CHAP.IV.
That the Scriptures and sound Reason are the true and proper Mediums to prove the Actions attributed unto Witches by, and not other improper ways that many Authors have used. And of the Requisites necessary truly to prove a matter of Fact by.
As we have in the former Chapter proved, that Apparitions (though true) are no sufficient warrant to ground our belief upon, for the Existence of Angels or Spirits, but the Word of God: so here we shall endeavour clearly to manifest, that the Sacred Scriptures are the only Medium, joyned with sound Reason, of deciding this point of the power and operation of Demons and Witches, and not other improper Mediums brought in by divers Authors, and first we shall answer the Objection of Mr.Glanvil, that runs thus.
Object. 1.
Pag.96, 97.
“That though the New Testament had mentioned nothing of this matter, yet its silence in such cases is not argumentative. He said nothing of those large unknown Tracts ofAmerica, nor gave he any intimations of as much as the existence of that numerous people; much less did he leave instructions about their Conversion. He gives no account of the affairs and state of the other World, but only that general one of the happiness of some, and the misery of others. He made no discovery of theMagnaliaof Art or Nature, no not of those whereby the propagation of the Gospel might have been much advanced,viz.the Mystery of Printing and the Magnet, and yet no one useth his silence in these instances as an argument against the being of things, which are evident objects of sense.” To which we answer.
Respons.
1. He falleth into a common mistake in making the Proposition universal, anddolus versatur in universalibus, when it ought but to be particular: so for him to say, that no silence of Scripture is argumentative, is too universal; for its silence in point of Geography, as in describingAmerica, and the people thereof, nor in discovering theMagnalia Naturæ & Artisis not argumentative; and we do not say, that all silence of Scripture is argumentative,but yet we affirm that some silence of Scripture is argumentative. So we cannot universally say, that nothing hath a being but what is mentioned in Scripture; but we may very well affirm, that some things have no being, or truth of existence, because not declared in Scripture.
Lib.1.c.1.
2. The Scriptures were not written to teach Natural Philosophy, Arts or Sciences, humane Policy, or the like; but were given,that the man of God might be perfect, furnished for every good work: and it is by them that we have the doctrine of eternal Salvation revealed unto us, and we positively affirm the sufficiency of the Scriptures unto Salvation, which thing no Orthodox Divine (we suppose) will deny, andBellarminehimself did confess in these words:Prophetici & Apostolici libri sunt verum verbum Dei, ac stabilis regula fidei. And if it be a certain Rule of Faith, and the true Word of God, then whatsoever it is silent of, we ought not to believe, and so its silence is argumentative in that point. The Scriptures are utterly silent concerning Purgatory, and therefore it is a good argument to affirm there is no such place as Purgatory, because the Word of God is silent as concerning it; but if it had been necessary to have been believed, then there would have been mention made of it.
3. And as the Scriptures are sufficient in matters of Faith, andcirca credenda, and what they are silent in, are not to be received as Articles of our Faith, but to be rejected, as having no truth of Existence: So likewise what Worship God requireth of his people, is fully revealed in his Word, and therefore I am to reject the worshipping ofMahometwith the Turks, or Images, and praying to Saints with the Papists, because I have neither precept nor president in the Word, but it is silent in such matters; nay tells us,That he is the Lord our God, and him only we ought to serve.
Pag.87, 88. 23.
Origin. Sacr.l.3.c.6.p.608.
Invisib. World, p. 112.
Joh. 17. 24.
Serm. c. 7.
Wisd. 3. 1.
Luk. 23. 43.
Concio secunda de Lazaro.
Luk. 16. 22, 23.
2 Sam. 12. 23.
Job 7. 9, 10.
Idem.10. 20, 21.
Bellarm. Enervat.tom.2.l.5.p.204.
Homil.sect.16.pag.484.
