Commentary on Genesis and Exodus, Theological treatise · Chapter 22 · Questions · Question 32 – Question 35
QUEST. XXXII. Whether witches can indeed effect anything, and whether they are worthie to bee punished by death.
NOw further by this sentence of the law, which adjudgeth witches worthie of death, they are found to be in error, which thinke that witchcraft is nothing but nudum phantasma, a verie phantasie: that sillie women imagine they doe things, which indeed they doe not, but in their owne conceit and imagination. First, I will examine the objections which are made in the defence, or at the least the excuse of these wicked women, and in favour of them, for the mitigation of their punishment.
1. They say that this law is made de veneficis, of such as kill and destroy by secret poisons, and noysome herbes, it concerneth not witches.
Answ. 1. Indeed the Septuagint reade, foreign, and the Latine translateth, maleficos, workers of mischiefe: but they are both in error, for the Hebrew word, mecashephah, is put in the feminine, whereas they both interpret it by the masculine: And the word, mecashphim, is applied to those which worke by evill spirits, and have confederacie with them, as Exod. 7.10. it is given to the Egyptian Sorcerers and Magicians. 2. The practice of poisoning belongeth to the sixth Commandement, Thou shalt not kill, whereas witchcraft here forbidden is a breach of the first Table, Simler.
2. These sillie women can effect nothing: they imagine they doe many things, but it is only in their owne conceit.
Answ. 1. True it is, that they cannot effect what they would; for the Lord restraineth the power of the devill, by whom they worke: as he did, when the Sorcerers attempted to bring forth lice, and could not, Exo. 8. 2. Yet it cannot bee denied, but that they effect many strange things by the operation of the devill: as the Magicians of Egypt could turne their rods into the similitude of Serpents, and water into the likenesse of blood: and the witch at Endor could cause the likenesse of Samuel to appeare, which was not in deed Samuel, Objections made in the excuse of witches, answered.but the devill taking upon him his shape. So it is no strange thing by the operation of Satan, when they take a mans garments, and beat them to cause the bodie of the man to feele the smart, Simler. 3. And if they did no hurt, and could effect nothing; why was this law ordained against them? God gave no superfluous or unnecessarie lawes to his people, nor without great reason. 4. Though they should effect nothing, yet their wicked desire and endevour thereunto is worthie to bee punished.
3. Witches many times doe good, and heale men of their infirmities and diseases: therefore they deserve no such punishment.
Answ. 1. Indeed in the Civill law such a decree is extant, made by Constantine, Qui per incantationes intemperiem aeris & grandinis evertit, Cod. lib. 9. tit. 1…. leg. 4.puniendus non est, &c. Hee which by inchantment turneth away the intemperate season of the aire and weather, is not to bee punished. But it is no marvell that such things were tolerated then, when they came newly from Gentilisme, wherein such things were not only suffered, but honored and rewarded. 2. We have a more perfect rule out of the Scriptures, that no such unlawfull meanes are to bee used, no not to a good end, as to procure health, or such like: for this cause the Prophet reproved the King of Israel,2 King. 1. having received hurt by a fall, because he sent to the god of Ekron for helpe. And to this purpose Augustine saith well, as he is cited in the Decrees, Si aliquando sanare videntur languidos, Caus. 26. q. 5. c. 18. Caus. 26. q. 7. c. 15.id Deipermissu sit, ut homines probentur ▪ &c. If they seeme sometime to heale the diseased, it is done by Gods permission, that men might bee thereby proved, &c. And againe hee saith, Laque… sunt adversarii, mederi non possunt; They are the deviles snares, they cannot heale.
4. Object. But the meanes which they use are wholesome, and medicinable, as herbs and oyntments, and therefore herein they are not to bee found fault with.
Answ. 1. For the most part they use such meanes, whereof no naturall or apparent reason can be given, as to burne the thatch of the house, to cut off some part of the beast bewitched, and burne it, and such like. Concerning such things, Augustine giveth a good rule, Remedia & ligaturae qu… medicorum disciplina condemnat, Caus. 26. q. 2. c. 6.non adhibenda, &c. Such remedies and ligatures which the skill of Physicke condemneth, are not to be used. 2. He saith further, Ex traditione malorum angelorum sunt; Such remedies had their beginning from the tradition of evill angels:Ibid. c. 7. Ibid. q. 5. c. 4. therefore hee concludeth, that Phylacteria sunt animarum vincula; Such Phylacteries, things applied to, or hung about the necke or other parts, are but the snares of the soule. 3. If they doe use herbs, and oyntments, and such other outward meanes, it is but to colour their devillish practice and inchantments, whereby they worke, and not by the vertue or operation of such herbs: therefore it was well decreed in the Matiscane Councell, as it is cited in the Decrees,Caus. 26. q. 5. c. 3. Nec in collectionibus herbarum, quae medicinales sunt, observationes aliqua… licet attendere, &c. In the collection of herbs, which are of themselves medicinall, it is not lawfull to use any other (superstitious) observations.
Now on the contrarie it shall appeare, that witches and other of that sort are worthie of punishment by death, and that they are not by any meanes to bee tolerated in a Commonwealth.
1. They are manifest transgressors against the first Table, and every precept thereof: for they doe combine themselves with Satan,Reasons shewing the equity of this law against witches. and forsake their faith, and so make them other gods, beside the Lord: they also invent superstitious rites and ceremonies, images, figures and pictures, which the devill hath taught them to worship him by: and beside, they prophane and abuse the holy name and titles of God in their superstitious invocations and inchantments. And they appoint certaine holy daies, solemnities, and assemblies among themselves, as the Lord hath appointed the Sabbath for his owne worship. And thus they apparently violate every precept of the first Table.
