as are there described Deut. 18.10 11. 11 Where do we read of a he devill or a she devill called incubus or succubus that useth generation or copulation with Witches or VVitches with them 12 It is written Woe unto such as devour widdows houses and in a pretence make long prayers Matth. 23.14 13 It is written the Lord hateth the hand that sheddeth innocent blood and the fals witness that speaketh lies and the feet that are swift to do mischeif and a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations Pro. 6. 17 18 19. 14 It is written shall there be evill in a City and the Lord hath not done it Amos. 3.6 15 It is written there is no God with me I kill and I make alive I wound and heal Deut. 32.39 and again the Lord killeth and maketh alive hee bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up the Lord maketh poore and maketh rich 1 Sam. 2.6 7. 16 It is written If ye were blind yee had had no sinne but now ye say ye see therefore your sinne remaineth Iohn 9.41 17 It is written Because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved therefore God shall send them strong delusions that they should beleeve lies that they might be damned that beleeved not the Truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes 2. 10 11 12. 18 It is written Thou shalt not raise a false report put not thy hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witnesse Exodus 23.1 19 It is written If ye any way afflict the widdow or the fatherlesse and they cry at all unto me I will surely hear their cry and my wrath shal wax hot and I will kill you with the sword and your wives shall be widdows and your children fatherlesse Exodus 22.23 24. 20 It is written God saw that the imaginations of the thoughts of mens hearts were only evill continually it repented the Lord that he had made man therefore he destroyed the old world Gen. 6.5 6 7 Therefore you that are of the sacred order of the ministry that do use to cry to the people give ear with fear and reverence to the word of God as it is written in the text how dare ye teach for doctrin the traditions of Antichrist that are not written in the Book of God Whether do not some preferre the mad imaginations of Cornelius Agrippa and others before the Scriptures for the defending their opinions So much for my Dilemma now for the Text. A Candle in the Dark SHEVVING The Divine Cause of the distractions of the whole Nation of ENGLAND and of the Christian World Deuteronomy 18.10 11. LEt the Reader take notice that in all the Scriptures there is not any kind of Witch spoken of but such as are mentioned in these two verses which that every one may understand I will expound punctually not according to our English obscure translations but according to the true meaning and signification of the originall text as it was written by Moses in the Hebrew tongue and as it is truely translated for the better and easier satisfaction of many that have not knowledge in the Hebrew tongue by Junius and Tremellius in their Latin Bible whether also I referre the Reader for all places of Scripture alledged in this Book and here I do in Gods name and in Zeal for his truth desire and intreat him that thinketh himself the learnedst Clerk to shew mee in all the Scriptures such a word as Striges or lamiae or any word of that signification importing such doctrins as have a long time defiled the Nations Deut. 18.10 11. Let there not be found among you any that maketh his sonne or his daughter to passe thorow the fire a user of divinations a planetarian or a Conjecturer or a Jugler Also a user of charmes or one that seeketh an Oracle or a South-sayer or one that asketh counsell of the dead The Latin translation is this Ne invenitor in te qui traducat filium suum aut filiam suam per ignem utens divinationibus planetarius aut conjector aut praestigiator Item utens incantatione aut requirens pythonem aut ariolus aut necromantis The Hebrew Text. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And here is the Hebrew Text written in the Roman character with the construction of every word Lo jimatzae ne invenitor beca in te magnabir qui traducat beno filium suum uubitto aut filiam suam baese per ignem kosem kesamim divinans divinationes megnonen planetarius uumenachese aut conjector umechascscph aut praestigiator vechobhir chabber incantans incantatione vessoel ob requirens pythonem vejiddegnoni aut ariolus vedhorese el hamethim aut consulens mortuos so much for the Text. Exodus 22.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mechascscepha lo thechajek praestigiatricem non sines vivere There is also another word Hartumim in Exodus 4.17 Gen. 41 8. and in other places which is taken in the generall sense for Magnus a Magician that hath one or all these crafts or impostures yet by many it is restrained to the particular and often translated Ariolus being the most allowed signification for Arioli were called Magi being counted wise men and therefore the word is used for all sorts of Magicians these and all other words in the Scriptures concerning Witches are consonant to the words in the Text. The Text opened THe Text is verbatim according to the Originall as it was written by Moses in the Hebrew tongue which I will expound orderly and here is to be noted that in these two verses are nine sorts of Witches nominated by God unto Moses and the