That spirits which vse to appeare, ought to be iustly suspected:
and that we may not talke with them, nor enquire
any thing of them.

WE ought not without great cause to suspecte all Spirites, and other apparitions. For albeit God doth vse the helpe and seruice of good Angels, for the preseruation of his elect, yet notwithstanding in these our dayes they appeare vnto vs very sildome. For things are nowe farre otherwise since Christes comming into the worlde, than they were before in auncient time. Although perchaunce thou thinke thou haste sÉene a good Angell, yet doo not easily and vnaduisedly giue him credite. If the euent of the matter declare afterward, that it was a good Angell, which gaue thÉe notable warning of some matter, or deliuered thÉe out of some great dangers: giue God thankes that he hath dealt so fatherly and mercifully with thÉe, and hath suche care ouer thÉe, and endeuour to frame thy selfe to his wil and pleasure. But if thou sÉe an Angell which flattereth and speaketh thÉe faire, suche a one of those are whiche craue thy helpe, (as thou hast heard before) in no wise credite their wordes. Men which blaunche and flatter with vs, are alwayes suspitious, why then should not such spirites be suspected? Enter into no communication with such spirites, neither aske them what thou must giue, or what thou must doo, or what shall happen hereafter. Aske them not who they are, or why they haue presented themselues to bee sÉene or heard. For it they be good, they will like it well, that thou wilt heare nothing but the world of God: but if they be wicked, they will endeuour to deceiue thÉe with lying. When the Matth. 1. Angell in the first Chapter of Matthew, instructed Ioseph in a dreame, he by and by alleaged testimony out of the prophet. If it be so, that we must not belÉeue an Angell comming from heauen, who can iustly blame vs, if we giue no credite to spirits and suspitious dreames? Although Christ and his Apostles had the full power to shew miracles, yet did they establish and confirme their doctrine by the holie scriptures.

When Almightie God himselfe had enquired of Adam in Paradice, touching the breaking of his Commaundement, and that he had layde the fault vpon his wife Eue, and she had put it ouer to the Serpent, which caused her to eate of the forbidden frute, God woulde not demaund of the Serpent, that is, of the Diuell, (whiche had vsed him as an instrument) why he had so done, for he knewe right well that he was a lyer. Except Eue had talked with the Serpent, she had neuer transgressed Gods Commandement.

If Spirites of their owne accorde woulde gladly tell vs many thinges: yet wÉe must not giue eare vnto them, much lesse ought we to coniure them to tell vs the truthe. God commaunded in his lawe, (as wÉe haue oftentimes said before) that no man should enquire any thing of the dead.

God himselfe sent his faithfull seruants, the Prophets, Apostles, Euangelists, and especially his onely begotten sonne Christ Iesu our Lord and Sauiour into the worlde, by whome he truly and plentifully taught his faithfull seruants what they ought to belÉeue, to do, to leaue vndon, and what kinde of worshipping did best please him, with many other such things. By them he enformed vs concerning great and waightie affaires, which should happen in his Churche, and in kingdomes, euen vnto that blessed day wherein Christ shall iudge the world, and shall call togither his generall Councell, and shall pronounce finall sentence vppon them who haue done well or ill, and wherein he shall make a diuision and separation betwÉene the good and euil.

Christ himselfe after his Resurrection did not immediately ascend into heauen, but aboade a while on earth, appearing vnto his Disciples and others, least we should at any time say: Who euer came again to tell vs what estate is to be looked for in the other world?

Moreouer, God among suche great and long persecutions, wherein many profitable bookes haue perished, hath miraculously preserued the holy Scriptures for our profite, euen vnto this day, and hereafter will preserue them in despite of all impious and wicked men.

He hath also ordeyned the ministerie of the worde, that vnto the ende of the worlde, there shoulde be some men, whiche bothe by liuely voyce, and also by their writings, shoulde interprete his worde, and enfourme others of his will and pleasure. His woord is a shining lanterne, which shineth in this darke worlde, which is Psalme.119. Iohn.8. full of errours, as we reade Psalm.119. And our sauiour saith in the eight chapter of Saint Iohn, that he is the light of the world, whome if any man follow, he walketh not in darkenesse.

