that should presumptuously take upon them to speak any thing in Gods name which God had not commanded or to speak in the name of other Gods that such should be slain and these nine appellations in the tenth and eleventh verses are not tearms of distinction but several terms of description whereby to discern false Prophets or Witches whom the Lord would have cut off from among his people and therefore the Lord describeth them in the tenth and eleventh verses sheweth the destruction of the Nations that hearkened to them in the 12 13 14. verses where also he commandeth his people to be holy and not like those Nations promiseth that his people should always have a true Prophet amongst them to hearken unto in the 15 16 17 18. verses which although it was fulfilled in Christ chiefly Acts 3.23 yet it is meant and also verified of all the rest of the Prophets that were successively Messengers of Christ from Moses till the coming of Christ in the Flesh commandeth them to hearken to such a Prophet in the nineteenth verse but for all false Prophets the Lord will have them cut off in the twentieth verse and setteth down a trial and a discerning rule between a true Prophet and a false Prophet that speaketh in Gods Name in the one and twentieth and two and twentieth verses as appeareth orderly in the chapter who so pleaseth to read it And now to come to the Exposition or Interpretation of these two verses Deut. 18.10 11. and of the nine appellations or descriptions therein contained And first for the first Let there not be found among you any that maketh his Son or his Daughter to pass through the fire this is the first description whereby God describeth a Witch or a false Prophet and in what manner this should be a description of a Witch or false Prophet that we may the better understand I must first define what a Witch is and then come to the matter The Definition of a Witch or a certain Demonstration what a Witch is for the vulgar capacity A Witch is a Man or Woman that practiseth Devillish crafts of seducing the people for gain from the knowledge and worship of God and from the truth to vain credulity or beleeving of lyes or to the Worshipping of Idols So likewise for the definition of Witchcraft WItchcraft is a Devillish craft of seducing the people for gain from the knowledge and worship of God and from his Truth to vain credulity or beleeving of lyes or to the worshipping of Idols That it is a Craft truly so called and likewise that it is for gain is proved Acts 16.16 19. the Maid that followed Paul crying brought in her Master much gain and that it is a craft of perverting the people or seducing them from God and his Truth is proved Acts 13.6 7 8. â—limas the Sorcerer laboured to pervert the Deputy from the Faith So likewise Acts 8.9 10 11. verses it doth more plainly prove all in these words And there was a man before in the City called Simon which used Witchcraft and bewitched the people of Samaria saying that he himself was some great man to whom they gave heed from the least to the greatest saying This man is the great power of God and gave heed unto him because that of long time he had bewitched them with Sorceries How bewitched them with Sorceries That is seduced them with Devillish crafts as the Greek and also Tremelius Latine Translation do more plainly illustrate in this sense speaketh Paul to the Galathians 3.1 O foolish Galathians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth and that a Witch or Witchcraft is taken in no other sense in all the Scripture it appeareth by the whole current of the Scriptures as you may see in this Book But now to return to the Text. Deâ—â— 18.10 11. THe first description of a Witch in the Text is Let there not bee found among you any that maketh his Son or his Daughter to pass through the fire Here we must uote that there was in those days a great Idol of great request among the Heathen the name of which Idol was Molech and was first set up by the Ammonites 1 King 11.5 and by them called Milcom and from thence grew in request and defiled a great part of the world who were generally led after it to Idolatry insomuch that the Kings and Nobles of the earth did sometimes make their Sons and their Daughters pass through the fire in honour to that Idol as Manasses did 2 Chron. 33.6 and how that passing through the fire was or in what manner is questionable Some think they burnt them in the fire as Burnt-offerings to that Idol because it is said Deut. 12.31 they burnt their Sons and their Daughters in the fire to their gods and also in Psal. 106.38 But although that was one Grand Abomination amongst the Heathen sometimes to burn their Children in Sacrifice to their Idols upon some extraordinary request or Petition made to their Idols for the obtaining of some great matter which was also forbidden the people of Israel in that place of Deuteronomy 12.31 yet that is not the meaning of this place in Deut. 18.10 but only that they made them pass through the fire as an Idolatrous Ceremony whereby they dedicated them to their Idol Molech And this is the most allowable Exposition for otherwise they must have bereaved themselves of Children but we read that Manasses was not left childless for Ammon his Son reigned in his stead 2 Chron. 