Treatise of the Four Degenerate Sons, Treatise · Part 2 · Section 3
SECT. 3. Of the ſorts of Covenants made with the devill, firſt of the direct covenant, and then of the indirect.
THeſe who enters into the direct covenant with the devill; firſt, they expreſly renounce God. Our baptiſme ſaith S. Peter, 1 Pet. 3.21. Eſt ſtipulatio bonae conſcientiae; Theſe who expreſly covenant with the devill renounces God.The anſwer of a good conſcience towards God: where the Apoſtle aludes, to the cuſtome that was in the Primitive Church, for theſe who were catechized were demanded of the catechiſt after this manner, Crediſne, beleeveſt thou? And they anſwered Credo, I beleeve. So abrenunciaſne, doſt thou not renounce the devill? And they anſwered, abrenuncio, I doe renounce him. Therefore Tertullian in his booke de reſurrectione, ſaith, Anima non lavatione ſed reſponſione ſancitur; the ſoule is not eſtabliſhed by waſhing but by anſwering: And the devill being Gods Ape, when he drawes his ſlaves after him, he initiates them this wayes. Doſt thou renounce the true God: They anſwer, I renounce him. His ſecond demand to them is this, Beleeves thou in me? They anſwer, I beleeve: this is called foreign, when one promiſes, and the other reſtipulates.
Theſe who enters into the direct covenant with him kiſſes him.Secondly, theſe who enter into this direct covenant with Satan, they give him the kiſſe of homage; as the children of God are bidden to kiſſe the ſonne, Pſal. 2.12.
Thirdly, they offer gifts to him.Thirdly, they who enter into this direct covenant with Satan, offer gifts to him; as the three wiſe men offered gold, incenſe and myrre to Chriſt, Num. 22.The Iewes uſed to offer to their new crowned kings gifts. 1 Sam. 10.27. And his divination was in his hand, that is, the gift which he offered to the devill when he was divining. So Ezech. 22.7. his divination was in his right hand. And as we may offer nothing to the devill, ſo wee may take nothing from him. The Targum of Ieruſalem Paraphraſing this place, Eccleſ. 2.5. [I planted mee Orchards, and trees in them of all kindes] is moſt injurious to Salomon; paraphraſing the place this wayes; I planted me trees which the Ptolomei, and the devils brought me out of India: This pharaphraſe is moſt falſe; for although Salomon fell from the Lord, yet he fell never to covenant with the devill, either to offer any thing to him, or to receive any thing from him: and when he repents him of all the vanities, he never reckons up Magicke amongſt them.
Fourthly,Fourthly, they take his marke upon them. theſe who enters into a direct covenant with the devill takes his marke upon them. And as God ſet his marke of circumciſion in the fleſh of his children; ſo the devill ſets his marke upon witches. When the falſe apoſtles perſwaded the Galatians to be circumciſed, then S. Paul ſaith, That they gloried in the fleſh of the Galatians, becauſe they were circumciſed, Gal. 6.13. So when Satan hath ſet his marke upon his ſlaves he glories in their fleſh.
Markes are impoſed for foure ends, firſt,Markes are impoſed for foure ends. they are notes of propertie to diſcerne on mans goods from another to whom they belong. Secondly, they are notes of diſtinction. Therefore neatheardes and ſhepheards are called punctatores, Amos 1.1.foreign punctatores. The words of Amos who was amongſt the heardm…n of Tekoa, inter punctatores; this was not a note of propertie, but a note of diſtinction which they ſet upon their beaſts. Thirdly, for homage, as the marke of the beaſt, Rev. 16.2. Fourthly, for ignominie and ſhame. Such was the markes which S. Paul bare about in his body, which hee calls foreign, Chriſti, Gal. 6.17. they inflicted them for his ſhame, but he thought them to be his greateſt honour and credit. Theſe markes of Satan are markes of ſhame, of propertie, and of homage, they are commonly in ſome ſecret place of the bodie, and not ſenſible in that place, although ye thruſt a bodkin in the place which is marked; and when he markes them, they have intollerable paine, as they confeſſe, untill Satan appeare to them the ſecond time, and then the place marked is paſt feeling, and hath no paine at all. It is true that there may be ſome naturall cauſe why the part affected is not ſo ſenſible. But when this marke, and other preſumptions concurres together, it ſhould not be lightly rejected; and it may be Semiplena probatio.
Fiftly they eate and drinke with him.Fiftly, they enter into ſuch familiaritie with him, that they ſit downe to eate and drinke with him, and riſe to play. The Apoſtle forbiddes the Corinthians, 1 Cor. 5.11. If a man be called a brother and be a fornicator, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, not to eate with ſuch a one; farre leſſe to eate with him who is without, whom God himſelfe Iudges onelyonly, and whom the Church medles not with. To eate with the devill who is judged already, who lies under that fearefull Anathema maranatha, 1 Cor. 13.22. and under that eternall curſe and malediction of God.
Laſtly, they lie with him.And laſtly, theſe who lies with the devill. If a man commit inceſt it is a greater ſin then adultery, becauſe he obſerves not the degrees of conſanguinitie, Levit: 18.6. If a male lie with a ma…e, this is a greater ſinne than inceſt, Quia hic non obſervatur ſexus; becauſe the ſexe is not obſerved here. If a man lie with a beaſt, this is a greater ſinne, this is confuſion, Lev. 18.23. quia hic non obſervatur ſpecies. It was a greater ſin in Anah, Gen. 36.24. to ſet beaſts of divers kindes to engender together, as the horſe and the aſſe, who beget a mule, a monſtrous generation. And the Prophet alludes to this ſort of generation, Hoſ. 4.4. [For they themſelves are ſeparate with harlots, foreign mulus.cum merciricibus ſeparationem faciunt] liparedum]; they ſhall beget baſtards ſuch as the mule is, Pered is a mule; or they ſhall be unfruitfull as the mule; much more monſtrous is that generation when a man lies with a beaſt. When all the beaſts were brought before Adam, there was not one of them a match for Adam; to teach man that he ſhould never match with a beaſt. When the Prophet Ieremie would expreſſe the filthineſſe of the Iewes in their whooredomes, Ier. 5.8. he ſaith, Every man neighed after his neighbours wife. This adultery made them like ſtoned horſes running after a mare. So he compares them to ſalt bitches, or filthy dogges. The price of a dogge ſhall not come unto the houſe of the Lord thy God, Deut. 23.17. That is, of a whore or whoremonger, who are filthy as dogges; what is it then for a man to lie with a beaſt? But if onelyonly with the devill, this is abomination of abominations: Quia hic non obſervatur genus.
Queſt. An chobher chobharim, foreignDeut. 18.11. Pſal. 58.6. be meant here of the expreſſe covenant with the devill, becauſe it is ſaid there ligant ligaturas?
Anſw. They are not ſaid there ligare ligaturas, becauſe they enter in a direct covenant with the devill, the 70. tranſlates it foreign, for the ſerpents when they are enchanted runnes together in a knot, and wimples themſelves one within another.