Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	body_n	natural_a	reason_n	1,505	5	4.9161	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26477	A perfect discovery of witches shewing the divine cause of the distractions of this kingdome, and also of the Christian world : very profitable to bee read by all sorts of people, especially judges of assizes, sheriffes, justices of the peace, and grand-jury-men, before they passe sentence on those that are condemned for witch-craft / by Thomas Ady.; Candle in the dark	Ady, Thomas.	1661 (1661)	Wing A676; ESTC R19148	123,593	172

and also for the hiding of their unparalleled cruelty from the ears of the world of which sort are James Sprenger Henry Institor in malleo maleficarum also Nider and Cumanus Daneus Hyperius Hemingius but most of all Bodinus and Bartholomaeus Spineus I do not say that all these dyed Papists and lest their authority should fail in deceiving the world in this Doctrin of Devils some great Scholars of the Popish rout have approved and affirmed the matter to be true in some causes writing of fascination and of that sort are Thomas Aquinas and Suares In which Authors although they were learned men whosoever readeth their discourse of this subject shall finde nothing at all proved either by Scripture or Philosophical argument but they take it for granted and undoubted truth confirmed by tradition that Fascination or Witchcraft is an Art of killing and afflicting Men and Cattel and upon this Hypothesis they take in hand to dispute upon it not whether it be true or not but how it may be done as they conceive for say they Et si agens non potest diffundere actionem suam usque ad rem distantem fit tamen ut aer proximus inficiatur usque ad certam distantiam perveniat sic noceat alteri if this subject the force of fascination had been first proved by them then this their reason had had some seeming force in it but because it can no way be proved by firm Argument they quote History for it and so pass on to their hypothetical disputes about the reason of it and that they may make the matter seem true one quotes anothers authority for it and Suarez quoteth Thomas Aquinas and Pliny and Pliny citeth Hogonus and Niphodorus and Apollonides for his Authors that among the Triballians and Illyrians and Scythians there be certain Women that can kill with their eye-sight whom they look wishfully upon mark but how first things are reported by Travellers who may lye by authority then Pliny gathereth their several reports into the Volume of his Natural History whom all men may see was abused by being too credulous of other mens reports and yet Suarez is forced to use Plinies Pen to prove that which cannot be proved or defended by reason and having no better Argument he saith further Sunt qui negant illam vim fascinationis sed non est cur experientiam à Philosophis medicis comprobatam ferè communi sensu receptam negemus by which Argument a man may as well prove that Idols were gods because they were approved in their time by men of all Arts and Sciences Et ferè communi sensu recepta and further according to Plinies report he saith that these women do kill but by some poysonous quality of their Natural complexion and inward humours of their bodies communicated to the vital spirits and by the action of the minde brought to the eye-sight and from thence infecting the party whom they look upon and this he saith expresly cometh naturally to pass and of inbred natural causes in the Witches bodies but mark how this fellow although notable for learning hath wildered himself in searching out the reason of a meer vain supposition and erroneous tradition that Witches can kill by looks for whereas he giveth this reason that Witches have inward natural poyson whereby they naturally kill others what an absurdity is this to say that any Creature can by its natural quality be contrary or destructive to its own species for a Viper cannot poyson a Viper nor a Toad cannot poyson a Toad for their nature is one and not contrary to its own species Secondly whereas he reasoneth that this poyson is communicated from the humours to the vital spirits and by the action of the minde brought to the eye-sight It is most absurd in Philosophy for what Physician or Philosopher doth not acknowledge that the vital spirits once poysoned do suffocate the Heart the fountain of Life as is often seen in the Pestilence whereby the Witch her self must needs perish and is also often seen in those who having but the Natural humours of their own bodies corrupt the vital spirits are debilitated and cannot operate but the party decayeth and soon perisheth because the heart cannot abide any corrupt poyson or contrary temperature to its own nature Thirdly whereas he saith this poyson is sent from the Witch by the force of seeing this also is an absurdity in Philosophy for all sound Philosophers do acknowledge that Oculus non vidit emittendo vim suam videndi ad objectum visibile sed recipiendo species visibiles ab objecto how then can the sight if it were poyson hurt any way the party upon whom it only looketh Fourthly whereas he saith that Witches do kill by their natural complexion and inward humour being naturally poyson what an absurdity ariseth from hence in Divinity To conceive that God should make men and women naturally poyson and destructive to others and yet should make a Law that such should be put to death yea cruel death for being such as God made them in their nature and complexion Surely if man had stood in the manner in which he was made God had not punished him with death Now after he hath thus intrapped himself in his Discourse by seeking out a reason of that which is not but only conceived to be by credulous people he falleth off from his own weak reasons to the reason that Thomas Aquinas giveth and that is That sometimes this Fascination is wrought by a secret compact with the Devil but how can these Reasons accord one with the other for if it be natural to the Witch to bewitch others what needeth she then to seek help of the Devil to do that which she can do by nature For Deus est author Naturae and sure the Devil cannot make more perfect or forceable that which God hath made but such is the nature of all these Popish Writers that when they cannot strongly enough maintain a Lye they father their Lyes upon their Master the Father of Lyes and are forced after all their vain argumentation to use his name to uphold a Lye and although they were great Scholars have rather intangled themselves with folly in reasoning and with so manifest errour whereby they have exposed themselves to the lash of common Censure than to forsake their Popish darkness which they are ingaged to defend What shall not be done to bring the Popes ends to pass what Lyes what foolish Fictions what impossibilities can the Heart of man devise that these together have not affirmed for truth unto the World to infect the Nations with Heresie or Atheism whereby to destroy the Christian Church And for further confirmation of the matter they have devised among other Tortures to make people confess that they can do such impossibilities one of the most devillish cruelties that hath been devised among men and that is to keep the poor accused party from sleep many nights

