“ IX. In the year 1502, there lived one Hermanus Biswick, a grand Atheist and a notable instrument of the devil, who affirmed, That the world never had a beginning, as foolish Moses dreamed, and that there were neither angels, nor devils, nor hell, nor future life, but that the souls of men perished with their bodies; and that Jesus Christ was nothing else but a seducer of the people, and that the faith of Christians, and whatever else was contained in the holy Scriptures, was mere vanity. ”

“ XLII. Narcissus, Bishop of Jerusalem, though a man famous for his virtues and faithfulness in the reproof and correction of vice, was yet maliciously and falsly accused of incontinency; there were three of these wicked and suborned varlets, who bound their accusations with oath and fearful imprecations upon themselves: the first of these, at the close of his testimony, added. If I say not the truth, I pray God I may perish by fire: the second said, If I speak any thing of falsehood, I pray God I may be consumed by some filthy and cruel disease: and said the third, If I accuse him falsely. ”

“ Devil. But this man hath not, cannot, shall not repent.
Rothwell. If he had not repented, thou wouldst not have told him so: but if he have not, I believe God will give him repentance, and thou shall not be able to hinder it
Devil. Thou art a murderer thyself, and yet talkest thou thus?
Rothwell. Thou liest again. I have fought the Lord's battles against his known enemies, the idolatrous and bloody Papists in Ireland, rebels to Queen Elizabeth my sovereign, by whose authority I bore arms against them, them, otherwise I have killed no man. ”

“ Rothwell turning to the people, said, Good people, you see the goodness of our God and his great power, though the devil made a fool of me even now through my weakness, God hath made the devil dumb now; do but observe how the man lies, therefore let us go to prayer, and that God who hath made him dumb, will, I doubt not, drive him out of this poor man. ”

“ And how many bold and impudent Atheists are there in these times, who daringly and confidently deny the providence of God! believe not the immortality of the soul! think there is no such thing as a life to come ”

“ Thus he continued a dreadful spectacle of divine justice for some weeks, and then died, and may be looked upon as a monument of God's severity and that although sentence against every evil work is always executed speedily, yet God leaves not himself without witness in this, as well as in former ages against atheism and impiety; and particularly against blasphemers, scoffers, swearers, cursers, and perjured persons, as manifestly appears by the foregoing dreadful examples. ”

“ XX. A young man at Wittenburg in Saxony, being kept short of money by his father, was tempted by the devil to yield himself body and soul to him, upon condition to have his wishes satisfied, and his necessities supplied; which he, being pinched with want, consented to, and confirmed it by a bond, written with his own blood: but presently after he began to decay in his bodily health; and being thereupon brought to Martin Luther, and by him examined, he, at length, confessed the whole matter to him; which, when Luther heard, he assembled the whole congregation together ”

“ The magistrates being advertised hereof, came to the place where he was taken up, to be better informed of the truth of the report, and took the depositions of the two women upon oath, of what they had seen of this extraordinary affair. By this we may see the terrible, yet just vengeance of God upon such sinners; and it may be a warning to those who are so inspired by Satan, that they cannot speak but they must name him, who is both an enemy to God and man, instead of commending themselves to God, and praying for his grace and assistance.—John Wierus de Spirit. ”

“ Here is a man opens not his lips, and yet be speaketh; and after a while he said, Say nothing to me of this man, for I tell thee he is damned; and he added thereto many fearful blasphemies.
Rothwell. Thou art a liar and the father of lies; nor art thou so well acquainted with the mind of God concerning this man, which makes thee thus to torment him; therefore I believe thee not: I believe he shall be saved by Jesus Christ.
Devil. He is a murderer, and thou knowest no murderer must come into heaven. ”

“ I. A certain blasphemous wretch being drinking and merry at a common inn among his companions, asked them, Whether they thought a man was possessed with a soul or no? To which some of them replied, That the souls of men were immortal, and that some of them after their release from the body lived in heaven, and that others were condemned to hell, as we are taught from the writings of the holy prophets and apostles ”

