoulde make themselues famous, or else proiect something for the establishing of plotted purposes. And if any go about to sift thē or rifle thē vp, they hauehave no other warrāt but to strēgthen thē, with such other reportes, as vncetaine, & of as feeble a relation as the first, & so on, on with twenty, evē as the liar in qLucian. in …hilopseud.Lucian doth: or as it is the māner of figure-casters, to cōmend their practise; or as it was wonte to be in tales of the walking of the spirits, & of chambers wherin no man might dare to lye, in al which, the cōfirmatiō of one tale, was still by telling such another fable, that so one might strengthen another. We neede no better example of the goodnesse of this stuffe, then blind rMotiv. 7:Bristowes reports in this behalfe, who would insinuate that one M. Allington, a Papist belike had wonderful sights, yet he will not tell vsus what, but sendeth vsus vp and downe London, and wee may heare of them. So you knowe diverse and sundry Papistes, vvho hauehave seene vndoubtedly vvonderfull visions, vvhichwhich perhaps vvee may see recorded heereafter. You do well to say perhaps, for it would be a good while first, vnlesse it come out against your will, as somewhat hath done, vvhereof you shall heare anone: but if you woulde put it out, it woulde be a brave booke for vvinter nightes in steede of a nevve Legende. Another of M. Bristowes fabulations is, that one who was a Papist in hart, being at an English Cōmunion, saw the Devil in the liknes of a fowle blacke Dogge, take the Communion still at the hand of the Minister, as he delivered it to the cōmunicāts. What lucke our Papists hauehave, that they alone can so oft see the Devill? And they alone can hauehave the Devils in them, which finde worke for the exorcists? He is simple that seeth not, that this was a devise to driue men frō the participation of the Lords supper. A third he hath, that a great many Cōmunion bookes lying in a sicke mans chamber, were caught vp by a fire which seemed to hauehave many hands, & so were throwne into a flame. He who wil so lightly bestow so much of his beleife as to credit this, may demurre vpō this actiō, whither it were not the Devils owne deed, who cānot away with the Communion booke, & therfore burneth it, not because it is bad, but because it is against him: & so have his disciples dōe. And the like may be expoūded of the black doge before, not enduring that the people shold participate of those holy misteries. It might also be asked, what so many Cōmuniō books did in one Chāber? Notwithstāding we rather hold al these things to be humane fictions, or if they were done, to be diabolical illusions.
6 BVT heere to come neerer the state of this wise Reason, It is most true that there was a time when visions & dreames, & Prophecies were of good force, God vsing to do by his children as Iob speaketh, that is, talketh to thē in sIob. 33. 15.dreams, & visiōs of the night, whē sleepe falleth vpō thē, & they sleepe vpō their beds. So sG… …:Abimilech was warned in a dreame to abstaine frō Sara, & tCap 28 …2lacob had his dreame of the ladder, & u1: Reg: 3. 5Salomō was willed in a dreame to aske what he wold. And of this sort we find very many other, which advertised mē of the Lords special wil in many particulars. In like māner there is warrāt for diverse visiōs, as whē God cōforted … Iacob in a Visiō, & when he appeered to … Gen. 46: 3x1 Sam 3… 1Samuel, professing what iudgmēt he would bring vpō the house of …li. So in the new Testamēt, yAct 1▪ 3:Cornelius & zCap. 9. 121Ananias had their visiōs. And for Prophecying, Moses & all other who were so inspired frō the Lord, do sufficiētly speake. And yet even in those daies we find that it was not safe, to trust al things which came in the n…me of prophecyings & visions & dreames. For there were false Prophets as is plaine by a1. Reg: 22: 11.Zidkiah & many more. And Ieremy schooleth the people, bIer. 27. 9:Heare not your Prophets, nor your so…thsayers, nor your dreamers, who say vntounto you thus, Yee shall not serve the King of Babel, for they prophecy a lie vntounto you. And in another place he saith of other, cCap: …3: 10. & …5.They speake the visiō of their own hart, & not out of the mouth of the Lord. And afterward God saith, I have heard what the Prophets said, that prophecy lies in my name, saying I have dreamed, I hauehave dreamed. This is thē a dāgerous thing for credulous people to be deceived by, vnlesse they chāge their iudgmēt & bee very wary. God therefore addeth farther, dVers. 