Chapter 1: The Definition of Witchcraft

To begin with the first: According to the true meaning of all the places of holy Scripture which treat of this point, it may be thus described:

Witchcraft is a wicked art, serving for the working of wonders, by the assistance of the Devil, so far forth as God shall in justice permit.

Sect. 1.

I say it is an art, because it is commonly so called and esteemed among men, and there is reason why it should be thus termed. For as in all good and lawful arts, the whole practice thereof is performed by certain rules and precepts, and without them nothing can be done: so witchcraft has certain superstitious grounds and principles whereupon it stands, and by which alone the feats and practices thereof are commonly performed.

If it be demanded, what these rules be, and from where they had their beginning, considering that every art has reference to some author, by whom it was originally taught and delivered? I answer, that they were devised first by Satan, and by him revealed to wicked and ungodly persons of ancient times, as occasion served: who receiving them from him, became afterward, in the just judgment of God, his instruments to report and convey them to others from hand to hand.

For the manifestation of this, it is to be considered, that God is not only in general a Sovereign Lord and King over all his creatures, whether in heaven or earth, none excepted, no not the devils themselves; but that he exercises also a special kingdom, partly of grace in the Church militant upon earth, and partly of glory over the Saints and Angels, members of the Church triumphant in heaven. Now in like manner the Devil has a kingdom, called in Scripture the kingdom of darkness, whereof himself is the head and governor, for which cause he is termed the Prince of darkness, the God of this world, ruling and effectually working in the hearts of the children of disobedience.

Again, as God has enacted laws, whereby his kingdom is governed, so has the devil his ordinances, whereby he keeps his subjects in awe and obedience, which generally and for substance, are nothing else but transgressions of the very law of God. And among them all, the precepts of witchcraft are the very chief and most notorious. For by them especially he holds up his kingdom, and therefore more esteems the obedience of them, than of others. Neither does he deliver them indifferently to every man, but to his own subjects, the wicked; and not to them all, but to some special and tried ones, whom he most entrusts with his secrets, as being the fittest to serve his turn, both in respect of their willingness to learn and practice, as also for their ability to become instruments of the mischief, which he intends to others.

If it be here asked, from where the devil did fetch and conceive his rules? I answer, out of the corruption and depravation of that great measure of knowledge he once had of God, and of all the duties of his service. For that being quite depraved by his fall, he turns the same to the inventing and devising of what he is possibly able, against God and his honor. Hereupon, well perceiving that God has expressly commanded to renounce, and abhor all practices of witchcraft, he has set abroach this art in the world, as a main pillar of his kingdom, which notwithstanding is flatly and directly opposed to one of the main principal laws of the kingdom of God, touching the service of himself in spirit and truth.

Again, the reason why he conveys these ungodly principles and practices from man to man is, because he finds in experience, that things are far more welcome and agreeable to the common nature of mankind, which are taught by man like to themselves, than if the devil should personally deliver the same to each man in special. Hereupon, he takes the course at first to instruct some few only, who being taught by him, are apt to convey that which they know to others. And hence in probability this devilish trade had its first original and continuance.

Sect. 2.

In the second place, I call it a wicked art, to distinguish it from all good and lawful arts, taught in schools of learning, which, as they are warrantable by the word of God, so are they no less profitable and necessary in the Church. Again, to show the nature and quality of it, that it is a most ungracious and wicked art, as appears by the Scriptures. For when Saul had broken the express commandment of God, in sparing Agag, and the best things, Samuel tells him, that rebellion and disobedience is as the sin of witchcraft, that is, a most horrible and [illegible], like to that wicked, capital, and [illegible] sin (1 Samuel 15:23).

Sect. 3.

Thirdly, I add, tending to the working or producing of wonders, wherein is noted the proper end of this art, whereby I put a further difference between it, and others that are godly and lawful.