people to this end and purpose that whereas God hath chosen the people of Israel to be a peculiar church and people to himself he would be their only Counsellor to keep them in the way of wisdome and holinesse and therefore commandeth them in no wise to aske counsell of any but the true prophets and messengers of God as appeareth in the 14. and 15. verses of this chapter and because there were so many sorts of people in the world that did commonly abuse and usurp the office of Gods Prophets God describeth them in the 10. and 11. verses of this chapter by nine severall nominations or descriptions commanding them to shun and avoyd them as false Prophets and deceivers of the people for it was the manner of the heathen to seek unto such for counsell the Lord having cast out those heathen people for such abominable ways giveth his own people warning of all such ways to avoid them not to hearken to them namely to those nine sorts of witches or deceivers or false prophets or seducers of the people from God and his prophets to lying Idolatrous waies giveth them warning in the three last verses of the same chapter of all false Prophets whatsoever that should presumptuously take upon them to speak any thing in Gods name which God had not commanded or to speak in the name
yea this is the only Witchcraft that is summarily included in all the Nine tearms of Description Deut. 18.10 11. being the discourse of my first Book and to shew any proof of any sort of Witches in the Scriptures I challenge all Witchmongers yet some will forsake the Scriptures and confute me strongly with a repetition of some of Bodins lyes or the like Stories telling them for truth But for all such as do still labour by Objections Cavils Inventions and Imaginations to uphold the old Traditions and Errours of that grand Witch the Pope and his Train concerning Witches and their Power and not rather to cleanse the world from these Doctrins of Devils let them take heed that the saying belongeth not to them that Stephen spake to the Jews Acts 7.51 Yee stif-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears yee do always resist the Holy Ghost as your fathers did so do yee As it is written 2 Thes 2.10 11 12. because yee received not the love of the truth that yee might be saved for this cause God hath sent you strong delusions that you should beleeve a lye that they all might be damned who beleeved not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness A Conclusion HE that groundeth his Opinion upon Phansie and Human traditions and reports without light and rule of the Scriptures is like a man groping in the dark who for want of light rusheth his face against the door But if any man will forsake blinde imaginations and be guided by the light and rule of the Scriptures he shall finde by them that Witches are only false Prophets who used several deluding impostures to deceive the people according to the whole Discourse of the first Book of this Treatise and these were not poor men and women such as are commonly executed for that falsly-imputed Crime of Witchcraft but were open practicers of their several Witchcrafts to delude and seduce and those had not their Craft from a Familiar or by making a League with the Devil as hath been commonly imagined but were in a manner learned and used Books written for that purpose to teach them their manifold impostures whereby to gain a maintenance among the people by making them beleeve they were Prophets as wee may read Acts 19.19 many of them being converted by the powerfull preaching of the Gospel brought their Books and burnt them before the people these Books containing such subtile devices as were practised then by the false Prophets or Witches of the time to deceive the people and now adays by the Popish Rout and by our common Wizzards But now for the thousands of people that have been executed for Witches in several parts of the World by the common manner of fond false accusations at whose hands will God require their bloud but at the hands of the Whore of Rome and of those that have joyned with her in her abominations Revel 18.24 In her was found the bloud not only of Saints but of all that were slain upon the earth This doubtless must be understood of those that are unjustly slain and who are they but such as are slain by wrongful accusations which wrongful accusations are occasioned by the devillish Doctrins wherewith she hath defiled the Nations Further I say That this Doctrin of Witches power is the main strength of Antichristian policy for whereas that Romish Whore knoweth that in all Nations the Civil Magistrate will hold his power and not resign it to her to have absolute power to kill for Religion she maintaineth this damnable Doctrin to this end that under the name of Witches she may melt away all whom she feareth or suspecteth will be opposers of her Antichristian pride and herein she ingageth the Civil Magistrate by her subtill Doctrin to cut off whom she pleaseth and how can that be said to be a Government for the defence of peoples Lives and Estates where contrary to all Law these Villains can steal away both life and estate from whom they please except from such as are in places of Dignity or so well esteemed in Common-wealths or have such friendship among the potent of the Land that thereby they are able to withstand their Adversaries