A discourse concerning prodigies: wherein the vanity of presages by them is reprehended. And their true and proper ends asserted and vindicated / By John Spencer, B.D.

  • John Spencer
Date:
1663
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A discourse concerning prodigies: wherein the vanity of presages by them is reprehended. And their true and proper ends asserted and vindicated / By John Spencer, B.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    25/150 (page 3)
    Agents purely natural, or fome fecret and referved Law in Nature* as Comets, Hew-fiars, fome extraordinary alteration in the heavenly bodies# ( as that in the Planet Venus 3 both as to colour and figure before the times of Chrift, often mentioned by Afironomers from Varro and *S.Auftin ) and the ftrange deliquium of light in the Sun about the death of Cafar * Some mufual ebbings and flowings of the Sea. Thefe, I reckon Prodigies Natural, all being but Natures aftingof its part m a different habit, and giving us to know how it will exert it felf, when fuch Agents,and fuch matter chance to meet. z. Prodigies preternatural, fuch I account all ftrange Events, which hold of no fteady caufes, but are fcous) folely cafual and uncertain j as the firing of a houfeby lightning, the coming to Jbore of fome ftrange Ifndc of fifth the breaking off or fianding ftill of Rivers, meffages delivered by fpirits, apparitions in the ay r ( which are effedtsabove a natural, and beneath a bare fupernatural A gent.) ■ 3. Supernatural, fuch as are Events of which Reafon is fufhciently refolved, tha‘t they exceed the powers and fufficiencies of all Natural caufes- For look as in Religion,there are quadam juxta Rationem 3 fame things according to the common reafon of all men,0/‘t-the dodtrines of temperance,righteoufnefs,obedience to God;] fome things prater rationem befide reafon, [the difeoveries of God, which reafon now apprehends and feals unto ,but could not Mane proprio3of it felf reach unto ft] fome things fupra rationem [ the great Articles of Faith, tran- feendent to the capacity, as Well as light of common reafon; in the modes and circumftances of them:] So in the cornpafs of Divine Providence, there are three forts of works, quadam juxta Na- turam, fome according to the common LaWsof Natures working; quadam prater Haturam fome befide common Nature, fuch are the Events we call Prodigies, which though according to Nature, as confidered in fuch circumftances and co-incidence of caufes, yet are befide it, confidered in its-more ufual and familiar methods of acti¬ on. Quadam fupra Hatur am 3 fuch are thofe alterations in Nature, which exceed the capacities of fecond caufes. In a Prodigy ( ftridtly taken ) Nature fuffers from it felf, and is fin a fort) both vidtour and captive to it felf; but in a Miracle, Nature is folely paflive to that' original Minde and Power which gave it its firft Laws of motion. ^ Thefe fupernatural Prodigies fthoughlknow nottobeleeve any. fuch now happening ) yet muft finde a place in this difeourfe, not onely becaufe fome fuch have (as Embafladours extraordinaryjbeen difpatcht heretofore upon fome great errand fas the fearlull E- clipfe at our Saviours death, the halftones, mentioned fofb< io.ii* fo hugely exceeding the common ftandard of Nature, and perhaps the fiery fword which hung over Hierufalem3 fo long before its final deflation ) but becaufe our Adverfaries are fo prone to over-value fuch occafions,and to intitle an immediate hand ofheaven to all fuch objedts of wonder. As for thofe ftories ( with which the Ethnick Legends abound) ot the fp easing of children out of their mothers wombs, the raining of Jtones, the Jpeahfng of oxen, their being found without hearts or livers when brought • - to 1Hr S. iAug. de Civit. Dei, 1 »z 1 .C.8.