[156] If Baalam became a Sorcerer by Sacrifizing and Praying to the true God against his visible people; Then he that shall pray that the afflicted (by their Spectral Sight) may accuse some other Person (whereby their reputations and lives may be indangered) such will justly deserve the Name of a Sorcerer. If any Person pretends to know more than can be known by humane means, and professeth at the same time that they have it from the Black-Man, i. e. the Devil, and shall from hence give Testimony against the Lives of others, they are manifestly such as have a familiar Spirit; and if any, knowing them to have their Information from the Black-man, shall be inquisitive of them for their Testimony against others, they therein are dealing with such as have a Familiar-Spirit.
And if these shall pretend to see the dead by their Spectral Sight, and others shall be inquisitive of them, and receive their Answers what it is the dead say, and who it is they accuse, both the one and the other are by Scripture Guilty of Necromancy.
These are all of them crimes as easily proved as any whatsoever, and that by such proof as the Law of God requires, so that it is no Unintelligible Law.
But if the Iniquity of the times be such that these Criminals not only Escape Indemnified, but are Incouraged in their wickedness, and made use of to take away the Lives of others, this is worse than a making the Law of God Vain, it being a rendring of it dangerous, against the Lives of Innocents, and without all hopes of better, so long as these Bloody Principles remain.
As long as Christians do Esteem the Law of God to be Imperfect, as not describing that crime that it requires to be Punish'd by Death.
As long as men suffer themselves to be Poison'd in their Education, and be grounded in a False-Belief by the Books of the Heathen.
As long as the Devil shall be believed to have a Natural Power, to Act above and against a course of Nature.
As long as the Witches shall be believed to have a Power to Commission him.
As long as the Devil's Testimony, by the pretended afflicted, shall be received as more valid to Condemn, than their Plea of Not Guilty to acquit.
As long as the Accused shall have their Lives and Liberties confirmed and restored to them, upon their Confessing themselves Guilty.