The Witchcraft Delusion in New England: Its Rise, Progress, and Termination, (Vol. 1 of 3)Mather, Cotton
History
The Witchcraft Delusion in New England: Its Rise, Progress, and Termination, (Vol. 1 of 3)
Mather, Cotton
Witchcraft -- New England
§ VI. 'Tis necessary that we unite in every thing: but there are
especially two Things wherein our Union must carry us along together.
We are to unite in our Endeavours to deliver our distressed Neighbours,
from the horrible Annoyances and Molestations with which a dreadful
Witchcraft is now persecuting of them. To have an hand in any thing,
that may stifle or obstruct a Regular Detection of that Witchcraft,
is what we may well with an holy fear avoid. Their Majesties good
Subjects must not every day be torn to pieces by horrid Witches, and
those bloody Felons, be left wholly unprosecuted. The Witchcraft is
a business that will not be sham'd, without plunging us into sore
Plagues, and of long continuance.[70] But then we are to unite in such
Methods for this deliverance, as may be unquestionably safe, lest _the
latter end be worse than the beginning_. And here, what shall I say? I
will venture to say thus much, That we are safe, when we make just as
much use of all Advice from the invisible World, as God sends it for.
It is a safe Principle, That when God Almighty permits any Spirits
from the unseen Regions, to visit us with surprizing Informations,
there is then something to be enquired after; we are then to enquire
of one another, What Cause there is for such things? The peculiar
Government of God, over the unbodied Intelligences, is a sufficient
Foundation for this Principle. When there has been a Murder committed,
an Apparition of the slain Party accusing of any Man, altho' such
Apparitions have oftner spoke true than false, is not enough to Convict
the Man as guilty of that Murder; but yet it is a sufficient occasion
for Magistrates to make a particular Enquiry, whether such a Man have
afforded any ground for such an Accusation. Even so a Spectre exactly
resembling such or such a Person, when the Neighbourhood are tormented
by such Spectres, may reasonably make Magistrates inquisitive whether
the Person so represented have done or said any thing that may argue
their confederacy with Evil Spirits, altho' it may be defective enough
in point of Conviction; especially at a time, when 'tis possible, some
over-powerful Conjurer may have got the skill of thus exhibiting the
Shapes of all sorts of Persons, on purpose to stop the Prosecution
of the Wretches, whom due Enquiries thus provoked, might have made
obnoxious unto Justice.
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