28.The Prophet that hath a dreame, let him tell a dreame & he that hath my word, let him speake my word faithfully. It is then Gods word faithfully looked into, which must be the directiō to the speaker & the hearer. Else how soone might mē be deceived? That e1: Reg. 13. 9: 18.Prophet of the Lord may veryfie this, who himselfe was quickly beguiled through credulity, at the instance of another Prophet, fNehem. 6… 10.perswading him directly against Gods wil revealed vntounto him. Notwithstāding Nehemiah being wiser, whē he might hauehave bin so catched by Shemiah pretēding a revelation, did not harken vntounto him, but looked to that duty which was cōmaūded him. And that was it wherin mens spirit of discretiō did cōsist in those daies; to look whether they furthered the Lords service or no, when they spake, & whether other approved circumstances did concurre; for in other general matters the good & the bad, might externally seeme to ioine. The place of gDeuter. 13. 1:Deuteronomy is in this behalfe worth the cōsidering, where it is saide that a Prophet may come, or a dreamer of dreames, and may give a signe or a wonder, & that also may come to passe, & yet he may be a deceaver drawing to false Gods, and is not to be followed. Then evē in those times, visions, dreames, & prophecyings taken in themselves were but tickle things to rest on, neither had they any sure groūd, but from the word, by which they were to be tried. That without them was forcible, they disagreeing from it were nothing.
7 But now since that Christ is come, we are taught in no sort to depēd vpō thē: for the doctrin is general, & cōcerning al things, hHebr. 1. 1…At sundry times & in diverse māners God spake in the old time to our fathers by the Prophets, In these last daies he hath spoken vntounto vsus by his sonne, which Antithesis doth intend, that miracles & al means saving the word of Christ, are now cut off, frō resting our vndoubted faith thervpō. But in special touching visiōs & miracles, whē the iLuc. 16: 29.Rich mā is brought in, as desiring that Lazarus might strāgly be sent, or appeere as a ghost, or in some vision, to warne his brethren, our Saviour frameth Abrahams answer, They hauehave Moses and the Prophets, let them heare them, as holding that alone to be sufficient, and cutting of all other points, from being matters of certainety, where-on to rest our faith and soules. And yet as it was said of Miracles before, we deny not, but that after the ascē sion of Christ, & the death of the Apostles, some & seldom times visions might be shewed to some of the elect, for their privat instructiō, satisfactiō or comfort, as kEus. Eccl. Histor 4. 14Polycarpus did dreame that he shold be burnt for Christ, & lLib. 5: 27:Natalius by stripes givē him, or seeming to be givē him by Angels, was revoked frō heresy to an Orthodoxe opiniō, & so was mHier: epist 22▪ ad Eust:Hierom frō overmuch studying Tully & humane learning: & nTheo: 516Theodosius did dream that he should be Emperour. Where obserue we two things: first that these visions were touching privat mens ma…ere, & not to teach; & much lesse to broch any new or vncertain doctrine to the Church: for which purpose our Papists do vrge their visions, & especially to establish Purgatory & the appurtenances therevnto. Secondly that albeit in some few God did this, yet it was not laid downe as a fundamētal matter, that there should alwaies in the Church be such persons, neither might any mā presume to say that continually there should be such a vocatiō … neither could any person by an assured faith promise himselfe or other, that hee should hauehave such sights or predictions; neither is there any Cōmandement to test ought in religion thervpon: but rather there is much more to the cōtrary. For we heare oftē of false Prophets, & Christ biddeth vsus oMat 7: 15beware of them. Before that Hierusalē should be destroyed, which is a figure of the end of the