phin ✚ gergoin ✚ leâ—o◠✚ Amin ✚ amin ✚ In the name of the most pitifullest and and mercifullest God of Isâ—â—â—â— and of paradise of heaven and of earth of the seas and of the infernals by thine omnipotent help may perform this work which livest and reigâ—est over one God world without end Amen O most strongest and mightiest God without beginning or ending by thy clemency and knowledge I desire that my questions work and labour may be fully and truely accomplished through thy worthinesse good Lord which livest and reignest ever one God world without eâ—â— Amen O holy patient and mercifull great God and to be worshipped the Lord of all wisdome clear and just I most heartily desire thy holinesse and clemency to fulfill perform and accomplish this my whole work through thy worthynesse and blessed power which livest and reignest ever one God Per omnia saecula saeculorum Amen CHAP. XII How to inclose a spirit in a crystall stone THis operation following is to have a spirit inclosed into a crystall stone or beryll glasse or into any other like instrument c. First thou in the new of the ☽ being clothed with all new and fresh and clean aray and shaven and that day to fast with bread and water and being cleane confessed say the seven Psalmes and the Letany for the space of two days with this prayer following I desire thee O Lord God my mercifull and most loving God the giver of all graces the giver of all sciences grant that I thy wel-beloved N. although unworthy may know thy grace and power against all the deceipts and craftinesse of devils And grant to me thy power good Lord to constrain them by this art for thou art the true and lively and eternall God which livest and reignest ever one God through all worlds Amen Thou must doe this five dayes and the sixt day have in a readinesse five bright swords and in some secret place make one circle with one of the said swords And then write this name Sitrael which done standing in the circle thrust in thy sword into that name And write again Malanthon with another sword and Thamaor with another and Falaur with another and Sitrami with another and ode as ye did with the first All this done turn thee to Sitrael and kneeling say thus having the crystall stone in thine hands O Sitrael Malantha Thamaor Falaur and Sitrami Written in these circles appointed to this work I doe conjure and I doe exorcise you by the Father by the Sonne and by the Holy-Ghost by him which cast you out of Paradise and by him which spake the word and it was done and by him which shall come to judge the quick and the dead and the world by fire that all you five infernall masters and princes doe come unto mee to accomplish and to fulfill all my desire and request which I shall command you Also I conjure you divels and command you I bid you and appoint you by the Lord Jesus Christ the sonne of the most highest God and by the blessed and glorious Virgine Mary and by all the Saints both of men and women of God and by all the Angels Archangels Patriarches and prophets Apostles Evangelists martyrs and confessours virgins and widowes and all the elect of God Also I conjure you and every of you ye infernall Kings by the heaven by the starres by the ☉ and by the ☽ and by all the planets by the earth fire air and water and by the terrestriall paradise and by all things in them contained and by your hell and by all the divels in it and dwelling about it and by your vertue and power and by all whatsoever and with whatsoever it be which may constraine and binde you Therefore by all these foresaid vertues and powers I doe bind you and constrain you into my will and power that you being thus bound may come unto me in great humility and to appeare in your circles beforâ— me visibly in fair form and shape of mankind kings and to obey unto me all things whatsoever I shall desire and that you may not depart from me without my licence And if you doe against my precepts I will promise unto you that you shall descend into the profound deepâ—â—sse of the Sea except that you doe obey unto me in the part of the living son of God which liveth and reigneth in the unity of the Holy Ghost by all world of worlds Amen Say this true conjuration five courses and then shalt thou see coâ—e out of the Northpart five Kings with a marvellous company which whâ—â— they are come to the circle they will alight down off from their horsâ— and will kneel downe before thee saying Master command us wâ—â—â— thou wilt and we will out of hand be obedient unto thee Unto whom thou shalt say see that ye depart not from me without my licence and that which I will command you to doe let it be done truely suâ—ely faithfully and essentially And then they all will sweare unto thee to doe all thy will And after they have sworn say the conjuration immediately following I conjure charge and command you and every