A09402:150
A discourse of the damned art of witchcraft so far forth as it is…A discourse of the damned art of witchcraft so farre forth as it is…
A discourse of the damned art of witchcraft so far forth as it is revealed in the Scriptures, and manifest by true experience. Framed and delivered by M. William Perkins, in his ordinary course of preaching, and now published by Tho. Pickering Bachelor of Divinity, and minister of Finchingfield in Essex. Whereunto is adjoined a twofold table; one of the order and heads of the treatise; another of the texts of Scripture explained, or vindicated from the corrupt interpretation of the adversary.A discourse of the damned art of witchcraft so farre forth as it is reuealed in the Scriptures, and manifest by true experience. Framed and deliuered by M. William Perkins, in his ordinarie course of preaching, and now published by Tho. Pickering Batchelour of Diuinitie, and minister of Finchingfield in Essex. Whereunto is adioyned a twofold table; one of the order and heades of the treatise; another of the texts of Scripture explaned, or vindicated from the corrupt interpretation of the aduersarie.
Cambridge: printed by Cantrell Legge, 1610Cambridge: printed by Cantrel Legge, 1610
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
It is alleged, that stars in the heavens, are the causes of many things happening in the world, and therefore to practise by them in this manner, deserveth no such imputation.
It is alleadged, that starres in the heauens, are the causes of many things happening in the world, and therefore to practise by them in this manner, deserueth no such imputation.
Ans▪ It cannot be denied that they are causes of some things, but I demand, what causes? not particular of particular events• but general and common, that work alike upon all things: and no man can divine of a particular event, by a general cause, unless he also know the particular causes subordinate to the general, and the particular dispositions ⟨p. 77⟩and operations of them. For example, let twenty or thirty eggs of sundry kinds of birds be taken, and set under one and the same hen to be hatched; it is not possible for any man, only upon the bare consideration of the heat of the hen, which is the general cause of hatching the eggs, to set down certainly what kind of bird each egg will bring forth, unless he know what the eggs were particularly. For a general and common cause, doth not immediately produce a particular effect, but only moveth and helpeth the particular, immediate, and subordinate causes. Therefore the heat of the hen doth not make one egg to send forth a hen-chicken, another egg a duck, a third a swan, &c. but only helpeth it forward by sitting and crouching upon them. In like manner the stars are general causes of natural things, as the heat of the hen is of the hatching of the eggs, and by them no man can rightly define of particular events, and therefore Divination by the stars, whereby are fore-told particular contingent events, ⟨p. 78⟩in kingdoms, families, or particular persons, is but a forged skill, that hath no ground in nature from the virtue of the stars, for any such purpose.