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.

    29/68 (page 617)
    C*.?. Plutarch, in ma Alexand. Chap.S.potius; <iA l^ifcourfe of Witchcraft. 7 JL9 either in matter of divinacionand conje6lurc,or in matter of practice. And in both thefe it is to be rcniembred,thac nothing can beeftected^un- leflc the parcic havemadea icague with rh<^Oe- villjexpreflcorlccrctjOr at the leaft^a prepara¬ tion thereunto, by a talie and erroneous opinion of the meancs-. Sed. Divination is apart of VVitchcrafc,whcreby men rcvealettrangc things, either pa(t,prefenc, or to come, by thciiTillance ofthe devil!. If it be heredemanded, how the dcvillbeing a creature, (hould be able to manifeft and bring to light things paft,or to foretell things to come: I anfvver,firll: generally,that Satan in this parti¬ cular Nvorke,transformes himfelfeinroan Angel of light,and takes upon him the cxcrcifc of thefe things in an ambitious (though falfe) imitation of divine revelations and prediciiions, made and ufed by God in the times of the Prophets and Apoftks. And this he doth (as much as in him lieth) to oblcure the glory of God,and to make himlclfe great in the opinion of ignorant and unbclecving perfons. Againe,though Satan be but a creature,yet there be fundry wayes where¬ by he is able to divine. Firfi, by the Scriptures of the Old and New Tel^ament, wherein are fet dowuie fundry pro- phcfies concerning things to come. In the Old Tellament arc recorded many prophefies con¬ cerning the ftate of Gods Church,from the firft age of the world,tiU the comming of Chrift. In the new Teftament like wife are recorded others, touching the felfc fame thing, from the com¬ ming of Chrift in the latter dayes, to the end of the world. Now the Dev ill being acquainted with the Hiftorie of the Bib]c,3nd having attai¬ ned unto a greater light of knowledge in the prophefies therein contained 3 than any man hath *, by Healing divinations out of them, he is abkto tell of many Hrangc things, that may in time fallout in the world, and anfwerably may fhew them ere they come to pafle. For example; Alexander the great before he made wane w’ith Darim King of Pcr/ia,conrul- ted with the Oracle, that is, with the dcvill, touching the event and liTuc of his enterprife.^ The Oracle aidwcred him thus; AlexartderfhaR Ire a Concfnerour'^ upon the prediction of the Oracle, Alexander warrewith DarifUi and invades Aha, and having conquered him, tranflated theEtnpirc from Periia to GreecCjac*- cording as the Oracle had faid* No w if quelli- ! on be made, how the dcvillkncw the event of I this warre,and confequaitly made it knowne to I Alexander t The anfwcr is, by the hclpeof a Iprophefie in the old TcHament; for this thing ' was particularly fet downc before hand by the ; prophet Daniel 11.3, where he faith; I That a mtgbtic KingjhallfiandHf,andJhallrtile with gveat dominion^ and doe according to his pleafare, and this was aAlexander the Great* ! Satan therefore knowing thciccrct meaning of A B D the Angels words unto Daniel, framed out of them a true and diieCt anfvver, whereas he was not able of himlelfeto define certainly ofthe event of things to come in particular. The fecond mcanes, whereby the Devill is furniOied for his piirpofe, is his owneexquifte knowledge of allnaturall things; asof the in¬ fluences ofthe ftarres, the conflirutions of men; and other creatures, the kindes, verrucs,and o- perations of plants 3 roots, hcibs, flones, &c. which knowledge of his, goethmany degrees beyond the skill of all men, yea, even of thofe that are moft excellent in this kinde, as Philolb- phers, and Phyfleians* No marvell therefore, though out of his experience in thcle and Fich like,he is able aforchand to give a likely ghefle at the ifllies and events of things, which are to him lo manifertly apparent in their caufes. A third hclpe and furtherance in this point,is his prcfence in the mofl places: for fbme dcvills are prclentat all aflcmblics and meetings, and thereby arc acquainted with the confultations and conferences both of Princes and people; whereby knowing the drift and purpofeofmens mindes, when rhe fame is manifefled in their fpccchcs and deliberations,they are the firrer to foretell many things,w’hich men ordinarily can¬ not doc.And hence ir is apparant^how Witches may know what is done in other Countries,and whether one Nation intends w'arre againft ano¬ ther, namely, by Satans fuggeftion, who was prefent at the confultation, and fo knew it, and revealed it unto them. But how then comes it to pafle, that the confultations and aCfionl of Gods Church and children, are not difelofed to their enemies? even by the unfpeakeable mercy and goodncife of God, who though for fpeciall caufesfometimes,he fuflpers Satan by this meanes to bring things to light, yet he hath reftrained^ this his iibertie, and iubjedted it unto his owmc w'ill, fo as he keeps him out of fuch meetings,or compells him to conceale; whereas qrherwife his malice is fo great, that not a word could be fpoken, but it fliould be carried abroad to the hurt and diflurbance both of Churches and Common-wealths. The fourth w-ay is by putting into mens miixles wicked purpofes and counfeis; for after the league oncemade he labourcth-with them by fuggeftious,and where God gives him leave, he never ceales perrw^ading,tiil he hath brought his enterprile to pafle. Flaving therefore flrfl brought into the mindeof man,'a>rcfbludon to doe feme cvill,> he goes and revcales it to thc' Witch, and by force of pcifwaflon upon the paitie tempted, he frames thcadion intended to the time fore-told, and fo Anally deludes the Witch his owiie inflrument, fore-telling no¬ thing, but what bimfelfe hath compalied and fet about. The fifth hclpe is the agilitie of Satans nature whereby he is able fpeedily to convey himfelfc from place to place, yea, to palic through the whole world ina Qiorttime.ForGod hath made Mm mm him 6iy f ■ V- 7