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

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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$But it wili be {aid, if the dcvill rcvcilcth un¬ to his inftruments Grange things in trances, then how fball a man difeerne bctweenc diabo- licall Revelations, and the true gift of Prophe- ciej which €od in trances rcveileth unto his Prophets. Ai^f» In thispolht Satan is (as it were) Gods ape : for as hec in old time raifed up holy Pro¬ phets to fpeakunto the fathers/or the building up of his Church;fohath Satan infpired hismi- iiiftcrs,and furmfti^dhis inllrumertts with pro- phcticaU infpirations from time to time, for the buildingupof hisowneKingdome : andherc- uponhcc hath notably counterfeited the true gift of prophecic received frft from Got> himielfe. And yet , though in many things they be like, there is great difference bctweenc them. ' ' ' Firfl, divine traunccs may come upon Gods children, either when the foulc remarneth uni¬ ted with the bodic, orclfc when it is fevered foratime. So much P^^^/infinuiicech, when he faith ofhimfclfc, a Corinth. 12-.2.that hec was rapt up(as it were in a heavenly trancejinto the third heaven, but whether in the body, or out ofthc body, hec knew not. But in alldiaboli- call cxtafics, though the body and fenfes of the Witch bee (as it were) bound or benum- medforthetime ; ycttheirfoulesftillremaine united to their bodies, and not {cvered from them. For though the dcvillby Gods permifli- 011 may kill the body, and fb take the Ibulc out of it for ever ; yet to take it from the bodic for a tin!c, and to reunite them againe, is rniracu- lous, and therefore beyond the compafie ofhis pow'cr. Secondly, in divine trauncesthe fervantsof God haveailthcirfen{es,yea,and allcbcpovvcrs of foule and body remaining found and per- fc6f jOncly for a time the actions and operations iare fufpended and ccafc to doc their duty : but Lin extalies that bee from Satan, hisinfciuments are caft into frenzies and madneffe :io as reafon in them is darkened, underllauding obfeured, memory f^Takened , the brainedilfcmpercd ^ yea, all the faculties arc fo blcmifhed,thar ma¬ ny of them never recover their former efiate a- gainc, and they that feape beft, doe carry their blcmifhcs, as the Devils skars, even to ihcir grave. So kinde is Satan to his friends, that hee will leave his tokens behind him where ever he comes in this fort. The Servants of God re¬ ceive no fuch blemifli, but rather a further good, and a greater mcafure of illumination of ail the powers of the fbulc. Thirdly, divin^cxcafics tcndalw'ayto the confirming of the truth oftheGofpell, and the furtherance of true religion and piety. Sucii v\'as Teter/jJO, i j. which Icvved to affure him of his calling to preach the Gofpcllto the Gentiles, and to informc his judgeinciu in this truth, that there was no exception of perf.^ns with God , and that to them of the new Te- ftamcnr, all things were clcanc, and nothing A) polluted. But the fcope of them that arc from Satah, is principally the fupprefiing and hindc- rancebfrcligion, the drawing ofthc wcakc in¬ to errors, the ratifying and confirming of them chatarp fallen thereinto, and the gencrallup*^ holdifilo ofthc pra6liccsof ungodlincflTc. And by theic and fuch like particular diftcrcnccs, hath God pulled off the devils vi2ar,and made him better knownc and difeerned oftrue Chri- ftians. And thus much concerning Divination^ the firft part of Witch-craft. B Chap. I V; Of operatvve or ’rrorhpng jyttch’^CTitft, THefecondpartis that which confifieth in Operation, and is therefore called Opera¬ tive or working Witch-craft. Witch-craft in Operation, is that which is employed in the practice andrcall working of' ftrangc things or wonders, and it hath two parts, Inchanciiicnt, and J ugling. SeU. /. D Tnchaiitmcnt is the working of wonders by a’ Charme. This the LordexpreCeiy forbiddcch, Deucer. 18. 11. Let none bee fonnd Amone jout thnt U a (fharmer'd^ lathis defeription, two points arc to be confidcredri. What things may be done by inchantmenr,namely,for 1 fay it isthepra^icc of wonders : 2, by what mcancsthcle vvondets are wrought, that is, by a Chrtrme, '' ^ Forthe firft: The wonders done by Inchan-' tersare,i.The raifing of {formes and cempefts;' windcs and weather,by fea and by land: 2.Thc poyibningofehe ayre : 3. Blading ofeorne .*4. Kliling of cattcl], and annoying of men, women J and children; 5. The procuring of firangepal^ lions and torments in mens bodies and other creatures,with the curing of the famcr^.Cafiing out of devils. Thefe and fuch like things In- chanters can doe by their Charmes. And for proofe hereof, we have the uniformc conienr of all ages, with the records of \Vjtchcs confciTi- ons tonranifeft the farne;befKles th?tedimony f ofexpcricnce in this age : fo as the min that cals it intoquefiion, may as well doubt oi the Sunnefliining acnooheday. Yet for the further declaration thereof we wil allcaac what the Scripture faith in this point. Salom(^n faith, Iffhe Serpembtte vehe*' hee ps not ehArmed^niobetter ii nhcibler^ Ecclei.io.l i .thus the words arc in our Englifi^ tranfiacion : ou: they may better be thus read accordjngto the originail: Ifthc Serpent bice before he be char-' med, w hat profit hath the maficr ofthc tongue thereby, that is, theCharencr. And fo they^^^ N n un _beatej^ ^ I i-$