and these poor accused people have no redress or help at the hands of the Magistrate but he who ought to be their Defender is bewitched and ingaged against them he is taught indeed not to suffer a Witch to live but never truly taught who and what are Witches and that many times they that ingage him by their lying Doctrin are the very Witches themselves aimed at in the Scriptures that ought not to be suffered to live THE THIRD BOOK SHEWING The vanity of some English VVriters concerning VVitches BOdinus Hyperius Hemingius and other Popish Bloud-suckers mentioned before in the Second Book of this little Treatise having defiled the World with their abominable inventions contrary to the sense and truth of Gods Word their devillish Doctrins being already declared sufficiently to be wholly dissonant to the Word of God yet some of our English Writers who otherwise might seem to have been wise and learned men have defiled their Pens with these groundless Phantastical Doctrins which VVriters are briefly these The first is James Bishop of Winton setting forth three Books called Daemonology in the name and title of the Works of King James and whether the Bishop or the King were the Composer of that Work I stand not to argue which VVorks are collected out of these Popish Writers before mentioned which the Author acknowledgeth in the Preface to his Book where he alledgeth Bodinus Hyperius and Hemingius for confirmation of the truth of the matter contained in his VVorks but not a jot of Scripture is produced in all the VVork if rightly interpreted to prove it to be truth and yet the Author himself confesseth of Bodinus that his Book of Daemonomanie is collected with greater diligence than composed with judgement and truly I wish every wise man that desireth to be resolved in his judgement concerning these Opinions to observe that passage or if he be such a one as can read and search the severall Writers of this subject of Witchcraft let him observe the variety of their Opinions how few of them do agree in one tenent or in their manner of writing by which it is easily concluded that all their traditions are but Phantsies contrary to the sound of Gods Word even as a wise Judge examining several Witnesses of one thing if he findeth not their testimony to agree he concludeth that they compacted together to witness a thing false and truly although wise and learned men have been deluded by these lying inventions yet compare but their Opinions one with another and also with Holy Writ and you shall finde that all their Opinions are but one monstrous Devil striving to get the mastery of the Spirit of truth and whether this Work was either composed by King James or by the Bishop may be very well suspected
in darkness because they love not the truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes 2.10 11 12. for this man of sin that Whore of Rome being the grand Witch of the Christian world pointed at Revel 18.23 that hee might still have freedom to deceive the Nations hath broached this Doctrin wherewith he hath defiled the world that a Witch is not a false Prophet or a Deceiver but one that can send the Devil to kill men and women and children and to make the ground barren and men and women barren in Generation and kill the children in the Wombe and can with looks kill Lambs and Cattel and can fly in the Air and can do many things by the help of the Devil which things are not possible to be done by any power but by the mighty power of God We may read of the Priests of the Idol Astaroth that were indeed real Witches in the Scripture sense who professed to do such things by the power of their Idol but were discovered by Bartholomaeus the Apostle to be deceivers of the people by the Devils subtil delusions who ruled in their hearts so they with their Idol were destroyed and many people converted to the Christian Faith Hendorfius in the fifth page of his Theater of History his words are these Bartholomaeus Idolum Astaroth evertit fraudes Satanae qui miraculis homines effacinatos morbis jam premebat jam pressos levabat detexit c. And where do we read in Holy Writ or common History that saver of truth that men by Devils could do such things really and to uphold such errours contrary to Scripture what is this but meer prevarication with the truth and resisting Gods holy Spirit of truth Where do we finde any such thing in Scriptures or any such description of a VVitch or that a VVitch was such a one as hath made a League with the Devil and sealed it with his bloud or hath Imps sucking him or Biggs or privie Marks or that lyeth with Incubus or Succubus or any such phrase or expression in all the Scriptures VVhat least inkling have we of these things in all the Scriptures VVhence received the Church of England this Doctrin O foolish England who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth Surely it was the Pope This groundless impious and fantastical Doctrin was never taught by Gods Prophets but that VVitch the Pope knowing in his Conscience that he is the very VVitch the Deceiver of the Nations pointed at in the Revelations and that the Scriptures were so plain that by the light thereof his devillish delusions must needs come to light if the VVorld should have true insight into the Scriptures and so that by that means all Nations would rise up on him and destroy him he