Also I do further declare, that God did never create any Spirit without
a Body, neither of Angels, nor Men, nor no other Creature, neither in
Heaven above, nor in the Earth beneath, nor the Waters under the Earth.
There is no Spirit or Life whatsoever that is created of God, but it
hath a Body to that Life or Spirit; but if a Spirit have any Being
without a Body, that Spirit is none of God's Creation; for God never
created any Spirit whatsoever without a Body, as I said before.
But the Imagination of Reason in Man, which is the Devil, hath created
all Creatures in the Imagination to have Spirits without Bodies, both of
Angels above and Man here on Earth, and all Creatures upon the Earth,
and in the Waters, that have the Breath of Life, the Imagination of
Reason saith, their Spirits may subsist without Bodies, or go out of
those Bodies they have, and enter into other Bodies, and appear in the
Shape of a Body, and yet be of no Substance: so that the Devil's
Creation is all of Spirits without Bodies, and God's Creation is all
with Bodies and Spirits together.
And this Darkness hath overspread the Nature of Man all the World over,
which is the Occasion of that Opinion of Houses and Places being haunted
with evil Spirits, and Spirits walking without Bodies, and dealing with
Familiar Spirits, that peep, and mutter, and whisper as it were out of
the Ground. These Things and many more are produced by the Imagination
of the Heart of Man, for the Imagination of Man's Heart is evil, and
continually evil; for it hath given a Being to Spirits without Bodies,
to fright it self to that which hath no Being of it self.
For I declare and perfectly know, that there is no such Thing as Spirits
to walk without Bodies, nor assume any Shape after Death, nor be raised
out of the Ground by any Witch or any Familiar Spirit whatsoever; it is
all produced out of the dark Imagination of the Heart, where Ignorance
beareth Rule, for there is no such Thing can be presented but to the
Ignorant and dark minded People.
Thus I have given the Reader to understand something more concerning the
Power of Witches, and how they may be said to raise Spirits out of the
Ground, and from whence that low Speech doth come, with those Scriptures
opened that speak as if a Familiar Spirit did hear whispering out of the
Dust.
Also I have given the Interpretation of that in _Samuel_ concerning the
Witch of _Endor_, and those Places of Scripture in _Isaiah_; these
Places are the most concerning Spirits being raised without Bodies, of
any in the Scriptures; but there have been some other Places of
Scriptures, that do seem to carry a shew as if Spirits might rise again
without Bodies, and I have been desired by some to open those Scriptures
that seem to tend to that Purpose, though the common and general
Objection amongst all People is, that of the Witch of _Endor_ and King
_Saul_, which I have opened before; yet for the further Satisfaction of
the Reader, I shall open and interprete the other Places objected, that
seem to tend to the same thing.
The Places of Scripture are three; the first is _Isa._ lxi. 1. the Words
are these, _The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath
anointed me to preach good Tidings unto the Meek: He hath sent me to
bind up the Broken-hearted, to proclaim Liberty to the Captives, and the
opening of the Prison to them that are bound_----So _Luke_ iv. 18. the
Words in _Luke_ are much to the same Purpose, and little Difference;
only that which _Isaiah_ did prophesy of, it was fulfilled by Christ in
his time----So the first Epistle of _Peter_, Chap. iii. and 18, 19, 20.
Verses; the Words are these, _For Christ also hath once suffered for
Sin, the Just for the Unjust; that he might bring us to God, being put
to Death in the Flesh, but quickened by the Spirit_. Verse 19. _By which
also he went and preached unto the Spirits in Prison_: Verse 20. _Which
sometime were disobedient, when once the Long-suffering of God waited in
the Days of_ Noah, _while the Ark was a preparing, wherein few (that is)
eight Souls were saved by Water_.