from his Covenant Besides hee confesseth the Devill suffereth some to live long undisclosed that they may Exercise the greater measure of his Malice in the World It remaines that if the two true Proofes of Mr. Perkins which are the Witches Confession or sufficient witnesses faile we have not warrant as hee saith in the word to put such an one to Death I conclude this Point in the words of Mr. Perkins I advise all Jurors that as they be diligent in the zeal of Gods Glory so they would be carefull what they do and not condemne any party suspected upon bare presumptions without sound and sufficient proofes that they be not guilty through their own rashnes of shedding innocent Bloud Of the Hebrew Witch IN Deut. 18. The Witch is named with divers other sorts of such as used the like unlawfull Arts as the Diviner the Observer of times an Inchanter a Charmer a Consulter with a familiar Spirit a Wisard or a Necromancer The Text addeth all that doe these things are an abomination to the Lord and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them the Nations out from before thee If wee desire to know what those abominations of the Nations were wee are told in generall in the 14. Verse of the same Chapter These Nations harkned unto observers of times and unto Diviners There is no other crime in this Chapter laid to the charge of all or any of these practisers of such unlawfull Arts but of lying Prophecies and therefore the Text addeth the Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midest of thee of thy Brethren like unto me unto him shall ye harken and not to the Diviners Wisards Charmers c. Setting aside the case of Job wherein God gave a speciall and extraordinary Commission I doe not finde in Scripture that the Devill or Witch or any other had power ordinarily permitted them either to kill or hurt any Man or to medle with the Goods of any for though for the triall of the hearts of men God doth permit the Devill ordinarily to tempt them yet hee hath no Commission to destroy the Lives or Goods of Men it is little lesse then blasphemy to say any such thing of the admirable Providence of God whereby he preserves all his Creatures It was crime sufficient for all those practicers of unlawfull Arts to delude the people with false and lying Prophecies thereby to make them forget to depend upon God and to have their Soules turne after such as have Familiar Spirits and after Wisards to go a whoring after them as the Lord saith Levit. 20. 6. This spirituall whoredome is flat Idolatry in the common phrase of the Old Testament and those that be entisers to it thereby endeavour to destroy the Soules of the People and are by many degrees more worthy of death then those that only destroy the Bodies or Goods of Men If there were a Law that every one should be put to Death or punished that should advisedly endeavour to perswade Men that they are skilfull in those forbidden Arts or in foretelling of things to come or that they have contracted with the Devill and can thereby Murder or destroy Mens Goods I should never deny such a Law to be most consonant and agreeing with the Law of Moses But because I may be thought by some a favourer of these forbidden Arts through want of understanding the Scripture about the quality of them I have made choice of a Man who is no friend to Witches and whose learning in this point will not be denied In his own words I shall set downe what either out of the Hebrew Names of those prohibited Arts or out of the exposition of the Jewish Doctors can be gathered for the understanding of them A Diviner in Hebrew a Foreseer or Presager a Foreteller of things to come as doth a Prophet the Hebrews take a Diviner to be one that doth things whereby hee may foretell things to come and say such a thing shall be or not be or say It is good to doe Such a thing the meanes of Divining some doing it with Sand some with Stones some by lying downe on the Ground some with Iron some with a Staffe he that asked of a Diviner is chastised with stripes 2. An observer of times or Soothsayer an Observer of the Clouds a Planetary or an observer of the flying of Foules an Augur As the Diviners were carried much by inward and Spirituall Motions so these by outward Observations in the Creatures The Hebrews say they were such as did set times for the doing of things saying Such a day is good and such a day is naught 3. An Observer of Fortunes one that curiously searcheth signes of good or evill luck which are learned by Experience the Hebrew is to finde out by Experience Whereupon the word here used is one that too curiously observeth and abuseth things that doe fall out as lucky or unlucky The Hebrews describe it thus as if one should say because the morsell of Bread is fallen out of my mouth or my Staffe out of my hand I will not go to such a place because a Fox passed by on my right hand I will not go out of my House this day Our new translation renders this word an Inchanter 4. A Witch a Sorcerer such as do bewitch the senses or minds of Men by changing the formes of things to another hew The Hebrew word for a Witch properly signifies a Jugler and is derived from a word which signifies changing or turning and Moses teacheth Exod. 7. that Witches wrought by Enchantments that is by secret