Treatise of the Four Degenerate Sons, Treatise · Part 2 · Section 1 – Section 2
SECT. 1. How Satan hath abuſed the moſt part of the world by his Magicke and Sorcerie.
VVHen the Lord had planted a Church in Iudea, How Sathan hath abuſed the moſt part of the world by his Magicke.and choſen Iſrael for his inheritance; Sathan envying this; firſt hee infected Syria with Sorcerie and Witchcraft, and from thence the people of God learned it. Eſay 2.6. becauſe they be repleniſhed from the Eaſt, that is, of the ſorcerie of the Syrians; ſuch as Balaam was, who dwelt in Syria. Secondly, they learned this Magicke, from thoſe who lay upon the Weſt, as from the Philiſtims, Eſay 2.6. So this Magicke abounded amongſt the Ammorites; therefore the Hebrewes ſaith, In quocunque eſt aliquid de medicina & nihil est de via ammoriorum hoc licitum eſt: that is, when men uſe naturall meanes; there is no ſorcerie then as was amongſt the Amorites. T…dly, this Magicke abounded in the South of Canaan in Egypt, as we ſee in Iannes and Iambres who reſiſted Moſes, 2 Tim. 3.8. they uſed a proverbe or taunt unto Moſes (as it is written in the Talmud) Tu ſtramen portas in Afra. Afra was a place in Egypt where ſtraw abounded moſt; their meaning was, that there was magicke enough in Egypt already, and therefore it was needleſſe for them to practiſe their magicke in Egypt. So they ſaid, In urbem oleribus abundantem olera, venalia importas; Thou carries hearbes to ſell to a towne that abounds with hearbes. So this magicke abounded in Samaria, where Simon abuſed the people by witchcraft, Act. 9. To whom all gave heede from the leaſt to the greateſt, and they called him the great power of God. So this ſorcerie abounded in Epheſus, Act. 19.19. Therefore they were called foreign. This magicke was profeſſed there, and they had Libraries of great price there, which afterward they burnt. So this ſorcerie is very farre ſpread in theſe parts of the world where we live now, and where the Goſpel is preached. The Prophet Eſay ſpeaking of the calling of the Gentiles, ſaith, Eſay 43.5. I will bring thy ſeede from the East, and gather thee from the Weſt, I will ſay to the North give up, and to the South keepe not backe: ſo we may ſay now, that neither the North, nor the South withholds, but they runne from all parts of the world to the devill, and hee hath his ſynagogue where the Goſpel is preached, and there he ſets up his throne; Look to Lapland, Findland, and to the mountaines of Savoy, and here amongſt our ſelves how they abound: Is not this a juſt judgement for the contempt of the Goſpel?
SECT. 2. How fearefull a ſinne it is to enter in covenant with the devill.
VVhen men binde themſelves one unto another,What a ſinne it is to covenant with the devill. they binde themſelves either by promiſe, or by an oath, or by a covenant.
They binde themſelves by a promiſe: A promiſe is obligatio fidei, and here they paune their fidelitie and honeſtie, but in an oath, there is obligatio animae & ſalutis, In it they paund their fidelitie, honeſty, and ſoule, and then by covenant which is confirmed by write, by oath, and by ſome ſolemne rites, as when they confirmed their covenants of old, they vſed to divide a beaſt in two: and thoſe who entred into the covenant uſed to paſſe betwixt the parts of the beaſt divided, Gen. 15.10. Ier. 34.18. and they wiſhed, that if they brake that covenant; they might be parted and cutte as that beaſt was into peices: And the Hebrewes ſay, ſcindere faedus; David ſaith, ſciſſores faederis mei, Pſal. 50.5. that is, who made a covenant with me becauſe a beaſt was cut, when the covenant was made; and this covenant they called Berith. To promiſe to the devill is a great ſinne, but to binde our ſelves by an oath to him is a greater ſinne; but to enter in covenant, with him is the greateſt ſinne of all, to deliver up to him ſoule and body to be tormented and cut by him at his pleaſure.
