Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	father_n	see_v	son_n	12,108	5	5.6436	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68096	The boy of Bilson: or, A true discouery of the late notorious impostures of certaine Romish priests in their pretended exorcisme, or expulsion of the Diuell out of a young boy, named William Perry, sonne of Thomas Perry of Bilson, in the county of Stafford, yeoman Vpon which occasion, hereunto is premitted a briefe theologicall discourse, by way of caution, for the more easie discerning of such Romish spirits; and iudging of their false pretences, both in this and the like practices.	R. B. (Richard Baddeley); Wheeler, Mr.	1622 (1622)	STC 1185; ESTC S120841	43,472	84

is the Sonne of God was neyther extorted nor imbraced by Christ which we are now to proue Thirdly the Adiuration which the deuill vsed to Christ our Sauiour condescended not vnto but repelled for the deuill said I adiure thee that thou torment me not But why said he thus it followeth in the next words Because Christ had said to the deuill come out of the man therefore the deuill adiuring Christ that hee himselfe might keepe his possession and Christ notwithstanding expelling him out of his hold it is euident that Christ condescended not to the deuils adiuration Thus by way of Answere We are now to retort their Arguments and to driue their weapon to their owne pates by prouing from the example of Christ that we are not to admit of any colloquie with the Deuill in Exorcismes about matter of Christian Learning The first place is Mark. 1. Mark 1.24 25. Where one deuill confessed Christ to be the holy one of God a blessed confession but because a damned Confessor instantly Iesus as the Text sheweth did rebuke the deuill saying hold thy peace Mark 3.11 12. and come out of the man In Mark 3. diuers impure spirits when they saw Iesus cryed out and said Thou art that Sonne of God but what it immediately followeth And Iesus straitly charged them not to make him knowne What may we iustly inferre from all this Espen in Tim. digress l. 1. c. 14. I had rather your owne Espencaeus should tell you Christ would not suffer the deuill to speake no not the truth to teach vs that wee giue not any credit at all vnto the deuill although it may be he speake a truth Orig. hom in Exod. And to this end he produceth the iudgement of Origen concluding from the same Scriptures that Wee are not to interrogate deuils nor to entertaine any colloquie with euill Spirits but to dispell them by Prayer and Fasting Wee find the same Father thus reprouing and condemning the Heathen Inchanters Orig. in Num. c. 23. hom 16. God saith hee will not haue vs to bee the disciples of deuils it is better to bee ignorant than to be taught by them for this cause our Lord Iesus did not vouchsafe to receiue any testimonie from the deuill but saith to him hold thy peace thou foule spirit and depart out of the man Wee need no other Comment vpon these Texts than that which hath beene receiued from the golden mouth of Chrysostome Chrysost tom 2. hom 5. in Mar. Christ saith to the deuill Mar. 3. Hold thy peace and come out of the man As if Christ had said saith hee I came not to seeke my approbation from thy testimonie but to cast thee out of my creature no commendable commendation can proceede out of the mouth of a Sinner I need not the testimonie of him whose torment I desire let thy silence bee my prayse hold thou therefore thy peace get thee out of the man what doest thou in my House and Inne c. So Saint Chrysostome euen so plainly that for me to make any collections from him were but to comment vpon a Comment Yet may we not omit that when Christ if euer had conference with the Deuill in the Wildernesse Mat. 4. the Deuill was still the Opponent and Christ neuer obiected or interrogated but answered to the first it is said Christ answered it is written Man Ver. 4. c. to the second likewise Christ answered It is written Verse 7. Thou shalt not c. to the third Christ answered Get thee hence Satan Wherefore as Christ Verse 10. so euery Christian may make answeres to the deuill neuer seeke answeres from him and allow no vse of Conference with him but that which may put him to silence The Apostles of Christ were the Disciples of their Master as wel in practise as knowledge which we may obserue in the example of Saint Paul and Silas Acts 16. For Saint Paul to vse the words of Origen imitating Christ Orig. hom 16. ni Acts 16. turning himselfe to the Spirit of diuination said I command thee in the Name of Iesus Christ go out of her Wherein though some may peraduenture aske why Saint Paul should in such vehemencie rebuke that Spirit What did the deuill speake any Blasphemie The Woman saith the Text hauing a Spirit of diuination followed Paul and them that were with him and cryed saying These men are the Seruants of God most High who shew the way of saluation Whence it is manifest that Paul was not offended at any words of blasphemie but that he held it an indignitie vnto his preaching to receiue any testimony from such a spirit So Origen And indeed Saint Paul and