33.20 but yet in what manner soever it was that they made their Children to pass through the fire the scope and meaning of the text Deut. 18.10 is That they should not be Ring-leaders to Idolatry as in Levit. 20.5 whosoever did give his Children to Molech was to be slain with all that followed him in his Idolatry they that followed him to Idolatry were to be slain as Idolaters but he that gave his Children to Molech to make them pass through the fire is chiefly named here to be slain as a Ring-leader of other men to Idolatry and is in Deut. 18.10 reckoned amongst Witches according to the definition of a Witch afore-shewed Witches being in all the Scripture-sence only Seducers or inticers of the people to Spiritual Whoredom and here in the Text Moses speaketh Per Synecdocen of one Idol for all all one as if he had said Let none be found among you that is an inticer or ring-leader of the people to Idolatry in which sence all Idol Priests are Witches and are stiled so in common Scripture phrase 1 Sam. 6.2 the Philistims called their Priests and South-sayers together for the setting up or upholding of any Idol is the Grand Witch-craft of all and the very Mother of all other Witch-craft and it is most probable the Priests of Molech were first devoted to that service by using that Ceremony of passing through the fire and all that did in like
and Flouds acting as a man and so in Mat. 4. Luke 4. the Devil tempting of Christ is introduced in the story as speaking like a man this is used sometimes in Parables as in Iob from the seventh verse of the first Chapter to the twelfth also Chap. 2. the six first verses and in Gen. 3.1 1 King 22.21 in these and many places by this Figure speaking and discoursing verbally and Human action is ascribed to such as it doth not properly belong so that it appeareth to those that rightly understand that this objection also is of no force but yet still for those that are obstinate I say let them prove a League or Covenant by the Scriptures between the Devil and a Witch or that the Devil hath power or permission to perform such a Covenant if made Eighthly Some again will object and say If Witches cannot kill and do many strange things by Witchcraft why have many confessed that they have done sucâ— Murthâ—rs and other strange matters whereof they have been accused To this I answer If Adam and Eve in their innocency were so easily overcome and tempted to sin how much more may poor Creatures now after the Fail by perswasions promises and threatnings by keeping from sleep and continual torture be brought to confess that which is false and impossible and contrary to the faith of a Christian to beleeve Some indeed have in a melancholly distraction of minde confessed voluntarily yea and accused themselves to bee Witches that could do and had done such strange things and wonders by the help of the Devil but mark well their distemper and you shall finde that they are deeply gone by infirmity of body affecting the minde whereby they conceit such things as never were or can be as is often proved by experience among Physicians many of those dying in a very short time although they be not put to death except they be cured by the Physician and truly if such Doctrins had not been taught to such people formerly their melancholly distempers had not had any such objects to work upon but who shall at last answer for their confession but they that have infected the mindes of common people with such devillish doctrins whereby some are instigated to accuse their poor Neighbours of impossibilities contrary to the Scriptures and some drawn to confess lyes and impossibilities contrary to Christian light And indeed vain and fickle are the mindes of such disputants who do first of all father their vain opinions upon the Scriptures pretending that they are undoubted truths grounded upon the Scriptures saying Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live but being shewed their errours how they wrest the Scriptures will rather forsake the Scriptures which are the rule of righteousness then forsake their Opinions and will beleeve confession against the Scriptures Some men will yet yeeld thus farre that these Confessions of poor accused people do many times extend to impossibilities and that they verily beleeve that the Devil deludeth these people making them beleeve that he bringeth to pass such things as they require him to do which yet would come to pass by Divine providence Some again do so Idolize the Devil as that they affirm that these things are real and do withall cry out Great is the power of the Devil and yet for any of these Opinions can produce no Scriptures to prove them but only Confessions and although those Confessions are sometimes â—xtorted sometimes voluntary in poor melancholy or distracted people sometimes in wicked people who delight to make the world wonder at lyes or impossibilities though it be to their own confusion they being given over by God and so the Devil seeing his opportunity instigateth them to be his Instruments to uphold all lying Diabolical Doctrins so that no true beleeving Christian but may discern that all theâ—e Confessions are from the Devil the Father of lyes yet I say Suppose with these Confession-mongers that these Confessors are deluded by Satan to think they do such things by the help of the Devil yet where do we read in Scripture that such are Witches who are deluded by Satan or that such