Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	work_n	world_n	write_n	68	3	8.5305	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43992	A Collection of modern relations of matter of fact concerning witches & witchcraft upon the persons of people to which is prefixed a meditation concerning the mercy of God in preserving us from the malice and power of evil angels, written by the late Lord Chief Justice Hale, upon occasion of a tryal of several witches before him.	Hale, Matthew, Sir, 1609-1676.	1693 (1693)	Wing H224; ESTC R23402	48,262	74

A COLLECTION Of Modern Relations of Matter of Fact CONCERNING Witches Witchcraft Upon the Persons of People TO Which is prefixed a Meditation concerning the Mercy of God in preserving us from the Malice and Power of Evil Angels Written by the Late Lord Chief Justice Hale UPON Occasion of a Tryal of several Witches before him PART I. LONDON Printed for John Harris at the Harrow in the Poultrey MDCXCIII Price 1 s. Licensed 18. May 1693. Edward Cooke ADVERTISEMENT MAthematical Divinity Or A plain Demonstration from the Holy Scriptures that the Times of this World were Fore-appointed by the Covenant made with Abraham And determined to be according to the Measure of the Age and Fulness of Christ. Kept Secret since the World began but is now made plain upon Twelve Tables in a Solar Calendar as familiar to the Understanding as a Common Almanack With a full Proof that this is the last Generation which shall not pass away till all things be Fulfilled and the Gates of Righteousness be Opened Being the Result of many Years Study By Elias Palmer Printed for John Harris at the Harrow in the Poultrey 1693. Price 1 s. THE PREFACE IT was not to convince the Atheists and Sadduces of this Age of the Existence of Spirits and by consequence of a Deity that I began this Collection They have the Works of the Creation both of the Great and of the Lesser World and an admirable Scene of Providence exhibited to the rest of Man-kind in the Posterity of Abraham and Recorded in the Sacred Writings which if they were disposed with well defecated Minds gently putting by the Leaves and the Prickles and the mean outside Covering whereby they are Veiled from the Prophane to inspect the internal Form and Composure and deeply Contemplate the admirable Accomodations of all the Parts the Design and Tendency of the Whole and the Secret Powers by which all is Sustained and Ordered they might by the help of a certain Divine Light which doth often illustrate such Souls so employed discern a more Noble Evidence and satisfactory Conviction of those things which the Ignis Fatuus of a vitiated Natural Vnderstanding however improved as is imagined by the accomplishments of what we commonly call Learning but is in truth but a superficial thing in respect of true Knowledge cannot receive and be assured that Christianity is indeed a Noble and Divine Philosophy cast out like a Ball among the Children of Men that they should catch it that catch could and accordingly is very differently and by most very unworthily entertained in the World not only by the sensual Swine and by the Muckworms but by such as would be thought to be of a more generous Strain Cocks of the Game and yet prefer a Corn of Barly and a Feather before an inestimable solid Jewel But not only their Wills which are a great Byas upon the Judgment but the Minds and Consciences of most of these People are so Corrupted that they can not or will not acquiesce in these Matters even in greater Evidence than what they freely act upon in Matters more agreeable to their own Genius and corrupt Affections being as averse to subject their Vnderstanding to the Divine Wisdom as their Wills to the Laws and VVill of God tho the Subjection of the one is no less necessary to the attainment of the great end of Man accordingly designed in the Divine Methods of Providence than that of the other And therefore to have undertaken such a Work as this for the Service of such People I can hardly think would have been to much purpose and besides it would have obliged me to such Proofs and Evidence for the satisfaction of others as I conceive not so absolutely necessary for my purpose in many particulars though I shall lay no farther stress upon any of the Relations when I come to make use of them than I am satisfied they may reasonably bear But my Design is this Being well satisfied that much of the Good and Evil which occurs in the World not only in relation to particular Persons but whole Families Cities and Nations which is commonly attributed to Humane Management or I know not what blind Fortune or Chance is in truth produced by the Secret prevalent Energy