It is an horrible thing, that there are some which giue ouer themselues to the diuel, because he should not torment them: they ought rather to weigh with themselues, that if they so do, they shall be perpetually tormented of euil spirits, except they truly repent and turne againe to God.
CHAP. VII.
That spirits which vse to appeare, ought to be iustly suspected:
and that we may not talke with them, nor enquire
any thing of them.
WE ought not without great cause to suspecte all Spirites, and other apparitions. For albeit God doth vse the helpe and seruice of good Angels, for the preseruation of his elect, yet notwithstanding in these our dayes they appeare vnto vs very sildome. For things are nowe farre otherwise since Christes comming into the worlde, than they were before in auncient time. Although perchaunce thou thinke thou haste séene a good Angell, yet doo not easily and vnaduisedly giue him credite. If the euent of the matter declare afterward, that it was a good Angell, which gaue thée notable warning of some matter, or deliuered thée out of some great dangers: giue God thankes that he hath dealt so fatherly and mercifully with thée, and hath suche care ouer thée, and endeuour to frame thy selfe to his wil and pleasure. But if thou sée an Angell which flattereth and speaketh thée faire, suche a one of those are whiche craue thy helpe, (as thou hast heard before) in no wise credite their wordes. Men which blaunche and flatter with vs, are alwayes suspitious, why then should not such spirites be suspected? Enter into no communication with such spirites, neither aske them what thou must giue, or what thou must doo, or what shall happen hereafter. Aske them not who they are, or why they haue presented themselues to bee séene or heard. For it they be good, they will like it well, that thou wilt heare nothing but the world of God: but if they be wicked, they will endeuour to deceiue thée with lying. When the Matth. 1. Angell in the first Chapter of Matthew, instructed Ioseph in a dreame, he by and by alleaged testimony out of the prophet. If it be so, that we must not beléeue an Angell comming from heauen, who can iustly blame vs, if we giue no credite to spirits and suspitious dreames? Although Christ and his Apostles had the full power to shew miracles, yet did they establish and confirme their doctrine by the holie scriptures.
When Almightie God himselfe had enquired of Adam in Paradice, touching the breaking of his Commaundement, and that he had layde the fault vpon his wife Eue, and she had put it ouer to the Serpent, which caused her to eate of the forbidden frute, God woulde not demaund of the Serpent, that is, of the Diuell, (whiche had vsed him as an instrument) why he had so done, for he knewe right well that he was a lyer. Except Eue had talked with the Serpent, she had neuer transgressed Gods Commandement.
If Spirites of their owne accorde woulde gladly tell vs many thinges: yet wée must not giue eare vnto them, much lesse ought we to coniure them to tell vs the truthe. God commaunded in his lawe, (as wée haue oftentimes said before) that no man should enquire any thing of the dead.
God hath alwayes giuen vs teachers.
God himselfe sent his faithfull seruants, the Prophets, Apostles, Euangelists, and especially his onely begotten sonne Christ Iesu our Lord and Sauiour into the worlde, by whome he truly and plentifully taught his faithfull seruants what they ought to beléeue, to do, to leaue vndon, and what kinde of worshipping did best please him, with many other such things. By them he enformed vs concerning great and waightie affaires, which should happen in his Churche, and in kingdomes, euen vnto that blessed day wherein Christ shall iudge the world, and shall call togither his generall Councell, and shall pronounce finall sentence vppon them who haue done well or ill, and wherein he shall make a diuision and separation betwéene the good and euil.