Sleights Juglings Close conveyance or of Glistering like the flame of Fire or a Sword wherewith Mens Eyes were dazled 5. A Charmer or one that conjureth Conjurations the Hebrew signifies conjoyning or consociating the Charmer is said to be hee that speaketh words of a strange Language and without sense that if one say so or so unto a Serpent it cannot hurt him hee that whispereth over a wound or that readeth over an Infant that it may not be frighted or layeth the Bible upon a Child that it may sleepe 6. A Wisard or cunning Man in Hebrew named of his knowledge or cunning the Hebrews describe him thus that he put in his mouth a bone of a Bird and burned incense and did other things untill hee fell downe with shame and spake with his mouth things that were to come to passe 7. A Necromancer one that seeketh unto the Dead of him they say he made himselfe hungry and went and lodged among the Graves that the dead might come unto him in a Dreame and make known unto him that which he asked of him and others there were that clad themselves with Cloaths for that purpose and spake certaine words and burned Incense and slept by themselves that such a dead person might come and talke with them in a Dream 8. Lastly The Consulter with Familiar Spirits in Hebrew a
this case If the Devill appeare to a Grand Jury in the likenesse of some known Man and offer to take his Oath that the person in question is a Witch should the Enquest receive his Oath or accusation to condemne the party He answers Surely No and yet that is as much as the Testimony of an other Witch who only by the helpe of the Devill revealeth the Witch if this should be taken for a sufficient proofe the Devill would not leave one good Man alive in the World This discrediting of the Testimony of a Witch takes away the other for hee hath but two of King James maine proofs for the discovery of a Witch for hee saith Who but Witches can be provers and so witnesses of the doings of Witches and to the same purpose Mr. Perkins himselfe confesseth that the Precepts of Witch-craft are not delivered but to the Devills own subjects the wicked A seventh lesse sufficient proofe is when a Man in open Court affirmes such a one fell out with mee and cursed me threatning I should smart for it in my person or goods upon these threats such Evills and Losses presently befell mee This is no sure ground for conviction saith Mr. Perkins for it pleaseth God many times to lay his Hands upon Mens persons and goods without the procurement of Witches and yet saith Mr. Perkins Experience shewes that ignorant people will make strong proofes of such presumptions whereupon sometimes Jurors doe give their Verdict against parties innocent The last lesse sufficient proofe is if a Man being sicke upon suspition will take it on his Death that such a one hath bewitched him it is of no moment saith Mr. Perkins it is but the suspition of one Man for himselfe and is of no more force then an other Mans word against him All these proofes saith Mr. Perkins which Men in place have ordinarily used be either false or insufficient signes At the last Mr. Perkins comes to his more sufficient proofes which in all are but two The confession of the Witch or the proofe of two witnesses Against the Confession of a Witch Mr. Perkins confesseth it is objected that one may confesse against himselfe an untruth being urged by force or threatning or by desire upon some griefe to be out of the World or at least being in trouble and perswaded it is the best course to save their lives and obtaine their liberty they may upon simplicity be induced to confesse that they never did even against themselves The truth of this allegation Mr. Perkins doth not deny but grants it in that his Answer is That he doth not say a bare Confession is sufficient but a Confession after due Examination taken upon pregnant presumptions But if a bare Confession be not a sufficient proofe a pregnant presumption can never make it such or if it could then it would not be a sufficient proofe For the farther weakning of the Confession of a suspected Witch wee may remember what Mr. Perkins hath formerly answered when it was alleaged that upon a melancholy humor many confesse of themselves things false and impossible that they are carried through the Aire in a moment that they passe through Keyholes and cleffs of Doores that they be sometimes turn'd into Cats Hares and other Creatures and such like all which are meer Fables and things impossible Here Master Perkins answers that when Witches begin to make a league they are sober and sound in understanding but after they be once in the league their reason and understanding may be depraved memory weakned and all the powers of their soule blemished they are deluded and so intoxicated that they will run into a thousand of fantasticall imaginations holding themselves to be transformed into the shapes of other Creatures to be transported in the Aire to do many strange things which in truth they do not Now Mr. Perkins will confesse that the Examination and Confession of a suspected Witch is alwayes after such time as her Covenant is made when shee is by his Confession deluded and not fit to give testimony against her selfe His second more sufficient proofe hee saith if the party