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