our neceſſities.
Such faithleſſe people (I ſaie) are alſo perſuaded, that neither haile nor ſnowe, thunder nor lightening, raine nor tempeſtuious winds come from the heauens at the commandement of God: but are raiſed by the cunning and power of witches and coniurers; inſomuch as a clap of thunder, or a gale of wind is no ſooner heard, but either they run to ring bels, or crie out to burne witches; or elſe burne conſecrated things, hoping by the ſmoke thereof, to driue the diuell out of the aire, as though ſpirits could be fraied awaie with ſuch externall toies: howbeit, theſe are right inchantments, as Brentius affirmeth.
In concione.But certainlie, it is neither a witch, nor diuell, but a glorious aaPsal.25. God that maketh the thunder. I haue read in the ſcriptures, that God bbPsal.83. maketh the bluſtering tempeſts and whirlewinds: and I find that it is ccEccles.43. the Lord that altogither dealeth with them, and that they ddLuke.8.
Matth.8. blowe according to his will. But let me ſée anie of them all eeMark.4,41
Luk.8.,14 rebuke and ſtill the ſea in time of tempeſt, as Christ did; or raiſe the ſtormie wind, as ffPsal.170. God did with his word; and I will beléeue in them. Hath anie witch coniurer, or anie creature entred into the ggIob.38,22. treaſures of the ſnowe; or ſéene the ſecret places of the haile, which GOD hath prepared againſt the daie of trouble, battell, and warre? I for my part alſo thinke with Jeſus Sirach, Eccles.43. that at Gods onelie commandement the ſnowe falleth; and that the wind bloweth according to his will, who onelie maketh all ſtormes to ceaſe; and hhLeuiti.26.
verſe.3.4. who (if we kéepe his ordinances) will ſend vs raine in due ſeaſon, and make the land to bring forth hir increaſe, and the trées of the field to giue their fruit.
But little thinke our witchmongers, that the iiPſal.76,23. lord commandeth the clouds aboue, or openeth the doores of heauen, as Dauid affirmeth; or that the Lord goeth forth in the tempeſts and ſtormes, as the Prophet kkNahum.I. Nahum reporteth: but rather that witches and coniurers are then about their buſineſſe.
The Martoniſts acknowledged one God the authour of good things, and another the ordeiner of euill: but theſe make the diuell a whole god, to create things of nothing, to knowe mens cogitations, and to doo that which God neuer did; as, to tranſubſtantiate men into beaſts, &c. Which thing if diuels could doo,yet
