wonder to see miracles done at the Memories and feastes of Martyrs or other great Festivities, more then at other places and times. 4. Angels and Saintes patrones and workers in place of miracles.Fourthly, that the Angels or some special Saints are Presidents or Patrons of such places of miracle, and workers also under God of the effects that there extraordinarily be done. Which ought to make Christians lesse doubt, that the force of divers waters in the world is justly attributed by our forefathers and good stories to the prayers and presence of Saints, which profane incredulous men referre only to nature, untruly pretending that God is more glorified by the workes of nature, which be of his ordinarie providence, then by the graces of Miracle given to his Saints or Angels by his extraordinarie providence. 5. Miracles in certaine places, and wrought upon them that corporally visite the same. See S. Augustine ep. 137.Fiftly, that miracles be not wrought on men by their faith only and as wel by their presence in spirit as in body, or upon the parties desire or devotion only, according to the Heretikes pretext that God is a like present by his power and grace to every man and place: and therfore that men need not to goe from their owne houses or countries to seeke holiness or health at the places of Christs or his Saints birth, death, memories: for none could have benefit of this water but he that could touch it, and be in it corporally, and at that just time when the water was in motion by the Angel. 6. Al reasoning in these matters must yeald to Gods pleasure.Yea sixtly, we may consider that in such cases to make the matter more marvelous, rare, and more earnestly to be sought for, and to signifie to us that God hath al such extraordinary operations in his owne wil and commandement, without al rules of our reasons and questioning thereon, none could be healed but that person who first could get into the pond after the Angel came and stirred the same. 7. This water is a figure of Baptisme.Seventhly, that these graces of corporal cures given to this water, Hiero. cont. Lucifer c. 3. to. 2* prefigure the like force of the Sacrament of Baptisme for the cure of soules, though we need not seeke correspondence thereof to the figure in every point. 8. Christ extraordinarily healeth and saveth without creatures.Lastly, Christ by his power of excellencie and prerogative could and did heale this poore man that could get no body to help him into the water, because he earnestly and long desired the remedie by God appointed, but was excluded by necessitie: as our Lord saveth al such as die without Baptisme, if they in their owne persons earnestly intended, desired, and sought for the same.
Sinne the cause of sickness and infirmitie.14. Sinne no more.) We may gather hereby that this mans long infirmitie was for punishment of sinnes, and that men often attribute their sicknes to other natural defects, and seeke for remedies of the world in vaine, when the sinne for which it was sent, remaineth, or is not repented of: and therfore that in al infirmities men should first turne to God and goe to their Ghostly father, and then cal for the wordly Phisicions afterward.
34. I receive not.) Our Maister meaneth that mans testimonie is not necessarie to him, nor that the truth of his Divinitie dependeth on worldly witnesses, or mens commendations: though to us such testimonies be agreable and necessarie. And so for our instruction he vouchsafed to take the testimonies of John the Baptist and Moyses the Prophets: and departing out of this world, to send forth al his Apostles, and in them al Bishops and Lawful Pastours, to be his witnesses from Hierusalem to the end of the world.
Neither Jewes nor Heretikes find the truth, because they search not the Scriptures deeply, but read superficially.39. Search the Scriptures.) He reprehendeth the Jewes, that reading daily the Scriptures and acknowledging that in them they should find life and salvation, they yet looked over them so superficially that they could not finde therein him to be CHRIST their King, Lord, Life, and Saviour. For the special maisters & Scribes of the Jewes then, were like unto our Heretikes now, who be ever talking and turning and shuffling the Scriptures, but are of al men most ignorant in the deep knowledge thereof. And therfore our Maister referreth them not to the reading only or learning them without booke, or having the sentences thereof gloriously painted or written in their Temple, houses, or coates: but to the deepe search of the meaning and mysteries of the Scriptures, which are not so easily to be seen in the letter.
