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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$>/ i» zA ‘DiJcQurfe of If itchcraft. i. j bcarcthis fcnfc. If the inchanter bee bitten, be¬ fore the ferpent bee charmed, then hcc hath no benefit by his channe. For Salomon in that place giveth us to underhand, what power in¬ chanters have, and what they may doc by their charmes, if they come in time, namely, ftay the poifonof the ferpent,fo as he cannot hurt,eithcr by biting or Itinging. When Balac intended e- vil againfi:(/r^i7/,hc hired BaUamxo curfcchcm, Num, 21. 6. Now this vvasan inchan- ting Witch •, for though he be called a Prophet, yet this was oncly in the reputation of the w’orld;f0r his pra61ice was to inchat by charms of words; and to that purpofc hee was hired to curfe Gods people, that is, to bring mifchicfc upon them by charming ; which thing when he had often and many waycsalfayed to doe, and could Oo way prevaile, but that it plcaicd God contrary to his endevours, to blefic Ifraefiht^w hee breakesout intothefe words: There is Sorcery agawfi lacoby P2or footh-faywg againfl Numb.23.2^. As if he fliould havefaid, I know well that forcery is poweifull in many things, and of force to,bring much mifchicfc upon men, yet it can-rakc no place agatnftthe peopled God, becaufehe hath bleflcd them; and whom heebleffcch, them no man can hurt |:by curfing. Inchanrcrs therefore may upon j Godspermiflion works Orange things, as ap¬ peared by thclc places, to name no more. The fcpnd point to bee obferved, is the ’ raeanes vvhereby tlicfe wonders areprablifcd ; ’ chefe arc counterfeit and fuppofed mcanes, not ordained and fandlified by God, which are commonly called Charmes. 3 ^ j A Chsrmc is a Spell or yerfe, confifling of Orange words,ufed as a figne or watch word,cd the devil],to caufc him to vvorkc wonders. FirO, I lay it is a Sj>ell conjifting of firange wordsy bccaufein thefe inchantmfents, ccrtainc words or vcrics are leerctiy uttered ; which in regard of the common formes of words arc Orange, and wherein there is thought to bee 1 miraculousefficacy to bring lome extraordina¬ ry and unexpeded thmg topaOe. Apoint of it felfc evident and needing no further p.roofc, conOdermg it is not unknowne to the more ig¬ norant fort, who arc better acquainted with thefe, chan with the word of God. And thefe words are not ail of one and the lame kind; but fomc arc rude and barbarous, neither knownc nor conceived or iinderOood; ©f which chcan- cientcr fort of Charmes were wont to be made cfpecially , and fomc later. Some againc are plainc and know'ne tearmes, which may be un- derOood ; as the names of the Trinity, fomc wordsand fcntenccs of Scripture, as/> prwcu ph eras verhamy C^c.Againe,charmcs that con- fiOof w'ords, are not all of one loir, but fomc be imprecations, wifiiuig foaie cvili; others in fhew have the forme of praifes and blellings, whereby the Witch either fiattcringly com- mciidcth, or favourably wifiiechfome good: ethers againc are made in forme of prayer B C and petition : and they all are fomccimes plainly conceived, fomecimes in ruder and more unknowne words; as thofe well know, who hauc heard them, or read them where they arc to be found. . ..) Secondly,! addc, that the charmc is ufed for a. figne andw^tch-word te the fDevilly toeaufe him to works wonders y wherein ftandetb th^ nature and proper end of a charmc. The nature^ in that it is a diabolicall figne; the end, to caulb the Devill to worke a wonder : whereby it is diftinguitbed from all other fpceches'of men. For all they commonly carry the nature of th€ thing,whereof and whereabout they be made; but the Charmc doth not alwayes follow ejac nature of the Words , but hath another nature in regard of the immediate relation it hath to the clevill,to whom it is a figne. Againc, the Charme pronounced doth not the wonder, but the dcviladmonifbcd by leas by the watch¬ word to doc th.c fcat.-j ^^5?' ' Now becaulc fbme'are of opinion, in regard of the ordinaric-produ^ion of firaoge e&bls by thefe meanes„,that the Spelihach in itfcife fomc vcrtueaiid.power jco fucb.and fuch purpo- lesw hereunto itisujed ; Twill Hand a little in , the proofs of the contrary. Th at a Charme is ] Qncly a Diabolicall watch-vvord, and hath in it Icifc npi filch: effedTuall power or poffibi- litic tO worke a wonder. My reafons arc thefe. ' . . , : Firfijthis muft be taken fona maine ground; That as there is nothing in the world,that hath being but from God, fo nothing hath in k any cfficacie, but by his ordinance* Nowwhatfoe- ver efficacy is in any creature from God, it re¬ ceived the fame into it Iclfi;, either by creation, or fince thccreation by fomc new and fpeciali infIicution,appointmcnt,andgifc of God. For example. The bread in the Sacrament, by a na- curall power given unto it in the creation, fer- vethto nourifH the body, and the fame bread,j, by Gods fpeciali appointment in his Word, feeds the foule, in that by his ordinanceic is made to us a figne and fcale of tlic body of Chrifi broken for us: And fo it is in every crea¬ ture; if the effedi bee ordinary andnatiirall, it hath it by creation; ifextraordinary and fuper- nacurall, it hath that by .divine ordination : So that whatfoever comes copalTe by any ocher meancs , is by SatanicaJl operation. Now Charmes and Spcls, {landing of fee words and fillabicsjhavcno power in them to work won* dcrSjCicher by the gift of nature in the creation, or by Gods appointment fince the creation^: and therefore they have in them no power at all for any fuch purpofc. Thislauer partof the reafon, being the aflumpeionGr application of the ground to the prefent inftancc,confificth of two parts, which I will prove in order. Firft then I affirnie, TU by the gift cf^gtm, no words of Charmes have power in th worke wonders ; and I prove kin tins ner. lem man- In$