Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	witch_n	woman_n	word_n	31	3	3.5632	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07215	The anatomie of sorcerie VVherein the wicked impietie of charmers, inchanters, and such like, is discouered and confuted. By Iames Mason, Master of Artes.	Mason, James, M.A.	1612 (1612)	STC 17615; ESTC S112409	64,423	108

it were light out of darknesse and therefore foreseeing that God would turne this their wicked act into his owne glory and the furtherance of the Gospell therefore Satan being as it were in a rage for this their vnseasonable vsing of the name of the Lord Iesus in their charmes at such a time and in such a place as they did deale thus with them Whereas at other times when it might haue serued his owne turne better no doubt he would haue beene so farre from hurting them for such an act that he would haue seemed to yield vnto them therein that thereby he might the better haue confirmed his wicked craft of magicke and sorcery Nay it is to be doubted that euen at this time he would haue giuen place at the aforesaid words vttered by the sorcerers if the wonderfull prouidence of God had not ouer-ruled him who by this act had determined to glorifie the Gospel of his sonne Christ Iesus as it may appeare by the 17 18 and 19 verses following where it is set downe That after this was knowne both Iewes and Gentiles which dwelt at Ephesus magnified the name of the Lord Iesus confessing their sinnes And among the rest those that had vsed vaine and curious artes that is charmes inchantments coniuring and other magicall deuises came moreouer and brought their vaine books and burned them in the sight of the people The worth of them being counted came at the least rate to about eight hundred pounds For hereby they were driuen to consider more deepely of the infinit power of the Godhead of Christ Iesus to tame the vnbridled rage and malice of Satan and also the wicked vanitie of magicall conceits whereby these sorcerers could bring nothing to passe and finally the punishment of the same which albeit it may seeme not to be so great to be beaten and wounded yet whosoeuer shall weigh the circumstances of the text shall finde that it was no ordinarie kinde of combate that did driue the beholders into such a maze But it was such an one no doubt as the like had not bin seene in their time And it is very likely that they did further conceiue by this example of the iust iudgment of God threatned against such in the scriptures wherein the spirit of God doth mightily inueigh against this kinde of wickednes as in the 10. chapter of Leuiticus vers 27. he commaundeth that they should be put to death in these words If a man or a woman haue a spirit of diuination or sooth-saying in them they shall die the death their blood shall be vpon them And likewise in the 22 cap. of Exodus vers 18. he saith Thou shalt not suffer a witch to liue And the Lord himselfe saith in the 3. cap. of the prophet Malachy vers 5. that he will come in iudgement and that he will be a swift witnesse against the south-sayers Wherefore the good king Iosiah in the feare of the Lord tooke away all that had familiar spirits and the sooth-sayers as it is in the second booke of the King cap. 23. vers 24. But it may be that some men will obiect and say that these places seeme to be vnderstood of those onely which haue made as it were a real contract or haue priuate conference with the diuell the which is a thing that themselues will confesse to be abominable But as for all those which vse any other kind of conceit or deuise whether by word character or otherwise so it be not manifestly wicked and blasphemous they will defend their doings therein to be good or at least wise not hurtfull To these I answer that let them looke into the booke of God and they shall finde the one as well as the other to be condemned as namely in the 18. cap. of Deut. the spirit of God hath these words viz. Let none be found among you that maketh his sonne or his daughter to goe through the fire or that vseth witchcraft or a regarder of times or a marker of the flying of foules or a sorcerer or a charmer or that counselleth with spirits or a sooth-sayer or that asketh counsell of the dead For all that doe such things are abomination vnto the Lord and because of those abominations the Lord thy God doth cast them out before thee c. VVhere we may euidently see and perceiue a difference to be made betweene the one and the oother and that not onely contracts counselling and conference with spirits is forbidden but also all other kinds of vaine friuolous and superstitious artes are counted abominable vnto the Lord as namely witchcraft the original words do signifie him which vseth diuining of which sort are those which will tell of things lost stolne or conueied away and other such like hidden and secret things Secondly regarders of times as they are which will haue one time more lucky then another To be borne at one hower more vnfortunate then at another To take a iourney or any other enterprise in hand to be more dangerous or prosperous at one time then at another As likewise if such a festiuall day fall vpon such a day of the weeke or such like we shall haue such a yeare following and many other such like vaine speculations set downe by our astrologians hauing neither footing in gods word nor yet natural reason to support them But being grounded onely vpon the superstitious imagination of mans braine Wherefore this kinde is much spoken against in the booke of God as I haue somewhat touched before The next are the markers of the flying or noise of foules as they which prognosticate death by the croaking of rauens or the hideous crying of owles in the night Or some misfortune if a hare do crosse a man with many other such like vaine and wicked toyes By sorcerers in this place seemeth to be vnderstood those wicked persons which take in hand to hurt any man in his body or goods wherefore the old translation termeth them maleficos as it were harme-doers or workers of mischiefe And because these kind of people doe oftentimes vse crafty and cunning sleights to bring their matters to passe therfore they are by Tremellius called Praestigiatores of their iugling trickes of leger demaine whereby the senses of men being deluded they would seeme to doe one thing when as they doe another and that by another meanes then in shew they pretend And of this sort seeme our witches to be among vs whose doings in this behalfe it would belong and needles to recount seeing that they be so well knowne by common speach and experience As for Inchanters and Charmers for they are both one I haue spoken somewhat before although not all that might be said to that purpose These are they which by vsing of certaine conceited words characters circles amulets and such like vaine and wicked trumpery by gods permission doe worke great maruailes as namely in causing of sicknesse as also in curing diseases in mens bodies And likewise binding

