The Wonders of the Invisible World Part 9

III. The Devil does insinuate his most Horrible _Temptations_, with pretence, of much _Friends.h.i.+p_ and _Kindness_ for us. He seemed very unwilling that our Lord should want any thing that might be comfortable for him; but, he was a _Devil_ still! The _Devil_ flatters our Mother _Eve_, as if he was desirous to make her more Happy than her Maker did; but there was the _Devil_ in that flattery. _Sub Amici fallere Nomen_,----to Salute men with profers to do all manner of Service for them; and at the same time to Stab them as _Joab_ did _Abner_ of old; this is just like the _Devil_, and the _Devil_ truly has many Children that Imitate him in it. Some very Affectionate Things were spoken once unto our Lord; _Lord, be it far from thee, that thou shouldest suffer any Trouble!_ But our Lords Answer was, in _Mat. 16.23._ _Get thee behind me Satan._ The Devil will say to a man, _I would have thee to Consult thy own Interest, and I would have Trouble to be far from thee._ He speaks these _Fair Things_, by the Mouths of our professed Friends unto us, as he did by the Tongue of a Speckled Snake unto our Deluded Parents at the first. But all this while, 'tis a Direction that has been wisely given us; _When he speaks fair, Believe him not, for there are seven Abominations in his Heart._

IV. Things in themselves _Allowable_ and _Convenient_, are oftentimes turned into sore _Temptations_ by the Devil. He press'd our Lord unto the making of _Bread_; Why, that very thing was afterwards done by our Lord, in the Miracles of the _Loaves_; and yet it is now a motion of the _Devil_, _Pray, make thy self a Little Bread._ The Devil will frequently put men by, from the doing of a _seasonable Duty_; but how? Truly by putting us upon another _Duty_, which may be at that juncture a most _Unseasonable_ Thing. It is said in _Eccl. 8.5._ _A Wise Mans heart discerns both Time and Judgment._ The _Ill-Timing_ of good Things, is One of the chief Intregues, which the Devil has to Prosecute. The Devil himself, will Egg us on to many a _Duty_; and why so? But because at that very Time a more proper and Useful Duty, will have a _Supersedeas_ given thereunto. And, thus there are many Things, whereof we can say, though no more than this, yet so much as this, _They are Lawful ones_, by which Lawful Things----_Perimus Omnes._ Where shall we find that the Devil has laid our most fatal Snares? Truly, our Snares are on the _Bed_, where it is _Lawful_ for us to Sleep; at the _Board_, where it is _Lawful_ for us to Sit; in the _Cup_, where 'tis _Lawful_ to Drink; and in the _Shops_, where we have _Lawful_ Business to do. The _Devil_ will decoy us, unto the utmost Edge of the _Liberty_ that is _Lawful_ for us; and then one Little push, hurries us into a Transgression against the Lord. And the _Devil_ by Inviting us to a _Lawful_ thing, at a wrong time for it, Layes us under further Entanglement of Guilt before G.o.d.

'Tis _Lawful_ for People to use Recreations; but in the Evening of the Lords Day, or the Morning of any Day, how Ensnaring are they! The _Devil_ then too commonly bears part in the Sport. If _Promiscuous Dancing_ were Lawful; though almost all the Christian Churches in the World, have made a Scandal of it; yet for Persons to go presently from a _Sermon_ to a _Dance_, is to do a thing, which Doubtless the _Devil_ makes good Earnings of.

V. To _distrust_ G.o.ds Providence and Protection, is one of the worst things, into which the Devil by his _Temptations_ would be hurrying of us. He would fain have driven our Lord unto a Suspicion of G.o.ds care about Him, said the Devil, _You may dy for lack of Bread, if you do not look better after your self, than G.o.d is like to do for you._ It is an usual thing for Persons to dispair of G.o.ds _Fatherly Care_ Concerning them; they torture themselves with distracting and amazing Fears, that they shall come to want before they dy; Yea, they even say with _Jonas_, in _Chap. 2.4._ _I am cast out of the sight of G.o.d;_ He wont look after me! But it is the Devil that is the Author of all such Melancholly Suggestions in the minds of men. It is a thought that often raises a Feaver in the Hearts of _Married_ Persons, when Charges grow upon them; _G.o.d will never be able in the way of my Calling, to feed and cloath all my Little Folks._ It is a Thought with which _Aged_ persons are often tormented, _Tho' G.o.d has all my dayes. .h.i.therto supplied me, yet I shall be pinched with Straits before I come to my Journeys end._ 'Tis a malicious Devil that raises these _Evil surmisings_ in the hearts of Men. And sometimes a distemper of Body affords a Lodging for the Devil, from whence he shoots the cruel Bombs of such _Fiery Thoughts_ into the minds of many other persons. With such thoughts does the Devil choose to persecute us; because thereby we come to _Forfeit_ what we _Question_.

