Furthermore he addeth, that if it were requisite still to raise vp dead men, to make relation vnto vs of such things as there are done, this no doubt in continuaunce of time would haue bene neglected: and so the Diuell very easily would haue broached and brought in damnable opinions into the world. For he might often haue made counterfeit sightes, or suborne suche as should faine their selues to be dead and buried, and by and by to present themselues before men, as if they had bin in déede raised from death, and by suche manner of persons might so haue bewitched simple soules, that they would beléeue whatsoeuer he would haue. For if now when there is indéed no such thing, the vaine dreames as it were of men deceased, that haue bin shewed to men in sléepe, haue deceiued, peruerted & distroied many: surely much sooner would the same haue fallen out, if it had bin a thing truly don, & this opinion had preuailed in mens heads. For if many dead persons had retourned backe again into this life, the wicked spirit the diuell would easily haue deuised many sleights and wiles, and brought in much deceit into the life of man. And therfore God hath clean shut vp this dore of deceit, and not permitted any dead man to returne hither & shew what things be don in yͤ other life, least the diuel might gréedily catch this occasiō to plant his fraudulent policies. For when the prophets were, he raised vp false prophets: when the Apostles were, he stirred vp false Apostles: and when Christ apeared in flesh, he sent thither false Christs or antechrists: And when sincere & sound doctrine was taught, he brought into the world corrupt & damnable opiniōs, sowing tares whersoeuer he came. And therfore although it had come to passe, yͤ dead mē shold return again, yet would he haue counterfeited yͤ same also by his instruments, by some fained raising of the dead through the blinding and bewitching of mens eyes: or otherwise by subborning of some which should feine themselues to be dead (as I said before) he would haue turned all things topsituruie and vtterly haue confounded them. But God who knoweth all things, hath stopped his way, that he should not thus deceiue vs, and of his great mercie towards vs, hath not permitted that at any time any shuld return from thēce and tel vnto mē liuing, such things as there are don, hereby to instruct vs that we should be of this opinion & iudgment, that the scriptures ought to be beleeued before other things whatsoeuer, because that God in them hath most clearly taught vs the doctrine of the last resurrection. Further, by them he hath conuerted the whole world, banished error, brought in truth, and compassed all these things by vile and base fishers, and finally in them hath giuen vs euery where plentifull arguments of his diuine prouidence, &c.
Cyrillus.
S. Cyril in his 11. booke & 36. cha. vpon S. Iohns gospell saith: We ought to beleeue, that when yͤ soules of holy men are gone away from the bodies, they are commended vnto the goodnesse of God, as into the handes of a most deare father, and yͭ they do not abide in yͤ earth, as some of the Heathens beleeued, vntill such time as they abhorred their graues: neither that they are carried as the soules of wicked men, vnto a place of excéeding torment, which is hel, Christ hauing first prepared this iourney for vs, but that they rather mount vp aloft into their heauenly fathers hands, &c.
The Glosse of the canō law.
Deut. 18.
And in the Popes canon law, Causa. 13. quæst. 2. Fatendum, we read, that many do beléeue that some come from yͤ dead to the liuing: euen as on the other side holy Scripture doth witnesse that Paule was caught vp from the liuing into Paradice. Vpon these words the glose saith, that some doo indéed so beleeue, but falsly, sith they be but fansies and vain imaginations, as it is in Causa.26. quæstione.5. Episcopi.
What farther may bee saide to those men that knowe these things, and neuerthelesse do beléeue that soules straie on the earth, I know not: and yet that I may laie out all thinges plainly, I will heere confute their chiefest arguments.