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.

    59/68 page 647
    % %• <ti Vi[courfe of Witchcraft. B ;hc places where they dwd , by 10^111^ t lyre, and fuch hkc.Theoncly crtcaHill meant ro remedie this cyill,isthe Sanaificatiou ofthe, places of our habitation.Lookc as we arc woiu :o fanaifie our meat anddnnk.by Gods word, md by pra^er.and thereby procure h.s bUning monhisowne ordinance for our refreflimg: io in like manner may wee fanaifie the p aces ot lur aboad, and thereby both procure theblel- ing which we want, and alfo avoid many cur¬ es and danger$,which otherwife would fall up- If any fhall thinkethe Confecration of hou- esand places in this fort, to be a meere device if mans btaine; let them remember, that in the 31dTeftamcnt, befidcsthc dedication ol the Temple, allowed by all, there vvas a Law pre- 'cribed to theJews,fotthe fpecial dedication of rverymansh^fe: If any h^th built* ueythoufe 'laithaWo/er) anAhuh nn dedicate tt, let him 'etarnedentine,20. 5*As who fhouid •av, hee hath omitted a neceffatie dutie. Now ;his dedication was nothing elfe,but the lanfti- icaiion of them by word and ptayer, whctcin ;hey made ackno wledgnient,ihat they became iheits by the free gift and bleffing ofOod and utthet defiled a free and lawtull ufc of the ‘ame to his glorie and their mutuail good. A iiitie which hath beene performed by theler- rants of Cod in ancient times. Tbefitft thing that ty<braham did, when he :amc from Vt ofthe Chaldeans, to the land of Canaan, which God gave him to poife^, was :he building of an Altar for the wcrfhip of Cod, hisfactificingthereon, andcalhng upon ihename oftheLord, Gen. ii.S. The lame dcidVeah before him at his fitft comming out oftbe Arke after the flood,Gen. ii. 20. and U- cob after him in Bethel. And they were all moved hereunto, becaufe they knew their comfortable aboad iiuhofe places came not by their owneendevour, but from the blcflmgot God.Whenthe good king Hex^ekiah kept the PaflcovetiBlerulilera, his ptincipall care was that the Ptiefl s and all the people might fitft be fandli*ficd,and therefore he prayed unto God to •lemercifull to them ‘hat were not fanaified tChton. 30.18. And as he behaved himfeife n his kingdome, fo fhouid every mafter of a bmilie bcLve himfeife in his houfc where hee Iwelletb, labouring to fanaifie the t may be comfortable to him and h.s; left for leglea theteof,he pull upon himfeife ‘hof* •hat belong unto him, the heavic hand of God •ive which ferve to deliver men from Witch- ;raft.by curingthe hurts of Witches in the bo- diesof men, or other STIc ling whereot,firft,wc will coofider,how whole countries,and then how every private man may be cured and delivered. Whole Countries and Kingdomes are freed and cured fpccially oy one Gofpcll. When our SaviourChrift had fcin the rcYcncic Difciplcs to preach in Juric, artheifr rccurnc he gave this tettimonieof the cttcift of their miniftcric, Thdt her faxv.Satan fit/l downe frtfH hcAVeH Luk*. his meaning was this; As lightning is fuddcnly and violently lent out of the cloud, and (as it were/ caft downc to the earth by the crackcof the thunder: even fb Satan the Prince of the world j. thatrulcth in the hcartsofchc difobcdic^,was cad downc, and his kingdome ruinated by the^ power of the Golpell preached. In the times or i<7norancctfecdevilltriumpheth freely without controulcmenr, but themirt and darkneffcof his dclulions cannot poffibly abide the bright beams ofGods glorious will revealed by pr».a- ching. The Lord of ancient times xomman. ded his people not to doc according to thole nations, among whom they dwelt inCanaan,- by pradtifing Witchcraft, or following after Sorceric, Deuc. i8.9. See. And that they might be able to obey this commandcnncnc, preferibed unto them this Rcftoratlvc,^ the ve- verent And obedient hearing of the.Lords' phetssy. 18. In this our Church if wee would be healed of our wounds, and baniili Satan from among us, whogrcatly annoy erh a great number of our people by his dclufions and damnable pra6^iccs ofSorccric* the body way to bring it to paffc is the maintaining bfa lear¬ ned Mmiftcric, the advancing of Prophets, by whofc labours the Gofpcllmay flouriUi;’ For the faithfull dilpenfation thereof ischc Lords owBC arme and feepter, wherby hcc brateth downc the kingdome -of darkncflc,- and con— foundeth' the workes and encerprifes of the Dcvill. The fecood fort of Reftoratives, ferve for the cure of particular pci fons: for howfoever the gift and power of caftingout Devils and curing(witchcraftbe ordinarily ccafed,f nee the ApoRies times, it being a gift peculiar-to the Primitive Church, and given to it oncly during the infancic ofthe Golpell; yet there may bee meanesufed, and thatcffeauall, forthccafirtg of any perfon that is bewitched by Satans in- ftruinencs. Thofc therefore that arc-in thefe daics tormented in thiskindc, muftdoe three things. Firft, they muR enter into a Icrious examina¬ tion of thcmfclves, and confidcr thccaufc for which it pleafeth God to fuffer Satan tocxcr- eifethem with that kind of crofTc. And here up¬ on diligent enquirie, tH^y fhall findc that their ownchnnes arc the true and proper caufes of thefe evils# When Saul was difobedient to the commandementofGod, the Lord fcnc upon him an evill fpirit to vex him, i • 15* 7 mefteHS and for their peftilent errors were both caft out of the Church, and given up alfo to Satan, that they might Icarncnocto blafphcmc, 1 Tim. in the fame manner was the iuccftuous perfon dealt witball, i Cor. D
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3