Selected quad for the lemma: peace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
peace_n	county_n	justice_n	session_n	5,221	5	10.3826	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85006	A true and exact relation of the severall informations, examinations, and confessions of the late witches, arraigned and executed in the county of Essex. Who were arraigned and condemned at the late sessions, holden at Chelmesford before the Right Honorable Robert, Earle of Warwicke, and severall of his Majesties justices of peace, the 29 of July, 1645. Wherein the severall murthers, and devillish witchcrafts, committed on the bodies of men, women, and children, and divers cattell, are fully discovered. Published by authoritie.	H. F.	1645 (1645)	Wing F23; Thomason E296_35; ESTC R200218	28,902	45

A true and exact RELATION Of the severall Informations Examinations and Confessions of the late Witches arraigned and executed in the County of Essex Who were arraigned and condemned at the late Sessions holden at Chelmesford before the Right Honorable ROBERT Earle of Warwicke and severall of his Majesties Justices of Peace the 29 of July 1645. Wherein the severall murthers and devillish Witchcrafts committed on the bodies of men women and children and divers cattell are fully discovered Published by Authoritie LONDON Printed by M. S. for Henry Overton and Benj. Allen and are to be sold at their Shops in Popes-head Alley 1645. THE PREFACE INGENUOUS READER THou hast here presented to thee a sad Emblem of the strange sleights and cunning subtilties whereby Satan labours daily to insnare soules and at last to bring them to utter ruine who being that grand impostor soone began this worke even in the morning of the Creation in the body of a Serpent miraculously to reason dispute speake and conferre with Evah and never ceased till he had laid the honour of those glorious creatures in the dust and therefore is called that old Serpent that deceiveth all the world by whose deceitfull promises and subtill devices for his own end and desire of their destruction hath insnared and drawne these poore silly creatures into these horrid and detestable practises of renouncing God and Christ and entring into a solemne league and contract with the Devill a As one them witnesed in open Court Rebecca VVest the thought whereof is sufficient to cause a man to be filled with horror and astonishment The Law and expresse command of God doth allow of no familiarity or inquiry of any other spirit but from himselfe as Isa 8.19 And when they shall say unto you seeke unto them that have familiar spirits and unto Wizards that peep and that mutter should not a people seeke unto their God c. Vnder this interrogative is understood this affirmative A people should inquire of no other spirit but of their God onely By which also it is evident that all spirits that doe suffer themselves to be inquired at are evill spirits and therefore b Angeli boni non possunt peccare confirmatiper gratiam Angeli mali per malitiam obstinati non possunt benè velle Devills And though these devillish practises were frequent and common amongst heathens and infidells who usually held familiarity with these spirits and many inquired of them in their Oracles and therefore called those spirits that gave answer by them Daemons c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 q d. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 peritus ex 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 disco scio divido Vide Lexic Pasoris 157. of their skill and knowledge in soretelling things to come yet now when the light of the Gospel shineth so gloriously that such a generation of poore deluded soules and to such a number as hath of late been discovered should be found amongst us is much more matter of admiration and astonishment d See Deut. 8.14 15. I doubt not but these things may seeme as incredible unto some as they are matter of admiration unto others Nolle nimis sapere saith the Poet It is true wisdome not to be too wise that is not to know nor desire to know more then is allowed or needfull needfull not in our desires but in Gods decree Here then let reasonable men be perswaded not too much as is usuall to swell with indignation or to be puffed with impatience where God doth not apertly reveale and plainly as they desire and thinke needfull the subtile Engines and mysticall craft of the Devill in the machinations of Witches and Sorcerers but soberly modestly and discreetly so far forth-be contented to pursue the triall and just way of their discoverie as with sense with reason with Religion is just and righteous knowing that whatsoever is beyond these lists is reasonlesse senslesse and impious The greatest doubt and question will be whether it be in the power of the Devill to perform such asportation and locall translation of the bodies of Witches it seemeth in reason a thing whereunto the Devill is unable And whether these supernaturall works which are above the power of man to do and proper only to Spirits whether they are reall or only imaginary and fained In answer to which it is very probable that the Devill hath power to dispose and transport the bodies of men and women where God himself doth not countermand or prohibit as instance when hee took the body of our Saviour and set it upon a pinacle of the Temple and these supernaturall acts may appear to the outward sense as Histories and many other true reports and Records of other wonderfull works and supernaturall feats all alike offered to the outward sense It is true that a Spirit and a spirituall work simply in it self in the own nature and substance cannot be seen by any bodily eye or be deprehended by any outward sense notwithstanding as they do mix themselves with bodily substances are certainly tried and subject to the sense For illustration hereof instance may be given in holy Scripture as the Sorcerers of Egypt where water was turned into blood the rod into a Serpent c. By a spirituall power their eyes did manisestly see the water and as apparently after see the blood and the rod turned into a Serpent the eye being a true and undeceived witnesse of both Things imagined and fancied are easily discerned from those things that are reall and true objects But it may be demanded whether a Spirit or Devill can cause such a transmutation of the bodies of Witches into those severall shapes and forms of Cats Dogges Birds and other creatures as is often reported where Witches and Sorcerers have lived The answer is that it is impossible in nature and in the ordinary unchangeable course of all things created by God that one individuall and continued substance or entire thing should be wholly divided from it self and yet be it self e Diabolus Deiaemulus quo se fallaci similitudine insinuet in animos simp●icium Calv. lib. 1. Instit cap. 8. Sect. 2. for there can be no reall or true transmutation of one substance or nature into another but either by creation or generation Now creation is the worke of in infinite power and therefore of God alone The Devill then cannot create neither can he do it by any course of true generation f Naturaest ordinaria Dei potestas because a true and reall generation hath many precedent alterations and by little and little in space of time g Generatio non est nisi in tempore idque apparata materia per antecessionem mutationis c. Scal. de subt exercit Sect. 6 growes unto the perjection of that kind unto which it doth tend or is begotten therefore they are but seeming and jugling transmutations of the Devill And here that saying of Augustine may be alledged De