N00531:36
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.
Arg: 3. If Satan may not represent one that is not a covenant servant of his as afflicting those that are bewitched or possessed, then it is either because he wants Will, or Power to do this, or because God will never permit him thus to do. No man but a Saddu•• doubts of the ill will of Devils. Nothing is more pleasing to the Malice of those wicked Spirits than to see Innocency wronged. And the Power of the Enemy is such as that having once obtained a Divine Concession to use his Art, he can do this and much ⟨p. 15⟩more then this amounts unto. We know by Scripture-Revelation that the Sorcerers of Egypt caused many untrue and delusive (†)Representations before Pharaoh and his Servants. Exod. 7. 11, 22 & 8. 7. And we read of the working of Satan in all Power and Signs, and lying wonders. 2. Thes. 2. 9. His •art is beyond what the wisest of men may pretend unto. He has perfect skill in Optics, and can therefore cause that to be visible to one, which is not so to another; and things also to appear far otherwise then they are. He has likewise the Art of Limning in the Perfection of it, and knows what may be done by Colours. It is an odd Passage (b)which I find in the Acta Eruditorum Printed at Lip•ick, that about 32 years ago an indigent Merchant in France was instructed by a Demon that with water of Borax he might colour Taffeties, so as to cause them to glister and look very gay. He searcheth into the Nature, Causes, and Reasons of things, whereby he is able to produce wonderful effects. So that if he does not form the Shape of an innocent person as afflicting others, it is not from want of either will or power. They that affirm that God never did nor ever will permit him thus to do, allege that it is incon••stant with the Righteousness and Providence of God in Governing Humane Affairs thus to suffer men to be imposed on. It must be acknowledged