Silas did not spend any time of conference with that spirit but instantly discharge their office of Exorcizing commanding the spirit to come out of the Maide and he went out at the same houre An Act altogether repugnant to the practice of Romish Priests who professedly aske questions compelling as they say the deuils to testifie that which may best serue for the dignitie of their Priest-hood whereas the Apostle did not daigne but rather abhorre and was grieued at this so specious a testimonie that they were the Seruants of the Highest On the contrary these Priests doe greatly glorie in such Testimonies as among others the French Priests reioyce to heare the deuill Verrine auerre Admir hist p. 133 saying of them You are Priests it is no offence if a man neglect and turne from an Angell of Heauen and doe honour and reuerence vnto you Compare those different examples the one holding it an indignitie the other a dignitie to receine testimonie of their offices from the deuill and the distance will appeare to be little lesse than betweene a Professor Apostolicall and Apostaticall The one and twentieth Aduertisement Shewing the falshood of the same doctrine concerning consultation with Deuils in questions of Religion by testimonies of Fathers and necessarie Reasons WE haue alreadie heard the testimonies of Origen and Chrysostome concerning this point Thyraeus Ies de locis infestie part 1. Maldon Ies Com. in Matth. Chrysost hom vlt. de Lazare Tere. de anima Athan. ad Antioch q. 11. 13 Theophy in Mat. 8. Isidor Etym. lib. 8. c. 9. absence from our Aduersarie Papers will not suffer me to inquire exactly into other Fathers nor shall I greatly need it especially seeing the Iesuites themselues doe acknowledge that ancient Fathers such as were Chrysostome Tertullian Athanasius Theophilact Isidore doe all denie that the soules of men departed doe at any time appeare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in their owne persons but that they who take their semblance vpon them are verie deuils who seeke to seduce vs. And therefore these Fathers aduise vs not to haue any businesse with them or to giue any credit to their testimonies but to content our selues with direction from holy Scriptures Which they should not haue done

that he brought with him II. Priest Hee was a short big fat man with blackish long curled haire in a kind of russet coloured suite with a sword by his side As soone as he saw me he said that by the helpe of God and our Lady and the holy Saints of heauen he would either cast the Diuell out of mee that night or else it should goe hard And first hee drew out a little booke of the bignesse of a Pueriles in which he continued praying til about 11. a clock of the night and casting holy-water on me Then both these Priests went away but came againe vnto me in the morning and then they made as much holy-water as a pale could hold But in the end they confessed that they could doe mee no good without the helpe of a third Priest whom they did send for by a Weauer of our towne About a weeke after came the third Priest III. Priest being a reasonable tall old man in a horsemans coat with long head-haire before hee came to our house he did say to the man that fetcht him as I did heare that if the spirits came to me then I was obsest but if they were within me then I was possest The big fat Priest came in with this last Priest and first hee put his finger into my mouth and said that I was bewitched at the tongues end wherfore he bade me drink three or foure draughts of holy-water which I did he taught mee also to pray to the Virgin Mary and to my good Angel and to all the Saints in heauen to helpe me Then he washed my head feet and belly with the same water saying now and then to mee Thou art now somewhat better Boy and I would say Yes a little better About the same time my father comming one day home before supper he asked mee what I had seene in my fits and I told him that a thing came to me in the likenesse of a Black-bird And now the Priest that came last vnto me went out of towne these three Priests hauing bin with me about three weekes but could doe me no good About a weeke after II. Priest came the big fat Priest againe and held on his former course saying that by Gods grace he would helpe me About which time hee made a Sermon to certaine Catholickes which were with me hauing a white Surplesse on him with a stole as I remember they called it about his necke his Text was My flesh is bread indeed and my blood is drinke indeed After his Sermon he prayed with me as he had vsed to doe and then made another paleful of holy-water wishing them to boyle certaine herbs in water to wash mee withall as Time Isop and such like Vpon the Sunday following people came in so thicke to see me that the Priest durst not preach and he intended to be gone the next day His fashion was to blesse and crosse all the meat which both themselues and I did eate so that when my mother once gaue mee some of a Syllabub which the Pr. had not crossed in the same manner he told them that there was a Puritan spirit entred into it These three