of you Sirrael Malâ—â—than Thamaar Falaur and Sitrami you infernal kings to put into the crystall stone one spirit learned â—â—d expert in all arts and sciences by the vertue of this name of God Tetragrammaton and by the crosse of our Loâ—â— Jesus Christ and by the bloud of the innocent lambe which redeemed all the world and by all their virtues and poweâ—s I charge you ye â—oble kings that the said spirit may teach shew and declare unto me and to my friends at all houres and minuts both night and day the mâ—â— of all things both bodily and ghostly in this world whatsoever I shall request or desire declaring also to me my very name And this I command in your part to doe and to obey thereunto as unto your owâ— Lord and Master That done they will call a certain spirit whom thâ—â— will command to enter into the centre of the circled or round crystal Tâ—â—â— put the crystall between the two circles and thou shalt see the crysâ—â—â—â— made black Then command them to command the spirit in the crystall not 〈◊〉 depart out of the stone till thou give him licence and to fulfill 〈◊〉 will for ever That done thou shalt see them goe upon the crystall both to answer your requests and to tarry your licence That done the spirits will crave licence and say Goe ye to your place appoinâ—â—â— of Almighty God in the name of the father c. And then take up 〈◊〉 crystall and look therein asking what thou wilt and it will shew it â—â—to thee Let all your circles be nine foot every way and made as foâ—loweth Work this work in ♋ â™ or ♓ in the houre of the ☽ or â— And when the spirit is inclosed if thou feare him binde him with some bond in such
enemies either bodily or ghostly neither shall be robbed or slaine of theeves pestilence thunder or lightning neither shall be hurt with fire or water not combred with spirits neither shall have displeasure of lords or ladies he shall not be condemned with false witnesse nor taken with fairies or any manner of axes nor yet with the falling evil Also if a woman be in travel lay this writing upon her belly she shall have easie deliverance and the child right shape and christendome and the mother purification of holy church and all through vertue of these holy names of Jesus Christ following ✚ Iesus ✚ Christus ✚ Messias ✚ Soter ✚ Emmanuel ✚ Sabbaoth ✚ Adonai ✚ Vnigenitus ✚ Majestas ✚ Paracleius ✚ Salvaâ—or noster ✚ Agiros iskiros ✚ Agios ✚ Adonaâ—os ✚ Gasper ✚ Melchior ✚ Balthasar ✚ Matthaeus ✚ Marcus ✚ Lucas ✚ Iohannes The epistle of S. Saviour which pope Leo sent to King Charles saying that whosoever carrieth the same about him or in what day soever he shall reade it or shall see it he shall not be killed with any iron toole nor be burned with fire nor be drowned with water neither any evill man or other creature may hurt him The crosse of Christ is a wonderfull defence ✚ the crosse of Christ be alwaies with me ✚ the crosse is it which I do alwaies worship ✚ the crosse of Christ is true health ✚ the crosse of Christ doth lose the bands of death ✚ the crosse of Christ is the truth and the way ✚ I take my journey upon the crosse of the Lord ✚ the crosse of Christ beateth down every evill ✚ the crosse of Christ giveth all good things ✚ the crosse of Christ taketh away paines everlasting ✚ the crosse of Christ save me ✚ O crosse of Christ be upon me before me and behind me ✚ because the ancient enemie cannot abide the sight of thee ✚ the crosse of Christ save me keep me governe me and direct me ✚ Thomas bearing this note of thy divine majesty ✚ Alpha ✚ Omega ✚ first ✚ and last ✚ middest ✚ and end ✚ beginning ✚ and first begotten ✚ wisdome ✚ vertue ✚ A popish periapt or charme which must never be said but carried about one against theeves I Do go and I do come unto you with the love of God with the humility of Christ with the holinesse of our blessed lady with the faith of Abraham with the justice of Isaac with the vertue of David with the might of Peter with the constancy of Paul with the word of God with the authority of Gregory with the prayer of Clement with the flood of Iordan p p p c g e g a q q est p t 1 k a b g l k 2 a x t g t b a m g 2 4 2 1 que p x c g k q a 9 9 p o q q r. Oh onely Father ✚ oh onely lord ✚ And Iesus ✚ passing through the middest of them ✚ went In ✚ the name of the father ✚ and of the Sonne ✚ and of the Holy Ghost ✚ Another amulet JOseph of Aâ—imathea did find this writing upon the wounds of the side of Iesus Christ written with Gods finger when the body was taken away from the crosse Whosoever shall carry this writing about him shall not dye any evill death if he beleeve in Christ and in all perplexities he shall soone be delivered neither let him fear any danger at all Fons alpha omega ✚ figa ✚ figalis ✚ Sabbaoth ✚ Emmanuel ✚ Adonai ✚ o ✚ Neray ✚ Elay ✚ â—he ✚ Rentone ✚ Neger ✚ Sahe ✚ Pangeton ✚ Commen ✚ a ✚ g ✚ l ✚ a ✚ Mattheus ✚ Marcus ✚ Lucas ✚ Iohannes ✚ ✚ ✚ titulus triumphalis ✚ Iesus Nasareuus rex Iudaeorum ✚ ecce dominicae crucis signnm ✚ fugite partes adversae vicit leo de tribu Iudae radix David aleluijah Kyrie eleeson Christe eleeson pater noster ave Maria ne nos veniat super nos salutare tuum Oremus c. I find in a Primer intituled The houres of our Lady after the use of the church of Yorke printed anno 1516. a charme with this titling in red letters To all them that afore this image of pity devoutly shall say five Pater nosters five Aves and one Credo pitiously beholding these armes of Christs passion are granted thirty two thousand seven hundred fifty five years of pardon It is to be thought that this pardon was granted in the time of pope Boniface the nineth for Platina saith that the pardons were sold so cheape that the apostolicall authority grew into contempt A papistical charme SIgnum sanctae crucis defendat me a malis praesentibus praeteritis futuris interioribus exterioribus That is The signe of the crosse defend me from evils present past and to come inward and outward A charme found in the canon of the masse ALso this charge is found in the canon of the masse Haec sacrosancta commixtio corporis sanguinis domini nostri Iesu Christi fiat mihi omnibusque sumentibus salus mentis corporis ad vitam promerendam capessendam praeparatio salutaris that is Let this holy mixture of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ be unto me and unto all receivers thereof health of mind and body and to the deserving and receiving of life an healthful preparative Other papisticall charmes Aqua benedicta sit mihi salus vita Let holy water be both health and life to me Adque nomen Martini omnis haereticus fugiat palladus When Martins name is sung or said Let hereticks flie as men dismaid But the papists have a harder charme than that to wit Fire and â—agot Fire and fagot A charme of the holy crosse Nulla salus est in domo Nisi cruce munit homo Superliminaria Neque sentit gladium Nec amisit filium Quisquis egit talia No health within the house doth dwell Except a man do crosse him well At every doore or frame He never feeleth the swords point Nor of his sonne shall lose a joint That doth performe the same Furthermore as followeth Ista suos fortiores Semper facit victores Morbos sanat languores Reprimit daemonia Dat captivis libertatem Vitae confert novitatem Ad antiquam dignitarem Crux reduxit omnia O Crux lignum triumphale Mundi vera salus vale Inter ligna nullum tale Frande flore germine Medicina Christiana Salva sanos aegros sana Quod non valet vis humana Fit in tuo nomine c. It makes her souldiers excellent And crowneâ—h them with victory Restores the lame and impotent and healeth every malady The devils of hell it conquereth releaseth from imprisonment Newnesse of life it offereth It hath all at commandement O crosse of wood incomparable To all the world most wholesome No wood is half so honourable In branch in bud or blossome O medicine which
uglie viper and if he put on humane shape he sheweth great teeth and two hornes carrying a sharpe sword in his hand he giveth answers of things present past and to come and reconcileth friends and foes ruling sixty legions Bathin sometimes called Mathim a great duke and a strong he is seene in the shape of a very strong man with a serpents taile sitting on a pale horse understanding the vertues of herbs and pretious stones transfferring men suddenly from country to country and ruleth thirty legions of divels Purson alias Curson a great king he commeth forth like a man with a lions face carrying a most cruell viper and riding on a beare and before him go alwayes trumpets he knoweth things hidden and can tell all things present past and to come he beraieth treasure he can take a body either humane or ajerie he answereth truly of all things earthly and secret of the divinity and creation of the world and bringeth forth the best familiars and there obey him two and twenty legions of divels partly of the order of vertues and partly of the order of thrones Eligor alias Abigor is a great duke and appeareth as a goodly knight carrying a lance an ensigne and a scepter he answereth fully of things hidden and of warres and how souldiers should meeâ—â—â—he knoweth things to come and procureth the favour of lords and knights governing sixty legions of devils Leraje alias Oray a great marquesse shewing himselfe in the likenesse of a gallant archer carrying a bowe and a quiver he is author of all battels he doth putrifie all such wounds as are made with arrowes by archers Quos optimos objicit tribus diebus dicbus and he hath regiment over thirty legions Valesar alias Malephar is a strong duke comming forth in the shape of a lion and the head of a theefe he is very familiar with them to whom he maketh himselfe acquainted till he hath