We _Question_ the Care of G.o.d, and so we _Forfeit_ it, until perhaps the Devil do utterly _drown us in Perdition_. Our G.o.d says, _Trust in the Lord, and do good, and verily thou shall be fed._ But the Devil says, _don't you trust in G.o.d; be afraid that you shall not be fed;_ and thus he hinders men from the _doing of Good_.

VI. There is nothing more Frequent in the _Temptations_ of the Devil, then for our _Adoption_ to be doubted, because of our _Affliction_. When our Lord was in his Penury, then says the Devil, _If thou be the Son of G.o.d;_ he now makes an _If_, of it; _What? the Son of G.o.d, and not be able to Command a Bit of Bread!_ Thus, when we are in very Afflictive Circ.u.mstances, this will be the Devils Inference, _Thou art not a Child of G.o.d._ The Bible says in _Heb. 12.7._ _If you are Chastened, it is a shrow'd sign that you can't be Children._ Since he can't Rob us of our _Grace_, he would Rob us of our _Joy_; and therefore having Accused us unto G.o.d, he then Accuses G.o.d unto us. When _Israel_ was weak and faint in the Wilderness, then did _Amalek_ set upon them; just so does the Devil set upon the people of G.o.d, when their Losses, their Crosses, their Exercises have Enfeebled their Souls within them; and what says the Devil? E'en the same that was mutter'd in the Ear of the Afflicted _Job_, _Is not this the Uprightness of thy Ways? Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being Innocent? If thou wert a Child of G.o.d, He would never follow thee, with such Testimonies of his Indignation._ This is the _Logic_ of the Devil; and he thus interrupts that patience, and that Chearfulness wherewith we should _suffer the will of G.o.d_.

VII. To dispute the Divine Original and Authority of _G.o.ds Word_, is not the least of those _Temptations_ with which the Devil troubles us. G.o.d from Heaven, had newly said unto our Lord, _this is my Beloved Son_; but now the Devil would have him to make a dispute of it, _If thou be the son of G.o.d._ The Devil durst not be so Impudent, and Brasen fac'd, as to bid men use _Pharaohs_ Language, _Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice?_ But he will whisper into our Ears, what he did unto our Mother _Eve_ of old, _It is not the Lord that hath spoken what you call his Word._ The Devil would have men say unto the _Scripture_, what they said unto the _Prophet_, in _Jer. 43.2._ _Thou speakest falsely; the Lord our G.o.d hath not sent thee to speak what thou sayst unto us;_ & he would fain have secret & cursed Misgivings in our hearts, _that things are not altogether so as the Scripture has represented them._ The Devil would with all his heart make one huge Bonefire of all the Bibles in the world; & he has got Millions of persecutors to _a.s.sist him in the suppression of that miraculous book_. _It was the +devil+ once in the tongue of a Papist_, that cry'd out, _A plague on this bible; this 'tis that does all our mischief._ But because he can't _Suppress_ this Book, he sets himself, to _Disgrace_ it all that he can. Altho' the Scripture carries its _own Evidence_ with it, and be all over, so pure, so great, so true, and so powerful, that it is impossible it should proceed from any but G.o.d alone; yet the Devil would gladly bring some Discredit upon it, as if it were but some _Humane Contrivance_; Of nothing, is the Devil more desirous, than this; That we should not count, _Christ_ so precious, _Heaven_ so Glorious, _h.e.l.l_ so Dreadful, and _Sin_ so odious, as the Scripture has declared it.

--. The Second of our Lords Three Temptations, is related after this manner, in _Mat. 4.5, 6._ _Then the Devil taketh him up, into the Holy City, and setteth him upon a Pinacle of the Temple; and saith unto him, if thou be the Son of G.o.d, cast thy self down; for it is written, He shall give his Angels charge concerning thee, and in their Hands, they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy Foot against a Stone._

From whence take these _Remarks_.

I. The places of the greatest _Holiness_ will not secure us from Annoyance by the _Temptations_ of the Devil, to the greatest wickedness.

When our Lord was in the Holy City, the Devil fell upon him there.

