The displaying of supposed witchcraft : $b Wherein is affirmed that there are many sorts of deceivers and impostors, and divers persons under a passive delusion of melancholy and fancy. But that there is a corporeal league made betwixt the devil and the witch, or that he sucks on the witches body, has carnal copulation, or that witches are turned into cats, dogs, raise tempests, or the like, is utterly denied and disproved. Wherein also is handled, the existence of angels and spirits, the truth Webster, John
Religion
The displaying of supposed witchcraft : $b Wherein is affirmed that there are many sorts of deceivers and impostors, and divers persons under a passive delusion of melancholy and fancy. But that there is a corporeal league made betwixt the devil and the witch, or that he sucks on the witches body, has carnal copulation, or that witches are turned into cats, dogs, raise tempests, or the like, is utterly denied and disproved. Wherein also is handled, the existence of angels and spirits, the truth
Webster, John
Witchcraft; Witchcraft -- Early works to 1800
debemus, aut credere omnia quæ fabulosa tot seculis comperimus_. And
further saith: _Mirum est, quò procedat Græcia credulitas. Nullum tam
impudens mendacium est, ut teste careat._
[Sidenote: Gen. 19. 26.]
[Sidenote: _Antiq. Judaic._ _l._ 1. _c._ 12. _p._ 17.]
[Sidenote: Exod. 4. 3, 4.]
[Sidenote: Exod. 7. 9, 10, 20.]
[Sidenote: Exod. 7. 20, 21.]
[Sidenote: Job. 2. 9.]
2. For essential Transformations we have examples in the Sacred
Scriptures, but these not wrought but by a divine Hand and an omnipotent
Power. And such was that of _Lots_ Wife, who looking back contrary to
command, was turned into a Pillar of Salt, _& fuit in statuam salis_, as
_Arias Montanus_ renders it, which accordeth with the Hebrew exactly,
the vulgar Latine and others say, _versa est in statuam salis_: and this
by the divine finger was a real transubstantiation, especially in
respect of her body, the substance of which was really changed into an
absolute Pillar of Salt, without regression or returning back to what it
was before, but remained so still, and was standing in the days of
_Josephus_, if credit may be given to what he writeth. Another example
we have in _Moses_ his Rod, which God commanded him to cast upon the
ground, _and he cast it upon the ground, and it became a Serpent, and
Moses fled from before it. And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine
hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it,
and it became a rod in his hand._ This Rod afterwards _Aaron_ threw down
before _Pharaoh, and it became a Serpent, and swallowed up the rods of
the Wise-men and Sorcerers, and it afterwards became a rod again_, and
_Aaron_ used it in working some of the rest of the Miracles. So that
this was so true a transformation, that _Moses_ himself was afraid when
he saw the Rod a Serpent, that he fled from before it; and that it was a
real change, appeared in that it swallowed up the Rods of the Magicians,
and still afterwards became a Rod again. So likewise all the Waters in
_Egypt_ were really changed into blood: And our Saviour did really
change the Water into Wine at the Marriage in _Cana_ of _Galilee_. And
all these were true and real transubstantiations, which neither Devils
nor Witches can perform, as appeareth by these unanswerable Arguments.
1. All real Transubstantiations are wrought and performed by a divine
and omnipotent Power: but Devils and Witches have no divine nor
omnipotent Power. Therefore Devils or Witches cannot work or perform any
real Transubstantiations.
2. All Beings that work real Transubstantiations, must work contrary and
different from that order and course that God hath established in
Nature: but Devils and Witches cannot work contrary and different from
that order and course that God hath established in Nature. Therefore
Devils and Witches cannot work any real transubstantiations at all. Let
all the Witchmongers in the World answer these Arguments, if they be
able.
[Sidenote: Mat. 17. 2.]
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