4. Though Mr.Glanvilsay, that God hath given no account of the state of the other World, but only that general one of the happiness of some, and the misery of others; yet Am I to believe as Mr.Glanvilsomewhere in his Book affirmeth, thatSamuelsSoul was raised up by the Woman atEndor, and that those that he feigneth to make Leagues and Contracts with Witches, are the Souls of such as had been Witches when they lived, and asketh, Who saith that happy Souls were never imployed in any ministeries here below? Or am I to believe that both the Souls of the godly and wicked, do rove up and down here upon earth, and make Apparitions, because the Popish Teachers do hold it to be so? I hope not, and therefore I shall in part give an answer here to some of these, and handle that of the Woman ofEndorin another place. 1. The Word of God doth particularly teach us the state and condition of the Souls after death, that they shall be like the Angels in Heaven; and all other things necessary to move and draw us to believe the immortal Existence of Souls, as that most able and learned Divine Dr.Stillingfleethath asserted in these words: “The Scriptures givethe most faithful representation of the state and condition of the Soul of Man. The World (he saith) was almost lost in Disputes concerning the Nature, Condition, and Immortality of the Soul, before divine Revelation was made known to Mankind by the Gospel of Christ;but life and immortality was brought to light by the Gospel, and the future state of the soul of man not discovered in an uncertain Platonical way, but with the greatest light and evidence from that God who hath the supreme disposal of souls, and therefore best knows and understands them.” A Sentence truly pious and orthodoxal. 2. Hath not God in the holy Scriptures amply and plainly taught us the state of the other World, in describing unto us such a numerous company of Seraphims and Cherubims, Angels and Archangels, with their several Orders, Offices, Ministeries, and Imployments? and this is more than a general account, as may be seen at full in that learned and godly Piece of BishopHalls, calledThe invisible World. And hath he not given us a particular account of the very Kingdom of Darkness, telling us of the Devil and his Angels, and precisely in this enumeration?For we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.And this is more than a general account, and we must needs say, that what he holds is very derogatory to the wisdom and goodness of God, and the sufficiency and truth of the Scriptures. 3. Must I believe him that the souls of the Saints do rove and wander here below? when as BishopHallsaith, where he is speaking against the opinion of those that hold, that Souls do sleep until the Day of Judgment: “Indeed who can but wonder that any Christian can possibly give entertainment to so absurd a thought, whilst he hears his Saviour say,Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, and that(not in a safe sleep)they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me.” Sure if the Souls departed be with Christ where he is, and do behold his glory, then it is a Popish Fable of Mr.Glanvil, to feign their coming upon Messages hither. The saying of St.Bernardis remarkable in this case:Advertistis tres esse sanctarum status animarum, primum videlicet in corpore corruptibili, secundum sine corpore, tertium in corpore jam glorificato. Primum in militia, secundum in requie, tertium in beatitudine consummata.And if the second state of holy Souls be without a body, and be at peace and rest, then it must necessarily be a truth, that they do not wander here, nor run upon Errands;For the souls of the righteous are in the hands of the Lord, and there shall no torment touch them. And our Saviour told the Thief upon the Cross,This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise, that is, as Dr.Hammondgiveth the Paraphrase: “Immediately after thy death thou shalt go to a place of bliss, and there abide with me, a Member of that my Kingdom which thou askest for.” Now if the souls of the godly, after their death, be immediately in a placeof bliss, and abide with Christ as Members of his Kingdom, then they do not wander up and down here, as Mr.Glanviland the Papists vainly fancy and believe; for asChrysostomesaith upon that place ofLazarushis being carried by Angels intoAbrahamsbosome. “What is it then that the Devils say, I am the Soul of such a Monk? Truly I therefore believe it not, because the Devils say it, for they deceive their Auditors.” 4. Or must I believe that the souls of the wicked do wander, and make Apparitions here, because Mr.Glanviland the Popish Writers tell me so? I hope not; for the Text telleth us plainly, that the rich man presently after his death was in Hell in torments, and could not come hither unto earth again to warn his brethren, otherwise he would not have prayedAbrahamto have sentLazarus. And whether it be taken for a real History of things done, or but a Parable, yet the spiritual meaning of our Saviour must be infallibly true, that immediately after death the souls of the godly are by Angels carried intoAbrahamsbosome, and the wicked go down into Hell, from whence there is no redemption; and therefore do not wander up and down here, nor make any Apparitions: for I imagine that the authority of holy KingDavid, a Prophet and a man after Gods own heart, is to be preferred before the authority of a thousand Popish Writers, and he tells us, when the child was dead:But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.AndJobtells us:As the cloud is consumed, and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave, shall come up no more, he shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more. And therefore it was a vain argument ofBellarminewhen he said: “Apparitiones animarum ex Purgatorio venientium idem testantur.” To which the Protestants answer: “But who shall bear witness of these Apparitions, that they were not either feigned fables, or Satanical illusions? They were men, and might be deceived, even the best of them, with whom doth rest the faith of these Narrations.” 5. And whereas he audaciously asketh, “Who saith that happy Souls were never imployed in any Ministeries here below?” I shall tell him who they are that say, that happy Souls departed are never imployed here in any Ministeries; and they are all the learned Divines of the Reformed Churches, and all those that were true Sons of the Doctrine of the Church ofEngland, such as were BishopJewel, BishopHall, Dr.Willet, Dr.Whitaker, Mr.Perkins, and many more such, the authority and reputation of the least of which is far above the simple question of Mr.Glanvil. And therefore saith the latter Confession ofHelvetia: “Now that which is recorded of the Spirits or Souls of the dead sometimes appearing to them that are alive, &c. we count those Apparitions among the delusions and deceits of the Devil.”
