bodies, (as Cælius Rhodiginus, lib. 1. cap. 29. Tertullian, Origen, Psellas, and many holde) if stroken, they feel paine. Papists commonly injoyne and apply crosses, holy water, sanctified beads, amulets, musicke, ringing of bells, for to that end are they consecrated, and by them baptized, characters, counterfeit reliques, so many masses, peregrinations, oblations, adjurations, and what not? Alexander Albertinus a Rocha, Petrus Thyreus, and Hieronymus Mengus, with many other pontificiall writers, prescribe and set downe severall formes of exorcismes, as well to houses possessed with divels, as to dæ moniacal persons; but I am of a Lemnius minde, 'tis but damnosa adjuratio, aut potius ludificatio, a meer mockage, a counterfeit charme, to no purpose. They are fopperies and fictions, as that absurde story is amongst the rest, of a penitent woman seduced by a magitian in France, at St. Bawne, exorcised by Domphius, Michaelis, and a company of circumventing friers. If any man (saith Lemnius) will attempt such a thing, without all those jugling circumstances, astrologicall elections of time, place, prodigious habits, fustian, big, sesquipedal words, spels, crosses, characters, which exorcists ordinarily use, let him follow the example of Peter and John, that without any ambitious swelling termes, cured a lame man, Acts 3. In the name of Christ Jesus rise and walke. His name alone is the best and only charme against all such diabolicall illusions, so doth Origen advise: and so Chrysostome. Hæc erit tibi baculus, hæc turris inexpugnabilis, hæc armatura. Nos quid ad hæc dicemus, plures fortasse expectabunt, saith S. Austin; many men will desire my counsell and opinion what's to be done in this behalfe; I can say no more, quam ut verá fide, quæ per dilectionem operatur, ad Deum unum fugiamus, let them fly to God alone for helpe. Athanasius in his book De variis quæst. prescribes as a present charme against divels, the beginning of the 68 Ps. Exsurgat Deus, dissipentur inimici, &c. But the best remedy is to flye to God, to call on him, hope, pray, trust, relye on him, to commit ourselves wholly to him. What the practice of the primitive church was in this behalfe, et quis damonia ejiciendi modus, read Wierus at large, lib. 5. de Cura. Lam. meles. cap. 38 et deinceps. Last of all: If the party affected shall certainly know this malady to have proceeded from too much fasting, meditation, precise life, contemplation of Gods judgements, (for the divel deceives many by such meanes) in that other extream he circumvents melancholy it selfe, reading some books, treatises, Non desunt nostrâ ætate sacrificuli, qui tale quid attentant, sed a cacodæmone irrisi pudore suffecti sunt, et re infectâ abierunt. Done into English by W. B. 1613. hearing rigid preachers, &c. If he shall perceive that it hath begun first from some great loss, grievous accident, disaster, seeing others in like case, or any such terrible object, let him speedily remove the cause, which to the cure of this disease a Navarrus so much commends, avertat cogitationem a re scrupulosá, by all opposite meanes, art, and industry, let him laxare animum, by all honest recreations, refresh and recreate his distressed soule; let him divert his thoughts, by himselfe and other of his friends. Let him reade no more such tracts or subjects, hear no more such fearful tones, avoid such companies, and by all meanes open himselfe, submit himselfe to the advice of good physicians and divines, which is contraventio scrupulorum, as he cals it; hear them speake to whom the Lord hath given the tongue of the learned, to be able to minister a word to him that is weary, whose words are as flagons of wine. Let him not be obstinate, head-strong, peevish, wilful, self-conceited (as in this malady they are) but give eare to good advice, be ruled and perswaded; and no doubt but such good counsell may prove as prosperous to his soule, as the angel was to Peter, that opened the iron gates, loosed his bands, brought him out of prison, and delivered him from bodily thraldome; they may ease his afflicted minde, relieve his wounded soule, and take him out of the jawes of hell it selfe. I can say no more, or give better advice to such as are any way distressed in this kinde, then what I have given and said. Only take this for a corollary and conclusion, as thou tenderest thine owne welfare in this, and all other melancholy, thy good health of body and minde, observe this short precept, give not way to solitariness and idleness. Be not solitary, be not idle. SPERATE MISERI, Vis a dubio liberari? vis quod incertum est evadere? Age pænitentiam dum sanus es; sic agens, dico tibi quod securus es, quod pænitentiam egisti co tempore quo peccare potuisti. Austin. a Tom. 2. cap. 27. num. 282. b Navarrus. < Is. 50. 4. |