A Survey of Dialogical Discourses, Survey 5
A Suruey of the Fift Dial…gue.
The fift Dialogue treateth of Tranſformation, the ſecond ſpeciall of Corporall poſſ ſſio. As if either by aſſumptiō of bodies, or chaunge of forme, a…l corporall poſſeſſion were wrought, as the nature of generals doth require to be fully comprehended in the whole ſume of their ſpecials: And as if all tranſformation were bodely poſſeſſiō, which is as vntrue, as the former diſtribution vnſkilfull. The concluſion propounded is, That Spirits & diuells cannot eſſentially tranſf…rm them ſelues into any true naturall b…die. In which ſentence theſe Diſcourſ…rs vnderſtand Tranſformation to be a perfect change of one …ſſence into an other, as if a ſpirit vtterly chaunging his nature, & cea…ng to be a ſpirit ſhould be made in verie eſſence a man, or ſome ſuch other thing: or elſe that he not tranſforming him…elfe but tranſforming an other, ſhould change the eſſence of a man into the eſſence of a wo…fe, or ſome like nature In which is to be n…ted a double abſurdity. Firſt that they di…pute as a …oubt, which neuer entred into any man, for an… thing I can finde, to ma…e any queſti…n of to wit, wh…t h r ſ…irits m…ght p…rf…ctly leaue their …wn… nature, & throughly change th…mſelu…s into an oth… beeing. Indeed this were a happy Tranſformation for them, if they could ceaſe to be diuels, and ſo eſcape theire condemnation. But neither wiſeman nor foole I thinke, euer dreamed of ſuch a thing. Secondly, that they conf…und all apparitions a…d appea…ances with their tranſformation: as if the diuel could not caſt ſenſible ſhewes of things before vsus, yea and true bodies themſelues, without either tranſforming himſelfe, or ſome other thing into them. And thus by this occaſion they runne i…to their former queſtion againe, ſometimes making their Tranſformation to be nothinge elſe but an aſſuminge of bodies, eyther in truth, or in ſhew. Concerning which ſufficient hath bene ſaid in ſuruey of the former dialogue: And what the ſpirits power is in this behalf, is apparant by the Egiptian ſorcerers rods, turned (at leaſt in ſhewe) into ſerpents: by the froggs, and the waters turned into blood: by the apparition of Samuels bodie,Wiſd 17 Math. 14.26 by thoſe fearefull ſights which troubled the Egiptians, yea by the diſciples of our Sauiour Chriſt thē ſelues, which fearing they had ſeene a ſpirit, when they beheld our Sauiour walking on the waters, declare what the iudgment of the Church was then concerning apparition of ſpirits in ſenſible forms: neither doth our Sauiour reproue that opinion, but only ſhewes there was no cauſe of feare, he beinge no ſuch as they imagined.
Therefore I neede not trouble the Reader with diſcuſſing, How the diuell is tranſformed into an angel of light, or how Nebuchadnezzar became an oxe, or in ripping vp any of that diſcourſe following, onlie let vsus conſider that which is alleadged from our Sauiour Chriſtes ſpeach,pag 156. 157 Luk. 24, 38. A ſpirit hath not fleſh and bones, as you ſee me hauehave. VVhichWhich wordes ſeeme to make againſt this aſſuming of bodies by ſpirits. humane, that is like, to mans.For if they doe take vppon them ſenſible humane bodies, how is the argument of our Sauiour firme? The diſciples might hauehave replyed, that howſoeuer ſpirits hauehave not fleſh and bones naturally, yet they aſſume humane bodies for a time, viſible and palpable, & therefore the iudgment of ſence could not be ſufficient warrant to put away their feare. For anſwer heerevnto, Thomas Aquinas & other of the Schoole men think, our Sauiours argument to be of ſmall ſtrength, except ſome other addition be made vntounto it. But herein the ſcholemen were deceaued, as alſo many others, in that they frame the argument from part only of our Sauiours words, and not from the whole Our Sauiour doth not (meerely) reaſon thus, A Spirit hath not fleſh and bones, But I hauehave fleſh & bones, and therefore am no ſpirit, as I ſee the argument is vulgarly taken, but more fully in this ſort, A Spirit hath not fleſh & bones, as you ſee me hauehave, which wordes afford this ſyllogiſme. A Spirit hath not in a true humane body pearced hands & pearced feete, as mine were lately on the croſſe: But I heere preſent hauehave in a true humane body …earced hands and peirced fee…e, as they were a few dayes ſince vponupon the croſſe (whereof be your ſelues witneſſes in ſeing and feeling me) and therefore I heere preſent am no ſpirit, but verily your Lord and Maiſter, who was lately crucified.
