of God for by Law we ought not to suffer a Witch to live but the sin is in inflicting punishment upon the innocent in Condemning them for Witches which are not Witches for a Witch in the Scriptures is only a seducer of the people to Idolatry and for killing without a stroak of the hand or some material instrument God claimeth it as his own Prerogative proper to himself only Deut. 32.39 1 Sam. 2.6 so that imputing it to any other is against the Scriptures Fourteenthly Some will object and say Although there were no Murtheâ—ing Witches spoken of in the Scriptures or any such dâ—scription of a Witch as one that maketh a League with the Devil or that lyeth with Incubus or Succubus or that hath Imps or Biggs or privie Marks by which they are known yet such may be sprung up since the Scriptures were written as new sins increase daily To this I answer If there be new sins it must be in reference to the Law for that maketh sin to be sin because it is a breach of the Law now No man may adde any thing to the Law of God Deut. 12.32 and therefore we may not suppose that there be any sins that are not mentioned in the Law also such sins are not mentioned in the Gospel and Saint Paul saith Whosoever preacheth any other Gospel than that we have received let him be accursed Gal. 1.9 Fifteenthly it hath been objected by some That a Iudge or a Iury-man is not to question any truth of opinion concerning the power of Witches or what Witches are but to be guided by the Law of the Nation and to go according to the evidence of Witnesses and if any one will come and witness upon Oath against any men or woman that he or she is a Witch the Iury ought to cast her and the Iudge ought to condemn her To this Objection I answer Deut. 17.6 At the mouth of two or three witnesses shall he that is worthy of death be put to death but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death It is taken for granted that a man or woman is sometimes given over to bear false witness therefore God hath made it one of his Commandements Thou shalt not bear false witness and here in Deut. 17.6 God hath given us this rule to avoyd false witness That one Witness shall not pass as a sufficient evidence upon Life and Death and yet many have wrongfully suffered death at the mouth of one Witness contrary to this Law without examination of the condition of the Witness whether Mad or foolishly presumptuous or malicious Secondly I answer Where two or three Witnesses are to pass for true evidence against any Person it is to be understood only in matters prescribed by the Word of God as Murther by an instrument smitten or cast at a person or by the hand or by some apparent infallible way Numb 35. 16 c. but not in matters that are no way grounded upon the Word but are flat contrary to the Word of God and are only mens imaginations for we have no warrant to put any person to death upon any imaginary offence if it were likely that two or three should agree together in such a testimony neither ought a Judge or any Magistrate to administer an Oath or take or hear an Oath in any thing Moral that is not prescribed in Gods Word but only imaginary and if two or three would swear point blank against any person to be a Witch they ought not to be suffered to swear against any in that manner except it be to swear against such Witches as the Scripture speaketh of according the whole discourse of this Book and therein also they ought to give a reason of their Oath and the Judge and Jury to consider it Thirdly I answer That Oathes that have been usually taken against many persons in that kinde are not to be regarded though true as that such a one hath been seen to have a Rat or Mouse creep upon her or under her Coats or was heard talking to her Imps these are not material testimonies but are foolish and sensless arguments not grounded in the Word of God Further if the Witnesses can swear that any person keepeth and feedeth Imps it is not a material Oath for it is as lawful to keep a Rat or Mouse or Dormouse or any Creature tame as to keep a tame Rabbit or Bird and one may be an Imp as well as another and so may a Flea or Louse bythe same reason and so the Devil need not go far for a bodily shape to appear in or to suck mens or womens flesh in and if these were material Oathes who then may not be proved a Witch and yet there was an honest woman so always formerly reputed executed at Cambridge in the year 1645. for keeping a tame Frogge in a Box for sport and Phantasie which Phantasie of keeping things tame of several species is both lawful and common among very innocent harmless people as Mice Dormice Grashoppers Caterpillers Snakes yea a Gentleman to please his Phantasie in trying conclusions did once keep in a Box a Maggot that came out of a Nut till it grew to an incredible bigness all these are Arguments of no force yea I further say if two or three would swear that they saw such a Creature suck any persons flâ—sh it