“ The like we read to have happened to a woman, whom her husband, in a great rage devoted, with bitter curses, to the devil, upon which Satan immediately assaulted her, and robbed her of her wits, so that she could never be recovered. ”

“ But let such mad and brutish wretches know, that they shall one day be convinced of their folly, when it is too late: and they may likewise find by the following instances, which are of undoubted truth and certainty, that the divine justice doth sometimes execute his severe judgments upon them in this world, and makes them monuments of vengeance for deterring others, that they may hear, and fear, and do no more so wickedly. ”

“ Look you (says Mr. Rothwell) you all see that the devil is a liar, the first bit hath not choaked him, nor shall the rest. Mr. Rothwell then left him, after which he was struck dumb for three years together, and continued to be tempted, though no longer possessed. At length, by prayer likewise, which was instantly put up to God for him, his mouth was opened, and his speech restored to him at that very instant, when a minister praying for him in the congregation, where he was present, used this expression, Lord, open thou his mouth, that his lips may shew forth thy praise ”

“ The miserable ends of Magicians, Conjurers, and Witches: With an account of Apparitions, Possessions, and other strange and wonderful Feats and Illusions of the Devil.
THAT there are really magicians, conjurers, and witches, who have commerce, and familiaty with evil spirits, is so clear and plain, both from holy Scripture, councils, canons and civil laws in all nations, that none but those Atheists who would endeavour to persuade themselves there are no spirits, and consequently no other life after this, ever denied it ”

“ Rothwell. I look to find thee as great an enemy in this duty now, as I have done heretofore, but I fear not thy threats, I know thou art limited, God heareth the prayers of the upright, and hath promised to give his Spirit to supply infirmities, therefore in confidence of his promise, and powerful assistance of his Spirit, and in the name and intercession of his Son Jesus Christ, we will go to prayer: and accordingly they did so, Mr. Rothwell kneeling by the bedside where the poor man lay; the devil for more than a quarter of an hour made a most horrible noise ”

“ XXXIII. A man in Lincolnshire, for every trifle used to swear by God's precious blood, and would not take warning from his friends, till at length falling into a grievous sickness, he was again much persuaded by his friends to repent, whose counsel he still rejected; and hearing the bell toll, in the very pains of death he started up, swearing, God's wounds! The bell tolls for me, but he shall not be me yet; whereupon the blood issued out in a most fearful manner from all the joints and parts of his body, his ears, mouth, nose, wrists, knees, heels, toes, and every where else ”

“ XVI. Neither hath divine vengeance left itself without witness against cursers, and those who by denying God give themselves to the devil; as may plainly appear by the following dreadful examples. A soldier travelling through Murcia, a county of Almaign, and finding himself not well, went to an inn, where he lay to recover his health, and delivered to his hostess a certain sum of money which he had about him: a while after being recovered of his sickness, he demanded his money again ”

“ III. As divers very worthy authors have credibly related several wicked actions committed by magicians, and witches, so some of them have recorded the manner of their entering themselves into that cursed profession, and the ceremonies thereof, as they have been discovered by those who have renounced those detestable practices, which it may not be improper here briefly to relate. The wizards and witches being met at a place and time appointed, the devil there appears to them in human shape, admonishing them to be faithful, and promising them success and length of life ”

“ XIII. Fazelus writes, that a certain Sicilian called Lyodor, a most notorious magician, got himself great repute in the city of Catania, by his wonderful illusions, for he seemed by the extraordinary working of his charms and spells, to transform men into brute beasts, and to bestow upon all things else such forms and likeness as himself pleased; and by general report, he drew to him, as soon, and as easily, persons that were distant from thence many days journey, as those that were in the same place ”

“ XVIII Philip Melancthon reporteth, that he had an account from two men of good credit and repute, that a certain young woman of Botonia, two years after her death, returned again in human shape, and went up and down the house, and sat at meat with them, but eat little; this young woman being one time in company among other virgins, a magician came into the place, who being skilful in diabolical arts, he told the people about her, That that woman was but a dead carcase, carried about by the devil ”