Priests dealt with mee at sundry times that I should confesse my sins vnto them which I did sometimes when I listed to speake but that was but now and then They wished mee also to turne to their religion and that then I should haue helpe Vpon that Sunday night before that this fat Priest was to goe away he said that by the helpe of the blessed Virgin and the Angels and Saints in heauen he would cast the Diuell out of me A little after he began to aske certaine questions of the spirit within me as first what should become of the Puritans when they dyed and he told me that if they went to hell then the spirit should tug and shake the bed-clothes which I did doe after the same manner he bade me Next he asked what should become of the Roman Catholickes and if they should goe to heauen that then in signe thereof I should lift vp my hands which I did also Then the Priest said Come out of thy fits Will in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost whereupon I seemed to come out of a fit and then hee prayed by mee and said that hee would cast three diuels out of me that night And so he hanged about my necke and put vnder mine arme a fine stole wrought with great siuer letters and with the one end thereof being very hard hee did beate me about the head and face vntill to my thinking hee made mee blacke and blue chafing rubbing my neck with that stole which was so rough that it made my necke very sore and still he spake to the spirits within me thus Come out you Rogues you Villaines I charge you by God and the blessed Virgin and by all the Angels and Saints in heauen that you suffer the Boy to eate and sleepe and withall he stamped with his feet as he spake those words Then he told my father that he would throw out those three spirits one after another so that they should plainly see them come forth And if hee should doe so hee asked my mother whether shee would become a Catholicke or no She answered him that she would consider of it Then said he wil I also consider whether I will helpe your sonne or no. But yet the Priest continued as he had begun and said vnto me If there be three Diuels in thee then giue three knocks in signe thereof and so I did but at the biggest Diuell hee willed me to giue the greatest thumpe which I did at the last And still the Priest did beate me with his stoale so continued with me til about three of the clocke in the morning during which time certaine Papists were sent to pray with me bringing hallowed candles with thē At the same time the Priest tooke such * Viz Crooked pins rags straw c. and such things as the Boy could sinde and steale into his mouth as he did once halse a knitting-needle things as I had seemed to vomit and burning them with Frankincense hee tooke an old rusty sword and said a Latine prayer resembling it to the sword wherwith Peter did cut off Malchus his eare he also did beate the same things with an hammer betokening that hammer which nailed Christ to the Crosse The morning being come the Priest was to bee gone and then my father said vnto him Sir I see you can doe my Child no good and therfore I must seeke for some other helpe Yes said the Priest you will goe seeke for helpe at witches to ease his body but you care not for damning his soule But yet before he went away hee did hallow more water and then he departed And here the Boy was suffered to pawse and repose himselfe by reason of his weakenesse and was not

if that those spirits might by the power of Adiuration be compelled to shew that they were deuils and that being knowne they would confesse nothing but truth All which notwithstanding the Romish Priests ordinarily seeke to bee informed of them concerning Purgatorie Indulgences worshipping of Images and other Mysteries of Romish Superstition which Bellarmine and other Iesuites doe endeuour to confirme by Apparitions of the dead when as according to the iudgement of ancient Fathers the soule that it conuersant in holy Writ will re-resolue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that though the Deuill as in the petition of * Not to omit which is else-where forgotten that the Boy of Bilson did fayne himselfe to abhor and to be affected with this Petition as with the first verse of Saint Iohns Gospell Vide pag. 58. 59. Deliuer vs from euill may come into his Pater-Noster yet that he shall neuer enter into his Creed Not to stand any longer vpon Antiquitie I would but desire any one Example of any one Father in the space of fiue hundred yeares after Christ or Historie in the same compasse of time recording and approuing any Conference with the Deuill by way of Exorcisme or otherwise for satisfaction of any Christian in points of Religion Let vs at last reason the matter with these men The two and twentieth Aduertisement Shewing the Reasons which may be produced against this perswasion of the Deuil arising aswell from the Cause it selfe as from the Euents Reasons of the first kind Two reasons may suffice if they be pregnant The first thus If such be the power of Exercists that they constraine the Deuill in the Name of God and by the warrant of the