Rolloc. in loc.
Isa. 38. 29.
1. These Tenents do derogate from the Wisdom and Power of God in his Government of the World by divine Providence, because by these it is supposed that the Devils and Witches do operate what, when, and howsoever it pleaseth them, and so the life and estate of all Creatures should be in their power to afflict, torment, or to destroy when they please, which is both false and blasphemous. For the Devils and wicked men are enemies and rebels against God, but yet conquered, and imprisoned, and chained close up by his Almighty Power, that they are not able to act any thing at all (except the evil of their own wills) nor put that into execution, but as far as God doth license and order them, which we shall make plain in these two particulars. 1. The Devils are kept, in chains of darkness unto the judgment of the great day, that is, though their wills be corrupt, wicked, and evil, and that they have a continual desire, like a roaring lion, to seek whom they may devour; yet are they restrained from acting this evil, by the mighty Power of God, and can execute nothing at all, but only as far as God doth order and command them: so the Devils could not by their own power enter into the herd of Swine, until Christ gave to them leave: neither could Satan hurt Job either in his goods or body (though he strongly and earnestly desired it) until he had leave and commission given him from God. No more can Devils or Witches perform these things that are pretended; for it can never be proved that ever God did, or will give them order or leave to perform any such filthy or wicked thing, for which there can be no reason or end assigned why God should order such things to be done, so far different and opposite to the rules of his Justice, Wisdom, and Providence. 2. Nor can wicked persons act what they please, but God doth bridle and restrain them as he pleaseth; for though Pilate proudly thought and boasted that he had power to condemn Christ, or to let him loose, yet our Saviour tells him: Thou couldst have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above. Upon which place learned Dr. Hammond saith thus: “So that thou hast neither right nor power to inflict any punishment on me, were it not that God, who is my Father, hath in his great Wisdom and divine Counsels, for most glorious ends, for the good of the World, determined to deliver me up into thy power to suffer death under thee.” Of which another saith thus: Verba hæc duobus modis accipi possunt: partim quia omnis potestas est à Deo, & divinâ ordinatione; partim quia qui cum potestate est, nihil planè potest, nisi ex Dei efficaci dispensatione ac providentia. So this is manifest in the excessive pride and boasting of Sennacherib of his own power, and taking no notice of Gods inevitable Decree in his Providence, that it was he, even the Lord of Hosts that had done it, and of ancient times had formed it, without which Sennacherib could have done nothing; but because he despised Gods Power and Providence, therefore saith the Lord: Therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back, by the way by which thou camest, which was performed by the slaughter of his Army, and the sending him back into his own Country: so little do mens purposes and counsels prevail, when the Lords will and purpose are against them.
Absurd. 2.
2. These Tenents do divert and obstruct the power and practice of Godliness: For while the Saints of God are taught, that they are to fight the good fight of Faith; and if they intend to be crowned, they must fight stoutly, and gain the victory, knowing, that they fight not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in high places, and that therefore they are to take unto them the whole Armour of God: Therefore they knowing that this warfare is spiritual, and against spiritual enemies, and that the weapons both offensive and defensive are also spiritual; therefore they ought always spiritually to watch and stand upon their guard, lest their subtile and cruel enemy the Devil take them unawares, or by his Stratagems surprize them. For he is that old crafty Serpent, that hath innumerable wiles, and while he intendeth one thing, he pretendeth another; and like a cunning Enemy, gives a false Alarm at the one side of the Camp, while he assaulteth another, or making false fires or shews he seemeth to march away, when in the dark of the night he intendeth to fall on. So lest the Christian should be watchful and prevail, he laboureth by false Teachers, which are the Magicians and Sorcerers in the Mystery, to draw them from their vigilancy, by possessing their minds with these lying Tenents, that the Devil comes in the shape of a Cat or a Dog to a Witch, and bargains with her, and the rest, that whilst they are set at gaze to look for him in a bodily shape, they are made negligent in their spiritual watch, and so are diverted from the spiritual combate, and thereby the power and practice of Godliness is diverted and obstructed. Therefore we are to give heed unto the counsel of the Holy Ghost; to resist the Devil in his spiritual assaults with the spiritual weapons that God bestows upon us, and not to give heed to old Wives Fables, or the false Doctrine of Witchmongers, that make us watch for the Devil where he is not, and in the mean time not to resist him where he is, and that is within effectively in a spiritual manner, for he worketh in the children of disobedience, and therefore a Devil within us is more to be feared, than a Devil without us.
Absurd. 3.
Considerat. about Witchcraft, pag. 95, 96.
3. These Tenents do uphold that horrid, lying, and blasphemous opinion, that our blessed Saviour did cast out Devils by Beelzebub the Prince of Devils: For when they could not deny, nor disprove the plain and open matters of fact, that our Saviour did really cast out Devils, then they devilishly invented and vented, that though he did so, yet it was but by the help of the Prince of Devils, with whom he had a compact, and so wrought by the greater power to over-power the less. Concerning which Mr. Glanvil is pleased to tell us this: “In his return to which he denies not the supposition or possibility of the thing in general, but clears himself by an appeal to the actions of their own children, whom they would not tax so severely.” But by Mr. Glanvils leave we must affirm, that though it be a bold assertion, yet it is not true; for our Saviour doth absolutely confute the supposition both in the general, and also in reference to himself, by shewing the absurdities of it, and that by these Arguments.
Vid. Dr. Hammond in Math. 12. 25, &c.
Vid. loc. citat.