Achab.
An other example hereof. Achab king of Israel, & Iezabel his wife had many godly prophets, amongst whō Elias was a man indued with the gifte of the wing and working miracles. But they did not only contēne these prophets, but also cruelly murthered so many of them as they coulde catche. Yet amongst the rest, they especially laboured to intrape Elias, who was excéeding zealous. The Baalamites were in greate fauoure with the King: but especially with the Quéene, as her chief dearlings. And when the time approched, 3. Reg. 22. that Achab should suffer due and worthie punishment for his Idolatrie and wickednesse, wherein he had long time liued, he entred councell with his kinsman Iosaphat, that they ioyning their powers togither might recouer againe the Citie of Ramoth Gilead, which the Assirians had taken from him. Iosaphat allowed well this deuise, notwithstanding hée woulde in any wise aske counsaile héerein of God. Achab, therefore gathereth togither a Councell of 400. priests of Baall, who all with one voyce, exhorted him to goe on with his enterprise, assuring him of most certaine victorie. One of them named Sedechias, was so vainly bold, that putting hornes of yron on his head, he saide: With these hornes shalt thou pushe the Assirians. But Iosaphat suspecting the matter, asked if there were any one Prophet of God to be found, of whome they might séeke counsell. Achab answered: There is (quoth he) yet a certaine man by whom we might enquire of the Lorde, but I hate him, for he doth not prophecie good vnto me, but euill, his name is Micheas. Iosaphat thought good in any wise to heare him. Wherfore the king presently sent for him by one of his Chamberlaines. And thus the messenger spake vnto him. All the Prophets with one voice, prophecie good lucke vnto the king, I pray thée therefore, that thou speake nothing to the contrary. When he was nowe brought before the two kings sitting in their thrones, clad with sumptuous apparell, and before the other Prophets, which stood in their presence, king Achab asked him, whether they should make warres against Ramoth Gilead, or no? Vnto whom he scoffingly answered: go (saith he) thou shalt haue prosperous successe. The king who by the maner of his vtterance, vnderstood he spake not in earnest, instantly required him to tell him the truth. Wherevppon he saide: that he had séene all Israell dispersed in the mountaines, as shéep without a shepheard, and that the Lorde had saide: These men haue no Lorde, let euery one returne home to his owne house in safetie. Then saide Achab, Did I not tell thée, that this fellow both prophecie me no good? The Prophet went on, saying: Heare the word of God: I sawe the Lord sitting in his seate of maiestie, and all the hoste of heauen stande about him on his right hande, and on his lefte hande. And the Lorde saide, Who shall entice Achab that he may go and fall at Ramoth Gilead. And one saide on this manner, and an other saide on that manner. Then there came foorth a spirit, and stoode before the Lorde and saide, I will entice him. And the Lorde saide vnto him, wherewith? And he saide, I will goe out and be a false spirite in the mouth of all his Prophets. Then he saide, thou shalt entice him, and shalt also preuaile: go foorth and do so. Now therefore beholde, the Lord hath put a lying spirite in the mouth of all these thy Prophets, and the Lorde hath appointed euill against thée. Then Sedechias came neare and smote Micheas on the chéeke, and saide: when went the spirit of the Lord from me, to speake vnto thée? And Micheas prophecied what should happen also vnto him. So the king commaunded him to be cast into prison, and to be fed with bread and water vntil he returned from the wars. Then saide Micheas, If thou returne in peace, the Lorde hath not spoken by me: and therewith he willed all the people to hearken what he spake. Notwithstanding the kings went foreward with their enterprise, and prepared themselues, and led foorth their armies against their enemies. Achab was slaine in the battaile: Iosaphat because he ioyned himselfe with the wicked, was in very great daunger, &c.
I haue handled this historie somewhat at large, that we might vnderstand, how God by his iust iudgement sendeth spirites vnto those which despise his word, whereby they may be beguiled and deceiued.
The very same happened vnto the Christians after the Apostles time. For when the word of God began to be lesse estéemed than it should haue bene, and men preferred their owne affections before the hearing thereof: and when as they would incurre no maner of daunger, for the defence of their faith, and of the truth, but accounted of all religions alike, God so punished them, that now they began to giue eare vnto false teachers, whiche framed themselues vnto their vaine affections, they learned of images, whom they called Lay-mens bookes, they kissed these mens bones, and shrined them in golde (if happily they were their boanes) whose doctrine before they disdained to receiue: they gaue credit vnto false apparitions and diuellish visions: and so suffered they worthie punishment for their great ingratitude. Euen as yoong men, which will not be ruled by their maisters, are after compelled to obey other men with great shame: so also happened it vnto those men: for they fel daily more and more from the word of God, in so much that when they had once lost the truthe, some ranne one way, and some an other, to finde a meanes for the remission of their sinnes: and one man beléeued this spirite, an other that, which no man can deny.
Rom. 1.
The like chaunced vnto the Gentiles in times past, as it appeareth by the first chap. to the Romanes, and also by their owne writings. They worshipped many gods, many miracles were shewed amongst them: they had many visions of gods, and many oracles: which when the Apostles Athanasius. began to preach, all ceased. S. Athanasius in his booke De humanitate verbi. Fol. 55. and 64. writeth, that in auncient time there were oracles at Delphos in Bœotia, Lycia, and other places which hee nameth: but nowe since Christ is preached euery where vnto all men, this madnesse hath ceased, &c. In the like maner writeth Lactantius and others. But in these our dayes, since we haue refused mens traditions, and willingly imbraced the doctrine of the Gospell, all appearings of soules and spirits haue quite vanished away.
Who (I pray you) heareth now of any soule or spirit, which dooth wander, and as they call it, craue mens deuotions? Those rumblings of spirits in the night, are now muche more sildome heard than they haue bene in times past.