Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	ability_n	able_a	free_a	22	3	5.6597	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07467	The admirable history of the posession and conuersion of a penitent woman Seduced by a magician that made her to become a witch, and the princesse of sorcerers in the country of Prouince, who was brought to S. Baume to bee exorcised, in the yeare 1610, in the moneth of Nouember, by the authority of the reuerend father, and frier, Sebastian Michaëlis, priour of the couent royall of S. Magdalene at Saint Maximin, and also of the said place of Saint Baume. Who appointed the reuerend father, Frier Francis Domptius, Doctor of Diuinity, in the Vniuersity of Louaine, ... for the exorcismes and recollection of the acts. All faithfully set down, and fully verified. Wherunto is annexed a pneumology, or discourse of spirits made by the said father Michaëlis, ... Translated into English by W.B.	Michaelis, Sébastien, 1543?-1618.; W. B., fl. 1613-1617.	1613 (1613)	STC 17854; ESTC S107052	483,998	666

presence there we suggest many forgeries and falshoods vnto the curious so that they are more pregnant to beleeue vs then to listen vnto God After all this he said that the Diuels were theeues and added Wee vse to enter in at the gate that is the will but when that gate is shut we enter in at the windowes as we practise in the houses of Magitians and Witches where wee come in at the windowes that is the fiue senses For our manner is to make our approches and assaults on that side where we finde them most vnable for resistance This might suffice to conuert many soules yea euen the Diuels themsel●es if they had a possibility to be conuerted S. Iohn saith Possumus bibere we cannot say this we cannot be reclaimed For In inferno nulla est redemptio The Acts of the 16. of December 1610. ON this day in the morning there chanced to arriue thither a religious person of the order of S. Francis de Paul a minime Fryer who kneeling on his knees neere the steps by which you goe to the holy Penitence there befell this dispute that followeth When Belzebub began to cruciate and shake the bodie of Magdalene Verrine one of the Diuels that was in the body of Lonyse de Capeau began to say Feare not Magdalene thou art very happy to be thus tortured in this world for they shall not haue power vpon thee in the world to come So it is Magdalene that God desireth to make triall in this world of those whom he loueth Beleeue Magdalene this is a certaine truth and I am constrained to vtter the same although my desire was to palliate and keepe it close I know not what to doe I am not able to withstand it Then the said religious person said vnto Verrine Peace thou accursed spirit thou art the father of lies and falshood To which Verrine replyed It is true I am the father of lies but being compelled therunto by the vnresistable working of the Almighty I must of necessity deliuer the truth The Frier answered Pease thou damned spirit thou canst not speake a truth thou art the father of lies and therefore art not capable to speake any thing truely S. Thomas saith that truth is no vertue in him that onely speaketh it but when the person that vttereth the same is thereby made vpright and sincere then and not before it is a vertue 2ae 2. qae 109. art 1. He further saith that this vertue is no theologicall or intellectuall vertue but a morall and therefore may be pronounced either by one that speaketh truth or by a lyar Doctor Maldonat vpon the 8. Chapter of S. Iohn doth with great subtility obserue that the diuell may speake a truth For he spake the truth in confessing Christ Iesus to be the Sonne of God and albeit it may be obiected that he doth this to an euill purpose yet was it not so in this particular for although it is to be coniectured that he spake by constranit yet doth not this hinder but that he might speake the truth Hee spake the truth in the third of Kings 22. Chapter when he said that hee would be a lying Spirit as also when he alleaged Scripture to Iesus in the desert although it was leuelled to a wicked purpose Notwithstanding wee ought to beware how we beleeue what hee saith if it be not cleere that it is by coaction and in the vertue of the name of God by Exorcismes and that he speaketh conformable vnto the Scriptures and the doctrine of the Church and in this case wee are not to beleeue him but the Scripture Then said Verrine I will proue vnto thee that what I haue spoken is true that the Diuell is able to speake truth He replyed thou canst not for thou hast no ability to doe good thou art an accursed and wicked Spirit Verrine answered It is true I am an accursed wicked and damned spirit and am not able of my selfe to speake any thing but falshood and to act nothing but mischiefe It is true that of mine owne free will I cannot doe the thing that is good but when I am constrained by Almighty God there is a necessity laid vpon me to deliuer the truth Then the Frier hearing that Masse was begun held his peace And Verrine said I will take Gods part and since I am forced vnto obedience I will serue him with more obedience then you Then he cried out as loud as he could who dares deny that Diuels may speake truth I say they may as wel denie that God is omnipotent and that there is no authority in the Church and that all the bookes of Exorcismes are idle and of none effect They must also denie and disapproue of all the oathes which Exorcists do● cause the Diuels to take for