doth not prove it to be a Devil or that the Devil is in it or therefore the Person a Witch Lastly I answer If a Judge or a Jury be bound by the Law of the Nation to proceed according to that Law yet they are bound more by the Law of God to proceed according to his Law and if there be any Law of any Nation made to put to death people for any supposed imaginary Witchcraft not spoken of in Gods Word that Law ought to be abrogated for we may not adde to Gods Law Deut. 12.32 and in the mean time that Nation that maintaineth such a Law that Judge that Jury which prosecuteth such a Law being not grounded in but contrary to the Law of God they all hazard themselves under the Curse of Gods Law Exod. 22.23 24. Sixteenthly The last and wisest Objection is this It is maniest in the Scriptures that a Witch may kill by Witchcraft for it appeareth Numb 25.9 that after Balaam had tried all ways to Curse the people there dyed of the people twenty four thousand and although he could not hurt them by Inchantment as he affirmeth chap. 23.23 There is no Inchantment against Israel yet it appeareth Revel 23.14 that he taught Balac to lay a stumbling-block before the people in intâ—cing them to commit Idolatry which brought down the anger of God upon them that they dyed Numb 25.9 To this I answer This indeed is the only Witchcraft that can kill or hurt any man according to the whole Discourse of the First Book of this Treatise seducing the people to Idolatry whereby they do
know things hidden or things to come but of that more in the ninth description and indeed most of the following descriptions or appellations in the text were linken to the second to lying Divinations as also linked to each other yet because the manner of their actions were various the Lord here describeth them according to the variety of their actions all tending to one end and that is to oppose the way of God and the Prophets for gain A Question resolved SEeing it is manifest by the Scriptures as appeareth in this second description of a Witch that he that useth Divinations is a Witch and one main pretence in giving Divinations was Dreams and Visions of the night then it may bee supposed that he that telleth a Dream to his neighbour thereby fore-telling things to come useth Divinations and ought to bee censured as a Witch or else must needs bee a Prophet To this it is answered That Dreams in the Scripture do appear to be of two sorts the first sort were Prophetical wherein men had a direct command from God to go and Prophesie to the people and these Dreams came ordinarily to the Prophets upon so many several occasions as were needful for the Prophets to admonish the people to shew them their sins and declare the truth to them and for the declaring of future things to the people either concerning Judgements of God that would come upon them for their sins if they did not amend or concerning some great work that God would do for his people that feared him and these Dreams were proper to the Prophets only Numb 12.6 and they that did falsly pretend such Dreams and Inspirations to dissemble the Prophets to seduce the people to Idolatry were Witches or false Prophets according to this second description of using lying Divinations and ought to bee slain Deut. 13.1.5 Secondly the second sort of Dreams that we read of in the Scriptures were warning Dreams whereby men were forewarned of things to come but were not thereby sent to Prophesie to the people by special command from God but were forewarned First for the avoyding of danger that might come upon them or others whom this Dream concerned or at the least that they might know the danger before it came and these Dreams were common to many as well as to the Prophets both to the godly and ungodly Mat. 2.12 13 and 27.19 Gen. 40.8 and Chap. 41. Dan. 2.1 Secondly these sort of warning Dreams fore-shewed a blessing upon the godly to encourage them Gen. 37.5.9 and for these sorts of Dreams we read by these examples in the Scriptures that they are common to all sorts of people and useful either to hear or to declare but whosoever did declare a Prophetical Dream was either a true Prophet indeed or else a lying Enthusiast or false Prophet such as were the Idol Priests of the Heathen to seduce the people as is shewed in the Scriptures before mentioned in this second description and also in Ieremiah 23.16.25 And whereas some may question whether Dreams are now sent by God to forewarn as in ancient times so long as we have no Scripture to the contrary but rather for it wee may not deny it and do also finde by common experience that some have dreamed of their Childe falling into the fire and some into the water and of other several dangers concerning themselves and others of which some have come to pass that might have been prevented by prayer and diligent care I know a man that was fore-warned in a Dream of these Wars in England before they began or were-like to bee but