The arraignment of slander periury blasphemy, and other malicious sinnes shewing sundry examples of Gods iudgements against the ofenders. As well by the testimony of the Scriptures, and of the fathers of the primatiue church as likewise out of the reportes of Sir Edward Dier, Sir Edward Cooke, and other famous lawiers of this kingdome. Published by Sir William Vaughan knight.

LINEAMENT. XV.

1 That the Authours meaning is not to denie the Diuels reall sub∣sistence.

2 His charitable application of the statute against Witchcraft, made Anno primo Iacobi.

3 That he onely denieth his reall power, and his palpable force ouer a∣ny of Gods creatures.

4 The vanity and fondnesse of Wizards.

5 That the hand of God plagued Iob and other creatures of his.

6 That good men neuer detract from Gods glory.

IT is no part of my meaning heretically with the Sadduces to denie the eslentiall * 1.1 subsistence of Diuels; for in all my wri∣tings I affirme their being, I auerre their fall from Angels s••ates, I auouch their cap∣tiuity in hell. As on the other side, I thinke that Sinne is meant by the Diuell in most part of the Scripture: yet so, that I know the originall to proceede from that Serpent, the great seducing spirit, in whom God found folly, as Iob said. By the Diuell then, which com∣monly peruerts mankinde in these dayes, I vnderstand a sinfull Will arising from melancholy and corruption of flesh and bloud, which the spiritual Tempter, the snea∣king Snake, like a virulent infectious smoake breatheth vpon vs, when we be destitute of grace. I graunt that in * 1.2 times past, in times of blinde Papistry moe Ghosts and Spi∣rits were seene, then tongue can tell, whereas now contrari∣wise a man shall scarcely all his life time heare once of such things.

And if it were lawfull for me to comment vpon our * 1.3 Act of Parliament in that case prouided, Anno primo Ia∣cobi, where it is felony without benefit of Clergy in them, which exercise any coniuration of a wicked spirit for any mans corporall hurt, I would affirme, that this most soue∣raigne Court enacted the said Statute, partly in imitation

of the law of God, where Coniuration is termed some∣times the vsing of poyson to mens corporall hurts, som∣times an vncharitable or inueterate malice of one neigh∣bour to the other, which the Apostle names man slaugh∣ter; and sometimes a whoring after strange Gods (which is called spirituall fornication) such as the adoration of Dagon was among the Philistines, Ieroboams golden Calfe (which he in Machiauellian policy made to keepe the Israelites from going to worship in Ierusalem) and such as Bel was in Babylon, all as senselesse blockes and stones; partly the said Act against Coniurers was set out, to the end, that the inward man might be reformed, that malicious deuices being the causes of Treasons, Murthers, and poysonings might be suppressed, and also that Idola∣try, superstition, deceits, and cousenages, the impediments of loue, vnity, charity, and concord might be quite bani∣shed out of our vnited Realme. For is that man worthy to liue in a ciuill society, which vniustly demeanes him∣selfe towards God and his neighbours? Deserues he the title of a true subiect, which inuocates on a forraigne Prince, which serues his Princes enemy? The lawes of Christianity condemnes him. Let God haue what be∣longs to God; and Caesar what belongs to Caesar. Better kill one rotten sheepe rather then the whole flocke mis∣cary. Better it is to chop off the hand, then the whole body perish. One leades astray this man, this man ano∣ther, and at the last (as more sa••kes to the mill) whole multitudes become preyes to the Diuell.

For further explanation of the said Statute it is inser∣ted, that supposed Coniurers shall be punished, If they vn∣dertake by charmes to finde hidden treasure, to prouoke vn∣lawfull loue, &c. although the same be not effected and done. And well worthy, seeing by such indirect dealings and diabolicall deceits they become Apostataes, loosing the priuiledge of Baptisme, and consequently of Christiani∣ty, where they were bound by their pledges to renounce

the Diuell and all his workes. They become guilty be∣fore God, though the Diuell appeares not at all really vn∣to them, after that they once determine in their minds to raise him vp.

Neuerthelesse for all this, that I conceiue so charitably of my Countrey-mens freckled integrity, like vnto that * 1.4 Law-giuer of Greece, which decreed no Act against Par∣ricides, because he thought that kinde of sinne would ne∣uer happen: I wish my Readers not to make a strict Syn∣taxis or sophisticall construction on my simple meaning, by their peecemeale collecting, that I goe about to se∣clude the Authour of sinne by my construction of sinne. For I acknowledge his false miracles, his illusions, his ambiguous riddles, and his Apparitions of shadows both immediate and mediate, ouert and couert, explicite and implicite, ordinary and extraordinary, tending altogether to one maine point, namely, to tempt with deceit olde Adams carelesse progeny; as contrariwise I impugne his ommpotent greatnesse, supposed to be as well reall as royall. I impugne his sacrilegious power of lightning and thundring Maiesty. I impugne his reall sword of autho∣rity, his paspable force of correction, and his sensible dart of death ouer any of Christs members. God forbid that his diuine Maiesty should tollerate this cruell Tyrant (whose soueraigne felicity is malicious enuie) in that im∣perious manner: for then the life of man were in a most desperate plight. Then were we assured to be suddenly dispatched, euen in our extremity of sinne. When wee were occupied about some wicked acte (as the very best do sometimes fall) his remorcelesse spirit would not lose that great aduantage, he would surely (like a rauening Lyon) vtterly deuoure vs. Nay more, if God did winke at his tyrannie, our whole estate by the mediation of the Papists, who take vpon them to be the Arch-coniurers of the world, had beene long sithence blowne vp with the Gun-powder of his treacherous soule; but, God be than∣ked,

