Select Cases Conscience Touching Witches and Witchcrafts, Question 2
2. Caſe. How many kindes of Witches may there be conceived?
A Right beliefe of Witches cannot bee without ſome diſtinct conception of their kinds, holy Scripture (to ſet forth their ſeverall kinds) reckons up 8. ſeverall names of them at once. Deut. 8. 10. 11. Some ſay nine; making the firſt paraphraſticall deſcription (that of cauſing the ſonne or the daughter to paſſe thorow the fire) to bee a certaine ſpecies of Witch-craft: which I conceive rather to be a generall Act or Rite, of conſecrating or devoting themſelves & theirs to the Divells ſervice; anſwerable to that which wee commonly call the Witches Covenant, Compact, or Confoederation with the Divell. Becauſe it is ſtill ſet before thoſe other particular Acts, as if it were but ſome kind of preparation or diſpoſition to them, Lev. 20. 5, 6. 2 King. 21. 6. All the reſt of the Words, or Names (were it not that plenary Enumerations cannot be without diſtinctions) are ſo promiſcuouſly uſed, variouſly tranſlated, and indifferently interpreted, that it is hard to obſerve any ſpecifique difference between them. Give me leave to gheſſe at them as diſtinctly as I may. 1. Wee thus tranſlate the firſt, One that uſeth divination. But the Hebrew ſpeakes ſomewhat more Emphatically, One divining divinations. To ſhew, that ſuch his divinations were of his own divining, or deviſing; who preſumed, or undertook to teach or tell of things contingent and fortuitous, whether future, or abſent; and what hereafter might happen to ſuch a perſon, ſuch a State; And ſuch a one I may not amiſſe call the Gipſie, or fortune-telling Witch. 2. An Obſerver of Times. The Radicall derivation of this Word or Name is thought ſo various, that I know not well how to determine here, what kinde of Witch. Some conceive it from an Hebrew root that ſignifies to anſwer, being interrogated in dubious matters; and ſo I may ſay it is the Oracle Witch. Some from caſting a miſt before the eyes, and then is it the jugling or praeſtigious Witch. Some from a word of the Clouds; then is it the Aſtrologian, Starre-gazing, Planetary, Prognoſticating Witch. Some from a word that notes a Time, and that deſtinate or determinate to ſuch a purpoſe, as lucky, or unlucky; then is it the ſuperſtitious ſeaſon-ſearching, or (if you will) the Time-ſerving Witch. 3. An Enchanter, or a chaunting Witch, uſing to that purpoſe certaine Odes, Songs, Verſes, Tones, Numbers, and may ſignifie either the Canting or Calculating Witch. But there is a word of fuller and nearer ſound to the originall, that ſignifies the Serpent: ſo may it bee the Serpentine, the veneſick or Poyſonous Witch. 4. Or a Witch. The Originall Word is uſed ſo promiſcuouſly, for all manner of Witches, that makes our Tranſlators to render it in the common Engliſh word onelyonly. Yet doth it more narrowly import, ſuch a kind of Witch that works partly after a poyſonous, partly in a praeſtigious way. 5. A Charmer, and that is an Exorciſt or conjuring Witch. But the Hebrew expreſſes it thus, one joyning Society, viz. either with the Devill, or with other Witches: and ſo it is the aſſembling or the aſſociating Witch. 6. A Conſulter with Familiar Spirits. The Hebrew intimates, one that carried the Spirit in a Bottle, a Bag, a Pitcher, and ſo kept it as a familiar; or rather whoſe Belly heaved, and ſwelled, and ſounded like a Bottle, whence the Devill ſpake or replyed: and thus is it the Gaſtromanticke, the Ventriloquiſt, or if you will, the Bottle-bellyed Witch. 7. A Wizzard, or Scioliſt, that is the Magicall, Speculative, Scientiall, or Arted Witch. 8. A Negromancer; that is one that ſought to the Dead, and conſulted them, to know what ſhould become of the Living. Or, that haunted Graves and Sepulchers, as well praedigiouſly to raiſe the dead, as to be praeſtigiouſly reſolved by them. You may call ſuch an one, the Mortal or the deadly Witeh.
To all theſe Names, more then ten times might be added from other Languages, expreſſing the ſeverall ſorts of Witches and Witcherafts; either from their Nature, Art, power, practice, matter, form, end, author, meanes, inſtrument, or effect. But (becauſe I labour all I may to bring the whole buſineſs to a Previate) I ſhall onelyonly treat of ſuch kindes or ſorts of them, wherein they are more univerſally both comprized and diſtinguiſhed.
