and some Christian Doctors and many late Popish Authors amongst whom Cornel a Lapide is most elaborate But that it was a Daemon representing Samuel has been evinced by learned and Orthodox Writers especially Peter Martyr Balduinus Lavater and our incomparable John Rainolde I shall not here insist on the clearing of that especially considering that elsewhere I have done it only let me add that the Witch said to Saul I see Elohim i. e. A God for the whole Context shows that a single Person is intended Ascending out of the Earth 1 Sam. 28. 13. The Devil would be Worshipped as a God and Saul now that he was become a Necrâ—mancer must bow himself to him Moreover had it been the true Samuel from Heaven reprehending Saul there is great Reason to believe that he would not only have reproved him for his sin in not executing Judgment on the Amalekites as in Ver. 18. But for his Wickedness in consulting with Familiar Spirits For which Sin it was in special that he died 2 Chron. 10. 13. But in as much as there is not one word to testify against that Abominaon we may conclude that it was not real Samuel that appeared to Saul and if it were the Devil in his likeness the Argument seems very strong that if the Devil may appear in the form of a Saint in Glory much more is it possible for him to put on the likeness of the most Pious and Innocent Saint on Earth There are who acknowledge that a Daemon may appear in the shape of a Godly Person But not as doing Evil. Whereas the Devil in Samuel's likeness told a pernicious Lye when he said Thou hast disquieted me It was not in the Power of Saul nor of all the Devils in Hell to disquiet a Soul in Heaven where Samuel had been for Two years before this Apparition Nor did the Spectre speak true when he said Thou and thy Sons shall be with me Tho' Saul himself at his Death went to be with the Devil his Son Jonathan did not so Besides which suits with the matter in hand the Devil in Samuels shape confirmed Necromancy and Cursed Witchery He that can in the likeness of Saints encourage Witches to Familiarity with Hell may possibly in the likeness of a Saint afflict a Bewitched Person But this we see from Scripture Satan may be permitted to do And whereas it is objected that the Devil may appear indeed in the form of Dead Persons but that he cannot represent such as are living The contrary is manifest No Question had Saul said to the Witch bring me David who was then living she could as easily have shown living David as dead Samuel as easily as that great Conjurer of whom Wierus speaks brought the appearance of Hector and Achilles and after that of David before the Emperour Maximilian And that evil Angels have sometimes appeared in the likeness of living absent persons is a thing abundantly confirmed by History Austin tells us of one that went for resolution in some intricate Questions to a Philosopher of whom he could get no Answer but in the Night the Philosopher comes to him and resolves all his Doubts Not long after he demanded the reason why he could not answer him in the Day as well as in the Night The Philosopher professed he was not with him in the Night only acknowledged that he dreamed of his having such conversation of his Friend but he was all the time at home and asleep Paulus and Palladius did both of them profess to Austin that one in his shape had divers times and in divers places appeared to them Thyreus mentions several Apparitions of absent living persons which happened in his time and which he had the certain knowledge of A Man that is in one place cannot Autoprosopos at the same time be in another It remains then that such Spectres are Prodigious and Supernatural and not without Diabolical Operation It has been Controverted among Learned Men whether innocent Persons may not by the malice and deluding Power of the Devil be represented as present amongst Witches at their dark Assemblies The mentioned Thyreus says that the Devil may and often does represent the forms of Innocent Persons out of those Conventions and that there is no Question to be made of it but as to his natural Power and Art he is able to make their shapes appear amongst his own Servants but he supposeth the Providence of God will not suffer such an Injury to be done to an Innocent Person With him Delrio and Spineus concur But Cumanus in his Lucerna Inquisitorum a Book which I have not yet seen defends the Affirmative in this Question Bins Fieldius in his Treatise concerning the Confession of Witches inclines to the Negative only he acknowledges Dei extraordinaria Permissione posse Innocentes sic representari And he that shall assert that Great and Holy God never did nor ever will permit the Devil thus far to abuse an Innocent Person affirms more than he is able to prove The story of Germanus his discovering a Diabolical illusion of this nature concerning a great number of Persons that seemed to be at a Feast when they were really at home and asleep is mentioned by many Authors But the particulars insisted on do sufficiently evince the Truth of what we assert viz. That the Devil may by Divine Permission appear in the shape of Innocent and Pious Persons Nevertheless It is evident from another Scripture viz. that in 2 Cor. 11. 