2. They are also enemies to the Commonwealth, full of mischiefe, practising their malice upon men and beasts: and therefore the Civill law, Propter magnitudinem scelerum maleficos appellat; Because of the greatnesse of their mischievous practices, calleth them, Evill or Wicked doers. They are manifest murtherers, assaulting the life of Christian people, where God permitteth, by all devillish meanes: and thus the second Table likewise is by them violated and perverted, Gallas.
3. They also are perverters of their children, and seducers of others, and so cause this mischiefe to spread further and to be transmitted over unto posteritie.
4. Further, if divine and humane lawes condemne all filthie societie and companie with beasts; much more horrible and abominable is al confederacie and league made with devils and uncleane spirits, Simler.
4 D. 34. ad. 3. in Ser.5. Thomas touching this error, that some should say, Quod maleficium nihil erat in mundo, &c. That witchcraft was nothing in the world, but in the opinion of men, addeth, Procedit haec opinio ex radice infidelitatis; That this opinion proceedeth from the root of infidelitie, because they doe not beleeve that there are any devils, but only in the estimation of the people, &c. But we are taught by the Scriptures, that the Angels fell from heaven, and became devils, by whom witches and Sorcerers worke.
6. And this is sufficient to convince these men of error, because the law of Moses judgeth the sinne of witchcraft worthy of death: which they must … …cuse of …, if witchcraft were so small an offence, and consisted but in opinion only. And the Imperiall lawes herein doe concurre also with the Divine law, which calleth, Ars …; The Mathematicall (it meaneth Magicall) science damnable: and it decreeth thus, … sunt, Cod. …. 9. … 18. leg. 2. Ibid. leg. 3. Ibid. leg. … ▪Soothsayers and Diviners are to be burned: Nec …rs ista dis…i, nec d…ce…t debet; This art must neither be learned nor taught▪ yea by the Civill law, he which consulted with Soothsayers, …, shall be punished by the sword.
QUEST. XXXIII. Of the … stone of ….
Vers. 19. WHosoever lieth with a beast … Pr…opins and the …, doe understand▪ this of a beastly▪ and bru…sh man, with whom it is dangerous to converse, and by death, they understand here eternall death. But this were to … these grosse and unnaturall sinnes which here are condemned, and these civill politicke lawes are literally to be understood. 2. Therefore this law meeteth with that most unnaturall and monstrous sin of more than beastly lust▪ … this one kind also comprehending all other outragious lusts … against nature, as …. 18.22. and 20.15. …. 3. And there are two sinnes specially against nature; either when, non servitus … speci…, the due kind, is not kept, as when the filthy company of beasts is desired; Nature only having ordained the generation of mankinde to be with man: the other is when, non servatur debit…s sermo, the due sex is not kept, as when man with man worketh …ilahinesse, which was the sin of Sodome, Thomas. 2.2. q. 154. … 12. ad. 4.4. And these are the reasons why such wicked persons should be put to death without all mercy: 1. … latur talibus fl…giri… societ … illa, qua cum Deo no…s esse debet, &c. By such hainou… sins that societie … violated, which ought to be betweene us and God; seeing Nature it selfe, whereof God is the Author,Lib. 3. … c. …. is polluted with such perverse lusts, &c. 2. Such wicked and vile persons shew themselves worse than bru… beasts, qua coitu naturali contenta sunt; which are content with naturall copulation, Calvin: and goe not out of their kind. 3. Serit semen ubi aut nihil n…scitur, … contrar…m, &c. Such soweth seed, where either nothing at all is ingendred, or a monster contrarie to nature, Pelarg. 5. Not only the man or woman committing this filthinesse, but the beast also wherewith it is perpetrated, was to be put to death, Levit. 20.15. both for the detestation of the fact, and l…st any other by th… evill example should attempt to doe the like with that beast, Lyran.
QUEST. XXXIV. The reasons why m…n are given over to unnaturall lust.
1. THis bestiall sin may be committed two waies; either indirectly when one, not at the first intending any such filthy act, but being inflamed with lust, ad coitum simplic…ter, simply unto that carnall act, because it cannot be satisfied as he would, seeketh to have it satisfied howsoever: or else directly at the first there is a wicked inclination unto this bestialitie. 2. Tostatus giveth three reasons of it▪ why some men are caried into these unnaturall lusts: 1. Their vile corrupt nature, which is procured by the evill disposition of the country: as in Aethiopia and Lybia, and toward the poles in the remote countries, monstrous shapes and formes are found, which are the fruits of such unnaturall lusts. 2. Some grow bestiall by frensie and madnes▪ and other distemperatures of the braine. 3. Some by an evill use and custome, as it seemeth the Sodomites even from their childhood were exercised in those acts of filthines. As these reasons may be yeelded, of the unnaturall appetite of men which feed of raw flesh, yea of the flesh of men as bruit beasts: so also of unnaturall lust, Tostat. qu. 14.15.3. But a better reason may be given than all these: for these unnaturall and beastly lusts are the traits of Idolatry and false worship▪ as here immediately it followeth, that they should not offer unto any other gods. And Saint Paul sheweth, that the Gentiles after they had corrupted the true worship of God, were given over unto their owne hearts desire▪ Rom. 1. as the Canaanites ha…ing not the true worship of God, defiled themselves with these abominations, for the which the Lord cast them out, Levit. 18.24. Simler.
QUEST. XXXV. What is meant by sacrificing to other gods.
… hearing that the two tribes and an halfe beyond Jordan, had erected them an Altar, they assembled themselves together against them, as jealous, lest they purposed to bring in a new worship of God, Tostat. 5. And not onelyonly they which committed Idolatrie themselves, but they which perswaded others, were to be put to death, Deut. 13.6, 7.