5. And as the Scriptures are sufficient both in respect of matters of Faith, and concerning divine Worship, that their silence in thosetwo particulars are fully argumentative, to deny whatever is not contained in them, as unfit to be received to either purpose. So in respect of a Christians warfare, all things for the obtaining of a perfect and compleat victory, and for standing and perseverance, are in them fully declared, and what they mention not is to be rejected, as wanting the seal of Divine Authority, whether it be in regard of eschewing what is prohibited, or in following what is commanded. And therefore we affirm, that what the Scriptures have not revealed of the power of the Kingdom of Satan, is to be rejected, and not to be believed, and what weapons we are to use against the wiles of the Devil, we are to be furnished withal, but have need of no others but what the Holy Ghost in the Scriptures hath made known unto us, the rest are to be cast off, as fables and lyes, or humane inventions, because the Scriptures are silent of any such matter, and that for these weighty grounds and considerations.
De Doctrin. Christian.
1. We shall take the Concession ofBellarminehimself, who saith:Nullum est vitium ad quod sanandum non invenitur in Scriptura aliquod remedium. And again:Illa quæ sunt simpliciter omnibus necessaria, Apostoli consueverunt omnibus prædicare: & aliorum quæ sunt omnibus utilia. And to the same purpose is the saying of St.Austin:Titubat fides, si divinarum Scripturarum vacillet authoritas: porrò fide titubante, etiam ipsa charitas languescit. Therefore if there be no fault for which the Scripture doth not yield some remedy, then surely to make a visible League with the Devil, or to have carnal Copulation with him, either must have no verity at all in it, or that the Scripture hath provided no remedy for it, for of such things there is no mention. And if Faith must stumble, where the authority of the Scriptures is wanting, then surely the belief of all rational men must needs be staggering, to believe what these common Witchmongers affirm of the Witches visible League and carnal Copulation with the Devil, when there is no authority of Scripture at all to strengthen or countenance any such matter.
Eph. 6. 11, 12, 13.
1 Pet. 5. 8, 9.
2 Cor. 10. 4, 5.
2. The Scriptures do fully and abundantly inform us of the Devils spiritual and invisible power, and against the same declares unto us the whole Armor of God, with which we ought to be furnished, as the Apostle saith:Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.And the Apostle St.Petertelleth us:Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, like a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour; whom resist stedfast in the faith. And in another place:For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God tothe pulling down of strong holds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God. From which Scriptures we may take these remarkable observations.
2 Cor. 2. 11.
1 Tim. 3. 7.
2 Tim. 2. 26.
1. We are to consider the nature of this Warfare, that it is spiritual and against spiritual wickedness in high places, and not against flesh and blood; and the Holy Ghost could not be wanting nor defective, but superabundantly full in describing the nature of this warfare, that it is spiritual, not carnal; and therefore we are to prepare our selves against all spiritual assaults: but as for any visible, carnal, or bodily, there is not, nor can be any such, because the Apostle that declared by his Preaching and Writings the whole counsel of God, hath revealed no such thing as the visible appearing of Satan, much less of his making of a visible League with the Witches, or the sucking of their bodies, or the having carnal Copulation with them, which must of necessity be lyes and figments, because the Holy Ghost hath not warned us of any such, which we ought certainly to believe he would have done, if there had been any such matter. And the holy Apostle, who was not ignorant of the devicesνοήματα, notions or intentions of Satan, would not have omitted to have warned the godly, if there had been any such matter as a visible League, sucking of their bodies, or carnal Copulation, the thing being of so great weight and concern. For as one said well:Grave est de vita & bonis periclitari, sed multò gravius insidiantem habere Satanam. And he that so often hath given us warning of the wiles, devices, and snares of the Devil, if there had been any such dangerous snare as this, would without doubt have given us notice of it.
