Select Cases Conscience Touching Witches and Witchcrafts, Question 6
6. Caſe. Whether Witch-ſeeking, or Witch-finding be an Art, Vocation, Profeſſion, Occupation, Office, or Trade of Life, allowable in a a Chriſtian Church or State?
THis Caſe is new; becauſe ſuch a Profeſſion or occupation has not beene heard of heretofore. And therfore ſince I am to venture where the path is not troden, I ſhall willingly yield to any that can ſhew mee a directer way to truth in this particular; then that which I now propoſe. Diſtinguiſhing here betwixt the Authority, the Art, and the office of Witch-finding, and thereupon thus determining.
1. That the Authority (of Governors in Church and State) is (to ſuch a purpoſe as Witch-ſearching or Witch-finding) not onelyonly Lawfull, but laudable: not onelyonly warrantable, but commendable withall. In Deut. 18. 10. There ſhall not be found among you ſcil. Gods People, &c. This imports an Authority from God to ſeek out ſuch; Elſe how ſhould it be knowne, whether ſuch were to bee found amongſt them yea or no; In 1 Sam. 28. 7. Sauls Authority injoyning his Servants (Seeke me a woman that hath a Familiar Spirit) was not unwarrantable, but his purpoſe onelyonly. But every way commendable was Joſiahs ſpying out of ſuch, 2. King. 23. 24. as intirely both proceeding from obedience, and tending to Reformation.
2. That the Art of Witchfinding is very Difficult. 1. Becauſe Satan is ſubtile, and has even here a 1000 deluding Arts, and wayes. 2. Moſt men are ignorant of his Stratagems, enterprizes, devices, 3. Witchcraft it ſelfe is a darke myſtery of iniquitie. 4. It is ſo particular a Depravation, that it can hardly be gheſt at or imagined by any ſemblance of thoſe common feeds of corruptions that are in Men. 5. Even Witches themſelves are ignorant of this their owne Art. 6. The true markes of a Witch (or mentall Characters) are not eaſie to be diſcerned.
3. That the office of Witchfinding is exceeding doubtful, Becauſe he that offers to take upon him ſuch an office, cannot (I am afraid to give ſatisfaction to theſe doubts, and the like. 1. Though peradventure hee may have procured ſome Authoritie from men: yet whether he be hereunto called and inabled by God; 2. Whether he is able to execute it with a good conſcience voyd of offence both towards God, and towards men; 3. Whether he have any certaine and infallible Rules of Diſcerning to proceed by; 4. Whether (in this undertaking) he aim not more at a privat Advantage, then at the publick Good? 5. Whether he often times uſes not unlawfull and indirect meanes of Diſcoverie; or incourages not the Common People to uſe the ſame? 6 Whether hee may not give occaſion to Defame Ten that are Innocent; before he deſcover one that is guilty? 7. Whether his Carriages in this buſineſs, may not be a great occaſion to augment the vulgar Peoples ſuperſtitions (and very dangerouſly ſuperſtitious) opinions, ſuſpitions, traditions, perſwaſions, affections, admirations, and Relations? (I propoſe this to be well conſidered, becauſe the Country People talke already, and that more frequently, more affectedly, of the infallible and wonderfull power of the Witchfinders; then they doe of God, or Chriſt, or the Goſpell preached). 8. Whether peremptorily to pronounce before-hand what multitudes of Witches are to be found in every Country of England, be not (beſides a wicked Calumny,) an irreparable Infamie to the Church of England, in cauſing the adverſaries of the Reformed Religion to blaſpheme?
Beſides all this; I require ful ſatisfaction in theſe Doubts alſo: For I am not ſatisfied: that ſuch an office ought to be taken upon them by any privat perſons, as a Calling, Profeſſion, occupation or Trade of Life. Becauſe, if any Lawfulneſſe be in ſuch a kind of Calling; it muſt either be as ordinary, or as extraordinary.
