A Guide to Grand-jury Men, Book 2 · Chapter 23
CHAP. XXIII. Satan striueth to imitate God, in whatsoeuer he may, as farre as God will permit him.
MAny things may seeme very strange, and hardly to be beleeued, which are related to bee done betweene the Diuell and Witches. But all this will seeme no wonder, if men doe wisely consider, that Satan endeuoureth to bee an imitator of God, not to please him, but rather to crosse him, and to beguile these hellish Apostates, and to increase the more their sinnes, and iust condemnation.
Behold, What the Lord doth:
1. The Lord hath his set Assemblies for his seruants to meete together.
2. The Lord hath his Sabbaths.
3. The Lord hath visible Congregation wch consist of good and bad persons, learned and vnlearned, but of these the last are the most.
4. Amongst these is the vse of Baptisme, where they giuegive to the baptized a name.
5. The Lord maketh a Couenant with his people, and they with him.
6. The Lord confirmeth his couenant with blood.
7. The Lord marketh his.
8. The Lord giueth to those that are his, his Spirit and gifts withall.
…. These doe honour the Lord and worship him.
10. These call vponupon the Lord, when they would hauehave his helpe.
11. The Lord had some which wrought by his power, though they by open profession did not follow him.
12. The Lord requireth faith of such as seeke to him for helpe.
13. The Lord had such as by words cured diseases, by prayer, and did anoynt the party infirme: so by some things brought them from the sicke, and carried to the sicke againe, Iam. 5. Mark. 6.13. Act. 19.12.
14. The Lord by his seruant raised some from the dead, 1. King. 17.21. Act. 9 40.
15. The Lord had such as freely vsed their gift of healing, Mat. 10.8.
16. The Lord had some, which by cursing and threatning procured euill vponupon others, 2. King. 2.24. Act. 13.
17. The Lord tied his to certaine rules, & ordinances in his seruice, and sometimes to a certaine number, Ios. 6.15.1. Kin. 17.21.
18. The Lord maketh some to be his, either by his owne immediate in spiration, and speaking to them, or winneth them to him by his instruments.
19. The Lord appointed some burnt offering for atonement, and so to free his from some euils.
20. In the Scripture is found the cutting of haire & burning it, Num. 6.18. the writing of words, and the blotting of them out a gaine, and to giuegive them vntounto one, Num. 5.23. also the giuing of a potion. Num. 5.…7.
21. The Lord cast some …f his …nto trances, in which they saw many things, and seemed to be in other places, Ezek. 3. 14. and 11.….24. and 40. 2. Re…. 1.
22. The Lord would take some of his, and suddenly carry them from one place to another bodily, Act. 8.39.
23. The Lord had such as could tell of things past, things present, but hidden, and of things …o come.
24. In the Scripture is told of curing one disease, and the same to fall vponupon another. 2. Ki. 5.27.
25. The Lord had such as could work miracles & strange wonders.
26. The Lord by his heauenly worke moueth men to holy actions, as preparatiues to further them to a better knowledge of him; when hee shall be pleased fur…her to reueale himselfe, Act. 8.28.
27. The Lord spake by a beast vntounto a Witch, Num. 22.28.
28. The Lord ordained sacrifices to be offered vntounto him.
29. The Lord hath promised earthly blessings, to stirre vp people to serue him.
Behold, What Satan doth:
1. So the Deuil hath his set meetings for his Magicians and Witches to come together.
2. So Satan with his Witches hauehave their times, which they call their sabbaths.
3. So the meetings of these are of good and bad Witches, some learned, and some ignorant, but of these the greatest number.
4. So it is amongst these; for they meete to christen (as they speake) their spirits, and giuegive them names.
5. So doth Satan and the Witches couenant one with the other.
6. So doth Satan ratifie his couenant with blood.
7. So Satan marketh his.
8. So Satan giueth to his a Familiar or Spirit, and gifts to doe this or that tricke of Witchcraft.
9. So these doe homage to Satan, and worship him.
10. So when these would hauehave helpe, they call vponupon their Spirit, or Deuill.
11. So Satan hath some which worke by his power, though they make no open or expresse league with him.
12. So doth Satan by his instruments require saith of such as come to him for helpe.
13. So hath Satan such as seeme by words to cure diseases, so by formes of prayers and by oyles: also by bringing something from the sicke party, and carrying the same backe againe.
14. So Satan maketh shew by his seruants to raise vp the dead, 1. Sam. 28.
15. So will the Diuell hauehave such as shall professe to cure for nothing.
16. So Satan hath such, which by cursing & threats procure mischiefe to others.
17. So Satan tyeth his Witches to certaine words and deedes in going about his seruice, & to obserue … bers, to doe a thing so & so often, 3. times, 7. times, &c.
18. So Satan maketh some Witches by inward suggestions, & his speaking to them, or by vsing other Witches to gaine them to him.
19. So Satan hath taught his to burne something (as a sacrifice to him for an atonement) to free the bewitched from paine.
20. So Satan teacheth his to cut off haire, and burne it, & to write a charme and blot it out, and then giuegive it one, also to vse …otions; thus seeming by these imitations to hauehave Scriptures or warrant.
21. So the Deuil casts some of his into trances, in which they seeme to themselues to be in other places: where they verily beleeue that they see and doe many things.
22. So Satan will take some of his, and carry them bodily from one place to another, Del. de disq. Mag. l. 2 q. 16 & l. 5. s. 16. p. 760.
23. So Satan hath his, whom he teacheth to tell of all these sorts of things.
24. So we may find how, when a disease is cured by a Witch, it is transferred sometime vponupon another person or creature.
25. So Satan hath his Magicians and Sorcerers, to worke wonders, Exo. 7.
26. So Satan by his hellish suggestions and operation, stirreth vp people to thinke of, plot and purpose euil…; so preparing them for himselfe, to accept of his counsell when hee appeareth to them.
27. So Satan speaketh to witches sometimes in forms of beasts, & somtimes in the very creatures themselues.
28. So Satan hath taught his to offer sacrifice, Num. 23.
29. So Satan promiseth such things to Witches, as Motiues to serue him, Mat. 4.
Thus we see in these few things, how Satan obserueth the Lords doings and sayings, and therein striues to be like him. The truth of these things on Gods part is euident out of the holy Scripture: on Satans part the truth is set out before in these two bookes confirmed by many testimonies in the Margin eueryevery where.
The end of publishing these (not hitherto set forth by any) is to shew some ground of those things which wee finde related in the writings of men, and to be don… between Witches and Deuils, which otherwise may seeme to be beyond all credit, an… to be reiected as fabulous; which if Wierus, Scot and others had known, & diligently weighed, they had not so lightly esteemed of the true relations of learned men, and imputed the strange actions, vndoubtedly done by Witches, and Deuils, only to brainesicke Concei…s, and mad Melancholie.
FINIS.
End of the text · Richard Bernard, A Guide to Grand-jury Men (1627)