A Discourse of Witchcraft, chapter 7: The application of the doctrine of Witchcraft to our times (part 1 of 4)

CHAP. VII.

The application of the doctrine of Witchcraft to our times.

THus hauing deliuered the true sense and interpretation of this Iudiciall Law, both concerning the sinne of Witchcraft, & the persons by whom this sinne is practised; it remaineth now that I should make some vse thereof, by way of application to the Witches of our times.

In doing whereof, foure particular Questions of moment, are to be handled.

• I. Whether the Witches of our times, be the same with those, that are here condemned by the law of Moses? for some there be, and those men of learning, and members of Gods Church, that hold they are not.
• II. If they be the same (as it shall appeare they are) then how we may in these daies be able to discerne, and discouer a Witch?
• III. What remedie may be vsed against the hurt of Witchcraft?
• IV. Whether our Witches are to be punished with death, and that by vertue of this Lawe of Moses?

Sect. I.

I. Question. Whether the Witches of our times, be the same with those that are here condemned by Moses Law?

Ans. If we doe well consider the qualitie, and condition of the Witches of our daies, we shall easily see that they be the same. For experience sheweth, that whether they be men or women, but especially aged women, they be such persons, as doe renounce God, and their Baptisme, and make a league with the deuil, either secretly or openly; in which the deuill bindeth himselfe to teach them certaine rites and ceremonies, whereby they may be able to worke wonders, as to stirre vp tempests, to reueale secrets, to kill or hurt men, and cattell, or to cure and doe good, according to the tenour of their couenant.

The confessions of Witches recorded in the Chronicles of countries through all Europe, doe with common consent declare and manifest this point. So that howsoeuer our VVitches may differ in some circumstances from those in the time of Moses, as either in the instruments, and meanes vsed, or in the manner and forme, or in some particular ends of their practises; yet in the substance and foundation of Witchcraft, they agree with them. For both of them haue made a couenant with the Deuill one way or other, and by vertue thereof haue wrought wonders aboue the order of nature. Agreeing therefore in the verie foundation and forme of Witchcraft, which is the league, and in the proper end, the working of wonders: they must needs be in substance and effect the same with the Witches mentioned by Moses. And yet this point is denied by some, and the Witches of these daies haue their patrons, who vse reasons to prooue, that now we haue none such as we speake of. Their reasons are specially three.

First, they labour to take away the forme of Witchcraft, affirming, that there can be no confederacie made betweene the Witch and the Deuill, and that for foure causes.

I. In euery league and contract the parties must be mur[…]ally bound each to other: now betweene man or woman, and the deuill, there can be no bond made, and though there could, yet man is bound in conscience to God, to renounce the bond of obedience to Satan, and to breake the couenant. Ans. There be two sorts of leagues; lawfull, and vnlawfull: in all lawfull leagues it is true, that there must be a mutuall bond of both parties, each to other, which may not be dissolued; but in vnlawfull compacts it is otherwise. And no man can say that this league betweene a Witch and the Deuill is lawfull, but wicked, and damnable, yet beeing once made, howsoeuer vnlawfully, it is a league and compact. This therefore prooueth not, that there can be no couenant at all, but that there can be no lawfull couenant betwixt them, which no man will denie.

II. Satan and the Witch are of diuers natures: he is spirituall, they are corporall substances: therefore there can be no league made betweene them. Ans. The reason is not good. For euen God himselfe, who is of nature most simple and spirituall, made a couenant with Adam, renued the same vnto Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob: and continueth it with his Church on earth, from age to age. Hence it appeareth, that diuersitie of nature in the parties, can not hinder the making of a couenant. And therefore if man may make couenant with God himselfe, who is most spirituall; then may he likewise come in league with the deuill, whose substance is not so pure and sp[…]rituall. Againe, we must remember, that in making of a couenant, it is sufficient, that the parties consent and agree in will & vnderstanding, though other circumstances and rites, which are but signes of confirmation, be wanting. Be it then, that Satan hath not a bodily substance, as man hath, yet considering that man is indued with vnderstanding, to coceiue of things, as the deuill doth, and hath also will to yeeld consent, and approbation thereunto, though in a corrupt and wicked manner, there may passe a confederacie, and a couenant may be made, and stand in force betweene them.

