The ninth Chapter. Of Miracles; and what power they be of to establish faith and doctrine.
IN miracles two things are speciallie to be considered; first, 1 what miracles are; and secondlie, how much, and in what sort it is lawfull to aske them. As touching the first, the Hebrue word is Pala, or Niphla: from whence are deriued the nounes Niphlaoth, or Miphleoth. 2 By which words are noted Things secret from others, by reason of their woorthines and excellencie; Separated (I meane) and woonderfull. The Grecians call it ⟨…⟩, of this verbe ⟨…⟩; which is, To maruell. The Latins call them Miracula, that is Miracles; bicause they are woorthie of admiration. They call them also Prodigia, Monstra, & Portenta; that is Things prodigious, monstrous, or that are seldome seene: to let vs vnderstand, that by these things God ment to shew, that somewhat should come to passe, or bée doone, aboue hope, or expectation, contrarie to the common order of things. Wherefore, 3 séeing that miracles are doone beyond the nature of things, they cause admiration. And certeinlie, there are verie manie miracles, which are made famous by writers: as the temple of Diana in Ephesus; the toombe of Artemisia Quéene of Caria; the huge image of the sunne at Rhodes; the wals of Babylon, & a great manie other such things. Wherefore Augustine in his 16. chapter against the epistle to the Manicheis, wrote verie wiselie; 4 I call a miracle whatsoeuer appéereth to be hard & vnvsuall, aboue the hope or reach of the woonderer. Out of which words may be gathered a certeine large description of miracles. 5 And since it is said, that a miracle appéereth; they may iustlie be charged, 6 which feigne transubstantiation, & will haue it to be a miracle, which cannot be confirmed by the holie scriptures: and séeing it appéereth not, or is séene, it ought not to be called a miracle.
2 After this generall and large description, let vs adde, that of miracles some be true, and some be false: 7 and false miracles are said to bée those, which either be not that, which they appéere to be; or if they be, yet are they not doone by anie supernaturall power, but by the power of nature, although it be secret. And this may the angels, either good or bad, doo thrée maner of waies. 8 For somtime they applie the powers of nature, which are throughlie knowne, vnto some matter or substance: 9 by which ioining togither of matter with causes efficient, effects doo followe; and that in a maner vpon the sudden, whereat the beholders cannot but woonder. The diuels knowe, that of things putrified, are ingendred frogs, woorms, and some sort of serpents; so that heate in certeine degrées be added therevnto. Wherefore séeing it is not hard for them to couple these things togither, they doo so sometimes, to the intent they may deceiue men. And by this means Augustine thought 10 (as he hath written in his third booke De trinitate ) that The sorcerers of Pharao did the same thing which Moses did. 11 Moreouer, the stirring vp of spirits, of humors, & bloud in men, doo verie much annoie the bodies of men; whereby the horrible figures, images, & likenesses of things, which be kept in these, are mooued before the phansie & imagination, and in such order, as the troubler of the spirit dooth knit them; wherof arise sundrie & manifold signes or visions: which thing we sée otherwhile in phrentike folke. And the matter may be brought to such a passe, as the shapes and images, which are kept within, may be reuoked to the outward senses, whereby he that suffereth such things, dooth thinke that he séeeth and féeleth those things, which are conuersant in his imagination or phansie; when as in verie déed there is no such thing outwardlie doone.