2. We are to consider the end of this Warfare, that it is for no less than a Crown, and that not a terrestrial, but a celestial one, not a fading one, but an everlasting one, a Crown of eternal life, of immortal glory, even for an house given of God, eternal in the Heavens. Therefore this being a thing of the greatest concern that belongs to a Christian, the Apostle would not doubtlesly omit any thing that had been necessary to the obtaining of such an inestimable prize, and such an important Victory; and therefore cannot in reason have concealed or omitted such a weighty matter as a visible League, and the like, if there had been any such thing.
Eph. 6. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18.
3. We are to consider that this Armor prescribed for the Souldiers of Jesus Christ, isthe whole armor of God,πανοπλίαν, the compleat armor of God (as Dr.Hammondrenders it) perfect both for defence and offence. And therefore the Apostle describes it fully by a Metaphor, taken from such Arms as theRomanor other Nations in his time use, saying:Stand therefore, having your loyns girt about with truth, and having on the breast-plate of righteousness: And your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. Above all taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmetof salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints.And as it is a compleat and perfect Armor, both in respect of defence and offence; so it is a spiritual, not a carnal, corporeal, or bodily armor, because the warfareis not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in high places, against spiritual enemies, not against corporeal and carnal ones; for as the enemies are and the warfare, so are the armor and weapons. From whence we truly urge, that the Apostle led by the Holy Ghost, and the Wisdom of the Father, and knowing the whole counsel of God (especially in this point) hath omitted nothing that is fitting armor for a Christian either of defence or offence, whereby he may be inabled to get the victory against Satan, and all his spiritual Army. And therefore that either Satan hath not power, or doth not assault Christians after a visible, carnal, and bodily manner, or else that the Holy Ghost hath been defective in prescribing armor against such assaults, and consequently that the armor of a Souldier of Jesus Christ is not compleat, or else there is no such bodily assaults of Satan at all, as to tempt visibly, to make a corporeal League, to suck upon the Witches bodies, nor to have carnal Copulation with them. But we affirm, and that (as we conceive) with sound reason, that the Scriptures in this particular of a Christians armor, and the compleatness of it, is abundantly sufficient against all spiritual assaults whatsoever, and consequently that there is no other kind of assaults but meerly spiritual, and therefore the Word of God, the most properMediumwith sound reason, to judge of the power of Spirits and Devils by.
Gregor. sup. Ezekiel.Homil.6.
1 Tim. 1. 17.
Heb. 12. 9.
3. That the Scriptures and sound reason are the only true and properMediumto decide these Controversies by, is most undeniably apparent, because God is a Spirit, and the invisible God, and therefore best knows the nature and power of the spiritual and invisible World, and being the God of truth, can and doth inform us of their power and operations, better than the vain lyes and figments of the Heathen Poets, or the dreams of the Platonick School, either elder or later, nay better than all the notional and groundless speculations of the Schoolmen, of whom it may truly be said that,Rivulo divinæ Scripturæ relicto, in abyssos vanarum opinionum incidêrunt. Nay these can better inform us in this point, than the Writings of all Mortals besides, and therefore whatsoever may be said to the contrary, may receive its answer from the Father:Quod de Scripturis sacris authoritatem non habet, eâdem facilitate contemnitur, quâ probatur. Therefore he beingthe King eternal, immortal, invisible, and the only wise God, of none can we so truly and certainly learn these things, as of him who hath plentifully taught us in his Word all things necessary to Salvation,that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished to every good work. Nayhe is the Father of Spirits, and therefore trulyknoweth, and can and doth teach us their Natures, Offices, and Operations.
Vid. Orig. sacr.l.1.c.1.p.15.
Levit. 18. 22, 23, 24.
4. The Scriptures (especially the Writings ofMoses) considered only as Historical, are of more antiquity, verity, and certainty both as to Doctrine, Precepts, matters of Fact, and Chronology, than all other Histories whatsoever, whether of the Phenicians, Egyptians, Chaldeans, or Grecians, as the learned person Dr.Stillingfleethath sufficiently proved. Now if there had been such an one as a Witch, that made a visible League with the Devil, and upon whose body he suckt, and with whom he had carnal Copulation, something of that nature would doubtless have been recorded in the Scriptures, of which notwithstanding there is not the least tittle or mention. AndMoseswho was so perfect a Law-giver, as in a manner to omit no kind or sort of sin or evil that men possibly could commit, but to forbid it, and make a Law against it, could never have left out such an horrid, unnatural, and hellish wickedness as carnal Copulation with the fallen Angels, if there had been any such matter. For he saith, after he had forbidden all sorts of Fornications, Adulteries, and Incests:Thou shalt not lye with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Neither shalt thou lye with any beast to defile thy self therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lye down thereto: it is confusion. Defile not your selves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled, which I cast out before you.Now it cannot be rationally imagined, thatMoseshaving named and prohibited the less sins of bestial Copulation and Sodomy, would have left out that which is the most horrid and execrable of all others, to wit, carnal Copulation with Devils, if there had been any such thing either in possibility or act. And therefore we may conclude according to the rules of sound reason, that there is no such matter, and that the Scriptures are the most fitMediumto decide these Controversies.