And this is ſtrengthened by the words precedent to the aforeſaide Scripture, and ſubſequent. Behould (ſaith Chriſt) my hands and my feete, for it is I my ſelfe: handle me and ſee: for a spirit hath not fleſh & b…es, as ye ſee me hauehave. And when he had thus spoken, he ſhewed them his hands and his feete. As if the Lord had ſaid. You ſuppoſe this bodie that ſtands thus on the ſuddaine before you, is not mine, but the phantaſticall body of a ſpirit. But you are deceaued, for it is I my ſelfe. And that you may be cut of doubt, looke vponupon me, and handle me. A ſpirit hath not a true naturall body, conſiſtinge of fleſh, bloud, and bone &c. but only the ſimilitude of theſe things, and therefore this my true humane body you may eaſily diſcerne from ſuch, if care and circumſpection be vſed by you: View me therefore well, and handle me. The ſoftneſſe of my fleſh, the hardneſſe, of my bones, that vitall and ſweete warmneſſe that is perceaued in a liuing body, and is proper vntounto it, which you may feele, doe witneſſe that it is my body you doe behould, and not a ſpirit. But certaine may you be hereof, if you looke vponupon my hands and feete, which you know (according to the ſcripture) were lately peirced. Heere I ſhew you them. Doe you not ſee the marks there of? and the hoales which the nayles hauehave made in them? we may add heerevnto the exceeding great ioy which did heerevpon ariſe in the diſciples. For it followeth, And while they beleued not for ioy, that the Lord was riſen, & wondred thereat &c. This exceſſiue ioy nothing cauſed ſomuch, as the behoulding and handling of the viſible and palpable markes of his peircing. Had not Chriſt ſhewed & they beheld and handled theſe bloudie markes, and certaine marks of Chriſts owne bodie, they had not vndoubtedly ſo abounded in ioy, but rather continewed ſtill troubled, and in their former doubt, at leaſt in part, and ſome of them, if not all. Hereby it is plaine, that this ſcripture maketh for apparitions, and not againſt them.
If the reaſon drawne from this ſcripture were of any validity aga… ̄ſt apparitions, then could not the holy angels aſſume bodies, neither had there euer bene apparition of them, which we knowe is ouer thrown by many places of ſcripture.
For the reſt of the Dialogue we are behoulding to Lycanthropus, which hath kept ſo good D…rum in all the former Di…courſes, that he neuer how…ed f…th like a wo…e ti… now. Your …a…ty is merueilous in ſpeedy curing his …eaſe. If you procee…e with …e ſucceſſe in this kinde, you wi…l quickly ſurpa…ſe the Ex…rc…i at Ma…gn…tton. Lyca…th…pus was but a …o…le, that he complaine… not himſelfe at your firſt meeting It ſeemeth he might hauehave had preſent he pe. But take heede M. Ha…ſ…t be not ſent from his Lord with Co…iſſion to exam ne the matter of ſo…e Legerdemaine. And thus hauing run the race of this Dialogue, you make a paſſage to the next comming now to Actuall P…ſſ ſſion, which is the oppoſite member to Reall. VVhereby it will that neither the …iuell hath any reall power without. For whatſoeuer he doth exer…iſ… outwardly, it is actua…ly onelyonly ſaith your goodly diuiſion, and ſo by your account he ſha…l be reall… no where.