_A Letter of a Gentleman[90] endeavouring to prove the received Opinions about Witchcraft._ _SIR_, I Told you, I had some thoughts concerning Witchcraft, and an Intention of conferring with the Gentleman,[91] who has published several Treatises about Witchcraft, and persons afflicted by them, lately here in _New-England_; but since you have put those three Books into my hands, I find myself engaged in a very hard Province, to give you my opinion of them. I plainly foresee, that should this scribling of mine come to [65] publick view, it would displease all Parties, but that is the least; moreover it is so far out of my Road to set my thoughts to consider a matter on every side, which in itself is so abstruce, and every step I advance therein, if I miss truth (which is a narrow and undivided line) I must tumble down headlong into the Gulph of dangerous error; yet notwithstanding I have forced myself to send these few lines, if so be I may clear to you a truth, you now seem to be offended at, because of the ill consequences, which (you think) lately have and again may be drawn from it, by the ill conduct of some Men. I am not ignorant that the pious frauds of the Ancient, and the inbred fire (I do not call it pride) of many of our Modern Divines have precipitated them to propagate, and maintain truth as well as falsehood, in such an unfair manner, as has given advantage to the Enemy, to suspect the whole Doctrine, these Men have profest to be nothing but a meer trick. But it is certain, that as no lover of truth will justifie an Illegitimate Corollary, tho drawn from a true Proposition; so neither will he reject a truth, because some or many Men take unfair mediums to prove it, or draw false consequences from it: The many Heresies among Christians, must not give a mortal wound to the Essence of the Christian Religion; neither must any one Christian Doctrine be exterminated, because Evil Men make use of it, as a Cloak to cover their own self-ends; particularly, because some men perhaps among all sorts of Christians, have under pretence of Witchcraft coloured their own Malice, Pride and Popularity; we must not therefore conclude (first) that there are no Witches (2.) or that Witches cannot be Convicted by such clear and undeniable proof, as the Law of God requires in the case of Death (3.) Or that a Witch so Convicted ought not to be put to death. 1. That there are Witches is manfest from the precept of _Moses_, _Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live_. Exod. xxii. 18. for it is certain God would not have given a vain and unintelligible Law, as this must be of putting Witches to death, if there are no Witches. But you object that this doth not answer our Case, for we have formed another Idea of Witches than what can be gathered from Scriptures; you quote four places, _viz. Deut._ xiii. _Mat._ xxiv. _Acts_ xiii. 2. _Tim._ iii. from all which you infer that Witchcraft is a maligning and oppugning the Word, Works and