The Damned Art of Witchcraft, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
Of the punishment of Witches.
HItherto I hauehave treated of the nature of witchcraft, both in generall, & particular, and hauehave also shewed what witches are, both good and badde. And now I proceede to the second point considered in this Text, the Punishment of a Witch, and that is Death.
In the Iudiciall laws of Moses (wherof this is one) the Lord appointed sundrie penalties, which in qualitie and degree differed one from another, so as according to the nature of the offence, was the proportion and measure of the punishment ordained. And of all sinnes, as those were the most heinous in account, which tended directly to the dishonour of God, so to them was assigned death, the greatest and highest degree of punishment. He that despised the Law of Moses, died without mercy vnderunder two or three witnesses, Hebr. 10. 28. the punishment of the theefe, was restitution foure-fold, Exod. 22. 1. but the murtherer must be put to death, Numb. 35. 31. the Idolater and Seducer were commanded to be slaine, Exod. 22. 20. Deut. 13. 5. the Blasphemer must be stoned, Leuit. 29. 19. And the VVitch is numbred amongst these grieuous of fend…rs: therefore his punishment is as great as any other. For the text saith, he might not be suffered to liue, Exod. 22. 18.
But why should the VVitch be so sharply censured? And what should mooue the Lord to allot so high a degree of punishment to that sort of offenders? Ans. The cause was not the hurt, which they brought vponupon men in bodie, goods, or outward estate. For there be sundrie that neuer did harme, but good onelyonly. VVe reade not of any great hurt that was done by the Inchanters of Egypt, or by the Pythonisse of Endor, or by Simon Magus in Samaria. And those diuining VVitches, which hauehave taken vponupon them to foretell things to come, hurt not any, but themselues, yet they must die the death. This therefore is not the cause. But what if these doe hurt, or kill, must they not then die? yes verely, but by another law, the law of Murther, and not by the law of VVitchcraft. For in this case, he dieth as a murtherer, and not as VVitch, and so he should die, though he were no VVitch.
The cause then of this sharpe punishment, is the very making of a league with the deuill, either secret or open, whereby they couenant to vse his helpe for the working of wonders. For by vertue of this alone it commeth to passe, that VVitches can doe strange things, in Diuining, Inchanting, and Iugling. Now let it be obserued, of what horrible impietie they stand guiltie before God, who ioyne in confederacie with Satan. Hereby they renounce the Lord that made them, they make no more account of his fauour and protection, they doe quite cut themselues off from the couenant made with him in Baptisme, from the communion of the Saints, from the true worship and seruice of God. And on the contrarie they giuegive themselues vntounto Satan, as their god, whome they continually feare and serue. Thus are they become the most detestable enemies to God, and his people, that can be. For this cause Samuel told Saul, that rebellion was as the sinne of Witchcraft: that is, a most heinous & detestable sinne in the sight of God. The traytour, that doth no hurt to his neighbour, but is willing and readie to doe him the best seruices that can be desired, is notwithstanding by the law of Nations, no be…ter then a dead man, because he betraies his Soueraigne, and consequently cannot be a friend vntounto the Common-wealth. In like manner, though the Witch were in many respects profitable, and did no hurt, but procured much good; yet because he hath renounced God his king and gouernour, and hath bound himselfe by other lawes to the seruice of the enemie of God, and his Church, death is his portion iustly assigned him by God; he may not liue.