Again sometime God giveth way and event to these courses, for the manifestation of his own glory, his power, and his providence; to let men see discovered to them by their own projects, though evil and impious, who it is that plagueth them, & hath power over them, though they either know not, or acknowledge not him. And so was it bin that sign that the Philistine Soothsayers set themselves; whereby God put them out of doubt of that concerning his hand on them, which they made some doubt of before. Where we may withal consider, that as these courses took effect when God had such an hand in them; so the like courses used by others, as by cHaman, and by dSennacherib, at other times failed and took not effect, but fell out clean contrary, ewhen God pleased not to give success unto them, or had not (and who can tell when he hath?) any such ends in them. Considering therefore, that there can be no certainty, in such Lottery, unless that God himself have a special hand in it, which 1we have no reason to expect, unless it be for our evil, to plague us for our perverse courses in that kind; as also that fthe Devil, as he may be deceived, so he may deceive us; yea from a professed and notorious Deceiver we can expect nothing but deceit, whether he himself be deceived or not: Let us take heed how we give heed or credit to, such deceits as seldom prove true; yea how we give any regard to them, though they prove never so oft true: remembering that gSauls witchcraft was not therefore the more allowable, because the Devil told him nothing ⟨p. 358⟩[…] ⟨p. 359⟩[…] ⟨p. 360⟩but truth; nor the Apostles of Christ ever a whit the more spared the unclean Spirits, because they told truly what they were; yea bearing ever in mind that hGod hath forewarned us before hand, that though they should prove true, yet we should not believe them, nor give credit unto them, as being but sleights of Satan to draw or drive us away from him; yea such sorry flights these, that even ithe wiser sort of the heathen ones have descried and discovered the folly and vanity of them; and it is a foul shame for Christian men to come short of such. And thus much may suffice also for these latter sort of Lots, to wit, Extraordinary and Divinatory, Lots, which howsoever they have been lawful some of them at some times unto some, yet are none of them lawful in these times unto any.
Againe sometime God giueth way and euent to these courses, for the manifestation of his owne glory, his power, and his prouidence; to let men see discouered to them by their owne proiects, though euill and impious, who it is that plagueth them, & hath power ouer them, though they either know not, or acknowledge not him. And so was it bin that signe that the Philistine Soothsayers set themselues; whereby God put them out of doubt of that concerning his hand on them, which they made some doubt of before. Where wee may withall consider, that as these courses tooke effect when God had such an hand in them; so the like courses vsed by others, as by cHaman, and by dSenacharib, at other times failed and tooke not effect, but fell out cleane contrary, ewhen God pleased not to giue successe vnto them, or had not (and who can tell when he hath?) any such ends in them. Considering therefore, that there can be no certainty, in such Lotery, vnlesse that God himselfe haue a speciall hand in it, which 1wee haue no reason to expect, vnlesse it be for our euill, to plague vs for our peruerse courses in that kind; as also that fthe Deuill, as he may be deceiued, so he may deceiue vs; yea from a professed and notorious Deceiuer wee can expect nothing but deceipt, whether he himselfe be deceiued or not: Let vs take heed how we giue heed or credit to, such deceipts as seldome proue true; yea how we giue any regard to them, though they proue neuer so oft true: remembring that gSauls witchcraft was not therefore the more allowable, because the Deuill told him nothing ⟨p. 358⟩〈…〉 ⟨p. 359⟩〈…〉 ⟨p. 360⟩but truth; nor the Apostles of Christ euer a whit the more spared the vncleane Spirits, because they told truly what they were; yea bearing euer in minde that
- b1. Sam. 6.7, 8, 6, 10. Ut suo eos •re corrip•ret. Chrysost. in Tit. homil. 3. ut ostenderet malum illud à se profectū. Riber in Jon. c. 1. ut gloria illis sua innetesceret. Martyr in 1. Sam c. 6.1. Sam. 6.7, 8, 6, 10. Vt suo eos •re corrip•ret. Chrysost. in Tit. homil. 3. vt ostenderet malum illud à se profectū. Riber in Ion. c. 1. vt gloria illis sua innetesceret. Martyr in 1. Sam c. 6.
- cIsaiah 36.10.& 37.36.Esai 36.10.& 37.36.
- dEster 3.7. & 9.1, 2.
- e[Greek or Hebrew]. Esa. 36.18, 19, 20. [Greek or Hebrew]. Isaiah 36.10. & 37.29, 33, 34 Justin. orthodox. quaest. 136.〈non-Latin alphabet〉. Esa. 36.18, 19, 20. 〈non-Latin alphabet〉. Esai 36.10