Now if question be moved, why man should desire to use witchcraft to work wonders, [illegible] the true and proper cause is [illegible] the first temptation, whereby the devil prevailed against our first parents, had enclosed within it many sins: for the eating of the forbidden fruit, was no small or single offence, but as some have taught, contained in it the breach of every commandment of the moral law. Among the rest, Satan labored to bring them to the sin of discontentment, whereby they sought to become as Gods; that is, better than God had made them, not resting content with the condition of men. This sin was then learned, and could never since be forgotten, but continually is derived from them to all their posterity, and now is become so common a corruption in the whole nature of flesh and blood, that there is scarce a man to be found, who is not originally tainted with it as he is a man.

This corruption shows itself principally in two things, both of which are the main causes of the practices of witchcraft.

First, in man's outward estate; for he being naturally possessed with a love of himself, and a high conceit of his own deserving, when he lives in base and low estate, whether in regard of poverty, or want of honor and reputation, which he thinks by right is due to him: he then grows to some measure of grief and sorrow within himself. Hereupon, he is moved to yield himself to the devil, to be his vassal and scholar in this wicked art, supposing that by the working of some wonders, he may be able in time to relieve his poverty, and to purchase to himself credit and countenance among men.

It were easy to show the truth of this, by examples of some persons, who by these means have risen from nothing, to great places and preferments in the world. In place of all, it appears in certain Popes of Rome, as Silvester the second, Benedict the eighth, Alexander the sixth, John the 20th and 21st, etc., who for the attaining of the Popedom (as histories record) gave themselves to the devil in the practice of witchcraft, that by the working of wonders, they might rise from one step of honor to another, until they had seated themselves in the chair of the Papacy. So great was their desire of eminence in the Church, that it caused them to dislike meaner conditions of life, and never to cease aspiring, though they incurred thereby the hazard of good conscience, and the loss of their souls.

The second degree of discontentment is in the mind and inward man; and that is curiosity, when a man rests not satisfied with the measure of inward gifts received, as of knowledge, wit, understanding, memory, and such like, but aspires to search out such things as God would have kept secret. And hence he is moved to attempt the cursed art of magic and witchcraft, as a way to get further knowledge in matters secret and not revealed, that by working of wonders, he may purchase fame in the world, and consequently reap more benefit by such unlawful courses, than in likelihood he could have done, by ordinary and lawful means.

Section 4.

Fourthly, it is affirmed in the description, that witchcraft is practiced by the assistance of the devil, yet the more fully to distinguish it from all good, lawful, and commendable arts. For in them experience teaches, that the arts-master is able by himself to practice his art, and to do things belonging to that, without the help of another. But in this it is otherwise; for here the work is done by the help of another, namely, the devil, who is confederate with the witch. The power of effecting such strange works is not in the art, neither does it flow from the skill of the sorcerer, man or woman, but is derived wholly from Satan, and is brought into execution by virtue of mutual confederacy between him and the magician.

Now that this part of the description may be more clearly manifested, [reconstructed: I shall] proceed to a further point, [reconstructed: to show what] kind of wonders they be which are ordinarily wrought by the ministry and power of the devil.

§ 1. Wonders therefore be of two sorts; either true and plain, or lying and deceitful.

A true wonder is a rare work, done by the power of God simply, either above, or against the power of nature, and it is properly called a miracle. The Scripture is plentiful in examples of this kind. Of this sort, was the dividing of the red sea, and making it dry land by a mighty east wind, that the children of Israel might pass through it (Exodus 14:21). For though the east wind be natural of great force to move the waters, and to dry the earth; yet to part the sea asunder, and to make the waters to stand as walls on each side, and the bottom of the sea as a pavement, this is a work simply above the natural power of any wind, and therefore is a miracle. Again, such were the wonders done by Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh in Egypt, one of which, in place of many, was the turning of Aaron's rod into a serpent, a work truly miraculous. For it is above the power of natural generation, that the substance of one creature should be really turned into the substance of another, as the substance of a rod into the substance of a serpent. Of the like kind, were the standing of the sun in the firmament without moving in his course, for a whole day (Joshua 10:13), the going back of the sun in the firmament ten degrees (2 Kings 20:11), the preservation of the three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the midst of the hot fiery furnace (Daniel 3:25), and of Daniel in the lions' den (Daniel 6:22), the feeding of five thousand men, beside women and children, with five loaves and two fishes (Matthew 14:20-21), the curing of the eyes of the blind man, with spittle and clay tempered together (John 9:6-7), etc.

