Treatise of the Four Degenerate Sons, Treatise · Part 2 · Section 4
SECT. 4. In what manner Satan appeares to thoſe with whom he enters into the direct covenant.
SAtan appeares to his confederates, three manner of wayes;Satan appeares three manner of wayes to theſe with whom hee enters in the direct covenant. Firſt by ſome viſible body in ſhow. Firſt, per apparentiam. Secondly, per aſſiſtentiam, and thirdly, per in exiſtentiam.
Firſt, Satan appeares to his confederates, per apparentiam, when hee takes ſome viſible ſhape of a body upon him, which is not a body indeede, but a body in ſhow, and this is called foreign, becauſe a body it ſelfe is not preſented to the eyes, but onelyonly a body in ſhow; this is called ſpectrum umbra foreign, and by the heathen idolum, Lev. 17.7. Neither ſacrifice your children hereafter Laſhegnirim hirſutis. foreignThe devils are called hoarie ones, becauſe they appeared in the likeneſſe of Satyres; hence afterward came this word Satyre, and hee appeares commonly to them in ſome terrible and fearefull ſhape. In the Syriacke there is but one word which ſignifies both the devill and Inke, becauſe commonly he appeares to men in ſome blacke and terrible ſhape. The word in the Syriacke is daiiva, which ſignifies both the devill and inke;foreign chal. debija atramentum. foreign diabolus Syriace. but yet this ſubtill Protheus can change himſelf into any forme, he can transforme himſelfe in an Angell of light, as he appeared to Saul in the likeneſſe of Samuel.
Whether it was the true Samuel or Samuel in ſhew which appeared to Saul.The queſtion may be moved here, whether Samuel himſelfe appeared to Saul? or was it foreign, onelyonly in ſhow.
Anſw. the moſt of the Church of Rome holds that it was Samuel himſelfe who appeared to Saul, as Bellarmine, Seir, Leſsius, and not Samuel in ſhew. Bellarmine goes about to prove that it was Samuel himſelfe, who appeared to Saul by the teſtimony of a Iew,Rabbi, David, Kimchi. 1 Sam. 28.12. for if it had beene counterfeit Samuel which appeared to Saul, hee would have come up with his feete foremoſt. This proofe is as uncertaine as the thing which is in queſtion, and this is but a begging of the queſtion, when a thing uncertaine is proved by that which is as uncertaine. The Iewes held many abſurd things concerning theſe apparitions; firſt,The fooliſh dreames of the Iewes how ſpirits doth appeare. they ſay when wicked ſpirits are raiſed up, and called for by witches, their manner is to aſcend with their feete upward, and their head downeward, and that the ſpirit raiſed by the witch of Endor, came up with his head firſt contrary to the cuſtome, and that thereby the witch knew him to be the King. Secondly, that the witch ſaw Samuel but heard him not, and that Saul heard, but ſaw not, and theſe that ſtood by, as Amaſa and Abner, neither ſaw, nor heard. Laſtly, they ſay that men ſhall riſe in the reſurrection in the ſame habite that they were buried in, becauſe Samuel came up with his mantle about him; but theſe fables are to be rejected.
If it had beene Samuel himſelfe who appeared unto Saul, then they charge Samuel with a lie;It was not Samuel himſelfe who appeared to Saul but counterfeit Samuel. for this Samuel ſaith that it was Saul who raiſed him, and that hee was not raiſed at the commandement of God, and it is cleare, that it was this counterfeit Samuel who ſpeakes here; for this Samuel ſaith, why haſt thou troubled me? had it beene any trouble for the true Samuel, to have beene raiſed up by the Lord to reprove Saul. Secondly, God never uſed the miniſtrie of the Prophets after that they were tranſlated to another life to inſtruct or reprove the people, but onelyonly when they were living. Elias when he was yet alive would not reprove Ioram face to face, but left a letter to be given to him after his death to reprove him, 2 Chron. 21.12. but hee never appeared to him viſibly after his death; and as Chriſt when he left this world never intended to returne before the day of judgement: ſo neither will his ſervants, Ioh. 21.26. Where I am, there my ſervants are? There is no intercourſe betwixt the living & the dead, neither ſending letters from them to us or ſpeaking to us,Nicephorus, lib. 14. cap. 43. or from us to them, Luk 16. Therefore that which Nicephorus writes, ſeemes to be fabulous; That the Emperour Thedoſius after his death, ſent a letter to Chryſoſtome. So for men to have written to to devill, as Gregory Thaunaturgus ſent a letter to the devill, wherein he commanded him to remove out of ſuch a place, (as Gregorie Nyſſen writes) This ſeemes very ridiculous. And is it likely that the Lord (who would not anſwer to Saul, neither by the Prophets, nor by Vrim and Thummim) would appeare to him after his death; Laſtly it appeares that it was not the true Samuel, but the counterfeit, becauſe he accepted of that religious worſhip which Saul gave to him in bowing himſelfe to the ground, which the Saints of God would not have accepted; as the Angel who would not accept of that religious worſhip which Iohn would have given to him, Revel. 22.