Prophetical Dreams are not usual in these days Yet here it may further be noted that in some case a man may also declare a Prophetical Dream and yet be neither a true Prophet nor a Witch or false Prophet and that hath sometimes been seen by experience in such as have been troubled in their phantasies through distemper of body or other distracting occasions hurting their phantasie they imagine that God hath spoken to them by Dream or Vision or Voyce heard or by an Angel and hath bidden them go Prophesie such and such things and these are to be charitably judged of and not rashly censured this distemper of body may be discerned by the effects that is Death or Sickness following within a short time after if not prevented by the Phisitians also troubled phansie by outward distractions may be discerned by the fore-going occasions that have troubled them and hurt their phansies and here is required great discretion in all that shall see or hear a Man or Woman declare a Message from God as he thinketh for the intent of a false Prophet is only to deceive or seduce for advantage of gain or preferment some have written concerning Dreams that some Dreams are Diabolical which are only Philosophical Notions having no grounds in the Scripture And whereas it is manifest in the Scriptures that God speaketh to men by Dreams and interpretations of Dreams are only by the Spirit of God Gen. 40.8 I think it presumption and Phantasie to adde any such distinction of Dreams except Enthusiasmes which although they are of the Devil yet are no real Dreams but Lyes for the Enthusiasts did falsly pretend that they had Dreamed Ier. 23 25.27.32 Natural Dreams I deny not which come from the multitude of business and from the natural disposition of the body but none of these are any way concerning future events but are only the objects of our Natural affections and although some of these are lascivious Dreams some Murtherous some Covetous and in that sence may be called Diabolical yet in these Dreams are nothing besides Nature neither hath the Devil any further act in them than in our corrupt stragling affections in the day time and though our thoughts are sometimes worse in the night than in the day it is because our affections are busied in the day with other objects preventing such thoughts So much for the Second description of a Witch in the text that is an user of Divinations or false Prophesies The Third Description THe Third description of a Witch in the text Deut. 18.10 11. is Planetarius let there not be found among you a Planetarian some have thought by a Planetarian here is meant such a one as did observe the course and influence of the Planets and from thence gave predictions of future events that these were unlawful Arts and ought not to be practised and therefore have absolutely condemned judiciall Astrology but if they be right in this opinion how then do they answer to Psal. 19.1 The Firmament sheweth the works of his hands this is not to be understood only of the making of the Canopy of Heaven for then it had been said the Firmament is the works of his hands he that liketh not this exposition let him read Cornelius Gemma de natura Comeâ—ae and God himself speaketh of the influence of the Heavens Iob 38.31 Canst thou
his testimony was partly of impossibilities partly meer prevarications and lyes to the dis-honour of Gods Majesty and the shedding of innocent bloud But seeing then this miserable Massacre of people throughout the Christian World hath been but a trick of Antichrist to blinde the World that thereby he might the more easily and quietly destroy the Church under the name of Witches Surely if good Christians have been destroyed in this impious way then thousands of the Souls of such are now under the Altar Revel 6.9 10. crying How long Lord holy and true will it be ere thou avenge our bloud upon them that dwell upon the earth being some of them the very people that have been destroyed for the Word of God and for the testimony of the truth and therefore have been brought into these murderous Inquisitors hands And although it may be said These in England have not been slain for the testimony of the truth yet I answer The Church standeth for the testimony of the truth and this persecution was invented against the Church and so they as Members of the Church have been slain by the enemies invention for had they been of that Popish crew and fighters against the Church those wrongful accusations had not been brought against them by them But it may be said Some of these were Scoulds and Brawlers therefore their Souls are not under the Altar I answer yea and many honest Livers that have been executed in that kinde lately and in times past but whatsoever they were if they were unjustly slain know that if God would avenge the bloud of Cain will he not avenge the bloud of these Before the destruction of Germany that Nation was so deluded by these Popish errours that they