you that are convicted of your Errors and yet do make a light matter of it and lay it not to heart was Cain and Ahab accursed for murthering of each of them one man and do yee make it a light matter to have murthered thousands by your ignorant doctrin VVhat will it avail at the latter day that yee have preached and prayed and spread forth your hands and made great stir in pretence of Religion If Christ shall say Depart from me yee workers of iniquity and shodders of innocent bloud if thousands that are wrongfully slain shall rise up in Judgement against you if it shall be said to many Ministers and Preachers of the VVord in that yee have not taught against these abominations yee are partakers in them Causes of upholding the damnable Doctrin of Witches power IF I did not aime at brevity I might enlarge this Volume upon these particulars following which I will only name and leave them being the causes of upholding the opinion of Witches power 1 Some Ministers for want of due examining of the Scriptures have taught in the Pulpits unwarily and inconsiderately the Doctrin of Witches Power as also some have published their Works in print 2 Many Ministers although they are of the contrary opinion yet have neglected to beat down the common phantastical conceit of people concerning Witches power 3 The common hatred that all men do bear to a Witch so that if any poor Creature hath the report of being a Witch they joyn their hand with the rest in persecuting blindly without due consideration 4 The false reports that are commonly raised in that kinde concerning Witches whereby men lead one another like wandring lost Sheep to beleeve lyes it is certain it was done in such a place I have credibly heard it 5 Vain credulity which all men are naturally prone unto ever since Adams Fall that is a Vice whereby men are subject to beleeve every lying report being the ground of infidelity Credula mens hominis erectae fabulis aures 6 Infidelity or not beleeving the Scriptures to be the only perfect rule of righteousness and touch-stone of truth 7 Ignorance of the Scriptures either by wresting them or by neglecting to search them or want of being able to read them or when they are read want of ability to understand them all such men may be led away with any opinion 8 Generality of opinion maketh weak people and ignorant to argue sure it is safest to say and think as others do 9 Obstinacy in opinion in such as have some weak knowledge let such be beaten from one Argument they will fly to another and beat them from all Arguments yet at last they will still hold their opinion 10 Melancholly which frameth much representation in the minde of any terrible report or doctrin though it bee groundless and false and causeth it to take great impression in the deluded understanding 11 Timerousness whereby men like little Children and Women especially are afraid of every idle fantastical report that they hear of Witches power especially if they be alone in the dark 12 Crackt Phantasie whereby many a man or woman specially in Sickness have strange Apparitions either in bed or abroad which they report to silly people and are beleeved whereas it is nothing but their broken and hurt fancy occasioned in some by sickness or distemper in some by much Drunkenness in some by a blow on the head and in Scholars sometimes by over-much study whereby they presently conceit and are judged by others to be bewitched or at least to be pursued by a Witch or by a Witches Imps and judge so themselves 13 People that are handled by strange Diseases as Children in Convulsion Fits or Women in Fits of the Mother and the like are by ignorant beholders and sometimes by ignorant Physitians said to be bewitched as were Frogmontens Children said to be falsely 14 Old Wives Fables who sit talking and chatting of many false old Stories of Witches and Fairies and Robin Good-fellow and walking Spirits and the Dead walking again all which lying fancies people are more naturally inclined to listen after than to the Scriptures 15 Another abominable cause is the suffering of Impostors to live such as silly people call Cunning men who will undertake to tell them who hath bewitched them who and which of their Neighbours it was by the delusions of such Impostors many poor innocent people are branded with a report of being Witches by reason of which report coming first from a Witch they are in process of time suspected accused arreigned and hanged A Reference to Mr. Scots Treatise of Spirits and also the Opinion of Luther concerning Devils I Might further enlarge this Volume with a Treatise of Spirits or the nature of Devils concerning which people have much abused themselves for want of knowledge in the Scriptures but for brevity I refer the Reader to Mr. Scot who hath excellently written in the latter end of his Discovery of Witchcraft a Discourse called A Treatise of Spirits also I thought good to adde in brief the words of Luther concerning Devils which are these De phreneticis sic sentio omnes moriones qui usu rationis privantur à daemonibus vexari non quod ideo damnati sunt sed quod variis modis Satan homines tentat alios gravius alios lenius alios longius quod medici multa ajusmodi tribuunt naturalibus causit remediis aliquando mitigant fit quod ignorant quanta sit potentia jus daemonum Christus non dubitat curvam illam anum in Evangelio vinctam a Satana dicere Petrus Actorum decimo oppressos a Diabolo dicit quos Christus sanarat ita etiam multos surdos claudos malitia Satana tales esse Deo tamen premittente denique pestes febres atque alios graves morbos opera damoniorum esse qui tempestates incendia frugum calamitates operantur vere affirmamus Summa mali sunt Angeli quid mirum si omnia faeciunt mala humano generi noxia pericula intentent quatinus Deus premittit etiamsi plurima talia herbis aliis remediis naturalibus curari possunt volente Deo miserente nostri exemplum Jobi endicat quae passus sit a Satana quae medicus omnia naturaliter fieri curari assereret sciendum est igitur phreneticos a Satana tentari saltem temporaliter as Satan non faceret phreneticos qui corda replet fornicatione coede rapina omnibus pravis affectibus summa Satan proprior nobis est quam ullus credere possit cum sanctissimis sit propinquissimus adeo ut ipsum Paulum colaphizare Christum vehere possit quor sum libet These are the words of Luther and where he saith at the last that the Devil could carry Christ whither he listed it is his errour for the Devil did not carry him at all but led him by temptation as appeareth Luke 4. and as I have more at large