Suchas are fpiritually poffefl'ed, the %art of the three, &why. Others are corporallypoflèulèd,as theEncrgumeni,rnd fuchasare Lunatick And Saint 4ufte reporteth, that many youngchildrenbeeing baptized , fuffer this torment. AndCaflianus fayth , That manySaints of Godhaue fuffered the like , Godfo permittingit, that theymight bee refined and purified, as gold in the crifole. The third, confiftethofboth thofe kinds. Now,which ofthefe three doe you take tobe the worst P Saint Cryfoflome, and Gregorie Xazianzen doeaffirme, That the partie that is fpirituallypoflèfied, is inthe worft andmolt dangerouseftate : And the reafonsare as (from', as they are cleare.Which indeedaremolt cleere. The firft is, That thedeuill candoevs little harme, vnleffe we fall into finne. For without the helpeof fin the deuill cannot deftroy both foule &lxrdie. For though the deuill doe put it into the fire,it is our owne heart that muff forge the worfe. Saint Paul doth defie all the creatures bothof Heauen, Earth, and Hell. Andwhy? FerIam perfuaded ( faithhe).that neither Death,norLife, nor . dngells,' nor Principalities ,norPoaers,a.orthings Pre,Qnt, nor things toCome, norNeigth,nor Depth,nor anyother creature, flail he abletofeperatevs from theLoue ofGod,which is in refits Chriït, yet hedurft not defiefinne. For that alone is more powerfull to doe vs hurt than all other creatures put together. Saint Chryfofomeaskes theclue Ilion, Why the deuill perfuaded iofephs brethren to put him firft into apit, and then afterwards to fell him ? And he anfweres, thatit wasthe enuie and hatred which they barevnto him for his dreames fake. And that other weapons , the, deuill needed none. And in that Parable of the Tares where the deuillfow'd his Tares amongft the Wheat, it is faid, Thatalthoughhe had not fowne them, yet the good feed would haue beene loft through thecarelefneffe &negligence ofthehusbandmen, For negligence in things fo neceffarie is agreater deuil,than that ofHell.In this fence Saint GregorieNazianzen fayd offlrrius,Satius illsedit a demoniovexari, It had bin betterfor him to hauebeenetormentedbyaDeuill. The fecond is,For that the goods of 'the bodie,ate not comparable to rhofe ofthe foule,Tange cuntta quapoiidet , Touchallthat be lath, Sayd the Deuill to God,when he talked with himconcerning lob. In a word touching the goods of the foule the leaft thereofis ofmore worth thanall the world.And the goods. not becing able beecomparedone with another,neither can their ill. Nay, ratherto lode thefe goods of the bodie,turnes oftentimes to ourgreatergaine. Perieramus,nifiper ffemus,Wehadperifhed, ifwe hadnot perifhed,Irwas the faying of aPhilofopher ina ftorme,whcn the throwingofhis goods oucrboord, was the failing ofhis life . But that Soulethat dialled} hisfinnes ouerboord,and drown them io thebottomsof the Sea, that theymay neuer be able to rifevp in iudgement againft him ; is ahappineffe beyond all happineffe, rind nottobee exchangedforthe wholeEmpireofthe World. What booteth it a man, to gaine all the world, and to leofe his Dane foule? Therefore it isa le(fe ill, tobepoffef- fed in Bodie than in Soule. For finneonly isthat true euill,which depriueth vsof true good. Likewife,He that is fpiritually poffeffed , isinworfe cafe thanhe that hath a deuill in fouleandbody : And of this truth thereare twoeuident reafons. Theone,that to hauea Deuil! in thebodie, is no fmalloccafionwherebythe Soule is hued. Saint Paul faid of theinceftuous perfon, Lethim bedeliveredvnto Satban,for thede/Irutlion ofthe Flefh,that theSpirit may befauedintheday ofthe Lord left's. Whither itwerebywayofexcommunication, (as it feemeth goodvnto Thomas) the Deuills tormenting him,foilowing his excommunication, (as Ca- i Cc 3 ietan Sondayin Lent. SeY.18. 3o5 ROmS.s 8. No creature fohurtful l to manas firme. A lefrer alto be pofïefred in bodie than in foult. t.COt.5.5 I.Tt7Íl.I.yo.
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