A Discourse on the Damned Art of Witchcraft

William Perkins

Jul 2012 · Puritan Publications

About this ebook

Working from the text of Exodus 22:18, "Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live," Perkins delivers one of the most penetrating discourses on the subject of the devil, witchcraft and the occult in its various forms.  He sets forth this treatise showing that witchcraft was a common sin in his own day, and it is, no doubt, a common sin in our day.  He demonstrates the diverse ways that Satan uses witchcraft in its various forms, and shows how people of all kinds can be involved in the occult, either by entering into a covenant with Satan willfully, or they may enter into a league with Satan unintentionally, through superstition.  He covers four main points: 1) What witchcraft is, 2) What is the ground of the practice of witchcraft, 3) How many kinds and differences there are of witchcraft, and 4) Its punishment. This is a powerful, biblical exposition of the Law of God and its application concerning this topic.

This is not a scan or a facsimile, but a newly typeset work updated and made easily readable, with an active table of contents.

About the author

William Perkins (1558-1602) was a Calvinist minister and theologian who was one of the foremost leaders of the Puritan movement in the Church of England. His “Works” were originally published in three large volumes spanning thousands of pages. However, he wrote a number of individual treatises that are exceedingly biblically, spiritual and helpful for Christians today. The Works of William Perkins have not been published until now in these individual treatises.