2 Thess. 3. 2.
5. The Scriptures and sound reason are the most fit Mediums to determine these things by, because there is nothing that any hath written upon this Subject (though the Authors be superfluously numerous) but if it agree not with the principles of right reason, and the rules of the Scriptures, they ought to be rejected. For what is not consonant to right reason, ought not to be received by any that truly are rational Creatures; and what agrees not with the Word of God, ought not to be entertained by any that are or would be accounted good or true Christians. And if all the gross fables, lyes, impossibilities, and nonsensical stories that Demonographers and Witchmongers have related and accumulated together, were brought to the test of the Scriptures and sound reason, they would soon be hissed off the Stage, and find few believers or embracers of them. But alas! all (nay few men) have the right use and exercise of their rational faculty, but men to see to are in themselves as beasts; and therefore we may all pray with the Apostle to be delivered from unreasonable men, or men without reason, or absurdmen, that make no right use of reason,ἀτόπων ἀνθρώπων.
Dan. 4. 35.
Gal. 4. 4.
Joh. 9. 1, 2, 3.
Joh. 5. 14.
Vid. Thom. Aquin. caten. aur. in loc.
Ut supr.
6. The Scriptures and right reason have declared all things concerning Spirits either good or bad, as also all sorts of Diviners (or Witches, if you will have them called so) and the nature, power, operations, and actions of them, more than any other Book that was written before the time of our Saviours Birth (the dreams and whimsies of the Platonists only excepted) or for the space of three hundred years after, and therefore are the most fit Medium and Authority to determine these things by. 1. For first it is manifest, that all things are ordered by the wisdom of the Almighty, who hath done whatsoever he would both in Heaven,and he doth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What dost thou?And these things God doth not by a naked prescience, but by his divine will, providence, and ordination, as a learned Divine hath taught us in these words:Est hoc inprimis necessarium & salutare Christiano nôsse, quòd Deus nihil præscit contingenter, sed quòd omnia incommutabili & æternâ, infallibilíq; voluntate & providet, & præponit, & facit. So it was only his will, decree, and determination, that Christ should not be born, or assume humane nature visibly, but at that precise time that he had appointed, according to the evidence of the Apostle.But when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son made of a woman, made under the law.And when that fulness of time was come that he sent him, then did the divine Wisdom and Providence ordain all means, objects and occasions, whereby the fulness of the Godhead that dwelt in him bodily, might be made manifest, by working of miracles, both by himself and his Apostles, therefore were there so many several sorts of Demoniacks, blind, lame, dumb, deaf, and diseased, not by chance, but by the providence of the Father, and only and chiefly that the work of God might be manifest in them, for the Evangelist tells us:And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his Disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.Upon which place Dr.Hammonddoth give this clear Paraphrase: “And some of his followers asked him, saying, Sir, was it any sin of his own, when his soul was in another body, or was it some sin of his parents at the time of his conception, which caused this blindness in him? Neither his own, nor his parents sins were the cause of this blindness of his, but Gods secret wisdom, who meant by this means to shew forth in me his miraculous power among you.” And though the Doctor would bring in the opinion ofPythagorasof the Transmigration of Souls (of which vain traditional fancies he is almost every where guilty) as received and imbibed in by some of the Jews that then followed him: yet it appeareth plainly, that it was not interrogated by the Jews, but by his Disciples,ὁι Μαθηλαὶ, and therefore it is a wonder the Doctor should be so grosly mistaken; andTheophylacttells us thus much plainly:Neq; enim Apostoli Gentiles nugas receperunt, quo anima ante corpus in alio mundo versans peccet, ac deinde pœnam quandam recipiat in corpus descendens. Piscatores cùm essent, neq; audiverant tale quiddam, quia hæc Philosophorum dogmata erant.And so declareth, that the Disciples having seen Christ heal the man that had thirty eight years been impotent and lame, and had said unto him,Behold thou art made whole, sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee, did conceive, that this man being born blind, it had been a punishment upon him, either for his own sins, or the sins of his parents, and so doubting asked the question. And so also do St.AustinandChrysostomeexpound the place, which is both sound and rational. And of our Saviours responsion,That neither had this man sinned, nor his parents, the learned Father giveth a satisfactory answer, saying:Nunquid vel ipse sine originali peccato natus erat, vel vivendo nihil addiderat? Habebant ergo peccatum, & ipse & parentes ejus, sed non ipso peccato factum est ut cæcus nasceretur. Ipse autem causam dicit quare cæcus sit natus, cùm subdit: sed ut manifestentur opera Dei in illo.And to the same purposeGregoryhath this notable passage:Alia itaq; est percussio, quâ peccator percutitur, ut sine retractatione puniatur: Alia quâ peccator percutitur, ut corrigatur: Alia quâ quisq; percutitur, non ut præterita corrigat, sed ne ventura committat: Alia per quam nec præterita culpa corrigitur, nec futura prohibetur. Sed dum inopinata salus percussionem sequitur, salvantis virtus cognita ardentiùs amatur.From whence it is manifest, that as the Father in the fulness of time, by his Decree and Providence sent out the Son,in whom dwelt the fulness of the Godhead bodily, with a purpose to manifest the same by his great and wonderful Miracles: so in his divine Wisdom he had ordered fit subjects and objects upon whom that power might be made manifest. And therefore were there such strange diseases offered, especially in Demoniacks, that can hardly be parallel’d in any one Country of that small compass, and in so short a time, and all that the works of God might be manifest by that ever-blessed Saviour of Mankind, Jesus Christ. And though there were so many persons, so many several ways perplexed and afflicted both in their minds and bodies, as some made deaf and dumb, some torn and contorted in their members, some thrown on the ground, some into the fire, some driven to live amongst the graves and monuments, and yet all these cured by our blessed Saviour: Yet is there no mention made of any that had made a visible League with the Devil, nor upon whose bodies he suckt, nor with whom he had carnal Copulation, nor whom he had transubstantiated into Wolves, Dogs, Hares, Cats, or Squirrels; to have cured which would have been as great a miracle as any of the rest, but there were no such matters; and therefore we may safely conclude, there never were, are, or can be any such matters, whatsoever may be said to the contrary.
Act. 8. 9, 10, 11.
Act. 13. 8.
Ibid.16. 16, 18.
Act. 19. 13, 16.
2 Thess. 2. 9.
Chrysost. in loc.
2. In the New Testament there is mention made of several sorts of deceiving Impostors, Diviners, or Witches, who were all discovered and conquered by that power that Christ had given unto the Apostles; as for instance:Simon, which before-time in the same city used sorcery, and bewitchedμαγεύων κὶ ἐξισῶνthe people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one. To whom they gave heed from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries;τῶς μαγείαις ἐξεσακέναι αὐτὺς,seducebat populum suis magicis præstigiis, saithTremellius; andBeza,Exercuerat artem magicam, & gentem Samariæ obstupefecerat; who when he would have bought the gift of the Holy Ghost with money, was rejected byPeteras an Impostor and Counterfeit, and declared,that he was in the gall of bitterness. Such another wasElymasthe Sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation)ὁ μάγοςwho was stricken blind by St.Paul. Such an one was the Damsel that was possessed with a Spirit of Divination, which St.Paulcast forth. And such were the Jewish Exorcists, that took upon them to call over them which had evil Spirits, the Name of the Lord Jesus, saying,We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. But the man in whom the evil spirit was, leapt on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.But amongst these several sorts of Diviners, Impostors, or Witches, there were none that had made a visible League with the Devil, nor upon whose bodies he suckt, nor that had carnal Copulation with him, nor were changed into Cats, Dogs, or Wolves: but if the Devil had had any such power, or had there been any such sort of Witches, the divine Wisdom and Providence would have ordained some of them then to have been made apparent, that his power by Christ and the Apostles, might have been shewed as well in the greater as in the less: and that for the more full manifestation of the Works of God, as for a more triumphant declaration of the power of Christ in conquering him and his Kingdom, and for a more ample warning and instruction to the Children of God to avoid the snares and wiles of the Devil; but there being no such, then we must rationally conclude, that there now is not, nor ever was, or can be any such matter, but the vain believing of such figments and forgeries, is only the cunning and delusion of Satan, who works by lying and deceiving wondersτέρασι ψεύδοις, of which St.Chrysostomesaith thus:Hoc est, omnem ostentabit potentiam, sed nihil veri, verùm omnia ad seductionem. Et prodigiis, inquit, mendacii. Aut ementitis ac ludificantibus, aut ad mendacium inducentibus.
