Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	body_n	bring_v	death_n	8,551	5	5.4004	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35351	Sadducimus debellatus: or, a true narrative of the sorceries and witchcrafts exercis'd by the devil and his instruments upon Mrs. Christian Shaw, daughter of Mr. John Shaw, of Bargarran in the County of Renfrew in the West of Scotland, from Aug. 1696 to Apr. 1697. Containing the journal of her sufferings, as it was exhibited and prov'd by the voluntary confession of some of the witches, and other unexceptionable evidence, before the Commissioners appointed by the Privy Council of Scotland to enquire into the same. Collected from the records. Together with reflexions upon witchcraft in general, and the learned arguments of the lawyers, on both sides, at the trial of seven of those witches who were condemned: and some passages which happened at their execution.	Cullen, Francis Grant, Lord, 1658-1726.	1698 (1698)	Wing C7475A; ESTC R215462	80,964	71

of 'em undeniable Instances of Witches and Witchcraft There are also Prophesies of False Christs with signes and wonders able to deceive if posible the very Elect General Councils have made Canons against those Wretches and the experimental Knowledge of injured Mortalls in all Ages with the publick Sentences of Courts of Judicature thereupon are delivered down to us by all Historians Pet. Mamo●…ius in his Book de Lamiis gives us an account that Gulielmus Linensis a Popish Doctor was justly put to Death tho he dyed Penitent he having confessed Witchcraft had the written Covenant with Satan in his Pocket and own'd that his share of the Devils Service was to Preach and perswade people that Witches were only silly deluded Melancholians and therefore their Confessions were no proof His success in this work of Darkness was such that the People and Judges did Slacken their procedure against those Miscreants by which means the Witches were vastly multiply'd in a few Years as we are told by the same Author who gives an account of the whole Process from authentick Records It is observ'd that Satan has ofttimes chang'd his Scene in the different periods of time and turned himself into such Shapes as he found most convenient for his purpose ●…o that the manner of his Apparition has been different according to the state of the Times Of old he appeared Devil like and was worshiped as such by those that deprecated his Mischeif as some of the barbarous Indians do to this day In the darkness of Popery he was transformed into a more innocent sort of Spirit called Brounie or Fairie that pretended to fortell Deaths to reveal the Deceaseds will discover hidden Murders and do other friendly Offices c. Which were subtile means of inducing people to rely on him Those Spirits were then very frequent he having the impudence thus to appear openly proportiona●…ly ●…o the knowledge of Men over whom his reign was so universal And as Travellers and Authors in●…orm u●… he continues to do so in the more Northerly Regions to this day But since the Ligh●… of the Gospel has broke out in our Horison he oftner works externally by Magicians and Witches and internally on the lusts of Men being now mostly restrain'd to his own Sphere or Subjects Yet still he ensnares too many partly by aping the Ordinances of God especially as they are corrupted in the Romish Church whence so many Monks and Nuns as being well 〈◊〉 ●…o his hand have been easily overcome by him Thus he keeps publick 〈◊〉 in the Night as things of extraordinary merit They formally worship him by many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…e imprints on them a kind of Sacrament He inflicts dread●…ul Penances on such 〈◊〉 have not executed the commanded mischiefs He teaches them odd word ●…nd ●…ignes upon repeating of which Exorcisms he effects the Operations agreed on beforehaud But though what he does of himself or by the Watch-word of Sorcerers or Witches may by collection and an artful disposal of Matter and Form appear very surprising Yet he cannot work against Nature or overturn the Course of it since that is only in the Power of its Author who alone can do true Miracles or know immediatly the thoughts of Men. It is probable moreover that since the Fall Satans natural Power is below that of good Angels and it is certain that he is often baffled in his Designs by Providence yet beyond all doubt he retains so much poweras being permitted by God is sufficient to bring about by unseen natural Means most of the extraordinary Appearances that the Generality of the Learned have ascribed to him And particularly those in the subsequent Narrative Many of which tho they are beyond the Efficiency of Disease Deceit or any visible Cause yet may be the Effects of some such unperceived Means as follow