Indeed, there is now no proper _Holiness_ of _Places_ in our Days; the Signs and Means of G.o.ds more special Presence are not under the Gospel, ty'd unto any certain _places_: Nevertheless there are _places_, where we use to enjoy much of G.o.d; and where, altho' G.o.d visit not the _Persons_ for the sake of the _Places_, yet he visits the _Places_ for the sake of the _Persons_. But, I am to tell you that the Devil will visit those _Places_ and best _Persons_ there. No _Place_, that I know of, has got such a _Spell_ upon it, as will always keep the Devil out.

The _Meeting-House_ wherein we a.s.semble for the Wors.h.i.+p of G.o.d, is fill'd with many Holy People, and many Holy Concerns continually; but if our Eyes were so refined as the Servant of the Prophet had his of old, I suppose we should now see a Throng of _Devils_ in this very place. The Apostle has intimated, that Angels come in among us; there are Angels it seems that hark, how I _Preach_, and how you _Hear_, at this Hour. And our own sad Experience is enough to intimate, That the _Devils_ are likewise Rendevouzing here. It is Reported, in _Job 1.5._ _When the Sons of G.o.d came to present themselves before the Lord, Satan came also among them._ When we are in our Church-a.s.semblies, O how many _Devils_, do you imagine, croud in among us! There is a _Devil_ that rocks one to Sleep, there is a _Devil_ that makes another to be thinking of, he scarce knows what himself; and there is a _Devil_, that makes another, to be pleasing himself with wanton and wicked Speculations. It is also possible, that we have our _Closets_, or our _Studies_, gloriously perfumed with Devotions every day; but alas, can we shut the Devil out of them? No, Let us go where we will, we shall still find a Devil nigh unto us. Only, when we come to Heaven, we shall be out of his reach for ever; _O thou foul Devil; we are going where thou canst not come!_ He was hissed out of _Paradise_, and shall never enter it any more. Yea, more than so, when the _New Jerusalem_ comes down into the _High Places_ of our Air, from whence the Devil shall then be banished, there shall be no Devil within the Walls of that Holy City. _Amen, Even so Lord Jesus, Come quickly._

II. Any other acknowledgments of the Lord Jesus Christ, will be permitted by the Temptations of the Devil, provided those Acknowledgments of him, which are _True_ and _Full_, may be thereby prevented. What was it, that the Devil hurried our Lord Jesus Christ unto the Top of the _Temple_ for? Surely it could not meerly be to find _Precipices_; any part of the Wilderness would have afforded _Them_. No, it was rather to have _Spectators_. And why so, Why, the carnal Jews had an Expectation among them; that _Elias_ was to fly from Heaven to the Temple; and the Devil seems willing, that our Lord should be cry'd up for _Elias_, among the giddy mult.i.tude; or any thing in the World, tho never so considerable otherwise, rather than to be received as the Christ of G.o.d. The Devil will allow his Followers to think very highly of the Lord Jesus Christ; O but he is very lothe to have them think, _All_. We read in _Col. 1.19._ _It has pleased the Father, that in Him there should all Fullness dwell._ But it is pleasing to the Devil that we deny something of the Immense _Fullness_, which is in our Lord. The Devil would confess to our Lord, _Thou art the Holy One of G.o.d!_ but then he claps in, _Thou art Jesus of Nazareth;_ which was to conceal our Lords being _Jesus of Bethlehem_, and so his being, _The True Messiah_.

All the _Heresies_, and all the Persecutions, that ever plagued the Church of G.o.d, have still been, to strike at some _Glory_ of our Lord Jesus Christ. A CHRIST Entirely Acknowledged, will save the Souls of them that so Acknowledge Him; but, says the Devil, _Whatever tides I must not give way to that._ As they say, the Devil makes Witches unable to utter all the _Lords Prayer_, or some such System of Religion, without some Deprevations of it; thus the Devil will consent that we may make a very large Confession of the Lord Jesus Christ; only he will have us to deprave it, at least in some one Important Article. Some one Honour, some one Office, and some one _Ordinance_ of the Lord Jesus Christ, must be always left unacknowledged, by those that will do as the Devil would have them.

