That spirites are not to bee driuen away by cursing and
banning.

HEre I cannot ouerpasse, that certaine doo vainly persuade themselues, that spirites may easily be driuen away with cursing and banning, for that (as they say) spirits approach neare vnto such as pray, and do more egerly disturbe and vex them. Our Lord Iesus Christ who can best tell how we should fight against the craft and subtiltie of the diuel, teacheth vs in many places to pray continually, he biddeth vs to pray in y? Lords praier, that we may be deliuered from euil, calling Sathan by the figure ?at? ??????, Euil it selfe, because he excelleth therein. Nothing can be more acceptable and pleasing to the diuel, than when any man vseth cursing and banning. He feineth that he is hereby driuen away, but in the meane season he crÉepeth inuisibly into their bosomes. If you list ye may driue away the diuel, in saying that he hath no place with you, but his place is in Hell, and that he hath nothing to do with those which put their only trust and confidence in Christ Iesus. For in Rom. 8. the eight Chapter to the Romanes in the beginning, it is said: Now there is no condemnation vnto them, that are grafted in Christ Iesu, who walke not according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. A man may commaund the diuel to depart from him without any cursing or banning. And that is also to be blamed, that certaine wicked and rash men talke very beastly, and filthily with spirits, if they appeare at any time vnto them.

Some others, when spirits appeare vnto them, will by and by set on them, and driue the away with naked swords: and sometimes throw them out of the windowes, not considering with themselues, that spirites are nothing hurt with weapons. In the Grecian histories we reade, that a certaine Lacedemonian passing by a sepulchre in the night season, when a spirit sÉemed to appeare vnto him, ranne towards it thinking to run it through with his speare: saying: Whither fliest thou, O thou soule which shalt twice die? Surely it is praise worthie when a men mÉeting with a spirit is not afraid, but yet boldnesse and rashnesse cannot be commended. If thy enemy, albeit he be very weake be not to be despised, much lesse ought an enemy so mightie and so craftie, to be neglected. There haue bene some who when they would haue striken a spirit with their sworde, haue thought they haue striken the featherbed, the diuel so mocked them. Others supposing they had throwne a spirit out of the window, by and by thought they heard shingles falling and ratling amongst the trÉes.

It is reported that there haue bin some, who supposing with their weapons to hurt spirits, haue wounded themselues, for their armes and other members of their bodie haue neuer serued them after. We must not vse a materiall sword against spirits and vaine shewes (for it profiteth nothing) but we must vse the sword of the spirit. They which will strike spirits and ghosts with a sword, indÉed s??aa???s?, that is, fight with their owne shadow. In the booke of Iobe the diuel is signified by Leuiathan, which careth not for the speare, for he appeareth in diuers shapes, and cannot be put to flight with pikes. The diuel is a spirit, he hath not bones and flesh, but he only taketh on him a shape for a time. But in case spirits which haue bodies do wander (that is, coniurers, priests, whores, & whoremongers, which faine themselues to be spirites) there can be no better coniuration inuented, than to bang them well with a cudgell. For thou shalt not so much preuaile with these kindes of diuels with words as with stripes.

Hitherto I haue shewed howe they ought to behaue themselues which mÉete with spirits. As touching them which neuer heard or sawe any thing (for there bee many which neuer chaunced on such things) let them be thankful vnto God for so great a benefit, let them not be rashe and bolde, nor desirous to sÉe such things, but rather let them pray vnto God for them which are vexed with such euils. Let them not doo, as they many times vse which were neuer greatly sicke: for they fÉele not other mens griefes, and therefore they thinke they are litle sicke, or that they counterfeit their sicknesse, vntill such time as they themselues fall into some great and daungerous disease: euen so God can cause them to sÉe spirites, which neuer sawe any before, that afterwards they may be the more touched with other mens griefes, and diligently pray for them.

[216-1]