put to death thousands in that kinde of all sorts and that Nation was so carried away with that darksome Idolatrous opinion of Witches power that seldom came any thing cross but some were accused to have occasioned it as Witches and at last God sent destroying Plagues among them and their hearts were so hardened that they digged the dead out of the Graves to cut off their Heads to stay the Plague so blinde were they and so given over that rather than they would acknowledge Gods hand in all things they would say the dead in their Graves by the Devils help brought the plague and some Physicians among them were so bold to affirm it for truth who although they might be some way approved in Physick yet besides their horrible Atheism they shewed their silliness and it may be said of them as of many ignorant Physicians Inscitiae pallium maleficium incantatio A Cloak for a Physicians ignorance when he cannot finde the reason and the nature of the Disease he saith the Party is bewitched this hath indeed been written of by some worthy Authors but how and in what manner Senertus Lib. 4. de febribus cap. 2. he being loath to defile his pen with such an impious opinion saith I had rather refer the Reader to the writing of another man Hercul Saxoniae Lib. de plica cap. 11. than bring my self upon the Stage for broaching of such an opinion where also you may read the words of Herc. Saxon. aforesaid and hee shuffleth it off to Ioh. Vesino Leopoliensi as an opinion of his and he like an Atheist did indeed own that opinion That in Pelonia and Germany Witches after their execution and burial did commonly send destroying pestilence I think indeed the executing of so many innocent poor people did bring the Pestilence and the Sword and Famine all against them because they provoked God with their own inventions tending not only to Idolatry in imputing the Work of the Creator to a Creature but also to the shedding of innocent bloud Master Scot in his Discovery telleth us That our English people in Ireland whose posterity were lately barbarously cut off were much given to this Idolatry in the Queens time insomuch that there being a Disease amongst their Cattel that grew blinde being a common Disease in that Country they did commonly execute people for it calling them eye-biting Witches Great Britain hath been much infected with that Atheism and many people both in England and Scotland have been by foolish false accusations put to death for doing such things as are not in the power of men or of Devils to do but only of the Creator And before these Wars began what Atheistical reports were published of certain Lancashire people that they could transform themselves into Grey-hounds and into Men and Women again and pull down Butter and other provision from the Air or from whence any crack-brained accuser would imagine When King Chaerls went last to Scotland before these Wars as he came back again sayling over the River Humber the Vessel in which his Plate was carried was reported to be cast away and then was that Atheism so great even at the very Court of England that they reported Witches had done it instead of observing Gods supream Providence whereas Christ saith A Sparrow shall not fall to the ground without Gods providence since which we have had bloudy Wars and where is the Court now and now of late hath been in the year one thousand six hundred forty five that great slaughter of Men and Women called Witches at the Assizes at â—erry and at Chelmsford those poor accused people were watched day and night and kept from sleep with much cruelty till their Fancies being hurt they would confess what their Inquisitors would have them although it were a thing impossible and flat contrary to sense and Christian understanding to beleeve where for the removing of Objections it is to be noted That a Fancy so hurt with watching cannot afterward of a long time recant or deny that which they have confessed no more than a Hawk throughly tamed by watching can grow speedily wilde again although you give them their full sleep this manner of extorting confession and seeming to convict them being but ameer Jugling Trick invented by the Pope and their Trial in that kinde being Jugling Witchcraft it self that may make the wisest man confess any thing though never so false What troubles have followed this Slaughter blinde men may see A little before the Conquest of Scotland as is reported upon good intelligence the Presbytery of Scotland did by their own pretended authority take upon them to Summon Convent Censure and Condemn people to cruel death for Witches and as is credibly reported they caused four thousand to be executed by Fire and Halter and had as many in prison to be tried by them when God sent his conquering Sword to suppress them by occasion of which Wars there were many Ministers whereof many were Presbyters slain What is become of their Presbyterian Authority now Yet because there are some that slighting these observations will hardly be beaten from this conceit of Witches power which they have so long beleeved and will not yet think but that Witches have
