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
In proces of time, superstitions encreased more & more. =Paule=
complaineth, that in his time Antichrist beganne to practise his
ministerie of iniquitie, that many opinions and sects beganne to
spring vp. Saint =Iohn= writeth, that in his time, there were many
Antichristes. What maruel is it then, if afterwards, yea and that
verie quickly, diuers errours croape into the Churche, and multiplyed
excéedingly?
[Sidenote: Augustine.]
Sainte =Augustine= in his 22. booke _De ciuitate Dei_, and eighte
Chapter, after that hee hadde recited certaine miracles, whiche were
therefore shewed that men might beléeue in Christ, he setteth foorthe
this historie. =Hesperius= a man of good worshippe and calling
amongest vs, hath a piece of land in the territorie of _Fussalum_
called _Cubedi_, in the which, perceiuing by the languishing of his
cattell and seruauntes, that his house was infected with the force
and rage of euill spirites, he desired our fellow Priestes, (I being
then absent,) that some one of them would take the paines to go
thither, that the spirit by his good praiers might giue place: one
of them went thither, and there offred the sacrifice of the bodie of
Christ, praying very earnestly, that the same disquieting of spirites
might cease, and by and by God had compassion, and it ceased. He had
giuen him of a friend of his, some parte of holy lande brought from
Hierusalem, where Christ being buried, rose againe the third day:
that earth he hung vp in his chamber, least any euill might happē
vnto him. But when his house was deliuered frō that trouble, he
deuiseth with himselfe what he might do with the saide earth, which
for reuerence sake, he would not kéepe any longer in his chamber.
&c. Héereby it is manifest, that superstition began immediatly, and
(as it hapneth alwaies) grewe bigger with great increase, as if one
shoulde roll foorthe snowe clodded togither, or as when huge lumpes
of snowe begin to fall down from the _Alpes_, all things on euery
side are filled with snowe. Shortly after menne began to praye,
and offer sacrifice for dead mennes soules, yea and that with a
good intention, as it may euidently appeare in many of the auncient
fathers.
Afterwards when Bishops and parish Priests, did not onely not correct
olde superstitions, but also vppon a good meaning increase them, at
the last they grew to an infinite number. For when spirits appeared,
men called not vpon God through Christ only, but also vpon Saints,
forgetting that which S. =Paule= saith to the Romanes the tenth. (For
I wil let passe at this time all other arguments,) how shall they
call vpon him in whom they haue not beléeued? The Papists themselues
cannot deny, but that we must beléeue onely in God, and therefore he
onely is to be worshipped through his sonne.
[Sidenote: The Aue Marie is no praier.]
[Sidenote: _Ephe._1.]
[Sidenote: _Iohn_.2.]
[Sidenote: 1. _Timo._ 2.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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