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
He addeth further, how dangerous a thing it is, to despise tokens and
signes sent from God vnto men, and on the other side, how pernitious
and hurtfull it is to be afraid of euery trifle, for as in all other
things, so is there a measure to be obserued herein. The same opinion
is he of, touching other wonders and miracles. For ye may reade in
the life of =Camillus=, that when he being Captain, had taken and
destroyed the _Veians_, he made a solemne vow, to translate the
Image of =Iuno= vnto _Rome_. And therefore he commaunded certain
men to take vp the Image: he offered sacrifice vnto the Goddesse,
and besought her that she would vouchsafe to follow him, and to be
fauourable vnto the Romanes, as other Goddes were which now dwelt at
_Rome_. The Image made him answere that she would goe with him. He
also writeth, that those men which noted and recorded these things,
report other such straunge matters, as that Images did sweate, that
they gaue great grones, that they turned away their faces, or hanged
down their heads: he saieth, that men whiche liued before his time,
gathered many suche examples togither, and that he himselfe hath
heard many maruellous things of men liuing in his time, which were
not by and by to be neglected and contemned: and yet mans infirmitie
is such, that it cannot attribute either too much or too little, vnto
those things without great daunger, for men obserue no measure, but
are either too superstitious and attribute ouer much to such matters,
or else do vtterly reiect and contemne them. And therefore the safest
way is, to be aduised, and to kéepe a meane in suche affaires.
=Valerius Maximus= confesseth in his first booke, that the very
Gentils themselues had many miracles and wonders happening among them
in great suspition, and that not without iust cause. True wonders
ought to stir vs vp from sléepe. A couragious horse goeth well inough
of his owne accorde, and yet if you do but make signe vnto him with a
wande, or put spurre vnto him, he will be more readier and quicker.
Euen so must we go in the way that leadeth vnto heauen so long as we
liue, but in case we sée any foretokens, or some great alteration
séeme to hang ouer vs, we ought to bee the more stirred vp, to giue
our selues to praier, and to exercise godlinesse. The Gentiles if at
any time such forewarnings were shewed vnto them from heauen, did
institute certaine solemne praiers and processions to pacifie their
Gods: how much rather ought all Christian Princes and Magistrates,
Doctors and Preachers of our time, to bend themselues wholly herein,
when so euer plagues hang ouer our heads, that all men generally and
particularly shewe forth true repentance?
[Sidenote: The conclusion.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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