be false and whosoever beleeveth that any Creature can be made by them or changed into better or worse or be any way transformed into any other kinde or likeness by any but by the Creator himself is assuredly an Infidel and worse than a Pagan So much for the words of the Council Yet here is to be noted that this great general Council that thought these people beleeved and confessed such things to be true in their apprehension did not then know the inhuman cruelty that was used upon those people by the cruel Inquisitors to compel and extort confession for their own gain they being maintained by the spoyl of such people being condemned Now for the Scriptures do but mark how those that maintain and report the power of VVitches have equalled their supernatural power with the Miracles of the Prophets of Christ and his Apostles it was the Miracle of Miracles that the Virgin Mary conceived with childe without a man they say a VVitch may do the same by Incubus as Bodin and other Popish VVriters affirm and that such a childe will naturally become a VVitch such a one they say Merlin was no but you say these were Atheists we beleeve not so But some will say the Devil can condense a body and lye carnally with a woman in the shape of a man but not beget yet it was a Miracle that Angels appeared to Abraham in the shape of men Gen. 18.2 yet they will say no but we beleeve the Devil may assume and raise a dead body for a time and so appear to a woman and lye with her and yet it was a Miracle at the suffering of Christ upon the Cross that dead bodies were raised for a time and appeared to many Matth. 27.52 yet a poor VVench was executed at the Assizes at Chelmsford who was compelled by the Inquisitor by keeping her from sleep and with promises and threatnings to confess that she was married to the Devil and that he lay with her six times in a mans shape no but yet some will say the Devil can take upon him an apparent Body and so may talk with a woman and seem to lye with her in shape of a man and so she shall be hanged for things seeming so yet it was a Miracle that Moses and Elias appeared to the Apostles in a Vision Matth. 17.3 Further Christ saith A Spiriâ— hath not flesh and bones Luke 24.39 and yet some say the Devil can condense a body some say he can assume a body some say he can have an apparent body thus do they make the Word of God of no validity by their groundless traditions for if the Devil can have so much as an apparent body what validity was in the words of Christ to take away the doubt of the Disciples when they supposed they saw a Spirit Where also is that foolish Doctrin of Imps sucking of men and women-Witches become Are those Imps bodies or spirits if bodies then who made them Without God was nothing made Joh. 1.3 if spirits then spirits can have bodily shape and flesh and bones and thus you make the words of Christ of none effect by your traditions Christ dispensed Devils to enter into the Herd of Swine and they went Mark 5.12 they say a Witch can do more she can send the Devil into men and women and children and cattel to kill them and to witch them to death God said to Satan All that Job hath is in thine hand Job 1.12 and Job himself all but his life Job 2.6 they say God permitteth a Witch to do more to send Satan to destroy a mans goods and cattel and children and life and all thus they deliver for Doctrin the traditions of men Iob said The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away blessed be the name of the Lord and acknowledged Gods hand in all things neither tempted he God foolishly But if one should be so afflicted now adays instead of acknowledging Gods sovereign hand all the poor Wives and Widows in a Country must be called Coram nobis as being accused to have done it Christ saith Revel 1.18 I have the keys of Hell and Death but they say God giveth the keys of Death likewise sometimes to an old Witch man or woman and permits them to witch men to death Christ saith A Sparrow falleth not to the ground without Gods providence Matth. 10 29. but they say God layeth his providence sometimes at the feet of an old Witch and permitteth her to send the Devil to destroy men and cattel some will say A VVitch cannot hurt a godly man but only a wicked man and yet God saith he is the Author of all affliction that cometh to the wicked Levit. 26. from the fourteenth verse to the thirty fourth Also the Scripture saith The Lord killeth and maketh alive 1 Sam. 2.6 maketh poor and maketh rich and in Deut. 32.39 There is no God with me I kill and give life I wound and make whole but they say God permitteth an old VVitch to send the Devil to kill and make poor and wound and a good VVitch can heal again by unwitching God did shut up every wombe of the House of Abimelech that they bare no children Gen. 20.18 they say a VVitch can do the same God permits it and make men and women barren Christ gave his Disciples power over Devils to cast them out Luke 9.1 they say a VVitch can send a Devil into men and cattel to afflict them and a good VVitch can cast them out by unwitching notwithstanding Christ saith Matth. 