desired God to laie his hand upon him. Insomuch as _Job_ imputed no part of his calamitie unto divels, witches, nor yet unto conjurors, or their inchantments; as we have learned now to doo. Neither sinned he, or did God any wrong, when he laid it to his charge: but we dishonour God greatlie, when we attribute either the power or proprietie of God the creator unto a creature. ♦_J. Calvin. in Job. cap. 1. 21._♦ ♦[a] Job. 1, 14.♦ ♦[b] verse, 15.♦ ♦[c] verse, 16.♦ ♦[d] verse, 17.♦ ♦[e] verse, 18.♦ ♦[f] verse, 19.♦ ♦[g] Ibid. ca. 2. vers. 7.♦ ♦[*] [? searsing]♦ [*]_Calvine_ saith; We derogate much from Gods glorie and omnipotencie, when we saie he dooth but give sathan leave to doo it: which is (saith he) to mocke Gods justice; and so fond an assertion, that if asses could speake, they would speake more wiselie than so. For a temporall judge saith not to the hangman; I give thee leave to hang this offender, but commandeth him to doo it. But the mainteiners of witches omnipotencie, saie; Doo you not see how reallie and palpablie the divell tempted and plagued _Job_? I answer first, that there is no corporall or visible divell named nor seene in any part of that circumstance; secondlie, that it was the hand of God that did it; thirdlie, that as there is no communitie betweene the person of a witch, and the person of a divell, so was there not any conference or practise betwixt them in this case. ♦[*] _J. Calvin. in Job, cap. 2. Sermon. 8._ _Muscul. in loc. comm._ _Idem, ibidem._♦ And as touching the communication betwixt God and the divell, behold what _Calvine_ saith, writing or rather preaching of purpose upon that place, wherupon they thinke they have so great advantage; When sathan is said to appeere before God, it is not doone in some place certeine, but the scripture speaketh so to applie it selfe to our rudenes. Certeinlie the divell in this and such like cases is an instrument to worke Gods will, and not his owne: and therefore it is an ignorant and an ungodlie saieng (as _Calvine_ judgeth it) to affirme, that God dooth but permit and suffer the divell. For if sathan were so at his owne libertie (saith he) we should be overwhelmed at a sudden. And doubtlesse, if he had power to hurt the bodie, there were no waie to resist: for he would come invisiblie upon us, and knocke us on the heads; yea hee would watch the best and dispatch them, whilest they were about some wicked act. If they saie; God commandeth him, no bodie impugneth them: but that God should give him leave, I saie with _Calvine_, that the divell is not in such favour with God, as to obteine any such request at his hands. ♦_J. Calvine in his sermon upon Job._♦