and Operations of certain Invisible Intelligent Agents which not only order and dispose divers Occurrences which to us Mortals seem very minute and inconsiderable to be Occasions of great Consequences but do also insensibly and yet effectually bind and impede or excite and promote the Actions of Men to produce Events some much short some beyond and some contrary to their Designs And that our common Notion of Spirits that is of those Invisible Agents which I conceive to be of very different Natures and Powers are greatly and unhappily mistaken And lastly that much of the Evils which afflict Mankind are effected by Spirits of an inferior Nature and Power and but of the next degree in knowledge and Power above us Mortals and such as are usually imployed by Witches and Magitians I suppose that a better Vnderstanding of the Nature Power and Operations of these Spirits of the Means by which they get Advantage against us and of the Means whereby we may either prevent the same or be relieved and extricated out of their Power would be a matter of no little Vse and Benefit to Men. And in order to this I have begun A Collection of Modern Relations of Matters of Fact concerning Spirits but principally of Apparitions and Witches intending in Conclusion to put together my Observations upon them and what others I have met with in print of this or former Ages for this purpose And because this Wicked and even in Things wherein they think themselves Wise Foolish Age have strangely imposed upon themselves or been imposed upon by the Efficacy of the Devil or his Instruments to a Disbelief of the being of Witches or of much of that Power which they exercise through the Instruction and Assistance of those Spirits and by consequence of their Agency in many Mischiefs and Evils which we ignorantly attribute to other Causes And also of some Means which might be useful to detect them and to disappoint their Wicked Operations whereby many innocent and good People are left exposed to their Malice who might otherwise be relieved I thought fit to begin with a Publication of part of my Collection concerning Witches reserving divers others which I have for a more Compleat Information and my Collection of Relations of Apparitions till another time And in the mean time shall be very glad of any good Information or Assistance in any thing relating thereunto Wherein I desire only Certainty as to Matter of Fact and then how Incredible soever it may seem to the Vulgar or such as are skilled in the common Notions of Philosophy I care not For I am well satisfied that divers great Truths cannot but seem so to them To this I thought it very proper to

and assistance take all opportunities to reduce Men to the Obedience of God to their Duty to him confirms them in it detects and discovers and convinceth the Tempter and upholds the Spirits of Men against him He will convince the World of Judgment by judging the Prince of this World that is by detecting his Sophistry his Falsity and the ill consequences thereof 2. Such as concern the inward Man and the outward Man also the Ministration of the Good Angels who are as diligent to counter-counter-work the Evil Angels in their Mischiefs as they can be sedulous to inflict them they are Ministering Spirits When the Devil was using a slight to gain the Body of Moses to make an Idol of him Michael resisted him The Evil Angels are full of Power and full of Malice against the Children of Men and on the other side the good Angels are no whit inferior to them in Power and are Benevolent and Loving to the Children of Men and do many and many times when we know it not prevent us from many mischiefs that these malevolent Regiments of Hell would inflict upon our Bodies and our Souls And doubtless as we see in the visible Administration of the World or of any one Kingdom thereof there is continual Diligence on one side by seditious turbulent minded Men to break the Peace of a Kingdom or City or place which is with much diligence watchfulness and vigilancy attended and prevented by wise and good Men so there is no less care and vigilancy and counterworking by the Pure and Good Angels against the mischievous designs of these evil Spirits against the Children of Men. IV. Natural Impediments to the working of that Evil Spirit 1. In reference to the Soul and inward Man God hath fortified the Will of Man with the priviledge of Liberty tho those Evil Angels may sollicit perswade and tempt yet Almighty God hath placed this Bar in his way viz. The freedom of the Will that all the Devils in Hell cannot take from him It is an impregnable Fort that can only be taken by Dedition but never by Storm or Assault And