14. For Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of Light He seems to be what he is not and makes others seem to be what they they are not He represents evil men as good and good men as evil The Angels of Heaven who are the Angels of Light love Truth and Righteousness the Devil will seem to do so to and does therefore sometimes lay before men excellent good Principles and exhort them as he did Theodore Maillit to practise many things which by the Law of Righteousness they are obliged unto and hereby he does more effectually deceive Is it not strange that he has sometimes intimated to his most devoted servants that if they would have familiar Conversation with him they must be careful to keep themselves from enormous Sins and pray constantly for Divine Protection But so has he transformed himself into an Angel of Light as Boissardus sheweth He has frequently appeared to Men pretending to be a good Angel so to Anatolius of old and the late instances of Dâ— d ee and Kellet are famously known How many deluded Enthusiasts both in former and latter times have been imposed on by Satans appearing visibly to them pretending to be a good Angel And moreover he may be said to transform himself into an Angel of Light because of his appearing in the Form of Holy Men who are the Children of Light yea in the shape and habit of Eminent Ministers of God
instructed him only he would not attend his Instructions how to make a Magical Glass which should represent any Person or thing according as he should desire If a Magician by an Inchanted Glass can do this he may as well by the help of a Daemon cause false Idaeas of Persons and Things to be impressed on the Imaginations of bewitched Persons the Blood and Spirits of a Man that is bitten with a Mad-Dog are so envenomed as that strange Impressions are thereby made on his Imagination let him be brought into a Room where there is a Looking-Glass and he will if put upon it not only say but swear that he sees a Dog tho' in truth there is no Dog it may be within 20 Miles of him and is it not then possible for the Dogs of Hell to poyson the Imaginations of miserable Creatures so as that they shall believe and swear that such Persons hurt them as never did so I have heard of an Inchanted Pin that has caused the Condemnation and Death of many scores of innocent Persons There was a notorious Witchfinder in Scotland that undertook by a Pin to make an infallible Discovery of suspected Persons whether they were Witches or not if when the Pin was run an Inch or two into the Body of the accused Party no Blood appeared nor any sense of Pain then he declared them to be Witches by means hereof my Author tells me no less then 300 persons were Condemned for Witches in that Kingdom This Bloody Jugler after he had done enough in Scotland came to the Town of Berwick upon Tweed an honest Man now living in New-England assureth me that he saw the Man thrust a great Brass Pin two Inches into the Body of one that some would in that way try whether there was Witchcraft in the Case or no the accused Party was not in the least sensible of what was done and therefore in danger of receiving the Punishment justly due for Witchcraft only it so happened that Collonel Fâ—nwick that worthy Gentleman who many years since lived in New-England was then the Military Governour in that Town he sent for the Mayor and Magistrates advising them to be careful and cautious in their proceedings for he told them it might be an Inchanted Pin which the Witch-finder made use of Whereupon the Magistrates of the place ordered that he should make his Experiment with some other Pin as they should appoint But that he would by no means be induced unto which was a sufficient Discovery of the Knavery and Witchery of the Witch-finder There is a strange Diabolical Energy goeth along with Incantations If Balak had not known that he would not have sent for Balaam to see whether he could inchant the Children of Israel The Scripture intimates that Inchantments will keep a Serpent from biting Eccles 10. 