Select Cases Conscience Touching Witches and Witchcrafts, Question 12
12 Caſe. Whether a Witch may repent, and ſo be ſaved?
I know the Churches of old have been ſo Charitable, as to ſuppoſe their Converſion: and to that purpoſe, have (in ſeverall Caſes) propoſed their penance. And I read in Story of the Notable Repentance of certaine Pope Witches; with the miraculous ſignes of their ſalvation. And have heard the Tradition, how the Devill has been forc't to caſt up and Cancell ſome ſuch pacting Indentures, though written with the Partyes owne Blood. I will conceive withall, that Witches have as great Cauſe as may be to recant them of their bargaine, and Labour to returne. Becauſe they have made a Covenant with one, that (on his part) never intended to performe the leaſt Tittle promiſed, otherwiſe then praeſtigiouſly. They ſerve a hard Maſter, that hates them according to an irreconcileable Enmity, Gen. 3. 15. notwithſtanding all the pretended Familiarity: and not onelyonly ſo, but renders them hatefull both to God, & Men. That infeſts their habitation night, & day; torments them ſleeping and waking; terrifies them with gaſtly ſights, & hideous ſounds; makes them familiar to the moſt loathſome Creatures, wherein are leaſt footeſteps of the Creator to be perceived. Haunts them continually, to be ſtill imploying their Imps about one Miſchiefe or another: and will not ſuffer (would a Witch be ſo good) to remove the evill done to any one, but by tranſferring it upon ſome other; or elſe threatens to inflict it upon themſelves. Keeps them alwayes poore, leane, naked, diſeaſed, diſcontented; and deludes them utterly in their moſt Imaginary pleaſures and Contentments. If they chance to ſteale any thing after a prodigious manner, he ſtraightwayes as praeſtigiouſly conveys it from them againe; or ſo infects it that it is nothing uſefull to them. And after once wholly his ſeekes to betray them to Temporall Iuſtice, that ſo he may the ſooner get them into his infernall Poſſeſſion; and this he is the more eager upon, leſt peradventure having wearyed themſelves in this way of wickednes it might come into their minds to repent them at length. And thus we have the Devill alſo fearing their repentance; and by that it ſhould ſeeme there is ſome hopes of them. There would be more hope if wee could heare God promiſing and promoving it. But God hath univerſally declared himſelfe for their damnation. Malac. 3. 5. Revel. 21. 8. and 22. 15. And it is ſafeſt alwayes to judge after his Sentence. Wherefore though witches may have ſome ſlender thoughts and wiſhes for ſalvation, as had Balaam, Numb. 24. 10. Yet I cannot but thinke it a rare thing ſtill for Magitians to come and worſhip Chriſt. Mat. 2. 1, 2.
As to the Caſe therefore; to ſay that of Witches, Some may Convert and be ſaved; ſome cannot Convert, but ſhall bee Damned. This were to leave the Caſe as Indefinite, as I found it. For leſſe then ſo cannot be determined concerning the leaſt of ſins. Give me leave therefore to declare the Iudgement of my Conſcience both ſomewhat more determinately and diſtinctly. viz. That the Arted Paſſive and ſimply Deluded Witch may repent and be ſaved: But the ſolemnly Pacted, malitiouſly Active, and utterly Apoſtate Witch neither can, nor will, nor ſhall. The Arted Witches, Act. 19. 13 Converted and ſo were ſaved. For the word of God prevailed to that Purpoſe. verſ. 20. Yea they beleved and ſhewed their Deeds. verſ. 18. But Simon Magus though heeuſed the meanes of Salvation (hee beleeved, wondred and was Baptized, Act. 8. 13.) Yet neither had hee part nor lot in the matter of Sanctification or Salvation, ver. 21. yea, though the Apoſtle puts a peradventure upon his Repentance, Prayer, Remiſſion; yet is hee peremptory upon his Reprobation, verſ. 22. 23. And all is becauſe of the Diabolicall and Indiſſoluble Pact the Bond of Iniquity. So the Damſell, Act. 16. 16. 17. 18. A meerly paſſive Witch (whoſe Divination or Soothſaying was forced thorow a Daemoniacal Poſſeſſion) was ſaved no doubt. Of which her opportune Occurſion, her Confeſſion, her Application of it, her perſeverance, with Satans Ejection out of her, are ſufficient Teſtimonies. But I cannot ſay ſo much of Iezabel and the witch of Endor, who were malicious active witches. Manaſſeh likewiſe (though ſome think hee was no Witch himſelfe, but only a Conſulter, a Favourer and a promoter of them) yet (led by the many notable Expreſſions, 2 Chr. 39. 6.) I rather conceive he was a very Witch. Nevertheleſſe it is ſaid he ſought the Lord, and prayed, and the Lord was entreated of him, verſ. 12. 13. But he was no Apoſtate Witch. For it is not ſpoken of him til after his Converſion. He then knew that the Lord he was God, v. 13. But Simon Magus and Elymas the Sorcerer (two Apoſtate witches) who would have hired the power of the holy Spirit for money, who maliciouſly ſought to pervert the faith & truth of Chriſt. Theſe therefore the Apoſtles (Peter and Paul) denounce expreſly for damned Reprobates, Act. 8. 23. and 13. 8, 9, 10.
To conclude, when I ſhal be inſtructed, of any one particular and ſpecifique ſin, ſo neare to the ſinne againſt the holy Ghoſt as this of Witchcraft: Or that there is any other blaſphemy more imputing the works of the Devill to God, or the workes of God to the Devill: or ſuch an Anti-chriſtian Miſterie of Iniquity with lying wonders, and ſtrong deluſions, 2 Theſſ. 2. Or ſuch a giving heed to ſeducing ſpirits and doctrines of Devills, 1 Tim. 4. Or ſuch a treading under foot the Son of God, counting the Blood of the Covenant a vaine thing, and doing deſpight unto the Spirit of grace, Heb. 10. Or in very deed ſuch a ſin unto death, 1 John 5. I ſay, when I ſhall be inſtructed that the ſin of Witchcraft is not all this: Or if there bee any other ſpecifique particular ſinne ſo like to all this, as is the ſinne of Witch-craft: Or to which both the Scripture phraſes and properties that Divines make of the ſinne againſt the Holy Ghoſt, may bee more aptly and fully apply'd, then ſhall I bee convicted in Conſcience to bee more remiſſe in my Judgement againſt the Pacted-Active-Apoſtate Witch.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Gaule, Select Cases Conscience Touching Witches and Witchcrafts (1646)