why do they demand it of them and make them sweare to deliuer the truth if they are disabled to speak the truth Or why do they lose so much time which they employ about those that are possessed if they can draw nothing but falshood from them True it is said Verrine when the Exorcists are not circumspect and well aduised it is likely the Diuels make their aduantages thereof and so somtimes sweare falsly against God and his Church but this is no fault of ours it is the Exorcists fault because they haue not had that circumspection as to cause them to sweare as I haue done according to the intention of God and his Church and also according to the meaning of the Exorcist in which case wee cannot lye but are constrained to speake the truth If this were not so I should then say that the Diuell had more power then God But it is cleere the Diuell must acknowledge a subordination vnto God not out of loue but by compulsion by which they are tied vnto obedience Then the Frier said vnto the Priests and other religious persons that were there make this Diuell hold his peace and himselfe said peace thou cursed spirit peace But the Diuell euer shewed himselfe more and more couragious to speake on Gods behalfe and said resolutly that he would not obey him for he had a Superior mightier thē he meaning the Frier yea more powerfull then the Exorcist that did command him At this the Frier grew angry and said peace thou wicked spirit peace get thee into Hell thou damned fiend and spake to the assemblie My Masters you should make him hold his peace this is a cursed spirit and speakes nothing but lyes and saith that God is his Redeemer To this Verrine answered that hee lyed for hee had said that God was his Creator and Iudge but not his Redeemer To which the Frier answered that hee vnderstood him so Then Verrine told him that hee had no good eares and vnderstood him amisse Hereupon the Frier said I do assure you you ought to make him hold his peace he himselfe began to threaten him saying peace thou blasphemous beast

there are hundreds that burne their fingers for being too nimble and presumptuous and because they would make their priuate interpretations vpon the same which they vse to square by their owne iudgements and further hee prouideth for them other good wholesome foode to wit the liues of Saints and many miracles yet for all this they are euer squemish and cannot downe with these course cates Where lieth the fault it is because their palate is by some infirmitie and indisposition disseasoned for the meate remaineth good though the taste bee naughtely affected What doth this father then he doth loue his children so tenderly that hee enquireth after fresh and vnaccustomed delicacies by new and vnusuall miracles Like vnto the Spouse who loueth his wife so dearely that he is euer presenting her with some new token of his affection O Church reioyce now at thy husband Thou art that chast wife whom if any will follow hee must not walke in darknesse for the holie Ghost doth guide thee by his light and illumination I am not a whit abashed that the Caluinists make refusall of thee for they are exiled from the bosome of the Church and haue no light to vnderstand the truth but I wonder most that the children of this Church doe not make vse of the light of the Gospell Here now is nothing spoken either against God or his Church The same day in the euening the sister Louyse and the sister Magdalene were exorcised by Father Francis Billet Then Verrine turning himselfe toward Magdalene said Beware Magdalene Belzebub would cast thee downe headlong into despaire It is a good signe Magdalene He saith that thou shalt not be able to resist him but Magdalene hee lieth in saying so for thou hast more brothers in heauen then thou hast aduersaries in hell Take courage Magdalene one of thy brothers is able to doe more then all hell set together And speaking to Belzebub he said Ha wretched fiend thou doest tempt Magdalene and tell her that she shall be damned I say no Magdalene thou shalt be saued and I tell thee againe from the liuing God Magdalene thou shalt be saued He said againe to Lucifer In Hell I acknowledge thee for my superiour but in this body God hath made me thy Master It is not to bee wondred at if many men shall with difficultie bee induced to beleeue a matter altogether vnusuall A great sinner ought to vse great repentance thou shalt repent Magdalene and God shall giue thee life put thy confidence in him for he shall more helpe thee then all Hell can hurt thee God hath promised to heare the prayers of the iust a thousand Magdalene haue begged for thee mercie and grace and at the last haue found it for thee Magdalene haue they knocked at the doore of mercie and at length it hath been opened vnto them Thy good workes Magdalene shall not be able to saue thee but the blood of thy Redeemer It will bee proued that there haue been more then a thousand Masses said for thee and doest thou think that so many sacrifices haue been all barren and vneffectuall shall not the eternall Father haue regard vnto his Son equall vnto him in power wisedome and bountie Take a good courage Magdalene I doe assure thee that hee is Omnipotent and euer-bounteous that he hath pardoned thy offences and being that all-knowing vnderstanding he hath taken notice of thy miseries for in the glasse of his owne essence he seeth all things and there is a perfect representation in him of all euents whatsoeuer as if they were now present It is