There is no difficulty in Satan's transmiting in a short time an Account of Things which are past since it s known he goes to and fro in the Earth Yea he may have certainly foretold some future Events as that of Alexander's Success against Persia c. seeing he understands and may steal the great Revolutions of the World out of the Prophets wherein they are so graphically described Or he may discover his own Resolutions whenever he is commissioned or permitted to execute a Judgment as in the case of those who for seeking their Horoscops are given over to him by God and thus he gave Saul an exact account of his own End by the Philistines But without some such aids Satan can only guess like a Phisician by the Symptoms or a Politician by the Crisis of States which is the Cause that most of his Oracles are Ambiguous His transporting of Witches is elsewhere explained He can raise Hurricanes as appears in Iob which are known to carry very ponderous Bodies over great Tracts of Sea and Land It s easy for him to Condense a part of the Vehicle which may protect the Breathing and yet cut the Air like the Fence of Dyvers c. the beak of a Sloop In which also he affects the magnifying of his own natural Power and to make his followers believe that it is no less then that of the good Angels who transported Ezekiel and Elijah through the Air. His covering of the Witches from sight at some times is also cleared from the difficulties which seem to attend it in another place of this Book Where it appears very possible that his skill in Opticks Reflection and Refraction of Light c. To which his Power and Agility as a Spirit Subministrats Materials may effect all that can be prov'd to be matter of Fact in that Case Glanvil More and others lay down another Hypothesis in both viz. That the Soul is separable from the Body in some Cases without Death When by God's Permission Satan with the parties Consent gets power over both Soul and Body whereby he may carry away the one from the Helm of the other and bring it back again into its Seat provided the vital Spirits which make the Body a fit Receptacle be well preserved by Ointments that constrict the Pores till the return of its Guest But Death ensues from a Separation when the Organs of the Body are rendred altogether unapt to obey the Soul's Commands in its Functions If such an opinion could be true Satan might imploy this captivated Spirit to actuat any shape he thinks fit But there needs not so much Metaphysicks to unridle the Appearances of Witches in the shape of Beasts and the like Since their real Persons may be covered with a Vehicle which by disposal of the Rays comming from it may deceive the Eyes by the same Impressions that come from the true sight of such things His power of representing another thing in lieu of that which is truly present is so certain that it 's found he may make up the Image or Resemblance of Persons who are not present at all For it is not doubted but

from the way in which the Person affected did formerly walk since Presumptions do always yield to Truth and Lawyers have a Maxim that in re clara non est locus conjecturis The Deaf Adder that stops her Ears at the Charming Voice of a Sun-shine Gospel will one way or other fall into the Charms of Satan or his Instruments When Men will have none of Christ he gives them up to their own Lusts and the power of their Spiritual Adversary as when Israel had forsaken their God he gave them up to Worship the Host of Heaven What holy Caution and pious Use of our Baptismal Covenant ought we to make as the best Amulets against being either Enticed by the attempts of his Instruments But how much ought we to be humbled And how great diligence ought to be used in the discovery of so many hidden Achans that are in the Camp of Israel Yet Poverty Age the Features yea Ill Fame or the like slender grounds which could not be worthy of being represented to a Magistrate ought not to move us to Suspition much less to defame Since Charity hopes all things and we ought to do to others as we would be done by These things we doubt not will meet with a very different Reception especially in this unhappy Age and place of the world where Britain may be termed the Unfortunate Island Africk never having been more fertile in the production of Monsters since it s observ'd that through all the Successions of Men there was never before any Society or Collective Body of Atheists till these dreggs of time though there might have been here and there some mishapen Births But Wisdom is Justify'd of her Children and it 's the Season for Sampson to awake when Dalilah gives the Alarum that the Philistines are upon him What Peace so long as the Whoredomes of Iezebel and her Witchcrafts are so many But good things are hoped of our Magistrates who have already