brought them to the gallowes and ruleth ten legions Morax alias Furaji a great earle and a president he is seene like a bull and if he take unto him a mans face he maketh men wonderfull cunning in astronomy and in all the liberall sciences he giveth good familiars and wiie knowing the power and vertue of hearbs and stones which are precious and ruleth thirty six legions Ipos alias Ayporos is a great earle and a prince appearing in the shape of an angell and yet indeed more obscure and filthy than a lion with a lions head a gooses feet and a hares taile he knoweth things to come and past he maketh a man witty and bold and hath under his jurisdiction thirty six legions Naberius alias Carberus is a valiant marquesse showing himselfe in the form of a crow when he speaketh with a hoarse voice he maketh a man amiable and cunning in all arts and specially in rhetorick he procureth the losse of prelacies and dignities ninteene legions heare and obey him Glasya Labolas alias Caacrinolaas or Caassimolar is a great president who commeth forth like a dog and hath wings like a griffin he giveth the knowledge of arts and is the captaine of all manslayers he understandeth things present and to come he gaineth the minds and love of friends and foes he maketh a man go invisible and hath the rule of six and thirty legions Zepar is great duke appearing as a souldier inflaming women with the love of men and when he is hidden he changeth their shape untill they may enjoy their beloved he also maketh them barren and six and twenty legions are at his obey and commandement Bileth is a great king and a terrible riding on a pale horse before whom go trumpets and all kind of melodious musicke When he is called up by an exorcist he appeareth rough and furious to deceive him Then let the exorcist or conjuror take heed to himselfe and to allay his courage let him hold a hazell bat in his hand wherewithall he must reach out toward the east and south and make a triangle without besides the circle but if he hold not our his hand unto him and he bid him come in and be still refuse the bond or chaine of spirits let the conjuror proceed to reading and by and by he wil submit himselfe and come in and do whatsoever the exorcist commandeth him and he shall be safe If Bileth the king be more stubborne and refuse to enter into the circle at the first call and the conjuror shew himselfe fearefull or if he have not the chaine of spirits certainly he will never feare nor regard him after Also if the place be unapt for a triangle to be made without the circle then set there a boll of wine and the exorcist shall certainly know when he commeth out of his house with his fellowes and that the aforesaid Bileth will be his helper his friend and obedient unto him when he commeth forth And when be commeth let the exorcist receive him courteously and glorifie him in his pride and therefore he shall adore him as other kings do because he saith nothing without other princes Also if he be cited by an exorcist alwayes a silver ring of the middle finger of the left hand must be held against the exorcists face as they do for Amaimon And the dominioâ— and power of so great a prince is not to be determined for there 〈…〉 under the power and dominion of the conjuror but he that detaineth both men and women in doting love till the exorcist hath had his pleasure He is of the orders of powers hoping to returne to the seaventh throne which is not altogether credible and he ruleth eighty five legions Sitri alias Bitru is a great prince appearing with the face of a leopard and having wings as a griffin when he taketh humane shape he is very beautifull he inflameth a man with a womans love and also stirreth up women to love men being commanded he willingly deteineth secrets of women laughing at them and mocking them to make them luxuriously naked and there obey him sixty legions Paimon is more obedient to Lucifer than other kings are Lucifer is here to be understood he that was drowned in the depth of his knowledge he would needs be like God and for his arrogancy was throwne out into destruction of whom it is said Every prtious stone is thy covering Paimon is constrained by divine vertue to stand before the exorcist where he putteth on the likenesse of a man he sitteth on a beast called a dromedary which is a swift runner and weareth a glorious crowne and hath an effeminate countenance There goeth before him an host of men with trumpets and well sounding cimbals and all musicall instruments At the first he appeareth with a great cry and roring as in Circulo Salomonis and in the art is declared And if this Paimon speake sometime that the conjuror understand him nor let him not