III. Whatsoeuer the deuill doth in this compact, he doth it in fraud and deceit, neuer meaning in his promises, as man doth, and when both parties meane not one & the same thing, how can they growe to agreement in any kind? Ans. Suppose this be true, yet it onely prooueth, that the couenant made betweene them, was deceitfull and vnlawfull. But what of that? stil it remaineth a bargaine howsoeuer: for it faileth onely in the circumstance, the substance, which is the consent of the parties, was not wanting.

IV. VVitches of our times (say they) are aged persons, of weake braines, and troubled with abundance of melancholie, and the deuill taketh aduantage of the humor, and so deludes them, perswading that they haue made a league with him, when they haue not, and consequently moouing them to imagine, that they doe, and may doe strange things, which indeed are done by himselfe, and not by them.

Ans. This reason is a meere melancholike conceit, without ground. And the contrarie is a manifest truth, that they are not so, as is affirmed, parties deceiued by reason of their humors. For first, our VVitches are as wise and politike, yea as craftie and cunning in all other matters, as other men be; whereas brainsicke persons troubled with melancholy, if their vnderstanding be distempered in one action, it will be faultie likewise in others, more or lesse. Againe, our VVitches know that they sinne in their practises of VVitchcraft, and therefore they vse subtill meanes to couer them, and he that would conuict them, must haue great dexteritie to goe beyond them. Now if they were persons deluded, through corruption of any humors; looke what humour caused them to doe a thing, the same would vrge them to disclose it. Thirdly, they are also of the same stamp, they take the same courses in all their practises, their consent in word and action is vniuersall. Men of learning haue obserued, that all Witches through Europe, are of like cariage and behauiour in their examinations, and conuictions: they vse the same answers, refuges, defenses, protestations. In a word, looke what be the practises and courses of the Witches in England, in any of these particulars, the same be the practises of the Witches in Spaine, Fraunce, Italie, Germanie, &c. Wherefore the case is cleare, they are not deluded by Sathan, through the force of humour, […]s is auouched: for such persons, according as they are diuersly […]ake[…], would shewe themsel[…]es diuersly affected, and varie in their speeches, actions, and conceipts, both publike and priuate. Fourthly, our Witches are wont to communicate their skill to others by tradition, to teach and instruct their children and posteritie, and to initiate them in the grounds and practises of their owne […]rade, while they liue, as may appeare by the confessions recorded in the Courts of all countries. But if they were persons troubled with melancholie, their conceipts would die with them. For conceits, and imaginarie […]ancies, which rise of any humour, cannot be conuayed from partie to partie, no more then the humour it selfe. Lastly, if this slight might serue to defend Witches vnder pretence of delusion through corrupted humours, then here were a couer for all manner of sinnes. For example: a fellon is apprehended for robberie or murther, and is brought before the Iudge: Vpon examination he confesseth the fact, beeing conuicted the law proceeds to condemnation. The same mans freinds come in, and alledge before the Iudge in this māner: This man hath a crazie braine, and is troubled with melancholy, and though he hath confessed the fact, yet the truth is, it was not he, but the deuill, who himselfe committed the murther, and made him thinke he did it, when he did it not, & hereupon he hath confessed. Would any man thinke, that this were a reasonable allegation, and a sufficient meane to mooue the Iudge to acquite him? Assuredly if it were, vpon the same ground might any sinne be laid vpon the deuils backe, and all good lawes and iudiciall proceedings be made voide.

Therefore howsoeuer the patrons of Witches be learned men, yet they are greatly deceiued in fathering the practises of Sorcerie vpon a melancholike humour.