true thou blessed Mother of God thou hast presented thy breasts for her more then ten thousand times And thou Magdalene hast made tender of thy repentance and thou Peter prince of Apostles hast shed many teares for the conuersion of this Magdalene Ioannes Baptista hath also interceded for thee and did present his innocencie in thy behalfe And thou Dominicke hast been very fauou●able vnto her and thou Bernardus and Antonius haue prayed for her Take a good heart Magdalene keep thy owne Magdalene and thou shalt become another Magdalene or another Thais God is wearied in expectation of thee giue him to drinke Magdalene but O Lord how canst thou bee thirstie since thou hast no neede of thy creatures But as Christ demanded drinke of the Samaritane woman and then also when hee was nailed to the Crosse so Magdalene thou shalt doe well to let him drinke of thy teares and for a little of this liquour hee shall bestow vpon thee the wine of his loue and shall take from thee all thirstinesse and alteration whatsoeuer Who will beleeue that the Diuell should thus endeuour to conuert Magdalene and the Magician Magdalene I doe assure thee from God that he who hath deliuered the children of Israel from the red Sea will if thou humble thy selfe euen to the pit of hell although thou haddest committed an hundred million of sins more then thou hast done receiue thee into grace saying In quacunque hora. For Magdalene hee cannot be lesse then his word This and many other discourses of a semblable nature did hee confirme and strengthen with his accustomed oath Quod licet dicere licet scribere Whatsoeuer is lawfull to be said is lawfull to be written But as the wicked Spirits doe not speake vnto men but by the tongues of men so neither can they write to men but by the ministerie and seruice of men God not permitting vnto them a free vse either of the one or the other Vpon the same day did Verrine dictate many letters saying to Father Francis Billet Write me certaine letters after this tenure and first of all one to the Priest Lewis Lewis for the saluation of thy soule for the glorie of God and edification of thy neighbour come to S. Baume and obey the Sonne of the Virgin that calleth thee vnto him or doth otherwise threaten thee that if thou doe not obey him for loue thou shalt be enforced thereunto by iustice Come if thou be wise come if thou be wise come if thou be wise obey obey obey for the honour of the blessed Trinitie come along with those that goe to seeke thee who will accompanie thee and will become pledges for thee If thou be well aduised thou wilt come For there is a great processe betwixt the iustice and mercie of God which are the two daughters of the eternall Father obey Mercie the eldest daughter for she is euer fauourable vnto sinners The Virgin Mary is thy aduocate and Theophilus prayeth for thee and is one of thy solicitors Cyprian is another and was a Magician as thou art Dauid is another William the Hermite doth also pray for thee and so doth Matthew the Publican Mary the sister of Martha is thy aduocate Pelagia is another Mary of Aegypt is another Thais also is another and the woman of Samaria is another who doth inuite thee to come and slake thy

most conspicuous thing that is Hence it is that as many as haue laboured to discouer the intricacy of these subtilties do resemble those that by a mathematicall demonstration would prooue quadraturam circuii for being not able to reach vnto it they haue an infinity of false hypotheses and suppositions Among these the two Arabicke Philosophers may be numbred Aben Rois whom some by corruption of speech cal Auerrois and Aben Pace whose opinions are largely confuted by Saint Thomas But to come to those who haue drawne neerer vnto the truth Aristotle doth affirme and prooue that those few Spirits whom he had knowledge of were certainely free from any Masse or pressure of bodies and were substances separated and abstracted from all composition of elements for he well knew that a corporeall forme ought to be proportioned vnto the body wherein it doth act and produce motion If then the Intelligences who moue the heauens were corporeall it must needs be that their bodies should be proportionable vnto the quantity of the heauenly bodies which is so great that it comprehendeth and compasseth in all the world and as touching the outward superficies it is contained in no place If then these Spirits should be fashioned to such greatnes they would be exceeding monstrous and hideous to looke vnto which is not to be conceited of these substances which are the most noble and excellent of all others They moue then the heauens as the reasonable soule doth our bodies that is meerely by their will which the body in his corporall motions cannot possibly resist if so be it be furnished with Organs proper for the same mouet voluntate non tactu which manner of working is strange and incomprehensible because it is a spirituall kind of working and not a corporall Many other reasons are alleaged by Aristotle but because they are drawne from naturall Philosophy and cannot easily be vnderstood but by those that are well versed in the Maximes of that science it shal be sufficiēt that we haue alleadged these few Plato seemeth to himselfe to haue soared higher in his Philosophy but he is not without this errours for hauing got the sight of the holy Scriptures and taking the words according to the rigor of the letter he affirmeth that these excellent Spirits haue a thinne