Now the effecting of a miracle in this kind is a work proper to God only; and no creature, man, or angel, can do anything either above or contrary to nature, but he alone which is the Creator. For as God in the beginning made all things of nothing, so he has reserved to himself, as a peculiar work of his almighty power, to change or abolish the substance, property, motion and use of any creature. The reason is, because he is the author and creator of nature, and therefore at his pleasure, is perfectly able to command, restrain, enlarge, or extend the power and strength thereof, without the help or assistance of the creature.

Again, the working of a miracle is a kind of creation, for therein a thing is made to be, which was not before. And this must needs be proper to God alone, by whose power, things that are, were once produced out of things that did not appear. The conclusion therefore must needs be this, which David confesses in the Psalm: God only does wondrous things (Psalm 136:4), that is, works simply wonderful.

But it is alleged to the contrary, that the Prophets in the Old Testament, and the Apostles in the New, did work miracles. I answer, they did so, but how? Not by their own power, but by the power of God, being only his instruments, whom he used for some special purpose in those works; and such as did not themselves cause the miracle, but God in and by them. The same does Peter and John acknowledge, when they had restored the lame man to the perfect use of his limbs, that by their power and godliness, they had not made the man to go (Acts 3:13).

Again, it is objected, that our Savior Christ in his manhood worked many miracles, as those before mentioned, and many more. Christ as he was man did something in the working of miracles, but not all. For in every miraculous work there are two things: the work itself, and the acting or dispensing of the work. The work itself, being for nature and substance miraculous — considering it was above or against the order of natural causes — did not proceed from Christ as man, but from him as God. But the dispensation of the same, in this or that visible manner to the view of men, was done and performed by his manhood. For example: the raising up of Lazarus out of the grave, having been dead four days, was a miracle, to the effecting whereof both the Godhead and the manhood of Christ concurred, by their several and distinct actions. The manhood only uttered the voice, and bade Lazarus come forth, but it was the Godhead of Christ that fetched his soul from heaven, and put it again into his body — yes, which gave life and power to Lazarus, to hear the voice uttered, to rise and come forth (John 11:43). In like manner, when he gave sight to the blind (Matthew 20:34), he touched their eyes with the hands of his manhood, but the power of opening them, and making them to see, came from his Godhead, whereby he was able to do all things. And in all other miraculous works which he did, the miracle was always wrought by his divine power only; the outward actions and circumstances that accompanied the same proceeded from him as he was man.

Now, if Christ as he is man cannot work a true miracle, then no mere creature can do it, not even the angels themselves, and consequently not Satan, it being a mere supernatural work, performed only by the omnipotent power of God.

§ 2. The second sort of wonders are lying and deceitful, which also are extraordinary works in regard of man, because they proceed not from the usual and ordinary course of nature. And yet they are no miracles, because they are done by the virtue of nature, and not above or against nature simply, but above and against the ordinary course thereof. And these are properly such wonders as are done by Satan and his instruments; examples of which we shall see afterwards.

If any man in reason thinks it not likely that a creature should be able to work extraordinarily by natural means, he must remember that though God has reserved to himself alone the power of abolishing and changing nature — the order of which he set and established in the creation — yet the alteration of the ordinary course of nature he has put in the power of his strongest creatures, angels and devils. That the angels have received this power, and do execute the same upon his command or permission, is manifest by Scripture, and the proof of it is not so necessary in this place. But that Satan is able to do extraordinary works by the help of nature — which is the question in hand — it shall appear, if we consider in him these things.

First, the Devil is by nature a spirit, and therefore of great understanding, knowledge, and capacity in all natural things, of whatever sort, quality, and condition, whether they be causes or effects, whether of a simple or mixed nature. By reason of this he can search more deeply and narrowly into the grounds of things than all corporeal creatures that are clothed with flesh and blood.

