Perkins - BX9318 P47 1613 v3

; 6~1. i l __-_ _ f eA Vif(;{)urfe ofWitchcrafi. JCh+ 1 or annoy rhcm, either in perfo11 or fi:ae. 1 A Sccondiy, they allcadgc: dlJt \\' itches by malicious :md wric lookcs, in anger and clil– p!Cafurc, may aoJ doe hurt rhofc: vpon whomc: they lookc,whcthc" they be men or other ..:rca– tuf.cs1.And it is ;m old rccciued opinion, that in malicious a'nd ill .d,_ifpofcd pcrfop-s, there pro– ~ccd our ofrhc cy'c with the bean1cs, noyfomc ,a1ld.nialign:mr ~•irirs, V\'hich iofrd the ayre, & not credible_;an? therefore authors ;~n good ~ --ground dcn1ed u, as b<;cing confirmed neither by reafon, nor experience. ' doe! foifon or kill., nor onely them wirh whom they.arc daily'conuci-Hi.r,but others alfo whofe cemp::i11ic they tfcquem,ofwhat agc,Hrcngth, -and.compit'XIon fo eucr they be• .Ab f. Bur the opinion is :.ts fond, asit is old; for it is as much aga·iQftnature char fUch vertu= Chould proceed but ofthe (')'t, or filch fpirits brc:.kc.out of the norues to the panic hated, as it is for the blood of the bodic, of it fclfc, to guib out of the vcinc·s. XCtfor the ratifying ofthis opinion,thcy al~ Jead$c that \Vhich is writtCinGc:n,30.j].wller lac•b lai'd fpcckied roddes before the fhtepe in their warcnc trou~hcs, and lhat by Gods ap– pointmcnt3for this end, that they might bring fonh.panic coloured lambs. I 3nfwer,that \o\'3s nor a worke offlght,but a fpedall and extraer– rlinar.ie worke ofGods prouidcncc vpon lacob in his ncccilicic, as wee may plainly !Cc ~n the ch3pter next fOllmNing. vcr. 9· :md 1 r. yea ir was taught laac•6 by God himfclfe; and if it had ~ccne an otdinarieworkc, doubddfe .the gaincs thereof bc(ing fo good, ln4t:o;, would hauc done ir againeaftc:rward; bU[ wee neuer rcade that he did itagaine. And be it graumed inure anaturaiJ workc:, yet it cannot prooi1c witchjngby fightJ bc:caufcthc lh~epe recciucd into their eyes the JP{ciu and retemblance of the rodds,which is according to nature; wheras in fafcination or bewitchingby fight,malig.. narit fpirits !hould not be recciued in, but fcnt forth.ofthe eye, which is againH nature. Yea, but the Bafiliskc or Cockacricc doch Thirdly, they reafpn thus; Inchanters by Y.:h1fpenng of words in charmcs c:m fby the ll1n~ing and poifoning of ferpcnts: iOr fo Da– uid tt1 effect .fpeakech: that the voyce of the CharIller charmcth the{crpcm, Pfa!. 58.5, It may feeme rherforc that there is no fmall for'e .in wordsfqr.the effeCting of firang~workes, An]. It muH be granted tha; the charmer may jncham [he ferpent : but how ? not by venuC ofthe \yords in the Charmc, but by power of the deuiU, who then is Hirred vp, when the / charm~ is repeated, to doe the thing intended. B i The truth ofthis anfwc:r appcarcs by the words of the Texc, a_s they arc r~a<jc in the ~r~ginall, that the lnchanter ioy11eth focitt_iu veri~ cun-: ning!J, namely with the deuill. Now thde fo– cictics betwcenc Satan_anP,the Charmer, are the_very ground_ofthcwo~kvpon chc ferpent: wh1ch workc vpon c~nfcdcracie formerly made, is do.nc by the deuill, and the words of the charmc are no more but the ln'chanccts Item or waichword,to ocqfiop him thereunto. And 1c:t anfothcr man rc~catc the fame words a thou[and times, that either is not thus confederate With Satan, or hathnot afilpcifiitiOu~ o~inion of Charmcs, and all his labour will pe ltfvamc. . . Fourthly;the word of God is ofgreat force in the beans of men to conucrt and change kill man and beat! with his breath and fight,yu the wolfc takes away the voice of fuch as hce fudd'enlymeetswithall and beholdes ,and why may riot wicked men or .women .doe the like? .Anf:Indcedc it is.a thing rccciuc:d·by common errbur·,and held of fomc for 3 truth; but no. experience ofany man hath yet beene brought D tOr theproofc thereof, and therefore it is tobe r,cpmcdas fabulous. Thus much jn probability may.be.thouoht,'(if theallegation !houlq bee_ true:-) that th;bafilisk.being po!fdfed ofa thick poyfen, may by his breath fend forth fome groU"C.ve:nemou~ vapours, and thereby mfeet the a-jr'eJ 2nd poifori the th~ng that is ncere vn– tollim)'·Againo; that tlic luddaine and vqex-. petted'beholding ofthe nnemous cockatrice~ C them, as it is vueredby themouth of morrall man ; anP thi$ force is not jn man by whom it is fpoken;where then fi1ouJd it bc,but in the \Vords ?"and then if in the Vl'ords, why may not other words be of like cilicacic, bee– iOg vttcrcd-by man? Anjw_. l. The power of Cods word commcth not fromthh, that it is a word, and barely vrrcred out ofthe mouth of aman; for fo it is a dead·Jcttcr; bur it protce.. deth from thcpowerfull qpcration ofth< fpirit, a"'nnexed by Gods promife there"unto, when~~ is vttcrcd,·read,.and concejucd; which opera– tion ific wc.rcukcn away. , .the yvord might be preached a thou(and yearcs together, without any fruit or·effeCt , either to faluation or condcmn~tion. 2.Thc word ofgod is powerful! by the concurrence of the workc of the fpirit, n~~ i6,a1J .things; as for-example, ln railing win~s and tcmpcfh.., in infeCting thf ail:c .t in killing and jlnnoying mc:n or othtr creamres; but in the conucrfion of finners, in gathering the eletl, 3nd in c~nfirming thofc that be called; and this power it hath allo by his fpeciall bldling and appointment. or the r:auc:nous ·wotfe, ( becing creatures in their kind fcarcfull, efpcdally to thoiC that are-. not acquainted '"'itluhc:m) may caufc.prefcnt a!lonHhment, :~nd confcqucntly peril ofdc2th. But that this ihould bee done by the eyes.of thcfe creatures oncly, in manner aforcfaid, it )s · 3. furthermore, the fame word is not of power,whc:n iris barely read,heard,or fpokcn, vnlcs it be alfo concciuc<\in the vndcdHding, rccciucd with rcucrcncc, crcafiucd vp in the memory, and 1ningled with faith in theheart: whereas the bare reading ancl t:nmtcring oun ·the words ofaCharmby <ll~ Inchamcr,though

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