CHAP. XI.
Also I do further declare, that God did never create any Spirit without a Body, neither of Angels, nor Men, nor no other Creature, neither in Heaven above, nor in the Earth beneath, nor the Waters under the Earth. There is no Spirit or Life whatsoever that is created of God, but it hath a Body to that Life or Spirit; but if a Spirit have any Being without a Body, that Spirit is none of God's Creation; for God never created any Spirit whatsoever without a Body, as I said before.
But the Imagination of Reason in Man, which is the Devil, hath created all Creatures in the Imagination to have Spirits without Bodies, both of Angels above and Man here on Earth, and all Creatures upon the Earth, and in the Waters, that have the Breath of Life, the Imagination of Reason saith, their Spirits may subsist without Bodies, or go out of those Bodies they have, and enter into other Bodies, and appear in the Shape of a Body, and yet be of no Substance: so that the Devil's Creation is all of Spirits without Bodies, and God's Creation is all with Bodies and Spirits together.
And this Darkness hath overspread the Nature of Man all the World over, which is the Occasion of that Opinion of Houses and Places being haunted with evil Spirits, and Spirits walking without Bodies, and dealing with Familiar Spirits, that peep, and mutter, and whisper as it were out of the Ground. These Things and many more are produced by the Imagination of the Heart of Man, for the Imagination of Man's Heart is evil, and continually evil; for it hath given a Being to Spirits without Bodies, to fright it self to that which hath no Being of it self.
For I declare and perfectly know, that there is no such Thing as Spirits to walk without Bodies, nor assume any Shape after Death, nor be raised out of the Ground by any Witch or any Familiar Spirit whatsoever; it is all produced out of the dark Imagination of the Heart, where Ignorance beareth Rule, for there is no such Thingcan be presented but to the Ignorant and dark minded People.
Thus I have given the Reader to understand something more concerning the Power of Witches, and how they may be said to raise Spirits out of the Ground, and from whence that low Speech doth come, with those Scriptures opened that speak as if a Familiar Spirit did hear whispering out of the Dust.
Also I have given the Interpretation of that inSamuelconcerning the Witch ofEndor, and those Places of Scripture inIsaiah; these Places are the most concerning Spirits being raised without Bodies, of any in the Scriptures; but there have been some other Places of Scriptures, that do seem to carry a shew as if Spirits might rise again without Bodies, and I have been desired by some to open those Scriptures that seem to tend to that Purpose, though the common and general Objection amongst all People is, that of the Witch ofEndorand KingSaul, which I have opened before; yet for the further Satisfaction of the Reader, I shall open and interprete the other Places objected, that seem to tend to the same thing.
The Places of Scripture are three; the first isIsa.lxi. 1. the Words are these,The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good Tidings unto the Meek: He hath sent me to bind up the Broken-hearted, to proclaim Liberty to the Captives, and the opening of the Prison to them that are bound——SoLukeiv. 18. the Words inLukeare much to the same Purpose, and little Difference; only that whichIsaiahdid prophesy of, it was fulfilled by Christ in his time——So the first Epistle ofPeter, Chap. iii. and 18, 19, 20. Verses; the Words are these,For Christ also hath once suffered for Sin, the Just for the Unjust; that he might bring us to God, being put to Death in the Flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. Verse 19.By which also he went and preached unto the Spirits in Prison: Verse 20.Which sometime were disobedient, when once the Long-suffering of God waited in the Days ofNoah,while the Ark was a preparing, wherein few (that is) eight Souls were saved by Water.