Again, it is said, _Isa._ viii. 29. the Prophet speaking there to
unbelieving _Israelites_ that did not believe the Word of the Lord
through the Prophets Mouths, concerning the Destruction that should come
upon _Israel_; this Judgment did the Lord threaten by the Mouth of his
Prophet _Isaiah_ to bring upon _Israel_ for their Unbelief; and this
Prophet seeing the People would not hearken unto the Voice of the Lord's
Prophets, nor inquire of them, but altogether persecuted them as false
Prophets, Deceivers and Liers, and the Inclination of their Hearts was
more willing and desirous to enquire of a Witch or Wizard, who had a
Familiar Spirit then of the Prophet of the Lord, as you may see Chapter
and Verse above-written; the Words are these as followeth.
_And when they shall say unto you, seek unto them that have Familiar
Spirits, and unto Wizards that peep and that mutter, should not a People
seek unto their God for the living to the dead._ The Meaning of these
Words is this, that unbelieving Men do think and believe that Witches
and Wizards who hath a Familiar Spirit, can rise out of the Ground where
dead Men were buried, living Spirits without Bodies that can reveal
Things unto them, by that motional Voice that doth proceed from these
Familiar Spirits, which doth peep and mutter.
That is, the Whisperings that proceeds from this Familiar Spirit, that
is begotten by the Imagination of Reason the Father, and the Seed of
Reason the Mother, as I said before, is that motional Voice all Witches
and Wizards have, whereby they peep and mutter in themselves, as if they
did hear Voices and see Shapes, and living Spirits arise out of the
Ground, as the Witch of _Endor_ said to King _Saul_, _She saw Gods
ascend out of the earth_. When as there was no Spirit nor Shape came out
of the Ground, at all; but the Gods she saw ascend out of the Earth came
out of her own Imagination, even that Familiar Spirit begotten in her,
it seemed unto her as if it did ascend out of the Earth, but those Gods
she said she saw ascend out of the Earth, they ascended out of her own
Imagination, and _Saul_ believed her, and so was Partakers with her, and
he did believe that she had raised _Samuel_'s Spirit out of the Earth,
as the Witch had said.
And this is to be minded by the Reader, that when Spirits are to be
raised by Witches, her Familiar Spirit always ariseth out of her own
self, even from the Seed of Reason and Imagination of her own Heart,
whereby she doth hear Voices within her, whispering low Voices, as if
some other Spirits without her did spake with a low Voice unto her, and
present Shapes unto her dazled Eyes, which seemeth to the Witch to be
real Voices of a Spirit without her, and a real Shape without her; when
as in Deed and in Truth, it ariseth out of her own self, even from the
Seed of Reason, and Imagination of her own Heart, whereby she doth hear
Voices within her, whispering low Voices, as if some other Spirit
without her did speak with a low Voice to her, and present Shapes to her
dazled Eyes, which seemeth to the Witch to be a real Voice of a Spirit
without her, and a real Shape without her, when as in Deed and in Truth
it is nothing else but a motional Voice begotten in her self, and Shapes
begotten in her self, by the Imagination in the Womb of Reason as
aforesaid, which is that Familiar Spirit.
Which is that Familiar Spirit she doth deal with, she thinking it is
from some Spirit without her, she not knowing it is begotten in her; and
this Familiar Spirit begotten in her, it whispers within her with a low
motional Voice, as if some Spirit did whisper out of the Ground.
According to that saying of the Prophet, _Isa._ xxix. 4. concerning the
Destruction or Judgment of God upon _Jerusalem_; the Words are these,
_And thou shalt be brought down and shalt speak out of the Ground, and
thy Speech shall be low out of the Dust, and thy Voice shall be as one
that hath a Familiar Spirit out of the Ground, and thy Speech shall
whisper out of the Dust_.
As if the Prophet should say, Seeing you have refused to hearken to the
Voice of the Prophets, which hath declared the Mind of the God of
_Israel_ openly with a loud Voice; you have heard them speak plain Words
with your Ears, but you have not believed they spoke Truth unto you;
therefore you have rejected the Word of the Lord by his Prophets, and
have persecuted and slain some of them as false Prophets, because they
spake unto you in the Name of the Lord, as it was revealed by the Spirit
of Revelation in them.
They spake plain Words unto you, as might be heard to the outward Ear by
the Standers-by; they were visible Men that spake unto you, so that you
need not to enquire after any that hath a Familiar Spirit, who speaketh
so softly and so low, that no Standers-by can hear this Familiar Spirit
speak, but he or she that hath it.
But as for plain Words openly declared by the Prophets, and publickly
heard by the outward Ear, these you have rejected, despised, persecuted,
and counted them Liars, Deceivers, false Prophets, and such like:
Therefore God hath given you over to strong Delusions, to enquire of a
Witch, who makes you believe that Spirits may be raised out of the
Ground, and that Spirits do come out of the Dust, and whisper to the
Witch with a low Voice, that none can hear but her self. So that those
that enquire do believe as King _Saul_ did, that a Familiar Spirit can
enter into the Dust or Ground, and bring up another Man's Spirit that is
dead without its Body, and so their two Spirits whisper so low together,
that none can hear that stands by, nor tell what this Spirit that is
raised did say, nor whether the Spirit so raised is gone into the Body
again, or into the Ground from whence the Witch said it was raised;
which Spirit that is said to be raised, or said to speak out of the
Ground, I say, it was raised out of the Witches own Body, and no where
else; and those low Voices and Whisperings were both within her, and not
without her.