For where Grief and Sorrow is rooted and settled in the Heart, it
speaketh with low motional Voices in the Mind; that is, the thought of
Fear in the Mind, both of temporal Losses and the Loss of eternal Peace.
The Fear moves to and fro in that Mind, as if it were a Speech out of
the Ground; for the Thoughts of the Heart are low Voices which cannot be
heard by any but themselves.
So is it with those that have a Familiar Spirit, their Voices and Speech
they hear from Spirits without them, as if Spirits did speak to them out
of the Ground: Which Speech they say they hear, is nothing else but the
Thoughts that pass to and fro in their own Minds, a low motional Voice
in themselves, as if Spirits did speak to them with a low Voice out of
the Ground, or out of the Dust. For their Faith is strong, and above all
those that come to enquire of a Witch, they do all believe that Spirits
may be raised without Bodies out of the Ground, as the Witch doth; so
they both do believe, that the Spirit came out of the Ground that spake
those low Voices to the Witch, and she tells it to the other that
enquire of her, and they believe her as King _Saul_ did.
So they are wholly departed from the Lord, and believe a Lye, to think
that Spirits can be raised out of the Ground without Bodies after Men
have been dead; it is a Thing God never did; we never read in Scripture,
that God or his Prophets did ever raise any Spirits out of the Ground
without Bodies after they were dead; but we read in Scripture, that God
and his Prophets have raised some from the dead with Bodies, as that of
_Lazarus_ being raised out of the Ground by Christ, and the Child that
was raised from Death by the Prophet _Elijah_, and another Child raised
from Death to Life by the Prophet _Elisha_, and several others come
forth out of the Ground at the rising again of Christ from Death, as
those Saints that did arise out of the Graves, and appeared to many that
were alive; these all did arise out of the Graves with Bodies after they
were dead, and _Lazarus_ came forth out of the Ground after he was dead,
but his Spirit came not out of the Ground without his Body, but Body and
Soul came out of the Ground together.
For it was always God's Practice to raise Soul and Body together; and
because the Imagination of Reason in those that have a Familiar Spirit
cannot do so, nor those that enquire of them, therefore they do imagine
that Spirit may be raised out of the Ground without Bodies, or assume a
Shape and appear like a Body, yet it shall be of no Substance, a Shape
that can neither be felt nor handled by the Hand of Man.
Now mind, all those God doth raise out of the Ground after they were
dead, they may be handled and felt, though they be Spiritual Bodies, yet
they may be felt and handled, as Christ said to _Thomas_, _Feel me and
handle me_, after he was risen from the dead, and _Thomas laid his
Fingers in the Print of the Nails, and on his Side_. Yet Christ was at
that time a Spiritual Body that was risen from the Dead, that might be
felt and handled, and not a Spirit without a Body, as most People do
vainly imagine that Spirits may be raised without Bodies.
And as for that _Lazarus_ and others, that were raised by the Power of
God out of the Ground after they had been dead, they had Bodies as well
as Spirits that might be seen with natural Eyes, and handled and felt
with natural Hands. So that God's Power in raising the Dead, it is no
Cheat; the Creature is not cheated nor deceived, but is fully satisfied
in his Mind.
But for a Familiar Spirit to say or tell People, they do or can raise
Spirits out of the Ground in such a Shape without a Body or bodily
Substance; or shall say, they hear Voices from this Spirit so raised, is
a mere Cheat to the Ignorant and Unbelieving, and leads them into the
Pit of Darkness, and makes them fear where no Fear is, and are afraid of
their own Shadows; for it is the Nature of Reason the Devil to imagine,
that this way of raising of Spirits without Bodies, to be of a more high
Nature then to raise Spirit and Body together, as God doth; and the
Imagination doth conceive it a more greater Power, to raise Spirits
without Bodies out of the Dust of the Ground, than it is to raise Spirit
and Body together, as Christ did; for Christ always raised Spirit and
Body together, as the Scriptures do testify.
For the Reason in Man doth send forth the Imagination of the Heart, the
unclean Spirit in Man walking through dry Places, seeking rest but can
find none; the ignorant dark Thoughts of the Imagination goeth out of a
Man, to enquire of one that hath a Familiar Spirit, seeking rest but can
find none, as King _Saul_ did: For the Imagination of the Heart being
continually Evil, it always walketh through dry Places, where no matter
of Life is to be had, to quench the Thirst of Sin or a defiled
Conscience; neither can the Thoughts of Imagination be satisfied with
what a Witch or a Familiar saith; therefore called dry Places: They may
be called dry, because the Heart is never satisfied with what a Witch
saith, for she always saith a Lie.
To tell a Man or Woman, that she doth or can raise Spirits out of the
Ground without Bodies, as the Witch of _Endor_ did to King Saul, or that
she did hear any low 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 her self 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 her self 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 put 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 Sins, 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.