/ ~ -------·-----~-·-----------------------------·- 6~+- IeA Vifcourfe ofWircbcrafi. I Cb. "· vcr:n, Exod.3.& 3. 1 Againc,God lu'ftCrcth thcmforthcpnnilll- A ~ mcmof vnbc!ecucrs and vvickcd men: for of– H·mimcsOo_c\ punifhcth OJJC Jinncby another, CHAP. 11. ~---~ :n the :mtcccdctHGns by·thc confcqucnr. This Paul pl:lincly ilicv\'Cth{tpcaking cfthc daics of ·AntichriH) rhar bccaufe .men recr.iucd not the ' "ioru·oftlu truth, therefore God, woHid fond vpon Jbem sl·rong illHjiom, rbar thf_J fooHid bdeelu liu.And we may rcfoluc our fducs,that for this J very caufc, God fuffc:reth th~ pr:1C'tifcs of -VVitchcr:tftJ to be fo rife in thcfe our Jnycs, to punil11 the ingratitude of men, who haue the truth rcucalcd umo them,.:md yet -..vill not bc– lceuc& obey the i3me, .bm tread it vnder their feet!!', th.rr all rhrymight beco/1demnedwhtch.be– luucdnonhe trnth,6ut took! plcafltre m 'llnrighuOfl[ne!fo. ·r. Secondly, thisl:lll claiJ[e-,is·a.ddcd, to !hew that in the pr.aCHfes offorccrie and Witchcraft, the Dcui!l can doe {0 much c;>nely as God per– mits him, ::~.nd no more. Douhdcifc, hts malice t·eacheth fiJrthCr, and confequently his wHI & defire; but God hath rcHrained his power, in the execution ofhis malicious purpofes,wher– upon he cannot goe a '"'hit. further, then God giues him leaue and liber:ie to goe.The Magi· cians ofEgypt did-fame wooders, i-n 01cw like vmo the tnirades wrought by Mofes and Aa– r-on, :and that for a time, by changing a rodde into aferpcnr, and water into·biood·,cand by bringing frogs through the flight and power ofthe Dcuill; but whenitplcafed God-to de– tf:rmine their praClifcs, and giue thertl·nofur-. ther libcrtie-;they could not doe thai; .which in likelihood was thcmeancft ofall t"hc reft,the turning of the dufl of the land into lice; and themfelues:gaue 1he nue--teafon thereof, fay– ing, T/w tbu .v.u tbe finger of God, Exod. 8. 19. \Vhen the dcu)l! vvcnt out and ~ccamc a fa)fc fpirit in rhe mouch-ofall Ahabs Prophets, to emife hintto goc to fail ar Ramoth Gilcad, he went notofhis owne "·,•il),but by rheaurho– ritieofGod, who commanded him to gocro entifc Ahab, and fuffercd him to prcuaile, t. Kino. 2 2.22. and che act was not the aCt of Sa– thal~ but of Gocl, whofe in(lnrmem he was; and therefore the holy GlrofHa~d by Micaiah, The LordhtuhpHt alyingSpirit in themonthofall tlufo rhy Prophett, and the h.rd harB appointd eu#lilgainfhhee,v. 23. H<!occalfoitW:lS, char the dcuil!s, becing call out ofrhc man that had an vncle:m fpirir,asked Jc&U'c ·o.fChritl ro enter into the heard of fwine,and•pould nOt enter in till he had permitted rheni; Mark. 5•. 12, 13. And we rcadeofremimcs in the Gofpcl, that, out'Sa.uiourc:lfl: out many deu.ils by his' wofd· ontly, thereby Il1cwing•that he was abfolute Lord om·r thcm,:md that W,ithout his pcnmflion, they could doe nothing. · And thus much touchingd1egenerall nature of this Artc. ' .,· The (jround of/Fiteh~ Graft, andofallthe praUifo.r rhaeof. l Tne Ground of.all the praClifcs ofWitch– craft, is a lc::!guc or couenant m:tdc be– t>\ cenc the \.Yach and the Dcuil:whcrcin thrv doe mutually bind themfclllCs c:tch eo otiJCI~. / Ifany fl1<~ll thinke it A-range>, that man or wo-~ man !hould cmer le:1gue with Satan, their vt– tet cnemic; they are ro know it for amoH cui– dent and cenaine truth, rhar may not be- called B into qudlion.And yet to cleare the iud<:~cmrnt of any one in this poinc,l will fct dow;c fomc rcalons in way of proof-C. Fir!l, chc holy Scripw:-e dorh intimate fo much vnro vs in the 58.Pf.1l. v.5. where, how– foeuer the common nanO:nion runncth in o– thcrtc:Jrmes, yet the "''ords arc properly to be read thus: which heareth not rhe voyce ofrhe mmttrer i"J~ing_ focietiu CTm»ing'J. And in tl~em the PfallmH byeth downc two points. Fnfi, the effect or workc of a chafmc, ruuttc– reJ by the Inchantcr; namely) that it is able to fhy the Adder from !liuging thofe which ihall lay hold on him,or touch him. Secondly, the maine foundation ofthe charmc; focictics or C c._Qnfcdcr:rcies cunningly m:tde, not ben..'ecnc ~an aod m:rn, bm ( 35 the words import) be– twccne the lnchantcr and the DcuiJl. The like we reade,Deut. r8. r J. where rhc Lord char– gcth his people when they come ·into the land of Canaan, that amongfl other 3bhomin~nions of the heathen, they fhould bew:are lcaihny– were found \lmongfi chem,th:n ioy"ned fociety, that is, ~ntrcd into league and compaC\: with wicked fpirits, · , • A fe.cond rcafon may·bnhi~:it is the praC\ife ofrhedcuill to offer t.o make a b~rgainc and coucnant wi-th man.Thus he dc3lt-with our Sa.. u~our ChrHl in the third temptation, where– with he a!faulced him, promifing to giue vnto I him· all the kingdo1rn~s of the earth, and the D · glori(" of them, (which he fhcwcd him in avi6on) if Chrifi for his pm would fall dowue and worfh.ip him. The offer was paffcd en the bchalfe of Sath:w, and noww make apcrfc:c1 compaCt •bctwaene th·cm, there \.vas nothing wan.ting bu~ "the free confcnr of'cur Sauiour vnrothe condiuon propounded'. \-Vhereby it is ma.nifdt, that thj: dcuill makes m~my coue– nanrs in the world,beQu(e he tindrrh men and women in the mofl pla.ccs,fittcdfor lHS.turnc in this kind, whtJ will not lee towor~ip him for afarrc Jdfc maucr tht"n akingdome. And it is not to be doubred, rhar rhoufli.ds in t-hcworld,7 , had they bcene offered fo t3ire aS" Chriit was, · would hauc ben as \vi\ling to hauc ycc\dc<l vp- ~ 1 on fuch condid6s, as the deuil to hauc offered. j Thirdly, rhe comm011 confcffion ofall VVit· J chei<and Sorcercf,sJbo'th btforeand fin·ccthc. COJ"!:~ 1... Matth,4-P'
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=