6t8 J .11 V!fcor:eife of Witchcraft. I himby naturcafpirit, who by tb: ·gift ofhi;-IA I . creation, hath attained the benefit of (witi:iiCs , not oncly in d,fparching his affaircs, bur aHO in the cariagc ofhis pcrfon,,Nith grc:~.: c:xpeditXori for rhc prdCnt accomplinuncnt ofhis own1delircs. ' · · 1 • \ · Laf\ly, God doth often vfc Sathan ashis in1(tt'lfmcm, for the cft(:c1ing of his IOtCil~CJ l \f orkc9, a~ the executing of'liis iudgementS j v'pon. men; and in thcfc ca!Cs nlanifdl:cth vrHb him, rhe place whCrc, the rime \\1hen, and 'th~ irianncr how fuch athing fl1ould be dOnc.NoW all fuch thingsos God wil hauc i:lfeCled by the d·e·uil,he ro.Jy'rorMcccl before they come to patfc, bcC:1ufc he ki10\,•e's them beforC handby rC:Ue– Jacion and a!lignmcnr from Gbd. Thus by the Witch of EOdor, he forct'old coSardthe tiine and b~cingof fo lonf cominuancc,hauing alfo marked rl~c courfe o all dlaLcs, be able to for~ rcHmanythings which· arc to come 'to paffc? fpcci311Y, cqnfidcring \-\•hat the "vifc man bath fct dO ... v~c i6 this puPpoft.·, tbttt that v;hich harh been~.JhaO be; omdrhahP/dich hath beene done f)Ja{ \ be dont; and thtre is no naP thingvndcr theSunne, Ecci.I.9. , ,·. of his death~~nd of his lonnes,:Jnd the ruine of B hiskingdome,f.1ying, To murroJt~jhaltthou.md rh; fonun h~wtlh mu,andtht Lqydjhallgiut the hQ)1eof Ifraell into rhe h;mds of the Phi!iftims; which panicubr C:uctu;·at1d cir~utnfl~nccs "1:'– PC:rtaining,he did crucly define;not of himfclfc·, bu~ bcbufe God had drawne away his good rpiric from S.fu!J ·and had d~liuered him to be ~ided by the dc·uill, whombe alfo appoime.d If it be here :~.ll~:t.dgcd , that diuination is a pr~r·og::t.iirlc of God h1mJClfe, and a part of his 'glorie inconununicable to any creature lfai 41.. z3'.1 3nfwcr;rhings to come muft be :ori– fidcred two wayes; ~ither in themfelues, or in their cau[csan'd figdcs, which cither_gocwith them, or before iheo1, To foretell things to comC, as they are i11 ihcmfclucs, without ref– pcct vn~_o their fignes or caufcs,it is apropertie belongmg to God onc!y; and the Deuill doth it !lot Dy any direCt and immcdi3tc kno'Aledge C'f things fimply con'"fldercd in themfelues, but oncly as 'they ate prcfent in their fignes or caufes; Againc,God foretelleth things to come certaincly, witho~t rhc hclpe ofany creature, or other mcanes ou£ of himfelfc; but the pre– diC\:iOns of ~atan arC oncly probable and con– ietlurall·; and wheil ~ec foretellerh any thing certaincly,i"t is by feme reuclation fr·om Cod, asthedeath of San!; or by the Scripture,as A– leXl11idm viClory; or by fome fpoctall charge comt'nittcd vmo him,for .the exccutiOh ofgods V\' ill "Vpon fomc particul:lr places or·perfons, as before hath beenc lbewcd; aS ame:l:Jcs,ahd vfcd as an inllrument to tNorke his ·oucnhrowe. The Scripc,me indeed maketh Tl,bt~ panicui:lr mention of the' time of Sauls Oe:~.th, it onely recordcth the m:iimer thereof: . ·~lnd th:tt which-followed vpon his death,. the : (ifinflating of theKingdot'neto hisneighbou'r 1 "i])auidafteihim;'<ind.yct bccaUfCGod vfed Sa~ ft~n as an infrnl.rhem to bring this to paffe,here- · C I.Uponhe Was able io fortell the p3.ni~utar tin~2, \•hen the will of God !hou'ld b'e wrought vp– ·on him. And thefe be the orJ.irla.fy mcanes~iiil 'b'elps, wherby the dcoil may know ·and de_dar;e ~fu~5ge ~hings,\'\'nc~herpa~,prcfcnt,or to eo.