A confutation of those mennes arguments or reasons,
which affirme, that dead mens soules doo appeare:
And first that is aunswered whiche certaine doo alleage,
to witte, that God is omnipotent, and therfore
that he can worke contrary to the ordinary course of
nature.

FIrst our aduersaries do laie against vs, that by the vsuall and common course of things, the soules of the godly abide in heauen, and the soules of the wicked in hell, vntill the last day, and do not walke at all: but yet that God may dispence with them to appear here sometimes, therby to instruct and admonish vs: And then Samuel did appeare after his death vnto king Saule, and Moses also which forsooke this life many yeres before: Likewise Elias, who was taken vp in to heauen in a firie charet, appeared vnto Christ our sauior & his thrÉe disciples, whom he tooke with him at his transfiguration in the mount. Lazarus also of Bethanie, returned from death into y? earth, and many other also were raised from death by Christ, his Apostles, and Prophets.

Farther they alledge this, y? Christs Apostles belÉeued, that y? spirit or soule either of Christ, (as som of the fathers vnderstand it) or of som other person did appear vnto them. Besides to proue this matter, they alledge places out of the fathers, decrÉes of councels, & the common report y? hath bin bruted of those y? returned fro the dead. To al these reasons by Gods assistance, we will briefly and orderly answere.

As touching y? first obiection, y? al things are possible vnto God, we deny it not. We graunt then, that God can bring soules out of heauen or hel, and vse their trauell & seruice to instruct, comfort, admonish, & rebuke men. But for y? no text or example is found in holy scripture, that euer any soule came from y? dead, which did so scoole & warn men: or y? the faithfull learned or sought to vnderstand any thing of the soules deceased, we cannot allow y? sequele of their reason. We may not of Gods almightie power inferre conclusions to our pleasure. For this is a principle holde in schooles, y? the reason doth not truly folow, y? is set from y? power of doing, to the dÉed done. For God doth nothing against himself, or his word writen, to warrat their reson: they shuld first haue proued, that it was gods wil, y? soules shuld return into the erth: for so do holy fathers intreat of gods almightie power.

Tertullian against Praxias saith: Truly I neuer thought that any thing was hard to bee done of God, we may faine of God what we list, as if he had done the same, because he is able to doo it. But we must not belÉeue that God hath therefore done all things, because he is able to doo them. But first wee ought to make enquirie whether hee hath done them.

S. Ambrose in his sixt booke of epistles, and 37. epistle, writeth vnto Cromatius in this wise: Therefore what is there vnpossible vnto him? Not that thing which is harde to his power, but that which is contrary to his nature. It is vnpossible for him to lye, and this impossibilitie in him, procÉedeth not of infirmitie, but of vertue and maiestie. For truth receiueth no lye, neither doth the vertue of God entertaine the vanitie of errour. Reade farther that which followeth in the same place.

Hierome writing to Eustochia, of the preseruing of her virginitie, saith: I will boldly auouch this one thing, that though God can do all things, yet can he not restore a virgin after her fall.

Augustine in the tenth chapter of his fifth booke De ciuitate dei hath: That God is sayd to be omnipotent in dooing that he will, and not in doing that he will not. Againe he addeth: Gods power is not hereby any whit diminished, when we say, that God cannot die or be deceiued. And immediately, therefore he cannot doo some things because he is omnipotent, &c.

Theodoret also teacheth vs, that it may not absolutely without exception be pronounced, that all things are possible vnto God. For who so doth precisely affirme this, dooth in effect say this much, that all things both good and bad are possible vnto God, &c. Wherefore fÉeble is that obiection of theirs: God can sende soules vnto men, to teache and admonish them; therefore these spirites that praye ayde, bee soules that come out of Heauen or Hell. In the meane time we do not denie the power of God, as some do maliciously report of vs: but we wold not haue the same made a denne or couert of errors.

Heare what the Lorde our God in the 18. of Deuteronomie speaketh: When thou shalt come into the lande whiche the Lorde thy God giueth thÉe, doo not thou learne to doo after their abhominable rites, and vsages of those nations. Let none bee founde among you, that maketh his sonne or his daughter to passe through the fire: nor a diuiner that doth foreshew things to come, nor a sorcerer, nor a witche, nor a charmer, nor one that consulteth with spirits, nor an inchanter, nor a Magitian, nor one that raiseth vp the dead. For the Lorde doeth abhorre all that doo such things: and because of these abhominations, the Lord thy God hath cast them out before thÉe. Be thou therfore sound and perfect before the Lord thy God: and by and by he promiseth to send them that great Prophet whom they should heare.

In the 8. of Esay, it is written: If they say vnto you, enquire of them which haue a spirite of diuination, which whisper and murmure softely in youre eares to deceiue you. Should not euery people or nation enquire at their God? what shall they go from the liuing to the dead? Let them goe vnto the lawes testimonie, suche as haue no light, should they not speake according to this word, which who so should contemne, shall be hardened and hunger, &c. Heereby we doo vnderstand, that vnder a great penaltie God hath precisely forbidden, that we shoulde learne and searche out any thing of the dead. He alone woulde be taken for our sufficient schoolemaister. In the Gospell we Luke .22. read: They haue Moses and the Prophets, let them heare them. Vnto these may be added testimonies out of the Apostles writings, that God doth not send vs soules hither to informe vs. The common and ordinarie way whereby it pleaseth God to deale with vs, is his word. Therwithall should we content our selues, and not wait for new reuelations, or receiue any thing that doth not in all points agrÉe therewith. But as touching this matter, we wil speak more in his proper place.

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