world, he saith that pCap 24: 11many false Prophets should arise, & should deceiue many. And if the rule bee true that where miracles be, there also are visions, thē it is one of Antichrists mark, to stand on dreames & apparitions: for we are tolde that he shall come q2: The: 2 9with all power & signes & lying wonders. But to put al out of question it is added, that his manifestation shall be with all deceiueablenes of vnrighteousnes, & therfore we may rightly collect that these visions or rather fraudulent fictious, and illusions must not be wanting. How shal we then iudiciously imagine, that this may be a reason to conclude for truth, when it selfe is fully out as much communicable to vntruth? It were easie to shew, that among heathen men this was a frawde vsed to set colours vponupon their actions. The conference of … Numa with Egeria … Liv. lib: 11the Nymph about his lawes; The dayly going of sId. lib: 26:Scipio into the Capitol, as if he had talked with Iupiter; the dreames of Alexander and other prodiges expounded by sCurt. lib. 4. & 7.Aristander; the hart or hinde which tPlut in Sertorio.Sertorius pretended to come to him as a messenger from the Goddes, do come within this compasse, and are directly here appliable, or at the least equivalent to that which is now handled. As for Mahomet, he is in the beliefe of his followers, inferior to no Prophet that ever spake, his whol Alcorane being nothing els, but instructions pretēded to be delivered by apparitiōs. And therfore it is uCoel. Aug: Curio. Sarac. hist: l. 1…writtē of him, that somtimes he wold say, that the Angel Gabriel was oftē times sent to him: & being much troubled with the falling sicknes, hee bore those in hande which were about him, that his fits were trances, he was in soule wrapped vp into heavē, & he was inspired frō God to teach divers duties vntounto men. In breefe this is it, wherin not only the old uEus. l. 5. 16▪Mōtanists did take on thē to excel, & Merline, to whō as xIn praefat.Neubringensis saith, G…lfridus Monumethēsis doth attribute no lesse, thē we do to Isaiah, saving that it is not inserted into Merlines prophecy, Thus saith the Lord. But the Anabaptists herein wil put downe the whole world, for they with sad coūtenance, & a little lesse thē ravished looks, would protest that they had ySleid l. 10illuminations, revelatiōs, apparitiōs for all their lewd cōceits, their having wiues as many as they list, their oppugning of magistrates, their murthering of their own brethren, as one did at … Sangallum, cutting … Surius. Com: Ann: 1527.of his brothers heade in the presence of his father and mother, and affirming that God had reveiled vntounto him that so hee must doe. And how shall it bee in mans power, to discerne these false visions from true ones, but by the word and spirit of God, & by singular diligence: which since it cannot be in every one, the allowing of these visions & dreams, is most dangerous for Christians. First it is possible that a mā himselfe either sleeping or waking may be deluded by Sathā, which as cōcerning illusions by dreams, aMor: 8: 13:Gregory notably sheweth to be true, & giveth warning to take heed of thē. And secōdly how easy a thing is it for a cūning cōpaniō who is his crafts-master, to invēt such tales, & to sweare thē also, as he did who affirmed that he bLiv: lib: 1:saw the ghost of Romulus at Rome? In Popery there were thousands and ten thousands of these inventions, thereby to establish their Masses, Dirges, Tran. substantiation, Purgatory, and such stuffe, and by these the simple were extremely beguiled, their beleefe corrupted, and their purses picked. They who could write that Saint cNOV. leg: Angl. in vita Dunstan.Dunstane whē he was awake, saw the Divell and talked with him a while, and at last with a paire of tonges redde hot caught him by the face, pulled him toward him, and made him most pitifully cry, would litle blush to report other matters of men, halfe or quite a sleepe, of which sort are the visions in the Saints liues. God Almighty hath done much for vsus, who hath so farre opened our vnderstanding as to see that this is draffe, and that the Papistes are in miserable case, who rest ther faith and religion on such trumpery.