should be slain or put to death we read indeed that Witches were all sorts of deluding false Prophets but not such as were deluded by Satan Secondly If you will still affirm that their Confessions are real truths and not delusions but that they do indeed bid the Devil do such things which as yee say he doth yet how can yee prove it by Scripture where is any such description of a Witch in the Scripture but surely it is most horrible devillish forsaking of the Scriptures to beleeve that there is any truth at all in these Confessions and such people as are thus seduced by Satan to lying Confession ought rather to be taught better knowledge than to be slain in their ignorance and perish altogether for lack of knowledge but it is and hath been the manner of these latter Ages for a Minister to go to such and instead of instructing them whereby they might become instruments of saving their souls they urge them to lying Confessions and so do as much as they can to send the spirit of errour into them to their confusion yea and for the most part these men who uphold their errours by the Confessions of these poor accused people do altogether mis-interpret their Confessions for the upholding of such lyes for the broaching whereof they have formerly mis-interpreted and belyed the Scriptures for let but any man that is wise and free from prejudice go and hear but the Confessions which are so commonly alleged and he may see with what catching and cavelling what thwarting and lying what flat and plain Knavery these Confessions are wrung from poor innocent people and what monstrous additions and multiplications are afterward invented to make the matter seem true which yet is most damnably false and flat against Christian light and human reason to beleeve And for such as can hardly beleeve that Melancholy or distemper of body and troubled phantasie can cause people to imagine things so really as to confess them to their own destruction though most false and impossible set them but consider the late example of a grave Minister about the Isle of Ely who by a troubled phantasie was so deluded or rather did so delude himself by weakness of Phantasie and imagination as he reported that an Angel told him that the Judgement Day should be upon the next Friday by which report many of the Inhabitants were much troubled till the day was over if then a grave Minister may be mis-led by Phantasie and distempered minde how much more plain common people who have such Accusations brought against them as are sufficient to break their brains Further I say that if the man of sin spoken of in the second to the Thessalonians chap. 2. had not broached these errours to the world these Confessors had had no such lying imaginations to confess for
to get the mastery of the Spirit of truth and whether this Work was either composed by King Iames or by the Bishop may be very well suspected or rather by some Scotish man blinded by some Scotish Mist who desired to set forth his own Tenents for the upholding of Popish errours and Popish Writers sufficiently confuted before by Scot in his Discovery of Witchcraft he not being able any whit to answer Scot in his Discourse laboureth to uphold false Tenents and Doctrins by the authority of a King because he could not finde any thing in the Scriptures to uphold them or to answer Scot as wee may read in the Preface that his whole aime is at Scot whom he falsly chargeth with the Tenent and Affirmation That there is no such thing as Witchcraft whereas Scot in all his whole Book saith no such thing but only that Witchcraft is a craft of deceiving and seducing the people and not of killing and making barren and raising Winds and such like Inventions he that readeth that Preface and seeth how Scot is first and chiefly aimed at in the whole Work might presently expect that in the Work he should finde Scot notably confuted or at the least in some way answered but reading over the VVork he shall finde not one thing or other answered at all but only a bare affirmation of such Tenents without any ground or warrant of the Scripture which Tenents were confuted by Scot by the Scriptures so that for any man to answer that Work of the Author at large were only to do that which Scot hath already done in confuting Bodinus and others and whereas this Author pretendeth a refutation of Scot he hath done nothing else but written again the same Tenents that Bodinus and others had before written and were by Scot confuted like an obstinate Disputant that rather than he will not hold his Argument though never so foolish he will deny the Conclusion One Disputant wisely and plainly proveth that a thing is and the other foolishly saith still it is not or one proveth that a thing is not and the other foolishly still saith it is by which way of arguing a childe may hold an Argument against a learned Doctor though never so false Yet for the answering of the Tenents of this Author in that Work First he saith in his first Book as also in the Preface That Witches can by the help of the Devil cause to be brought unto them all kindes of dainty Dishes for their delicious maintenance and yet say I how many poor lean starved people have been executed in several places for Witches and for the truth of this Doctrin he bringeth no place of Scripture to prove it but only affirmeth it to bee true for