What the cause is that in these our dayes so fewe spirites
are seene or heard.

T He cleare light of Gods word driueth away all such spirits, which vse to worke their feates in the darke. The cleare light approaching, the shadow & darkenesse vanisheth. The prince of darknesse shunneth light, and hath nothing to doo where men worship God the Father, only through Iesu Christ, belÉeuing only on him, and committing themselues wholy vnto his protection. If men estÉem the word of God, and haue it in price, he will in no wise suffer them to be so ouersÉene and deceiued, as they are which do all things without the warrant of his word.

Here I cannot ouerpasse with silence a certaine merry iest: when once there chaunced to be talke in a certaine place of visions and spirites, a certaine professour of the Gospell saide vnto a Papist in this maner: You ought (quoth he) euen by this to gather, that our religion is true, and youres false, for that since the Gospell was preached vnto vs, very fewe spirits haue bin sÉene of any man. To whome the other made aunswere by way of reasoning called Violentum: Nay (saith hÉe) hereby ye may gather, that your religion is naught, and oures good: for the diuell assaulteth those, whome he feareth will shortly reuolte from him.

It is not much vnlike whiche Æneas Siluius (who was afterwardes made Pope, called Pius .2.) reciteth in his Historie of the Councell of Basill, out of the life of holy Benedict, father of the Monkes called after his name. HÉe sometimes visiting a certaine Monasterie of holy men, espyed an infinite route of diuels, who as it were fighting with the holy fathers, laboured to disturbe the good workes which they went about. And he forthwith going to a faire full of marchandise and buying and selling, sawe there but one diuell, and he also idle and sad, sitting vppon a watch-toure, wherat saint Benedict maruelling, that he saw the place which was holy and dedicate to praier, full of diuels, and that he founde the prophane place which was occupied with periurie and other offences, guarded but with one Diuell: coniures the same Diuell to declare and shewe vnto him the true cause thereof: who straight answered him, that it was nÉedfull the holy place shoulde be assaulted by many diuels, but those which sinned of their voluntarie accorde, had no nÉede to bÉe deceiued by the Diuell.

But I aske thÉe this question O thou Papist, mighte not the Gentils in ancient time haue obiected the same to the Christians, when they demaunded of them why their Oracles ceassed? and why there were so fewe Visions? If those Spirites or bugges be Diuels, why doe you then saye and belÉeue that they are the soules of deade menne, whiche desire helpe of you? I will shewe you the verye true cause why those visions are nowe so seldome times sÉene: forsoothe because the Diuell perceiueth, that wÉe vnderstande his subtilties and craft, therefore hÉe hunteth after other men, and sÉeketh to deceiue them. As for example, when thou wilt crampe some man by the toes in night time (as sometimes pleasant fellowes vse to do, to recreate themselues when they trauell) and so draw him out of his bedde, if thou perceiue he bee acquainted with thy sleight, by and by thou leauest him, and goest vnto an other which is fast a sleep, and cannot perceiue the deceit.

There be other causes also why these things happen now more sildome. If any man deceiue thÉe once, twice, or thrice, afterwards thou openest thy eyes, and espiest what he doth and what he goeth about: so when we haue bene often beguiled with false apparitions, we will not easily be persuaded, if any man tell vs that a soule or spirite hath appeared A burnt child dreads fire. (as the prouerbe saith,) Burnt childe, dreads fire. Moreouer, whereas now adayes fewe stand in feare of spirits, many might be easily found, who would sÉek them, fÉele them, yea and also handle them. This is well knowne, and therefore no man will gladly put on a visor, or otherwise counterfeit himselfe to be a ghost. A man may soone persuade a childe that there is a black man, a tall woman, which will put children that cry in their budget, &c. but after they are come to maturitie of yeares, they will no more bee feared with visours and such like persuasions: they will laugh at thy follie, if afterwards thou goe about to make them so afraide. Euen so when we were children in the scriptures, that is, when we vnderstood them not, we might be easily seduced to belÉeue many things: But nowe that we reade them in all manner of tongues, and do daily profit in them, we do not suffer our selues to be so mocked, neither doo we belÉeue euery vaine apparition. How many sights of spirits did the knauerie of the Monkes of Bernadriue away, after it was once detected? Things are set vp in the fields to feare away the birdes, which at the last also they perceiue to be but trifles, and are not driuen away any longer with suche toyes. What maruel is it then, if after so great a shipwrack of godlinesse and truth, men albeit they are simple, doo at the last open their eyes.

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