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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09402	A discourse of the damned art of witchcraft so farre forth as it is reuealed in the Scriptures, and manifest by true experience. Framed and deliuered by M. William Perkins, in his ordinarie course of preaching, and now published by Tho. Pickering Batchelour of Diuinitie, and minister of Finchingfield in Essex. Whereunto is adioyned a twofold table; one of the order and heades of the treatise; another of the texts of Scripture explaned, or vindicated from the corrupt interpretation of the aduersarie.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Pickering, Thomas, d. 1625.	1610 (1610)	STC 19698; ESTC S114527	101,186	282

another vntill they had seated themselues in the chaire of the Papacie So great was their desire of eminencie in the Church that it caused them to dislike meaner conditions of life and neuer to cease aspiring though they incurred thereby the hazard of good conscience and the losse of their soules The scond degree of discontentment is in the minde and inward man and that is curiositie when a man resteth not satisfied with the measure of inward gifts receiued as of knowledge wit vnderstanding memorie and such like but aspires to search out such things as God would haue kept secret and hence he is mooued to attempt the cursed art of Magicke and witchcraft as a way to get further knowledge in matters secret and not reueiled that by working of wonders he may purchase fame in the world and consequently reape more benefit by such vnlawfull courses then in likelihood he could haue done by ordinarie and lawfull meanes Sect. IV. Fourthly it is affirmed in the description that Witchcraft is practised by the assistance of the Deuill yet the more fully to distinguish it from all good lawfull and commendable arts For in them experience teacheth that the Arts-master is able by himselfe to practise his art to doe things belonging thereunto without the help of another But in this it is otherwise for here the worke is done by the helpe of another namely the Deuill who is confederate with the Witch The power of effecting such strange works is not in the art neither doth it flow from the skill of the sorcerer man-or-woman but is deriued wholly from Satan and is brought into execution by vertue of mutuall consederacie betweene him and the Magician Now that this part of the description may be more clearely manifested 〈…〉 procede to a further point 〈…〉 kind of wonders they be which are ordinarily wrought by the ministerie and power of the deuill § 1. Wonders therefore be of two sorts either true and plaine or lying and deceitfull A true wonder is a rare worke done by the power of God simply either aboue or against the power of nature and it is properly called a miracle The Scripture is plentifull in examples of this kind Of this sort was the deuiding of the redde sea and making it drie land by a mighty east wind that the children of Israel might passe through it Exod. 14. 21. For though the East wind be naturall of great force to mooue the waters and to drie the earth yet to part the sea asunder and to make the waters to stand as walls on each side and the bottome of the sea as a pauement this is a worke simply aboue the naturall power of any wind and therefore is a miracle Again such were the wonders done by Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh in Egypt one whereof in stead of many was the turning of Aarons rodde into a serpent a worke truely miraculous For it is aboue the power of naturall generation that the substance of on creature should be really turned into the substance of another as the substance of a roode into the substance of a serpent Of the like kinde were the standing of the Sunne in the firmament without moouing in his course for a whole day losh 10. 13. the going backe of the Sunne in the firmament tenne degrees 2. King 20. 11. the preseruation of the three men Shadrach Meshach and Abednego in the midst of the hoat fierie fornace Dan. 3. 25. and of Daniel in the lyons den Dan. 6. 22. the feeding of fiue thousand men beside women and children with fiue loaues and two fishes Matth. 14. 20. 21. the curing of the eyes of the bling man with spittle and clay tempered together Ioh. 9. 6. 7. c. Now the effecting of a miracle in this kind is a work proper to God onely and no creature man or Angel can doe any thing either aboue or contrarie to nature but he alone which is the Creator For as God in the beginning made all things of nothing so he hath reserued to himselfe as a peculiar work of his almightie power to change or abolish the substance propertie motion and vse of any creature The reason is because he is the author and creator of nature and therefore at his pleasure is perfectly able to command restraine enlarge or extend the power strēgth thereof without the helpe or assistance of the creature Againe the working of a miracle is a kind of creation for therein a thing is made to be which was not before And this must needs be proper to God alon by whose power things that are were once produced out of things that did not appeare The conclusion therefore must needs be this which Dauid confesseth in the Psalme God onely doth wondrous things Psalme 136. 