these reasons First The Devil is a Thief and delighteth to steal Secondly He is a Spirit and therefore can subtilly and suddenly transport the same from whence and whither hee will by which way of argument rejecting the Scriptures a man may affirm for truth any vain imagination be it as absurd as this former as that the Devil is a Thief and therefore hath a Mountain of Gold which he hath taken out of every mans Purse and heaped up in Hell which he being a Spirit hath easily transported from the earth and therefore are so many men hastening to Hell because there is abundance of Gold But if such foolish Arguments as these were of any force what need then any Scripture to teach us the truth But if we examine the truth of this Doctrin by the Scriptures it will prove for want of ground in Scripture very phantastical and in opposition to the truth of the Scriptures very blasphemous for hereby we should yeeld still that what was done by the Angel of God in miraculous manner bringing food to Elijah 1 King 19.6 may be done by the Devil bringing variety of food to them that serve him and whereas God by a Miraculous hand brought his people through a barren Wilderness and fed them in that Wilderness the same thing might as well have been done by the Devil who saith he can bring his servants all manner of dainty dishes This that is already written were enough to disable and make voyd all the three Books of Daemonologie written by this Author but yet for the satisfaction of such as will expect a Methodical answer I will begin with his Works in order as they stand and in brief shew the vanity of them as for example he saith in his Epistle to the Reader Sorcery and VVitchcraft are different from Magick and Necromancy and yet in the first Chapter of the Second Book he saith the Maid spoken of in the sixteenth of the Acts was a VVitch because she had the spirit of Python and yet we finde in the Scripture that they that had the spirit of Python were also Necromancers how then can this distinction hold that VVitchcraft differeth from Necromancy for by that distinction a Pythonist were a VVitch and a Necromancer not a VVitch yet what was the Pythonist of Endor but a Necromancer pretending to consult with the dead and Necromancy was the pretence of all that were said to have the spirit of Python that was that they consulted with the Souls of the dead as in Plutarch and also in holy VVrit as in Isa. 8.19 it is manifest in any Tongue but our English which in Tremellius translation is to this sense for when they shall say unto you Ask counsel of those that have the spirit of Python or the imposture of Oracling and of South-sayers should not a people ask counsel of their God Shall they ask counsel of the dead for them that are living so then it is plain this distinction is wholly dissonant from Scripture and that this Author wrote not according to Scripture but by phantasy and imagination And now for his First Book and the whole discourse of it he layeth this foundation he produceth these places of Scripture to prove that there is such a thing as Witchcraft and Witches Exod. 22.18 1 Sam. 15.23 Acts 8. Acts 16. and here he never searcheth the sense and meaning of these Scriptures but proveth that Witches are which thing no man denyeth and yet mark but his proofs Exod. 22.18 which is taken for a Jugler or one that worketh false Miracles to deceive and seduce in the same sense is to be understood Acts 8.9 10. concerning Simon Magus who was a Jugler and Magician Jugling being one main part of Magick in the Scripture discourse such were Pharaohs Magicians which Magicians this Author distinguisheth from Witches and yet would prove by these places that there is such a thing as Witchcraft and Witches so likewise 1 Sam. 15.23 Rebellion is as the sin of Divination from hence hee would prove Witchcraft also and yet his distinction denieth that Necromancers whose main drift was to give Divinations by consulting with the dead are Witches and this is the sum of his first Chapter where any wise man
men and the impetuousnesse of the times and the authority of such Writers as hee calleth the learned as that although hee hath writen some Truths in preaching also whereof hee hath done much good in Gods Vineyard in labouring to stay that bloody persecution on foot against the poor and Innocent yet he hath much swerved from the Truth of this subject of Witches and Witchcraft in that hee yeildeth at all to the common contagion of Error that hath defiled the World not that Witches are for that were my Error to deny seeing the Scriptures do manifestly condemn them but that Witches in the Scripture sence are such as have made a familier compact with the Devill and receive power from him to kill and the like I wonder but that the hour of darknesse is not yet fully past that so many Ministers should still wander in this darksome imagination what least intimation or description of such a kind of Witch hath God given us in the Scriptures or of Devills in the corporall shape of Imps making a familier compact with any of mankind or any ground for such imaginary whimses of mans brain what consequence is there in Logicall dispute or in Theologicall Principles that hee that denieth these phantasies denieth that there is a Devill and so finally that there is a God the Scripture teacheth us that there is a God