1. According to the vulgar conceit, diſtinction is uſually made betwixt the White and the Blacke Witch: the Good, and the Bad Witch. The Bad Witch, they are wont to call him or her, that works Malefice or Miſchiefe to the Bodies of Men or Beaſts: The good Witch they count him or her, that helps to reveale, prevent, or remove the ſame. But ſuch conſider not, that devils (with as certaine a Science and as ſafe a Conſcience) may be diſtinguiſhed into Good, and Bad, as Witches. Rather, that the accounted Good Witch, is indeed the worſe and more wicked of the two. For as Satan, being a Fiend of darknes, is then worſt when hee tranſformes himſelfe into an Angel of Light: ſo likewiſe are his Miniſters. Now both theſe working by the Devill, whereas the worſt hurt that the one does, proves but to bewitch the Body, or outward man: the beſt helpe that the other can doe, tends and turns to bewitch the inner man or Soule. In as much as it begets in the party to be thus holpen; either a Petition, or at leaſt an inquiſition: either a perſwaſion, or at leaſt an expectation; which is a faith or aſſent of the ſame nature that the Witch now workes by. Notwithſtanding all this it is objected, that the Good Witch does good, & oppoſes the Bad Witch, and the Devill, and therefore certainly can be none of his, nor have any dealings with him. For if Satan caſt out Satan, he is divided againſt himſelfe, how ſhall then his Kingdome ſtand? Matth. 12. 26. Are not theſe now the Patrons of Witches themſelves that can make Scripture plead for them? To whoſe miſ-applying it is thus replyed: That if Satan ſhould caſt out Satan ſpiritually, or out of the ſoule, here were a diviſion indeed, and now his Kingdome could in no wiſe ſtand: But for Satan to caſt out Satan corporally, or out of the Body onelyonly; this may be done by a combination, and ſo his Kingdome may grow the more. For thus he agrees, and willingly yeelds to his owne Children and Inſtruments to be (even by them) ejected out of the Body: that ſo by the faith (both of the doer and receiver) he may the more eaſily be admitted into the Soule.
2. Witches may univerſally be thus diſtinguiſhed into either the Arted or the Pacted Witch. The Arted Witch, or one onelyonly ſpeculative upon the abſtruſe Mirables of Nature: who by ſearching into her occult Qualities, her hidden powers, and ſecret vertues, her Sympathies and Antipathies; and by applying fitly Actives unto Paſſives; now urges nature ſo Artificially, that he makes her conclude & aſſent to work wonders: (And happily thus far may proceed both with true Sciēce, & good conſcience.) But what through vanity of Science, error of Conſcience, lability of innocence; what through curioſity, Credulity, vain Glory, &c. is at length taken in the ſnare of praeſtigious and Diabolicall deluſion. And now applies the Creature to thoſe ends and uſes; to which, either by its owne propenſity, or by Gods Inſtitution, it was never inclined. The pacted Witch is one only Operative, about ſome prodigious or Praeſtigious things, and that only by vertue of a ſuperſtitious Compact or Contract made with the Divell, without, or againſt all Rules and orders of Nature, Art, or Grace.
3. A generall diſtinction (as touching kinds) may be of the Active, and the Paſſive Witch. The Active Witch I conceive to Act together with the Divell; but the Paſſive Witch to be Acted rather by him. One by way of Confoederation; the other by reaſon of ſome obſeſſion, One as it were tempting the Divell; the other rather tempted by him. One as it were the Author, and the Divel the Inſtrument; the other but the bare Inſtrument, and the Divell the ſole Author. One maliciouſly rejoycing and glorying in prodigious prankes and Exploits; the other ſomewhat irking and aſhamed. One not infeſting onelyonly, but infecting alſo, by ſeeking to make others Witches; the other willing or wiſhing rather to bee unmade it ſelfe. Of the one kinde I reckon the Witch of Endor▪ I Sam. 28. of the other, the Damſell in the Acts, Acts 16. Yet ought even the Paſſive Witches to bee diſtinguiſhed into the meerly, and the mixtly Paſſive. The meerly Paſſive be ſimply daemoniacks, but not Energumeniſts. That is mainly ſuffering, rather then Acting by the Divell: more excruciated and afflicted, then occupied or exerciſed by him. The mixtly Paſſive be not the Obſeſſed only, but the Operative likewiſe. Of more Active at firſt in giving up their Wills to Satans ſlavery, now become more Paſſive and led Captive by him at his will. Firſt offering themſelves freely and voluntarily; after forced, and as it were neceſſitated to doe his drudgery. The Divell now infeſting them, if they grow ſlacke to infeſt others.