The tenth Chapter. Of appeerings of diuels; of their answers, and sundrie illusions.
1 HEere I may not passe ouer certeine obscure places, which we find in the historie of Samuel. 2 But that they may bée the better vnderstood, wée will in the expounding of them followe this order. First to inquire who it was that appéered at the call of the witch; secondlie, if it shall manifestlie fall out, that it was the diuell, whether he can so appéere, and knowe things to come; lastlie, if he can doo this, whether it be lawfull to aske counsell of him.
Who was that which appeered at the call of the witch? As concerning this first question, it is of necessitie, that either the same was Samuel⟨…⟩ or the diuell: but if we affirme that it was Samuel, then will it be doubtfull, whether he came wholie both in bodie and soule, or in his bodie alone, or else in his soule alone. If he came wholie in bodie and soule, 3 then must it néeds be, that he rose from the dead. But this being an excellent great miracle, cannot be attributed either to the witch, or to the diuell; yea and there be some, which doo not attribute that, no not to God. But those pestilent opinions are easilie confuted by the verie historie of the holie scriptures. For we reade of thrée in the old testament, which were restored from death to life; 4 one by Elias, another by Elizeus being yet aliue, 5 and the third by the bones of Elizeus, when he was dead. 6 In the new testament we read of the chéefe ruler of the synagog his daughter, of the widowes sonne, 7 of Lazarus, Eutyches, and Dorcas. Wherefore if we denie that Samuel returned vnto life, we doo not therefore denie, that GOD could not bring it to passe. For Christ prooued the resurrection: and said, that God is not the God of the dead, but of the liuing: 8 and Paule in the 15. of the first epistle to the Corinthians, by manie reasons of purpose confirmeth the resurrection of the dead; and in the epistle to the Hebrues he reckoneth it among the grounds of our religion. It is an article of our faith. 9 And vndoubtedlie, neither the Turks nor Iewes denie, that the dead shall rise againe. But the Montanists, Originists, and such other furies, 10 which denie the resurrection, are plainlie confuted out of Iob, out of the psalms, out of Esaie, out of Daniel, and euerie-where out of the new testament. We doo not (I saie) denie that it was doone, bicause it could not be doone; but bicause such miracles, whereas they ought to be testimonies of the truth, would here be testimonies of lies, and magicall wickednes; and bicause it is not likelie, that God would permit it. For so notable a thing may not be attributed vnto the power of the diuell; bicause to be able to raise the dead, belongeth onlie vnto God. But Apollonius Tyaneus raised a maid. Indéed so it is written in his life; howbeit the same in verie déed was but a phantasie, and not a thing doone; and that is also to be affirmed as touching Simon Magus. And now that it was the carcase of Samuel, 11 it is not likelie. Neither doo anie of the interpretours, sauing onelie Burgensis, saie that it was so. And vndoubtedlie a dead carcase is of it selfe senselesse, and void of life: neither could it haue answered anie thing, vnlesse the diuell had put on the same. But the diuell could doo these things euen without a dead carcase; for hée might haue taken vpon him the forme and figure thereof.