N00531:89
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.
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, 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 •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 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 Ac•eronta 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 (k)observes) the opinion of some learned Protestants, that Saul in his Zeal did overdo. And that under the Pretext (l)of Witches he slew the Gibeonites, for which that Judgment followed.