1. I conceive, not as an Ordinary calling, 1. Becauſe ordinary Callings have ordinary Principles, Grounds, Precepts, Rules, Documents, Preſcriptions, Directions, Examples, Preſidents, Exerciſes, Practiſes, &c. 2. Ordinary Callings have Ordinary Derivations, Propagatious, Continuation, &c. 3. Wee worthily confute the Papiſts, for ſetting up the office or Calling of an Exorciſt, as Ordinary and conſtant in the Church. Of whoſe Office are two maine Acts; one to diſcerne, diſcover, and deſcry the Devill and the Witch: the other to adjure, charme, expell, remove &c. The former of which Acts is here confeſt; and if any Formes of adjuration bee uſed in the Examination or Diſcovery, the other is not to be denied. And how wary muſt hee bee here in Examining, that would take heed of Adjuring? 4. As touching the ſecond Act of ſuch an Office, the Scripture plainly denyes an ordinary or ſettled Calling, ſaying They are Vagabonds, that they tooke it upon them, and for this cauſe it is demanded, Who are ye? that is, where's your calling or power thus to do? Acts 19. 13, 14, 15. And therefore may the firſt Act very well be doubted of.
2. Not as Extraordinary. For 1. The Extraordinarily Called, are raiſed and ſeparated, immediately, eminently, miraculouſly: 2. And that upon extraordinary occaſions; as when the Church of God is thereby extreamely infeſted, infected, obſcured, indangered. 3. Such are evermore by God prepared, gifted, ſtrengthened, maintained, perfected.
All that can bee objected to me is; How then would you have Witches found out? I anſwer, by the power of the Magiſtracy and Miniſtery; appointing and employing (upon evident and urgent neceſſity, as when not only common Reports, but prodigious Facts cry out) fit perſons to ſuch a purpoſe. I ſay fit; both for number and Quality. 1. For number, Competent. Not one or two obſcure perſons, A man with a woman, &c. But even a ſufficient number, the better to Examine, Reaſon, Debate, Diſcern, Determine; in caſe of particular Reſpects, Ends, fancies, opinions, humours, Paſſions, Affections, &c. 2. For Quality, meet Perſons for that purpoſe, which ought not to be, 1. Ignorant, 2. Profane. 3. Covetouſneſſe. But ought to be, 1. Conſcientious, 2. Diſcreet. 3. Learned. And Learned, very learned. 1. In naturall Philoſophy, that they may diſcern betwixt things meerly praeſtigious, and the Mirables of Nature, in her occult Qualities, Sympathies, Antipathies, and apt conjunction of Actives to Paſſives. Through Ignorance whereof, a Country Fellow is ready to cry a Witch, or a thing done in the Devills name, if hee ſee one make iron to walke after him, though by vertue of a Loadſtone. Or to create fire in a wide field, though it be by force of a burning glaſſe, ſo he would in ignorant manner think all bewitcht, that his ſhip ſhould ſtand immoveable, and nothing to hinder it, but a ſlender Remora. So would an Indian, when he ſees a man from a great Gunnes mouth, fall down dead, more then a mile off. 2. In phyſicke; to judge of Facts and Effects (in Men or Beaſts) whether naturall, preternaturall, &c. For how apt are ordinary people to apprehend the ſtrange handlings in Extaſies, Frenzies, Lunaries, Lethargies, convulſions, falling ſickneſſes, &c. to bee no other then very Witchcrafts. 3. In Divinity, to examine the conſcience by the Rules of the word, & dictates of right reaſon; & to diſcern & declare how utterly oppoſite the diabolicall Covenant is, to the Covenant of Grace. 4. In Law, to declare who are here lyable, and how far; & to what kinds or degrees of guilt or penalty.
Now that ſuch as theſe (upon due occaſion) are the only requiſite and approvable for ſuch a purpoſe: and that even they themſelves ſhall find this undertaking a matter of no ſmal difficulty; will plainly appear if the principal groūds of a Witches diſcovery be wel conſidered; which are either from ſuſpition, confeſſion, compact, practiſe, markes, or imps. As touching I ſuſpition, whether cauſeleſs, or reaſonable. Or the extent of ſuſpition whether generall or particular. Or the perſon ſuſpecting, whether idle, or of honeſt repute. Or the perſon ſuſpected; whether his or her eminent vertues or graces, will admit of ſuch a thing, yea or no?