and likewise a Devill or Devills but what Scripture speaketh of a familiar Devill or Jmp or that a Witch can kill by Witchcraft or hurt either body or goods by Witchcraft by the Devills help either by Gods permission or without I rather think that this forsaking of the Scriptures and delivering for Doctrin the traditions of Antichristian Popish Writers is a forsaking of God and consequently a denying of God hee saith hee could instance from story how many have had no Faith of Witches being till their bewitched body or goods hath served to unwitch them of their opinions and conceit is this a Theologicall way of Argument to ground a Doctrin upon vain reports and phantasmes without Scriptures yea flat contrary to the Scriptures Deut. 32.39 1 Sam. 2.6 7. dare any man contrary to those and many places of Scripture when hee is afflicted in body or goods ascribe â— a Witch upon vain Phantasie and carnal reason â—â—perstitious imaginations and foolish traditions withâ—riptures which by the Scriptures we are taught to 〈◊〉 only to God yes men dare do so and Ministers dare 〈◊〉 so And this is the condemnation that light is come into â—â—rld and men love darkness rather than light But now to 〈◊〉 to the man himself of whom I have written sparingly 〈◊〉 Gaule if this work of mine shall come to your hand as 〈◊〉 hath come to mine be not angry with me for writing 〈◊〉 Truth I am sure you shall get more estimation among 〈◊〉 Beleevers more favour with God and do more good in â—rists Vine-yard by acknowledging your error and by emâ—cing Gods Truth than by being carried away with the â—ams of these fâ—ouds of iniquity that have over-flowed the â—istian world You say in your second case pag. 24. It is 〈◊〉 to observe any specifique difference of Witches in 〈◊〉 you acknowledge the subject to be difficult to write 〈◊〉 Sir I have given you full specifical descriptions of â—em according to the Scriptures then although Sir you be â—arned in other things disdain not to learn of me the truth 〈◊〉 this subject I doubt not but if you had first read my Book â—ur own Book had been more perfect Suffer not a Witch to 〈◊〉 Prestigiatricem a Jugling person that worketh false Miracles to seduce the people to Idolatry Exod. 22.18 Ioâ—is destroying of Witches 2 King 23 24. what was it but â—â—lling down the Idols with their Adjuncts Oraclers and â—uth-sayers that were the Idol Priests that seduced the peoâ—â—e Examine the places which are your own quotations 〈◊〉 Sir I intreat you in Christs name that as you have â—â—en fervent for Gods Cause with Apollos Act. 18.25 so learn 〈◊〉 me the way of God more perfectly as he did of the Diâ—iples vers 26. fare-well Sir the Spirit of God be your faâ—â—iliar Spirit to guide you in the truth Non quiâ— Sed quid Master Ciffard answered THere is yet another Book come to my hand written by Mr. George Giffard an able Minister of Gods Word in Maldon which because the common way of some mans arguing is by questioning what say you to this and what say you to that Author therefore I will give a brief description of his Tenents which are chiefly three the first is That a VVitch can not by a Familiar or by any craft any way hurt or weaken the life health or estate of any man by bewitching with disease or infirmity either Man or Beast or hurting his Goods and this he proveth plainly by Scripture and Reason as I have also done in my Second Book of this Discourse The second Tenent is That VVitches have Imps and Familiars The third Tenent is That these Familiars do nothing really but only do deceive the VVitch by making her beleeve they do that which cometh to pass upon Man or Beast by Divine providence but for these two last Tenents he doth not prove by Scripture as he did the first nor yet affirm for truth but only being overcome by the strength of common report grounded upon the Confession of such as have been executed he only yeeldeth to those strong delusions which have deceived many Hypothetically arguing if Witches have such Imps or Familiars they are only deceived by them but herein is he not confident and therefore these two last Tenents being not confirmed by him do confirm nothing and for the first of the two That VVitches have Imps is susficiently disproved in my Second Book and that all their Confessions are no argument then for the last Tenent having reference to the first it is in like manner nullified for if they have no Imps nor no Familiar then they are not deceived by them nor do beleeve or confess any such thing wherein they seem to him to be deceived any further than Confession is wrung from them by them who are the deceivers of themselves and others by the Deceiver of the VVorld that dwelleth in them except sometimes by the depth of Melancholly or distemâ—ered brain as I have formerly demonstrated in my Second Book and therefore need no further answer So much for this Author who I beleeve had more of the Spirit of truth in him than many of his profession Now for all that have written in that kinde I summon all VVitch-mongers to shew me in the Old or New Testament which are given as a rule of truth the least inference of any such Doctrin as is delivered by them Also I desire any man of right understanding to compare them with the Scriptures and so compare also this my Book with the Scriptures and to see which of them is most consonant with the Scriptures