Secondly, in all covenants fidelitie is moſt to be reſpected: There are foure great liars with whom a man muſt not covenant, hell, death, the world, and the devill.
Theſe who covenants with death, with hell, and the world, makes lies their refuge.Theſe who covenants with death and hell: as the Prophet Eſaiah ſpeakes, Eſay 28.15. They make lies, their refuge, and under falſhood they ſhadow themſelves. There are two things that ſecure ſinners are moſt afraid of, the Iayle, and the Iayler, firſt of the Iayle hell, and next of the Iayler death.
The deceitfull heart of man promiſeth to the ſecure ſinner immunitie from both theſe, and makes an imaginary covenant with man, and promiſeth to ſecure him from them both; firſt, that hee ſhall be free from hell, and promiſeth to him peace, when his deſtruction is at hand: when a man makes this kinde of covenant with his deceitfull heart, hee makes lies for his refuge, and his covenant is nothing.
Secondly, hee is afraid of death the Iayler, and in comes the deceitfull heart of man, and makes this imaginarie covenant, and puts the evill day farre from him, and ſo he makes lies his refuge. Hagag ſaid, 1 Sam. 15.32. when he flattered himſelfe that the bitterneſſe of death was paſt, when as Samuels ſword was hanging over his head. Secure ſinners when death is neare to them, they put it farre from them, both in reſpect of preparation and expectation, and upon a ſudden it ſurpriſes them, and in a ſudden they goe downe to hell, wherefore we ſhould never covenant with them.
The third lier that we ſhould not covenant with is the world: The world is like that Olive tree, which Habbacuck ſpeakes of, Hab. 3.17. mentita eſt oliva; the Olive tree made a lie. It promiſed faire in the ſpring when it bloſſomed, but it brought nothing to perfection. So the world promiſeth much, but performes nothing really to men; and it is like Ionah his Gourd, when hee thought to have ſheltred himſelfe under it, a worme did conſume it. So it fareth with the world, when men thinkes to ſhelter themſelves under it, then it vaniſheth; therefore we muſt never covenant with this liar, the world.
But above all to covenant with the devill,To covenant with the divell the father of lies, that is a fearefull covenant. who is the father of lies, Ioh. 8.44. This is the greateſt madneſſe of all, who can truſt him? or what fidelitie is in his promiſes? he is foreign and foreign, who promiſeth much in words, but performes nothing, Magis blandus quam benignus: ſo he is foreign, ready to praiſe and flatter us, when hee mindes no ſuch things, he holds out bread to us, but hee gives us a ſtone, he preſents a fiſh to us, but he gives us a Scorpion, therefore wee ſhould never covenant with him, hee is ready to intice us to ſinne, and the firſt to accuſe us: Hee is like unto Ioab who would have perſwaded the man to have killed Abſalom the Kings ſonne, and if he had killed him, hee would have ſet himſelfe firſt againſt him, 2 Sam. 13.18. therefore we ſhould never covenant with him.