The Scriptures ſpeakes of things as they appeare to us, or as we conceive of them.Object. But the Scripture calls him Samuel which appeared here?
Anſw. The Scripture ſpeakes of things as they appeare to us, as we take up things, either by ſenſe or in our conception; the Scripture calls the Sunne and the Moone great lights, Gen. 1. The Sunne is more than any of the Starres; but the Moone is leſſe than any of the Starres except Mercurie; and yet the Scripture calls them great lights, becauſe they ſeeme ſo to us: ſo the Scripture ſaith, the ſtarres ſhall fall from heaven, Matth. 24.29. Rev. 6.13. becauſe they ſeeme ſo to us. So Chriſt ſpeakes of the Publicans according to the eſtimation of the Iewes, Mat. 18.17. becauſe the Iewes thought them more vile than other men; ſo Gal. 2.15. Wee who are Iewes by nature, and not ſinners of the Gentiles. The Gentiles were not greater ſinners by nature then the Iewes, but the Apoſtle ſpeakes here according to the opinion of the Iewes, who thought the Gentles greater ſinners than themſelves. Theſe things are ſpoken, as the Hebrewes ſaith gnal derech haganne, per vim turpitudinis, becauſe they ſpeake this of them in contempt; ſo three men came to Abraham; foreignthe Scripture calls the Angels men here, becauſe they appeared in the likeneſſe of men; and Iohn interprets this forme of ſpeech, Rev. 21. ſaying [the meaſure of a man which is an Angel] that is, he was truly an Angel, but becauſe he appeared in the likeneſſe of a man, therefore it was ſaid [the meaſure of a man.]
Queſt. But ſeemes not this a lie to call an Angell a man.
Anſw. If the Scripture ſhould bring in the Angels calling themſelves men, that ſhould not want ſome ſhow of a lie.The Scripture never brings in Angels calling themſelves men. When the Scriptures brings in ſome apologues, as Iudg. 9. 2 King. 14.8. The Scriptures brings not in the trees ſpeaking there, but onelyonly Iothan ſaid this, or Ioaz ſaid that: But Eſops Fables, and the Proverbes of the Foxes, (which the Hebrewes uſeth) bring in the beaſt ſpeaking, which although they be not lies, if we looke to the foreign, or a thing ſignified by them, yet they have ſome ſhew of lies: wherefore the Scripture which is free from all ſhow of lies, faith onelyonly, that Iothan ſpake this, and Ioaz ſpake that. The Scriptures call the Angels men, becauſe they appeared in the ſhape of men: But wee never reade in the Scriptures, that the Angels called themſelves men: If the three men which appeared to Abraham, whom he lodged all night, Gen. 18.2. ſhould have ſaid to Abraham, we are three men, I pray thee lodge us all night, how could they have beene excuſed from a lie?
Satan appeares to his confederates when hee ſpake beſide the Idoll, by the Prieſt, but not out of the Idols.Secondly, Satan appeares to his confederates per aſſiſtentiam, Zach. 10.2. The Idols ſpeake lies: How did the Idoll ſpeake lies? Sathan did not ſpeake out of the Idols here, but it was the devill that ſpake beſides the Idoll; ſo the Prieſts, when they lay upon the skins of the beaſts (which they had ſacrificed) and ſleeped there, Sathan blaſted them, to belch forth their oracles; Therefore Virgil ſaith; Pellibus incubuit ſtratis, ſomnoſque petivit.