III. _High Stations_ in the Church of G.o.d, lay men open to violent and peculiar _Temptations_ of the Devil. When our Lord was upon the _Pinacle_, that is not the _Fane_, or _Spire_, but the _Battlements_ of the _Temple_, there did the Devil pester him, with singular Molestations, and he therein seems to intend an Entanglement for the Jews, as well as for our Lord. Believe me they that stand High, cannot stand safe. The Devil is a _Nimrod_, a mighty Hunter; and common or little Game, will not serve his Turn: he is a _Leviathan_, of whom we may say, as in _Job. 41.34._ _He beholds all high things._ Men of high Attainments, and Men of high Employments, in the Church of G.o.d, must look, like _Peter_ to be more _Sifted_, and like _Paul_, to be more _Buffeted_ than other Men. _Ferunt Summos Fulmina Montes._----The Devil can raise a Storm, when G.o.d permitteth it, but as for those Men that stand near Heaven, the Devil will attack them with his most cruel storms of Thunder and Lightening. It was said, _let him that standeth take heed;_ but we may say, _They that stand most high, have cause to take most heed._ The Devil is a _Goliah_; and when he finds a _Champion_, he'l be sure most fiercely to Combate such a Man. He is for, _Killing many Birds with one stone_; and he knows that he shall hinder a world of _Good_, and produce a world of _Ill_, if once he can bring a Man Eminently Stationed into his Toyls. Hence 'tis that the _Ministers_ of G.o.d, are more dogg'd by the Devil, than other persons are. Especially such _Ministers_, as more in the highest Orb of Serviceableness; and most of all such _Ministers_ as have spent many years in Laudable Endeavours to be serviceable; Those Ministers are the _Stars_ of Heaven, at which the _Tayl_ of the _Dragon_, will give the most sweeping and most stinging strokes; the Devil will find that for them, that shall make them _Walk softly_ all their Days. These are the Men, that have creepled, and vexed the Devil more than other Men; for which the Devil has an old Quarrel with them. O Neighbours, little do you think, what black Days of Mourning, and Fasting, and Praying before the Lord, a Raging Devil does fill the lives of such _Men of G.o.d_ withall.

IV. The Devil will make a deceitful and unfaithful use of the _Scriptures_ to make his _Temptations_ forceable. When the Devil Solicited our Lord, unto an evil thing, he quoted the _Ninty First_ Psalm unto him, tho' indeed he fallaciously clip'd it, and maim'd it, of one clause very material in it. O never does the Devil make such dangerous Pa.s.ses at us, as when he does wrest our _own Sword_ out of our Hands, and push _That_ upon us. We have to defend us, that Weapon in _Eph. 6.16._ _The Sword of the Spirit, which, is the word of G.o.d_; but when the Devil has that very Weapon to fight us with, he makes terrible work of it. When the Devil would poyson men with false _Doctrines_, he'l quote Scriptures for them; a _Quaker_ himself, will have the First Chapter of _John_ always in his mouth. When the Devil would perswade men to vile _Actions_, he'l quote Scriptures for them; he'l encourage men to go on in Sin, by showing them, where 'tis said, _The Lord is ready to Pardon._ I say this, The one story of _Davids_ Fall, in the Scripture, has been made by the Devil an Engine for the d.a.m.nation of many Millions.

The Devil will fright men from doing those things, that are, _the Things of their Peace_; but How? He'l turn a _Scripture_ into a _Scare-crow_ for them. The Devil will fright them from all constant Prayer to G.o.d, by quoting that Scripture, _The Sacrifice of the Wicked, is an Abomination to the Lord;_ the Devil will fright them from the Holy Supper of G.o.d, by quoting that Scripture, _He that Eats and Drinks unworthily, Eats and Drinks d.a.m.nation to himself._ And thus the Devil will by some abused Scripture, Terrifie the Children of G.o.d; the Scripture is written as we are told, _For our Comfort_; but it is quoted by the Devil, _for our terror_. How many G.o.dly Souls have been cast into sinful Doubts and Fears, by the Devils foolish glosses upon that Scripture, _He that doubts is d.a.m.ned;_ and that, _the fearful shall have their portion in the burning Lake;_ The Devil sometimes has play'd the _Preacher_, but I say, _Beware all silly Souls when such a fool is Preaching._

V. Grievous and Pulling Hurries to _Self-Murder_ are none of the smallest outrages, which the Devil in his _Temptations_ commits upon us.