we haue a gracious Lord, which hath limited this Leuiathan (as Salomon limited Semei) to his narrow home? and as the Poet spake of Aeolus his kingdome, Stricta dominatur in aulà, hee Lordeth it in his straight * 1.5 hall. And if it chance that he enter into a man, we may well doubt whether his entrance be in the soule or body, or rather whether his spirituall nature possesseth mans spirituall nature, that is, the soule or soules faculties. Howsoeuer the bodie or soule become possessed by the permission of God, I certainly beleeue that he may be quickly dislodged by praier and fasting, and holy exercise; for surely the holy Ghost, and Gods ministring spirits loathe to guard our soules, as long as we liue lewdly and licentiously.

These things considered, I dare stand vpon my Chri∣stian guard, and defie the Diuell with all his trumperies, * 1.6 and reputed realty. Let him do his worst, let him cause his cogging Coniurers to vndertake false miracles, works of wonders, and tragicall tempests. Our eares are stopt with Vlysses, that we can neuer be surprised, charme these Mearemaids neuer so melodiously. Let them feed their hopes with golden dreames, let them burie Sage till it be quite rotten, let them fling flint stones ouer their left shoulders towards the West, and when all comes to all they build vpon the sand, and themselues are estee∣med but for wizards, dizards, and dotards; howsoeuer that the Spirit of detraction proclaime them for fooloso∣phers, or foolish flies, which sitting on a waine wheele, thought that themselues occasioned the great dust in the high way, which the mouing of the wheele raised.

Wherefore I exhort thee, that hast beene guiltie of such detractions, to addict thy cogitations to the power * 1.7 of God, which indeed is onely royall and reall, infinite, and immensiue; and also to imitate holy Iob, who imputed his calamities to the Lord, and not to the Diuell; The

Lord gaue, the Lord taketh away: blessed be the name of the * 1.8 Lord. And againe, when his friends hit him in the teeth with his punishment deseruedly for his sinnes, he prote∣sted in this manner: Know now that God hath ouerthrowne * 1.9 me, and compassed me with his net, and a little after: Haue pitie on me, O my friends, for the hand of God hath touched me. By which words of Iob it appeares that the hand of God plagued him, and that the Diuell exercised but the part of a Relator or Accuser (such as he is termed in the Reuelation of S. Iohn. whē the Accuser of the brethren was cast downe from heauen.) To this sence agreeth that motion of the Diuel: Lay thine hand vpon him, and he shall curse thee to thy face. Whereto though God answered: Lo he is in thine hand, yet we must not take that saying lite∣rally, * 1.10 but parable-wise, or according to the Hebrew ma∣ner of speech. He is in thine hand, that is, he is in the case as thou wouldest haue him, my hand shall plague him accor∣ding to thy demaund. Likewise we must vnderstand, that the holy Ghost here, as in other places of the Scripture in∣serteth such familiar conserence, as is fitting for mans ca∣pacity, and for the vsage of that language. When his Maiestie is disposed really to plague offendors, cōmonly he employeth his owne Angels, which S. Iohn in the Re∣uelation plainly manifesteth in these words: I saw another signe in heauen great and maruellous, seuen Angels hauing * 1.11 the last seuen plagues, for by them is fulfilled the wrath of God. And againe, I heard a great voyce going out of the Temple saying to the seuen Angels: Go your waies, & powre * 1.12 out the seuen golden vials of the wrath of God vpon the earth. His owne Angell God sent to destroy Sodome and Gomorra, to plague the Israclites when Dauid caused the people to be numbred, and to ouerthrow Senacheribs army. His owne Angell he sent to smite ambitious He∣rode, * 1.13 so that he was eaten vp of wormes.

To conclude, this is a golden rule, and worthy to be en∣grauen in Cedar, that Good men neuer detract from the * 1.14

Lord, or from their neighbours. To the Lord they ascribe al glory, all causes, all effects. To Caesar they ascribe what is Caesars, and honour to whom honour belongeth. Not∣withstanding any naturall notions, or idle imaginations imprinted in their braines by the Spirit of Detraction, good men will quickly breake through such brittle cob∣webs, and will pierce quite through such imaginations with their intellectuall iudgements, (as the beames of the Sunne pierce and passe through the thickest clouds) in∣wardly building on this fort of faith, that the Diuels force, himselfe being spirituall, and oftentimes a prisoner, is not really reuelling, but spiritually roguing or restrained euen according to the pleasure of the Great Iehouah, in whose power alone it consisteth to bruise his head, and to bring vs safely out of his tempting snares.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1
• * 1.2

  King Iames in his second booke of Daemonolog. cap. 7.
• * 1.3

  2
• * 1.4

  3
• * 1.5

  Virgil. lib. 1. Aeneid.
• * 1.6

  4
• * 1.7

  5
• * 1.8

  Iob. ca. 1.
• * 1.9

  Iob. cap. 19. Ibid.
• * 1.10

  Iob. 1.
• * 1.11

  Apoc. cap. 15.
• * 1.12

  Ibid. cap. 16.
• * 1.13

  Act. Apost. cap. 12.
• * 1.14

  6