Modest Inquiry into the Nature of Witchcraft, Chapter 17
CHAPTER XVII.
HAving ſaid thus much to ſhew what the Witches condemned by Scripture are, I ſhall reflect upon ſome aſſertions laid down in a Book diſperſed about Salem, Anno 1695. Entituled, Truth held forth &c. Publiſhed, by Thomas Maul, pag. 221. He ſaith, What is the Devil, or Hell but nothing? that God never created them, for they were Non Entity, a not being, which is contrary and perfectly oppoſite to Entity and Being: And this might be the Devil that dwelt in Adam which ſeduced him, Pag. 185. He inſinuates, That if people keep Gods Commands, or are righteous perſons, they cannot be poſſeſſed or bewitched by the Devil or his Inſtruments; for the cauſe of their being poſſeſſed, or bewitched, hath been through a life of diſobedience to God, Pag. 190. Saith, The way to know one that is a Witch from one that is not a Witch, is by that wiſdom, by which the Damoſel, Acts 16.16. was known to be a Witch. Unto theſe aſſertions, I anſwer, (1.) By the ſaid Thomas Maul & his Wife: For when B. B. was upon her Tryal, the ſaid Mauls Wife came in and teſtified againſt the ſaid B.B. to prove her a Witch, in order to her Condemnation for Witchcraft: And the ſame day ſaid B. was Executed, T. Maul ſaid in my hearing, that if he had been deſired to pray with her at her Execution, he would not; for he believed ſhe was guilty of that ſin the Scripture ſaith, we muſt not pray for it; for he believed ſhe was a Witch, and had covenanted with the Devil, & forſaken God; and that was the ſin we ought not to pray for. He ſaid alſo that he could have come in a witneſs againſt her, if he would; & that he believed ſhe had bewitched to death a Child of his. And he believed moſt of thoſe in Priſon were Witches. From hence I gather, that in the year 1692. T. Maul did believe the Devil to be an Entity, & that a Witch by him had power to bewitch to death the Child of him that he eſteemed a righteous perſon; believing as others did, ſave that he counted a Witch guilty of the unpardonable ſin. But when others find an error in proceeding too far in theſe matters, he comes to ſee it alſo: And to avoid it, runs into another extream; which I prove by the enſuing Propoſitions.
Prop. 1. The Devils were once holy Angels, created by God, and ſo Entities. This appeareth by many Scriptures before mentioned: As by his tempting our Saviour, Mat 4. Who had no corrupt quality within him; being the ſpotleſs Lamb of God; yet him did Satan tempt, yea take him up into the holy City, & ſet him on the pinacle of the Temple, and into an high mountain, and ſhew him all the Kingdoms of the World, and the glory of them. Theſe things could not be done by a Non Ens. I ſhall add ſome farther confirmation from other places, (1) Jude 6. Angels were created by God. The Devils are Angels. (2) They that left their own habitation are Entities. But the Devils left their own habitation: Therefore Entities▪ (3) They that ſinned, and for their ſin are delive…ed into Chains of Darkneſs, to be reſerved unto Judgment, are Entities: But ſo did the Devil, 2 Pet. 2 4 Therefore, &c. (4.) He that is the Prince of this World, the God of this World, the Prince of the power of the Air; be that goeth to and fro in the earth, and walketh up and down in it, is a Bring an Entity. But ſuch is the Devil Job 1 7 Job 14 30.2 Cor. 4. 4. Eph 2.2. Therefore. So then the denying the Entity of the Devil, is a reviving the old Doctrine of the Sadduces Act 22.8. Who ſaid, There is neither Angel nor Spirit.
Prop. 2. There was no Devil dwelt in Adam to ſeduce him before he was tempted by Eve, to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The Devil, ſaith he, is not a Being, yet dwelt in Adam, and ſeduced him: By this Devil in Adam then he meaneth a ſinſul quality in Adam before he was tempted to eat, or it was a name without ſignification. But there could be no ſuch evil quality in Adam before ſo tempted: For i… it were, it muſt be created with him, or enter into him before Eve did tempt him: But neither of theſe, therefore not at all. Not the former, for he was created upright, Eccl 7 29. Very good, and in Gods Image, Gen 1.26, 27, 31. Not the latter, for the Scripture gives no intimation of any evil in Adam before ſeduced by the woman (2) Nay the Devil that ſeduced him was without him, even the Serpent or Devil in the Serpent, that ſeduced Eve firſt by talking with her, and by her was he deceived, Gen. 3.1. to 6. 2 Cor. 11.3. 1 Tim. 2.14. Adam was not deceived (that is firſt) but the woman, &c. (3.) The Lord in puniſhing that firſt ſin, doth diſtinctly puniſh Adam, Eve and the Serpent (in which is comprehended the Devil that old Serpent. Gen. 3.14, 15. with 2 Cor. 11.3. Rev. 20.2.) as three diſtinct Entities or Beings; therefore the Devil was without, ad extra, before Adam was beguiled.
