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A07215
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The anatomie of sorcerie VVherein the wicked impietie of charmers, inchanters, and such like, is discouered and confuted. By Iames Mason, Master of Artes.
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Mason, James, M.A.
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1612
(1612)
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STC 17615; ESTC S112409
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64,423
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108
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God did as well cure diseases as foretell the euent thereof For the damsell which waited vpon the wife of Naaman the Syrian told her mistris that if her master Naaman were with the prophet Elisha in Samaria he would soone deliuer him of his leprosie The which no doubt shee would neuer haue done if she had not knowne or heard that he had done the like before Nay if it had not been well knowne that they which went to the Idol Baalzebub had sometimes obtained their purpose in those cases Ahaziah being a man of that power and authority would not haue sent vnto him But to leaue this come to their next argument which is That oftentimes they vse good and godly words and characters and therefore their doings are not euill nor wrought by Satan But herein they doe mightily bewray their ignorance in the crafty policies of the diuell who euer as neare as it is possible for him will couer his wicked entents and dealings with the cloake of holinesse and honesty turning himselfe as the Apostle Saint Paul saith 2. Cor. cap. 11. vers 14. into an angell of light For euen as the holy angels in heauen doe indeede performe all duties and vse al good and godly meanes according to God his commandements to the honour of God and the good of his elect euen so Satan and his ministers the sorcerers will seeme to doe the same albeit they haue alwaies another yea a contrary entent and meaning So the diuell in the beginning would not seeme to doe it himselfe but when there was no humane creature vpon the earth to suborne in that behalfe he entred into the serpent vsing him to perswade the woman to disobey the commaundement of God in eating of the forbidden fruit because he was the wiliest beast of all that God had made and therfore Eue might the rather be drawne thereby to follow his counsell which he would seeme to giue vnto her for her good as one that wished her well and sought her commodity when as he went about her eternall destruction and of all her posterity And in the 22. cap. of the first booke of the King he did not take a direct course to shew himselfe according vnto his intention in that action but he vsed the tongue of the prophets to tell lies that thereby Achab might be perswaded to goe and fall in battell And albeit they were all of them false prophets yet they were not so reputed or esteemed of the king who asked counsell at their hands And it is manifest in that place that they pretended the authority and commaundement of God by the suggestion of the diuell as it is in the aforesaid chapter v. 11. where it is said that Zidkiiah made hornes of iron saying thus saith the Lord with these shalt thou push the Aramites vntill thou haue consumed them We see also in the 4. cap. of Saint Mathewes Gospel and likewise in Saint Luke That Satan himselfe in his owne person vsed the words of the scripture to couer his mischieuous intent when he tempted our Sauiour Christ. The which if it be so then why may not his seruants and instruments the sorcerers vse the like meanes to colour their wicked practises Nay whosoeuer shall looke into their bookes and writings albeit for the most part they be badly and without any sense or reason applied yet he shall find often times very good words and sentences partly out of the scripture and partly of their owne deuising the which a man would not thinke to be greatly to be found fault withal if their intent were good and their authority from God lawfull and allowed As it is manifest by histories That the Aegyptian sorcerers vsed in their sorceries these words To wit The god of Israell The god of the Hebrewes The god which drowned the Aegyptians and their king in the red sea And is it not most manifest by the plaine words of this text which I haue in hand that the Exorcistes vsed the same words in effect which Saint Paul and the other holy Apostles of our Sauiour Christ did making as it were a charme of the scripture of God For what is a Charme els but a certaine or set forme of words either by themselues alone or ioyned with characters without any commission or especiall authority from God vsed to the intent that by them some extraordinary worke or wonder might be wrought So that how glorious soeuer or how goldy soeuer the words may seeme to be in outward shew yet if they be vsed without gods especiall direction or commaundement to the aforesaid end they are but meere charmes Albeit my selfe haue heard some being patrones of these kinds of wicked practises who haue said That then it is a charme onely when as such words are vsed which are not vnderstood of him which vseth them The which is confuted in the 58. Psal. in these words They are as venemous as the poyson of a serpent euen like the deafe adder that stoppeth hir eares which refuseth to heare the voice of the charmer charme he neuer sowisely In which words the prophet Dauid describeth the obstinate wickednesse of his aduersaries in the court of king Saul who hauing beene often reprooued and told their duty out of the word of truth did notwithstanding wilfully persist in their sinnes giuing no eare to that wholesome counsell whereby they might be bettered much like vnto the adder which will not heare when she should with inchantment be bound and restrained from hurting with her poison but stoppeth her eares least shee should hear the voice of the charmer charming Now if a charme cannot be vnderstood what it signifieth what needeth the adder to stoppe her eares at it or what wisedome or cunning can be discerned therein if so be the meaning thereof is not to be knowne what is said or sung or finally how serueth this comparison to the purpose of the Psalmist if no difference may be perceiued betwixt one charme and another whether of them is the better or morewise or cunning Nay the very etymologie of the word doth insinuate vnto vs that it may be vnderstood For it is certaine that the word charme is deriued of the Latine word carmen the letter h being put in as we see in the word Inchantment when as in the Latine word incantamentum whereof it is deriued the said letter is not found but in the french tongue it is put in Wherefore both these words viz. charme and inchantment seeme to come from the Latines vnto the French men first and from them to vs by the comming in of William the Conquerour as it appeareth by auncient recordes that charmes and inchantments in old time were called Spells which seemeth to haue the same signification that carmen hath in Latine as it may be gathered out of Chaucer where he saith Listen to my spell which is as much to say as Listen to my words or worke in vers For a spell as also carmen among the
