CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St.…

Secondly, Although God only doth originally and by his own property know things to come, yet the devils they may foretell some things;¹ Not that the devils can of themselves foreknow any future casual thing, for they know not the hearts and free wills of men, yet some things they certainly foreknow, some things with great conjectures, certainly they know such things which God revealeth to them, and employeth them in to bring about, for seeing even the very devils are Instruments of bringing about his vengeance, as appeareth by that, when God commanded the lying spirits to be in the mouth of the false Prophets, as also when they appeared before God as well as the Angels, Job 1. Seeing (I say) God useth these as Instruments, no wonder if he make known unto them what Service they have to do, and therefore they can foretell things, yea, the Lord suffers false Prophets sometimes to foretell things by ⟨p. 396⟩way of judgement to a people, as is to be showed, for not only to godly men but even to wicked men God hath sometimes revealed things to come, as to Balaam, and those Mat. 7. who said, Have we not prophesied in thy Name? But besides this revealed knowledge the devils may probably foretell things to come, partly as Austin well observeth, because of their intellectual acuteness, having such extraordinary quickness in their understanding, and this added to their long life which they have had ever since their Creation, and partly because of their agility whereby they can quickly move from one place to another, as it's related of Apollonius Thyancus, who being at Ephesus when Domitian was murdered at Rome, cried out, Be of good courage, for at this moment the Tyrant is killed. Historians write, that Posts came afterwards that did confirm all those things about Domitians Death; Now if this were so, then it was by the help of the devil, who could quickly move so far, as that Apollonius did many other things, and therefore is thought by some to be raised up by the devils to oppose Christ, and draw off from him by false Miracles.

Secondly, Although God only doth originally and by his own property know things to come, yet the devils they may foretell some things;