outvy them in point of Miracles. Which will fhew that Witch- When we have thus filenced this Imagination, we have yet another to encounter with, and that is of those that think these Witches, of which the forecited Texts do fpeak, are but meer juos Cheats, and by fome tricks of Delufion and Legerdemain, pretend they can do things, which indeed they cannot do at all; and yet finding death threatned to such, which (in a bufinefs of meer Jugling) would feem too great a severity, they have framed this answer to it, That the death is threatned, not for the jugling, Scot. Witch- (as others are pleased to fay) though they have no real power, Hobs Leviath. In Answer to this apprehenfion, I fhall not much infift upon thefe Reasons, which yet are fufficiently weak, (the latter accu Creed. Exam. fing God's Laws of unreasonable severity, and the former accufing Tenefon. Hobs Firft; Though it cannot be denyed, but that a great many Cheats there have been in all Ages, by which Men have endeavoured to raise the repute and efteem of their own Skill and Ex cellencies, or for other base ends; yet from hence to conclude, IN that all these things that have been done under the name of Witchcraft were fuch,must be an unfufferable piece of infolence; not only denying that credit which all fober Men owe to History,to the conftant belief of all Ages, to the faithfulneß and wisdom of Judges, Jurors, Witneffes, Laws and Sanctions, but also dangeroufly over throwing all our Senfes; fo that at this rate we may well question, Whether 32 Baxter Sin a Whether we really Eat, Drink, Move, Sleep, and any thing gainst the Ho- elfe that we do; this Reafon is urged by grave and serious Men. ly Ghost, p. 83. J. Glanvil. Confiderations of Witchcraft, p.6. Tenefon against Hobs, Art. 4. p. 59. oper, Dan.Sen Secondly; It cannot be imagined that fuch things are meerly delufory, where the voluntary Confessions of fo many, have accused themselves and others, not of Thinking or Jugling, but of really Acting, and doing fuch things; with fuch Circumstances as have particularized Time, Place, Thing, and Manner. Thirdly; The real Effects done by the Power of Witchcraft, Vid. Epift. fhew it not to be Delufion: Such are the Transportation of Persons D Balthafaris Han. M..in many miles from their Habitations, and leaving them there; their calce Tom. 3. telling things done in remote Places; raifing of Storms and Tempefts; Vomiting of Pins, Needles, Stones, Cloth, Leather, and nerti de fœmina fafcinatá in fuch like; and thefe fome of them attefted by fober and intellicujis cure, lite- gent Perfons who were Eye-witneffes. Large accounts you have N. B. note of thefe in Bodinus, Sprengerius, and several others that have borpite ad cal- rowed thefe Relations from them. Crucis + à ca com, cum A fronomicorum & Chymicorum caracteribus, Rofe figura in dextra & trifolii in finiftrâ artifici ose picta cum Anno Chrifti 1635. cor Servatoris telis transfixum, & imago ftulti, cum verbo Mr. Baxter ut fupra. Dan. Sennertus Germanico Narr, procumbebant. [Dr. More.] Tom. 3. Lib. 6. Pars 9. Varias hiftorias enumerat de morbis incantatione inductis. Ex Jo. Langio, Alex, Benedicto, Cornel. Gemma, Forefto, & aliis. Helmont. Magnet. Vil. cura. §. 87. The Notion of Poyfonings, or delufory Juglings, being below what the Scripture intends to fet forth, as Witchcraft; it is evident that Witchcraft is a power of doing great Things by the aid of the Devil. By which our way is open to improve this Inftance, to demonftrate (which was the fecond thing promifed) that Satan's Power muft be Great: For, Firft, 'Tis acknowledged that a great part of thofe things that are done in this Matter, as concurrent with, or helpful toward the promoting of fuch Acts, are Satan's proper Works, as the troubling the Air, raifing Storms, Apparitions, various Shapes and Appearances, Transportations from Place to Place, and a great many more things of Wonder and Amazement, all which exceed humane Power. Secondly; Many things of Wonder done by fuch Perfons; to which which (fome fuppofe) the secret Powers of Herbs, or Things, contribute their natural Aids or concurrance, are evidences of Satan's deep knowledg of, and infight into Natural Caufes. Of this nature is that Ointment with which Witches are faid to be-. fmear themselves in order to their Transportation: The power and efficacy whereof, is by fome imagined to confift in this, That Dr. More. it keeps the Body Tenantable, and in a fit condition to receive the Death consists not so much Soul by re-entry, after fuch Separations, as (by all Circumstances in an actual are concluded) have been really made in purfuit of thofe Vifiona- feparation of ry Perambulations and Tranfactions. Which things if they be fo, Soul and Busy, (as they are not improbable) Witches have them from Satan's as the inaidifcovery, and they are to be afcribed to his Power. Spofition ani unfitness of the Body for vital union. What is the meaning elfe of that Expre Jion, [Whether in the Body or out of the Body I cannot tell] except the Soul may be feparated from the Body without death. J. Ĝianvil, Witchcraft, p. 15. 