not only laboured to hide the Scriptures from the common people which he did for a long time but also hath been so bold as to prevaricate with the Scriptures and to publish through the Nations that VVitches were to be understood no Deceivers but such as practised such wonderful things as the Scripture teacheth us that the doing thereof ought to be attributed to no Creature but only to the Creator as Pope Innocent the eighth to the Inquisitors of Almain and Pope Julius the second to the Inquisitors of Bergoman sent those words It is come to our ears that many lewd persons of both kinds as well male as female using the company of the Devils Incubus and Succubus with Incantations and Conjurations do destroy the birth of VVomen with childe the young of all Cattel the Corn of the field the Grapes of the Vine the fruit of the Trees Men and VVomen and all kinde of Cattel and beasts of the field and with their said Inchantments do wholly extinguish suffocate and spoyl all Vine-yards Orchyards Meadows Pastures Grass green Corn ripe Corn and all other provisions men and women are by their imprecations so afflicted with external and inward pains and diseases that men cannot beget nor women bring forth nor accomplish the duty of VVedlock denying the faith which in Baptism they profess to the destruction of their souls Our pleasure therefore is That all inpediments that may hinder the Inquisitors Office be removed from among the people lest this blot of Heresie proceed to defile them that be yet innocent and therefore we do ordain by vertue of the Apostical authority that our Inquisitors of high Almain may execute the Office of Inquisition by all Tortures and Afflictions in all places and upon all persons VVhat Scripture had the Pope for this we read indeed of such Fictions in the Poets as in Ovids Metamorph. 7. Cum volui ripis ipsis mirantibus amnes In fontes redire suos concussaque sisto Stantia concutio cantu freta nubila pello Nubilaque induco ventos abigoque vocoque Vipereas rumpo verbis carmine fauces Vivaque saxa sua convulsaque robora terra Et sylvas moveo iubeoque tremiscere montes Et mugire solum manesque exire Sepulchris Te quoque Luna trahe The Rivers I can make retire into the Fountains whence they flow Whereat the banks themselves admire I can make standing waters go With Charms I drive both Sea and Cloud I make it calm and blow aloud The Vipers jaws the rockie stone with Word and Charm I break in twain The force of earth congeal'd in one I move the Woods th' Hills tremble plain I make the souls of men arise I pluck the Moon out of the skies Also Ovid de Medea Epist 4. Et misorum tenues in jecur urget acus She sticketh also Needles fine In livers whereby men do pine Also Virgil Nescio quis teneros oculus mihi fascinat agnos I know not whence some fierce bewitching eye With looks doth kill my Lambkins as they lye These are the Popes Scriptures whereon he groundeth his groundless inventions to torment the Christian VVorld and upon these grounds being inventions and pastimes of Poets hath he sent out Inquisitors in all places to torment from thence is the Spanish Inquisition which maketh search for Hereticks and VVitches all as one and now lest the world should take notice that his daily practice is to torment and kill Reformists and so his Villany ring the more in the ears of the world he hath joyned as equivocal with the word Heretiques VVitches a more ignominious name thereby to instigate people the more against them and so by this means will not be seen to kill men for matter of Religion for then men would resist and help one another but under the name of VVitches he melteth away every one that hath but a smell of the reformed Religion and the world perceiveth it not this is that Grand Witch the VVhore of Rome the Pope and his train And these Inquisitions before mentioned sent out by the Pope have for the confirmation of their villanous Doctrins Inventions set forth great Volumes of horrible lyes and impossibilities
for gain maketh the people to miss of the sincerity of Religion although he be no Impostor nor bringeth himself within the compass of the punishment due to a Witch from the Civil Magistrate because he doth not use impostures or any of the Nine Witchcrafts described in the text yet in his intent he maketh gain his end and perverteth souls in a smooth pretence of holiness I know not how his final intention differeth from the final intention of a Witch that is gain by seducing the people nor whether he or a Witch shall have the greatest condemnation at the last day Acts 20.30 for it appeareth in vers 20. following the text that a false Prophet considered distinctly from the foresaid impostors is in the same Condemnation and the same with a Witch and ought to be censured by the Civil Magistrate to dye as a Witch meerly quatenus a false Prophet for although he bee described by his several impostures before in the text yet the bare using of impostures maketh not a Witch unless by them he be a false Prophet as is demonstrated more fully in the Fifth description so then the Formalis ratio of a Witch or that which maketh him to be a Witch is because he is a false Prophet so that it followeth that as every wilful false teacher or wilful upholder of Heresie or any vain unprofitable Doctrin to seduce the people for gain differeth not in his final