The eight Chapter.
The witchmongers objection concerning the historie of Job answered.
HESE witchmongers, for lacke of better arguments, doo manie times object Job against me; although there be never a word in that storie, which either maketh for them, or against me: in so much as there is not/80. the name of a witch mentioned in the whole booke. But (I praie you) what witchmonger now seeing one so afflicted as Job, would not saie he were bewitched, as Job never saith? aFora Job. 1, 14. first there came a messenger unto him, and said; Thy oxen were plowing, and thy asses were feeding in their places, bandb verse, 15. the Sabeans came violentlie and tooke them; yea they have slaine thy servants with the edge of the sword; but I onelie am escaped to tell thee. cAndc verse, 16. whilest he was yet speaking, another came, and said; The fier of God is fallen from the heaven, & hath burnt up thy sheepe and thy servants, and devoured them; but I onlie am escaped to tell thee. dAndd verse, 17. while he was yet speaking, another came, and said; The Chaldæans106. set out their bands, and fell upon thy camels, and have taken them, and have slaine thy servants with the edge of the sword; but I onelie am/ escaped alone to tell thee. eAnde verse, 18. whilest he was yet speaking, came another, and said; Thy sonnes and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their elder brothers house, fandf verse, 19. behold there came a great wind from beyond the wildernesse, and smote the foure corners of the house, which fell upon thy children, and they are dead; and I onlie am escaped alone to tell thee. gBesidesg Ibid. ca. 2. vers. 7. all this, he was smitten with biles, from the sole of his foote to the crowne of his head. If anie man in these daies called Job should be by the appointment or hand of God thus handled, as this Job was; I warrant you that all the old women in the countrie would be called Coram nobis: warrants would be sent out on everie side, publike and private inquirie made what old women latelie resorted to Jobs house, or to anie of those places, where these misfortunes fell. If anie poore old woman had chanced within two or three moneths to have borrowed a curtsie of *seasing,[* ? searsing] or to have fetcht from thence a pot of milke, or had she required some almes, and not obteined it at Jobs hand; there had beene argument enough to have brought hir to confusion: and to be more certeine to have the right witch apprehended, figures must have beene cast, the sive and sheares must have beene set on worke; yea rather than the witch should escape, a conjuror must have earned a little monie, a circle must have beene made, and a divell raised to tell the truth: mother Bungie must have been gon unto, and after she had learned hir name, whom Job most suspected, she would have confirmed the suspicion with artificiall accusations: in the end, some woman or other must have beene hanged for it. But as Job said; Dominus dedit: so said he not; Diabolus vel Lamia sed Dominus abstulit. Which agreeth with the tenor of the text, where it is written, that the divell at everie of Jobs afflictions desired God to laie his hand upon him. Insomuch as JobJ. Calvin. in Job. cap. 1. 21. imputed no part of his calamitie unto divels, witches, nor yet unto conjurors, or their inchantments; as we have learned now to doo. Neither sinned he, or did God any wrong, when he laid it to his charge: but we dishonour God greatlie, when we attribute either the power or proprietie of God the creator unto a creature.
*CalvineJ. Calvin. in
Job, cap. 2.
Sermon. 8.
Muscul. in loc. comm.
Idem, ibidem. saith; We derogate much from Gods glorie and omnipotencie, when we saie he dooth but give sathan leave to doo it: which is (saith he) to mocke Gods justice; and so fond an asser/tion,107. that if asses could speake, they would speake more wiselie than so. For a temporall judge saith not to/81. the hangman; I give thee leave to hang this offender, but commandeth him to doo it. But the mainteiners of witches omnipotencie, saie; Doo you not see how reallie and palpablie the divell tempted and plagued Job? I answer first, that there is no corporall or visible divell named nor seene in any part of that circumstance; secondlie, that it was the hand of God that did it; thirdlie, that as there is no communitie betweene the person of a witch, and the person of a divell, so was there not any conference or practise betwixt them in this case.
