eA.Vifcourfe o/Witchcrafi. j~C·lr_s:: thi~ fcnfc.l.f the lnch_:mcer be hmcn,,be– ....~;-~ ~hc,l.c!,pens·Pc ch::.rmcd, then he: bath.no A ~ er and petition; and thev all are fom~timcs 1 plaindy conceiued.fomctii~cs in ruder & more vnkno ..vnc: words, as thofc well know who hauc heard chcm,or rca<ic them when: th~y are to be found. , bc:IJldit bf'1J~S 6l;isfpu:. For Salomon in that f,Jllacc giucth vs tqvndedbnd, wha;: power In– ·ch3.mcrs hauc_,:m~l wh:-~t t~cy may doe by·thc.ir c:hanncs, if;cPcy come in cimc, namely, flay the pgifon of the (crpcnr,fo:ts he cannot hurf either by bi.ting ot· tli_nging. VVhcn Babc·inrended e– u,i.IJ again.H l(t;:~cl~ he: hired Bahum to curfc thC, Np;n1 2·1>. 6.,Now this lhlaamwasan uH:han– tingWi'tch;fqr though he be called aProphet, yet tbii \\'lS onciy in the rcp'utation of the "''orld;for his praChfc w~s to inch::mt bv charms of words; and to that purpofc he w:u..hircd to curfc Gods people, that is, to bring mifchicfc vpon the-m bX channing;wh!ch thing when he had OftCn <1nd ,f. any waycs aff-aled to doe-, and B could no w:\y prcuaile, but that it plea{~d God comracyto his cndcauours,to blcflC Ifrael,thcn he brc'akes~out· into thcfe words: Thn-e is no forcerie ogarr.j} la~trob, nor foorhfaJing againfl lfae), Num. 2;. z.;. As ifhc!hould haue faid, lkilowwcil ~hat[orc~ric is powerful! in many ~hiqgs, and Of fOrce to bring rPuch mifchiefe vpontmcn, yet•it can cake no place againfl the people of Go~; becaufe he hath bldfed them; and whom he blcflCth, them no man can hun by curllng. lnch,antcr-s.therefore, m::~y vpo~ 1 GodS pcrmi!Iion {vorkC Hr:mge things, asap– pearcs by thcfc pl:tccs 1 tO name no more. Sccon<lly.I addc, that the charrne is vfcd for a .jigne and watch~Pord to the Drnifl, to caufe hrm to work! wonderJ, whcrcia {hndeth the natllrc andproper endofacharmc.Thc nature, in that it is a diabolicallligne;the cndj to caufc the dcuill to workc a wonder : \vhercby it is dillinguifucd from all othl'f [peaches. of men. For ~u they commonly carry rhc nature of the thing,\vhcrcof ::md whereabouc they be m:1dc, buc rhc Charme doth nor alwaics tOUow the nature ofthe words, blJt hath another nature in regard of the immediate rebtion it hath to the dcuill, to whom ic is a figne. Againc, the chumc pronounced doth noc the- wonder, but thedcuil ·admonilhcth by it as by the watch– word todoe the fcarc. I 'h ,\- •4• I ~~ \ ;Jhc tCcond p-oim to ·be ·obferuedfiis' the mc.ancs whereby thefe wonders are puClifed; C \b.efe are coume~(dt and fi.1ppofed meancs, not QCdaiped&fanClified by Gad, which arc com– .Now bccaufe fomc are ofopinion,in regard of the ordinarie p~·oduC:Hon of firangc effeCts by the(e mcones, that the Spell bath in it lelfe fo1ne v~rrue and power to !Uch and fuch purpo– fcs whereumo it i:> vfcd; I will !land a little in the proofe ofthe conrrarie. That a Charme .is onely :t diabolicall watchword, and hath in it lelfe no fuch effec!uall power or poflibl– Jiri'e to \\'orkc a \\ondcr. My reafons arc t!1rfe. . \ monly c>lled Channes; f- ACh>rlllc•isa Spell or verfe, confifliogof (lungewords;\'fcd as a Ggne or watch..,,·orc1 to thi:.deuil,tolt~ufc bim to workc '''enders. • Fir(\, I lay it is a Spell conjifhtg ofj/range WQrds, bec3ufcin thefe inchantmcncs, ccrtatne '(V:Q.~ orverfcs arc fccredy vuerecf, which i~ I:Q:glird. €If ~:he con~mon formes of words are !ln1ngt", and •Nhrrcin there ts thought to be a I miraculousdli:c:tcy to bring !Ome cxcraordina– ricand vncxpeClcJ thi1~ to p:tffe. A point of Firll, this mull be taken for-a maincgJ:'ound, That as there isnothing in the world,thathath I being but from God, fo nothingbath in it any efficacie, but by his ordinance, Now whacfoc:– ucr effi,acic, is in any cre:nure front God~ it rc– ceiued the fame intO it fclfe, either by creation, or llnccthc creation by fome newe and fpeciall inlliturion, appoimmenc,and gift of God.For .example. The bread in the Sacr:1mcm, by ana– curall power giuen vnro it in the cre:~tion, fer. ueth to nourifh the bodic, and the fame bread, by Gpds fpcciall appointment in his word, fcedcs the foule, in that by his ordinance it is made ro vs a figne& feale of the bo.dy ofChrill broken for vs: And fo it is in cuery creature; if the cffeel be ordinaric nnd n:uur.all, it hath it 1it,felfc et~idc_nt::md nced1ng no fLJrthcr proo.fc, 1 . confider.mg tt'IS not vnknowne to rhc mor.etg1 cpi'ant for.t, Who arc bcttcc acguaimcd ·with 1 t:h.C:fe,thcu with the word of God. And thefe D · woxds arC~not aJJ ofone 1-nd the fame kind;but folnc-arc rude ~.,cl barbarous, neither knownc nor conceiucd or vmlerftood;ofwhich the an– cicmer fort.of charmes \\'ere,wont to be made efpeciaHy, and fomc later. So~ne aga~ne are pl:~inc and knownc. cearmc.s, \\'htcl~ ~~~y.be vn– dcrltood; ~s thc.ilamcs of d1e.Tnmue., fomc worde and fcntcnccs 0fScriprurc, as In p1'inci– pio eratverbHm, &c. Ag3inc,dbnnes that con– fift.of word~,atic nor all of one forr, but fomc: be imprecations, vJHhing fome euill: orlH'rs in I f11cw haue chc~formc of. prailCs and blcfiings, whe11eby rhe Vlirch either thtteriugJy. corn- ~ mcndcah, or f.·lUomably ,...·Hheth fomc good: others againc , at)C made in forme of prayby cre;nion; ifcxtraordinarie -and fupcrnaturaJ, it harh that by diuinc ordination:So that what– foeuer comes to p:t!fe by :lny other ~lieancs, is by Satanicall operation. Now Cbarmcs and Spells,(bnding offCt words and fillables,haue no power in them to worke wonders, either by the gift ofnature in the crc::ttiO, qr by Gods appointment fincc the creation: and therefore \ they haue in them no power at :all fot any fuch pmpofc. This latter part of the rc:~.10,n, beeing the affumption or 3pplicadon of the ground to the prdCnr inflancc, confifieth of f\''i:o pane~, wbjch I "'·j.Jl prooue in order. Firtl .then I affirmc, rhat ~! 1he gifr .of ?Mtrtre, no wordcs of Charmes h:tuc power in them to V\'orke wonders ~ and] proouc it in t1lis man. ncr. ·-- ._.2'!:____________________~-------~·---l_o.:.._
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