this is partly the reason of that Text Resist the Devil and he will flie from you He knows that where there is Resistance of the Will there is no entrance for him and gives over the Assault 2. In reference to the Body or outward Man He cannot ordinarily exercise any Violence upon the outward Man but by the Mediation of things Corporeal and most ordinarily by the mediation of Mankind He cannot kill a Man but by the Sword of a Man-slayer nor rob or plunder but by a Caldean or Sabean nor infect the Body but by the means of a Witch And all this God hath most wisely ordered in this manner that tho the Impure Spirit it self be out of the reach or regiment of Human Justice or Government yet the Instrument without which he cannot ordinarily work is within the reach of Human Justice or Government whereby the wise and good God hath consequently as it were reduced him viz. in his Instruments without which he cannot act under the very Power of Human Laws and Government I say ordinarily he cannot act any external mischief upon Man but by such Means and Instruments as are under the cohersion of Human Laws I say Ordinarily for when this Irae Divinae satelles is Commissioned from the God of Heaven he may act immediately from himself according to the tenor or extent of his Commission but Ordinarily and Naturally he cannot Not Finished Doctor Pordage his Relation of the wonderful Apparitions Visions and unusual things which were seen in his Family in the Year 1649. DOctor John Pordage Rector of Bradfield in the County of Berks being the Eighteenth of September 1654 Charged with certain Articles then and afterward exhibited to the Commissioners for ejecting of Scandalous Ministers amongst other things for entertaining at his House one Everard a reputed Conjurer and that he had frequent and familiar Converse with Angels and concerning the Vision of a Dragon and Apparitions of Spirits c. As to the Entertainment of Everard he answered and confessed that about four Years before he was received into his House for about three Weeks and no longer but not as a Conjurer but as a workman at Harvest and that he never heard the least intimation that he was ever suspected to be a Conjurer till after his Departure but afterward was strongly enclined to believe that he was And concerning the Vision of a Dragon and Apparition of Spirits I will not confess saith he any Apparition in particular till they be proved lest I should seem to accuse my self they being brought in as a Crime against me and as Instruments to Condemn me Yet in general I acknowledge that some four Years since there were many strange and wonderful Apparitions in my House But what can these in Justice amount to tho attested by Oath and confessed particularly by my self when brought before those who profess themselves Christians and are acquainted with the History of the Holy Scriptures Pray was not Job a pious sincere and eminently Righteous Man Yet how was he scared with Dreams and terrified with Visions Job 7. 14. Did not Zachariah the Prophet Chap. 3. see Satan standing at the right hand of Josua to resist him Did not John Rev. 12. in a Vision behold a great red Dragon that made War with Michael and the Holy Angels And was not Christ himself tempted of the Devil by Voice and Vision Matt. 4. 6 8. Now the Servant is not greater than his Lord Jo. 15. 20. and therefore not exempted from the like attempts of the Devil I beseech you consider whether this Earth be not the Place where the Devil walks up and down seeking whom he may Devour How then can Bradfield or any other Place be exempted from his Appearing when God permits And may not all this be for the manifesting of his Glory Goodness and Power And who can tell whose Family may be next exposed by God's permission to be tryed and proved by the Representation of Satan And I desire you seriously to consider how any such Apparitions raised by the Devil and permitted by God for his own Glory argue me either Ignorant Scandalous or Insufficient Surely it rather argues that he hath blest me with a strong Faith in that he permitted such great Tryals and made me instrumental to overcome them by Prayer and Fasting If it can be proved I ever so much as looked toward the unlawful Art of Black Magick or that any Evil Spirits were raised up by any compact of mine explicit or implicit or that those Evil Apparitions were subdued and overcome by any other means than by God's Blessing upon our Fasting and Prayer I shall judge my self worthy of Punishment But otherwise it is hard measure to be Prosecuted for the Malice of the Devil toward me inflicting what I was Passive in and could not help especially by those who profess