Prop. 3. All wicked men are not Witches; as T. Maul holds forth, p. 183. & 193. &c. Saying, All that live a life of diſobedience are Witches in ſome degree, with more to that effect. For if all wicked perſons were Witches in the ſence intended, Exod. 22 18. Deut. 18.10. Then all wicked men ſhould have been put to death by the law of Moſes. But there was no ſuch thing. Nay all the heathen Idolaters were not called Witches, or Sorcerers in Egypt or Babylon, but only ſome peculiar perſons among them. And if all had familiar Spirits, there had not been that need of ſuch a warning, Regard not them which have familiar Spirits, nor ſeek after Wizards, &c.
Prop. 4. God hath no where promiſed all people that keep Gods Commands, or are righteous perſons, that they ſhall not be poſſeſſed or bewitched by the Devil or his Inſtruments. Indeed it is ſometimes ſo, as Numb. 23.21, 23 There is no inchantment againſt Jacob, neither any divination againſt Iſrael; when God hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, nor ſeen perverſeneſs in Iſrael. And our beſt ſhield againſt Satan is faith in Chriſt, with prayer and an holy life. Yet Job a perfect man did ſuffer more in his Body, Goods, Servants and Children then moſt wicked men in the World have done. And it was a Daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound eighteen years, Luk. 13 16. And a Mother of whom it is ſaid, O woman great is thy faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt; who had a Daughter grievouſly vexed with a Devil poſſeſſing of her. So that God in his Soveraignty makes all things come alike to all when he pleaſeth; ſo that no man knoweth lo… or hatred by any thing that is before him.
Prop 5. The hewitching ſpoken of, Gal. 3.1. is not to be underſtood of a proper or literal bewitching, but in a Metaphorical ſence, where by way of …lluſion, the falſe Teachers are compared to Witches, as being like them; for as Witches have bewitched the eyes of the Body, ſo they bewitched the eyes of the mind. And though Witchcraft be one kind of the works of the fleſh mentioned, Gal 5.19, 20, 21. Yet the Text doth not ſay, all the works of the Fleſh are Wi…chcraft: But this is diſtinct from Murder, Drunkenneſs and the reſt, as they are diſtinct each from other.
Prop. 6 The Wiſdom of God doth no where ſay, that the Damoſel mentioned, Act. 16.…6 was a Wi…ch. But it deſcribeth her to be a perſon poſſeſſed with a ſpirit of divination, or having a ſpirit of Python within her: Whom Paul in the name of Chriſt commanded to come out of her, and ſo he was caſt out. That Spirit that calleth her a Witch, doth conſequentially at leaſt call the Damoſel, Mark 7 25. a Witch, becauſe ſhe had an unclean ſpirit; and ſo would render all the poſſeſſed in the Goſpel, worthy of death by Moſes Law; which is to ſubvert all the Scriptures which condemn that abomination. It was therefore a blaſphemous compariſon which he made, who ſaid, There was as great miſtakes in the Scripture, as in T. Mauls Book; preſuming therein to equalize to the lively Oracles of God, a Book abounding with groſs miſtakes in Doctrine and Hiſtory.
Q. How may a Witch; Sorcerer or Conjurer be proved to be ſuch as being legally convicted to receive the puniſhment appointed? Exod 27.18.
A. I anſwer from 1 Sam. 28 Chap. We find there that Saul put away th…ſe that had familiar Spirits, and Wizards out of the Land, verſ. 3. Yet one was left at Endor, v. 7. Saul then had a way to convict them; & the Woman at Endor points at the way, v. 9. For Saul had ſaid to her, Divine unto me by the familiar ſpirit, and bring me him up whom I ſhall name unto thee: The Woman anſwers, Wherefore then layeſt thou a ſnare for my life, to cauſe me to dye? q. d If it be proved by ſufficient witneſs, that I Divine by a familiar Spirit, and raiſe a Ghoſt from the Dead, I muſt dy by the Law. But Saul ſweareth to her by the Lord, As Jehovah liveth, there ſhall no puniſhment happen to thee for this thing. And then ſhe proceeds. Note, that this woman tho' ſhe dealt with and by the Devil, hath ſo much knowledge of Jehovah, and confidence in an Oath made by him, that ſhe ventures her life upon it. Again, v. 21. After ſhe had raiſed the ſuppoſed Samuel, ſhe ſaid unto Saul; I have obeyed thy voice, and have put my life in my band. As if ſhe had ſaid, I have done that in obedience to thee; that were it proved againſt me, would take away my life. Here then we ſee that if it can be proved againſt any, that they have divined by a familiar ſpirit, or done ſuch like act of communion with the Devil, or raiſed the Dead by him that is the Devil in likeneſs of the Dead; then ſuch a perſon is proved to be a Witch that ought to die: So in like manner, if any be proved to uſe Sorceries (as did the Magicians of Egypt) among Chriſtian people, ſuch ought to dye, or proportionably by familiarity with the Devil to do, or come to know ſtrange things, or work ſigns, lying wonders, or miracles by him, as they are called, 2 Theſ 2 9 Rev. 13 13, 14. Deut. 13.1, 2
