672 fuppofing that he knows what is in our Thoughts at any time, only he knows not to what thefe Thoughts incline: but I leave this to those that can determine it certainly. In the mean time I proceed, Thirdly, To fhew what a gueffing Faculty he hath of what he doth not directly know; he hath fuch grounds and advantages for Conjecture, that he feldom fails of finding our Mind: As, Firft, His long experience hath taught him, what usually Mendo think, in such cases as are commonly before them; by a cunning obfervation of their Actions and Ways he knows this. Secondly; He by ftudy and obfervation knows our temper and inclination, and confequently what Temptations do most sute them, and how we do ordinarily entertain them. Thirdly; He knows this the more, by taking notice of our Prayers, our complainings and mournings over our defects and miscarriages. Fourthly; He is quick and ready to take notice of any Exteriour Sign, by which the Mind is fignified, as the Pulse, the motion of the Body, the change of the Countenance; all which do ufu---deprehendas ally fhew the affent or diffent of the Mind, and at least tell him animi tormen- what entertainment his Offers have in our Thoughts. ta latentis ex ægrotorum fa Fifthly; Being fo quick-fighted, he can understand thofe par cie. Sæpe ta- ticular Signs which would efcape the obfervation of the wifeft cens vocem, Men; there are fome things fmall in themselves, (and therefore verbaq; vultus unobferved) which yet to wife Men are very great indicia of habet. Queft. 2. things the like may be faid of us, in reference to our inclinations, our acceptance or refittance of Temptations, which yet he hath curiously marked out. Sixthly; No doubt but he hath ways to put us upon a difcovery of our Thoughts, while we conceal them, as by continuing and profecuting Temptations or Suggeftions, till our trouble or paffions do fome way discover how it is with us. By all which it appears that his gueflings and conjectures do feldom fail him. 'Tis now time to speak to the other Queftion, which is, Whether and how far Satan knows things to come? To this I fhall return Anfwer in thefe two Conclufions. Firft; There is a way of knowing future things, which is beyond the knowledg of Devils, and proper only to God, Efa. 41. 23. there God puts the competition 'twixt Himfelf and Idols, about the truth of a Diety upon this iffue, That he that can fhew the things that that are to come hereafter, he is God; which because they cannot do, he doth hereby evince them to be no Gods. If Satan could truly and properly have done this, he had had a Plea for a Godhead. In Divine Predictions two things are to be confidered. (1.) The Matter foretold, when the events of things contingent, and (as to fecond Caufes) cafual, depending upon indeterminate Caufes, are foretold. (2.) The Manner, when thefe things are not uncertainly, or conjecturally, or darkly; but clearly, certainly, infallibly, and fully predicted. Of this nature are Divine Predictions, which Satan cannot perform, nor yet the Angels in Heaven. Secondly; Yet Satan hath fuch advantages for the knowledg 2. Conclufion. of future Things, and fuch means and helps for a discovery of them, that his Conjectures have often come to pafs. First; He knows the Caufes of Things, which are fecret to us. Upon which he feems to foretel many things ftrange to us; As a Phyfician may foretel the Effects, Workings, and Iffues of a Difease, as seeing them in the Caufes: which would pafs for little lefs than Prophefie among the Vulgar. Thus an Aftrologer foretells Eclipfes, which would be taken for a Divine Excellency, where the knowledg of the ground of these foretellings had not taken away the wonder. Secondly; Many things are made known to him by immediate Divine Revelation: We know not the intercourfe betwixt God and Satan in the matter of Job; Satan (having obtained his Commiffion to afflict him) might have made a long prophefie of what should come to pass in reference to Job, his Children and Substance; how many fuch Predictions he might make, we little know. do Thirdly; He hath a deep infight in Affairs of Kingdoms and States, and fo might (from his Experience and Observation) cafily conjecture Mutations and Alterations. A Politician may much this way for ought we know, Satan's Prophefy (in the likeness of Samuel) to Saul, of his ruin, and the translation of his Kingdom to David, might be no more than a conjectural conclufion, from his comparing the order of the prefent Providence, with former threatnings and promises. Fourthly, He hath a greater understanding of Scripture Prophecies, than ordinarily the wifeft of Men have fo that at fecond band he might be able to foretel what shall come to pass. Whilft we that do not fo clearly fee into Scripture-Predictions,may not Inviâus eris be able to find out the matter. Hence by Oracle he foretoled AlexAlexander. ander of his Success, which he knew from the Prophesy of Daniel, Chap. 11. long before. Plutarch in vit Fifthly; He hath advantage from his Nature as a Spirit, by which he over-hears and fees the private Actings, Complottings and Preparations of Men in reference to certain undertakings, and can eafily, by his Agents, communicate fuch Councels or Refolves in remote Countries and Kingdoms, which must pass for real Predictions, if the event anfwer accordingly. Sixthly; He can foretel (and with probability of fuccefs) fuch things as he by temptation is about to put Men upon, especially feeing he can chufe fuch Inftruments, as he (from experience) knows are not likely to fail his Enterprise. Seventhly; To this may be added, the way and manner by which he expreffeth himself, either in doubtful or enigmatical Non non fupe- Terms, or in general Expreffions, which may be applyed to the rabit Gallus Event, what way foever it fhould happen. Of