other I doe call upon thee â—â— beseech thee O Lord Jesus Christ by thy nativity and baptisme thy crosse and passion by thine ascension and by the comming of the 〈◊〉 ghost by the bitternes of thy soule when it departed from the body thy five wounds by the bloud and water which went out of thy body thy vertue by the sacrament which thou gavest thy disciples the day before thou sufferedst by the holy trinity and the inseparable unity by blessed Mary thy mother by thine angels arch-angels prophets patriarchs and by all thy saints and by all the sacraments which are made in thine honor I doe worship and beseech thee to accept these prayers conjurations and words of my mouth which I will use I require thee O Lord Jesus Christ that thou give me thy vertue and power over all thine angeâ—â— which were throwne downe from heaven to deceive mankind to draw them to me to tie and bind them and also to loose them to gather them together before me and to command them to do all that they can and that by no meanes they contemne my voyce or the words of my mouth but that they obey me and my sayings and feare me I beseech thee by thine humanity mercy and grace and I require thee Adony Amay Horia Vege dova Mitaâ— Hel Suranat Ysion Ysesy and by all thy holy names and by all thine holy he saints and the saints by all thine angels and archangels powers dominations and verâ—ues and by that name that Solomon did bind the divels and shut them up Elbrach Ebanher Agle Goth Ioth Othie Venoch Nabrat and by all thine holy names which are written in this booke and by the vertue of them all that thou enable me to congrerate all thy spirits throwne downe from heaven that they may give me a true answer of all my demands and that they satisfie all my requests without the hurt of my body or soule or any thing else that of mine through our Lord Jesus Christ thy sonne which liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy ghost one God world without end Oh father omnipotent oh wise sonne oh Holy ghost the searcher of hearts oh you three in persons one true Godhead in substance which drift spare Adam and Eve in their sinnes and oh though sonne which diedst for their sinnes a most filthy death sustaining it upon the holy 〈◊〉 oh thou most mercifull when I flie unto thy mercy and beseech thee by all the means I can by these thy holy names of thy sonne to 〈◊〉 A and Q and all other his names grant me thy vertue and power that I may be able to cite before me thy spirits which where thrown downe from heaven and that they may speak with me and dispatch by and by without delay and with a good will and without the hurt of my body soule or goods c. as is contained in the book called Annulus S. Lomonis Oh great and eternall vertue of the highest which through disposition these being called to judgement Vaichâ—on Stimulamaton Esphares Tetragrammaton Olioraâ— Cryon Esytion Existion Eâ—iona Onela Brasim Noym Messias Soter Emanuel Sabbath Adonay I worship thee I invocate thee I imploy thee with all the strength of my mind that by thee my present prayers consecrations and conjurations be hollowed and wheresoever wicked spirits are called in the vertue of thy names they may come together from every coast and diligently fulfill the will of me the exorcist Fiat fiato fiat Amen CHAP. V. A confutation of the manifold vanities conteined in the precedent chapters specially of commanding of divels HE that can be perswaded that these things are true or wrought indeed according to the assertion of conseners or according to the supposition of witch mongers and papists may soone be brought to beleeve that the moone is made of green cheese You see in this which is called Salomons conjuration there is a perfect inventary registred of the number of divels of their names of their offices of their personages of their qualities of their powers of their properties of their kingdomes of their governâ—rs of their orders of their dispositions of their 〈◊〉 of their submission and of the wayes to bind or loose them with a note what wealth learning office commodity pleasure 〈◊〉 they can give and may be forced to yeeld in spight of their hearts to 〈◊〉 forsooth as are cunning in this art of whom yet was never seen 〈◊〉 rich man or at least that gained any thing that way or any 〈◊〉 man that became learned by that meanes or any happy man 〈◊〉 could with the helpe of this art either deliver himselfe or his 〈◊〉 from adversity or adde unto his estate any point of felicity yet 〈◊〉 men in all worldly happineâ—se must need exceed all others 〈◊〉 things could be by them accomplished according as it is presupposed 〈◊〉 if they may learne of Marbas all secrets and to cure all diseases and Furcas wisdome and to be cunning in all mechanicall arts and change any mans shape of Zepar if Bune can make them rich and eloquent if Beroâ—h can tell them of all things present past and to 〈◊〉 if Asmodie can make them go invisible and shew them all hidden treasure if Salmacke will afflict whom they list and