Page:Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy, 1655.djvu/165

 of the Nat are of Spirits. 1 4 1

xific his unfpeakable mercy ; that by the prayers of the living they may obtain pardon of their fins, and deliverance from the prifon of torments.

Poll. I have fometimes read, that the fame St. Augufl'me did write,that it is better for a man to doubt of fecret things, then to contend about things uncertain.

Caft. That is certainly true ; neither doth he declare himfelf to be an offence to thofc who do leave all thefe things to the unfearchable judgements of God, and labour not to finde out the fecrets thereof.

Toll. Becaufe I have cafily underflood thy anfwers hither- Yf he ^ cr. to, I will not defift till thou haft fully refolved me concer- „ c rk „£ ning this fnbje£V. I defire therefore to know whether all r aol« ™- Mirades which the devils perform, are done really, or ima- ally, or ginary phanrafies. no r -

Caft. Thar they perform many things really, and many things onely feemingly, we have already manifefled out of the Writings of St. Augufl'me. For that great Prelate of the Chriftian Church, writeth , in the 1 1 Chapter of his book de Trinitate, That it is a very eafle thing for the wicked Spirits, through the aery fubftance of their bodies, to perform many things •which feem wonderful ( to the fouls that are opprejfed with earth* h bodies} to be done. He alfo faith, That earthly bodies may he fo quali fed with art and exereifc, that in publike Theaters they may perform fuch wonderful things, that thofe who never havefeen them will not believe them , but that they were done by the ajfiftance of the devil and his minifters , to make their bodies of fuch an aery element, that the jlefh wonders at, Orelfe, which is much, he faith alfo, That they do contrive with occult injpirations, forms, and fantajies of images, to delude humane fenfe ; wherewith, waging or flecp/ug, they may be deceived. Thus far jiugufline. But, if thou wilt , I will produce alfo another wieners without exception, Pollux. PolL I would have thee tell me who that is. Caft. Abbas Triton* us, in his third Quefiion to St.Maxi- mut Emilianus , which is fpoken of before , faieh thus : The devils, amongfl unfaithful people, dofetm to raife up the dead to

�� �