18. Aricenna vid. oculos, &c. Thirdly; Thofe Actions that are most properly the Witches own Actions, and in which the Power of Hurting doth (as fome suppose) refide, are notwithstanding, either awakened or influenced by Satan: So though we grant (what fome would have) that Helmont ubi the Power of Hurting is a Natural Power,and a venomous Magnetifm fupra. of the Witch,and that her Imagination,by her Eye,darts those Ma- Barthol, Sybillignant Beams which produce real Hurts upon Men,(after the man- .Perig.quat ner of the Imaginations force upon a Child in the Womb, which p.401. Nefcio hath (as by daily Experience and Hiftory is confirmed) produ- quis teneros ced Marks, Impreffions, Deformities, and Wounds) and that GlanvilwarchSatan doth but cheat the Witch into a belief of his Aid in that craft, p. 24. Matter; that with a greater advantage he may make use of her Power, without which he could do nothing; yet even this fpeaks Helment ut fuhis Ability, in that at least he doth awaken and raise up that Ma- Pra, S. 101. Satan Itaque gical Force, which otherwife would lie a-fleep) and fo puts vin magicam the Sword into their hand. Yet fome attribute far more to him, hanc excitat to wit, the infufion of a poyfonous Ferment, (by that action of (fecus dormifucking the Witch in fome part of the Body) by which not only tia exterioris her Imagination might be heightned, by Poyfonous Streams brea- hominis impethed in, which might infect Blood and Spirits with a noxious ditam) in tuis Tincture. mancipiis--Glany. Wit enten & fcien P. 18. 2. Wonders. Q. The Second grand Inftance of his Power, I fhall produce from thofe Actions of Wonder and Aftonifhment which he fometime performs, which indeed have been fo great, that they have occafioned that Question; Whether Satan can do Miracles? To this we anfwer; (1.) That God alone can work Miracles. Polanus 1632. A Miracle being, a real Act, done vifibly, and above the Power of Nature. Such Works fome have ranked into three heads; (1.) Such as created Power cannot produce; as to make the Sun ftand ftill, or Tho. Cont. go backward. (2.) Such as are in themselves produceable by Nature, Gent. lib. 3. C. 101. cited but not in fuch an order as to make the Dead to live, and those by Sclater, on that were born Blind to fee, which is strongly argued John 9. 32. 2 Theff.2.9. to be above humane Power; and John 10.21. to be above the Power of Devils. (3.) Such as are the ufual Works of Nature yet produced, above the principles and helps of Nature, as to cure a Disease by a Word or Touch. Mira non Miracula. Things that are thus truly and properly Miraculous, are peculiarly Works of God; neither can it be imagined, that fince he hath been pleased to justifie his Commands, Ways, and Meffages, by fuch mighty Acts, 2 Cor. 12. 12. Heb. 2.4. John 10. 38. and alfo hath been put to it, to juftifie himself and his fole Supream Being and Godhead; from falfe Competitors, Pfal.86.10.& 72. 18. by his Miraculous Works: it cannot be imagined, I say, that he would permit any created Being, (much lefs Satan) to do fuch things. Secondly, Though Satan cannot do things Miraculous, yet he can do things wonderful and amazing. And in this point lies the danger of Delufion, as Chrift foretells, Matth. 24. 24. False Chrifts hall arife, and fhew great Signs and Wonders: in 2 Theff. 2.4. the Apoftle teHs us, The coming of Antichrist shall be with all Sclater in loc. Power, and Signs, and Wonders; that is (as fome interpret) with the power of Signs and Wonders; which however they be lying, both in reference to the defign they drive at, (which is to propagate Errors) and alfo in their own Nature, being truly fuch, in respect of their form, false; as Miracles, being indeed no fuch matter, but jugling Cheats: Yet notwithstanding there is no fmall cunning, and working of Satan in them, infomuch that the uncautious and injudicious, are deceived by thofe Wonders that he bath power to do, Rev. 13. 13. In this matter, though we are. not not able to give a particular account of these under-ground Actions; yet thus much we may say, First, That in many Cafes, his great Acts, that pafs for Miracles, are no more but deceptions of Senfe. Naturalifts have fhewn several Feats and Knacks of this kind. Jo. Bap. Porta hath Magia Natu a great many ways of fuch deceptions, by Lamps, and the feve- ralis. 1.2.c.17. ral Compofitions of Oyls, by which not only the colours of things are changed, but Men appear without Heads, or with the Heads of Horfes, &c. The like Deceptions are wrought by Glasses of various Figures and Shapes. If Art can do fuch things, much more can Satan. Secondly; He can mightily work upon the Fancy and Imagination; by which means Men are abufed into a belief of things that are not: as in Dreams, the Fancy presents things which are really imagined to be done and faid; when-as they are Vifions of the Night, which vanish when the Man is awake; or as in Melancholy Perfons, the Fancy of Men doth fo ftrongly impose upon them, that they believe strange abfurd things of themselves, that they have Horns on their Head, that they are made of Glaß, that they are dead, and what not: If Fancy, both afleep and awake, may thus abuse Men into an apprehension of impoffible things, and that with confidence, no wonder if Satan (whose Power reacheth thus far, as was before proved) doth take this advantage for the amufing of Men with ftrange things. Nebuchadnezzar his Judgment, Dan. 4. 25. whereby he was driven from Men, and eat Graß as Oxen, was not a Metamorphofis, or real change into an Ox; this all Expofitors reject as too hard; neither feems it to be only his extream neceffity, and low eftate, whereby he seemed to be little better than a Beaft, (though Calvin favour this Interpretation); but by that Expreffion, verf. 25. [then my Understanding came to me] it seems evident, (as most Commentators think) that his Understanding was fo changed in that Punishment, that he imagined himself to be a Beaft, and behaved himself accordingly, by eating Grafs, and lying in the open Fields. There are feveral Stories to this purpose of ftrange Transformations, as the Bodies of Men into Affes,and other Beafts, which Augustine thinks to be nothing else but the Devils Power upon the Fancy. Thirdly; There are wonderful Secrets in Nature, which if cunningly used and applyed to fit Things and Times, muft needs H 2 amaze Calvin in loc.; Civit. Dei.l.18. c. 18. |