there is no help but he must choose, till the third exorcism: in which, besides many prayers and conjurations in other words to the same purpose, the exorcist must speak louder, [especially if it be a deaf devil, for then indeed it is the more necessary], and tell the devil his own, and threaten him terribly, and conjure him again, and say over to him about some twenty or thirty names or titles of Christ, and forbid the devil to go any whither, but to the centre of the world, and must damn him eternally to the sulphurous flames of hell, and to be tormented worse than Lucifer himself for his daring to resist so many great names; and if he will not now obey, let him take fire and brimstone, and make a fume, whether the possessed will or no, until the devil tell you all his mind in what you ask him: [the liver of Tobias's fish were a rare thing here, but that is not to be had for love or money]: And after this, he conjures him again, by some of the names of God, and by the merits, and all the good things which can be spoken or thought of the most blessed Virgin, and by all her names and titles, which he must reckon, one and forty in number, together with her epithets, making so many, and by these he must cast him headlong into hell.

But if the devil be stubborn, for some of them are very disobedient, there is a fourth, and a fifth, and a sixth exorcism and then he conjures the earth, the water, and the fire to make them of his party, and commands them not to harbour such villanous spirits, and commands hell to hear him, and obey his word, and conjures all the spirits in hell to take that spirit to themselves, (for it may be, they will understand their duty better than that stubborn devil, that is broke loose from thence). But if this chance to fail, there is yet left a remedy that will do it: he must make the picture of the devil, and write his name over the head of it, and conjure the fire to burn it most horribly and hastily [and if the picture be upon wood or paper, it is ten to one that may be done]: After all this stir, Sprinkle more holy water, and take sulphur, galbanum, assafoetida, aristolochia, rue, St. John's wort; all which being distinctly blessed, the exorcist must hold the devil's picture over the fire, and adjure the devil to hear him; and then he must not spare him, but tell him all his faults, and give him all his names, and anathematize him, and curse not only him, but Lucifer too, and

2

Beelzebub, and Satan, and Astaroth, and Behemot, and Be herit, and all together [for indeed there is not one good natured devil among them all]; and then pray once more, and so throw the devil's picture into the fire, and then insult in a long form of crowing over him, which is there set down.

6

And now after all, if he will not go out, there is a seventh exorcism for him with new ceremonies. He must show him the consecrated host in the Pix, pointing at it with his finger, and then conjure him again, and rail at him once more; to which purpose, there is a very fine form taken out of Prierius, and set down in the Flagellum Dæmonum;' and then let the exorcist pronounce sentence against the devil, and give him his oath, and then a commandment to go out of the several parts of his body, always taking care that at no hand he remain in the upper parts; and then is the devil's cue to come out, if he have a mind to it (for that must be always supposed); and then follow the thanksgivings.

This is the manner of their devotion, described for the use of their exorcists; in which is such a heap of folly, madness, superstition, blasphemy, and ridiculous guises, and playings with the devil, that if any man amongst us should use such things, he would be in danger of being tried at the next assizes for a witch, or a conjurer: however, certain it is, whatever the devil loses by pretending to obey the exorcist, he gains more by this horrible debauchery of Christianity. There needs no confutation of it, the impiety is visible and tangible; and it is sufficient to have told the story.

Only this we say, as to the thing itself:

The casting out of devils is a miraculous power, and given at first for the confirmation of Christian faith, as the gift of tongues and healing were; and therefore we have reason to believe, that because it is not an ordinary power, the ordinary exorcisms cast out no more devils than extreme unction cures sicknesses. We do not envy to any one, any grace of God, but wish it were more modestly pretended, unless it could be more evidently proved. Origen condemned this whole procedure of conjuring devils long since: "Quæret aliquis, si convenit vel dæmones adjurare? Qui aspicit Jesum im

Tract. 35. in Matt.

perantem dæmonibus, sed etiam potestatem dantem discipulis super omnia dæmonia, et ut infirmitates sanarent, dicet, non est secundum potestatem datam à Salvatore adjurare dæmonia; Judaicum enim est:" "If any one asks, whether it be fit to adjure devils? He that beholds Jesus commanding over devils, and also giving power to his disciples over all unclean spirits, and to heal diseases, will say, that to adjure devils is not according to the power given by our blessed Saviour; for it is a Jewish trick:" and St. Chrysostom spake soberly and truly, "We poor wretches cannot drive away the flies, much less devils."

But then as to the manner of their conjurations and exorcisms; this we say, If these things come from God, let them show their warranty, and their books of precedents: if they come not from God, they are like the enchantments of Balaam, the old heathens, and the modern magicians, that their original is soon discovered.

