Of Ghostes and Spirites, Walking by Night: And of Straunge Noyses, Crackes, and Sundrie Forewarnings, Which Commonly Happen Before the Death of Men: Great Slaughters, and Alterations of KingdomsLavater, Ludwig
Religion
Of Ghostes and Spirites, Walking by Night: And of Straunge Noyses, Crackes, and Sundrie Forewarnings, Which Commonly Happen Before the Death of Men: Great Slaughters, and Alterations of Kingdoms
Lavater, Ludwig
Apparitions -- Early works to 1800
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.
[Sidenote: _Acts_ .10.]
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.
[Sidenote: S. Augustines counsell.]
[Sidenote: Scripture to be only beloued.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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