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
Hitherto (I trust) we haue sufficiently shewed what we may thinke,
concerning visions and appearing of spirites, and other straunge
things which haue great affinitie and likenesse vnto them. And that
in times past, Doctors wrote and taught farre otherwise concerning
them, than the very truth it selfe was, we haue also shewed the
causes thereof. It might be also declared in many words, that the
like hath happened in other pointes of Christian doctrine, yea and
many excellent learned and godly men, haue at large opened the same
in their bookes which are now extant concerning such matters.
And that I may conclude this my booke, I shall beséech all those,
for the glorie of God, that shall happen to reade it, that in case
they thinke I haue straied from the rule of the word of God, they
would fréely and friendly admonish me thereof, but if they know it be
agréeable to the word of God (as I trust it is) that then they suffer
not themselues to be ruled and mocked of iugling Monkes and Priests,
but rather giue God thankes for that great and vnspeakable benefit,
whereby he doth daily deliuer them out of great errors and feares,
and doth continually more and more bring his truth to light: let them
not so lose the raignes to their affections, that they reiect the
truth which they haue once acknowledged.
The Senat and people of _Rome_ as stories witnesse, granted libertie
to the people of _Cappadocia_, when the stocke and issue of their
kings was vtterly extinct, to be frée, and Lords of themselues for
euer after. But the Nobilitie consulting on the matter, refusing
libertie which they coulde in no wise disgest, desired to haue a
King. The Romaines wondring héereat, gaue them leaue to choose whome
they would to be their King. Let not vs bée such fooles, but rather
let vs imbrace the libertie of our soules, whiche God doth daily
offer vnto vs by his word.
Many Noble nations fighting couragiously, haue put themselues in
present daunger of life, to obtaine and kéepe this swéete eternall
libertie. How muche more ought the Christians to fight against the
subtiltie and deceit of the Deuill, least the libertie of our soules,
whiche is much more precious than the other, shoulde be opressed by
diuers errors and supersticions.
Men sitting in darkenesse, desire the light very earnestly. Let not
vs therefore cast away light fréely offered vnto vs by God in this
Scriptures. We haue nothing here in earth more deare vnto vs, than
the libertie of our soules and consciences. Let vs not then (as
=Paule= saith,) withhold truth in vnrighteousnesse, let euery man of
what age soeuer he be, weigh with himself how fraile and brittle this
life is whiche God hath giuen vnto vs, and that wee must depart from
hence, sooner then we thinke for, and render an account to the iust
Iudge, of our faith, wordes, and déeds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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