Church to confesse any truth that shall be demanded of them by Adiuration then should there need for our satisfaction in matter of Religion no other Questionists then Exorcists no other Catechists than Deuills no other Tradition Councell Scripture or Gospel than the confession of Deuils yea and then the Decrees of Popes which are held as Oracles in that Church must now for many of them haue erred giue place to the testimonies of Deutls I may not except their Councell of Trent Conc. Trid. Sessio 5. cap. 1. which would not determine the question concerning the naturall Conception of the blessed Virgin whether shee were originally immaculate for either great was the ignorance of those Fathers that could not or else obstinacie that they would not set it downe for an Article in their Romane Creed as they haue done many other Articles as far repugnant from truth seeing that Verrine the Deuill Admir Hist pag. 205. by power of Exorcisme was brought to sweare vpon the blessed Sacrament and did answer vpon that Oath that she was originally immaculate Albeit Bernard Thomas Aquinas Bonauenture and many hundreds in the Romish Church would heerein haue giuen the deuill the lye It had beene good before they had giuen credit to this deuill to haue sought some certaine resolution how to reconcile the different reuelations made to Saint Bridget Saint Katherine concerning the same question Katherine being told by reuelation that the Conception of the blessed Virgin was immaculate but Saint Bridget informed of the contrarie And because such contradictions will admit no reconciliation it would become them to learne how to discerne whether these Reuelations came from the deaill as from the lying Angel whereof wee thinke the deuill Verrine can be no competent Iudge Secondly you that question the deuill suffer your selues to bee questioned in a few words If the deuils be made as you say Messengers of diuine truths by the power of your Exorcismes why doe you indeauour to expell them Are they but lying Oracles Why doe you then conferre with them and not presently expell them Many other reasons might bee added to conuince these Priests by the deuil's contradictions in their owne stories euen then when hee was adiured to speake truth But to labour to prooue that the deuill cannot lye when hee list and that hee will also whensoeuer hee can for a mischiefe were to deny him to bee a deuill whose propertie is vel falsum vel ad falsum dicere either to speake that which is false or else to a false end What a dangerous thing it was in our first Mother to entertaine and maintaine parle with the deuill concerning our religious dutie to God all mankind feele by that woefull experience of originall corruption which they must carrie with them to their graues That which no Aduersarie shall euer be able to refute is that the power of Exorcisme was giuen vnto the Church of God for expulsion of the deuill neuer for consultation with him in matters of Conscience Thus haue I endeuoured to dispell this doctrine of conferring with deuils in such cases with the same zeale as I would wish to dispell the deuill himselfe and hold it a good resolution not to beleeue those Priests for direction in matters of Religion who make the deuill their ghostly Father Wee choose rather to conclude with the sentences of the holy Fathers of the Church one directing vs how to auoid such fascinations saying Cyprian Non statim c. We ought not presently to admit of such Acts as are done in the Name of Christ except they be done in the Truth of Christ The other detesting them saying August Remoueantur illa vel figmenta mendacium hominum vel portenta fallacium spirituum Away with those workes which are either the figments and deuices of lying men or else the deceitfull acts of prodigious spirits The 23. and last Aduertisement Is to demonstrate the Romish falshood in Exorcizing by the Euents which is particularly exemplified in a discouerie of their Impostures about the Boy of Bilson not inferiour vnto any of the rest of their prankes in this kind BVt before wee come to lay downe the naked truth of the matter touching that Boy and how things stood de facto let vs first suffer the Romish Priests to boast themselues a while of their miraculous power in Exorcizing this Child whom for a while you must imagine bee really bewitched and possessed of the Deuill that afterwards by the the euent may be verified of these Miraculists that Scripture which saith Phil. 3.19 Whose glorie is in their shame Heare we then the Priests speake helpe the child was if they had sought medicine still in Israel and not at Endor and of Belzebub First then to shew how the Child grew thus to bee tormented as I haue vnderstood it of his Parents and haue heard the Child confirme it himselfe The Boy returning homeward from schoole to Bilson in Staffordshire where hee dwelt an old woman vnknowne met him and taxed him in that he did not giue her good time of the day saying that he was a foule thing and that it had been better for him if he had saluted her At which words the Boy felt a thing to pricke him to the very heart