Cases of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits

unpardo?nable sinner, yet until he is detected, our charity is bound to judge according to what appears; and notwithstanding that clear evidence must determine a case, yet presumptions must and ought to be weighed against presumptions, and charity is not to be abandoned as long as it has the most weight original: "preponderating" on its side.

And it is of no less necessity in terms of justice; there are not only testimonies required by God, which are to be believed according to the rules given in His Word referring to witnesses, but there is also an evidence supposed to be in the testimony which is to be thoroughly weighed. If it does not infallibly prove the crime against the person accused, it ought not to determine him guilty of it; for otherwise a righteous man may be condemned unjustly. In the case of witchcraft, we know that the Devil is the immediate agent in the mischief done; the consent or compact compact: a formal agreement or contract with the Devil of the witch is the thing to be demonstrated.

Among many arguments to prove original: "evince" this, the one most under present debate is that which refers to something commonly original: "vulgarly" called spectre evidence spectre evidence: testimony that a person's spirit or "spectre" appeared to a victim, even if the person's physical body was elsewhere, and a certain sort of ordeal ordeal: an ancient judicial practice where the accused was subjected to a painful or dangerous test to determine guilt or innocence or trial by sight and touch. The principal plea used to justify using these as convicting evidence is taken from the consideration of the wisdom and righteousness of God in governing the world; people suppose that this governance would fail if such things were permitted to happen to an innocent person. But it is certain that drawing too firm a conclusion from this idea is a bold usurpation of God's spotless sovereignty. Although some things, if allowed to be common, would subvert this government and disband—even ruin—hu-