N00620:200
Angelographia, or A discourse concerning the nature and power of the holy angels, and…
Angelographia, or A discourse concerning the nature and power of the holy angels, and the great benefit which the true fearers of God receive by their ministry: delivered in several sermons: : to which is added, a sermon concerning the sin and misery of the fallen angels: also, a disquisition concerning angelical-apparitions. / By Increase Mather, president of Harvard College, in Cambridge, and preacher of the Gospel at Boston, in New-England. ; [Two lines from Hebrews]Angelographia, or A discourse concerning the nature and power of the holy angels, and the great benefit which the true fearers of God receive by their ministry: delivered in several sermons: : to which is added, a sermon concerning the sin and misery of the fallen angels: also, a disquisition concerning angelical-apparitions. / By Increase Mather, praesident of Harvard Colledge, in Cambridge, and preacher of the Gospel at Boston, in New-England. ; [Two lines from Hebrews]
printed by B. Green & J. Allen for Samuel Phillips, 1696
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.
What more frequent in times of Popery then Miracles and Apparitions of Angels? The Lives of Saints are filled with sables about these things. There were some that gained by the Fable, tho many were impoverished thereby. A place in Cornwall bears the name of St. Michael's Mount, where was a Chapel Erected, because certain Monks affirmed, that Michael the Arch angel did there appear to them. The same is pretended by the French men concerning their Michael's Mount in Normandy. The Italians also challenge the like Apparition to have been in their Hill Garganus. See Camden's Britannia▪ p. 188. Innumerable are the Instances of this kind: It would not only fill a Volume but be loss of time to rehearse them. Bishop Hall in his Book of the Invisible World. ⟨p. 7⟩Sect. 8. has mentioned some of them. The Relations published by Gregorius Magnus concerning the Apparitions of Angels to Saints in those times, were either fabulous or satanical illusions. In my opinion, Mr. Isaac Ambrose has wronged his Treatise of Angels (which is otherwise a good and useful Book) by quoting so many passages out of him, which may occasion his Readers to think, that the other Historical Narrations in his Book, are of no more credit than those of Gregory's. These things notwithstanding, we may not run into the other extreme, or conclude, that all reports concerning Appearing Angels have no reality of truth in them. Luther in his Commentary on Gen. 37. and Gen. 40. declares, that he was very much moved and offended at the infinite multitude of Satanical Illusions, with which the World was horribly deceived for a long time under the Papacy; and that for his own part he did constantly pray to God, that he would not reveal any thing to him by Dreams or Visions, but by his Written Word; and that He would not send Angels to appear to him, knowing that when he was meditating on the Scriptures, God and His Holy Angels were near to him, who could instill irradiations on his mind without any visible Apparitions. Yet, he does acknowledge that some may have that which he never did nor desired to experience. Sint dona sed quae ego nec curo nec desidero, says he. And the Truth is, that Authors worthy of Credit have given us an account of ⟨p. 8⟩