8 That the visions of the Papacy were such fabulous fictions, wise men did long since discover. dLibello contra hypocritas.Leonardus Aretinus hath a treatise against the Cleargy of his age, but covered vnderunder the shew of impugning of hypocrites. Among other their vsages he rehearseth this: It is worth the while to heare an hypocrite preaching amongst women, or amongst men so foolish, that they doe not much differ from women. Here are the fit auditours for their fables. Hee counterfeiteth dreames: as if hee vvere come from thence, hee talketh of the houses of heaven, which hee hath never seene. With most shamelesse impudencie hee doubteth not to affirme, things fained for things done, things never seene for those which hauehave beene seene. The womē infatuated with these words, returne home, they extoll him as a holy man, and a friends of God, they send him presents, they returne vntounto him with a greater company. By this meanes very good cheere is made. His iourneces puffe vp his nose, that is as I thinke fill him with new matter. He in the mean time like a Poet doth devise dreames which hee may reporte. Thus did some of them invent matter touching themselues, and some that which concerned other men. And oftentimes the wit of one went not alone, but there were metings & conspiracies to frame devises for purposes. The matter of … Elizabeth Barton the Nun … Acta Parl. sub Hen: 8. An. 25: c: 12in Kent, was so vsed in the daies of King Henry the 8: when among her companions, much was spread to commende her sanctity, many things divulgated of her visions, and all the country was set a gogge vponupon her words: yea Fisher himselfe the Bishop of Rochester, either disloyally and dishonestly as concealing, or ignorantly and simply as beleeving, was a partaker in that forgery. But the matter was nothing but to discountenance the kings divorce from the Queene Katherine of Spain, formerly his brother Prince Arthures wife, and to stirre the people to rebellion therevpon. And at last all was confessed by the Nunne her selfe and other her Complices, and by Act of Parliament many therfore were attainted, and accordingly received punishment. If they should be well examined, the Visions which are fathered on Philippus Nerius of whom I spake before, and who not … many … An: 1595.yeares since dyed at Rome, would proue to be of this quality. Divers of his friends gEius vitae l: 1 An: 1556dying are said to appeare vntounto him, & he saw their soules immediatly passing into the kingdome of heaven. Nay hAn: 1559:Christ himselfe was seene of him. And as he saw Visions for other, so other saw some for him; whence we may learne that false laddes neede no other brokers then themselues. This Philip and his fellowes had pretended to go into India to convert soules, but one iAn: 1557:Augustinus Ghettinus a Monke and confederate of his, saw Iohn the Evangelist in a Vision, who told him that Rome must be Philips Indies, that he was chosen to dresse Gods vineyard there. Thus they packed togither, that their credit might be saved, and yet they might sleep at home in a whole skinne also. Since that time Father Weston alias Edmundes the Iesuite, and his fellowes the Priestes hauehave made great vse of Visions in England, especially by the meanes of one Richarde Mainy who since by confession on his kA declaration of Popish Impostures: Confes. of… Mainy.oth, hath discovered all to be but an impure and most cousening iuggling devise. It was long beleeved touching him, that he saw a glistering light come from the thumbs and fore fingers of the Priests at sundry times; which was devised to make the world beleeue, that those thūbs and fingers were most holy matters, being annointed with holy oyle when they were made Priests. In a traunce of his he said he was in Purgatory, and reported many strang things thereof, Also he foresawe that from that time till Good-Fryday he should hauehave Visions every Sunday, and this with like frawde was accomplished, sometimes it being prophecied that Papists should sustaine great persecutions in England: and sometimes it beeing related that Christ with great multitudes of Angels, or the Virgin Marie with traines of blessed, Virgins, were present in the Chamber, and then downe the stāders by must on their knees, to worship thē & pray to thē. One part of Mainies fore-sightes was that on the Good-friday he should dye, but when that day came he was warned that it must be otherwise, & so indeed the deade mā is aliue yet, & hath disclosed the whol devise. Yet the shamelesse Iesuite aboue named wrote a whole quire of paper concerning these Visions of his, and many a silie Papist both be hither and beyond the seas, hauehave beene bobbed with the strang reports of these counterfeit Revelatiōs, & perhaps have beleeved them as they would do their Creed. Many examples more in this kind might be produced, which may teach men not to be too credulous in these cōceits, which evermore originally come vponupon the report of one person, for he it is who must tell his owne dreame or Vision, and easie it is for some reporters themselues to be deluded by the Devill: as easie for some other to delude as many as wil giuegive credite vntounto them. Then since both Divinity and humanity doe shew this to be a matter most suspecte, let Papistes accept this for a weake reason of their vnsound beleife: wee for our partes will hauehave nothing to doe with it.
