[204-1]CHAP. IX.
[204-1]
After what sort the faithful in the primitiue Church, vsedthemselues when they met with spirits.
I Haue declared out of the word of God how good and godly men ought to behaue themselues, when soeuer any spirites appeare vnto them. And truly the auncient Christians behaued themselues after this sort. For they were couragious and without feare, they gaue themselues to godlinesse, and all good workes, they diligently auoyded all things which were displeasing vnto God: and they were also very circumspect, not to attribute too much vnto spirits and visions.
The signe of the Crosse.
It was a common custom amongst them, to blesse themselues with the signe of the Crosse, when they mette withTertullian.these things, which many also vse at this day.Tertullianwriteth in his bookeDe corona militis, that the auncient Christians did many times marke their foreheades withHierome.the signe of the Crosse. S.HieromexhortethDemetriades, that he often crosse his foreheade, least that the destroyerOrigen. &c.ofEgiptfinde any place therein.Origenalso,Epiphanius,Chrisostome, andAugustine, write many thinges of theAthanasius.vertue of the holie Crosse. S.Athanasiuswriteth in his bookeDe Humanitate verbi, eiusque corporali aduentu. Fol.67.In times past (saith he) the diuels by vaine shewes, and mockerie, ensnared men, abiding somtimes in wels, sometime in riuers, in stones, and woods, and so by craftie deceytes, brought vnwise men into sottishnesse. But nowesince Gods word hath appeared vnto vs, suche sightes and vaine fantasies haue surceased. Fol. 56. and 72. and in other places also he handleth the same matter.
Lactantiuswriteth of the same in his fourth bookeDiuinarum Institutionum26. Chapter, and also throughout the 27. Chapter. He saith that the diuel can haue no accesse vnto those, nor any wayes hurt them, which signe their foreheads with the Crosse. He addeth moreouer, that the Christians vsed this ceremonie in old time, in casting out diuels and healing diseases.
Whether the bare signe of the Crosse haue anie force.
Not for that they ascribed such efficacie and force to the externall signe of the Crosse, (for that were superstitious) but vnto the Crosse, that is, to the merites of Christe, whose worthinesse and excellencie, they called withall to their remembrance. Touching the holy Apostles, or Apostolike Churches, we reade not, that they euer vsed the signe of the Crosse, in expelling diuels, in curing diseases, or in any other thing. God spared the Iewes inEgipt, whiche marked the doore postes with the bloude of the Lambe: not that Lambes bloude is able to deliuer men from death, but it was a figure of the bloud and passion of Christ Iesus. And the Iewes sprinkled not bloud of their owne good deuotion, as they terme it, but by the commandement of God. The holy Fathers by the ceremonie that they signed themselues with the Crosse, ment to testifie their confidence in the crosse, that is, in the death of Christ Iesus, which abandoneth all euill and mischiefe. The Diuell neuer a whit feareth the Crosse, wherewith we signe our selues, nor yet those pieces and fragments of Christes Crosse, which are shewed for reliques, but he trembleth at the power and force of Christs death, by the which he was conquered and ouerthrowne. If any man attribute too much vnto ceremonies, he cannot be excused from superstition, which worthily deserueth blame.
Coniurations against diuels.
We read more in the auncient writers, that they vsedexorcismes, or coniurations in the primatiue Churche against diuels.
Tertullian.
You may read inTertullianin his bookeDe anima, that vncleane spirits haue oftentimes deceiued men, haue taken on them the persons of others, and haue fained themselues to be the soules of dead men, that men should not beléeue that all soules descended into Hell (what is to be vnderstood by the word Hell, I haue shewed before) and so to bring the beléefe of the latter iudgement of the resurrection of the dead, into doubt and question.
Moreouer, we reade that the olde Fathers haue cast diuels out of men, and out of such places wherein by their rumbling, they haue put many in horrible feare. Such an historie of SaintIohninAbdias Babylonius, for the holy Apostles, and many godly men after them, were endued with this grace from God, that they could cast out vnclean spirits: which gift continued a long season in the Church, to the great profit of the faithfull, but afterwards it ceased as other miracles did also. It maketh vnto this purpose, thatTertullianwriteth in hisApologetico,Fol.858. and 159.
Thus we haue sufficiently séene after what sort the holy Fathers and auncient christians behaued themselues when any spirits appeared vnto them.