A learned and very useful commentary on the whole epistle to the Hebrews wherein every word and particle in the original is explained ... : being the substance of thirty years Wednesdayes lectures at Black-fryers, London / by that holy and learned divine Wiliam Gouge ... : before which is prefixed a narrative of his life and death : whereunto is added two alphabeticall tables ...

§. 29. Of creatures disability about miracles.

SUndry Objections are made against the foresaid truth: but they may all easily and readily be answered.* 1.1

Obj. 1. Christ in the daies of his flesh wrought miracles.

Answ. Christ in the lowest degree of his humiliation retained his Divine dignity, and ever remained to be true God; One with the Father, John 10. 30. He being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no re∣putation, Phil. 2. 6, 7. What thing soever the Father doth these also doth the Sonne like∣wise, John 5. 19. Christ by his miracles proved himself to be true God, Matth. 9. 6. This therefore confirmeth the point: that Christ the true God wrought miracles.

Obj. 2. Prophets, Apostles and others who were meer men, wrought miracles,* 1.2 as Moses, (Exod. 4. 8.) Elijah, 1 King. 17. 21, 22. Elisha, (2 King. 4. 25.) All the Apostles, Matth. 10. 1.

Answ. God wrought those miracles by them. They were but Gods Ministers and instruments therein. Peter acknowledges as much, Act. 3. 12, 16. Thereupon Peter, when he miraculously cured Aeneas, thus saith unto him, Aeneas, Iesus Christ maketh thee whole, Act. 9. 34.

Obj. 3. Wicked men have wrought miracles, as Iudas, Matth. 10. 1, 4. And such* 1.3 as followed not Christ, Luke 9. 49. And they of whom Christ saith, Depart from me ye that work iniquity, Matth. 7. 22, 23.

Answ. God may and oft doth use wicked men to confirm his truth by miracles, as well as to preach it.

Obj. 4. Miracles may be wrought against the truth: For in the Law it is said, If there arise among you a Prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder; and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other Gods, thou shalt not hearken, Deut. 13. 1, 2, 3.

Answ.

• 1. In the Text there is only a supposition made, If there be: which doth not necessarily imply that such a thing may be.
• 2. There may be signes and wonders done, which are not true miracles.
• 3. Their foretelling of a thing may be upon meer conjecture: as Fortune-tellers guesse at things to come. But herein is nothing extraordinary.
• 4. God may work by such evil instruments, in such an evil cause, to try whether his people will be drawn by any means from a known truth. This may seem to be implied in these words, For the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether you love the Lord your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, Deut. 13. 3.

Obj. 5. The Sorcerers in Egypt wrought miracles. For it is said that they also did in* 1.4 like manner with their inchantments, Exod. 7. 11, 12, 22. & 8. 7. they did as Moses had done before: they turned the Rod into Serpents, and water into blood; and they brought abundance of Frogs.

Answ. In outward appearance there was some likenesse betwixt the things which Moses did, and which the Sorcerers did: but in the truth and substance of the things there was a very great difference.

The things which Moses did were true and proper miracles: but the things which* 1.5 the Sorcerers did they did only appear unto mans eye to be so. For the devil can present to the eye of man shews and shapes of such things as indeed are not. But suppose that the things which the Sorcerers pretended, were reall; that there were true Serpents, true Blood, true Froggs, the devil might secretly bring from other places such things, and present them before Pharaoh, and before them that were present with him: And this not above, much lesse against the course of Nature.

Obj. 6. A woman that had a familiar spirit raised Samuel after he was dead; 1 Sam. 28. 11, 12.

Answ. That which appeared to be like unto Samuel, was not Samuel himself, but the devil presented unto Saul a shape like unto Samuel: in which the devil himself spake unto Saul. Though he pretended to foretell things future: yet he did it but by guesse. He saw the Philistims very well prepared; and he observed that God had utterly forsaken Saul: and thereupon took the boldnesse to fore∣tell, that the Lord would deliver Israel into the hand of the Philistims, and that Saul and his sons should be with Samuel, who was then dead: that is, they should be dead also, 1 Sam. 28. 19.

Obj. 7. S^t Paul saith that the coming of Antichrist is after the working of Satan, with* 1.6 all power, and signes, 2 Thess. 2. 9.

Answ. In the next clause it is added, and lying wonders. This last clause shews that the signes before mentioned were but counterfeit, not true miracles.

Papists, who are the Antichristians, do exceed above all others in counterfeting miracles, which are but plain deceits and illusions.

It remains, notwithstanding all that hath been or can be Objected, that God a∣lone doth true miracles. Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in the earth: in the seas and all deep places, Psal. 135. 6. and so can he still do.

While we have God for our God, we need not fear, nor faint by reason of any danger or want for means: but when we know not what we do, to lift up our eyes upon him, (2 Chron. 20. 12.) And in faith to say, God will provide, Gen. 22. 8. we ought on this ground to be of the minde of those three faithfull servants of God, who by a King were threatned with a burning fiery furnace, and say, Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us. Psal. 46. is worthy our serious and frequent meditation for this purpose. It is by many stiled, Luthers Psalm; because Luther oft said it and sung it, especially in the time of any trouble. So trust to the power of God in all straits, as ye subject to his Will: and prescribe no means to him: but referre the manner of working to his Wisdome. For he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, Heb. 13. 5.

Notes

• * 1.1

  How Christ wrought mi∣racles.
• * 1.2

  How others did miracles▪
• * 1.3

  How wicked men did mi∣racles.
• * 1.4

  The miracles in Egypt.
• * 1.5

  Magorum Ser∣pe•…•…tes qui per Moysis serpen∣tem devor•…•…tur, imaginarii sue∣runt. Aug. de Mirab. S. Scrip. l. 1. c. 17.
• * 1.6

  Antichrist came with signes.