2. Confeſſion; How warily would it be conſidered; if the party confeſſing bee of right mind: and not diabolically deluded to confeſſe not improbabilities only, but impoſſibilities: if it be not forced, but a free confeſſion. If Melancholy Humors, work not too fond and falſe ſelf-perſwaſions. If they may not be ſome ſeeds of ſuperſtitiō diſpoſing to witchcraft only; whereof the Conſcience convicted and diſtracted, errs confuſedly in apprehending and acknowledging all the Completion thereof.
3. Compact; whether the League or Covenant made with the Devill be Explicite and ſolemn; or Implicite and ſecret. If Implicite only; whether an Implicite pact (being but a bare aſſet of the mind or wil) ſerve utterly to renounce God & Chriſt, &c. And to joyn in full ſociety and familiarity with the Devill? And whether all ſins of malice, are not guilty in ſome degree of the like renuntiation and Confederacy.
4. Practiſe; whether no Magicall, ſorcerous Charming, Conjuring, praeſtigious Acts, can be done without a diabolicall Confoederacie? whether every Effect of malefice and miſchiefe that is immediately conſequentiall to a Curſed Tongue, be to be cenſured as a work of direct witchcraft? whether of wondrous and diſmall Events, ſome be not to be referred to the Mirables of nature; ſome to contingencie & caſualty; ſome to divine judgment, ſome to Diabolicall obſeſſion, as well as ſome to Effaſcination? whether the Devill may not work the Facts & Effects of witchcraft; by ſuch as only ſtand as yet, but in the Temptation, or ſome diſpoſition to be Witches? whether the devil (as author) may not worke ſome particular effects of miſchief, againſt the Wil & Intention of the Inſtrument?
5. Markes. Whether the expreſſe Character of a Witch be Corporall or Mentall; Whether all Witches have Corporall Markes, or diabolicall Fleſh-brands? Whether all Witches Fleſh Markes be alike in every part, and ſo to be known by Compariſon? Whether the Devill ſets his expreſs and viſible ſeale, upon the Implicite and inviſible Compact? How may it be diſcerned betwixt this Devills body-mark, and any other Corporall Infirmitie? I have hard it Traditionally Fabled of the ſtrange figure, color, noyſomeneſſe, bloodleſneſs, ſearedneſs, deadneſſe, &c. yet to mee it is nothing Argumentative. But I will help them to one which (I take it) is demonſtrative. viz. If the Learned Phyſician can ſolidly conceive and aver that ſuch a thing can have no naturall cauſe from the Body, nor can be of any Iſſue or uſe to the Body; then it argues and Demonſtrates ſomething indeed. For the Devills Brandes periſh utterly, and are loſt to any naturall uſe of the Body; as being impreſt and muted to ſerve for no other purpoſe, but as Seals to the Devills Sacrament alone. Laſtly, what man (of never ſo much obſervation or Experience) can with a ſafe conſcience take his oath directly, that ſuch Markes are impreſt by the Devill, and ſerve onelyonly for his uſe?
6. Imps, whether all Witches have their Imps or deale with Familiars? whether a viſible Impe be given upon an Inviſible Compact? whether the Impe workes at the Witches, or at the Devills Command or Inſtigation? How can a Familiar or Impe be diſcerned, if it never did any thing, but what (by nature, or Art) a Creature of that ſame kind, may ſtand in a Capacity to do? who can flatly ateſt wth a good Conſcience; that this or that Dog, Cat, Rat, Mouſe, &c. is the Witches Imp or Familiar?
Theſe things being conſidered (with many moe almoſt irreſoluble ſcruples, that might pertaine to this ſcrutiny) I ſee not but that I may conclude? Though the Authority be commendable, yet the Caſe is doubtfull, the undertaking difficult, the profeſſion dangerous, but the uſurpation damnable.