thefe, Authors Apulum. have obferved many Instances, which were fuperfluous to enu Ibis redibis nunquam per bella peritis. merate. Satan's Knowledg being thus explained, it is eafie to imagine what an advantage it is to him in the management of his Temptations: For, Firft, He by this means knows our tempers and difpofitions. Thirdly; How inclinable we are upon any Motion made to us, and what hope to gain upon us. us. Fourthly; He knows fit Times, Seasons and Advantages against Fifthly; He knows how to pursue Suggeftions, and can chufe ftrong Reafons to urge us withal. Sixthly; He knows how to delude our Senfes, to diftarb our Paffions. Seventhly; He knows all the Ways and Arts of Affrightments, Vexations, Difquietments, Hinderances and Difturbances of Duty. Eighthly He by this means is furnished with skill for his publick Cheats and Delufions in the World, how to amufe, aftonifh, and amaze Men into Errors and Miftakes, which he hath always endeavoured with very great fuccefs in the World, as we shall fee hereafter. СНАР. CHAP. V. Inftances of Satan's Power. Of Witchcraft, what it is. Satan's Power argued from thence. Of Wonders. Whether Satan can do Miracles. An account of what he can do that way. His Power argued from Apparitions and Poffeffions. Shall add in the fifth place, fome particular Inftances of his Power, in which I fhall infift upon these four, Witchcraft, Wonders, Apparitions and Possessions. Firft; Witchcraft affords a very great difcovery of Satan's Power: but because fome give fuch Interpretations of Witchcraft, as (if true) would wholly take away the force of this Inftance, I fhall first endeavour to establish a true Notion of Witchcraft, and fecondly from thence argue Satan's Power. 1.6. c.1. Firft; Though the being of Witches is not directly denyed (because the Authority of Scripture, Exod. 22. 18. Deut.18. 10.&c. hath determined beyond controverfie, that fuch there are); yet fome will allow no other interpretation of the word, than a skill Scot. discovery and practice in the Art of Poyfoning, because the Septuagint doth of Witchcraft. interpret the Hebrew word by paguanov, venificam. Which apprehenfion they ftrengthen by the Authority of Jofephus, Antig.1.4.c.8, who giveth this account of the Law, Let none of the Children of Ifrael ufe any deadly Poyfon, or any Drug wherewith he may do burt, &c. 'Tis eafie to obferve, that this conceit arifeth from a great inobfervancy of the reafon of the Application of these words, paguan and veneficus to Witchcraft, in Greek and Latin Authors. Witchcrafts were fuppofed to be helped forward by the strength of feveral Herbs, and thefe by Incantations and other Ceremonies at their gathering, imagined to attain a poysonous and evil quality or efficacy for fuch Effects, as were intended to,be produced by -Medeides Herbæ miftaq; cum magicis merfa venena fonis. Ovid Art. Amandi. 1. z. Has Herbas atque hæc Ponto mihi leta venena. Ipfa dedit Maris--his ego fæpe lupum fieri & fe condere Sylvis Marin, fæpe animas imis exire Sepulchris. Virg. Eccl. S. Daguaría, Philtrum, & Magicas Actiones quæ in imaginibus, & caracteribus, certis verbis, ac fimilibus confiftunt, fig nificat. Unde pharmaceutria appellatur Idyllium Secund. The ocriti. & Eclog. 8. Virgilii. Antiquos etiani vocabulum pag paxias, pro omni veneficii genere, quo vel hominibus, vel jumentis, vel frugibus, feu carmine, feu aliis modis nocetur, accifere, manifette patet ex Platone lib. 10. de Legibus. Et apud Ariftot. Hift. Animal. cap. 25. qaguaxides nominantur. Et A by them, as appears by Ovid, Virgil, and other Authors. Hence was it that the word páρux-. " became applicable to any fort of Witchcraft. To this may be added, that fuch Perfons were reforted to, for help against Diseases, Vid. Leigh. Crit. Sac. in Voc. As allo that they ufed Unguents for Transportations; Hence Godwin. Jew. Antiq. lib. 4. c. 10. renders papμános by Unguentarios. Diafcorides, Cap. de Rhamno, Branch of that Tree, being placed before the hath an Expreffion to this purpose, That the Doors, doth drive away Tav pαpμánav xansęτων φαρμάκων & ias, Witchcrafts; it were ridiculous to fay, it drives away Poyfonings; which is a fufficient evidence that the Grecians uted that word to fignifie another kind of Witchcraft, than that which this mistake would establish. Befides this, the Scripture doth afford two ftrong Arguments against this Interpretation of Witchcraft. (1.) That this word is ranked with others, (as pocal. c. 18. paguania pro præ-being of the fame alliance) which will carry the itigiis & impottura fumitur. Dan. Sennert, Tom. 3. lib. 6. apprehenfions of any confiderate Man, to Effects done by the help of Satan, in an unusual way, as Deut. 18. 10. There shall not be found among you, any that maketh his Son or his Daughter to paß through the Fire, (this is not the confuming of their Children to Moloch, but by way of Luftration a Mock-Baptifm, a piece of Witchcraft, to preserve from violent Death) or that ufeth Divination, an obferver of Times, or an Inchanter, or a Witch, &c. The very Neighbourhood of the Godwin Jews Witch, will tell us that this Witch muft be a Diviner, Divination Antig.1.4.c.1. being the general tearm, comprehending the Seven Particulars following: It would be an harth ftraining to put in the Poyfoner (in the fenfe of our Oppofites) among the Diviners. Yet the fecond Argument is more cogent, which is this; That among thofe whom Pharaoh called together to encounter with Mofes, Exod. 7. 11. we find Witches or Sorcerers expreffed by the fame word ', which is ufed in Exodus 22. and Deut. 18. What can more certainly fix the interpretation of the Word than this place, where the end of Pharaohs calling them together, was not to poyfon Mofes and Aaron, but by Enchantment to Part. 9. Cap. 2. Fuler Pifg. C. 7. p. 128. Pool in loc. |