Secondly, he is an ancient spirit, whose skill has been confirmed by experience of the course of nature, for the space of almost six thousand years. Hence he has attained to the knowledge of many secrets, and by long observation of the effects, is able to discern and judge of hidden causes in nature, which man in all likelihood cannot come to by ordinary means, for lack of that opportunity both of understanding and experience. It is for this reason that whereas in nature there are some properties, causes, and effects which man never imagined to be; others that men did once know, but are now forgotten; some which men did not know, but might know; and thousands which can hardly or not at all be known: all these are most familiar to him, because in themselves they are no wonders, but only mysteries and secrets, the virtue and effect of which he has at times observed since his creation.

Thirdly, he is a spirit of wonderful power and might, able to shake the earth, and to confound the creatures inferior to him in nature and condition, if he were not restrained by the omnipotent power of God. And this power, as it was great by his creation, is not impaired by his fall, but rather increased and made more forcible by his irreconcilable malice he bears toward mankind, specially the seed of the woman.

Fourthly, there is in the devil an admirable quickness and agility, proceeding from his spiritual nature, whereby he can very speedily and in a short space of time convey himself and other creatures into places far distant one from another. By these four helps, Satan is enabled to do strange works. Strange, I say, to man, whose knowledge since the fall is mingled with much ignorance, even in natural things; whose experience is of short continuance, and much hindered by forgetfulness; whose agility by reason of his gross nature is nothing, if he had not the help of other creatures; whose power is but weakness and infirmity in comparison of Satan's.

If there be any further doubt how Satan can by these helps work wonders, we may be resolved of the truth thereof by considering three other things. First, that by reason of his great knowledge and skill in nature he is able to apply creature to creature, and the efficient causes to the matter, and thereby bring things to pass that are in common understanding impossible.

Secondly, he has power to move them, not only according to the ordinary course, but with much more speed and swiftness.

Thirdly, as he can apply and move, so by his spiritual nature he is able, if God permits, to convey himself into the substance of the creature, without any penetration of dimensions. And being in the creature, although it be never so solid, he can work therein, not only according to the principles of the nature thereof, but as far as the strength and ability of those principles will possibly reach and extend themselves. Thus it appears that the devil can in general work wonders.

§ 3. Now more particularly, the devil's wonders are of two sorts: illusions, or real actions.

An illusion is a work of Satan, by which he deludes or deceives man. And it is two-fold: either of the outward senses, or of the mind. An illusion of the outward senses is a work of the devil, by which he makes a man think that he hears, sees, feels, or touches such things as indeed he does not. This the devil can easily do in various ways, even by the strength of nature. For example, by corrupting the instruments of sense, as the humor of the eye, etc., or by altering and changing the air, which is the means whereby we see, and such like.

Experience teaches us that the devil is a skillful practitioner in this kind, though the means whereby he works such feats are unknown to us. In this manner Paul affirms that the Galatians were deluded, when he says, O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? (Galatians 3:1). Where he uses a word borrowed from the practice of witches and sorcerers, who use to cast a mist (as it were) before the eyes to dazzle them, and make things appear to them which indeed they do not see. And the ground of Paul's comparison is that which he takes for a granted truth, that there are such delusions whereby men's senses are and may be corrupted by Satanical operation.

Thus again the devil by the Witch of Endor deceived Saul in the appearance of Samuel (1 Samuel 28), making him believe that it had been Samuel indeed, whereas it was but a mere counterfeit of him, as shall appear hereafter. Again, the devil knowing the constitutions of men, and the particular diseases to which they are inclined, takes the advantage of some, and seconds the nature of the disease by the concurrence of his own delusion, thereby corrupting the imagination, and working in the mind a strong persuasion that they have become that which in truth they are not. This is apparent in that disease which is termed Lycanthropy, where some, having their brains possessed and distempered with melancholy, have truly thought themselves to be wolves, and so behaved themselves. And the histories of men in former ages have recorded strange testimonies of some that have been thus turned into wolves, lions, dogs, birds, and other creatures, which could not be real in substance, but only in appearance and fancy corrupted, and so these records are true. For God in his just judgment may suffer some men so to be bewitched by the devil, that to their perception they may seem to be like these brute beasts, though indeed they remain true [illegible] still. For it is a work surpassing the devil's power to change the substance of any one creature into the substance of another. By this kind of delusion the Church of Rome, in the times of blindness and ignorance, has taken great advantage, and much increased her riches and honor. For there are three points of the religion of that Church, namely Purgatory, Invocation of Saints, and honoring of Relics, whereby she has notably enriched herself, all of which had their first foundation from these and such like Satanical impostures. For the only way whereby they have brought the common sort to yield to them, both for belief and practice, has been by deluding their outward senses with false apparitions of ghosts and souls of men, walking and ranging abroad after their departure, and such like. By which simple persons, ignorant of their tricks and delusions, have been much frightened, and caused through extremity of fear and dread to purchase their own peace and security by many and great expenses. And indeed these were the strongest arguments that they ever had, and which most prevailed with the common people, as is manifest in stories of all nations and ages, where such deceits have taken place, though often by the just judgment of God they were taken in their craft, and their feats revealed.