12.25 Every kingdom divided against it self is brought to desolation yet they say that is done by consent of the Devil when a good VVitch unwitcheth a man thus do they make the words of Christ of none effect by their traditions Christ came and appeared unto his Disciples and vanished away again invisible Luke 24.31 they say a VVitch can go invisible by the help of the Devil especially if one of the Ladies of the Fairies will but lend her Giges invisible ring Christ was lifted up into the Air and taken up out of their sight Acts 1.9 and Bodinus and other Popish VVriters affirm that a VVitch can be lifted away in the Air by drinking the broth of a sodden Infant but poor Germany that beleeved these Doctrins and in that confidence executed many people for VVitches was compelled afterward to boyl their children to quell their hunger and found by sad experience that there was no such vertue in that woful Liquor God said to Moses Go up into the mountain and dye Deut. 32.49,50 and he did so Chap. 34. vers 5. they say a VVitch can do so at the word of the Devil and dye when she lift to escape hanging and what is a more common report when a poor woman is laid in prison and there dyeth by grief and hard usage than to report the Devil promised her she should not be hanged and was as good as his word for she dyed in prison
their Confessions are not from themselves but from the Devil that so he might delude them that love not the truth but do urge and seek such Confessions against the truth as it is said in the eleventh verse For this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should beleeve a lye c. Ninthly Some will object and say They have helped search and have found Biggs and privie Marks upon such as have been accused to be Witches but I demand of them Where doth the Scriptures teach us that a Witch is known by Biggs or privie Marks I also answer That very few people in the World are without privie Marks upon their bodies as Moles or stains even such as Witchmongers call The Devils privie Marks which Marks Astrologians do affirm to be the characters of the Stars variously fixed upon men according to their Nativity and many an honest man or woman have such excrescences growing upon their bodies as these Witchmongers do call the Devils Biggs as for example There is a Disease often found in men or women in the seat of people called Hemorroids or Piles or the swelling of the Hemorroids veins a Disease well known to Physicians many times swelling forth in the seat of people that are ful of Melancholy bloud and are often found in fashion like Biggs and sometimes issuing forth bloud and for this Disease many have been accused by ignorant people and put to death for Witches this was part of the Evidence that was brought against Master Lewis a Minister executed at Berry in the year 1645. There are also found often times Excrescences upon the Bodies of men and women called Verrucae pensiles by the Physicians as we may read in Leonartus Fuchsius in the third Book of his Institutions of Physick chap. 26. where he reckoneth up the several preter-natural tumors of mens Bodies these are a certain kind of long fleshie Warts in fashion of Biggs or Teats and do grow commonly on honest people or any sort of people and upon Beasts and yet for these Excrescences being but outward tumors of the Body many innocent people have been condemned and executed Another Tumor is found by the Physicians called Thymion both in Greek and Latine rising on several parts of the body like Biggs or Teats these and other kindes of preternatural Tumors of which we may read in Physick Authors which sometimes being fell and full of pain by reason of the rankness of bloud that feedeth them and therefore issuing forth bloud are called of ignorant Witchmongers Devils Biggs There be also some Natural parts of the Body called by a general name Glandulae and by a particular name Tonsillae in the jaws of people and in some people do plainly appear under the Tongue like little Biggs which some ignorant Witchmongers having found in people have taken them as a great evidence against poor innocent people and for these have many been executed but let any wise man consider what body of whatsoever constitution especially of poor people that commonly want food can spare a daily exhausting of bloud to nourish Imps sucking them without an exhausting and over-throwing of their own Natural lives whâ—reas few poor or old people but through want of nourishment and weakness of nature have rather want of bloud than an overpluss of bloud There be also often found in Women with Childe