University of Virginia Library

TO ALL TRVE FAITHFVLL CHRISTIANS, Beleeuing and beloued Seruants of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ.

Deere Christian soule, with humble mind and thought,
Admire the wonders that thy Sauiour wrought,
The most true miracles that haue beene done,
By Gods beloued deere and onely Sonne,
When he for sinnefull man (without intreat)
Descended from Gods owne right hand and seate;
The mansion of the blessed Cherubins:
To dye on earth for our accursed sins,
When no inducing merite, thine or mine,
Could thus procure his mercy to incline:
But when free loue, his lifes free ransome cost,
To saue the sinners that themselues had lost:
Then liuing lowly in contempt and scorne,
Despised of the world, most poorely borne,
With painefull trauell, preaching vp and downe.
On shore, in ship, in mountaine, field and towne;
Confirming, that he taught to be diuine,
By many a wonderfull admired signe,
Euen such as the beholders did confesse,
The very hand of God, and no power lesse
Effected, for so wonderfull they were,
That all spectators stood amaz'd with feare,
They saw his works to be so strangely rare,
So admirable, and so past compare;
Those (that borne blind) did neuer see worlds light,
To haue perfection giuen them of sight,
Dead Lazarus that lay foure dayes in graue,
Calde forth from thence, his life againe to haue,
The dumbe to speake, the cripples sound to goe,
The figge-tree cursde, to dye and neuer grow,
The winds and seas when they outragious swell.
At his rebuke turne calme as any well:
The diuels driuen out of men to Swine,
The water turned into purest wine,
The Souldiers (in the false betraying howre)
All strucken to the ground by Iesus power;
The dropsie healed, and the Leapers cured,
His presence by the Diuells not endured,
His walking on vnfirme and liquid water,
His giuing life vnto the Rulers daughter,
His healing Malcus eare most perfect sound,
When Peters sword had lopt off to the ground:
And many more (as those fowre holy men,
Which did the life of our Redeemer pen)
Haue registred, of wonders Iewes did see,
Which Iesus onely wrought, that we might bee
Faithfull, and true beleeuers in his name;
And in our liues expresse and show the same.
These Myracles for Christians may suffice,
To strengthen faith, and make them godly wise,
For they were wrought by Christ, and onely ment
To make the hearts of men giue free consent
To heare Gods word, establish faith thereby,
And to confirme vnto vs constantly
Gods promises, to be so certaine iust.
That all shall chaunge, before they fayle our trust:
And these are works we know will firmely stand,
While others build foundations on the sand;
That when the stormy winds and tempests blow,
Or raging waues doe beate, they ouerthrow.
We are in no wise to admit of those,
That doe depend on wonders and strange showes,
Vrging meere fancies, which themselues deuise
Of humane wit, and errors forged lyes,
We haue forewarning, that we should take heed
Of such deceyuers, as the world will breed
In later times, false Prophets will arise,
That lying signes and wonders will deuise,
And mens inconstant minds so farre infect,
That were it possible, euen Gods elect
Would be deceiued by their false illusion;
So subtill is the author of confusion:
For Sathan (as authentike works doe show)
Expressing craft, and malice long agoe,
With all his old-world Deuils, did effect,
That men should haue Gods honour in neglect,
And vnto hellish power themselues betake,
Therefore in Heathens Images he spake,
Wrought wonderments, and wrought them so from grace;
They honourde Idols in the true Gods place,
As Iupiter their thundering God they made,
And Mars their Warriour with the bloody blade,
Old dogged Saturne, of a churlish kind,
And Eolus their puffing God of wind,
Pan, with the shepheards bare a piping reede,
Apollos musicke did their straines exceed,
Cupid the louers blind God they did call,
Pluto for hell (and so they might be all)
Neptune, he was their water God at seas,
And many hundred foolish gods as these.
Thus were the Heathens blindly led away;
And thus are many at this present day
Deceiude with cunning falshood of the Deuill,
Who onely worketh for effecting euill,
And neuer in his practise was inclinde
Unto the good and profite of mankind:
For note his property, it will appeare
Right manifest, and most apparant cleare,
That when his seruants haue performde his will,
In acting things that are vngodly ill;
He doth allow for their vngratious paines,
A most small portion of vncertaine gaines:
Obserue herein the wicked witches case,
And Sorcerers that fearefull fall from grace,
Making contracts with Sathan, how that these
But onely for the present he doth please,
For their whole liues in misery are spent;
And at the last their ends proue violent,
As false with Heretikes, the deuill deales,
And Schismatikes, when wonders he reueales,
All are illusions that from him proceed;
Not any thing of truth in actuall deed,
And therefore as the Scripture warnings giue,
Those men that will not in obedience liue
Unto the truth, but doe the same despise,
They shall by strong deceyuings, follow lyes,
False Christs shall come, and shall such wonders show,
That many will beleeue them to be so,
Not hauing knowledge to discerne aright
Gods power, true working from the wicked sprite.
But Christian soule, most constantly abide,
Let not the Deuill draw thy heart aside,
For that which Christ and his Apostles taught,
And all the miracles which they haue wrought,
For to confirme what they had preach'd before,
Is all sufficient, and we need no more:
And be thou mindfull what S. Paul doth say,
Within thy soules best treasurie it lay,
If I, saith he, strange doctrine should defend,
Nay should an angell from the heau'n descend,
And preach another Gospell then the first,
Receyue it not, but hold him for accurst;
Remember God of his free loues intent,
Hath left an euerlasting testament
Vnto vs all, in Christ our Sauiours bloud:
In this alone consisteth all our good;
All Prophesies had hereunto relation,
All miracles to this gaue confirmation,
Therefore if any take in hand to frame
A miracle in Saint or angels name,
If any mortall creature vndertake
His power that makes the earth and heauens quake,
If Sathan and his Ministers endeauour
To worke strange wonders, this beleeue, that neuer,
Can any miracles bee truely done,
But by the power of God, and Christ his Sonne:
To which eternall maiesty and power,
Ascribe we, till the worlds last ending howre,
Till Sunne and Moone decay past date of dayes,
All honour, glory, Worship, endlesse prayse.