And as touching the communication betwixt God and the divell,J. Calvine in his sermon upon Job. behold what Calvine saith, writing or rather preaching of purpose upon that place, wherupon they thinke they have so great advantage; When sathan is said to appeere before God, it is not doone in some place certeine, but the scripture speaketh so to applie it selfe to our rudenes. Certeinlie the divell in this and such like cases is an instrument to worke Gods will, and not his owne: and therefore it is an ignorant and an ungodlie saieng (as Calvine judgeth it) to affirme, that God dooth but permit and suffer the divell. For if sathan were so at his owne libertie (saith he) we should be overwhelmed at a sudden. And doubtlesse, if he had power to hurt the bodie, there were no waie to resist: for he would come invisiblie upon us, and knocke us on the heads; yea hee would watch the best and dispatch them, whilest they were about some wicked act. If they saie; God commandeth him, no bodie impugneth them: but that God should give him leave, I saie with Calvine, that the divell is not in such favour with God, as to obteine any such request at his hands.
And wheras by our witchmongers opinions and arguments, the witch procureth the divell, and the divell asketh leave of God to plague whom the witch is disposed: there is not (as I have said) any such corporall communication betweene the divell and a witch, as witchmongers imagine. J. Calvine in Job. cap. 1. sermon. 5. Neither is God mooved at all at sathans sute, who hath no such favour or grace with him, as to obteine any thing at his hands.
But M. Mal.Mal. malef. pa. 1. quæst. 1.
Idem part. 1. quæst. 4. and his friends denie, that there were any witches in Jobs time: yea the witchmongers are content to saie, that/108. there were none found to exercise this art in Christs time, from his birth to his death, even by the space of thirtie three yeares. If there had beene anie (saie they)Note what is said touching the booke of Job. they should have beene there spoken of. As touching the authoritie of the booke of Job, there is no question but that it is verie canonicall and authentike. Howbeit, manie writers, both of the Jewes and others, are of opinion, that Moses was the author of this booke; and that he did set it as a looking glasse before the people: to the intent the children of Abraham (of whose race he himselfe came) might knowe, that God shewed favour to others that were not of the same line, and be ashamed of their wickednesse: seeing an uncircumcised Painime had so well demeaned himselfe. Upon which argument Calvine (though he had written upon the same) saith, that Forsomuch as it is uncerteine, whether it were Res gesta or Exempli gratia, we must leave it in suspense. Nevertheles (saith he) let us take that which is out of all doubt; namelie, that the Holy-ghost hath indited the booke, to the end that the Jewes should knowe that God hath had a people alwaies to serve him throughout the world, even of such as were no/82. Jewes, nor segregated from other nations.
Howbeit, I for my part denie not the veritie of the storie; though indeed I must confesse, that I thinke there was no such corporall enterlude betweene God, the divell, and Job, as they imagine: neither anie such reall presence and communication as the witchmongers conceive and mainteine; who are so grosse herein, that they doo not onlie beleeve, but publish so palpable absurdities concerning such reall actions betwixt the divell and man, as a wise man would be ashamed to read, but much more to credit: as that S. DunstanIn legenda aurea. lead the divell about the house by the nose with a paire of pinsors or tongs, and made him rore so lowd, as the place roong thereof, &c: with a thousand the like fables, without which neither the art of poperie nor of witchcraft could stand. But you may see more of this matter else-where, where in few words (which I thought good here to omit, least I should seeme to use too manie repetitions) I answer effectuallie to their cavils about this place./
The ninth Chapter.109.
What severall sorts of witches are mentioned in the scriptures, and how the word witch is there applied.