11. A Witch in Sweedland confessed that the Devil gave her a wooden Knife and that if she did but touch any living thing with that Knife it would die immediately And that there is a wonderful Power of the Devil attending things inchanted we have confirmed by a prodigious Instance in Major Wein a Scotch Man That wretched Man was a perfect Prodigy a Man of great Parts esteemed a Saint yet lived in secret Uncleanness with his own Sister for thirty four Years together After his wickedness was discovered he did not seem to be troubled at any of his Crimes excepting that he had caused a poor Woman to be publickly whipped because she reported that she had seen him committing Bestiality which thing was true only the Woman could not prove it This horrid Creature if he had his Inchanted Staff in his Hand could pray to admiration and do extraordinary things as is more amply related in the Postscript to Mr. Sinclares his Book before mentioned But if he had not his Inchanted Rod to lean upon he could not transform himself into an Angel of Light But by all these things we may conclude that it is not impossible but that a guilty Conjurer that so he may render himself the less suspected may by his Magical Art and Inchantment cause innocent Persons to be represented as afflicting those whom the Devil and himself are the Tormentors of Arg. 5. The Truth we affirm is so evident as that many Learned and Judicious Men have freely subscribed unto it The memorable Relation of the Devils assuming the shape of an innocent Citizen in Zurick is in the Judgment of that great Divine Lud Levater of weighty Consideration And he declares that he does therefore mention it that so Judges might be cautelous in their Proceedings in Cases of this nature inasmuch as the Devil does often in that way intangle innocent Persons and bring them into great Troubles His Words are Hanc Historiam ideo recito ut Judices in hujusmodi Casibus cauti sint Diabolus enim hac via sape innocentibus insidiatur He confirms what he saith by reciting a Passage out of Alertus Granzius who writes that the Devil was seen in the shape of a Nobleman to come out of the Empress's Chamber But to clear her Innocency she according to the superstitious Ordeals then in fashion walked blinfold over a great many of glowing hot Irons without touching any of them Voetius in his Disputation of Spectres proposeth that Question whether the Devil may not untruly personate a Godly Man and answers in the Affirmative And withal adds that it is a sufficient Argument ad hominem to answer the Papists with their own Histories which give Instances of Satan's appearing in the Figure of Saints nay of Christ himself And in his Discourse concerning the Operations of Daemons he has the like Problem whether the Devil may not possibly put on the shape of a true Believer a real Saint not only of such as are dead but still living and answers Quidni Why not It is true Popish Casuists do generally incline to the Negative in this Question Nevertheless the Instance of Germanus who saw a Company of honest People represented by the Devil as if they had been feasting together when they were really asleep in their Beds does a little puzzle them so as that they are necessitated to take up with this Conclusion That by an extraordinary Permission of God innocent Persons may be represented by Satan in the Noctural Conventicles of Witches And if so much more as afflicting bewitched Persons Delrio giveth an account of an innocent Monk whose Reputation was indangered by a Daemon's appearing in his shape He writes more like a Divine than Jesuits use to do when he saith that It is not absolutely to be denied but that the Devils may exhibite the Forms of innocent Persons if God permit it who when he does permit it usually by some Providence discovers the Fraud of the Devils that so the Innocent may be vindicated or if not it is to bring them to repentance for some Sin or to try their Patience It is rare
that way of Purgation evinced by six Reasons p. 29 to 30 That there are proofs for the Conviction of Witches which Jurors may with a safe Conscience proceed upon proved from Scripture p. 33. That a free and voluntary Confession is a sufficient ground of Conviction p. 34. That the Testimony of confessing Witches against others is not so clear an Evidence as against themselves p. 35. That if two Credible Persons shall affirm upon Oath that they have seen the Person accused doing things which none but such as have familiarity with the Devil ever did or can do that 's a sufficient ground of Conviction And that this has often happened p. 38. Mr. Perkins his Solemn Caution to Jurors p. 39. POSTSCRIPT THE Design of the preceding Dissertation is not to plead for Witchcrafts or to appear as an Advocate for Witches I have therefore written another Discourse proving that there are such horrid Creatures as Witches in the World and that they are to be extirpated and cut off from amongst the People of God which I have Thoughts and Inclinations in due time to publish and I am abundantly satisfied that there have been and are still most cursed Witches in the Land More then one or two of those now in Prison have freely and credibly acknowledged their Communion and Familiarity with the Spirits of Darkness and have also declared unto me the Time and Occasion with the particular Circumstances of their Hellish Obligations and Abominations Nor is there designed any Reflection on those worthy Persons who have been concerned in the late Proceedings at Salam They are wise and good Men and have acted with all Fidelity according to their Light and have out of