Thirdly,It is not lawful to make a covenant of peace with the devill, where God hath proclaimed warre. God hath put an enmitie betwixt the ſeede of the woman and the ſeede of the Serpent; he hath not put anger betwixt them, for thoſe who are angry one with another, they may be reconciled again, but he hath put this enmitie and deadly hatred betwixt them therefore they ſhould never be reconciled. It is an unlawfull thing to make a league of peace where God hath proclaimed perpetuall warre. This warre is a moſt lawfull warre:Two ſorts of warre amongſt the Iewes. The warres amongſt the Iewes were either bell… ſpontanea, or bella praecepti: Bella ſpontanea were theſe, which they undertooke willingly at their owne hand, but bella praecepti were thoſe which they undertooke at the commandement of God: This warre is bellum praecepti, and not ſpontaneum; It is bellum praecepti. Therefore the Lord ſaith, Iam. 4.7. Reſiſt the devill and he will flie from you: A warre may be unlawfull three manner of wayes;A Warre may be undertaken three manner of wayes unlawfully. firſt, when it is raſhly undertaken, without authoritie or command. Secondly, when it is proſecuted cruelly, & cum medicina excedit modum, when the phyſicke exceedes meaſure. And thirdly, when the end is unlawfull, when men reſpects onelyonly vaine glorie, gaine, or revenge. But this warre is lawfull, both in reſpect of the commander, ſecondly in reſpect of the manner; we cannot be too eager in proſecuting this warre againſt this enemie, And curſed is who doth this worke of the Lord negligently, Ier. 48.10. The Lord proclaimed a perpetuall warre betwixt Iſrael and Amalecke, Exod. 17.16. and he cauſed him to write a booke of this for a memoriall; and the reaſon was, becauſe the Amalekites cut off the taile of the hoſt of the Iſraelites, that is, the faint and the ſicke, and the ſtraggling that came behinde. The Chaldee paraphraſt paraphraſeth this place after this maner:Targum Ionath. cap. 25. v. 18. the Amalekites cut of from the Iewes that part in which they were circumciſed, and wherin they bare the marke of the Covenant of God, & threw it up in deſpight againſt the Lord. And doth not this Amalekite Satan, hate the badge of Gods Covenant in Gods children, and in contempt expoſes the bodies of the Saints baptized to all ſhame and ignominie. Therefore the Lord hath regiſtred this in his Booke, that there ſhall be perpetuall warre, with this Amalekite the devill; and herein wee ſhould be foreign, implacable, never to be reconciled, or to make a covenant with him.
God hath promiſed us the victorie againſt Satan; therefore wee ſhould never take peace with him.Fourthly, God in this warre hath promiſed us the victory, Rom. 16. The God of peace ſhall tread Satan under your feete. And ſhall wee be ſo baſe minded then, as to yeeld to Satan, when God hath promiſed us the victorie. In other warres the event is doubtfull; and therefore the Scripture ſaith, Ne glorietur induens arma ſed exuens, 1 King. 20.11. but in this fight we are ſure of the victory when wee ſtrive earneſtly againſt the devill. And here we may rejoyce when we put on our armour, and when we lay them not aſide, and preferre Iuſtiſſimum bellum injuſtiſſimae paci.
Fiftly,We contend for an everlaſting inheritance, therefore we ſhould be earneſt in this fight againſt Satan. the thing which we contend for ſhould move us to be earneſt in this fight. Non controvertitur de limitibus ſedde ipſa haereditate, wee contend not here for the landmarkes, but for the inheritance it ſelfe. When Themiſtocles was to fight againg the Barbarians, he ſaw two Cockes fighting moſt keenely, and then he tooke occaſion to ſpeake to his Souldiers after this manner; Hi neque pro patria neque pro paenatibus nec pro ſepulchris majorum, neque pro libertate aut filiispugnant; ſed tantum ne vincantur neuter cedit alteri. His ergo dictis Athenienſibus ingentes animos fecit. Theſe poore creatures neither ſtrives for their countrey nor for their gods, nor for heir fathers ſepulchres, nor for thet liberty of their children; but they ſtrive onelyonly for the victorie. In this combate with the devill wee ſtrive not for an earthly kingdome, nor for our parents, nor for the ſepulchres of our anteceſſors, nor for our libertie, or for our children, but for an immortall inheritance and incorruptible; and ſhould we not then be moſt eager in this fight.
Sixtly, when people who hath beene long at variance,If we take truce with Satan, nothing will ſerve in hoſtage, but our ſoules, what can we offer to him then in a finall peace. mindes to make peace firſt, they make inducias ſeu treugas; and here they uſe to give in hoſtage their children which are called filii oppignorationis, 1 King. 1.14. When we enter in parly of peace with the devill, what can we lay in hoſtage to him, will we offer him rivers of oyle? that will not content him, Mic. 6.7. if we offer him our firſt borne, that will not content him, untill we offer to him unicam noſtram, or our darling, Pſal. 22. and what can he ſeeke more of us. Therefore theſe who concludes a finall peace with him, are moſt deſperate.
It is well ſaid by Cajetan, the converſing with the Angels in this life, is the beginning of eternall happineſſe; ſo the converſing with the devils in this life is the beginning of eternall damnation.