and subtile kinde of body made of fire or ayre wherein he followeth the Scriptures which seeme to say that they are made of winde or of a flame of fire and do alwayes mention their appearing to be clothed in such materiall shapes as when they speake of the Angell that conducted the people in the wildernesse it is said that hee was as a pillar of fire vnto them in the night and as a cloud in the day Besides in the mountaine of Sinay there were seene lightnings lampes and flames of fier as also the two Cherubins of the Mercies seate resembled two yong boyes with winges and Helias his taking vp to heauen was by Horses of fire But Plaeto vnderstood not that it is an vsuall thing with the holy Scripture to set before vs the highest mysteries by metaphors borrowed from things that are more vile so they be more familiar vnto vs. In like manner are the fowre Elements the seauen Planets and that supreame heauen of all where God and his Saints do dwell blessed for euermore are represented vnto vs in the Mercies seate by artificiall things the seauen Planets by the seauen Lampes in the middest of whom one was more bright and conspicuous then the rest and that represented the Sunne the like may be said of other things as that in the garments of Auron the High Priest there was representation made of the whole world and a kinde of expression of the Maiesty of God as the wise man saith In veste Aaron erat descriptus orbis terrarum The linen breeches did betoken the earth not onely because the earth bringeth forth flaxe and linnen but also because it is one of the worst stuffes that is there described the large girdle wherewithall the Priest did engirt himselfe represented the Ocean sea that compasseth all the earth the coate of blew veluet with the little bells of pomegranets the aire which is of the same colour and is the shopp where all thunders and lightnings are hammered the Rochet that was vpon his shoulders beautified with all variety of precious colours the heauen where all the Starres do like spangles beautifie that place the twelue precious stones that were set into this garment the twelue signes of the Zodiacke the Miter vpon his head the highest heauen and the plate of gold in which the ineffable name of God was ingrauen and which was vpon all the rest did represent the Mai●sty of God In the like manner God is shadowed out vnto vs with eyes eares and hands that is to say seeing hearing and doing all things which these Anthropomorphites not vnderstanding did maintaine wherein they fell into Platoes errour that God had also a body but how monstrous a body must this be since God himselfe is euery where They may as well say that he is a Lambe a Lyon or a Beare and the like then which borrowed speeches nothing is more frequent in Scripture So that when Angels are figured out with winges and are said to be clothed with winde or fire it signifieth nothing else vnto vs but that they are swift and ready to execute the will of God as the Psalmist doth explaine it speaking of Angels and saying Potentes robore seu virtute ad audiendam vocem sermonum eius The Ethnicks also hauing stolue the same from the Iewish antiquities as Iosephas calleth them that is to say from the holy Scripture doth set forth Mercury with winges and describe the winde in the shape of a man hauing winges thereby to expresse the swiftnesse and celerity which they conceiued and saw in these things And Hamer when he would speake of Gods descent vpon the earth whom he alwayes calleth Iupiter hee bringeth him downe couered and wrapped in a cloud which he stole from the bookes of Moyses where God is alwayes said to come downe in a cloud Descendebat columna nubis ad ostium Tabernaculi and as King Dauid saith Descendit dominus caligo sub pedibus eius The winde also is figured out to be a man with winges which is drawne from that place Qui ambulas super pennas ventorum And that we may more fully vnderstand the Maiesty and antiquity of the holy Scripture from whence the opinions of Plato had their first ground and originall and which the most famous Philosophers and Diuines haue followed in part as we will by and by demonstrate it is expedient to obserue breefely that which the ancients haue more largely expressed vnto vs especially Clemens Alexandrinus Origen Eusebius and Tertullian and that is that whatsoeuer Poets and Philosophers whether they were Greekes or Latines haue truly and excellently

profit and behoofe and did euer carrie their chaines of iron on their feete and had a good guard to watch them The like is done vnto those that are slaues in the Galleys Secondly for our exercise as S. Bernard hath it and it is also the obseruation of S. Hierome who applieth this vnto the Iebusites Philistins and other barbarous people that by diuine permission were left in the borders and skirts of the land of promise to exercise the people of the Iewes who otherwise would haue spurned at Gods commandements and these were the type and figure of those wicked spirits that Christ Iesus after his death and passion was to leaue in the aire to exercise vs in whatsoeuer is good and praise-worthy as sand which of it selfe is fruitlesse and barren yet serueth very fitly to scoure and make bright the vessels of gold or of siluer which are carefully looked vnto in the great house of a father of a familie Thus was Iob exercised and thus haue all good men been tried as S. Paul witnesseth of himselfe and saith that hee endured the buffetings of Satan