This standeth as a sure grounde: wherefore no other reuelations are to be looked for, neither by myracles from Heauen, nor by wandring spirites or soules, as the common people misterme them. But lette vs imagine, that they are the wandring spirites of deade bodies, then is it necessarie, that they be the soules, either of faithfull men, or of infidels. If they be the soules of the faithfull, they wil say with God the father concerning his sonne Christe Iesus, Heare him. But if they be the soules of Infidels and of wicked men, who I pray you, will vouchsafe to heare them, or belÉeue any thing they say? Moreouer those things whiche these counterfeite soules doo speake, eyther agrÉe with the holy Scriptures, or else are contrary vnto them. If they are agrÉeable, then are they to be receiued, not because spirits speake them, but because they are comprysed in the word of God. But in case they are repugnant to the woorde of God, they ought in no wise to be receiued, albeit an Angell from Heauen vtter them. Thou wilt not belÉeue a man of thy familiar acquaintaunce, otherwise worthy of credite, who sounde of bodie and soule, nowe liueth togither with thÉe, if hÉe affirme any thing which thou knowest to be contrary to the holy Scriptures: why them wouldest thou belÉeue a spirite which thou doest not knowe? In ciuill causes the euidence or witnesse or dead men is reiected, why then in causes of religion shuld we giue care to the testimonie of runagate and wandring spirites.

It is no harde or difficulte matter for the Lorde oure God to sende his Angels vnto vs, whome otherwise hÉe vseth for our profite, and by them to instructe vs in the faith: but it hath pleased him to appoint the matter otherwise.

WÉe reade in the tenth chapter of the Actes, that by an Angell he commaunded Cornelius to sende for Peter, that he might instruct him in the faith. He mighte haue commaunded the Angell to teache Cornelius, but he followed an orderly meanes. It shal be best for vs therfore to stand to the holy Scriptures simply, and that all appearing of spirites, as also all dreames and reuelations be tried by the holy Scriptures, as vpon a touchstone, and so to admit nothing but that which is set foorth in the holy Scriptures: for except we go thus warely to worke, there is greate daunger least wee bÉe deceiued. If the auncient Fathers had so doone, they had not estrayed so farre from the Apostles simplicitie.

S. Augustine in his third booke and .6. chapter, writing againste the letters of Petilianus saieth thus: If concerning Christe, or any other thing, whiche appartayneth to Scripture to be only beloued. faith and euerlasting life, (I will not say, we: for comparing with him that said: Albeit that wÉe) but simply, whereas he going on, sayd: If an Angell from Heauen shall teache you any thing besides that whiche you haue receiued in Scriptures conteining the law and the Gospel, bÉe he accursed.

S. Chrisostom vnto the Epistle to the Galathians the firste chapter: Abraham (saith he) when he was desired to send Lazarus, said: They haue Moises and the prophets, if they will not heare them, they will not giue care vnto them which rise vp from the dead. And when he bring in Christ vttering these words, he sheweth howe he woulde haue the holy scriptures more worthy of credite than any raised from the dead. S. Paule (when I name Paule, I name likewise Christ, for he stirred vp his mind) preferreth the Scriptures before Angels descending from Heauen, and that for very iust cause. For albeit Angels are great, yet are they seruants and ministers. For all holy scriptures were not commaunded to be written and sent vnto vs by seruants, but by almightie God y? Lord of all things. Thus write these two holy fathers.

What things soeuer are necessarie for vs to know, are conteined in the holy scriptures: those things which are not expressed in them, we must not curiously enquire of, as things profitable for our saluation. Who will therefore say against the commaundement of God, that these things are to be sought and learned of dead men, and by diuellish visions? These things which are secret and hidden, we shall throughly sÉe when we come to eternall life. May not God, if we be not content with his holy word, say that vnto vs, which sometimes he spake by the mouth of Helias vnto the messengers of king Ochosias. Is there no God in Israell, that you now go to Accaron to aske counsell of Belzebub? Yea Thomas Aquinas denieth that diuels are to be heard, whiche deceiue simple menne, feyning themselues to be the soules of dead men: and by that coloure especially terrifie menne, whiche sometimes also happened vnto the Gentiles.

If it were certaine and sure that the Diuell coulde not appeare and deceiue menne, and also shewe greate and straunge miracles, then perchaunce some men would thinke that we shoulde giue care vnto such Spirites: but nowe we sÉe the contrary happen. An euill spirite cloaketh his erroures vnder the coloure of diuine seruice, and vnder the pretence of religio, he endeuoureth to ouerthrow Hierom. religion. For as S. Hierome saith, the diuell sheweth not himselfe with all his deceits, that he may be knowne what he is. And therefore it behoueth vs to be very circumspect and warie.

Moreouer, miracles are onely testimonies and seales of the word, neither may any thing be approued by them, which is repugnant to the word of God. All miracles which lead vs away from our Creator vnto creatures, and do attribute that vnto our workes, which is onely due vnto the merites of Christ: and to be short, all those which induce vs any wayes into errour, are to be eschued. If we must nÉeds belÉeue these appearing soules, no man can be assured of his estate: for new things should be continually deuised, as we sÉe plainly it happened in the olde time. Therefore we must let passe all maner of spirits, and embrace true religion, and therein constantly abide.

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