An Essay on Demonology, Ghosts and Apparitions, and Popular Superstitions: Also, an Account of the Witchcraft Delusion at Salem, in 1692Thacher, James
Philosophy
An Essay on Demonology, Ghosts and Apparitions, and Popular Superstitions: Also, an Account of the Witchcraft Delusion at Salem, in 1692
Thacher, James
Superstition; Witchcraft; Witchcraft -- Massachusetts -- Salem
inveighed against the absurd incredulity of our modern sceptics and
pretended philosophers, on the article of ghosts or apparitions. M. St
Gile thought it now high time to disabuse the good fathers. This
purpose, however, he found it extremely difficult to effect, till he
had prevailed upon them to return with him into the church, and there
be witnesses of the manner in which he had conducted this ludicrous
deception.
WITCHCRAFT AND SORCERY.
A belief in the entity of witchcraft and sorcery may boast of a high
degree of antiquity. In both the Old and New Testament, we observe
numerous tragical events, bearing the semblance of diabolical agency.
A prominent instance is found in the witch of Endor, who is said to
have been deeply versed in the art of deception, and notorious in her
day for skill in practical astrology. It is the opinion of some
divines, that to beguile Saul, she raised a demon, counterfeiting
Samuel; but it seems difficult to decide in what precise manner she
effected her purpose of imposing upon her credulous employer. The
sorcery and witchcraft, prohibited under the Jewish dispensation, is
supposed by high authority to be a very different species of crime
from that which was so abhorrent in the days of our ancestors; the
former might have come under the description of idolatry, or of the
heathen mythology. 'The ancients believed that there were good and
evil demons, which had influence over the minds of men, and that these
beings carried on an intercourse between men and gods, conveying the
addresses of men to the gods, and divine benefits to men. Hence,
demons became the objects of worship. It was supposed, also, that
human spirits, after their departure from the body, became demons, and
that the souls of virtuous men, if highly purified, were exalted from
demons into gods.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account