The second kind of illusion is of the mind, whereby the devil deceives the mind, and makes a man think of himself that which is not true. Thus experience teaches that he has deluded men both in former and latter times, who have avouched and professed themselves to be kings, or the sons of kings. Indeed, some have held themselves to be Christ, some to be Elias, some to be John the Baptist, and some extraordinary prophets. And similar notions have entered into the minds of various witches, by the suggestion and persuasion of the devil. To whom, when they have wholly resigned their souls and bodies, they have been moved to believe things impossible touching themselves, as that they have indeed been changed into other creatures, such as cats, birds, mice, etc. The inquisitions of Spain and other countries, wherein these and such like things are recorded touching witches really metamorphosed into such creatures, cannot be true; considering that it is not in the power of the devil to thus change substances into other substances. And those conversions recorded by them were only Satan's illusions, with which the minds of witches were possessed, and nothing else; which though they were extraordinary (as the rest of this kind are), yet they went not beyond the power of nature.

The second sort of the devil's wonders are real works, that is, such as are indeed that which they seem and appear to be. These, however strange and admirable they may seem to men who do not know the natures of things, nor the secret and hidden causes thereof, are yet no true miracles, because they are not above and beyond the power of nature.

If it be here alleged that the devil's works are not real and true actions, because the Holy Spirit calls them lying wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9), I answer that they are called lying wonders not in respect of the works themselves, for they were works truly done and effected; but in regard of the devil's end and purpose in working them, which is to lie to men and by them to deceive. The truth of which point will appear in the view of some particular examples.

First, we read in the history of Job, that Satan brought down fire from heaven, which burnt up Job's sheep and servants; and caused a mighty wind to blow down the house upon his children, as they were feasting, to destroy them. Again, he smote the body of Job with botches and boils. All these were true and real works, very strange and admirable, and yet no miracles, because they exceeded not the compass of nature. For first, when he cast down the fire from heaven, he did not create the fire of nothing, for that is a work proper to God alone, but applied creature to creature, and therefore produced such a matter as was fit to make fire of. If it be demanded, how he is able to do this? we must remember, that his knowledge in natural causes is great, and therefore he was not ignorant of the material cause of fire, which being thoroughly known and found out, Satan brought fire to it, and so putting fire to the matter of fire, he brought it down by his power and agility from heaven, upon the cattle and servants of Job. Again, the wind which blew down the house, where his sons and daughters were eating and drinking, was not created by the devil, but he knowing well the matter whereof winds are generated naturally, added matter to matter, and from there came the wind; to which he joins himself, being a spirit of a swift and speedy nature, and so makes it, for his own purpose, the more violent and forcible. Thirdly, he smote Job's body with sore boils, from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot. Now this may seem strange, that he should have such power over man's body, as to cause such diseases to breed in it. Therefore we are further to understand, that his knowledge extends itself to the whole frame and disposition of man's body, whereby it comes to pass, that the causes of all diseases are well known to him, and he is not ignorant [reconstructed: how] the humors in the body may be putrefied, and what corrupt humors will breed such and such diseases, and by what means the air itself may be infected: upon this, preparing his matter, and applying cause to cause, he practiced upon the body of Job, and filled him with grievous sores.

