N00531:23
Cases of conscience concerning evil spirits personating men, witchcrafts, infallible proofs of guilt in…
Cases of conscience concerning evil spirits personating men, witchcrafts, infallible proofs of guilt in such as are accused with that crime. All considered according to the Scriptures, history, experience, and the judgment of many learned men. / By Increase Mather, president of Harvard College, at Cambridge, and teacher of a church at Boston in New-England. ; [Six lines of quotations]
Boston printed, : and sold by Benjamin Harris at the London Coffee-House., 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.
And whereas it is objected, that the Devil may appear indeed in the Form of Dead Persons, but that he cannot represent such as are living; The Cont••• is manifest. No Question had Saul said to the Witch, bring me David who was then living, she could as easily have shown living David as dead Samuel, as easily as that great Conjurer, of whom †Wierus speaks, brought the appearance of Hector and Achilles and after that of David before the Emperor Maximilian.
And whereas it is objected, that the Devil may appear indeed in the Form of Dead Persons, but that he cannot represent such as are living; The Cont••• is manifest. No Question had Saul said to the Witch, bring me David who was then living, she could as easily have shown living David as dead Samuel, as easily as that great Conjurer, of whom †Wierus speaks, brought the appearance of Hector and Achilles and after that of David before the Emperour Maximilian.
- †De Prae•tig••s Daemo•••ni. Lib. 1. Cap. 16.
And that evil Angels have sometimes appeared in the likeness of living absent persons is a thing abundantly confirmed by History.
(I)Austin tells us of one that went for Resolution in some intricate Questions, to a Philosopher of whom he could get no Answer; but in the night the Philosopher comes to him, and, resolve, all his Doubts. Not long after, he demanded the Reason why he could not answer him in the day as well as in the night; The Philosopher professed he was not with him in the night, only acknowledged that he dreamed of his having such Conversation with his Friend, but he was all the time at home, and asleep. Paus and Palladius did both of them profess to Austin, that one in his Shape, had divers times, and in divers places appeared to them