and in Women that do Nurse children with their Breasts and in Women that by any accidental cause do want their menstruous courses certain spots black and blew as if they were pinched or beaten which some common ignorant people call Fairy-nips which notwithstanding do come from the causes aforesaid and yet for these have many ignorant Searchers given Evidence against poor innocent people But if any man will yet further cavil against Philosophy and Physick Rules then let him shew me any such description of a Witch in all the Scriptures as Biggs or Teats or privie Marks or Imps sucking them or kept by them and further I say that for any kinde of Biggs or any things like Biggs more than hath been found by Physicians to be preternatural Tumors or Diseases of the Body or else Natural parts to beleeve is folly and madness and to affirm is a phantastick Lye invented by the Devil and the Pope Tenthly Some men will Object and say If Witches have not power to afflict and torment and kill People and Cattel how cometh it to pass that after the angring of such an old man or woman or such a lamâ— man or woman that came to my House and desired relief and I rated her away and gave her no relief or did not give her that which she desired such and such crosses and losses came upon me or such a Childe was taken in such a manner with such a Sickness presently after or within few days after his or her coming to my door To this I answer They that make this Objection must dwell very remote from Neighbours or else must be known to give very little or no relief to the poor if it can be said at any time when a cross cometh upon them that one poor body or other hath not been at their door that day or not many days before let it happen at any time whatsoever shall this then be laid to the charge of him or her that came last begging to their door then by that reason no man in England can at any time be afflicted but he must accuse some poor body or other to have bewitched him for Christ saith The poor ye shall have always and I think no man of ability is long free from poor coming to his door Secondly I answer God hath given it as a strict Command to all men to relieve the poor Levit. 25.35 and in the next Chapter it followeth vers 14 15. Whosoever hearkneth not to all the Commandements of the Lord to do them whereof relieving the poor is one the Lord will send several crosses and afflictions and diseases upon them as followeth in the Chapter and therefore men should look into the Scriptures and search what sins bring afflictions from Gods hand and not say presently what old man or woman was last at my door that I may hang him or her for a Witch yea we should rather say Because I did not relieve such a poor body that was lately at my door but gave him harsh and bitter words therefore God hath laid this affliction upon me for God saith Exod. 22.23.24 If thou any way afflict widdows and fatherless and they at all cry unto me I will surely hear their cry and my wrath shall wax hot against thee Thirdly I answer as Aesop saith in a Fable Volunt homines ut plurimum quando suâ culpâ aliquid sibi acciderit adversi infortunam vel daemonem culpam conferre ut se crimine exuant and in his Moral he saith Homâ—nes minâ—me veniâ dâ—gni sunt qui cum liberè peâ—cent fortunam vel dâ—emonem accusant
So may I say of the most part of the World who if by their own folly and negligence they wrong themselves their Children or their Cattel they then accuse their Neighbour of Witchcraft or if by their sins they bring down Gods Judgements they then say they are bewitched ascribing all to the Devil and Witches never beholding Gods hand or acknowledging that God is just and themselves sinners Eleventhly Some wil stil object and say What though there be no murtherâ—ng nor afflicting Witch mâ—ntâ—oned in the Scripture nor any command given to put Wâ—tches to death for Murthers may not this common opinion of all men go for current unless we can prove it by Scrâ—ptures what shall one or two mens opâ—nions be preferred before the common tenent of all men To this I answer It was the common tenent of all the Heathen that Idols were gods and ought to be worshipped it was the common opinion of all the Scribes and Pharisees that it was a sin to eat with unwashen hands and yet the Scripture telleth us that these things were false Secondly I answer God gave his Laws that we should add nothing to them nor take any thing from them Deut. 12.32 why then should any man be so bold contrary to the Commandement of God to make it a Law to put poor people to death upon foolish and feigned suppositions or by the common tenent and general blinde opinion of people without ground in the Scriptures Twelfthly Some will yet object and say If we may not conclude Murthers and trials of Witches from Bâ—ggs and privie Marks and sinking and swimming in the water because we have no warrant or mention of such trials in the Scriptures then by