4. that is works simply wonderfull But it is alleadged to the contrarie that the Prophets in the old Testament and the Apostles in the new did worke miracles I answer they did so but how not by their owne power but by the power of God beeing onely his instruments whom he vsed for some speciall purpose in those works and such as did not themselues cause the miracle but God in and by them The same doth Peter and Iohn acknowledge when they had restored the lame man to the perfect vse of his limmes that by their power and godlinesse they had not made the man to goe Act. 3. 13. Againe it is obiected that our Sauiour Christ in his manhood wrought many miracles as those before mentioned and many more Ans. Christ as he was man did something in the working of miracles but not all For in euery miraculous worke there be two things the worke it sel●e and the acting or dispensing of the work the work it selfe being for nature and substance miraculous considering it was aboue or against the order of natural causes did not proceed ●rom Christ as man but from him as God but the dispensation of the same in this or that visible manner● to the viewe of men was done and performed by his manhood For example The raising vp of Lazarus out of the graue hauing beene dead foure daies was a miracle● to the effecting whereof both the Godhead the manhood of Christ ●ōcurred by their seueral distinct actiōs The manhood onely vttered the voice and bad Lazarus come forth but it was the godhead of Christ that fetched his soule from heauen and put it againe into his bodie yea which gaue life and power to Lazarus to heare the voice vttered to rise and come forth Ioh. 11. 43. In like manner when he gaue sight to the blinde Matth. 20. 34. he touched their eyes with the hands of his manhood but the power of opening them and making them to see came from his Godhead whereby he was able to doe all things And in all other miraculous workes which he did the miracle was alwaies wrought by his diuine power onely the outward actions and circumstances that accompanied the same proceeded

might be all discerned yet the particular vertues of those which are seene can not be knowne because their influences in the aire and vpon the earth are confused and therefore by obseruation of them no rules can be made whereby to iudge of particular euents to come that be contingent But experience teacheth may some say that if a man addicted to this course shall practise the rules of Astrologie it will fall out that the most things he foretelleth shall be true and come to passe accordingly which beeing verified in experience it should seeme that these principles are not vncerten for how is it possible that vpō false grounds should proceede true predictions To this obiection learned Diuines haue framed answer thus That in this there is a secret Magicke at the least if not an open league with Satan For looke what is wanting to the effect of the starrs the Deuill maketh supply of it by his owne knowledge in things that are to come to passe And this is the iudgement of them that haue knowne this arte which was also receiued for true in the daies of the Apostles The third reason The man that repaireth to the Astrologian vpō the particular case for his helpe and counsell must beleeue that he can and will doe for him otherwise if he come doubting of his ability or in way of tempting him he can not helpe him Now in common vnderstanding if the Diuiner brings the thing to passe here must needes be more then Arte. For he that is master of a lawfull arte can worke by his rules whether a man beleeue that he can or no yea though all the men in the world should doubt his rules would be effectuall The arte therefore it selfe is the old superstitious arte of the Chaldeans which they beeing Idolaters first ferched from the deuill and his Oracles yea the practise thereof is nothing but superstitious sorcerie and the vndertakers no better then Sorcerers If any man doubt hereof their writings are sufficient testimonies and they thēselues auouch it For it is a rule and maxime among them in all kind o● Sorcerie that the learner must come credulous and not doubting or to tempt otherwise no answer can be giuen But notwithstanding all these reasons alleadged for the proofe of this point sundrie things are opposed to the contrarie For first it is saide that the Sunne Moone and Starres were created for signes Gen. 1. 14. and therefore that it is lawfull to diuine by them seeing that in so doing we doe but vse them to the ende for which God made them Ans. The reason is of no force The starres indeede by this ordinance doe serue for signes but of what not of all things but as the text plainly sheweth of daies weekes months and yeare● yea of the seasons of the yeare as of Spring Summer Autumne and Winter yea further of the alterations of the weather in generall but all this maketh nothing to ratifie Diuination of particular euents in things cōtingent which are to fal out in the state of kingdomes families and persons for they are not causes but Signes and that of some generall things onely not of particular Againe it is said that Moses Daniel two famous Prophets are commended for their skill in this art for of Moses it is saide Act. 7. 