Another example of Satan's real works is this. By reason of his great power and skill, he is able to appear in the form and shape of a man, and resemble any person or creature, and that not by deluding the senses, but by assuming to himself a true body. His power is not so large, as to create a body, or bring again a [reconstructed: soul] into a body, yet by his dexterity and skill in natural causes he can work wonderfully. For he is able, having gathered together fit matter, to join member to member, and to make a true body, either after the likeness of man, or some other creature; and having so done, to enter into it, to move and stir it up and down, and therein visibly and sensibly to appear to man; which though it be a strange work, and besides the ordinary course of nature, yet it is not simply above the power thereof.

For a third instance. The devil is able to utter a voice in plain words and speech, answerable to man's understanding in any language. Not that he can take to himself, being a spirit, an immediate power to speak or frame a voice of nothing without means, but knowing the natural and proper causes and means by which men do speak, by them he frames in himself the voice of a man, and plainly utters the same in a known language. In this manner he abused the tongue and mouth of the serpent, when in plain words he tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Now it is to be remembered here, that when the devil speaks in a creature, it must be such a creature, as has the instruments of speech, or such whereby speech may be framed and uttered, not otherwise: for it was never heard that he spoke in a stock or a stone, or any created entity, that had not the means and power of uttering a voice, at least in some sort; it being a work peculiar to the Creator, to give power of utterance where it is not by creation. Again, when he frames a voice in a creature, he does it not by giving immediate power to speak, for that he cannot do, and the creature abused by him, remains in that regard, as it was before. But it being naturally fitted and disposed to utter a voice, though not perfectly to speak as a man, he furthers and helps nature in it, and adds to the faculty thereof a present use of words, by ordering and ruling the instruments to his intended purposes. And to conclude this point, look what strange works and wonders may be truly effected by the power of nature (though they be not ordinarily brought to pass in the course of nature), those the devil can do, and so far forth as the power of nature will permit, he is able to work true wonders, though for a false and evil end.

Here a question is moved by some, whether the devil can change one creature into another, as a man or woman into a beast? For some, notwithstanding the doctrine already taught, are of opinion, that he can turn the bodies of witches into other creatures, as hares, cats, and such like. Answer: The [reconstructed: transmutation] of the substance of one creature into another, as of a man into a beast of whatever kind, is a work simply above the power of nature, and therefore cannot be done by the devil, or any creature. For it is the proper work of God alone, as I have said, to create, to change or abolish nature.

It is objected, that such changes have been made. For Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26). Answer: It is true, but that was done by the mighty power of God, neither can it be proved that any creature, angel, or other, was ever able to do the like.

But it is further said, that king Nebuchadnezzar was turned into a beast, and did eat grass with the beasts of the field (Daniel 4:30). The answer is: there is no such matter. His substance was not changed, so as his body became the body of a beast indeed, but his conditions only were altered by the judgment of God upon his mind, whereby he was so far forth bereaved of human sense and understanding. Again, for his behavior and kind of life, he became altogether brutish for the time, and excepting only his outward form and shape, no part of humanity could appear in him. But that he retained his human body still, it is evident by his own words, verse 31, when he says, "And my understanding was restored to me," which argues plainly that the hand of God was upon him in some kind of madness and fury, and therefore that there was not a change of his body and substance, but a strange and fearful alteration in his mind and outward behavior. And though such a transmutation should be granted, yet it makes nothing for the purpose, considering it was the work of God only, and not of the devil. And thus we see what kind of wonders the devil can bring to pass. The meditation of which point may teach us two things.

First, that the working of wonders is not a thing that will commend man to God, for the devil himself, a wicked spirit, can work them. And many shall allege this in the day of judgment, that they have by the name of God cast out devils, and done many great works, to whom notwithstanding the Lord will say, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of iniquity" (Matthew 7:22-23). It behooves us rather to get for ourselves the precious gifts of faith, repentance, and the fear of God, indeed to go before others in a godly life and upright conversation, than to excel in effecting of strange works. When the seventy disciples came to our Savior Christ with joy, and told him that even the devils were subdued to them through his name (Luke 10:17), he counsels them not to rejoice in this, that wicked spirits were subdued to them, but rather because their names were written in heaven (verse 20).