the same consequence we may not try a Murtherer by any trial but such as is mentioned in the Scriptures but this is taken for granted that if a murthered man bleedeth new and fresh when the Murtherer is near the dead Carcase it discovereth the Murtherer and many Murtherers have been discovered by Gods providence in that manner and have confessed the Murther and yet there is no warrant for this trial of a Murtherer in Scripture To this subtile Argument I answer That a Judge may be too presumptuous in condemning a man upon any such evidence as that is for a dead body will for the most part bleed fresh and new if it lyeth two or three days unburied as it is often seen in those that dye a natural death upon their Bed and not Murthered the bloud doth many times issue out of their mouthes in great abundance at such times as the Humours of the body begin to putrifie and by the same reason a murthered Body will when it hath lain two or three days issue forth bloud both at the mouth and at the wound whether the Murtherer be present or not And what if God by his providence hath so brought it to pass sometimes that the murthered body hath bled when the Murtherer hath been present and so at the sight of the bloud the Murtherers Conscience hath so accused him that he hath been driven to confess the Murther we may not thence conclude or argue that this is a certain trial of a Murtherer without his own Confession or other manifest proofs for by that means we may sometimes condemn a guiltless man that standeth by â—t the same time of issuing forth bloud from the dead body which is a common and a natural thing Seconâ—ly I answer this subtile Objection thus Murther by the hand is a certain thing we know it by experience and also the Scripture speaketh of it and for the trial and finding out of Murther when we finde a man murthered wee have an ordinance in the Scriptures Deut. 21. the seven first verses They were to make diligent inquisition according to the Law of Moses and in the seventh verse every man ought to clear himself that his hand hath not shed the bloud of him that was slain and if God blesseth his own ordinance of making such strict search and inquiry by this wonderful and miraculous kinde of bleeding as you suppose it to be yet there is the ground of it it is his own ordinance and therefore God blesseth it and discovereth the Murther But now to apply this to a Witch there is no consequence at all for when we finde a man dead or when any party is diseased we have not any ordinance in the Scripture to make search who hath bewitched such a man or killed such a man by Witchcraft but whose hand hath slain him As also in Numb 35.16 who hath smitten him with an instrument of Iron or any material instrument or hand-weapon wee may not then expect that God should answer mens fancies and vain imaginations of Murthering by Witchcraft that have no ordinance in Scripture as he doth his own Ordinances and for sinking and swimming Biggs and privie Marks that may as well happen to one man as to another to make them signs and trials of Witches or Murtherers is a groundless thing and indeed at first invented by the Popes Inquisitors who rather than they would not insnare whom they aimed at to put them to death they would make any thing a sign or token of a Witch and if all these signs that these Popish tyrants have affirmed to be signs were as they say true signs of Witches then all people under the Heavens might be by one sign or other proved to be Witches these signs may as well signifie a Thief or a Cut-purse as a Witch being indeed no signs at all Thirteenthly Some will object and say If we may not suppose that Witches can kill or afflict people by Witchcraft except we have ground and warrant for it in the Scriptures then by the same reason we may not hang a Thief for Felony for by the Scriptures he ought to have restored four-fold and we finde no warrant in Scripture to put him to death To this it is answered to put a Thief to death for Theft is either lawful or unlawful if it be not lawful by the Scriptures though a thing commonly done then we may not prove any thing lawful by instancing in a thing unlawful Secondly If it be lawful to put a Thief to death without warrant from the Scripture as yee suppose it to be yet therein we go beyond our warrant only in the matter of punishment which punishment yet falleth upon the guilty Thief who is certainly convicted by infallible testimony according to Gods ordinance but whosoever putteth man or woman to death for bewitching people to death or for afflicting man or beast with diseases by Witchcraft goeth beyond his warrant in matter of guilt for the Scripture no where saith that a Witch was or can be guilty of any such thing as killing by Witchcraft or afflicting by Diseases or any cross or adversity by Witchcraft upon men or cattel and so in this we sin not in inflicting greater punishment upon a Witch then is due by the Law