But for the further ratifying of their assertion, they proceede, and vse this argument: They which confesse of themselues things false, and impossible, must needs be parties deluded, but our Witches doe this, when they be examined or consulted with, as that they can raise tempests, that they are caried through the aire in a moment, from place to place, that they passe through keyholes, and clifts of doores, that they be sometimes turned into catts, hares, and other creatures; lastly, that they are brought into farre countries, to meete with Herodias, Diana, and the Deuill, and such like; all which are mere fables, and things impossible.

Ans. We must make a difference of Witches in regard of time. There is a time, when they first beginne to make a league with Satan, and a time also after the league is made and confirmed.

When they first beginne to grow in confederacie with the deuill, they are sober, and their vnderstanding sound, they make their match waking, and as they thinke wisely enough, knowing both what they promise the deuill, and vpon what conditions, and therefore all this while it is no delusion. But after they be once in the league, and haue beene intangled in compact with the deuill (considerately as they thinke, for their owne good and aduantage) the case may be otherwise. For then reason and vnderstanding may be depraued, memorie weakned, and all the powers of their soule blemished. Thus becomming his vassalls, they are deluded, and so intoxicated by him, that they wil run into thousands of fantasticall imaginations, holding themselues to be transformed into the shapes of other creatures, to be transported in the ayre into other countries, yea to do many strange things, which in truth they doe not.

I come now to their second reason. The Witches of our age (say they) were not knowne in the daies of Moses, nor of Christ, therfore that law concerneth them not.

To this I answer two waies:

First, that their argument is naught: for by the same reason the Papists might auouch the lawfulnes of the images of Saints, as of Peter, Paul, and others, yea of Christ himselfe, because they were not knowne in the daies of Moses, and therefore could not be condemned in the second Commandement. Whereas contrarily, the spirit of God, hath so framed and penned the lawes Morall, and Iudiciall, which concerne man, as that they fetch within their compasse all sinnes of all ages, and condemne them. And therefore whatsoeuer is against the Law of God written by Moses, though it were not knowne, nor heard of, either when the Law was made, or afterward, is yet condemned by the same Law.

Againe, I answer, that our Witches are the same that were in Moses time: and therfore by their owne reason must needes be condemned by this Iudiciall lawe. For by the records of auncient writers it is prooued, that about a 1200. yeares before Christs birth, shortly after the Troian warre, which was 100. yeare and vpward before the building of the Temple by Salomon, there were the same VVitches that are now, as the Circes, and Syrenes, and such like, mentioned in the narration of that warre, as is manifest to them that knowe the storie.

Againe, 500. yeares before Christ when the Romans made their twelue Tables, which comprised all the lawes whereby that famons Commonvvealth vvas gouerned, they made one expressely against Witches, euen the same vvith these of our time, for practising the same things, as blasting of corne, hurting of cattell, mer, vvomen, and children, &c. And for the time of Christ, though there be no particular mention made of any such Witches; yet thence it followeth not, that there were none: for all things that then happened, were not recorded: and I would faine know of the chiefe patrons of them, whether those parties possessed with the deuill, and troubled with strange diseases, whom Christ healed, and out of whom he cast deuills, were not bewitched with some such people, as our Witches are? if they say no, let them if they can prooue the contrarie.

The third & last reason is this: Christ at his comming abolished all sinne, and therfore miracles & witchcraft thē ceased also. The Apostle saith, that he spoiled principalities and powers, and triumphed ouer them vpon the crosse, Coloss. 2. 15.

Ans. This argument is friuolous, seruing as well to iustifie the traytor, the theefe, and the murtherer, as the witch. For whereas it is alleadged, that Christ abolished all sinne; we must vnderstand how: not simply, so as sinne should be no more, but onely in part, in this life, reseruing the final destruction thereof to the last iudgement. Againe, sinne is not abolished, no not in part vnto all, but onely to the members of Christ. Whereupon the Apostle sa[…]h, There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ, Rom. 8. 1. because no sinne is imputed vnto them. But vnto Witches, and all the enemies of Christ, sinne is imputed, and not abolished.

To conclude, howsoeuer much is said in their defence, yet the first part is cleare affirmatiuely, that the Witches of our time are the same with the Witches that were in Moses time, in truth and substance. And so much for the first Question.