God himſelf is ſaid to ſpeak by Vrim and Thummim; and yet it was the Prieſts who gave the anſwers; ſo Gen. 41.16. God ſhall give Pharoah an anſwer; how gave he him an anſwer? by Ioſeph: ſo 1 Tim. 1.17. falſe doctrine is called the doctrine of devils: when as the devil himſelfe ſpeake not, but onelyonly the falſe apoſtles by the devill.
Thirdly, he appeared to his confederates when he ſpake out of the bellies of the Pithonies and Witches. foreignThirdly, he appeares to his confederates, per inexiſtentiam; as when hee ſpake to Eva out of the ſerpent: Theſe in the Scripture are called obhoth, Levit. 20. as you would ſay, bottles or bladders, becauſe their bellies were extended like bladders, and the ſeventy tranſlate them foreign, ventriloqui; becauſe the devil ſpak out of their bellies, and in the Syriack ſpiritus tumoris, Act. 16.16. becauſe hee gave his anſwer out of the bellies of thoſe Pythones, which were ſwelled up.
Here let us marke a difference betwixt theſe who were blaſted by the devill,A difference betwixt the Prophets of God when they propheſied and thoſe who were blaſted by the devill when they propheſied. and the Prophets of God when they propheſied: the Prophets of God when they propheſied, fuerunt in ſpiritu, Rev. they were altogether taken up by the ſpirit, neither were they any wayes diſtracted, or out of their wits: when they propheſied, they were ſometimes weakened in body at the ſight of the viſion, as Daniel, and Ezechiel were, but ſtill they were ſetled in minde, and free from theſe paſſions which might perturbe the minde at that time; but when the devil blaſted his prophets, as Bar Ieſus, (Syriace) Bar Shuma-filius inflamationis, they were mad, and diſtracted; they foamed at the mouth,Hos invaſit foreign. & their neckes wried about, and oftentimes they gave their anſwers out of thoſe parts of the body which modeſtie wills us to conceale Therfore the Hebrewes ſaith, that ſpiritus aſcendebat per zacuro, & per necebhah; per zacuro, foreign Oraculum delphicum edidit reſponſa per pudenda puellae. They differed from the true Prophets in the manner of their ſpeech.by that part which ſhewes us to be men; per nekebhah, by that part which ſhewes a woman to be a woman.
Secondly, they differed from the true Prophets, in forma vocis, in the forme of their voyce; for the unclean ſpirit when he gave his anſwers, hee peeped out of the earth, Eſay 8.19. and whiſpered out of the earth, whereas the Prophets of God lifted up their voyce like a trumpet, Eſay 58.1. and ſpake diſtinctly when they propheſied.
Qu. How are true apparitions diſtinguiſhed from falſe?
Anſw. Gerſhon in his booke intituled, De probatione ſpirituum, of the triall of the ſpirits, ſaith,How are true apparitions diſtinguiſhed from falſe. that no tranſfiguration is to be admitted, but where Moſes and Elias are preſent; where he alludes to the transfiguration of Chriſt upon the mount, where Moſes and Elias were preſent. When the diſciples ſaw Chriſt walking upon the ſea, they tooke him to be a ſpirit, Matth. 14.26. but when hee ſpake to them and ſaid, [I am he] then they were no more afraid: It is the word that diſtinguiſhes the true apparitions from the falſe.
Man is very ready to be deceived by theſe revelations. When the Lord ſpake to Samuel, and called him once, twiſe, he tooke it to be the voyce of Eli, and not of God, 1 Sam. 3.5. So 1 King. 13. the young Prophet was deceived by the old Prophet: What marvell is it then, if theſe impure ſpirits deceive? When Satan by his ſuggeſtions would have perſwaded Augustine to ſeeke ſome ſigne from God,Aug. lib. 2. confeſſionum de vera religione. becauſe he ſaw many deluded that way by falſe apparitions; therefore he often warned us, that we ſhould not truſt ſuch follies or deluſions. And Gerſhon in his Booke De probatione ſpirituum, of the triall of ſpirits, tells how Satan upon a time appeared to a holy man in a moſt glorious manner, profeſſing himſelfe to be Chriſt, and becauſe the man was a religious man, and worthy to be reſpected above manie others, therefore he appeared unto him; But what anſwered the old man unto him, I deſire not to ſee my Saviour here in this deſert, it ſhall ſuffice me to ſee him in the heavens, and he ſaid, Sit in alio ſoeculo, non in hoc, viſio tua merces mea: O Lord let thy fight be my reward in another life, and not in this.