Why, did the Devil say to our Lord, _Cast thy self down_, but in hopes that our Lord would have broke his Bones, in the fall? The Devil is an _Old Murtherer_; and he loves to _Murder_ men; but no _Murder_ gives him so much satisfaction, as that which at his instigation, men perpetrate upon themselves. We see that such as are _Bewitched_ and _Possessed_ by the Devil, do quickly lay violent hands upon themselves, if they be not watched continually, and we see that when persons have begun that _Unnatural_ business of _killing themselves_, there is a _Preternatural_ Stupendious Prodigious a.s.sistance, by the Devil given thereunto. When people are going to Harm themselves, we call upon them, like those to the Jailor, in _Acts 16.28._ _Do thy self no harm!_ And we have this Argument for it, _It is the Devil that is dragging of you to this mischief; but will you believe, will you obey such an one as the Devil is?_ What was it that made _Judas_ to strangle himself? We read it was when the _Devil was in him_. I suppose there are few _self-murderers_, but what are first very strangely fallen into the Devils hands; and possibly, 'tis by some Extraordinary _Discontent_, against G.o.d, or _back-sliding_ from him, that the Devil first entred into those disturbed Souls. Indeed, some very great Saints of G.o.d, have sometimes had hideous Royls raised by the Devil in their minds; untill they have e'en cry'd out with _Job_, _I choose strangling rather than Life;_ and sometimes the ill Humours or Vapours in the Bodies of such Good Men, do so harbour the Devil that they have this woful motion every day thence made unto them; _You must Kill your self! you must! you must!_ But it is rarely any other than a _Saul_, an _Abimelek_, an _Achitophel_, or a _Judas_; rarely any other, than a very Reprobate, whom the Devil can drive, while the man is _Compos Mentis_, to Consummate such a Villany. Yea, no Child of G.o.d, in his Right Senses can go so far in this impiety, as to be left without all Time and Room for true _Repentance_ of the Crime; 'tis _thus_ done, by none but those that go to the Devil. A _self-murder_, acted by one that is upon other accounts a Reasonable man, is but such an attempt of Revenge upon the G.o.d that made him, as none but one full of the Devil can be guilty of.

If any of you are Dragoon'd by the Devil, unto the murdering of your selves, my Advice to you is, _Disclose it_, _Reveal it_, _make it known immediately_. One that Cut his own Throat among us, Expired crying out, _O that I had told! O that I had told._ You may spoil the Devil, if you'l _Tell_ what he is a doing of.

VI. Presumptuous and Unwarrantable _Trials_ of the Blessed G.o.d, are some of those things whereinto the Devil would fain hook us with his _Temptations_. This was that which the Devil would have brought our Lord unto, even, _A tempting of the Lord our G.o.d_. It is the charge of our G.o.d upon us, in _Deut. 6.16._ _Thou shalt not Tempt the Lord thy G.o.d._ But that which the Devil _Tries_, is, to put us upon _Trying_ in a sinful way, whether G.o.d be such a G.o.d as indeed he is. 'Tis true as to the ways of Obedience, our G.o.d says unto us, _Prove me, in those ways; Try, whether I won't be as good as my Word._ But then there are ways of _Presumption_, wherein the Devil would have us to trie, what a G.o.d it is, _With whom we have to do_. The Devil would have us to trie the Purpose of G.o.d, about our selves or others; but how? By going to the _Devil_ himself; by Consulting _Astrologers_, or _Fortune Tellers_; or perhaps by letting the Bible fall open, to see what is the first Sentence we light upon. The Devil would have us trie the Mercy of G.o.d, but how? By running into _Dangers_, which we have no call unto. He would have us trie the Power of G.o.d; but how? By looking for good things, without the use of Means for the getting of them. He would have us trie the Justice of G.o.d; but how? By venturing upon Sin in a _Corner_, with an Imagination that G.o.d will never bring us out. He would have us trie the Promise of G.o.d; but how? By _Limiting_ the Lord, unto such or such a way of manifesting Himself, or else believing of nothing at all. He would have us trie the Threatning of G.o.d; but how? By going on impenitently in those things, for which the _Wrath of G.o.d comes upon the Children of Disobedience_. Thus would the Devil have us to affront the Majesty of Heaven every day.