and doth conclude in the Epistle aboue cited where he mentioneth these things that Christ our Redeemer doth by the merits of his death and passion lend vnto vs all a compleate armour that so we may be the true champions of God The sword is the word of God saith he the helmer hope the corslet charitie and the shield faith as S. Peter saith Cuiresistite fortes in fide To be briefe if wee be thus armed the Diuell shall haue no power ouer vs as S. Augustine obserueth First because as soone as wee brandish these spirituall weapons against him hee presently turneth his backe and flieth from vs which S. Iames also witnesseth Resistite saith he Diabolo fugiet à vobis Secondly because he can doe no good vpon those that doe resist him and onely gaineth on those that make no preparation to stand against him Non vincit nisi volentem Being houering so neere about vs they haue yet a curbe snaffle to restraine them and that is Gods prouidence which either by the ministerie of good Angels or otherwise as it shall seeme good vnto him doth hold in their rage and malice with so strong a hand that they haue no power to do that which is within the compasse of their naturall forces and like slaues they are faine first to aske leaue of God before they dare attempt any thing Thus we see the Diuell asked leaue of God to afflict Iob in his person and goods and the Diuels mentioned in the Gospell dared not to enter into the swine vntill they had gotten particular license from Christ Iesus as Tertullian sheweth at large Of this curbe S. Paul speaketh when he saith Fidelis Deus qui non patietur vos tentari supra id quod potestis He permitteth Satan to do many things but with such limitations that those assaults wherwithal he would force vs are neuer aboue our abilities of resistance We are not therefore to dispute and aske the reason why God afflicteth one man more then another and that by such diuersities of temptations let it suffice that he knoweth when a young man like vnto Dauid hath both courage and force to encounter with the Giant Goliah which attempt would haue crushed in peeces the strongest men in Israel as flesh and blood would haue conceiued The Diuell doth thus trie and exercise vs both out of malice which hee beareth towards God and out of enuie which hee carrieth vnto vs by which hee doth daily make full the measure of his punishments For wee are to note that those Diuels who after their creation offended most by their pride malice and ingratitude were cast into the deepest dungeon of hell and are already tortured with all the extremitie that may bee but they that did not transgresse in that heighth of wickednesse fell no lower then the aire and do there acquire vnto themselues new damnation not in their depriuation of the vision of God for that is common to them all but in the accession and increase of paine in the pit of hell And this the Doctors of S. Ieromes time were wont to relate saying that if a Christian did resist the Diuels temptations he doth not only aduantage himselfe thereby but doth doe a good turne vnto the Diuell his aduersarie because by this meanes hee is not punishable with so great torments as if hee had ouercome the Christian whereas else he should be plagued for the same in that he was the cause of that sinne Hereupon it is that the Diuels were afraid to be sent into the deepes after they had a long time tempted and tormented the poore Iew. This prouidence of God hath in like sort withheld it selfe from casting them all into the lowest bottome of the pit of hell although they are tied vp for the most part in some quarter of the world which is nothing else but when God commandeth them not to budge from a certaine set place and restraineth their workings elsewhere And this ligation or chaining vp is the greatest torment vnto them that may be●in regard that they are Spirits and therefore of a generous and actiue nature fashioned with all free scope and libertie to worke in all places which they haue a minde vnto And therefore doth Tertullian call them quodammodo volucres because they are of a more excellent agilitie then the swiftest bird when he is vpon his wing So that wee are to conceiue that by this restraint and confinement they are as it were cooped vp in a cage and are not able to flie vp and downe to execute their purposes by reason of this compulsorie detainment but are infinitly vexed at this commandement which God imposeth vpon thē Thus must the passage in the booke of Tobias be vnderstood where it is said that Raphael tooke the Diuell Asmodeus which in Hebrew signifieth a banished man and banished him into the desert of the vpper Aegypt and in like manner that passage in the Apocalypse is thus to be interpreted where it is said that Satan was bound and loosed againe which importeth nothing but this that all his power and actiuitie was for a time taken from him by God and was afterwards restored vnto him againe For in the last daies of the world he shall be vntied and shall haue full permission giuen vnto him to powre foorth all his rage and venome vpon the children of God yea so farre shall the authoritie of Antichrist gaine vpon the world as that they shall be able to worke miracles as to make fire visibly to descend from heauen and such like wonders described at large by S. Iohn in the Reuelation But the Diuell is now tied vp from doing of these things although in his owne nature he be able to doe as much mischiefe as hee did in Iobs time and as hee will