tenderness declined the doing of some things which in our own Judgments they were satisfied about Having therefore so arduous a Case before them Pitty and Prayers rather than Censures are their due on which account I am glad that there is published to the World by my Son a Breviate of the Tryals of some who were lately executed whereby I hope the thinking part of Mankind will be satisfied that there was more than that which is called Spectre Evidence for the Conviction of the Persons condemned I was not my self present at any of the Tryals excepting one viz. that of George Burroughs had I been one of his Judges I could not have acquitted him For several Persons did upon Oath testifie that they saw him do such things as no Man that has not a Devil to be his Familiar could perform And the Judges affirm that they have not convicted any one meerly on the account of what Spectres have said or of what has been represented to the Eyes or Imaginations of the sick bewitched Persons If what is here exposed to publick view may be a means to prevent it for the future I shall not repent of my Labour in this Undertaking I have been prevailed with so far as I am able to discern the Truth in these dark Cases to declare my Sentiments with the Arguments which are of weight with me hoping that what is written may be of some use to discover the Depths of Satan and to prevent innocent ones having their Lives endangered or their Reputations ruined by being through the Subtilty and Power of the Devils in consideration with the Ignorance and Weakness of Men involved amongst the Guilty It becomes those of my Profession to be very tender in Cases of Blood and to imitate our Lord and Master Who came not to destroy the Lives of Men but to save them I likewise design in what I have written to give my testimony against these unjustifiable ways of discovering Witchcrafts which some among us have practiced I hear that of late there was a Witch-cake made with the Urine of bewitched Creatures as one Ingredient by several Persons in a place which has suffered much by the Attack of Hell upon it This I take to be not only wicked Superstition but great Folly For tho' the Devil does sometimes operate with the Experiments yet not always especially if a Magical Faith be wanting I shall here take occasion to recite some Passages in a Letter which I received from that Eminent pious and learned Man Mr. Samuel Cradock during my abode in London the Letter bears date Febr. 26. 1690. Then take it in his own Words which are these We have at this present one in our next Town who has a Son who has strange Fits and such as they impute to Witchcraft He come to consult with me about it but before he came he had used a means which I should never have directed him unto viz. He took the Nails of his Son's Hands and Feet and some of his Hair and mixed them in Rye-paste with his Water and so set it all by the Fire till it was consumed and his Son as he says was well after and free from his Fits for a whole Month but then they came again and He tried that means a second time and then it would not do He removed his Son into Cambridgeshire the next County and then he was well but as soon as he brought him home he was afflicted as before The Poy says He saw a thing like a Mole following of him which once spoke to him and told him he came to do the Office he was to do I advised his Father to make use of the Medicine prescribed by our Saviour viz. Fasting and Prayer Here have been others in this Town that though they were under Ill-handling as they call it One Family had their Milk so affected that they could not possibly make any Cheese but it hov'd and swelled and was good for nothing They are now rid of that trouble but how they got rid of it I do not know Thus my Letter By which it is evident that Towns in England as well as New-England are molested with Daemons only I wish that the Superstitions practiced in other places to get rid of such troublesome Guests had never been known much less used amongst us or them Some I hear have taken up a Notion that the Book newly published by my Son is contradictory to this of mine 'T is strange that such Imaginations should enter into the Minds of Men I perused and approved of that Book before it was printed and nothing but my Relation to him hindred me from recommending it to the World But my self and Son agreed unto the humble Advice which twelve Ministers concurringly presented before his Excellency and Council respecting the present Difficulties which let the World judge whether there be any thing in its dissentany from what is attested by either of us It was in the Words following The Return of several Ministers consulted by his Excellency and the Honourable Council upon the present Witchcrafts in Salem Village Boston June 15. 1692. I. THE afflicted State of our poor Neighbours that are now suffering by Molestations from the Invisible World we apprehend so deplorable that we think their Condition