A26888:352
The certainty of the worlds of spirits and, consequently, of the immortality of souls…
The certainty of the worlds of spirits and, consequently, of the immortality of souls of the malice and misery of the devils and the damned : and of the blessedness of the justified, fully evinced by the unquestionable histories of apparitions, operations, witchcrafts, voices &c. / written, as an addition to many other treatises for the conviction of Sadducees and infidels, by Richard Baxter.The certainty of the worlds of spirits and, consequently, of the immortality of souls of the malice and misery of the devils and the damned : and of the blessedness of the justified, fully evinced by the unquestionable histories of apparitions, operations, witchcrafts, voices &c. / written, as an addition to many other treatises for the conviction of Sadduces and infidels, by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for T. Parkhurst, 1691
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
And how dangerous it is to desire such Converse with Angels and Spirits, as God hath not judged suitable to our Condition here in the Flesh, the case of Jacob Behmen and Dr. Pordage here, and his Society may tell us. His chief Proselyte, Companion and Successor (whose name I mention not for the sake of his Worthy Kindred) condescended to open secretly to me in Writing, his Judgment, by which I soon saw that their Guide differed much from the Scripture. One of extraordinary Learning and Reputation, was a while distracted by going to them, to try their Way. Some of my very much esteemed Friends have been distracted, and overcome with Melancholy, by studying Behmen and that way. What Dr. Pordage his Doctrine was, you may see partly in his Posthumous Mystical Theology, published by his Friend Dr. Hooker. Mr. Fowler of Reading accused him ⟨p. 177⟩as a Conjurer, and he hath published his Defence in Folio, (which I may the rather mention, because in it he hath made use of my name against Mr Fowler, as speaking against me, for our difference in explaining the Doctrine of Imputed Righteousness.) In this Defence the Dr. confesseth, that the Devil was too familiar in his House (where a Society lived with him that kept their Exercises and Hours of singing Night and Day.) He (and his Friends) pretended that he knew when good Spirits and when bad ones were about him, by Smells and Gusts, and the temper of their Sense and Spirits. And he confesseth, that in his great Room, the Devil appeared to him by Night in the likeness of a Fiery Dragon that almost filled the Room, and long conflicted with him. And that once he made on the Brick-Wall, over his Chimney, the likeness of a Coach drawn by Tigers, so deeply impressed, that they were fain to use a Pick-Axe to cut it out of the Bricks: And that the like Impression was on the Glass of his Windows, which they could not wash out. But all this he imputed to Everard that intruded into his Society, taking him to be the Conjurer: And he saith, that when he was gone, he appeared to him in the Night, walking in his Chamber in Boots and Spurs.
And how dangerous it is to desire such Converse with Angels and Spirits, as God hath not judged suitable to our Condition here in the Flesh, the case of Iacob Behmen and Dr. Pordage here, and his Society may tell us. His chief Proselyte, Companion and Successor (whose name I mention not for the sake of his Worthy Kindred) condescended to open secretly to me in Writing, his Judgment, by which I soon saw that their Guide differed much from the Scripture. One of extraordinary Learning and Reputation, was a while distracted by going to them, to try their Way. Some of my very much esteemed Friends have been distracted, and overcome with Melancholy, by studying Behmen and that way. What Dr. Pordage his Doctrine was, you may see partly in his Posthumous Mystical Theology, published by his Friend Dr. Hooker. Mr. Fowler of Reading accused him