UT what sorts of witches so ever M. Mal. or Bodin saie there are; Moses spake onlie of foure kinds of impious couseners or witches (whereof our witchmongers old women which danse with the fairies, &c; are none.) The first were Præstigiatores Pharaonis,1. Præstigiatores Pharaonis. which (as all divines, both Hebrues and others conclude) were but couseners and jugglers, deceiving the kings eies with illusions and sleights; and making false things to appeare as true: which nevertheles our witches cannot doo. The second is Mecasapha,2. Mecasapha. which is she that destroieth with poison. The third are such as use sundrie kinds of divinations, and hereunto perteine these words, Kasam, Onen, Ob, Idoni.3. Kasam. Onen. Ob. Idoni. The fourth is Habar,4. Habar. to wit: when magicians, or rather such, as would be reputed cunning therein, mumble certeine secret words, wherin is thought to be great efficacie.
These are all couseners and abusers of the people in their severall kinds. But bicause they are all termed of our translators by the name of witches in the Bible: therefore the lies of M. Mal. and Bodin, and all our old wives tales are applied unto these names, and easilie beleeved of the common people, who have never hitherto beene instructed in the understanding of these words. In which respect, I will (by Gods grace) shew you (concerning the signification of them) the opinion of the most learned in our age; speciallie of Johannes Wierus; who though hee himselfe were singularlie learned in the toongs, yet for his satisfaction and full resolution in the same, he sent for the judgement of Andræas Massius,[or Masius] the most famous Hebrician in the world, and had it in such sense and order, as I meane to set downe unto you. And yet I give you this noteNote. by the waie, that witchcraft or inchantment is diverslie taken in the scriptures; somtimes nothing tending to such end as it is commonlie thought to doo. For in 1 Sa/muell,110. 1. Sa. 15, 23. 15, 23. it is all one with rebellion. Jesabell for hir idolatrous life/83. is called a witch. Also in the new testament, even S. Paule saith the Galathians2. Re. 9, 22.
Gal. 3, 1. are bewitched, bicause they were seduced and lead from the true understanding of the scriptures.
ItemMatth. 2, 1. sometimes it is taken in good part; as the magicians that came to worship and offer to Christ: and also where DaniellDaniel. 4. is said to be an inchanter, yea a principall inchanter: which title being given him in divers places of that storie, he never seemeth to refuse or dislike; but rather intreateth for the pardon and qualification of the rigor towards other inchanters, which were meere couseners indeed: as appeareth in the second chapter of Daniell,Dan. 2, 8. where you may see that the king espied their fetches.
Sometimes such are called conjurors,Actes. 19. as being but roges, and lewd people, would use the name of Jesus to worke miracles, whereby, though they being faithlesse could worke nothing; yet is their practise condemned by the name of conjuration.Gen. 4, 18.
Exod. 7, 13, &c.
Acts 13.
Exod. 22, &c.
Acts. 13.
Acts. 19.
Canticles of Salomon. cap. 4. verse. 9. Sometimes jugglers are called witches. Sometimes also they are called sorcerers, that impugne the gospell of Christ, and seduce others with violent persuasions. Sometimes a murtherer with poison is called a witch. Sometimes they are so termed by the verie signification of their names; as Elimas, which signifieth a sorcerer. Sometimes bicause they studie curious and vaine arts. Sometimes it is taken for woonding or greeving of the hart. Yea the verie word Magus, which is Latine for a magician, is translated a witch; and yet it was hertofore alwaies taken in the good part. And at this daie it is indifferent to saie in the English toong; She is a witch; or, She is a wise woman.
Sometimes observers of dreames, sometimes soothsaiers, sometimes the observers of the flieng of foules,Deut. 18, 2.
Jerem. 27.
Acts. 8. of the meeting of todes, the falling of salt, &c: are called witches. Sometimes he or she is called a witch, that take upon them either for gaine or glorie, to doo miracles; and yet can doo nothing. Sometimes they are called witches in common speech, that are old, lame, curst, or melancholike, as a nickname. But as for our old women, that are said to hurt children with their eies, or lambs with their lookes, or that pull downe the moone out of heaven, or make so foolish a bargaine, or doo such homage to the divell; you shall not read in the bible of any such witches, or of any such actions imputed to them.//
