De betoverde weereld ... in vier boeken

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Our judgment comes into play here in two ways: regarding that common opinion, that the whole of it should be rejected as groundless, in the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first chapters; and in the two following ones, what should then be maintained there.

And as for the first point particularly, since objections have been raised based on the Formulieren official creeds and liturgical texts concerning the second Book; I show in the nineteenth chapter on what shaky grounds the most prominent Teachers build, of whose opinions a summary can be found in Voetius Gisbertus Voetius, a leading Dutch Reformed theologian; and that the Scripture is not thoroughly examined, but only according to the appearance of the words, by custom, and on bare indication, is brought in as proof. Against this, I point out how the Formulieren must be understood according to the content of the Scriptures discussed: in everything that they mention regarding the temptations of the Devil, the deceptions of the Devil, the spiritual struggle, of Toverye witchcraft, Waarzeggingen fortune-telling, and Belesingen incantations/charms; and that their well-ordered conflict also brings this with it. What is more, I further prove in the twentieth chapter that this common division, concerning the prescribed works of the Devil and his people, is contrary to our Formulieren; and that no others than those standing in my books are capable of making good on the signature that all Teachers of the Reformed churches give before accepting their ministries in this part. And this is as much as concerns the doctrine and the truth here: in the twenty-first chapter, I likewise show that Godsaligheid piety/godliness of life is noticeably breached by it, God's honor greatly diminished, Faith and Love much weakened, Christianity exposed to the unbelievers, and your prayer profaned and hindered.

Then I proceed to make the conclusion; consisting in what we are to believe of those things, and what we are to consider alongside them: the first in the twenty-second, and the other in the twenty-third chapter. Then, Spoken ghosts/spirits having been treated in general in the thirty-second chapter of the second book; I speak here particularly of Doorspook apparitions/hauntings and Voorspellinge omens/prophecies: how far they are possible or not, and to what cause it is to be attributed, that what is not entirely true here must remain.

So also then of Besetenheid possession which is wrought upon people through a covenant with the Devil: and further what Toverye witchcraft there is in the world or is not. In the last chapter, I then teach how we ought to conduct ourselves properly regarding all this; with much reverence and godliness toward God, with love and modesty toward our Neighbors, and for ourselves toward the practice of piety. This concludes the third Book.

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Opening of the Fourth Book.

One had reason to think that the matter would have been sufficiently dealt with here: but Ondervindinge experience/empirical evidence, the mistress of all things, resting on a multitude of examples, seems to be in our way here; since people appeal to it, and that with such force, that ears are deaf to the reasons brought up until now. For this reason, I add to the three previous books a fourth, to investigate this Ondervindinge to its foundation: so that no one may say that I contradict the whole world with my new doctrine, which is full of clear proofs of such workings of the Devil as I deny to exist. I distinguish those into one's own experience, and those reported to us by others. One's own experience comes first: but in order not to go wrong, I first show how far a person may trust their own experience, and then how far he may believe others in this. The first eleven chapters belong to the first part, the twenty-two following to the second part, and the last two to the conclusion.

Now each part in this is again divided into two in the same way: as I have on both sides clothed the instruction, which I consider necessary there to ensure that no one is easily deceived, with many examples. The instruction of the first part is from the beginning up to the fifth chapter; the examples from there up to the eleventh. Yet I have not been able to separate the one from the other so completely, but have mingled the instruction itself with examples; and also the examples with some instruction, where it seemed necessary, or at least useful.

I then give to understand as instruction in the first Part, that few of us are capable of forming a proper judgment of those things; or also that we lack the opportunity to learn everything that is required for full knowledge. The first I place...