Allocer can procure the 〈◊〉 of any woman if Amy can provide them excellent familiars if 〈◊〉 can make them understand the voyce of all birds and beasts and 〈◊〉 and Bifrons can make them live long and finally if Orias could proâ—â— unto them great friends and reconcile their enemies and they 〈◊〉 end had all these at commandement should they not live in all world honor and felicity whereas contrariwise they lead there lives in all oâ—â—quy misery and beggery and in fine come to the gallowes as thou they had chosen unto themselves the spirit Valefer who they say 〈◊〉 all them with whom he entereth into familiarity to no better end than the gibbet or gallowes But before I proceed further to the confuâ—â—tion of this stuffe I will shew other conjurations devised more lately and of more authority wheâ—ein you shall see how fooles are trained to beleeve these absurdities being wonne by little and little to such credulity For the author hereof beginneth as though all the cunning of conjurors were deâ—â—ved and fetcht from the planetary motions and true course of the 〈◊〉 celestiall bodies c. CHAP. VI. The names of the Planets their characters together with the twelve signes of the zodiake their dispositions aspects and government with other observations The disposition of the Planets The aspects of the Planets ☌ Is the best aspect with good planets and the worst with evill âš¹ Is a meane aspect in goodnese or badnesse â–³ Is very good in aspect to good planets and hâ—rteth not in evill â–¡ This aspect is of enimity not full perfect ☠This aspect is of enimity most perfect How the day is divided or
be by a witch made corporal being by God ordained to a spiritual proportion The cause of this grosse conceipt is that we hearken more diligently to old wives and rather give credit to their fables than to the word of God imagining by the tales they tell us that the divel is such a bulbegger as I have before described For whatsoever is proposed in scripture to us by parable or spoken figuratively or significatively or framed to our grosse capacities c. is by them so considered and expounded as though the bare letter or rather their grosse imaginations thereupon were to be preferred before the true sense and meaning of the word For I dare say that when these blockheads read Iothans parable in the ninth of Judges to the men of Sichem to wit that the trees went out to annoint a king over them saying to the olive tree Reigne thou over us who answered and said Should I leave my fatnesse c. they imagine that the wooden trees walked and spake with a mans voice or else that some spirit entred into the trees and answered as is imagined they did in the idols and oracles of Apollo and such like who indeed have eyes and see not ears and hear not mouthes and speak not c. CHAP. XIII The equivocation of this word spirit how diversly it is taken in the scriptures where by the way is taught that the scripture is not alwayes literally to be interpreted nor yet allegorically to be understood SUch as search with the spirit of wisdome and understanding shal finde that spirits as well good as bad are in scriptures diversly taken yea they shal well perceive that the divel is no horned beast For sometimes in the scriptures spirits and divels are taken for infirmities of the body sometimes for the vices of the minde sometimes also for the gifts of either of them Sometimes a man is called a divel as Iudas in the sixt of Iohn and Peter in the xvi of Matthew Sometimes a spirit is put for the Gospel sometimes for the mind or soul of man sometimes for the will of man his minde and counsell sometimes for teachers and prophets sometimes for zeal towards God sometimes for joy in the Holy-ghost c. And to interpret unto us the nature and signification of spirits we find these words written in the scripture to wit The spirit of the Lord shal rest upon him The spirit of counsel and strength The spirit of wisdome and understanding The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Again I will pour out my spirit upon the house of David c. The spirit of grace and compassion Again Ye have not received the spirit of bondage but the spirit of adoption And therefore Paul saith To one is given by the spirit the word of wisdome to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit to another the gift of healing to another the gift of faith by the same spirit to another the gift of prophesie to another the operation of great works to another the discerning of spirits to another the diversity of tongues to another the interpretation of tongues and all these things worketh one and the self same spirit Thus farre the words of Paul And finally Esay saith that the Lord mingled among them the spirit of errour And in another place The Lord hath covered you with a spirit of slumber As for the spirits of divination spoken