The sixt Chapter.
The opinion of Plato concerning spirits, divels and angels, what sacrifices they like best, what they feare, and of Socrates his familiar divell.
LATO and his followers hold, that good spirits appeare in their owne likenesse; The Platonists opinion.but that evill spirits appeare and shew themselves in the forme of other bodies; and that one divell reigneth over the rest, as a prince dooth in everie perfect commonwelth over men. Item, they obteine their purposes and desires, onelie by intreatie, of men and women; bicause in nature they are their inferiors, and use authoritie over men none otherwise than priests by vertue of their function, and bicause of religion, wherein (they saie) they execute the office of God. Sometimes they saie that the fierie spirits or supreme substances enter into the puritie of the mind, and so obteine their purpose; sometimes otherwise, to wit, by vertue of holie charmes, and even as a poore man obteineth for Gods sake anie thing at a princes hand as it were by importunatnesse.
The other sort of divels and defiled soules are so conversant on earth, as that they doo much hurt unto earthlie bodies, speciallie in lecherie. Gods and angels (saie they)What kind of sacrifices each spirit liketh best. bicause they want all materiall and grosse substance, desire most the pure sacrifice of the mind. The grosser and more terrestriall spirits desire the grosser sacrifices; as beasts and cattell. They in the middle or/499. meane region delight to have frankincense, and such meane stuffe offered unto them: and therefore (saie they) it is necessarie to sacrifice unto them, all maner of things, so the same be slaine, and die not of their owne accord: for such they abhorre. Some saie that spirits feare woonderfullie vaine threats, and thereupon will depart; as if you tell them that you will cut the heavens in peeces, or reveale their secrets, or complaine of them to the gods, or saie that you will doo anie impossibilitie, or such things as they cannot understand; they are so timerous, as they will presentlie be gone: and that is thought the best waie to be rid of them. But these be most commonlie of that sort or companie,/359. which are called Principatus, being of all other the most easie to be conjured.
They saie SocratesOf Socrates his private divell or familiar spirit. had a familiar divell: which Plato relieth much upon, using none other argument to proove that there are such spirits, but bicause Socrates (that would not lie) said so; and partlie bicause that divell did ever dissuade and prohibit, not onelie in Socrates his owne cases, but sometimes in his freends behalfe; who (if they had beene ruled) might through his admonition have saved their lives. His disciples gathered that his divell was Saturnall, and a principall fierie divell; and that he, and all such as doo naturallie know their divels, are onlie such as are called Dæmonii viri, otherwise, Couseners. Item, they saie that fierie spirits urge men to contemplation, the aierie to busines, the waterie to lust; and among these there are some that are Martiall, which give fortitude; some are Joviall, giving wisedome; some Saturniall, alwaies using dissuasion and dehorting. Item, some are borne with us, and remaine with us all our life; some are meere strangers, who are nothing else but the soules of men departed this life, &c./
The seventh Chapter.500.
Platos nine orders of spirits and angels, Dionysius his division thereof not much differing from the same, all disprooved by learned divines.
LATO proposeth or setteth foorth nine severall orders of spirits, besides the spirits and soules of men. The first spirit is God that commandeth all the residue; the second are those that are called Ideæ, which give all things to all men; the third are the soules of heavenlie bodies which are mortall; the fourth are angels; the fift archangels; the sixt are divels, who are ministers to infernall powers, as angels are to supernall; the seventh are halfe gods; the eight are principalities; the ninth are princes. From which division Dionysius Dionys. in cælest. hierarch. cap. 9. 10. dooth not much swarve, saving that he dealeth (as he saith) onelie with good spirits, whome he likewise divideth into nine parts or offices. The first he calleth Seraphim, the second Cherubim, the third thrones, the fourth dominations, the fift vertues, the sixt powers, the seventh principalities, the eight archangels, the ninth and inferior sort he calleth angels. Howbeit, some of these (in my thinking) are evill spirits: or else PauleEphes. 6. gave us evill counsell, when he willed us to fight against principalities, and powers, and all spirituall wickednes.
But DionysiusDionys. in cælest. hierarch. in that place goeth further, impropriating to everie countrie, and almost to everie person of anie accompt, a peculiar angell; as to Jewrie, he assigneth Michael; to Adam, Razael; to Abraham, Zakiel; to Isaach, Raphael; to Jacob, Peliel; to Moses, Metraton, &c. But in these discourses he either folowed his owne imaginationsJ. Calv. lib. instit. 1. c. 14. and conceipts, or else the corruptions of that age. Nevertheles, I had rather confute him by M. Calvine, and my kinseman M. Deering, than by my selfe, or/360. mine owne words. For M. Calvine saith, that Dionysius herein speaketh not as by hearesaie, but as though he had slipped downe from heaven, and told of things which he had seene. And yet (saith he)/501. Paule was rapt into the third heaven, and reporteth no such matters. But if you read M. DeeringEdw. Deering, in lect. upon the Hebrues reading. 6. upon the first chapter to the Hebrues, you shall see this matter notablie handled; where he saith, that whensoever archangell is mentioned in the scriptures, it signifieth our saviour Christ, and no creature. And certeine it is that Christ himselfe was called an angell. The names also of angels, as Michael, Gabriel, &c:Mal. 3. 1. are given to them (saith Calvine) according to the capacitie of our weakenesse. But bicause the decision of this question is neither within the compasse of mans capacitie, nor yet of his knowledge, I will proceed no further to discusse the same, but to shew the absurd opinions of papists and witchmongers on the one side, and the most sober and probable collections of the contrarie minded on the other side.