22. that he was learned in all the wisedome of the Egyptians and Daniel in all the wisdome of the Chaldeans Dan. 1. 17. 20. and we know that the Egyptians and Chaldeans were the masters of Diuination and eminent aboue all others in matter of Astrologie Ans. 1. It cannot be prooued out of those places that Moses or Daniel were trained vp in this art and though it should be granted they were yet it follows not that they were practisers of it at least continually For albeit beeing children and of tender yeares in the courts of Pharaoh and Nebuchadnetsar they had beene trained vp by their gouernours in this knowledge it may not thence be concluded that they finally submitted themselues to the practise thereof considering that a man may learne that when he is yong which afterward vpon better iudgement and consideration he may vtterly disclame And so we are to thinke of them that after God had called them they did for euer lay aside all such wicked and deuillish practises forbidden by God and yet in vse among the Egyptians and Chaldeans Thirdly it is obiected the starres are admirable creatures of God and the causes of many straunge effects in the aire in the waters and vpon the earth also in bodies of men and beasts it may seeme therefore not vnlawfull to diuine by them Ans. We graunt that the S●arres and especially the Sunne and Moone haue great vertue and force vpon the creatures that are below partly by their light and partly by their heat but hence it will not follow that they are or may be lawfully vsed for Diuination for whereas it hath beene shewed that the grounds of all good arts are gathered by obseruation and experience it is not possible for any man truly and certenly to obserue all particular euents brought forth by the starres whereupon hee might ground his rules And for proofe hereof Suppose there were a heape of all kinds of hearbs growing vpon the earth gathered together which should be all strained into one vessell and the liquour brought to the most skilfull Physitian that is or euer was can we thinke him able by tasting or smelling thereof to distinguish the vertues of the hearbs and to say which is which To doe this when all were seuered each from other is a hard matter yet possible considering they haue their seuerall natures and operations but in this confused mixture to discerne the seueralls is a thing passing the skill of man The like may be said of the particular vertue of euery star for they all haue their operation in the bodies of men and other creatures but their vertues beeing all mixed together in the subiect whereon they worke can no more be knowne distinctly then the vertues of a masse of hearbs of infinite sorts beaten together For this is an vndoubted truth in nature that the vertues of Celestiall bodies in their operations are mingled with the qualities of the elements in the inferiour bodies the vertues of them all doe so concurre that neither the heate or light of the starres nor the vertue of ●he elements can be seuered one from another And therefore though there be notable vertue in the starres vet in regard of the mixture thereof in their operation no man is able to say by obseruation that this is the vertue of this starre and this of that The seauen Planets beeing more notable then the other lights of the heauen specially the Sunne and the Moone haue their operations and effects plainely and perfectly knowne as for the other there was neuer any man that could either feele their heate or certenly determine of any thing by them There being th● some stars

creatures indeede and their other sleights true and reall works then they were made and caused either by the deuill or by God himselfe for no man of himselfe can make a rod to become a true serpent But this was done neither by the deuill nor by God as shall appea●e in the sequel● They were not done by the Deuill because the deuill cannot make a true creature either serpent or frogge Hovv doth that appeare Ans. To make a true creature of any sort by producing the same out of the causes is a vvork seruing to continue the creation and is indeede a kinde of creation Now the deuill as he cannot create a thing at the first so he is not able to continue the same by a new creation that beeing a propertie belonging to God onely For better conceiuing hereof we must know that God crea●eth two waies either primarily in the beginning whē he made all things of nothing Gen. 1. 