A discourse of the damned art of witchcraft so farre forth as it is reuealed in the Scriptures, and manifest by true experience. Framed and deliuered by M. William Perkins, in his ordinarie course of preaching, and now published by Tho. Pickering Batchelour of Diuinitie, and minister of Finchingfield in Essex. Whereunto is adioyned a twofold table; one of the order and heades of the treatise; another of the texts of Scripture explaned, or vindicated from the corrupt interpretation of the aduersarie.

Sect. IV.

Hitherto I haue shewed the first kind of Diuination by meanes, both true and forged. Now followeth the second; pra∣ctised without meanes.

Diuination without meanes, is the foretelling and reuealing of things to come, by the alone and immediate assi∣stance of a familiar spirit. This kind is mentioned and expressely forbidden, Leuit. 19. 31. Ye shall not regard them that worke with spirits. Againe, Leuit. 20. 6. If any turne after such as worke with spi∣rits, to goe a whoring after them, I will set my face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people. So, Deut. 18. 11. Let none be found among you that consulteth with spirits. In which places the holy Ghost vseth the word Ob, which more properly signifieth a spirit, or deuill, in which sense it is taken in Leuit. 20. 27. and in 1. Sam 28. 8. And by reason of the league which is be∣tweene the Witch and the deuill, the same is also giuen to the Witch, that worketh by the deuill: and therefore

the Pythonesse at Endor, is both called Ob, 1. Sam. 28. 9. and shee that ruleth Ob. v. 7, 8.

Now this kind of Diuination is pra∣ctised two wayes: either inwardly, when the spirit is within the Witch: or out∣wardly, when being forth of the Witch he doth onely inspire him or her.

An example of the former waie, the Scripture affordeth, Act. 16. 16. of a woman at Philippi, that had a spirit of Pytho; which gather master much vantage with diuining. And this spirit whereby she diuined was within her. For Paul beeing molested, said to the spirit, I cōmand thee in the name of Ie∣sus Christ, that thou come out of her, and he came out the same houre, v. 18. And be∣cause the deuill is wont in this kinde to speake out of the throat and brest, or bellie of the Witch p••ssessed, hereunto learned men haue thought that this name (Ob) is giuen to the deuill, because he speaketh out of the witch, as out of a bottell or hollow vessell: for so the word Ob, properly signifieth.

Secondly, this may be practised

when the deuill is forth of the Witch, and then he either inspireth her, or els casteth her into a traunce, and therein reueileth vnto her such things as she would know.

Of this kind, though we haue no ex∣ample in Scripture, yet the histories of the heathen doe affoard vnto vs many instances of experience therein. One of the principall is the historie of the ten Sibylles of Greece, who were most fa∣mous Witches, and did prophesie of many things to come, whereof some were true concerning Christ and his kingdome, which the deuill stole out of the Bible, and some other were false: and all of them they receiued by reue∣lation from the deuill in traunces.

But it will be said, If the deuill reuei∣leth vnto his instruments strāge things in traunces, then how shall a man dis∣cerne betweene diabolicall reuelations, and the true gift of prophesie, which God in traunces reueileth vnto his Pro∣phets.

Answ. In this point Satan is, (as it were) Gods ape. For as he in old time

raised vp holy Prophets to speake vnto the fathers for the building vp of his Church: so hath Satan inspired his mi∣nisters, and furnished his instruments with propheticall inspirations from time to time, for the building vp of his owne kingdome: and hereupon he hath notably counterfeited the true gift of prophecie receiued first from God him∣selfe. And yet, though in many things they be like, there is great difference betweene them.

First, diuine trances may come vpon Gods children, either whē the soule re∣maineth vnited with the bodie, or else when it is seuered for a time. So much Paul insinuateth, when he faith of him∣selfe, 2. Cor. 12. ••. that he was rapt vp (as it were in a heauenly trance) into the third heauen, but whether in the bodie, or out of the bodie, he knew not. But in all diabolical ecstasies, though the body and senses of the Witch be (as it were) bound or benummed for the time; yet their soules still ren••aine vnited to their bodies, and not seuered from them. For though the deuill by Gods permission

may kill the bodie, and so take the soule out of it for euer; yet to take it from the bodie for a time, and to reunite them a∣gaine, is miraculous, and therefore be∣yond the compasse of his power.

Secondly, in diuine trances the ser∣uants of God haue all their senses, yea all the powers of soule and bodie re∣maining sound and perfect, onely for a time the actions and operations are su∣spended and cease to doe their dutie: but in ecstasies that be from Satan, his instruments are cast into frenzies and madnesse: so as reason in them is darke∣ned, vnderstanding obscured, memorie weakned, the braine distempered; yea, all the faculties are so blemished, that many of them neuer recouer their for∣mer estate againe: and they that scape best, doe carrie their blemishes, as the deuills skars, euen vnto their graue. So kind is Saran to his friends, that he will leaue his tokens behind him, where e∣uer he comes in this sort. The seruants of God receiue no such blemishes, but rather a further good, and a greater measure of illumination of all the pow∣ers

of the soule.

Thirdly, diuine ecstasies tend alway to the confirming of the truth of the Gospel, and the furtherance of true reli∣gion and pietie. Such was Peters, Act. 10. 11. which serued to assure him of his calling to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, and to informe his iudgement in this truth, that there was no accepti∣on of persons with God, and that to them of the new Testament, all things were cleane, and nothing polluted. But the scope of them that are from Satan, is principally the suppressing and hin∣derance of religion, the drawing of the weake into errours, the ratifying and confirming of thē that are fallen there∣into, and the generall vpholding of the practises of vngodlinesse. And by these and such like particular differences, hath God pulled off the Deuills vizar, and made him better knowne and discer∣ned of true Christians. And thus much concerning Diuination, the first part of Witch-craft.