VII. The _Temptations_ of the Devil, aim at puffing and bloating of us up, with _Pride_; as much perhaps as any one iniquity. The Devil would have had Our Lord make a _Vain glorious_ Discovery of himself unto the World, by _Flying in the air_, so as no mortal can. _Hoc Ithacus velit_--the Devil would have us to soar aloft, and not only to be above other men, but also to _know_ that we are so, _Pride_ is the Devils own sin; and he affects especially to be, _The King over the Children of Pride_, it is a caution in _1 Tim. 3.6._ A Pastor must not be _A Novice_; _Lest being lifted up with Pride, He fall into the condemnation of the Devil._ (_Summo ac Pio c.u.m Tremore Hunc Textum Legamus nos Ministri Juvenes!_) Accordingly, the Devil would have us to be inordinately taken and moved with what _Excellencies_ our G.o.d has bestowed upon us. If our _Estates_ rise, he would have us rise in our Spirits too. If we have been blessed with Beauty, with Breeding, with Honour, with Success, with Attire, with Spiritual Priviledges, or with Praise-worthy Performances; Now says the Devil, _Think thy self better than other Men._ Yea, the Devil would have us arrogate unto our selves, those _Excellencies_ which really we never were owners of; and _Boast of a false Gift_. He would have us moreover to Thirst after Applause among others that may see Our _Excellencies_! and be impatient if we are not accounted _some-body_. He would have us furthermore, to aspire after such a _Figure_, as G.o.d has never yet seen fitting for us; and croud into some _High Chair_ that becomes us not. Thus would the Devil Elevate us into the _Air_, above our Neighbours; and why so? 'Tis that we may be punished with such _Falls_, as may make us cry out with _David_, _O my Bones are broken with my Falls!_ The Devil can't endure to see men lying in the _Dust_; because there is no falling thence. He is a _Fallen Spirit_ himself, and it pleases him to see the _Falls_ of men.

--. The Third of Our Lords Three Temptations, is related in such Terms as these. _Matth. 4.8, 9._ _Again the Devil taketh him up, into an exceeding High Mountain, and sheweth him all the Kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them: and saith unto him, all these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and Wors.h.i.+p me._ From whence take these Remarks.

I. The Devil in his _Temptations_ will set the Delight of this world before us; but he'll set a fair, and a false _Varnish_ upon those Delights. They were some unknown _Perspectives_, which the Devil had, both for the Refracting of the _Medium_, and for the Magnifying of the Object, whereby he gave our Lord at once a prospect of the whole Roman Empire; but what was it? It was the _World_, and the _Glory_ of it; he says not a word of the _World_, and the _Trouble_ of it. No sure; not a word of that; the Devil will not have his Hook so barely expos'd unto us. The Devil sets off the Delights of Sin, which he offers unto us, with a stretched and raised Rhetorick; but he will not own, _That in the midst of our Laughter, our Heart shall be sorrowful;_ and _That the end of our Mirth shall be Heaviness._ There is but one Gla.s.s in the Spectacles, with which the Devil would have us to read, those pa.s.sages in _Eccles. 11.9._ _Rejoyce, O young Man in thy youth, and let thy Heart chear thee in the Dayes of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy Heart, and in the sight of thine Eyes._ Thus far the Devil would have us to Read; and he'll make many a fine Comment upon it; he'll tell us, That if we'll follow the Courses of the World, we shall swim in all the Delights of the World. But he is not willing you should Read out the next words; _But know thou, that for all these things G.o.d shall bring thee into Judgment._ O he's loth we should be aware of the dreadful Issues, and Reckonings that our Worldly Delights will be attended with. He sets before us, _The Pleasures of Sin_; but he will not say, _These are but for a Season._ He sets before us, _The sweet Waters of Stealth_; but he will not say, _There is Death in the Pot._ He is a _Mountebank_, that will bestow nothing but Romantic Praises upon all that he makes us the Offers of.

II. There are most h.e.l.lish _Blasphemies_ often buzz'd by the _Temptations_ of the Devil, into the minds of the best Men alive. What a most Execrable Thing was here laid before our Lord Himself: Even, To own the _Devil as G.o.d_! a thing that can't be uttered, without unutterable Horror of Soul. The best man on earth, may have such _Fiery Darts_ from h.e.l.l shot into his mind. One that was acted by the _Devil_, had the impudence to propound this unto such a good man as _Job_, _Curse G.o.d_. And the Devil pleases himself, by chusing the Hearts of good men, with his base Injections, _That there is no G.o.d_, or, _That G.o.d is not a Righteous G.o.d_; and a thousand more such things, too Devilish to be mentioned. A good man is extreamly grieved at it, when he hears a _Blasphemy_ from the mouth of another man; said the Psalmist, in _Psal.