9 And yet it is not amisse, before the shutting vp of this Chap. to obserue, that they are alwaies beatē with their own rodde. For if we may attribute any thing to those, whō in the last ages they hold for the greatest Prophets, & most authētical seers of Visiōs, Popery is al naught. For we scāt find any who in a general speech is reported to hauehave had that gifte, but a great parte of his other talke hath bin against the Papacy & Clergy therof. lCatalog. …estium ve…at. lib: 15:Hildegardis was by many held to be a Prophetisse, and she did not only taxe the lewde life of the Romish Priests, but their neglect of Ecclesiastical duty, & their horrible destroying of the Church of God. Among other words she hath these: Thē the meter of the Apostolike honor shal be devided, because no religiō shal be foūd in the Apostolicalorder, & for that cause shal they lightly esteeme the dignity of that name, & shal set vp vntounto thēselues other mē & Arch-Bishops: so that the keeper of the see Apostolik at that time by the diminishing of his honour shal scant hauehave Rome & a few things adioyning vnderunder his miter. About the same time also which is more thē 400. yeeres agone, lived mIbide….Mech…hildis reputed al so for a Prophetisse. And she speaking of cōtentiōs which shold be in Germany for religiō, addeth that thē the church of Rome, should wholy apostate opēly frō the faith of Christ, & that there should remaine in Germany a poore & afflicted company who should serve God religiously & purely. There was also one nIbidem.Elizabeth a maiden & attendant on Hildegardis, who is recorded to have such predictions & invectiues against the Romanists. The Prophecies of Ioachimus Abbas, & Anselmus termed Episcopus Marsicanus, are lately oAn. 1589:put out at Venice by Paschalinus Regiselmus, & there is the Pope still pictured in his triple crowne, and he hath part, nay seemeth to be the cheefe in al the iniquity there intended. Brigit who lived about the yeere 1370. is by our Papistes helde for a famous Prophetisse, and by the Pope she is Canonized for a Saint. In her pCatalogs lib. 18.Revelations, she calleth the Pope a killer of soules, the disperser & tearer of the sheepe of Iesus Christ. Shee saith that hee is more abhominable then the Iewes, more cruel then Iudas, more vui…st then Pelate, worse and viler then Lucifer himselfe. That the seate of the Pope shall be drowned in the deepe like a heavy stone. That those who sit with him shall be burned in fire of brimstone which is not to be quenched. Thus did shee and many other scowre the Church of Rome, which as it seemeth, Doctour Hill knevve vvell inough, and therfore suppressed the names of these, least he shold be thought to mention those who flattered the Popedome. Savanorola by the confession of vnpartiall Iudges was a man who fore-prophecied many things. He fore-tolde the comming of Charles the 8. the Frēch King into Italie, & how there he should prevaile. Philippus qDe bello Neapolitā. lib. 3.Comineus spake with him in person, at such time as the Venetians had thought with their armye to hauehave entercepted Charles returning home-ward with no great forces. And Comineus saith of hi that hīself cōmīg new frō the hēch army, yet was by him informed of many thīgs there dōe, Savanorola knowing thē better beīg absēt, thē he did who was presēt And he told Comineus that albeit Charles his master were hardly laid to by the Venetiās, yet he shold escape with safety: only his fault was that by the sword he did not reforme and redresse the abuses of the Clergy at Rome. In briefe, he stil preached against the Romanists and wrote divers things excellently and learnedly which yet appeare. But being such a scourge vntounto them, the Pope rGui…iard hist. lib. 3.excommunicated him, and forbad him to preach: where-vntounto when he assented not, they caused a tumult to be raised in the City, apprehended him and imprisoned him, put him to torture, and gaue out such a confession of his as they listed, but in the ende they burnt him, where with singular patience he yeelded his body to the fire, and his soule to God Almighty. From all these & many more I draw this Conclusion, contrary to that of my adversary before vrged, That if such as hauehave beene esteemed for Prophets in this last age, hauehave had any such gift indeede, and any matter may be built on them, then the Church of Rome is a strumpet, full of corruptions, pollutions, abominations, as the very denne of Antichrist. And so rest they with their Visions, and sit they with their Prophecies.