will not confesse as commonly it falleth out is two witnesses avouching upon their own knowledge either that the party accused hath made league with the Devill or hath done some known practises of Witch craft or hath invocated the Devill or desired his helpe But if every Man that hath invocated the Devill or desired his helpe must have formerly made a league with him then whole Nations are every Man of them VVitches which I thinke none will say As for the League and Proofe of VVitch-craft Mr. Perkins confesseth Some may say if these be the only strong proofes for the conviction of a Witch it will be then impossible to put any one to Death because the League with Satan is closely made and the Practises of Witch-craft are also very secret and hardly can a Man be brought which upon his own knowledge can aver such things To this Mr. Perkins answer is a confession that howsoever the ground and practise be secret and be to many unknown yet there is a way to come to the knowledge thereof Satan endeavoreth the discovery and useth all meanes to disclose Witches This meanes he speakes of should be in the power of the Judge or else it is no helpe for the Discovery of a Witch but onely when the Devill pleaseth I do not finde hee proves that it is usuall with Satan to endeavour any such Discovery neither doe I see how it is practicable by the Devill for either hee must doe it by his own relation or report which as it cannot be proved he ever did so it is vaine and to no purpose if hee doe it for Mr. Perkins hath discredited the testimony of the Devill as invalid and of no force for conviction or else the Devill must discover it by some second meanes and if there had beene any such second meanes usuall Mr. Perkins would have taught us what they are and not have left us onely to his two more sufficient proofes which hee confesseth are not infallible King James tells us that the Devills first discovering of himself for the gaining of a Witch is either upon their walking solitarily in the Fields or else lying pausing in their Bed but alwayes without the company of any other and at the making of Circles and Conjurations none of that craft will permit any others to behold when the Devill and his subjects are thus close and secret in their Actions it cannot be imagined that hee will use all meanes to discover his most speciall and trustiest subjects and though Mr. Perkins tells us that by vertue of the precontract the Devill is cock-sure of his instruments yet within a few lines he changeth his note and saith though he have good hope of them yet he is not certaine of their continuance because some by the Mercy of God have bin reclaimed and freed
as sent by God as hee sent Elias to Ochosias King of Israel who being sick sent to consult with Belzebub the God of Echron may appeare for that Samuel is so true and certaine in his prediction to Saul which no Witch no Devill could ever have told for though the Wisdome and Experience of the Devill doe enable him to conjecture probably of many events yet positively to say to morrow thou and thy Sonnes shall die is more then naturally the Devill could know Mr. Perkins confesseth the Devill could not foretell the exact time of Sauls death and therefore hee answers that God revealed to the Devill as his instrument Sauls overthrow by which meanes and no other the Devill was inabled to foretell the death of Saul Here Mr. Perkins proves not that Satan was appointed by God to worke Sauls overthrow or that it was made known to him when it should be done As the rest of the Speech of Samuel is true so these words of his Why hast thou disquieted me to bring me up may be also true which cannot be if it be spoken by the Devill or why should the Devil tell truths in all other things else and lie only in this I know no reason Doctor Reynolds presseth these words against the appearing of Samuel thus If Samuel I had said to them he had lied but Samuel could not lie for Samuel could not be disquieted nor raised by Saul It is true God only raised Samuel effectually but occasionally Saul might raise him But saith Doctor Reynolds though Saul was the occasion yet Samuel could not truely say that Saul had disquieted him for blessed are they that die in the Lord saith the spirit because they rest from their labours and Samuel was no more to be disquieted if he were sent by God then Moses aad Elias were when they appeared to shew the Glory of Christ Mat. 17. Answer it did not displease Samuel to be imployed in the Office of an Angell but hee obeyed God gladly yet since the occasion of his appearing displeased God it might for that cause displease also Samuel Besides wee neede not understand the disquieting of Samuels mind but of his body by not suffering it to rest in peace after death according to the common and usuall condition of Mankinde this sense the Originall will well beare Againe it cannot be believed that the Devill would ever have preached so Divine and excellent a Sermon to Saul which was able to have converted and brought him to Repentance this was not the way for the Devill to bring either Saul or the Woman to renounce God Lastly the Text doth not say that the Woman raised Samuel yet it calls him Samuel and saith that Saul perceived or understood that it was Samuel Mr. Perkins and many others esteeme Balam to have beene a Witch or Conjurer but I finde no such thing in the Text when hee was required to curse the people of Israel his answer was I will bring you word as the Lord shall speak unto me Numb 22. 