44.15, 16._ _My Confusion is continually before me, for the voice of him that Blasphemeth._ But much more when a good man finds a _Blasphemy_ in his own Heart; O it throws him into most Fevourish Agonies of Soul. For this cause, a mischievous Devil, will _Flie blow_ the Heart of such a man, with such Blasphemous Thoughts, as make him crie out, _Lord I am e'n weary of my life._ Yea, the Devil serves the man just as the Mistress of _Joseph_ dealt with him; he importunes the man to think wickedly from Day to Day; and if the man refuse, he cries out at last, _Behold, what wicked thoughts this man has lodging in him._ Sayst thou so? _Satan!_ No, they are Baits of thy own; and at thy Door alone shall they be laid for ever.

III. There is a sort of Witchcrafts in those things, whereto the Temptations of the Devil would inveigle us. To wors.h.i.+p the Devil is Witchcraft, and under that notion was our Lord urged unto sin. We are told in _1 Sam. 15.23._ _Rebellion is as the sin of Witchcraft:_ When the Devil would have us to sin, he would have us to do the things which the forlorn Witches use to do. Perhaps there are few persons, ever allured by the Devil unto an Explicit Covenant with himself. If any among ourselves be so, my councel is, that you hunt the Devil from you, with such words as the Psalmist had, _Be gone, Depart from me, ye evil Doers, for I will keep the Commandments of my G.o.d._ But alas, the most of men, are by the Devil put upon doing the things that are a.n.a.logous to the worst usages of Witches. The Devil says to the sinner, _Despise thy Baptism, and all the Bond of it, and all the Good of it._ The Devil says to the sinner, _Come, cast off the Authority of G.o.d, and refuse the Salvation of Christ for ever._ Yea, the Devil who is called, _The G.o.d of this World_, would have us to take Him for Our G.o.d, and rather Hear Him, Trust Him, Serve Him, than the G.o.d that formed us.

IV. The _Temptations_ of the Devil do Tug and Pull for nothing more, than that the Rulers of the World may yield Homage unto him. Our Lord has had this by his Father Engag'd unto him, _That he shall one day be Governour of the Nations._ The Devil doe's extreamly dread the approach of that Ill.u.s.trious time, when _The Kingdom of G.o.d shall come and his Will be done, as in Heaven, and on Earth._ For this cause it was that he was desirous, Our Lord should rather have accepted of him, that Kingdom, which _Antichrist_ afterwards accepted of him, for the Establishment of _Devil-wors.h.i.+p_, in the World. I may tell you, The Devil is mighty unwilling, that there should be one _G.o.dly Magistrate_ upon the face of the Earth. Such is the influence of _Government_, that the Devil will every where stickle mightily, to have that siding with him. What _Rulers_ would the Devil have, to command all mankind, if he might have his will? Even, such as are called in _Psal. 94.20._ _The throne of iniquity, which frames mischief by a Law_; such as will promote Vice, by both Connivance, and Example; and such as will oppress all that shall be _Holy, and Just, and Good_. All men have cause therefore to be jealous, what Use the Devil may make of them, with reference to the Affairs of Government; but Rulers may most of all think, that the Lord Jesus from Heaven calls upon them, _Satan has desired that he might Sift you, and have you; O Look to it, what side you take._

Thus have you in the Temptations of our Lord, seen the princ.i.p.al of those Devices, which the Devil has to Entrap our Souls. But what shall we now do, that we may be fortified against those Devices? O that we might be well furnished with the _Whole Armour of G.o.d_! But me thinks, there were some things attending the Temptations of our Lord, which would especially Recommend those few Hints unto us for our Guard.

First, If you are not fond of Temptation, be not fond of Needless, or Too much Retirement. Where was it, that the Devil fell upon our Lord? it was when he was Alone in the Wilderness. We should all have our Times to be Alone every Day; and if the Devil go to scare us out of our Chambers, with such a Bugbear, as that he'll appear to us, yet stay in spite of his teeth, stay to finish your Devotions; he Lyes, he dare not shew his head. But on the other-side by being too solitary, we may lay our selves too much open to the Devil; You know who says, _Wo to him that is alone._

Secondly, Let an _Oracle_ of G.o.d be your defence against a _Temptation_ of _h.e.l.l_. How did our Lord silence the _Devil_? It was with an, _It is written!_ And _all_ his Three Citations were from that one Book of _Deuteronomy_. What a _full_ Armoury then have we, in _all_ the sacred Pages that lie before us? Whatever the Words of the _Devil_ are, drown them with the words of the _Great G.o.d_. Say, _It is Written_ The _Belshazzar_ of _h.e.l.l_ will Tremble and Withdraw, if you show these _Hand-Writings_ of the Lord.