~~- ~ ·~Neahcrmay thls fC'eme flrangc, th3t Sathan t.fij fuch t-nCans fho'uld att:~.inc·Vnro'fuch know.. <Jel}ne, for eu.en menby their'own obfcruaifons trhaY. giuC'prOb_a~lc conicB.urCs of 'thc flare and tondition'Bf 'hindry thing~ tp come, Thus w.c ieaCl, tha~('o"mc by obfcrtlation }1:iue found o~:: ·pr~bably; and "foretold the pcripds offamilies ':irlCI"kingd.PmeS:for examp1C.~t~:lt the ti"me and ' ei:H.ltinuanc'e ofKingdon"1es is ordinarily detef– inhted at soo",'ye·ares, or qon:nuch aboue: 'and tH2'ti g~df_f:imllies h:mc no·c-gohc beyond the ·fixt and fc:mcitth 'gcncr:niorl. And as for fpccial .ranH pripltC thlngs, thc \,·OrlB fo runncs ( asjt :n ?us much f0r1 tpc cau(es of Diuiilation. No"! follow the pins and brancpcs thereof. Diilirlation is of t'-'\'O forts; ei'theT in 2ild by mean~s, or vvithou~ mcancs. Diuiuation by rnea'ncs,is likcwifc of two forts: either by fuch .as are the ·true crC:~.tures of GOd ;.t:»r thofe ""hieh arc mcerely countCrfcit and fol'gC'd. . SeEJ.~ If. - . 'W!Cre)ln a"CiTck, ihat ifaman fhduld but o_rdi– : O:n\irily ob'fcfuc "the cuurfe of things, ei.ther in : 1:hcwcaihCf·, or in the bodieS of men, or other- ' 'rife, he' might cafll{forte/lb_efore ha~d ~·hat i ·would come :ifrer; And by thcfe and lu~h l1ke 1 ~~·n:~~nccs of experiences, men hauc gdf~d :tt [ fthc aher:ltions_ and changes of cft.~tes, <1nd :tth~n.W in particular. No\•·/ if rncn wbtch be but I of 'ffi:brt conrinuanct, and of a!hallow reach "-l~~C~mpa'rifon,are ab~c to doe fuch tbings,how ~ '\;ni1i:h more catily mny the Deuill, hauing ro ~ ,:gl"~a.t a mcafure ofknowlcdg~'!..:.:rcr"icnf;(', l' . . .. . -~ .,._. T 0 Diuinatlon by thC true creatureSofGod, is dillingui!hcd according to thetiumber,ofthe creamrcs,into fiuc dilhnCl kinds~ wheroffoilre arc tpentioned in the Scripuircs. , ! f 1. Thefirf\, is by the flying· a~d lioife· of birds~ .;'Sorcere-rs :nn6g the heathen,V fee) ro op0 ,-rcruefoules m their flight; for ex:unple; w~cther they did Aic on the right hand, or on the · Iefr; abouc them, or belowby them; w.hCther crOffe and ouenhwart, or direCtly· :igainft them. In like m:mncr they obfciued the noifC and f6unJ ofrhc fou!c. And both rhcfe waies, fomctimes by the noyfe, and fomhimes by the flinht, they dh1inc'd of things to come_, both publikc and ptiu:ue, of good ~nd bad {uccdfe in mans affairs;Ofthe (late ofkmgdoms,towus, families, -and particular pcriOns. NoW this kind ofdiuination is condemnedby Mofcs,Dcu.r8. 1 o. Let none he found amon"g you tbat U a--~diltiner ofdiHination: that is,(as fame interpret it) a marKer ofthe flying of foules:ora charmer) or acon[Hite'rwirh ffiirits, or a. foorhfayer; th~t is, j: fuch aone as by obfcruing the flying and noi[c --- ·-- --- of i
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