In June and July 1692 as the trials and executions of “wichs” began to increase, Increase made a number of sermons interpreted as a plea to cool the heated atmosphere. He wished to agree with the judge and trials but tried to denounced the spectral evidence used by them. He published many works on the subject, including his famous version of Blackstone’s formulation, in which he stated, “It were better that Ten Suspected Witches should escape, than that one Innocent Person should be Condemned”. Unfourtuantly, but pridictably, these actions gave him rather a ugly reputation. With this piticulare statement, I must say that I dissagree. But with this statement, I cannot simply dissagree, for it is ridiculus. First, the whole court system was corrupt by the hysteria that cought up with them, so that they were no longer looking for wiches, but looking to either get rid of someone, or to look at them innapropriately. The whole wich trial event was a scandal. Second, think of it this way. Say we had 11 men, and we knew 10 of them were terrorists and one innocent, and we don’t know which one the innocent man is, then the right thing to do is to torture them all, because one mans life is not worth the lives of thousands. If torturing those men will help us find Osama and stop the terrorism that is plagueing the United states, and saving more lives, then it’s worth it. Third, look at the bible in Joshua chapter 7: verses 19 – 26. God deliberatly told the isrealites that they were not to take any of the devoted things from jericho, and his command was dissobeyd by Achan. When that happened, God punished all isreal for the crime, not just Achan. And when Achan was found out, they (under the guidance of Joshua) took Achan to the Vally of Achor, where they stoned not just Achan, but his whole family, his flocks, and his herds. Then, once that was done, they burned all that remained, his family, his flocks and herds, and everythng he stole, and after that, they put Achans body on top of a mound of rocks for all to see. All this goes against what increase matters said, and therefore, I conclude that his statement is not right nor wrong, simply ridiculus.