vpon the feete girdle and crowne of the said Diana the which if a man did vse hauing written them out and carrying them about him hee should haue good lucke in all his businesses and hereof sprung the prouerbe Ephesiae literae where one vseth any thing which bringeth good successe And it is very likely that a great part of those bookes which are said to be burned in this 19 chapter of the Actes were filled with such like vaine and friuolous deuices Of which sort we haue an infinite number also vsed amongst vs as namely in Palmestry where mens fortunes are tolde by looking on the palmes of the hands and also by foredeeming of euill lucke by pulling on the shooe awry or by the falling of salt toward one and likewise of good lucke if drinke be spilled vpon a man or if he finde olde iron And furthermore by erecting of a figure to tell of stolne goods By the turning of a sieue to shew who hath bewitched one By curing diseases with certaine words or characters or such like with many more foolish and superstitious vanities needles heere to recite seeing that by these fewe we may easily iudge of the rest All which are an abomination vnto the Lord in so much as hee ouerthroweth and rooteth out whole countries because of the same as hee did the Chananites before the children of Israel according as it is set downe in the afore-said 18. cap. of Deuteronomy vers 13. 14. And afterward when the Israelites had committed the like offence the Lord laid the like punishment vpon them as it is manifest in the second booke of the Kings cap. 17 vers 17. where it is said that they made their sonnes and their daughters to passe through the fire and vsed witchcraft and inchauntment yea solde themselues to doe euill in the sight of the Lord to anger him wherefore the Lord was exceeding wroth with Israel and put them out of his sight And if he deale so with whole nations yea with his owne peculiar people among whom no doubt some were godly and religious and abhorred the aforesaid sinnes what shall those particular men look for which do practise the same and take pleasure therein truely nothing else but the heauie and iust iudgement and vengeance of God to be laid vpon them for this their wickednes yea sometimes euen in this world either vpon themselues or vpon their posterity but especially eternall damnation in the world to come with the diuell whome they serue as it appeareth in the 21. chapter of the Apoc. vers 8. where it is said that the fearefull and vnbeleeuing and the abominable and murtherers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all lyers shall haue their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death Neither let those which goe and seeke to such vaine wizzards and superstitious sorcerers for counsaile helpe thinke to escape the like punishment For the Lord in the 19. chapter of Leuiticus vers 31. forbiddeth the going vnto such in these words You shall not regard them that worke with spirits neither soothsayers ye shall not seeke to them to be defiled by them I am the Lord your God As if hee should haue said see that ye make no account of magitians inchaunters soothsayers or any such like vaine persons and much lesse goe and seeke vnto them for helpe or counsaile lest ye be defiled therewith for it is no better then spirituall fornication for I am the Lord your God which doe abhorre all such vncleanenes who also am able and will surely punish the same And therefore hee saith in the 20. chapter of Leuiticus vers 6. If any turne after such as worke with spirits and after soothsayers to goe a whoring after them then will I set my face against that person will cut him off from among his people The which place albeit it seemeth to be meant of earthly punishment only when as God doth root them so out that there remaineth no memoriall of them as it were in this world that may sound to the good credit of them or theirs Yet it may be vnderstood also of their eternall destruction For euen as Abraham Isaac and Iacob are said Genesis cap. 25. vers 8. cap. 35. vers 29. cap. 49. vers 33. to be gathered vnto their people when they departed this life that is to be receiued into the fellowship of the Saints of God which were gone before them into heauen So those which seeke vnto sorcerers inchanters and such like when they are said to be cut off from among their people may thereby be vnderstood to be for euer separated from the company of the faithfull and to be cast out into hell with the diuel his angels And no maruel though this heauie iudgement bee laid vpon them for there seemeth to be no more difference in effect betwixt them that seeke to the afore-said sorcerers and other such like superstitious practisers then is betwixt a thiefe and him that is accessarie vnto his felony or a traytour and him that consenteth thereunto For although they bee not chiefe and principall actours in this wicked busines yet by seeking vnto such persons they shew their loue and liking of those means which the afore-said persons dovse and that they doe giue their consent thereunto and doe allowe of the same But what of that will some say Indeede if so be that we knew those whome wee seeke vnto to be such as you would beare vs in hand they were then your comparison might well holde But seeing that we are ignorant thereof nay we doe rather take them to be contrarie and their meanes which they vse to be good and lawfull and therfore we are of this opinion that wee may goe vnto them without offence to God albeit vnto others which are not so perswaded of them wee thinke that they doe amisse if they goe vnto such for whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne To these I answer That herein their knowledge and iudgement is very shallow for the principle and ground which they would seeme to stand vpon in this point is taken out of the 14. chapter of the Epistle to the Romanes and is to bee vnderstood of things indifferent onely as the circumstance of that whole chapter doth set downe vnto vs of which sort are meates and drinkes and the obseruation of festiuall daies The which things albeit of themselues they be neither good nor bad yet in regard of the person and the minde or intent of him that vseth them they may sometimes bee otherwise For he that in vsing them is not fully setled in conscience but is in doubt whether the vse thereof be lawfull or not doth greatly offend and the reason is alleadged in the 23. verse of the same chapter where it is said that Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne Now it is certaine by the 10. chapter of this Epistle that true faith is grounded vpon