voice or speech of Samuel out of the ground, as she told the king: I say, she did but cheat the king, and made him believe she had raised Samuel, and had heard him speak to her with a low speech out of the ground, which had revealed unto her what sad things would befal the King: so he believing her words, his spirit fainted, so that no strength was in him; when as in deed and in truth, that Samuel she said she saw arise out of the earth, he did arise out of her own heart; and that low speech she said Samuel spake, it was all in herself by the motions of the familiar spirit begotten in her. And king Saul believing her, being partaker of her faith, Samuel spake a low motional voice or speech in him also, he believing it was Samuel spake out of the earth, but it was nothing else but the voice of his own guilty conscience within himself as it was the voice her familiar spirit in herself that spake as aforesaid.

So that the meaning of the prophet Isaiah, Chap. xxix. 4. concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, that 'Grief and sorrow of heart should speak in themselves;' as if the speech came out of the ground, because they saw in themselves nothing but death and destruction did approach, and was like to follow upon them all, fearing they should all be destroyed by their enemies, and slain and fall to the ground: so that fear of heart of destruction, it spake a low speech in every man's heart, even as if it spake out of the ground, or as one that hath a familiar spirit; for it is the nature of a familiar spirit to speak as if the speech did proceed from the earth, and the speech doth seem to the witch, and those that enquire of her, to whisper out of the dust; when as the speech cometh not out of the ground, neither doth it whisper out of the dust, as is imagined by most people, because ignorance and darkness hath overspread the minds of most people in the world. But that low speech the familiar spirit speaks or whispers, it is out of her own heart, even that wisdom begotten by the imagination in

her own thoughts, that speaks as aforesaid, and no spirit without her, as hath vainly been imagined.

So likewise the people of the Jews, the fear, grief, and sorrow of heart, being begotten in them for such like sin, as that of witchcraft, idolatry, dealing with familiar spirits, causing their sons and daughters to pass through the fire as burnt offerings and sacrifices unto devils, which they supposed to be Gods; these things caused their hearts to fail and faint, and their thoughts were troubled within themselves, which causeth their speech to grow weak and low within them, even as if some familiar did speak out of the ground, or whisper out of the dust fear, grief, and sorrow of heart; but all come out of their own grieved hearts, who were punished for their sins; and not out of the natural ground or natural dust, as people do vainly imagine. This is the true meaning of the prophet's words, and how familiar spirits may be said to speak out of the ground, and whisper out of the dust.

CHAP. X.

AGAIN, it hath been objected by many, that spirits may be raised without bodies, and that spirits may be talked with after they have been dead and buried; and that spirits have appeared in a shape to several people, yet this spirit so appearing hath no body nor substance at all, neither can it be felt or handled by mortal man, nor no immortal creature neither, this is the vain conceit of most people.

But to satisfy the reader in this, I declare, that there is no immortal spirit whatsoever but it hath a spiritual body suitable to its spirit; if the spirit be immortal the body is immortal also: for this I say, no spirit can have any being at all without a body, no not God himself, who was from eternity; his spirit could not be from eternity without a spiritual body, in form like man; they were both from eternity, and the one was never divided nor separated from the other, but they were both eternal. And further I declare, that God was a spiritual body from eternity, in form like a man; therefore God created man in his own image and likeness. Now observe if man hath a body suitable to his spirit, so hath God a body suitable to his spirit, else man was not created in his image, if God had never a body, but is all Spirit, as people do vainly imagine. For this I know, that God was Spirit and body, in form like a man, from eternity, and his Spirit was never divided nor separated from his body, but they were both eternal.

So likewise is it with angels and men, and all other creatures; wherever the spirit of life is, there is bodies of life also: also let it be either in spiritual bodies or in natural bodies, for if the body of either of these be

dead, the spirit' is dead also; and if the spirit be dead either in spiritual body or natural body the body is dead also: for the one cannot have any sensible being without the other. And further I say, that they were both together spirit and body from eternity in God the Creator, and he hath ordered and created all his creatures, both celestial and terrestrial, that spirit and body should be one living being, and that one should not subsist nor have no sensible being without the other: even as God himself could not enjoy no sensible living being without a body, he knowing this in himself.

Therefore he created all his creatures spiritual and natural, with bodies suitable to their spirits, and spirits suitable to their bodies, so that one might not be divided nor separated from the other; for if one dieth, the other dieth, and if the spirit live, the body liveth also. For this I say, that if the Spirit of God himself could not be without a body from eternity, how then is it possible that his creatures should have spirits without bodies, seeing he himself his Spirit could not have any being without his body from eternity.

But this conceit, that the spirit or soul of man is immortal and cannot die, and may have a being without a body, and appear in a shape without any substance; this vain conceit proceeded first from the imagination of reason in man, even from Cain, the first devil in flesh and bone. And this imagination in Cain, his posterity being heathen men, who had no communion with God, nor revelation of faith, as the sons of Adam and the sons of Seth, the generation of the righteous had; they knew that the spirit and body was all one substance.

But the imagination of reason, Cain his posterity, the heathen opinion, do imagine the spirit of man to be immortal, and cannot die; and that spirits may appear in shapes without bodies; and that spirits may go out

of the body, and go to heaven or hell and leave thebody to be laid in the ground, as the Quakers and others do.

And this imagination of reason in man hath created to itself a new creation, which God never created. Man hath created and made in his imagination a spirit without a body, and that this spirit so created is immortal, and cannot die, nor is not capable of death, that it can slip out of the body, and that it can have a being when it is gone out of the body, and appear in a shape without substance, or hath power to assume what shape it please and yet this shape it doth assume, shall have no substance, yet it shall appear in a shape and fright people.

And this imagination of reason in man hath created man in his own image and likeness, as God did Adam; as thus, first he hath conceived in his imagination, that God is a Spirit without a body. Secondly, he conceiv eth in his imagination that the devil is a spirit flying in the air, which can neither be seen nor felt; yet this devil or spirit without a body doth tempt man to evil, whereby man is punished, and the tempter he is escaped away without punishment.

Also it is conceived by the imagination, that this devil or spirit is in hell fire, and in chains of darkness, and can go no further than God will permit him, because his chain is no longer than God hath limited him.

Also it is conceived in the imagination, notwithstanding the devil is chained, and in hell fire tormented. yet he being a spirit without a body, he is so swift that he can be in all places at one time, so that he can tempt thousands of men and women to sin at one and the same time, and they themselves never the wiser, nor know him when he tempted them. All this the imaginary devil can do and much more; and yet be in hell