Pag.9.
Having now sufficiently proved, that the Scriptures and sound Reason are the proper Mediums to decide these difficulties by, we shall in the next place shew the invalidity of some ways used by the most Authors, to prove and defend these Tenents, andab uno disce omnes, take Mr.Glanvilfor all, in his own words: “Thatthis being matter of fact, is only capable of the evidence of authority and sense: and by both these, the being of Witches and Diabolical Contracts, is most abundantly confirmed.” To which we shall give this smart Reply. Not to make the Proposition universal, generally to deny the evidence of authority and sense; no, far be it from me to run into that wild and senseless absurdity, which were in a manner to destroy the credibility of all humane testimony: But we shall here speak of the evidence of authority and sense with this restriction and limitation, to these Particulars. 1. Those Authors that write of Apparitions and Spirits. 2. Those that treat of Diabolical Leagues and Contracts. 3. Those that mention the Devil sucking of the Witches body, carnal Copulation with them, their being changed into Hares, Dogs, Cats, and Wolves, and the like. These Authors we say are to be read with caution, and their relations not to be credited, except better proof be given to evidence the matters of fact, than hitherto hath been brought by any, and that for these especial reasons and necessary cautions.
Epist.lib.7.pag.252.
De defect. oracul.p. mihi700.
Plutarch. in vit. Marc. Brut.pag.361.
1. The Authors that have recorded stories of this nature, are to be seriously considered, whether they have related the matter of fact by their own proper knowledge, as eye and ear-witnesses of it, or have taken it up by hear-say, common fame, or the relation of others: and if what they relate, were not of their own certain knowledge orαὐτοψία, then is it of little or no credit at all; for the other that relates it, might be guilty either of active or passive deception and delusion, or might have heard it from another, or by common report: of all which there is no certainty, but leaveth sufficient grounds for dubitation, and is sufficient to caution a prudent person altogether to suspend his assent, until better proof can be brought. There is a story related byPlinius Cæciliusto his friendSura, of a House inAthensthat was haunted by a Spirit in so terrible and frightful a manner, that it was left utterly forsaken, and none would inhabit in it, until thatAthenodorusthe Philosopher adventured upon it, and abode the coming of the Apparition or Phantasm, and upon its signs followed it to a place below, and then it vanished: he marked the place, and went to the Magistrate, and caused the place to be digged up, and found the bones of a person inchained or fettered, and caused the bones to be buried, and so the House remained free afterwards. It is a wonder to think how many Authors have swallowed this relation (nay evenPhilip Camerariushimself, who though a very Learned man, yet in things of this nature too extremely credulous) and urged it for proof, as a matter of great credit and authority, when we cannot discern that it affords any credible ground to a rational man to believe it, not only because the very matter it self, and the circumstances of it, do yield sufficient grounds of the suspicion of its verity; but chiefly becausePlinydoth but relate it by hear-say,exponam ut accepi, and of it and the rest he desires the opinion of his FriendSura, from whom we do not find any answer. The story takenfromPlutarch(a grave Author, if he be considered as an Heathen and a Moralist) yet of no authority to decide such points as these are of the voice that called uponThamus, and commanded him to declare when he came atPalodes, that the great GodPanwas dead, which he performed, and that thereupon followed a great lamentation of many: the story at large is related by many, and urged as a matter of great weight and credibility, when indeed there is no ground sufficient to perswade any that it was true. For if it had been related byPlutarchas an ear-witness of it, yet was he but an Heathen, that we know believed many fond, lying, and impossible things, especially of their Gods; and therefore in this case to a considerate Christian could be of no great authority. And if his authority had been great, or of weight in such matters as these, yet was he butsingularis testis, which is not sufficient in these things to be relied upon. And lastly (to our present purpose here) he doth not record it as a thing of his own certain knowledge, but of hear-say fromEpitherses, who was but a single Relator, and a man of no certain veracity; and therefore we can have no rational ground to believe the truth of the story, but it may be rejected with more reason, than it can be affirmed by. Of no greater credit can his story be ofBrutushismalus Geniusappearing unto him, because he received this by meer Tradition and hear-say, neither could it have any other rise, but from the relation ofBrutushimself, whose guilty confidence, and troubled brain, fancied such vain things; for those that were nearBrutusneither saw nor heard any such matter, and therefore must have been a deception of Phansie, and no real Apparitionad extra.
