The Magical-Astrological-Diviner Posed and Puzzled, Treatise · Chapter 27 · Section 9
9. Of Magicians and Aſtrologers, the moſt perverſe and peſtilent Hereticks: and their Magick and Aſtrologie, the greateſt cauſes or confirmations of their blaſphemous and nefarious Hereſies.
SImon Magus was the Prince of Hereticks, and the father of the firſt Hereſies after Chriſt: who, beſides thoſe ſo execrable in doctrine, and deteſtable in manners, hatched theſe ſo abominable, as concerning his own perſon, giving out that himſelfe was ſome great one. Acts 8. 9. and taught that himſelfe was he who ſhould appeare to the Iewes, as the Sonne, and in Samaria ſhould deſcend, as the Father; and to the other Nations ſhould come as the Holy Ghoſt. He ſet himſelfe forth for a God, at leaſt for the ſonne of a Virgin. He bewitched the people, with his ſorceries, or magicke, to ſay, This man is the great power of God, Acts 8. 10. And in admiration of his magicall operations, they ſet up a ſtatue, with this Inſcription, To Simon the holy God: His Image was made after the figure of Iupiter; and the Image of Salena, or Helena, his harlot (whom he affirmed to be the firſt conception of his mind, the mother of all, by whom, in the beginning, he conceived in his mind, to make the Angels, and the Archangels) was made after the figure of Minerva: and theſe they worſhipped with Incenſe, victimes, offerings and ſacrifices. Howbeit this magicall ſorcerer ſimulated the Chriſtian faith, and was baptized; ſuppoſing that the Apoſtles healed by Magick▪ and not by the power of God; and ſuſpecting the Holy Ghoſt to be given▪ by a greater Magicall ſcience, he offered money for the gift: which being denied him, he ſtudied all manner of Magick ſo much the more; ſo to make himſelf ſeem the more glorious in the emulation; and to make himſelf famous in his conteſtation againſt the Apoſtles, vented his hereſies, and vaunted his ſorceries ſo much the more. And, in ſtead of the Holy Ghoſt, he got him a devil for his familiar; which he ſaid, was the Soul of a ſlain childe, (although indeed …t was a Devil) that he had adjured for his aſſiſtance, in doing whatſoever he commanded. His Prieſts and proſelytes likewiſe were taught to uſe exorciſms, and incantations, and Amatories and allurements; and had alſo their Paredrials, and Oniropompiſss; Sc. their familiars; and ſtudiouſly exerciſed all manner of curious ſuperſtitions, and unlawful Arts. And all was to this intent, that his, and their praeſtigious acts, might ſeem to confirm their blaſphemous hereſies.
Elymas the Sorcerer, or the Magician, ſought to turn away the Deputy from the faith; and would not ceaſe to pervert the right wayes of the Lord, Act. 13. 8, 10. And not onelyonly his actions, but his appellations alſo, ſerve to note his Hereſie, as well as his Sorcery. Jannes and Iambres the Magicians that withſtood Moſes; wherefore are thoſe Hereticks, men of corrupt minds, reprobate, or of no judgement, concerning the faith, that reſiſt the truth, compared to them 2 Tim. 3. 8. Doubtleſſe, there was not onelyonly ſome reſemblance, or ſimilitude, but ſome identity or reality in their actions.
M…nander the diſciple, and ſucceſſour of Simon Magus; a Samaritane alſo, and a Magician, was poſſeſſed with a devil; and being inſtructed with daemoniacal power, was not inferiour to the former in diabolical operation. And having attained to the height of magical Science, which (he ſaid) he had from his Euvoja; and by her taught, and gave it unto others: ſo that many were deluded & deceived by this his prodigious art. To which he added, as upon which he founded theſe his portentous, Hereſies, or opinions, viz. Affirming himſelf to be the Saviour ſent from Olympus to Heaven; or from the inviſible world, for the ſalvation of men. Teaching, that the Angels, the operators of this world, cannot be otherwiſe bound, or compelled, or conquered by any; unleſſe it be by learning the deceptive, and proving the experience, of the Magical art, which he taught, and by receiving the Baptiſm which he himſelf delivered, which whoſoever had ever been partakers of, they ſhould thereby acquire perpetual immortality; and die no more; but remain everlaſtingly with themſelves, or with him, and become thenceforth expert of old age, and be made immortal.
Saturninu… or Saturnilus, and Bafilides, were notorious impoſtors in all Magical arts, uſing Images, incantations, and invocations and all other ſuperfluous curioſities. And among their other Hereſies, this was one, inconſiſtent altogether, not onelyonly with nature, and Theologie; but with Magick alſo, and Aſtrology▪ viz. In that they invented 365. Heavens, making one another by ſucceſſion, and ſimilitude; and the loweſt of them begetting the creatures here below. And the chiefeſt or higheſt of them, which they call Abrafax, or Abraxas, they make to have in it ſelf, not onelyonly the number of the 365; but the vertue of them all. And yet the Mathematicians then agreed with them in the diſtribution of the 365 local poſitions of the Heavens; though peradventure not in their mutual, and ſo infinite generation: Howbeit, in this they, and the Magicians were wholly agreed in contending their myſteries to be ineffable, and ought to be hidden in ſilence.
