Although in times past, it pleased God, extraordinarilie to shew miracles amongest his people, for the strengthening of their faith in the Messias; and againe at his comming to confirme their faith by his wonderfull dooings, and his speciall graces and gifts bestowed by him upon the apostles, &c: yet we ordinarilie read in the scriptures, that it is the Lord that worketh great wonders. Yea _David_ saith, that among the dead (as in this case of _Samuel_) God himselfe sheweth no wonders. I find also that God will not give his glorie and power to a creature. _Nichodemus_ being a Pharisie could saie, that no man could do such miracles as Christ did, except God were with him, according to the saieng of the prophet to those gods and idols, which tooke on them the power of God; Doo either good or ill if you can, &c. So as the prophet knew and taught thereby, that none but God could worke miracles. Infinite places for this purpose might be brought out of the scripture, which for brevitie I omit and overslip. ♦Psal. 136. 4.♦ ♦Psal. 72. 18.♦ ♦Psal. 88. 10.♦ ♦Isai. 42.♦ ♦John 3, 2.♦ ♦Ibid. 7, 16.♦ ♦_In annotat. in Johan. 3._♦ ♦Isai. 45.♦ S. _Augustine_, among other reasons, whereby he prooveth the ceasing of miracles, saith; Now blind flesh dooth not open the eies of the blind by the miracle of God, but the eies of our hart are opened by the word of God. Now is not our dead carcase raised any more up by miracle, but our dead bodies be still in the grave, and our soules are raised to life by Christ. Now the eares of the deafe are not opened by miracle, but they which had their eares shut before, have them now opened to their salvation. The miraculous healing of the sicke, by annointing, spoken of by S. _James_, is objected by manie, speciallie by the papists, for the maintenance of their sacrament of extreame unction: which is apishlie and vainelie used in the Romish church, as though that miraculous gift had continuance till this daie: wherein you shall see what _Calvine_ speaketh in his institutions. The grace of healing (saith he) spoken of by S. _James_, is vanished awaie, as also the other miracles, which the Lord would have shewed onelie for a time, that he might make the new preaching of the gospell mervellous for ever. Why (saith he) doo not these (meaning miraclemongers) appoint some _Siloah_ to swim in, whereinto at certeine ordinarie recourses of times sicke folke maie plunge themselves? Why doo they not lie a long upon the dead, bicause _Paule_ raised up a dead child by that meanes? Verelie (saith he) _James_ in the miracle to annoint, spake for that time, whiles the church still enjoied such blessings of God. Item, he saith, that the Lord is present with his in all ages; and so often as need is, he helpeth their sicknesses, no lesse than in old time. But he dooth not so utter his manifest powers, nor distributeth miracles, as by the hands of the apostles, bicause the gift was but for a time.