On The Bonds Of Spirits, And Their Adjurations, And Castings Out

CHAP. XVIII.

ON THE BONDS OF SPIRITS, AND THEIR ADJURATIONS, AND CASTINGS OUT.

THE bond by which spirits are bound, besought, or cast out, are three; some of them are taken from the elemental world, as when we adjure a spirit by an inferior and natural thing of affinity with or adverse to them; inasmuch as we would call up or cast them out, as by fumigations of flowers, herbs, animals, snow, ice, or by hell, fire, and such like; and these also are often mixt with. divine praises, and blessings, and consecrations, as appears in the song of the Three Children, and in the psalm, Praise ye the Lord from the heavens, and in the consecration and blessing of the paschal taper. This bond works upon the spirits by an apprehensive virtue, under the account of love or hatred, inasmuch as the spirits are present with, or favour, or abhor any thing that is natural or against nature, as these things themselves love or hate one another. The second bond is taken from the celestial world, viz. when we adjure them by their heaven, by the stars, by their motions, rays, light, beauty, clearness, excellency, fortitude, influence and wonders, and such like; and this bond works

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upon spirits by way of admonition and example. It hath also some command, especially upon the ministering spirits, and those who are of the lowest orders. The third bond is from the intellectual and divine world, which is perfected by religion; that is to say, when we swear by the sacraments, miracles, divine names, sacred seals, and other mysteries of religion; wherefore this bond is the highest of all and the Strongest, working upon the spirits by command and power; but this is to be observed, that as after the universal Providence there is a particular one, and after the universal soul, particular souls; so, in the first place, we invocate by the superior bonds, and by the names and powers which rule the things, then by the inferior and the things themselves. We must know further, that by these bonds, not only spirits, but also all creatures are bound, as tempests, burnings, floods, plagues, diseases, force of arms, and every animal, by assuming them, either by adjuration or deprecation, or benediction, as in the charming of serpents; besides the natural and celestial, by rehearsing out of the mysteries and religion, the cure of the serpent in terrestrial paradise, the lifting up of the serpent in the wilderness; likewise by assuming that verse of the 91st Psalm, thou shall walk upon the asp and the basilisk, and shall tread upon the lion and the dragon.