A Treatise of Witchcraft | Page 5

which the malicious Iewes, not abiding his heauenly and gracious doctrine, obiected to Christ Iesus our blessed Sauiour, _Ioh. 8. 48_. The holy Apostle reprouing the Galathians for their sudden Apostasie and back-sliding from the Gospell so powerfully preached vnto them and with so great euidence of the spirit, as though Christ had bin crucified before their eyes, doth it in no other termes than these, _Who hath bewitched you?_ _Gal. 3. 1_. And afterward, _Cap. 5. 20._ marshalleth Witch-craft among the workes of the flesh: In both which places the names are taken from the seducements and illusions of Inchanters, who astonish the mindes, and deceiue the senses of men, and all that by vertue of a contract passed betwene them and the Diuell. Other like proofes may be added to these alledged, _Leuit. 20. 6._ _Micah 5. 12._ _Nahum 3. 4_. Now then when God affirmeth there be such, whose words are truth, shall man dare once to open his mouth, and contradict the most righteous?
[Footnote b: +Didaskalia+ +elenchos+ +epanorth?sis+ +paideia+.]
[Footnote c: _Philo in libro de legibus specialibus._]
[Footnote d: _Vide Paulum Phagium in annotationibus, & Chaldaicam Paraphrasin in cap. 18. & 19. Leuitici._]
[Footnote e: _Bodinus in confutatione opinionum Wieri._]
Concerning humane witnesses, they be almost infinite; and therefore it shall be sufficient to produce some few, choyce, and selected: [f] The second Councell of Constantinople held and gathered together in the Imperiall palace, of two hundred seuen and twenty learned and reuerent Bishops, nameth sundry sorts of such Sorcerers, and censureth their actions to be the damned practises of the Pagans, and decreeth all the Agents therein excommunicated from the Church and society of Christian people, adding the motiue reason of this their determined sentence, from the Apostle, _2. Cor. 6. 14_. For righteousnesse hath no fellowship with vnrighteousnesse, neither is there communion of light with darknesse, nor concord with Christ and Belial, nor the beleeuer can haue part with an Infidell. And [g]Chrysostome sharply reproueth all such, and those who aduise with them vpon any occasion, confuting the reasons which they take to be sufficient warantise of their doings. As among the rest they will pretend, Shee was a Christian woman who doth thus charme or inchant; and taketh no other but the name of God in her mouth, vseth the words of sacred Scripture. To this that holy Father replieth, Therefore she is the more to be hated, because shee hath abused and taken in vaine that great and glorious name, and professing herselfe a Christian, yet practiseth the [h]damnable Arts of miscreant and vnbeleeuing Heathen. For the Diuels could speake the name of God, and neuerthelesse were still Diuels; and when they said vnto Christ, they knew who he was, the holy one of God, &c. _Mar. 1. 24.25._ their mouthes were stopped, he would no such witnesse, that wee should learne, not to beleeue them when they say the truth: for this is but a bait, that wee might afterward follow their lies. There is much mention made of these, both in the Ciuill and [i]Canon Lawes, and diuersitie of punishment alotted out for them; so that none can doubt but that there hath beene, and are such. I might remember vnto you the authority of Clemens Romanus in his Recognitions, and those Constitutions which are fathered vpon the Apostles; but their credit is not so great, that they may without exception be impannelled vpon this Iury, for they haue long since been chalenged of [k]insufficiencie.
[Footnote f: _Cap 61. congregata est hac synodus sib Iustiniano qui vocatus est +rhinotmêtês+, in qua erant Episcopi, 227. Balsamon in suis ad eum Commentarijs, & vocata est synodus in Trullo erat autem +ho trullos+ Secretarium palatij quia in eo fuit celebrata, eam aut[~e] +pentekên+ vocat Balsamon quasi Quintisext? dicas quia quod quinte & sexta synodis deerat (septem enim recipiunt Gr?ci) h?c expleuit, Nomenclator Gr?corum dictionum qu? apud Harmenopulum occurrunt in sui iuris Promptuario._]
[Footnote g: This testimony of Chrysostome is cited by Balsamon, in his exposition vpon that Chapter of the Councell before alleaged, to which may be added other of the same holy Bishop in his 9 Homily vpon the Epistle to the Colossians, & his 6 Sermon against the Iewes.]
[Footnote h: _Superstitio t?to peior est qu?to plura miscentur bona, quoni? vnde debeat honorari Deus honoratur Diabolus. _Ioh. Gerson_ in Trilogio Astrologi? Theologisat? propositione 21._]
[Footnote i: _Vide Phothi[~u] Patriarch? Constantinopolitan[~u] in nono Canone titulo 13. cap. 19_]
[Footnote k: Ierome in his Apology against _Ruffinus._ and Eusebius alloweth but one only Epistle of his, _Histor. Ecclesiast. 2. cap. 16_. _Gratianus distinct. 15._ _Epiphanius contra Audianos._]
Among the Gentiles, when these so qualitied persons did swarme, and were accounted of high esteeme, there be reckoned vp whole troopes of this blacke guard of the Diuell; As [l]Circe whom Homer reporteth to haue