Isa. 8. 19, 20.
4. That the Scriptures contain in them all things necessary to Salvation, is so clear a truth, that none but those that are wilfully blind can deny it; for Christ taught his Disciples all things that he had learned of the Father, and the Father sending him to be the Saviour of the World, and to preach the Gospel of eternal Salvation, was not defective in declaring all things that were necessary to accomplish the work and end, for which he was sent forth of the Father. And the glorious Apostle St. Paul tells the Disciples and Brethren, That he had not shunned to declare unto them all the counsel of God, which must of necessity be abundantly sufficient for their Salvations. And he telleth Timothy, That he had known the Scriptures from a child, which were able to make him wise unto salvation. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. Nay the Woman of Samaria had so much knowledge and faith, that she believed that when the Messias was come, he would tell them all things. Now to the obtaining of Salvation, there is nothing more necessary than to know what enemies men have to fight against in their Christian Warfare, which the Apostle tells in these words: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against Spiritual wickedness in high places: Wherefore they are to take unto them the whole armor of God, πανοπλίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, that they may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil, μεθοδείας τοῦ διαβόλου: and that made the Apostle say in another place, We are not ignorant of his devices or crafts, νοήματα. Now the Scriptures being able to make us wise to Salvation, it hath sufficiently declared the natures, powers, knowledge, and offices of both the good and bad Angels, and is a sure word of Prophecy, unto which it is good to take heed, and not unto old wives fables of Apparitions and Goblins, such as Mr. Glanvil would perswade us that they are tydings of another World, when we are taught by unerring testimony of Truth, That those that have Moses and the Prophets, and do not hear them, neither will they be perswaded, though one rose from the dead. And therefore we must be bold to tell Mr. Glanvil, that the Sacred Scriptures do with infallible certitude teach us, that both good and bad Spirits have most certainly an Existence, and therefore we need none of his feigned nor forged stories of Apparitions; which if they were certainly known to be true and real, by undeceivable matters of fact, yet he that doth not believe what is written of the Being of Spirits by Moses and the Prophets, will not believe Apparitions, no not of a man, if he came from the dead. And therefore I will conclude with that precious and pithy Sentence of St. Austin, who saith: Major est hujus Scripturæ authoritas, quàm omnis humani ingenii perspicacitas. And believe not them that say, If you would know the power of Devils and Witches, go to the Writings of Dr. Casaubon, Mr. Glanvil, and to the rest of the Demonographers and Witchmongers, that amass and heap together all the lying, vain improbable, and impossible stories that can be scraped forth of any Author, ancient, middle, or modern, when we are commanded to go to the Law and to the Testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no truth in them. And so I shall shut up this Chapter, wherein (I suppose) I have sufficiently proved, that the denying of such a Witch as I have described, doth not infer the denial of the Being of Angels or Spirits, and that Apparitions are no sufficient grounds for Christians to believe the Existence of Angels and Spirits by, but the Word of God; which was the thing undertaken to be proved.
CHAP. IV.
That the Scriptures and sound Reason are the true and proper Mediums to prove the Actions attributed unto Witches by, and not other improper ways that many Authors have used. And of the Requisites necessary truly to prove a matter of Fact by.
As we have in the former Chapter proved, that Apparitions (though true) are no sufficient warrant to ground our belief upon, for the Existence of Angels or Spirits, but the Word of God: so here we shall endeavour clearly to manifest, that the Sacred Scriptures are the only Medium, joyned with sound Reason, of deciding this point of the power and operation of Demons and Witches, and not other improper Mediums brought in by divers Authors, and first we shall answer the Objection of Mr. Glanvil, that runs thus.
Object. 1.
Pag. 96, 97.
“That though the New Testament had mentioned nothing of this matter, yet its silence in such cases is not argumentative. He said nothing of those large unknown Tracts of America, nor gave he any intimations of as much as the existence of that numerous people; much less did he leave instructions about their Conversion. He gives no account of the affairs and state of the other World, but only that general one of the happiness of some, and the misery of others. He made no discovery of the Magnalia of Art or Nature, no not of those whereby the propagation of the Gospel might have been much advanced, viz. the Mystery of Printing and the Magnet, and yet no one useth his silence in these instances as an argument against the being of things, which are evident objects of sense.” To which we answer.
Respons.
1. He falleth into a common mistake in making the Proposition universal, and dolus versatur in universalibus, when it ought but to be particular: so for him to say, that no silence of Scripture is argumentative, is too universal; for its silence in point of Geography, as in describing America, and the people thereof, nor in discovering the Magnalia Naturæ & Artis is not argumentative; and we do not say, that all silence of Scripture is argumentative, but yet we affirm that some silence of Scripture is argumentative. So we cannot universally say, that nothing hath a being but what is mentioned in Scripture; but we may very well affirm, that some things have no being, or truth of existence, because not declared in Scripture.