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A01718 A discourse of the subtill practises of deuilles by vvitches and sorcerers By which men are and haue bin greatly deluded: the antiquitie of them: their diuers sorts and names. With an aunswer vnto diuers friuolous reasons which some doe make to prooue that the deuils did not make those aperations in any bodily shape. By G. Gyfford. Gifford, George, d. 1620. 1587 (1587) STC 11852; ESTC S103141 49,907 72

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headlong into y ● pits of filthy sins which doo drowne men in destruction Wee sée that it is a most clere case that God ordreth all by his good prouidence The witch can doo nothing for the deuill which is farre greater then she can doo nothing But the wicked world full of all contempt of God doth deserue that the deuill should haue power to worke many feates to the end they may haue strang delusion and the efficacie of error come vpon them This doth S. Paul set foorth 2. Thess. 2. For there wee may sée that Satan hath libertie giuen him to shewe his efficacie with the power of lying Signes and woonders If Satan coulde make no shew or appearance of woonders by doing things which are beyond the reach of man to counterfait why should it bee called a power and efficacie and why should they be called signes and lying woonders Our Sauiour him selfe Math. 24. vers 24. doth shew that there should arise false Christs and false Prophets and should giue great signes and woonders I conclude therefore that as the righteous God doth permit suffer the deuill for the wickednes of the world to shew foorth an efficacie and power By giuing signes and woonders y ● is such things as men are not able to doo therefore doo account them woonders though they be no true woonders in déed nor wrought vnto a good end but to establish false religion so doth he let loose the same deuill or suffer him to doo many things by Witches and Coniurers that the despisers of the holy religion may bee seduced There hath bene meere cosinage in most of the popish miracies For if they had bene done as they report they should haue bene miracles in deede and the deuill is able to doo no miracle but to make a shew by illusion yet were they belieued by occasion of those shewes which hee made at some times In like maner there are straunge woonders reported of Witches and Coniurers they haue bene belieued as also many counterfaite things because he hath power at many times giuen vnto him to torment men because he doth make his vaine apparitions The sharp punishment appointed in the word of God for such as worke with the deuill and the true cause of the same and that it is no godly zeale but furious rage wherewith the common sort are caried against witches Chapt. 10. THe Lord God did by Moses appoint and prescribe penalties for the offences and transgressions of his holy lawes These were not all of one kind but according to the degrée of the trespasse was the punishmēt lesse or greater Some sinnes are more horrible then others and doo more prouoke the displeasure of God vnto such he appointed the sharpest penalty that is to say death without mercy Among these were such as fell into Apostasie from the law of Moses as wee may see Hebrue 10. vers 28. Or such as did persuade others vnto Apostasie Deut. 23. vers 5. The murthe●…er might not be redeemed Numb 35. vers 31. The selfe same seuerity is required against such as worke by the deuill or that dealt with familiare spirites for it is sayd thou shalt not suffer a Witch to liue Exod. 22. Mechashshepha by the tropesinecdo●…he is in this place being but one kinde put for al that practise deuilishe arte For it is very vaine and friuolouse to take it that death should bee appointed as to a murtherer with poyson For in another place namely Leuit. 20. vers 27. The Lord doth take two other kindes where he appoynteth the penaltie of death These be his words the man or the woman in whom there shall be Ob or Iiddegnoni shall dye the death Out of which places we may collect the true cause of this seueritie to bée in very déede the familiaritie with deuils The deuils be the vtter enemies of GOD which seeke by all meanes to dishonor him and to deface his glorie How can any then vse familiaritie with them vse their helpe or seeke vnto them but he committeth a monstrous enormitie and such as deserueth a thousand deathes Moreouer the Witch the Coniurer the Enchaunter the Sorcerer and the rest are the cause of foule errors and much wickednesse much horrible abusing Gods holy and sacred name and therefore are woorthie to dye This being the true cause why God doth abhorre such as it is manifest we may easily sée the grosse error of the blind multitude in this behalfe For they hold that witches should bee put to death and not onely that but are inflamed with a wonderfull rage and fury to haue it accomplished I call it rage not zeale because it is not to a right end For if they were so zealous of it for Gods honor it were a merueilous good thing but in déed it is not for any zeale of God y ● they be so forward but for an other consideration Thieues and murtherers say they be put to common deaths how much more sharp death tormēts are witches worthy to haue laid vpon them But aske them why Oh say they the witches send their spirits and kill and lame men they kill young infantes they kill cattle they ●…aise winds tempests they be the very plagues of men Here is a false cause for where doo we euer finde in the holy scriptures that Witches or Coniurers haue such things layd vnto their charge I haue shewed the priuy packing which Satan vseth in this behalfe When men are once so be witched as to thinke who can liue in safety while witches remaine they run with madnesse to séeke all meanes to put them to death not onely them but all such as are suspected They run to Coniurers to know if they be not witches who they suspect They examine witches to know whether their spirites haue not told them how many witches be within certaine miles of them who they be The Lord doth not alow one witnesse being a man in a cause of death to be sufficient but these would alow the accusation of one deuill if he accuse xl persons they thinke it a merueilouse charitable deede where there is one that hath bene suspected for witchery to hi●… or entice children to accus●… them to practise with some subtill maide which faineth her self to be bewitched to get some matter of accusation Many Iurers neuer weigh the force of the euidence which is brought but as if they had their oth for coniectures or likelihoodes they are oftentimes very forward to finde guilty being sicke of the same disease that the accusers be But some man will reply demaund why the people should not be so earnest to séeke their death rooting out why should it be reputed as a fault they doo it of a good minde to the glory of God In déed if it could be shewed that they doo it in regard of Gods glorie it were of a good minde much to be commēded but it is manifestly to be prooued that Gods