of in the scripture they are such as was in the woman of Endor the Philippian woman the wench of Westwell and the holy maid of Kent who were indued with spirits or gifts of divination whereby they could make shift to gain money and abuse the people by sleights and crafty inventions But these are possessed of borrowed spirits as it is written in the book of Wisdome and spirits of meer cousenage and deceipt as I have sufficiently proved elsewhere I deny not therefore that there are spirits and divels of such substance as it hath pleased God to create them But in what place soever it be found or read in the scriptures a spirit or divel is to be understood spiritually and is neither a corporall nor a visible thing Where it is written that God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Sichem we are to understand that he sent the spirit of hatred and not a bulbegger Also where it is said If the spirit of jealousie come upon him it is as much to say as If he be moved with a jealous minde and not that a corporal divel assaulteth him It is said in the Gospel There was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity 18. years who was bowed together c. whom Christ by laying his hand upon her delivered of her disease Whereby it is to be seen that although it be said that satan had bound her c. yet that it was a sicknesse or disease of body that troubled her for Christs own words expound it Neither is there any word of witchcraft mentioned which some sâ—y was the cause thereof There were seven divels cast out of Mary Magdalen Which is not so grossely understood by the learned as that there were in her just seven corporal divels such as I described before elsewhere but that by the number of seven divels a great multitude and an uncertain number of vices is signified which figure is usual in divers places of the scripture And this interpretation is more agreeable with Gods word than the papisticall paraphrase which is that Christ under the name of the seven divels recounteth the seven deadly sins only Others allow neither of these expositions because they suppose that the efficacy of Christs miracle should this way be confounded as though it were not as difficult a matter with a touch to make a good Christian of a vicious person as with a word to cure the ague or any other disease of a sick body I think not but any of both these cures may be wrought by means in processe of time without miracle the one by the preacher the other by the physitian But I say that Christs work in both was apparently miraculous for with power and authority even with a touch of his finger and a word of his mouth he made the blinde to see the halt to goe the lepers clean the deaf to hear the dead to rise again and the poor to receive the Gospel out of whom I say he cast divels and miraculously conformed them to become good Christians which before were dissolute livers to whom he said Go your wayes and sin no more CHAP. XIV That it pleased God to manifest the power of his Sonne and not of witches by miracles JEsus Christ to manifest his divine power rebuked the winds and they ceased and the waves of water and it was calme which if neither our divines nor physicians can do much
is expressely called upon the names of persons are not expressed but almighty and everlasting God invocated who abideth in trinity and unity it doth easily appear elsewhere also that the persons being not named under the name of almighty everlasting God not only the father to be understood but God which abideth in trinity and unity that is the father the sonne and the Holy-ghost A third objection of theirs is this The sonne of God oftentimes praying in the gospels speaking unto the father promiseth the holy spirit and doth also admonish the apostles to pray unto the heavenly father but yet in the name of the sonne Besides that he prescribeth them this forme of prayer Our father which art in heaven Ergo the father only is to be called upon and consequently the father only is that one and very true God of whom it is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve Whereto I answer first by denying the consequent The son prayed to the father only Ergo the father only is of us also to be prayed unto For the sonne of God is distinguished of us both in person and in office he as a mediator maketh intercession for us to the father and although the sonne and the holy spirit do both together receive and take us into favour with God yet is he said to intreat the father for us because the father is the fountain of all counsels and divine works Furthermore touching the forme of praying described of Christ it is not necessary that the fathers name should personally be there taken sith there is no distinction of persons made but by the name of father indefinitely wee understand God or the essence of God the father