which haue induced men to take in hande many things? In the seconde Epistle to the Thessalonians, and the seconde Chapter, when certaine affirmed the latter daye to be presente at hande, =Paule= foretelleth them, that there shall be a defection, and that Antichrist shall first come, saying: Nowe we beséech you brethren by the comming of our Lorde Iesus Christe, by our assembling vnto him, that yée be not sodenly moued from your intent, nor troubled, neither by spirits, nor by word, nor by letter, as it were from vs, as though the day of Christ were at hande. Let no man deceiue you by any meanes. &c. Whiche wordes truly in my iudgement may also be verie aptly vnderstood of those wandering spirites. Saint =Iohn= saith in his first Epistle and fourth Chapter: Dearly beloued, beléeue not euery spirit, but trie the spirits whether they are of God: for many false prophettes are gone out into the world. Hereby shall ye knowe the spirit of God. Euery spirit that confesseth that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God, and euery spirite whiche confesseth not, that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh, is not of God. &c. Here he speaketh not of spirites which falsly affirme themselues to be mens soules, but of those teachers whiche boaste of themselues that they haue the spirite of God. But in case we must not beleeue them being aliue, much lesse ought we to credite them when they are dead. And albeit that neyther Christe nor his Apostles, had so diligently giuen vs warning, not to suffer our selues to be seduced with myracles, and with the talke of spirits, yet notwithstanding, daily experience teacheth vs to bee circumspect and warie in these cases. For assoone as false teachers sée that they haue no testimonie of Scripture to defende themselues withall, by and by they turne themselues to spirites and visions, whereby they may confirme their doctrine, which thing hath opened a large windowe to many errors. To what inconuenience ambition, couetousnesse and enuie, hath brought many of the Clergie, it is both well knowne by many examples, and it hath also as it were by the way bene before declared. Haue not the orders of Monkes striued amongest themselues for the preheminence? haue not they inuented newe miracles? haue they not counterfeited gods, pilgrimages, saintes and spirits? The holy Virgin is a famous and notable example, that we shuld not rashly beléeue euery spirit. For at what time yͤ Angell =Gabriel= appeared vnto her in a visible shape, and saluted her, shewing her before of yͤ incarnatiō of the sonne of God, she thought with her selfe, what maner of saluation that should be, how this thing could come to passe, séeing shée had knowne no man. Then at the last being enformed of the meanes by the Angell, she said: Beholde the handmayd of the Lord, be it vnto me according to thy word. Why then should we beléeue euery spirite, especially those which teach things quite contrary to the word of God. CHAP. IX.