De Monst. l. 24. c. 18. p. 565.
7. There are divers other Transformations (at least so accounted and called) which because they are not absolutely pertinent to our purpose, we shall only mention slightly. 1. External changes of the body in respect of diseases, and some by an extraordinary power, as that of Moses, to whom the Lord said: Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: And when he took it out: behold, his hand was leprous as snow. And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again: And he put his hand into his bosom again, and plucked it out of his bosom, and behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. Here we see that the same hand was made leprous white as snow, and was again restored as his other flesh. And this was done by a divine Power, such as neither Devils nor Witches can perform. So Gehazi of whom it is said: The leprosie therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow. And here the judgment was permanent, and no restauration, and was a great Miracle, which Devils and Witches cannot perform. 2. There is feigned, and artificial transfigurations. So of David, of whom it is said: And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrambled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. And all this he prudently feigned, that he might escape from Achish the King of Gath, of whom he was sore afraid: So many Persons of Worth have disguised themselves strangely, that they might escape the hands of their enemies, or not fall into their power, and yet these were not done by the Devils Art, nor by Witchcraft. So a Stage-player transfigureth himself, sometimes to personate one person, and sometimes another; and though his outward habit, speech, and action be changed, yet he remaineth the same in Nature and Person that he was before those changes, and so maketh nothing for Witchcraft at all. 3. There are knavish Transfigurations and Counterfeiting for deceitful and wicked ends, as in those we call Gypsies, that discolour their faces and skins, to be more fit to cheat and cozen. So likewise do many other vile and wicked persons counterfeit Sores, Ulcers, Leprosie, Dropsie, and such like diseases, as may be seen at large in Ambrose Paræus Book of Monsters, and we have seen and detected divers; and all this done only to deceive and abuse mens goodness and charity: But no more of Devil in any of these, but the wickedness of the mind, and the evil of the end and intention. Of a more wicked grain and temper are those, that for wicked and devilish ends counterfeit themselves to be possessed, and labour to make the World believe, that the Devil doth move in divers parts of their bodies, and doth speak in them, when it is nothing but only their own devilish cunning in lying and counterfeiting, as we shall have occasion to shew more fully hereafter. 4. There are also divers kinds of sportive and delusive Transformations, performed by those that use the Art of Leger-de-main or Juggling, wherein they pretend and seem to transubstantiate one thing into another, when by the agility of their hands, and the gesture of their face and body, they do but draw your eyes and attention another way, while they do but nimbly convey another thing in its place. And he that taketh these for Conjurers or Witches, and their Tricks for diabolical or Witchcraft, are surely under a devilish delusion, and are most strangely bewitched. And as for the changes wrought by Pharaohs Magicians, we shall particularly handle it in another place.
Rom. 12. 2.
2 Thess. 2. 9, 10, 11, 12.
1 Sam. 18. 10.
Dan. 4. 32, 33, 34, 36.
Ibid. vers. 16.
8. There are other Transformations mentioned in the Scripture, of which we shall now speak. 1. That transformation that the Grace and Spirit of God doth work inwardly in the minds and hearts of the Godly, which is not by changing their Nature or Persons, but by transforming their minds, and altering their wills and affections from sinful and earthly things, to those that are holy and heavenly: so the Apostle willeth the Romans, that they be transformed by the renewing of their minds, and so they come to be changed from glory to glory, and this were blasphemy to say, that either Devil or Witch could perform it. 2. There is a transformation wrought in the minds of the wicked by the just judgment of God; for the Text saith, speaking of Antichrist: Revealing even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusions, that they should believe a lye. That they all might be damned, who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. So in the case of Saul the Text saith: And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil Spirit from God came upon Saul. These therefore are inward judgments for wickedness, sent by God by the ministry of Satan, of which we shall speak more hereafter. 3. We lastly come to the main point, that is, concerning the transformation of Nebuchadnezzar, which the Witchmongers hold to be a real and an essential transubstantiation, therefore let us hear the words as they run in our English Translation, which are this: And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, they shall make thee eat grass as oxen. The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar, and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like Eagles feathers, and his nails like birds claws. And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lift up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me. At the same time my reason returned unto me. And a little before: Let his heart be changed from mans, and let a beasts heart be given unto him. From this place they commonly frame an argument to this purpose. That Nebuchadnezzar being really and essentially changed from a man to a beast or an ox, much more may Satan essentially transform himself into the shape of any Creature, and consequently that he may really change the Witches into Hares, Dogs, Cats, and the like. But we shall unanswerably prove that the assumption is false, that Nebuchadnezzar was not transubstantiated, or essentially transformed at all: And if he had been really so, yet that the consequence is invalid, and of no force, and that by these Arguments.
Argum. 1.
Hist. medic. l. 4. c. 5. p. 239.