CHAP. II.
This Familiar Spirit the Witch ofEndorand other Witches have, whereby they do such Things, it is the Imagination of Reason, the Devil in themselves; that is, they set themselves apart with the Thoughts of the Imaginations of their Hearts, to dive intothe diabolical Power; that is, that they might know the Depths of Satan, their Imagination conceiving that the Devil is a Spirit flying in the Air, and that this Spirit can assume or take up any Shape it please. So that the Imagination of the Heart hath produced an evil Spirit in it self, so that this Familiar Spirit is begotten out of the Womb of Reason: For the Seed of Reason in Man is the Womb or the Mother, and the Imagination of the Heart is the Father that begets this Familiar Spirit, and this Familiar Spirit is the Son of Imagination. So that all Thoughts of the Heart, and that wonderful Knowledge declared by them, it is revealed through this Son the Familiar Spirit, begotten in themselves by the Seed of Reason the Mother, and Imagination the Father. So that there is no Devil, nor Familiar Spirit without them, as People do vainly imagine, but the Devil and Familiar Spirit is always within them, and no where else; yet all People fear a Devil without them, but he is no where to be found but in Man and Woman, this I do certainly know to be true.
Again, These Witches doth suppose the true God to be an Infinite Spirit, without any Body or Substance, as all People almost do; and that the Devil is a Spirit that can assume Bodies or what Shape he pleaseth, or what Shape or Form the Witch shall call for. This is the Opinion of most People in the World as well as Witches, yea, even of the most of the greatest learned Men; Darkness hath overspread the Minds of all learned Men in the World, so that they cannot find out what the true God is, nor where he is; nor what the right Devil is, nor where he is; yea Man, himself is he that cannot find out himself: But no more of this now.
To the Matter in hand, the Witches they do not know any Divine Being, or Power, or Form of God, but what their Imagination doth conceive to be God, for they have full Faith in this Knowledge of theirs, to be the true Knowledge of God; only the Laws of Men they fear, but no other God, but that Familiar Spirit which they have produced in themselves, by giving themselves either to Fasting and Prayer, unto an unknown Divine Being or Power; supposing this Power to be a Spirit that can appear in any Shape they shall call for or desire. And all People being ignorant of the true God, and the right Devil, as they themselves are, so that the People have a Faith in these Witches, being ignorant as aforesaid.
What the true God and right Devil is, and the Witches Faith, and their Faith being joyn'd together, it becometh strong to atchieve such Apparitions as their Faith hath chose to be the Object of their Imagination: For he that enquireth of a Witch, his Faith and the Witch's Faith is all one.
Also this is to be minded, that all Witches have some Rule by which they do perceive those Apparitions, and hear those Voices; for their is no wicked Knowledge or wicked Wisdom as the Wisdom of the World, neither is there any good Knowledge or good Wisdom as the Wisdom of God. I say, there is no Knowledge or Wisdom good or bad, but those that have it they must go by some Rule, else it is meer Nonsense; as most of yourQuakersMatters or Principles are meer Nonsense, that hath neither Bottom nor Top.