Indeed to be able to work a wonder is an excellent gift of God, and may minister matter of rejoicing when it proceeds from God. But seeing the devil received this power by the gift of creation, our special joy must not be therein, but rather in this, that we are the adopted sons of God, in which privilege the devil has no part with us. And therefore the Apostle, in 1 Corinthians 13, making a comparison of the gifts of the Spirit — as of speaking diverse tongues, of prophesying, and working miracles — with love, in the end wishes men to labor for the best gifts, which are faith, hope, and love, because by these we are made partakers of Christ, on whom we ought to set our hearts, and in whom we are commanded always to rejoice (Philippians 4:4).

Secondly, we learn from this not to believe or receive a doctrine now or at any time, because it is confirmed by wonders. For the devil himself is able to confirm his errors and idolatrous services by strange and extraordinary signs, by which he usually labors to vouch and verify the grossest points of falsehood in matter of religion. On the contrary, we must not reject or condemn a doctrine because it is not thus confirmed. This was a main fault in the Jews, who would not receive the word preached by Christ, unless he showed them a sign from heaven. Indeed in the primitive church it pleased God to confirm that doctrine which the Apostles taught, by great signs and miracles, but now that gift has ceased, and the church has no warrant to expect any further evidence of the religion it professes and enjoys by arguments of that kind. Indeed rather it has cause to suspect a doctrine taught for the wonder's sake, whereby men labor to vouch it.

Section 5.

The last clause in the description is this: so far forth as God in justice suffers — which I add for two causes. First, to show that God, for just causes, permits the arts of magic and witchcraft, and the practices thereof. Now this he does in his providence, either for the trial of his children, or for the punishment of the wicked.

First therefore God permits these wicked arts in the church, to prove whether his children will steadfastly believe in him, and seek to his word, or cleave to the devil, by seeking to his wicked instruments. This Moses plainly forewarned the church of God of, in his time (Deuteronomy 13:1-3): "If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and give you a sign or wonder, and the sign and wonder which he has told you, come to pass, saying, Let us go after other gods, which you have not known, and serve them, you shall not listen to the words of that prophet," and so on.

Again, God suffers them for the punishment of unbelievers and wicked men, for oftentimes God punishes one sin by another, as the antecedent sins by the consequent. This Paul plainly shows (speaking of the days of Antichrist) that because men received not the love of the truth, therefore God would send upon them strong illusions, that they should believe lies (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11). And we may resolve ourselves that for this very cause, God suffers the practices of witchcraft to be so rife in these our days, to punish the ingratitude of men, who have the truth revealed to them, and yet will not believe and obey the same, but tread it under their feet — that all they might be condemned who believed not the truth, but took pleasure in unrighteousness.

Secondly, this last clause is added, to show that in the practices of sorcery and witchcraft, the Devil can do so much only as God permits him, and no more. Doubtless, his malice reaches further, and consequently his will and desire; but God has restrained his power, in the execution of his malicious [reconstructed: purposes], whereupon he cannot go a whit further, than God gives him leave and liberty to go. The Magicians of Egypt did some wonders in show like to the miracles wrought by Moses and Aaron, and that for a time, by changing a rod into a serpent, and water into blood, and by bringing frogs through the sleight and power of the devil. But when it pleased God, to terminate their practices, and give them no further liberty, they could not do that, which in likelihood was the meanest of all the rest, the turning of the dust of the land into lice, and themselves gave the true reason thereof, saying, That this was the finger of God (Exodus 8:19). When the devil went out and became a false spirit in the mouth of all Ahab's prophets, to entice him to go to fall at Ramoth Gilead, he went not of his own will; but by the authority of God, who commanded him to go and entice Ahab, and suffered him to prevail (1 Kings 22:20). And the act was not the act of Satan, but of God, whose instrument he was. Therefore the Holy Ghost says by Micaiah, The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets, and the Lord has appointed evil against you (verse 23). Hence also it was, that the devils, being cast out of the man that had an unclean spirit, asked leave of Christ to enter into the herd of swine, and could not enter in till he had permitted them (Mark 5:12-13). And we read oftentimes in the Gospel, that our Savior cast out many devils by his word only, thereby showing that he was absolute Lord over them, and that without his permission they could do nothing.

And thus much touching the general [illegible] of this art.