Q. But by what way may ſuch Divinations and Sorceries be proved?
A In the ſame way that Murder, Theft, and ſuch like crimes are provable. As (1.) By the teſtimony of two Witneſſes, that the party ſuſpected bath uſ…d Sorcery, &c. (2.) Confeſſion may in ſome caſes be taken in this crime as well as others, as hath been above-ſhewed; If the perſons be compotes mentis, and give as clear demonſtration of their guilt of the fact, as Baanab and Rechab did of their ſlaying Iſhboſheth, when they brought his head to David, 2 Sam. 4 …, &c. (3) The teſtimony of partners in the crime in ſome caſes, as above ſhewed, Chap. 11. (4.) Circumſtances antecedent to, concomitant with, or ſuddenly conſequent upon ſuch acts of Sorcery, have like force to faſten a ſuſpicion of this crime upon this or that perſon; as the like circumſtances have to faſten a ſuſpicion upon any for another crime attended with them; mutatis mutandis.
Here it may be enquired, Whether perſons obſeſſed, poſſeſſed, or under bodily torments or vexations by Satan, are fit witneſſes?
I anſwer in the enſuing Propoſitions.
Prop. 1. Thoſe whoſe Bodies are ſorely afflicted by the Devil, and yet their underſtandings clear and free, are fit to be Witneſſes as well as others. As was Job ▪ who when Satan had ſmitten him with ſore boyls from head to foot, yet was a fit witneſs for God. Job 42.7. Speaking of God the thing that was right.
Prop. 2. Some under theſe moleſtations of Satan have their underſtandings ſo darkened and phantaſies ſo abuſed, that they are not in their right mind, till delivered from Satan, as was the caſe of the man among the Tombs, Mark. 5.2, 3, 15. So the Damoſel, Acts 16.16, 17. Though ſhe gave a true teſtimony concerning Paul and Silas, yet ſhe was no fit witneſs, becauſe ſhe ſpake by the inſtigation of Satan, & not of her own knowledge. So it may be proportionably in perſons under the influence of inchantment, or obſeſſion by Satan, although in a leſſer degree.
Prop. 3. Hence it may follow, that a perſon under theſe aſſaults of hell, may be fit for a witneſs at one time, when free from theſe fits, which darken his underſtanding: But not another time, viz. when the ſences are beclouded by the violence of their fits. Again, they may be fit to teſtifie to ſome things; namely to what they feel and ſuffer upon their own Bodies. But not of what they ſee at ſome diſtance, or about external & remoter objects; becauſe their eyes & phantaſies may be under ſome kind of faſcination (as I may call it) of the Devil; ſo as to miſtake one thing for another.
Obj But is it not then according to the principles laid down above, impoſſible to prove any perſon to be a Witch; ſeeing the workings between Satan and them are ſo ſecret? How can they be diſcovered?
A. Other Malefactors work ſecretly & in the dark, hoping never to be diſcovered. Job 24 14, 15, 16, 17. The Murderer, Thief, Adulterer, ſay, no eye ſhall ſee me, & diſguiſe their faces, dig in the dark, &c. But the Lord ſearcheth out ſuch Malefactors, when ſettled on their lees, with his candle of judgment, though they dig deep to hide themſelves from men; yea, & if it were poſſible, from God himſelf. They ſay, Who ſeeth us? who knoweth us, Zeph. 1.12. Iſa 29.15, 16. Yet the Lord brings all to light before men when he pleaſeth. So the Lord can & doth diſcover Sorcerers Magicians, and all ſorts of Witches, when, and as oft as he pleaſeth; and ſometimes leaves them to diſcover and betray themſelves: And ſometimes over rules their Maſter whom they ſerve, to intrap & deceive them: Pro. 26.26. Whoſe hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedneſs ſhall be ſhewed before the whole Congregation. Which is to be underſtood when the Lord pleaſeth to bring to light theſe hidden works of darkneſs.