…arpocrates and his ear-mark'd Diſciples, practiſed all manner of Magical arts; uſed Incantations, Philters, Paredrials, or Demoniacal aſſeſſours, omropompiſts, or Dream-artiſts, and all other machinations, malignations, inductions, illectations, &c. Yea, they ſet up Schools of Magick, and taught praeſtigious operation in publique; ſaying heretically, that by vertue of theſe they had gotten the Dominion over the Princes, and Fabricators of this world; and not onelyonly over them, but over all that are made therein. Teaching yet more heretically, that they who will attain to the perfection of their Myſt gogie, muſt dare to do any thing; yea, muſt do any filthy thing: otherwiſe they cannot eſcape the Prince of this world, unleſſe by ſuch ſecret operation they pay their debt to all. And what was this operation of abſolving the debt in the body? but a nefarious coition of men and of women: and therewithal, an abhominable operating of incantations, venefices, and Idolatries upon every member of the body.
Marcus (with his podalitial Marceſites) was moſt skilful & expert in al magical impoſtures; by which he ſeduced many men, and not a few women; to turn to, and attend him, as one moſt ſciential, and perfect; and one that had gotten great vertue from inviſible and unnameable powers & places. Wheras he onelyonly mixed the ludicrous fopperies of Anaxilaus, together with the wicked ſubtilties of Magicians, and ſo deluded into admiration or aſtoniſhment, ſuch ſimple and ſenſeleſs people, as could not diſcern his ludibrious incantations. For faigning himſelf to give thanks over a cup of white wine, by his long invocations, and incantations, he turned it to red, or made is ſo appeare, that it might be thought, by that grace, from them that are above all, he diſtilled his own blood into the cup; through the invention thereof, and that they which were preſent might deſire to taſt of that cup, that ſo there might diſtil upon them that grace which the Magician invoked; or which the Magician called Grace. Underſtand withal, that he had a Devil his Paredrial, or aſſeſſor; by which he himſelf did ſeem to propheſie: and ſo many women, as he thought worthy to be partakers of his grace, he made to propheſie, eſpecially he buſied himſelf about women that were noble, and rich, and gayly clad; and thus blaſphemouſly he would flatter, and allure them: I will that thou ſhouldeſt partake of my grace; becauſe the Father ſeeth every Angel of thine alwayes before his face; now the place of thy greatneſſe is in us, and it behoveth us to convene in one; receive firſt from me, and by me, grace; and be thou prepared as a Spouſe, to entertain her well-beloved; that thou maiſt be as I, and I as thou: place thou in thy chamber the ſeed of light; take from me thy well beloved; and receive thou him, and be received of him; behold grace deſcendeth upon thee; open thy mouth and propheſie. Thus ſhe being enticed, ſeduced, and puffed up, and her heart beating and burning within her, out of a hope, or preſumption to propheſie; ſhe dares to ſpeak any doting follies; and that (from the heat of the ſpirit) boldly, impudently, confidentlyvainly, emptily. And from thenceforth reputes her ſelf a propheteſſe; & gives thanks to Marcus, who hath communicated his own Grace to her: and now labours to recompenſe and reward him, not only with all her wealth and ſubſtance, but with her corporal copulation, that in all things they may be one. A certain Deacon in Aſia, who had received Marcus into his houſe, fell into this very kind of calamity; he having a very beautiful wife, this Magician corrupted her both in body, and minde, or opinion; ſo that ſhe followed after him a long time: at length, after the brethren had converted her with great pains; ſhe ſpent her whole time in confeſſion, bewayling and lamenting the corruption that ſhe had ſuffered by this heretical Magician, or magical Heretick.
Priſcillianus was very ſtudious of Zoroaſter the Magician, and of a Magician made a Biſhop. He himſelf ſubjected Chriſt his actions, and paſſions, to the ſtars. And the Priſcillianiſts determined all men to be bound to fatal ſtars; and that our body is compoſed according to the twelve ſignes; as thoſe they vulgarly call Mathematicians uſe to do, conſtituting Aries in the head, Taurus in the neck, Gemini in the ſhoulder, Cancer in the breaſt, and ſo running over the reſt by name, till they came to the …les of the feet, which they attribute to Piſces, called the laſt ſigne by the Aſtrologers. Theſe and the like fabulous, vain, and ſacrilegious things, hath this hereſie woven together, which is too long to proſecute. And ſo is it, to ſpeak particularly of the Ebonites, Valentinians, Gnoſticks, Colarbaſians, Heracleonites, Heraclites, Ophites, Cerdonians, Marcioniſts, Montaniſts, Euchetanes, Eupbratians, Senophians, &c. which were as infamous for praeſtigious Magick, as portentous hereſies. I paſſe by the hereſies of the Magical, and Aſtrological Philoſphers, about the principles, tearms, matters, efficacies and ends, of all things, celeſtial, and terreſtrial; and their Magical opinions mixt with Idolatry, Superſtition, Atheiſm, and prophaneneſſe.
Of all the reſt, Ptolomie, and the Ptolomaites would not be left out, and it were but for names ſake: but Ptolomie was a bud or branch of the Gnoſticks, and the Valentinians, and then he muſt needs be a piece of a Magician. But I onelyonly put the Ptolomaites, heatheniſh or heretical, to the conſtruction and application of theſe words; foreign? For hereupon I conclude, that if Ptolomie the Genethliack, was not an heretick, yet Ptolomie the heretick, was a Genethliack. And that he, and his followers are as eaſie to be poſed, puzzled, and confuted in the one, as the other.