1. or secōdarily in the gouernment of the world when he produceth a true creature in a true miracle yet not making it of nothing as he did in the beginning but producing it by ministring and in forming the matter immediately by himselfe without the aide of ordinarie meanes and instruments appointed after the creation The former is creation properly called the latter a continuance thereof Both these God hath reserued to himselfe as incommunicable to any creature As for the succession and propagation of creatures in their kinds as of men beasts birds fishes c. it is onely a continuation of the creatures in their kindes and is wrought by ordinarie meanes of generation but is no continuance of the worke of creation And the deuill by his power may make counterfeits of the true creatures of God but neither by creating them nor by continuing their creation these two beeing workes peculiar and proper to the Deitie alone Againe if the deuill could turne a rodde into a true serpent and water into blood indeed then his power should be equall to the power of the sonne of God himselfe For the first miracle that he wrought was the turning of water into wine loh. 2. And that was no greater a worke then the turning of water into blood or a rod into a serpent But this were most horrible blasphemic to match the deuill with the Son of God and his finite power with the power of the Godhead by which miracles are wrought And the truth is Satan can worke no true miracles neither doth the text import that the Magicians did that which they did by miracle but by Inchantment and Sorcerie Exod. 7. 11. 22. 8. 7. In the second place I affirme that God did not create these creatures or cause the works of the Magicians to be effected And this is prooued by the words of Paul 2. Tim. 3. 8. who saith that Iannes and Iambres which did these workes withstood Moses and Aaron whom God had sent and by whom he wrought If then God had wrought with the Magicians also he should haue beene against himselfe yea he should haue wrought both waies for himselfe and against himselfe and consequently should haue impeached his ovvne glorie for the manifestation vvhereof he wrought miracles by Moses and Aaron which vve may not once thinke of God Seeing therefore that these serpents if they were true creatures were not created either by Satan because he could not or by God himselfe because he would not it must needes remaine that they all other the Magicians works were meere illusions not otherwise Yet for the further clearing of the matter in hand the text it selfe yeeldeth sundrie reasons to prooue that these acts of the Sorcerers were but appearances and not things really produced First they that cā not do a lesser thing can not possibly do a greater Now Moses shewes that the Egyptian Inchāters could not do a lesser thing then the turning of rodds into true serpents or waters into blood For they could not by all their power skill preserue themselues from the plagues of Egypt as the botch other iudgements Exod. 9. 11. which was a more easie thing then to make or change a creature Nay they were not able to bring forth lice by their inchantment which seemed to be the least miracle but acknowledged that to be the ●inger of God Ex. 8. 18 19. Secondly the text saith that Aarons serpent deuoured their serpents Exod. 7. v. 12. hence it followeth that theirs could not be true creatures For in all likelihood they were all of the same kind and of like quantitie at least in shew And it was neuer seene that one creature should receiue into it selfe an other creature of equall bignesse with preseruation of it selfe Neither hath it been obserued ordinarily that one creature shold deuoure another of the same kind It was therefore a worke of Gods secret power in the true serpent wherby he would shew that the other were not true and real but formall imaginarie Thirdly if the Magicians had beene able to haue made true frogges and serpents then by the same power they might have remooued those which Moses brought for the like abilitie is required in both yet this they could not doe but were faine to intreat Moses to pray for their remooueall So saith the text Then pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said Pray c. Exod. 8. 8. Lastly the frogges which Moses caused when they were remooued beeing gathered on ●eapes caused great corruption and the whole land stanke of them Exod. 8. 14. Againe the water turned into blood made the fish in the riuer to die and the water to stinko so that the Egyptians could not drinke of the water of the riuer Exod. 7. 21. But we read of no such effect of the frogges and waters of the Inchanters which doubtlesse would haue followed as well as the other if both had beene true and reall creatures It remaines therefore that these were but meere appearances and Iugling trickes and the Sorcerers themselues Iuglers yea all their works but sleights caused by the power and subtiltie of Satan and no true works as hath beene said Thus I haue declared the whole nature grounds and kinds of this damnable Art CHAP. V. What Witches be and of how many sorts HAuing in the former part of this Treatise opened the nature of Witchcraft and thereby made way for the better vnderstāding of this Iudiciall Lawe of Moses I come now to shew who is the practiser hereof whome the Text principally aimeth at namely the Witch whether man or woman A witch is a Magician who either by open or secret league wittingly and willingly consenteth to vse the aide and assistance of the Deuill in the working of wonders First I call the Witch a Magician to shew what kind of person this is to wit such a one as doth professe and practise Witchcraft For a Magician is a professor and practiser of this arte as may appeare Act. 8. 9. where Simon a