Divination and Witchcraft

Taken and edited and modernized from Body of Divinity by Edward Leigh (London: William Lee, 1654), book 4, chapter 17, pp. 353-354, and chapter 25, p. 387.

"Samuel told Saul that rebellion was as the sin of witchcraft; the witch makes the devil a god, the rebel makes himself a god (1Sa. 15:23; see Isa. 1:2, 20; Ps. 5:10). … [The patient believer] will seek deliverance only in God's way (Heb. 11:35). If God will not help Saul, he will seek for a witch."

Edward Leigh, Body of Divinity (book 4, ch. 22, p. 373 and book 7, ch. 29, p. 598)

Divination

Divination, in general, is a course, way, or proceeding to bring about strange and unusual effects by means not allowed or ordained by God, either in the course of nature or any special institution, as, for example, to find out secret and hidden things, who did this or that, where such a thing is which is lost, what shall become of such a man in such a business, to hurt a man and strike him with a disease, or to help another and cure him of a disease, or the like. Of these strange effects, some are plainly diabolical, or jointly natural and diabolical.

Plainly Diabolical

Such effects are done by a manifest, direct, and personal concurrence of Satan and association with him, such as used by all sorcerers, conjurers and witches, and those who have familiar spirits, who raise up the Devil himself to appear in likeness to them, and answer and do things for them, and such as were used of old in oracles, where the Devil disguised himself under the appearance of a god.

Jointly Natural and Diabolical

When Satan is not directly consulted, but certain natural things are employed to the end whereto in nature they serve not to cover the Devil from men's eyes, and so to work more secretly, as in all those which are termed curious arts (Acts 19:19). Such as are the use of charms, and spells, and divination of all sorts, and the casting of figures, and observation of heavenly bodies, out of them to pick the knowledge of contingent events, which because they have no certainty in their nature, therefore cannot be collected out of these natural things, upon which alone certain and necessary things do follow. This art of divination and all the rest are vile and worthless, for they came from Satan and serve to set him up in men's minds, and to quench the respect and fear of God.

Witchcraft

Witchcraft is a great sin (1Ch. 10:13-14). God would not have witches to live, therefore he would not have others to use their art and counsel (Deut. 18:10-11). He forbids all to consult with familiar spirits (Lev. 19:31).

See Dr. Willet on Exodus 22:18 that witches ought to die.

Never did any trust in the devil, but he deceived them, even for the base things of this life, witness all witches (his most devoted and professed servants). If ever he made any one of them wealthy, all ages are not able to show one (William Perkins on Hebrews 11).

The Hebrew word in Exodus 22:18 signifies a woman witch, as Menasseh Ben Israel de creatione and others have observed: which shows:

• That women are most prone to witchcraft
• That though the witch be a weak woman, yet she must die without mercy

Daniel Sennert (Practicae Medicinae, book 6, part 9, ch. 5) gives these reasons why women are more inclined to this sin than men:

• They are of weaker judgment and therefore more easily deceived by Satan
• They are desirous of revenge, and therefore old women, if they hate any, are ready to use all means to hurt them

Reasons

• The cause which moves any to seek witches is distrust in God, or impatience under God's hand, or some inordinate desire of knowing or doing things which the Lord does not allow to know or do (things secret and strange).
• The persons sought are in league with the devil, and so are an abomination to God (Deut. 18:11).
• The effect of seeking them is dangerous, it works confidence in them, and thus in Satan, whose vassals they are, and withdraws the heart from God.

In Of the Demon-mania of the Sorcerers (book 4), Jean Bodin proves by many examples and confessions of witches that witchcraft has no power upon the regenerate, or upon magistrates who execute the laws against them, which is fully confirmed by King James, Demonology (book 2, ch. 6).

See Bishop Carleton's Examination of Sir Christopher Heydon's Book, chapter 5.

King Saul was convinced of the evil of witchcraft, his zeal ran out against witches, yet afterward he himself went to a witch.