Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
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A85867
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Select cases of conscience touching vvitches and vvitchcrafts. By Iohn Gaule, preacher of the Word at Great Staughton in the county of Huntington.
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Gaule, John, 1604?-1687.
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1646
(1646)
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Wing G379; Thomason E1192_1; ESTC R202117
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42,863
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218
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purpose as Witch-searching or Witch-finding not onely Lawfull but laudable not onely warrantable but commendable withall In Deut. 18. 10. There shall not be found among you scil. Gods People c. This imports an Authority from God to seek out such Else how should it be knowne whether such were to bee found amongst them yea or no In 1 Sam. 28. 7. Sauls Authority injoyning his Servants Seeke me a woman that hath a Familiar Spirit was not unwarrantable but his purpose onely But every way commendable was Josiahs spying out of such 2. King 23. 24. as intirely both proceeding from obedience and tending to Reformation 2. That the Art of Witch-finding is very Difficult 1. Because Satan is subtile and has even here a 1000 deluding Arts and wayes 2. Most men are ignorant of his Stratagems enterprizes devices 3. Witchcraft it selfe is a darke mystery of iniquitie 4. It is so particular a Depravation that it can hardly be ghest at or imagined by any semblance of those common feeds of corruptions that are in Men 5. Even Witches themselves are ignorant of this their owne Art 6. The true markes of a Witch or mentall Characters are not easie to be discerned 3. That the office of Witch-finding is exceeding doubtful Because he that offers to take upon him such an office cannot I am afraid to give satisfaction to these doubts and the like 1. Though peradventure hee may have procured some Authoritie from men yet whether he be hereunto called and inabled by God 2. Whether he is able to execute it with a good conscience voyd of offence both towards God and towards men 3. Whether he have any certaine and infallible Rules of Discerning to proceed by 4. Whether in this undertaking he aim not more at a privat Advantage then at the publick Good 5. Whether he often times uses not unlawfull and indirect meanes of Discoverie or incourages not the Common People to use the same 6 Whether hee may not give occasion to Defame Ten that are Innocent before he descover one that is guilty 7. Whether his Carriages in this business may not be a great occasion to augment the vulgar Peoples superstitions and very dangerously superstitious opinions suspitions traditions perswasions affections admirations and Relations I propose this to be well considered because the Country People talke already and that more frequently more affectedly of the infallible and wonderfull power of the Witchfinders then they doe of God or Christ or the Gospell preached 8. Whether peremptorily to pronounce before-hand what multitudes of Witches are to be found in every Country of England be not besides a wicked Calumny an irreparable Infamie to the Church of England in causing the adversaries of the Reformed Religion to blaspheme Besides all this I require ful satisfaction in these Doubts also For I am not satisfied that such an office ought to be taken upon them by any privat persons as a Calling Profession occupation or Trade of Life Because if any Lawfulnesse be in such a kind of Calling it must either be as ordinary or as extraordinary 1. I conceive not as an Ordinary calling 1. Because ordinary Callings have ordinary Principles Grounds Precepts Rules Documents Prescriptions Directions Examples Presidents Exercises Practises c. 2. Ordinary Callings have Ordinary Derivations Propagatious Continuation c. 3. Wee worthily confute the Papists for setting up the office or Calling of an Exorcist as Ordinary and constant in the Church Of whose Office are two maine Acts one to discerne discover and descry the Devill and the Witch the other to adjure charme expell remove c. The former of which Acts is here confest and if any Formes of adjuration bee used in the Examination or Discovery the other is not to be denied And how wary must hee bee here in Examining that would take heed of Adjuring 4. As touching the second Act of such an Office the Scripture plainly denyes an ordinary or settled Calling saying They are Vagabonds that they tooke it upon them and for this cause it is demanded Who are ye that is where 's your calling or power thus to do Acts 19. 13 14 15. And therefore may the first Act very well be doubted of 2. Not as Extraordinary For 1. The Extraordinarily Called are raised and separated immediately eminently miraculously 2. And that upon extraordinary occasions as when the Church of God is thereby extreamely infested infected obscured indangered 3. Such are evermore by God prepared gifted strengthened maintained perfected All that can bee objected to me is How then would you have Witches found out I answer by the power of the Magistracy and Ministery appointing and employing upon evident and urgent necessity as when not only common Reports but prodigious Facts cry out fit persons to such a purpose I say fit both for number and Quality 1. For number Competent Not one or two obscure persons A man with a woman c. But even a sufficient number the better to Examine Reason Debate Discern Determine in case of particular Respects Ends fancies opinions humours Passions Affections c. 2. For Quality meet Persons for that purpose which ought not to be 1. Ignorant 2. Profane 3. Covetousnesse But ought to be 1. Conscientious 2. Discreet 3. Learned And Learned very learned 1. In naturall Philosophy that they may discern betwixt things meerly praestigious and the Mirables of Nature in her occult Qualities Sympathies Antipathies and apt conjunction of Actives to Passives Through Ignorance whereof a Country Fellow is ready to cry a Witch or a thing done in the Devills name if hee see one make iron to walke after him though by vertue of a Loadstone Or to create fire in a wide field though it be by force of a burning glasse so he would in ignorant manner think all bewitcht that his ship should stand immoveable and nothing to hinder it but a slender Remora So would an Indian when he sees a man from a great Gunnes mouth fall down dead more then a mile off 2. In physicke to judge of Facts and Effects in Men or Beasts whether naturall preternaturall c. For how apt are ordinary people to apprehend the strange handlings in Extasies Frenzies Lunaries Lethargies convulsions falling sicknesses c. to bee no other then very Witchcrafts 3. In Divinity to examine the conscience by the Rules of the word dictates of right reason to discern declare how utterly opposite the diabolicall Covenant is to the Covenant of Grace 4. In Law to declare who are here lyable and how far to what kinds or degrees of guilt or penalty Now that such as these upon due occasion are the only requisite and approvable for such a purpose and that even they themselves shall find this undertaking a matter of no smal difficulty will plainly appear if the principal groūds of a Witches discovery be wel considered which are either from suspition confession compact practise markes or imps As touching I suspition whether causeless or