8. and God came unto Balaam in v. 9. and in v. 13. Balaam saith the Lord refuseth to give me leave and when Balak sent a second time his answer was if Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold I cannot goe beyond the Word of the Lord my God to do lesse or more in v. the 20. God commeth to Balaam and said if the Men come to call thee go but yet the words which I shall say unto thee that shalt thou do And when Balaam came before Balak hee said v. 38. Lo I am come unto thee have I now any power at all to say any thing the Word which God putteth into my mouth that shall I speake and in the 23 Chap. v. 18. Balaam saith how shall I curse whom God hath not cursed and in v. 12. hee saith must I not take heed to speake that which the Lord hath put into my Mouth These places laid together prove Balaam to have beene a true Prophet of the Lord and hee prophesied nothing contrary to the Lords command therefore St. Peter calls him a Prophet Neverthelesse it is true that Balaam finned notoriously though not by being a Witch or Conjurer or a false Prophet his faults were that when God had told him hee should not go to Balak yet in his covetous heart hee desired to go being tempted with the rewards of Divination and promise of promotion so that upon a second Message from Balak hee stayed the Messengers to see if God would suffer him to go wherefore the Lord in his anger sent Balam Also when God had told Balam that hee would blesse Israel yet Balam did strive to tempt God and by severall Altars and Sacrifices to change the mind of God Againe when Balam saw God immutable in blessing Israel hee taught Balak to lay a stumbling block before the Sonnes of Israel to eat things sacrificed to Idolls and to commit Fornication Rev. 2. 4. Whereas it is said that Balaam went not up as other times to seek for Enchantments Num. 24 2. the Originall is to meete Divinations that is he did not go seek the Lord by Sacrifices as he did Numb. 23. 3. 15. An exact difference betweene all those Arts prohibited in Deut. no Man I thinke can give that in some they did agree and in others differed seemes probable That they were all lying and false Prophets though in severall wayes I thinke none can deny That they differed in their degrees of punishments is possible there are but three sorts that can be proved were to be put to death viz. the Witch the Familiar Spirit the Wisard As for the Witch there hath beene some doubt made of it The Hebrew Doctors that were skild in the Lawes of Moses observe that wheresoever one was to die by their Law the Law alwayes did run in an affirmative precept as the the Man shall be stoned shall die shall be put to death or the like but in this Text and no where else in Scripture the sentence is onely a Prohibition negative Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live and not Thou shalt put her to death or stone her or the like Hence some have beene of Opinion that not to suffer a Witch to live was meant not to relieve or maintaine her by running after her and rewarding her The Hebrews seeme to have two sorts of Witches some that did hurt others that did hold the Eyes that is by jugling and sleights deceived Mens senses The first they say was to be stoned the other which according to the proper notation of the word was the true Witch was only to be beaten The Septuagent have translated a Witch an Apothecary a Druggister one that compounds poysons and so the Latin word for a Witch is venefica a maker of poysons if any such there ever were or be that by the helpe of tâ—e Devill do poyson such a one is to be put to death though there be no Covenant with the Devill because shee is an Actor and principall her selfe not by any wonder wrought by the Devill but by the naturall or occult property of the Poyson For the time of Christ saith Mr. Perkins though there be no particular mention made of any such Witch yet thence it followeth not that there were none for all things that then happened are not Recorded and I would faine know of the chiefe Patrons of them whether those persons possessed with the Devill and troubled with strange Diseases whom Christ healed were not bewitched with some such people as our Witches are if they say no let them if they can prove the contrary Here it may be thought that Mr. Perkins puts his Adversaries to a great pinch but it doth not prove so for the Question being onely whether those that were possessed in our Saviours Time were bewitched The Opposers of Mr. Perkins say they were not bewitched but if hee or any other say they were the Proofe will rest wholy on him or them to make good their Affirmative it cannot in reason be expected that his Adversaries should prove the Negative it is against the Rules of Disputation to require it FINIS Cap. 1. Lib. 1. c. 2. Cap. 2. Cap. 2. Cap. 2. Lib. 2 Qu. 4. Cap. 11. Lib. 5. Sect. 18. Cap. 1. Sect. 4. Cap. 4. Sect. 1. Lib. 2. Cap. 5. Cap. 7. Cap. 7. Sect. 2. Cap. 7. Sect. 2. Cap. 7. Sect. 2. Cap 7. Sect. 13 Lib. 2. Cap. 2. Cap. 7. Sect. 2. Ainsworth upon Deut. 18.