The invisible World, p. 245, 246, 247.
Jo. à Jesu Mar.lib.5.de Vit. Theres.cap.3.
The invisible World, p. 305.
Ibid.p.284.
2. And as evidence of the matter of fact recorded from the relation of others, is of no validity to a judicious person: so if the matter of fact be witnessed but by one single testimony (though an eye or an ear-witness) it is not sufficient, because one single person may be imperfect in some senses, or under some distemper, and so be no proper Judge of what it sees or hears; and the Word of Truth tells us,That in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established; and therefore we are not (especially in such abstruse matters as these) to trust the evidence of one single testimony. To make clear this Particular, we shall relate a story or two from the credit of the Reverend and Learned BishopHall, joyned with his judgment of such weak and feigned Tales, one of which runs thus: “Johannes à Jesu Maria, a modern Carmelite, writing the Life ofTheresia(Sainted lately byGregoryXV.) tells us, that as she was a vigilant Overseer of her Votaries in her life, so in and after death she would not be drawn away from her care and attendance: For (saith he) if any of her Sisters did but talk in the set hours of their silence, she was wont by three knocks at the door of the Cell, to put them in mind of their enjoyned taciturnity. And on a time appearing (as she did often) in a lightsome brightness to a certain Carmelite, is said thus to bespeakhim;Nos cœlestes, ac vos exules amore ac puritate fœderati esse debemus, &c.We Citizens of Heaven, and ye exiled Pilgrims on earth, ought to be linked in a League of love and purity, &c. Methinks the Reporter (saith the Bishop) should fear this to be too much good fellowship for a Saint; I am sure neither Divine nor Ancient story had wont to afford such familiarity: and many have misdoubted the agency of worse, where have appeared less causes of suspicion. That this was (if any thing) an ill Spirit under that face, I am justly confident; neither can any man doubt, that looking further into the relation, finds him to come with a lye in his mouth. For thus he goes on; [We Celestial ones behold the Deity, ye banished ones worship the Eucharist, which ye ought to worship with the same affection wherewith we adore the Deity] such perfume doth this holy Devil leave behind him. The like might be instanced in a thousand Apparitions of this kind, all worthy of the same entertainment.” This is a story from one single person, a lying Carmelite, one that for interest, and upholding of Superstition and Idolatry, had feigned and forged it; for in it self it appeareth to be a meer falsity and figment, as any rational man may easily discern, and so are a thousand stories of this kind worthy of the like entertainment, that is, to be condemned for most horrid lyes. Another he tells us: “Amongst such fastidious choice of whole dry-fats of voluminous relations, I cannot forbear to single out that one famous ofMagdalen de la Croix, in the year of our Lord Christ 1545, &c.” The third from the mouth of another lying Fryar namedJacobus de Pozali, in his Sermon, “That St.Macariusonce went about to make peace betwixt God and Satan, &c.” Now whatsoever credit this Learned man (who in things of this kind appeareth to be as vainly credulous as any) doth seem to give unto these, or what use soever he would make of them, it is undeniably manifest to all impartial judgments, that they were but absolute forgeries and knacks of Imposture and Knavery, and (according to his own opinion) may justly be ranked amongst those thousand Apparitions of this kind, all worthy of the same entertainment, that is, to be rejected for abominable lyes or forgeries, and that for these reasons. 1. Because they are not attested by any sincere and uncorrupt ear and eye-witnesses, but by reports and relations, and that of those that were corrupt and partial, or Accomplices to bring to pass the fraud and imposture. 2. If they be run up to their first Author or Venter of the Tale, he will but be found a single Witness, which is utterly insufficient in evidencing truly a matter of fact. 3. The Relaters of them did publish them for interest sake, and upon design to advance false Doctrine, Worship, Superstition, and Idolatry, and therefore are not of validity and credit. 4. In themselves (if strictly considered) they will appear to be lying, ridiculous, contradictory in themselves, and contrary to the authority of Divine Writ, and dissonant to sound and right reason, and therefore oughtto have no other entertainment, but as abominable lyes and forgeries.