But if thou wilt say that Iob was an Ethnicke, it may be alleaged of Dauid, that when he was in very great danger, and death euen present before his eyes, he praied in the 31. Psalme. Into thy hands O Lord I commend my spirit. The Preacher also in his 12. Chapter saith: The spirite shall returne to God that giueth it. In the booke of Wisedome (which of olde writers is attributed to Philo Iudeus) the third Chapter thereof, it is written: the soules of the righteous are in the hande of God, and no torment shall touch them. And on the other side, the soules of the wicked Psal.49. go downe into hell. In the 49. Psalm it is written of those wealthie worldlings, which for lucres sake, depart from God and his Commaundements: They are laid as shéepe in Hell, Death shall consume them, and Hell is their habitation, &c.
If the Iewes had beléeued, that the soules after this life were tormented in Purgatorie, no doubt amongst so many diuers kinds of sacrifices, which they offered for the sinnes of the liuing, they would at least haue some one kind of sacrifice whereby to redéeme soules, or in some part to assuage and mitigate their paines. And that soules do returne after death, do offer themselues to be séene and beheld of men, and require aide of them, we finde no where in the old Testament, 2. Samu. 12. but rather the contrary. In the 2. of Samuel 12. Dauid speaketh this of his yoong childe, that he begat by Bersaba, that he could not bring him into life againe, that hee would go to him, and the childe should neuer returne vnto Eccle. 38. him againe. And Iesus the sonne of Syrach, in his 38. chapter saith: There is no returning from death. Of the vision which was shewed to Samuel, we will straightway speake in his proper place.
And that in latter ages, long after Christ came in flesh, there were some amongst the Iewes, who thought that the soules separated from their bodies, did straie and raunge abroad: it may hereby be gathered, for that certaine of the Rabbines write, that the soule of Naboth (which was slain, because he would not sell his Vineyard to Achab) was that spirit that promised his helpe to seduce Achab, being as it were one that coueted his death.
The Turkes opinion.
The Turkes also beléeue that the soule is immortall, and that assoone as they are loosed from the bodie, they come either into a place of rest, or of torment. But whether that they did thinke, that soules returned againe into the earth, and roue there too and fro, I could finde no plaine mention thereof in their Alcaron.
CHAP. II.
The Papists doctrine touching the soules of dead men, and
the appearing of them.