But yet from what principle it comes, that they have made exorcists an ecclesiastical order, with special words and instruments of collation; and that the words of ordination giving them power only over possessed Christians, catechumens or baptized, should by them be extended and exercised upon all infants, as if they were all possessed by the devil; and not only so, but to bewitched cattle, to mice and locusts, to milk and lettuce, to houses and tempests; as if their charms were Prophylactic, as well as Therapeutic; and could keep, as well as drive the devil out, and prevent storms like the old xaλacopiλanes, of whom Seneca1 makes mention : of these things we cannot guess at any probable principle, except they have derived them from the Jewish Cabala, or the exorcisms, which it is said Solomon used, when he had consented to idolatry.

But these things are so unlike the wisdom and simplicity, the purity and spirituality of Christian devotion; are so per fectly of their own devising, and wild imagination; are so full of dirty superstitions, and ignorant fancies, that there are not in the world many things, whose sufferance and practice can more destroy the beauty of holiness, or reproach a church, or society of Christians.

g In illa verba, [Qui credit in me, majora faciet.]
h Ques. Nat. lib. iv. c. 6. Ruhkopf. vol. v. p. 254.

SECTION X.

To put our trust and confidence in God only, and to use ministeries of his own appointment and sanctification, is so essential a duty owing by us to God, that whoever trusts in any thing but God, is a breaker of the first commandment; and he that invents instrumental supports of his own head, and puts a subordinate ministerial confidence in them, usurps the rights of God, and does not pursue the interests of true religion, whose very essence and formality is to glorify God in all his attributes, and to do good to man, and to advance the honour and kingdom of Christ. Now how greatly the church of Rome prevaricates in this great soul of religion, appears by too evident and notorious demonstration: for she hath invented sacramentals of her own, without a Divine warrant, Δεῖ γὰρ, περὶ τῶν θείων καὶ ἁγίων τῆς πίστεως μυστηρίων, μηδὲν τὸ τυχὸν ἄνευ τῶν θείων παραδίδοσθαι γραφῶν, said St. Cyril ', "Concerning the holy and Divine mysteries of faith or religion, we ought to do nothing by chance, or of our own heads, nothing without the authority of the Divine Scriptures:" but the church of Rome does otherwise; invents things of her own, and imputes spiritual effects to these sacramentals; and promises not only temporal blessings, and immunities, and benedictions, but the collation or increment of spiritual graces, and remission of venial sins, and alleviation of pains due to mortal sins, to them who shall use these sacramentals: which because God did not institute, and did not sanctify, they use them without faith, and rely upon them without a promise, and make themselves the fountains of these graces, and produce confidences, whose last resort 's not upon God, who neither was the author, nor is an approver of them.

b

Of this nature are holy water, the paschal wax, oil, palm-boughs, holy bread (not eucharistical), Agnus Dei's, medals, swords, bells, and roses hallowed upon the Sunday called Lætare Jerusalem;" such as Pope Pius II. sent to James II. of Scotland, and Sixtus Quintus to the Prince of a Cyril. Hieros. Catech. 4.

Bellarm. de cultu Sanct. lib. iii. c. 7. sect. Secunda propositio, et sect. Secund, ad deletionem.

Parma: concerning which, their doctrine is this, that the blood of Christ is by these applied unto us, that they do not only signify, but produce spiritual effects, that they blot out venial sins, that they drive away devils, that they cure diseases, and that though these things do not operate infallibly, as do the sacraments, and that God hath made no express covenant concerning them, yet by the devotion of them that use them, and the prayers of the church, they do prevail.

Now though it be easy to say, and it is notoriously true in theology, that the prayers of the church can never prevail, but according to the grace which God hath promised; and either can only procure a blessing upon natural things, in order to their natural effects; or else an extraordinary supernatural effect, by virtue of a Divine promise; and that these things are pretended to work beyond their natural force, and yet God hath not promised to them a supernatural blessing, as themselves confess; yet besides the falseness of the doctrine, on which these superstitions do rely, it is also as evident, that these instrumentalities produce an affiance and confidence in the creature, and estrange men's hearts from the true religion and trust in God, while they think themselves blessed in their own inventions, and in digging to themselves cisterns of their own, and leaving the fountain of blessing and eternal life.

To this purpose the Roman priests abuse the people with romantic stories out of the Dialogues of St. Gregory, and Venerable Bede; making them believe, that St. Fortunatus cured a man's broken thigh with holy water, and that St. Malachias, the bishop of Down and Connor, cured a madman with the same medicine; and that St. Hilarion cured many sick persons with holy bread and oil (which indeed is the most likely of them all, as being good food, and good medicine); and although not so much as a chicken is now-adays cured of the pip by holy water, yet upon all occasions they use it, and the common people throw it upon children's cradles, and sick cows' horns, and upon them that are blasted; and if they recover by any means, it is imputed to the holy water: and so the simplicity of Christian religion, the glory of our dependence on God, the wise order and economy of blessings in the Gospel, the sacredness and