the sonne and the Holy-ghost For this name hath not alwaies a respect unto the generation of the sonne of God but God is called the father of the faithfull because of his gracious and free adopting of them the foundation whereof is the son of God in whom we be adopted but yet so adopted that not the father only receiveth us into his favour but with him also the sonne and the holy spirit doth the same Therefore when we in the beginning of prayer do advertise our selves of Gods goodnesse towards us we doe not cast an eye to the father alone but also to the sonne who gave us the spirit of adoption and to the holy spirit in whom we cry Abba Father And if so be that invocation and prayer were restrained to the father alone then had the saints done amisse in calling upon invocating and praying to the son of God and with the son the holy spirit in baptisme according to the forme by Christ himselfe assigned and delivered Another objection is out of the fourth of Amos in this manner For lo it is I that make the thunder and create the spirit and shew unto men their Christ making the light and the clouds and mounting above the high places of the earth the Lord God of hosts is his name Now because it is read in that place shewing unto men their Christ the Pneumatomachi contended that these words are to be understood of the holy spirit But Ambrose in his book De spiritu sancto lib. 2. cap. 7. doth rightly answer that by spirit in this place is meant the wind for if the prophets purpose and will had been to speak of the holy spirit he would not have begunne with thunder nor have ended with light and clouds Howbeit the same father saith If any suppose that these words are to be drawn unto the interpretation of the holy spirit because the prophet saith Shewing unto men their Christ he ought also to draw these words unto the mystery of the Lords incarnation and he expoundeth thunder to be the words of the Lord and spirit to be the reasonable and perfect soul. But the former interpretation is certain and convenient with the words of the prophet by whom there is no mention made of Christ but the power of God is set forth in his works Behold saith the prophet he that formeth the mountains and createth the wind and declareth unto man what is his thought which maketh the morning darknesse and walketh upon the high places of the earth the Lord God of hosts is his name In this sort Santes a right skilfull man in the Hebrew tongue translateth this place of the prophet But admit this place were written of the holy spirit and were not appliable either to the wind or to the Lords incarnation yet doth it not follow that the holy spirit is a creature because this word of Creating doth not alwaies signifie a making of something out of nothing 〈◊〉 Eusebius in expounding these words The Lord created me in the beginning of his wayes writeth thus The prophet in the person of God saying Behold I am he that made the thunder and created the spirit and shewed unto men their Christ this word created is not so to be taken as that it is to be concluded thereby that the same was not before For God hath not so created the spirit sithence by the same he hath shewed and declared his Christ unto all men Neither was it a thing of late beginning under the sonne but it was before all beginning and was then sent when the apostles were gathered together when a sound like thunder came from heaven as it had been the comming of a mighty wind this word Created being used for sent downe for appointed ordained c. and the word thunder signifying in another kind of manner the preaching of the gospels The like saying is that of the Psalmist A clean heart create in me O God wherein he prayed not as one having no heart but as one that had such a heart as needed purifying as needed perfecting and this phrase also of the scripture that he might create two in one new man that is that he might join couple or gather together c. Furthermore the Pneumaâ—omachi by these testimonies insuing endeavour to prove the holy spirit to be a creature Out of Iohn the 1. cha By this word were all things made and without it nothing was made Out of the 1 Cor. 8. We have one God the father even he from whom are all things c we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ through whom are all things and we by him Out of the 1. Coloss. By him were all things made things in heaven and things in earth visible and invisible c. Now if all things were made by the sonne it followeth that by him the holy spirit was also made Whereto I answer that when all things are said to be made by the sonne that same universall proposition is restrained by Iohn himself to a certain kind of things Without him saith the evangelist was nothing made that was made Therefore it is first to be shewed that the holy spirit was made and then will we conclude out