“1. He granteth that the evil spirit hath a power motive, yet therewith cannot hurt the innocent as he pleaseth. And further he tells us that these injected things do enter invisibly. And that this one thing is meerly Diabolical. For the most miserable scoffer (he saith) seeing he hath nothing that is real left to his liberty, yet he hath vain appearances: Because he is the Father of lies, he feigneth those things and maketh them to appear falsly, or otherwise than they are, from the beginning of the World. And in these juglings the Man that is the Devils bondslave worketh nothing at all. But by what manner the Devil maketh things visible in themselves to be invisible, or how he involves them in his invisible spirit, he confesseth that he is not a sedulous searcher of the works of Satan, that belong unto him in propriety. And therefore that the Devil doth transfer the things to be injected, being made invisible, unto the object, the Idea of humane desire directing. And because it is not permitted to the Devil, to enter into Man, much less that he may hurt him, and least of all with an invisible burden; therefore he useth the free motive power of the Man bound unto him. The Man doth therefore impress his free motive Blas into the body made invisible, but the Devil doth carry it unto the Man, into whom it is to be injected. And as a knife by the desire and consent of the person wounding is fixed into the flesh of him that is wounded: So this body made invisible by the Devil, is injected into the body of the person to be inchanted, by the Idea of the motive power of the Witch: Satan conspiring to this because of the purposed direction of hurting the person.
Reas. 2.
2. Truly I believe (he saith) that it doth fight with Piety, if a power exceeding nature be attributed to the Devil. As though Satan should be above nature, and should operate things impossible to nature. I grant that the manner is exotick and strange, but yet notwithstanding it ought to be contained within the limits of nature. And if it be said: the manner is unknown by which nature should do it. The manner is also equally unknown by what means Satan should do it. Therefore they gain nothing who refer the work of nature unto the Devil. But whether they offend or not, let others look to it. For at least it is an invention of immense sloathfulness, to refer all things to the Devil that we do not understand. Neither would I (saith he) have the Devil called upon to satisfie our questions by a temerarious attribution of power.
Reas. 3.
Hist. 1.
Hist. 2.
Hist. 3.
Hist. 4.
Hist. 5.
Hist. 6.