so happily begun The Apostle said of Iob's Tryals ye have heard of the patience of Iob and have seen the End of the Lord. So in this Narrative you have a Deplorable Account of this Maids Dreadful Fits and of the Powers of Darkness that combind together not only for the ruining of her Body but also for murdering her Soul In the mean time the hearts of many were bleeding for her and much Application was made to God in her behalf Divers Solemn Facts were observed both in her Fathers Family in the Parish and throughout the Bounds of the Presbitry and else-were her Case was expresly minded in Publick addresses to the Throne of Grace till at length there was a General Fast Religiously kept in most parts of the Synod that God might give an effectual Check to Satan's Rage and Dominion in the Countrey Boasting of Prayers is to be abhorred yet it is our Duty with all Gratitude to Acknowledge God to be the hearer of Prayer and to Proclaim to the World the Excellency of them upon this very occasion For he hath not turned away his Ear from us it being the comfortable result of this History that the Girl hath been perfectly well for many months so that we may well say t●…at she is a Brand plucked out of the Fire and the Instruments wherewith the Witches thought to have destroyed her have fallen upon some of their own heads The Devil could not enter the Herd of Swine nor touch one Hair of Iob's Head without Permission from him whose Kingdom Ruleth over all Whence it appears that tho our Enemies be Indefatigable and Invisible yet we are under the Conduct of a Watchman who neither slumbers nor sleeps to whom Darkness and Light are both alike and Greater is he that is in us than he taht is in the World So that unless we wilfully ●…orfeit our Priviledge 〈◊〉 is no fear of our being able to resist the Wicked one since neither Angels Principalities nor Powers shall be able to separate us from the Love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord And though no Argument can be drawn from any merit in us yet we shall carry the day against all the Militia of Hell under the Captain of our Salvation It will not be a natural sturdiness of temper nor a formal mentioning of the Name of God or Christ that can shelter us from those Devourers as appears by the Seven Sons of S●…eva Acts 19. They wrestle most successfully against Principallities and Powers who fight upon their Knees by Prayer this is the true way of resisting the Devil so as to make him flee from us If Satan's Possession of Bodies be so great a Plague how much worse is it to have him reign Master of our Souls Wherefore let us Watch and Pray against every sin the least of which is more pleasing to him and worse to us then to be Tormented Bodily If Satan as a Spirit can Insinuate himself into our Humours it is no wonder if by having such an advantage of our Temper he influence the Flegmatick Person to Sloth the Cholerick to Anger the Sanguine to Lust and sinful Pleasure the Melancholick to Despair c. So that they that think they stand have need to take heed least they fall And to Pray that the Watchman of Israel may make an Hedge about them and their House and about all that they have on every side Let this not only rouze our Diligence and stir up our Gratitude for not being afflicted in the same manner but let it also raise up our Admiration and Love of Iesus Christ who hath freed our Souls and Bodies from the power and slavery of Satan And finding our selves too weak to resist those deluding Pleasures which occasion our being deserted by God and given up to this fearful Thraldom let us run to the Rock of Ages for protection and support our sufficiency being only in God Seeing Devils take so much pains to contract for the Souls of Witches the Saducee's the judicially blinded in their Reason are hereby rendred inexcusable by very sense ill Books which corrupt and ensnare curious Fancies who are seldom endow'd with accurate Judgments ought to be restrain'd As also such ridiculous Pamphlets as no doubt by the Instigation of Satan have lately been sent abroad designedly to frustrat any good use which might be made of such extraordinary Providences as these contained in the ensueing Narrative The Authors of those Pamphlets having either forged other subjects or disguised this The Publication of this Narrative has been delayed so long partly that there might be the more narrow Scrutiny made into the Matters of Fact and partly by some Accidents which did retard it The Reader is not to expect any Accuracy of Stile because the designed brevity occasion'd the wraping up of much Matter in few words naked and Exact Truth in every Circumstance being our chief Aim THE NARRATIVE ABout the end of August One Thousand Six Hundred Ninety Six Christian Shaw Daughter to Iohn Shaw of Bargarran