N00531:88
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.
6. The Reasons commonly alleged for this Superstition are of no moment. It is said they hate the water; whereas they have many times desired that they might be cast on the water in order to their purgation. It is alleged, that water is used in Baptism, therefore Witches swim. A weak Fancy. All the water in the world is not consecrated Water. Cannot Witches eat Bread or drink Wine, notwithstanding those Elements are made use of in the Blessed Sacrament. But (say some) the Devils by sucking of them make them so light that the water bears them. Whereas some Witches are twice as heavy as many an innocent Person. Well, but then they are Possessed with the Devil. Suppose so; Is the Devil afraid if they should sink, […] he should be drowned with them? But […] then ⟨p. 58⟩we […] the Gadarenes Hogs drowned when the Devil was in them?
6. The Reasons commonly alledged for this Superstition are of no moment. It is said they hate the water; whereas they have many times desired that they might be cast on the water in order to their purgation. It is alledged, that water is used in Baptism, therefore Witches swim. A weak Phan•y. All the water in the world is not consecrated Water. Cannot Witches eat Bread or drink Wine, notwithstanding those Elements are made use of in the Blessed Sacrament. But (say some) the Devils by sucking of them make them so light that the water bears them. Whereas some Witches are twice as heavy as many an innocent Person. Well, but then they are Possessed with the Devil. Suppose so; Is the Devil afraid if they should sink, 〈…〉 he should be drowned with them? But 〈…〉 then ⟨p. 58⟩we 〈…〉 the Gadarens Hogs drowned when the Devil was in them?
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 aith, 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,