A discourse of the damned art of witchcraft. So farre forth as it is revealed in the Scriptures and manifested by true experience / framed and delivered by William Perkins in his ordinary course of preaching, and published by Thomas Pickering.

  • William Perkins
Date:
1631
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A discourse of the damned art of witchcraft. So farre forth as it is revealed in the Scriptures and manifested by true experience / framed and delivered by William Perkins in his ordinary course of preaching, and published by Thomas Pickering. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    * V T^be Eftjlle Dedicator]/. «Cen.18.17. k Nufnb.ii.^* « Am«s J.7* 4 AA.io.iw. • Sxod.if.itj Nu(nb.7.t^, * Herodor. Entcipe. f iCor.t4t4« 4o;i^k{^. 9 2King.i7.a^ Ioh.4.» i. ^ AiLi7 aj. i I Cor. 10.10. k Diog.Lam. lib. i.in ThaUtiiepirt. ad Phericid.&: l.j. StraboC-eogr.!.i7 1 j Tim.3.8. « iifa.S. 1^.20. n Dio<I.Slc.I.l7* PIIH.1.5.C.5. « Heiodot. Euterpe. Strabo Geogr. 1.1 ^.ex Hom.O- dyfT.^ _ f Paufan-in Phocicis. Hcrodot. Euterpe. Strabo Geogr. l.p, q Paufan.inBoeoi ticif. Strabo Geogr. I.9. Omnisfiipefti- tio imbcdlliaritni atque atitlis eft. Cic.de Divir. Levit.19. ji. < Clem.Al. rpt*/* j i StraboCsogr.Li 5 I Dan.2.2. ! MatUa.:.!. the beft Prcfidents, than when they are futed to the direction of meaner examples. To this piirpofcj as Godliathmadea Covenant with his Church, binding himfelfe by promiictobetheirGod, and requiring of them the condition of faith and obedience; lb doth Satan indent with his fubjefts by mutuall confedera^, cither Iblemnlyor fc- cretly • whereby they bindc themlelves on the one part to obferve his mies, and he on thepthcr to accomplifli their defires. Againc, God gives his Word, the Interpreter of his will and his Sacraments, thefealesof his promiles, to which being rightly ad- miniftred and received, he hath tied his owneprelencc, aiidtheworkeof his grace in them that belee ve. Anfwerably to this the Dcvill gives a word of diredlion to his In- ftruments, and addeth unto it, Charmes, Figures, Charaders, and other outward Ceremonies, at the ule whcrc#f he hath bound himlclfc to bee prefent, and toma- nifeft his power in effedlihg the thing defired. Furthermore, God hath revealed his will to the Patriarchs,Prophcts,and Apoftlcs,by familiar •conlcrencc,by ** dreames, by * infpiration, by ^ Trances : In the fame manner, Satan hath his Divinors, and Soothrayers,hisPithoniflcs,his Cairandares,his Sibyllcs,to whomhe maketh knowne thingstocome, by familiar prefence, by dreames, &c. Tb^concludc, God hadinthe OldTchament his Temple at lemfalem, yea, his • Oracle, from whence he fpakc,and gave the anlwer unto : So of ancient times, the Devill ere<^cd his temple at *Dodona,andDelphos, whence he gave his anlwers, for the latisfacSion ofthe fri- perftitious Heathen. Yea, and at this day, as the Minifters of God doe give refolu- tion to the conlcience, in matters doubtfull and difficult, fo the minifters of Satan, un¬ der the name of Wife-men, and Wife-women, are at hand by his appointment, torc- folve, dired, and helpe ignorant and unfctled perfons, in cafes of diftradion, Ioffe, or other outward calamities. Now the Grounds whereupon heebuildcth his proceedings for certainty, are cun- ningly gathered from the difpofition of- mans heart, by naturall corruption, and that in three fpcciall inftances: Firftj heknowesthat Man naturally out of the light of grace, hath but ^ a.meerefoule^ indued onely with fome general! and confufed no¬ tions 5 and as fot matters of deeper apprehenfion touching God and heavenly things, there is a vaile of ignorance and blindnefte drawne over the eyes of his mindc. Whereupon, though he be apt to know and worlhip a God, and learne his will, yet for want of information by the Word, he is prone to erre in the ptadice of his noti¬ on. Here Satan applies himfelfe to mans meafure, and at his owne will, drawesthc minde into error by his dclufions and inapoftures. This made the ^ Samaritans in the Old Teftament, and the fuperftitous ** Athenians in the New, to Tpofjhip an unknowne god.^ that is, the ^ Devill. Hence it was that the greateft Clerks of Greece, and the reft, forwantofa better light, fought unto the Wizzards of iEgypt, whom they called Prophets, meninftrudedby Satan in the grounds of Di- vination. And of this fort were lannes and lambres^ mentioned in the ^ Scriptures. Hence it was alfo that the ancient Heathen, having ™ no law and tefiimony from God inquiring at Sooth-fayers and murmuring Inchanters- others betooke themfelves in matters of doubt and difficultie, to the old Oracles of “ lupter Ammon in Libya, of ® Jupiter Dodonaus at Dodona in Epirus • of ^ ApoUo at Dciphos, of ^ Jupiter Trophonius in Bc^otia, and the reft; where the Devil! gave the anfwer, fometimes one way, and fometimes another. Secondly, Satan by obfervation perceiveth that man upon a * wcake and ignorant minde, is prone fuperftitioufly to dote upon the creatures, attributing lomc divine operation or vertne to them, without any o-round of Gods Word, or common underftanding; and confequently difpofed to worlhip Godin fome worke of man, or to joyne to the fame worlhip the inventions of man f fijperftitions __ make the Heavens, fitalium Legum Tabulam^ aferibingthat to the vertne of the Stars'^ which was knowne and done by Satanicall operation; The Magicians of Perfia to admit of corruptions in their ancient good learning, and to give themfelves upon trie reading of the fabulous writings ofthe Chaldean Sorcerers,to the ftudy of unlawful Arts t v: