The displaying of supposed witchcraft

by John Webster

2 Sam. 24. 16.

Acts 12. 23.

2. A second kind of actions that he assigneth unto Devils is, that they cannot only move bodies locally, but also can alter them diverse and sundry ways, as to make hot things of cold, and so on the contrary, white things of black, and black of white, and can make of fair things deformed ones, and so on the contrary, and can make sound bodies sick, and sick bodies sound, affecting them with various qualities. But these particulars he leaves altogether without proof, except one Text in these words: And he cried with a loud voice unto the four Angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the seas. From whence we shall observe these things. 1. It is granted that God doth make use of evil Angels to punish the wicked, and to chastise and afflict the godly, and in the effecting of these things that they have a power given them to hurt the earth and the Sea and things therein, as to bring tempests, thunder, lightning, plague, dearth, drought and the like; but that in the effecting these things, they have a dative power above what they had in Creation, and that they are commissioned and sent by God upon purpose to fulfil and effect these things, and so are as the organs and instruments to perform the will of God in his justice, and are always for such ends as tend to the Glory of the Creator: But for Devils to be sent to play such ludicrous, filthy and wicked tricks with Witches, as is commonly affirmed, suits not at all with the Wisdom and Justice or Glory of God, neither have we any such examples in holy Writ, no further, but that Devils only are Gods Executioners or Hangmen. 2. It doth no where appear that the Devils can alter, or change the shape or qualities of things at his own will and pleasure, but the contrary is manifest in the Priests of Baal in the time of Elijah upon the Mount Carmel, where their Idols or Gods were to shew their power by firing the Sacrifice, a thing which if Satan could have done for them with all his power, it had been most advantagious for his Kingdom; but it is evident that he neither did nor could procure as much fire as would burn the Sacrifice, though earnestly called upon by his best Servants the Idolatrous Priests. But thou wilt say, his power was then restrained and withholden at that time from effecting any such thing. Well, grant it were so, what was the end that God used that restriction upon him at that time for? was it not because God would not contribute to magnifie the Devils Kingdom? nor to suffer him any longer to deceive his people? But to discover the weakness of his power, who is not able of his own created power, to bring forth fire where there is none, not able to break a paper window, unless he have leave and power given him from God. And therefore much less can, for the magnifying of his own power, and to dishonour the Creator, appear as a Cat, Dog, Squirrel or the like to Witches, suck upon their bodies, have carnal copulation with them, or transport them in the air, for this were to advance his credit too much, and utterly derogatory to the Glory of God. 3. Concerning Satans being an instrument and means to bring and cause diseases, it may be considered these two ways. 1. In an ordinary way he seduceth and draweth men to gluttony and drunkenness, by which way of ingurgitation and excess they draw and contract to themselves diverse Diseases, as Coughs, Catarrhs, Dropsies, Scorbutick Distempers and the like. Others he draweth to insatiable lust and concupiscence, that thereby they fall into the Lues Venerea, and the whole troop of those dire and horrid Symptomes that accompany it, whereby Men and Women undergo great misery, pains, sickness, and sometimes death. Sometimes he pusheth Men on so far in malice, wrath, choler and passion, and many other such like ways, that they wound, lame and sometimes kill one another; and in this sense he may be said to cause diseases diverse ways. 2. But there is another way more extraordinary wherein as an instrument he may be said to cause diseases and sometimes death, as in that case of Davids numbring of the people, where there died of the Pestilence seventy thousand, and though this Pestilence was sent by Jehovah, yet was a destroying Angel the instrument and minister in the execution of it, for the Text saith: And when the Angel of the Lord stretched forth his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented him of the evil, and said to the Angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: now stay thy hand. And Herod for assuming to himself that honour that was only proper to God, was immediately smitten by the Angel of the Lord, and was eaten up of worms, and gave up the Ghost. And the Psalmist saith: He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, indignation and trouble by sending evil Angels among them, the Hebrew giveth it, the emission or sending out of evil Angels. From whence it is manifest that evil Angels are the organs and instruments of Gods wrath, and as Ministers cause Plague, Pestilence and other diseases. 3. Thirdly, there is another great question whether or not the Devil by his vassals, to wit, Sorcerers and Witches doth not cause diseases and death, as is believed by those vomiting up of strange things exceeding the bigness of the Gullet to get either up or down, of which we shall speak largely where we handle the opinion of Van Helmont concerning the actions of Witches: Here only we shall say thus much, that the Devil is author and causer of that hatred, malice, revenge and envy, that is often abounding in those that are accounted Witches, which desire of revenge doth stimulate them to seek for all means by which they may accomplish their intended wickedness, and so they learn all the wicked and secret wayes of hurting, poysoning & killing, but yet we affirm, that what evil soever they perform, it is by causes and means that work naturally, and so the evil is only in the use and application, and not in the efficients or means.

1 Cor. 12. 8, 9.

Psal. 107. 18, 20.

Isai. 54. 16.

De inject. material. p. 598.

And whereas he holdeth that Devils as they can cause Diseases, so they can cure them and take them away, we must crave to be excused if we cannot subscribe to his opinion, and that for these reasons. 1. Because of their causing of Diseases we have sufficient evidence in the Scriptures, but of their curing of any, we have not any mention at all; and though some will think this but weak because it is negative, yet it is not probable, but as it expresseth the one fully, so it would have given some hint of the other, if there had been any such matter. 2. But the Scriptures do inform us, that the gift of healing or curing Diseases, is not in the power of Devils by their Creation, much less since as a gift bestowed upon them, but floweth solely from God by the Ministry of good Angels, of whom Raphael (that is, the Medicine or health of God) is the chief. And that it is reckoned amongst the gifts of the Holy Ghost is most plain: For to one is given by the spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit. To another faith by the same spirit: to another the gifts of healing by the same spirit; but these gifts of healing are not given to Devils, but to the chosen ones of God. And the Psalmist where he is speaking how God afflicted and brought low the people of Israel by reason of their sins, saith: Their soul abhorred all manner of meat, and they drew near unto the gates of death, but he sent his word and healed them. And God declareth, that if his people Israel would keep his Statutes, he would bring none of those Diseases upon them that he had threatned, for (he saith) I am the Lord that healeth thee, and this he doth by the ministry of good Angels, or by natural means, and not by Devils. 3. That Devils are no causers or instruments in curing Diseases is manifest, because that were to make him act contrary to his original destination after his fall, wherein in his own propriety, he is a murderer from the beginning, and that both of souls and bodies, and never did, nor doth any good to mankind, either spiritual or natural, either real or apparent; for that were to act contrary to his will, nature and disposition, and contrary to the Ordinance and appointment of God who hath Created the destroyer to destroy. Therefore Satan after his fall was not ordained of God to be an healer, preserver, or sanator of diseases, but to be a destroyer, a wounder and murderer; for his nature is become so wicked and malignant, that his whole endeavour is the destruction of mankind, both in souls and bodies, and so no healer, no not of the least infirmity. 4. But he is that grand Impostor, that by lying, cheating and delusion, laboureth to make his Vassals and others believe that he can cure and heal Diseases, when he can do no such thing, and therefore hath and still doth amongst the Pagans, by the wicked Priests his Slaves, make the people believe, that if the sick persons be brought before their Idols, and there worship and pray, that they shall be Cured, when there is not any jot performed in the way of sanation, but what is by natural means, fancy, and imagination, or what is pretended to be done so, by cheating, counterfeiting and imposture. And the very same thing is practised by the Papists unto this day, in the pretence of their false and lying Miracles, fathered upon their Saints and Images, which are nothing else but lying cheats and Impostures, as we shall fully make manifest hereafter. 5. The Devil internally deludeth the minds of men, in making them believe, that Pictures, Charms, Amulets, and such other inefficacious and ridiculous means, have power to Cure these and these Diseases, when indeed they are meerly inoperative, and effect nothing at all; but yet the Witchmongers will needs have them to be media operativa, when they are utterly inefficacious, and are only means of seduction and delusion, to alter, change, or fortifie the imagination, by which alone the Cures (if any such be effected) are brought to pass, and not by any power of the Devil at all; and he operateth nothing at all in them, except a mental and internal delusion, in making the Witchmongers and others believe, that those things are wrought by a Diabolical Power, which are only performed by the force of imagination, and a natural agency and virtue. 6. Again, where there are many occult and wonderful effects wrought by natural causes and agents, as by appensions of vegetables, animals, or their parts, and minerals, by magnetism, as the Hoplochrism, Sympathetic Powder, by Transplantation and many other very abstruse and secret wayes and means, the Devil laboureth to take away the glory of these sanative effects, both from God and his Instrument which is Nature, and to have it ascribed unto himself; and in this the Witchmongers do him no small service, in giving that power and honour unto the most wicked and wretched of all Gods Creatures, that is only due to the Creator, and to his instrument Nature. And to conclude this, I cannot but repeat that excellent and Christian Sentence of Helmont: Pigritiæ saltem enim immensæ inventum fuit, omnia in Diabolum retulisse quæ non capimus.

3. A third kind of power that he ascribeth unto Devils, is their changing and transmuting of bodies, which is either in regard of substantial transformations, or of those that are but in the external figure or shape, or in the qualities, accidents and adjuncts only. Of real transubstantiations, after a long dispute, he granteth, that they cannot be brought to pass but by a Divine and Omnipotent Power, which we have sufficiently proved before, and therefore shall forbear to say any further of it here. And for what other portents, prodigies, or lying wonders he can perform, we shall here examine and discuss them to the full in this order.

Deut. 13. 1, 2, 3, 5.