C h a p. V. Jus posed Witchcraft.
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and counsels prevail, when the Lords will and purpose are againstthem.
2 . These Tenents do divert and obstruct the power and practice Absurd. diof Godliness: For while the Saints of God are taught, that they areto fight the good sight of Faith ; and if they intend to be crowned,they must fight stoutly , and gain the victory, knowing, that theyfight not againji flesh and blood , but againfi spiritual wickedness inhigh places , and that therefore they are to take unto them the wholeArmour of God : Therefore they knowing that this warfare is spi-ritual , and against spiritual enemies, and that the weapons bothoffensive and defensive are also spiritual ; therefore they ought al-ways spiritually to watch and stand upon their guard, lest their sub-tile and cruel enemy the Devil take them unawares, or by his Stra-tagems surprize them. For he is that old crafty Serpent, that hathinnumerable wiles, and while he intendeth one thing, he prctend-eth another; and like a cunning Enemy, gives a false Alarm at theone side of the Camp, while he affaulteth another , or making falsefires or shews he scemeth to march away, when in the dark of thenight he intendeth to fall on. So lest the Christian should bewatchful and prevail, he laboureth by false Teachers, which arethe Magiciaus and Sorcerers in the Mystery , to draw them froththeir 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 atgaze to look for him in a bodily shape, they are made negligent intheir spiritual watch, and so are diverted from the spiritual com-bate, and thereby the power and practice of Godliness is divertedand obstructed. Therefore we are to give heed unto the counselof the Holy Ghost; to resist the Devil in his spiritual assaults withthe spiritual weapons that God bestows upon us, and not to giveheed to old Wives Fables, or the false Doctrine of Witchmongers,that make us watch for the Devil where he is not, and in the meantime not to resist him where he is , and that is within effectively ina spiritual manner, for he worketh in the children of disobedience,and therefore a Devil within us is more to be feared, than a Devilwithout us.
3- These Tenents do uphold that horrid, lying, and blasphemous Absurd . Z,opinion, that our blessed Saviour did cast out Devils by Beel&ebubthe Prince of Devils: For when they could not deny, nor disprovethe plain and open matters of fact, that our Saviour did really castout Devils, then they deyUishly invented and vented, that thoughhe did so, yet it was but by the help of the Prince of Devils, withwhom he had a compact, and so wrought by the greater power toover-power the less* Concerningwhich Mr. Glanvil is pleased to Corifiderat. a-tell us this: In his return to which he denies not the supposition craft, pag^V■“or possibility of the thing in general, but clears himself by an ap- '
’* peal to the actions of their own children, whom they would not" tax so severely. But by Mr. Glanvils leave we must affirm, that
O 2
thought