A70086:124
A further account of the trials of the New-England witches with the observations of…A further account of the tryals of the New-England witches with the observations of…
A further account of the trials of the New-England witches with the observations of a person who was upon the place several days when the suspected witches were first taken into examination : to which is added, Cases of conscience concerning witchcrafts and evil spirits personating men / written at the request of the ministers of New-England by Increase Mather ...A further account of the tryals of the New-England witches with the observations of a person who was upon the place several days when the suspected witches were first taken into examination : to which is added, Cases of conscience concerning witchcrafts and evil spirits personating men / written at the request of the ministers of New-England by Increase Mather ...
London: printed for J. Dunton, 1693
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.
These things being premised, I answer the Question affirmatively; There are Proofs for the Conviction of Witches which Jurors may with a safe Conscience proceed upon, so as to bring them in guilty. The Scripture which saith, Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live, clearly implies, that some in the World may be known and proved to be Witches: For until they be so, they may and must be suffered to live. Moreover we find in Scripture, that some have been convicted and executed for Witches: For Saul cut off those that had familiar Spirits, and the Wizards out of the Land, 1 Sam. 28. 9.
These things being premised, I answer the Question affirmatively; There are Proofs for the Conviction of Witches which Jurors may with a safe Conscience proceed upon, so as to bring them in guilty. The Scripture which saith, Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live, clearly implies, that some in the World may be known and proved to be Witches: For until they be so, they may and must be suffered to live. Moreover we find in Scripture, that some have been convicted and executed for Witches: For Saul cut off those that had familiar Spirits, and the Wizzards out of the Land, 1 Sam. 28. 9.
It may be wondered that Saul who did like him that said, Flectere si nequeo Superos Acherenta Movebo, should cause the Wizards in the Land to be put to death. The Jewish Rabbis say, the reason was, because those Wizards foretold that David should be King. It is (as Mr. Gaul kobserves) the Opinion of some learned Protestants, that Saul in his Zeal did over do: And that under the Pretext lof Witches he slew the Gibeonites, for which that Judgment followed, 2 Sam. 21. 1. Neither (saith Mr. Gaule) want we the storied Examples of God's Judgments upon those that defamed, prosecuted and executed them for Witches, that indeed were none. But we have in the Scripture the Example of a better Man than Saul to encourage us to make enquiry after Wizards and Witches in order to their Conviction and Execution. This did the rarest King that ever lived cause to be done, viz. Josiah,