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dies of the witches into the material bodies of others, by their magic arts. "It is not a little remarkable, that many of the diseases which the Lord cured while he was in the world, were the effect of some infernal influence. It appears very manifest, that infernal spirits at that day not only influenced the minds of people, but obsessed their bodies likewise; and although fewer cases of this description exist at the present day, they may not altogether be wanting;" for "the highest satisfaction of their life consists in being able to punish, torture, and torment others, which they do by arts most unknown in the world, whereby they excite exquisite sensations," such as infusing heat all over the body, like that of a burning fever, and they also infuse colds, which cause a shivering similar to the ague, and they are able to afflict any part of the body with pains and cramps, so that nothing can effect a cure; they can act on the stomach, which is the cause of various stomach complaints; on the head, and in the brain; and they can cause a burning on any part of the body which will inflame the part, similar to the cancer. All this is done as quick as thought, and indeed it is nothing else but the influence proceeding from their thoughts. So again, they can unstring the nerves, and consequently give such a shock on a person's body, that the body will appear as dead for a considerable length of time; and they also infuse burnings in the breast, and in other parts of the bodies of persons with whom they have become familiar; they can benumb arms, hands, legs, sides, or any part of the human body, similar to paralytic strokes, and all this is done by the witch diffusing malignant breath into the material bodies of others. This I can testify, that their wickedness is so great, that it is impossible to describe it fully.

It is therefore necessary that I give a full and complete definition of WITCH and WIZARD. As

for the words witch and wizard, as respect the true notion of them, they signify nothing more than wicked persons, or, in other words, they signify wicked spirits, clothed with natural or material bodies, which perform innumerable wonderful things, while they are clothed with their material bodies, in this world of nature.

That they are wicked spirits clothed with material bodies appears quite evident, from the manner in which the apostle Paul addressed Elymas the sorcerer, and said, "O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord," Acts xiii. 10.

If then Elymas was a child of the devil, an enemy of all righteousness, and one that perverted the right ways of the Lord, it necessarily follows, that he was a wicked spirit clothed with a material body, while he was in this natural world :— and having thus prepared my way, I come to prove, that there are witches, against both the sorts that deny their existence, viz. those that believe the scriptures, and the wits or willings that will not admit their testimony. To the first, I shall prove the being of witches by plain evidence taken from the Divine Oracles; and to the other, and indeed to both, I shall evince the same by as full and clear testimonies as matter of fact is capable of.

"Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments; for they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents," Exod. vii. 11, 12. "And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments," Exod. vii. 22. "And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt," Exod. viii. 7. It is therefore evident that the sorcerers and magicians who perform incantations, endeavour as much as

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possible to imitate the miracles wrought by the Lord's prophets. But if the reader will only recollect that the actions wrought by sorcerers and magicians are of a very different quality, and are an abomination to the Lord, as plainly appears from the sacred scriptures; "for they are the spirits of devils, working miracles," Rev. xvi. 14. by thy sorceries were all nations deceived," Rev. xviii. 23. "A man also, or woman, that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones,' Lev. xx. 27. "And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul," Lev. xx. 6. "Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God," Lev. xix. 31. "Neither shall ye use enchantments, nor observe times," Lev. xix. 26. "Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel,' Num. xxiii. 23. "And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he went not as at other times, to seek for enchantments," Num. xxiv, 1. "The workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards," 2 Kings xxiii. 24. "So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it," 1 Chron.

x. 13.

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"I come to another grand instance, viz. that of the witch of Endor. The story of her is related 1 Sam. xxviii. and is briefly thus:- Samuel was dead, and the Philistines gathered themselves against Saul, and pitched in Gilboa. Saul on this was much afraid, and enquired of the Lord, but had no answer from him. Upon this he bid his servants find him out a woman that had a famili

ar spirit, that he might enquire of her. They told him of one at Endor; he disguised himself, and with two men by night went to her, desired her to divine unto him by her familiar spirit, and to bring up him whom he should name. The wo

man first excused herself, minding him how dangerous such a business might be to her, since Saul had cut off those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards out of the land; so that she was afraid that this proposition of his was a snare for her life. But Saul assured her by swearing, that no harm should come to her for this thing. She then asked him whom she should bring up, and he said, bring me up Samuel. Samuel accordingly begins to appear, and when the woman saw him, she cried with a loud voice, being much surprised, it seems, to see Samuel in good earnest by this she knew Saul. He heartens her again, and asks, whom she saw? She answers, she saw gods ascending out of the earth. Saul asks, what form he was of? She answered, an old man cometh up, and he is covered with a mantle. Then Saul perceived it was Samuel, and he bowed himself to the ground.Samuel asked, why he had disquieted him to bring him up? He declares the distress he was in, and his desire to know what he was to do. Samuel reproves him, and declares his fate, viz. that the Lord had rent the kingdom from him, and given it to David; that the Israelites should be delivered into the hands of the Philistines, and that Saul and his sons should to-morrow be with him, viz. in the state of the dead, as eventually it was.'Ver. 8 to 19, inclusive. This is the history, and one would think it speaks very plainly; but nothing is plain to prejudice. The patrons of witches labour hard to avoid this evidence."

But I shall let "the patrons of witches" know, that there will be witches so long as evil exists; and when that period has arrived, that there is no

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evil or wickedness, then, and only then, there will be no witches. Hence it is written of the wicked, "We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement," Isa. xxviii. 15. So it is written of Babylon, "Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou has laboured from thy youth,' Isa. xlvii. 12. Again, it is written of the Levite, "Thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations, the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God. For these nations which thou shalt possess hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners; but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do," Deut. xviii. 9, to 14. Samuel said, "Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft," 1 Sam. xv. 23. "Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep and that mutter," Isa. viii. 19. "And they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards," Isa. xix. 3. "But these two things shall come to thee in a moment, in one day, the loss of children and widowhood: these shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments, for thou hast trusted in thy wickedness," Isa. xlvii. 9, 10. "Therefore hearken not to your diviners, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers," Jer. xxvii. 9. "Nebuchadnezzar the king commanded to call the magicians,

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