are infused and wherewith they are mixed and the greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 betokeneth the same thing Neither do I see wherefore Satan should vse naturall meanes in the parties before specified and such like rather then supernaturall if it had not past his reach seeing that he doth for the most part endeauour to couer his dealing as much as he can that it may not be espied As he did when he laid his hand vpon Iob as it apeareth in the first chapter of his booke And therefore it is to be thought that he made vse in the aforesaid persons of those naturall meanes which came first into his minde and were nearest at hand for that present time And as concerning the second kind of miracle which S. Paul is heere said to worke by napkins and partlets sent vnto the parties grieued To wit the casting out of diuels the same is to be iudged and said which hath beene spoken of the miracle of healing both in regard of the outward and also of the inward meanes of the same For as for the inward which is the onely meanes It is the power and spirit of God alone and as for the outward manner it maketh as I said before nothing to the working of the miracle Wherefore they are all in a mighty errour which thinke that Satan can be cast out by certaine set and conceited words or characters as they vse in magicke For we must not thinke that the diuell is either so simple or so weake if God permit him to vse his strength as to be as it were blowne out with the winde or sound of words or so timorous that he may be fraied away with the sight of figures or characters when as he durst tempt our first parents in their state of innocency Gen. cap. 3. Nay he was not afraide to set vpon our Sauiour Christ as it is in the 4. cap. of Saint Luk. although he was God albeit in the forme of man Phil. cap. 2. vers 6. And S. Peter likeneth him to a roaring lyon in his first epist. and cap. 5. And our Sauiour Christ in the 12. cap. of S. Mathewes Gospell seemeth to compare him to a strong man which will not yield till a stronger then he compelleth him Indeede sometime he will faine as though he were forcibly dispossessed by the vaine trickes of magitians and coniurers but it is onely to this end that he may thereby the more strengthen and enlarge his owne kingdome by bringing into detaining men in this wicked errour to thinke that such things are brought to passe by magicall conceits when as the diuell goeth out of himselfe euen as when we see two men pulling at a thing one of them contrary to the other and the stronger will seeme to be forced to yield and so letteth goe his hold but it is when he seeth his most aduantage to giue his aduersary the greater fall Euen so Satan albeit he may sometime seeme to be forced yet indeed and in truth it is but policy thereby to worke the more harme For he is not constrained to go out by any such vaine follies or by any other howsoeuer vsed but onely by the meere power and finger of God as it will appeare by that which followeth in the text Then certaine of the vagabond Iewes exorcistae Heere in this verse we see the effect of those miracles which Paul is said to worke in this place in the wicked sorcerers who when the Apostle had preached the Gospell of our Sauiour Christ and by his power and in his name had done these said miracles for the confirmation of the same went about most wickedly to abuse his sacred name to the establishing of their magicke and sorcery For although the name which they are called by may seeme to haue no badde but an indifferent signification being vsed in the primitiue Church for those which hauing receiued the gift of working miracles from God did vse his name in casting out of diuels and the very etymologie of the word in the originall tongue doth shew the same Yet it is most euident by the circumstance of this place that these men were nothing but meere wicked magitians and namely of that sort which we cal coniurers who although there be no difference in respect of the substance of their wicked seruing of Satan in this behalfe Notwithstanding the fashion and manner of their seruice seemeth somewhat to differ For those which we call witches or sorcerers seeme to be in a more vile and slauish condition being alwaies at the diuels commaundement but these which we terme coniurers will make as though they commaunded the diuell howbeit they profit nothing thereby sauing that they serue his turne herein and sometime their own so farre forth as their practise may stand with the furtherance of Satans purpose in the same which is the enlargement of his owne kingdome Otherwise they may commaund as they say and goe without he will doe what himselfe listeth and not what they would haue him to doe The which peraduenture when these Exorcistes saw hauing eftsoones vsed their accustomed manner and ceremonies of coniuration and neuertheles many times missing of their purposes And likewise seeing and considering the Apostle Saint Paul how he neuer fayled in the working of his miracles by the name of the Lord Iesus They thought that they would make triall what they could bring to passe thereby and so as they traueliled about the country as fortune-rellers charmers inchanters and such like do with vs they tooke in hand to cast out diuels out of those which were possessed with the same by naming ouer them which had the said euill spirits the name of the Lord Iesus Marke I pray you the incredible boldnes of these wicked coniurers who not considering neither the occasion end nor authority whereby S. Paul did worke Nor their owne daunger which might ensue vnto them thereby rashly take vpon them to doe such miracles by the name of our Lord Iesus without any further direction But such is all kinde of magicke and sorcery being founded neither vpon reason nor yet vpon common sense albeit they will seeme to make an art of it For whosoeuer shal examine the truth of the grounds and principles thereof in their bookes shall finde no pith nor any sound matter worth the noting but onely foolish and vaine trickes as are circles characters and such like or words notvnderstood or vainely or wickedly applied as in abusing the name of God or his word and such like when they vse them not to that end for the which they were appointed as doe heere the aforesaid forcerers the exorcists and therfore for the most part they are frustrate of their purposes except it be sometime by God his permission that the diuell of his owne minde for causes before rehearsed doth worke the effect for them The which when the Emperour Nero saw as it is recorded in the thirtieth booke and first chapter of Plinies naturall