intention from a false Prophet so by the same reason he differeth not from a Witch and although he cannot always be convicted by the Magistrate yet in Gods sight he is a very Witch Our English Translators not knowing the difference of the terms of description in the text by the several impostures therein implied according to the intent and meaning of the Scriptures have used words promiscuously one for another without expressing the true and full meaning of the Original so well as is exprest by Junius and Tremelius in Latine as in Deut. 18.10 11. they call a Diviner a Witch and a South-sayer a Wizard expressing specifical descriptions by general words that may be as well given to any of the nine and in Exod. 22.18 they call a Jugler a Witch using the same general expression that they used before for one that useth Divination or a Diviner they call a Planetarian an observer of times a phrase more obscure than can imply the original meaning of the Scriptures they call a Conjecturer an Inchanter and they call an Inchanter a Charmer whereas in the Original and Latine Translations an Inchanter and a Charmer is all one term of description they call an Oracler one that hath a familiar Spirit and that may be as well given to any of the Nine terms in the text by the same reason that all Witches have a familiar spirit according to the common tenent though it cannot be proved that any had any otherwise than the spirit of error ruling in their hearts And 2 Chron. 33.6 there they call using Divinations observing of times which phrase they used before for a Planetarian and if we compare several English Translations wee may finde them much varying one from another in translating of those terms not but that they were good and able Linguists but not knowing the several impostures implyed in these original terms of description could not express them in such apt words in English as if they had known the mystery of iniquity according to the original sense and meaning Gen. 44.5 they translate it Is not this the cup by which my Master divineth Here they would make Witchcraft lawful for Divination is Witchcraft but the original sense is nothing so as they translate it look Tremellius All this argueth that these our ancient Bishops and great Clerks knew not what Witchcraft was in the Scripture sense THE SECOND BOOK IT is manifest that the Scriptures were given by God for a rule for man in this depraved nature to walk by That whereas all Mankinde since the fall of Adam are naturally darkned in their understandings and averse from the truth of God the Scriptures might be a light unto us to lead us in the righteous way of Gods truth And now Christ Jesus the Light of the World in whom are fulfilled all the Divine Mysteries of the Scriptures is come into the world to enlighten the world and whereas before his coming the world sate in darkness and were wholly given to run after Idols and to be seduced by Idol-Priests who practised the several Witchcrafts described in the text Deut. 18.10 11. to seduce the people to Idolatry yet then at the coming and by the power of the coming of Christ who was manifested by Miracles and taught the people by his Spirit of Truth were all those ways of darkness discovered to the whole Word to be lying delusions tending to destruction as is prophesied by the Prophet Isa Chap. 8. hee speaking of Witches and their delusions and the darksome errours and evils accompanying them from the nineteenth Verse to the end of the Chapter immediately in the two first Verses of the next Chapter he prophesieth of Christ the light of whose coming should destroy the ways of darkness in these words In the way of the Sea beyond Jordan Galile of the Gentiles the people that sate in darkness shall see great light and upon them that dwell in the Land of the shadow of death shall light shine forth and thus it was fulfilled at his coming The Nations that were given to Idolatry and seduced by false Prophets being Idol-Priests and deluding Witches were so enlightned that all Idolatrous delusions were discovered the Oracle of Apollo and of all Idols drew dumb Simon Magus and Elimas the Sorcerer and all bewitching false Prophets were confounded and all these Instruments of darkness grew out of request among the people being clearly discovered that they were all Lyars and used lying delusions to deceive the Nations And notwithstanding this perfect rule of righteousness in the Old and New Testament written by the Prophets before the coming of Christ and at his coming finished by him and his Apostles yet such is the obstinacy of mans darksome nature that men will carry a Candle of their own in their hands even at Noon-day imagining they can by their own wisdom finde out truths that are not written in the Scriptures and that their Candle will enlighten them more than the beams of the Sun when it shineth forth in its full strength Like a silly Labourer that counting the day by a Pocket Watch whose Wheels being out of Kilter went too fast he had such a conceit of his Watch that he affirmed That the Sun in the skie went too slow for his Watch was known to be true Thus do men play with the Scriptures preferring Human traditions beyond the truth of God contained in the Scripture and this is the cause why men a long time have been deceived by the Man of Sin who still prevaileth to lead the World