"intended chiefly for superiors and confessors," takes up the subject of nuns who are subject to visions and supernatural revelations. Considering the question as to whether such experiences are true visions or the results of deception and error, he mentions as one test the consideration of "Whether it [the revelation] contains anything false, because in this case it cannot proceed from the spirit of truth: Therefore, it is necessary to consider whether it is conformable to Scripture, to faith and morals, to theology and to the doctrine and traditions of the church. * * *
"Are they [these communications] accompanied by the cross and by mortification, and do they tend to the manifestation of the faith and the utility of the Church? From which it will be seen that a heavenly bridegroom who is not a good Catholic has every prospect of being classed as demoniacal, if he happens to have the same religious belief as herself [she being heretical]. This is a case where religious prejudice furnishes the standard by which to test the communication, and it will be remembered that to start with, for, upon any subject when dealing with occult phenomena is certain to bring about occurrences of a fantastic misleading or diabolical character.
The spiritus percutiens, "rapping spirit" (?) conjured away by old Catholic formulae at the benediction of churches, was brought forward by some of M. de Gasparin's critics. As his tables did not rap, he had nothing to do with the spiritus percutiens who proves, however, that, the church was acquainted with raps, and explained them by the spiritualistic hypothesis.
A learned priest has kindly looked for the alleged spiritus percutiens in dedicatory and other ecclesiastical formulae. He only finds it in benedictions of bridal chambers, and thinks it refers to the slaying spirit in the Book of Tobit. Andrew Lange, Cock Lane and Common Sense, pp. 316-317.
The "slaying spirit" in the Book of Tobit, it will be remembered, was a so-called evil spirit who was in love with Sara and who objected to her marrying, and who slew seven successively earthly aspirants to her hand, on their