“ I. Saul, the first king of Israel, being much disturbed in mind for fear of the army of the Philistines, which came against him, would by all means know aforehand the issue of this doubtful war, now whereas before, whilst he performed the duty of a good king, and obeyed the commandments of God; he had cleaned his realm of witches and inchanters; yet he is now so senseless, as in his extremity to ask counsel of them, adding this wickedness to all the rest of his sins, that the measure thereof might be full ”

“ XXXVII. One hearing perjury condemned by a minister, and how it seldom or ever escaped unpunished, he in a bravery said, I have often forsworn myself, and yet my right hand is no shorter than my left; which words he had scarcely uttered, when such an inflammation arose in that hand, that he was forced to have it immediately cut off, lest it should have infected the whole body, whereby it soon became shorter than the other.—Clark's Examples, 1 part.
XXXVIII. A young lady of considerable estate in Saxony, promised marriage to a handsome young man, but of a mean fortune ”

“ Dreadful Judgments upon Atheists, Scoffers, Blasphemers, Swearers, Cursers, and perjured Persons; in several terrible Examples. NEVER yet were any nation or people so barbarous, who, by the instinct of nature, have not always believed a certain Deity and the denying thereof was accounted so detestable, absurd, and contrary to human reason, even amongst the ancient Heathen, that they reckoned it to be horrible blasphemy. ”

“ LI. At Essinga in Germany, a certain nobleman having lost much money at play; fell into horrible execrations and blasphemies, and commanded his man to bring him his horse, that he might ride home in a very dark night; his servant dissuaded him from his journey, affirming how dangerous the way was, by reason of the waters and fens that lay in the midst, whereat he began to rage and swear the more, and resolved to go, but as he was riding along, he was encountered by the way with an army of infernal soldiers, or evil spirits, who beset the nobleman on every side, and threw him from his horse ”

“ XXIX. In the city of Astorga, a mother in her rage cursed one of her own sons with most detestable maledictions, wishing, The devils in hell to take him: and that they would fetch him out of her presence, with many other horrible execrations; this was about ten o'clock at night, and very dark; the boy at last, for fear of her, went into a little court behind the house, from whence he was suddenly hoisted up into the air, by men, in appearance, with grim countenance, of large stature, loathsome and horrible, and were indeed evil spirits of hell ”

“ After some few days the spirits left the house, and the nobleman returned to his antient possession. Now, tho' the devils had no power to hurt any body, but only destroyed the victuals; yet it may be a warning to prevent wicked and rash wishes and curses. ”

“ XLIV. Uladislaus, King of Poland and Hungary, had fortunately fought against the Turks at the mountain Haemus, and taken Carambey, the general of their army, by means of which victory, he occasioned Amurath, emperor of the Turks, to sue for peace, which was agreed to upon honourable and advantageous terms, and was solemnly sworn to by the King of Poland, upon the holy evangelists, and by Amurath's ambassadors in behalf of their master, upon the Turkish alcoran. ”

“ Let all those that make no conscience of running to witches, either for lost goods, recovery of their own or friends health, or upon any other occasion, remember this example, either for their instruction to amend, or for their terror if they continue that devilish practice.—Buchan, hist. ”

“ IV. Manlius writes, that in the year 1553, two witches stole a neighbour's child, and murdering it, cut it in pieces, and put it into a kettle to boil, when the sorrowful mother looking for her infant, came by chance into the house, and found the limbs thereof horribly consumed, for which abominable fact the authors of it were burnt, having confessed this their villany. ”

“ XLII. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Thomas Lovelace, by forged letters, sought to have three of his cousin-germans brought into question for their lives, about matters of high treason; but the malice and forgery of this wicked business being found out, the false accuser had judgment to be carried on horse back about Westminster-Hall, with his face to the horse tail, and a paper on his back containing his offence: from thence to be carried in the same manner, and set on the pillory in the Palace Yard, and there to have one of his ears cut off ”