Lastly, Since the Lord Jesus Christ has conquered all the _Temptations_ of the Devil, Flie to that Lord, Crie to that Lord, that He would give you a share in his Happy Victory. It was for Us that our Lord overcome the Devil: and when he did but say, _Satan, Get hence_, away presently the Tygre flew: Does the Devil molest Us? Then let us Repair to our Lord, who says, _I know how to succour the Tempted._ Said the _Psalmist_, _Psal. 61.2._ _Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I._ A Woman in this Land being under the Possession of Devils, the Devils within her, audibly spoke of diverse Harms they would inflict upon her; but still they made this answer, _Ah! She Runs to the Rock! She Runs to the Rock!_ and that hindered all. O this _Running to the Rock_; 'tis the best Preservation in the World; the _Vultures_ of _h.e.l.l_ cannot prey upon the _Doves_ in the _Clefts_ of that _Rock_. May our G.o.d now lead us thereunto.

A FURTHER ACCOUNT OF THE TRYALS OF THE New-England Witches.

WITH THE OBSERVATIONS Of a Person who was upon the Place several Days when the suspected Witches were first taken into Examination.

To which is added,

Cases of Conscience Concerning Witchcrafts and Evil Spirits Personating Men.

Written at the Request of the Ministers of _New-England_.

By _Increase Mather_, President of _Harvard_ Colledge.

Licensed and Entred according to Order.

_London_: Printed for J. Dunton, at the _Raven_ in the _Poultrey_.

1693. Of whom may be had the _Third Edition_ of Mr. _Cotton Mather's First Account_ of the Tryals of the _New-England_ Witches, Printed on the same size with this _Last Account_, that they may bind up together.

A TRUE NARRATIVE of some Remarkable Pa.s.sages relating to sundry Persons afflicted by _Witchcraft_ at _Salem_ Village in _New-England_, which happened from the _19th._ of _March_ to the _5th._ of _April_, 1692.

COLLECTED BY DEODAT LAWSON.

On the Nineteenth day of _March_ last I went to _Salem_ Village, and lodged at _Nathaniel Ingersol's_ near to the Minister Mr. _P.'s_ House, and presently after I came into my Lodging, Capt. _Walcut's_ Daughter _Mary_ came to Lieut. _Ingersol's_ and spake to me; but suddenly after, as she stood by the Door, was bitten, so that she cried out of her Wrist, and looking on it with a Candle, we saw apparently the marks of Teeth, both upper and lower set, on each side of her Wrist.

In the beginning of the Evening I went to give Mr. _P._ a Visit. When I was there, his Kinswoman, _Abigail Williams_, (about 12 Years of Age) had a grievous fit; she was at first hurried with violence to and fro in the Room (though Mrs. _Ingersol_ endeavoured to hold her) sometimes making as if she would fly, stretching up her Arms as high as she could, and crying, _Whish, Whish, Whish_, several times; presently after she said, there was Goodw. _N._ and said, _Do you not see her? Why there she stands!_ And she said, Goodw. _N._ offered her THE BOOK, but she was resolved she would not take it, saying often, _I wont, I wont, I wont take it, I do not know what Book it is: I am sure it is none of G.o.d's Book, it is the Devil's Book for ought I know._ After that, she ran to the Fire, and begun to throw Fire-brands about the House, and run against the Back, as if she would run up Chimney, and, as they said, she had attempted to go into the Fire in other Fits.

On Lords Day, the Twentieth of _March_, there were sundry of the afflicted Persons at Meeting, as Mrs. _Pope_, and Goodwife _Bibber_, _Abigail Williams_, _Mary Walcut_, _Mary Lewes_, and Doctor _Grigg's_ Maid. There was also at Meeting, Goodwife _C._ (who was afterward Examined on suspicion of being a _Witch_:) They had several sore Fits in the time of Publick Wors.h.i.+p, which did something interrupt me in my first Prayer, being so unusual. After _Psalm_ was sung _Abigail Williams_ said to me, _Now stand up, and name your Text!_ And after it was read, she said, _It is a long Text._ In the beginning of Sermon, Mrs. _Pope_, a Woman afflicted, said to me, _Now there is enough of that._ And in the Afternoon, _Abigail Williams_, upon my referring to my _Doctrine_, said to me, _I know no Doctrine you had, If you did name one, I have forgot it._

In Sermon time, when Goodwife _C._ was present in the Meeting-House, _Ab. W._ called out, _Look where Goodwife C. sits on the Beam suckling her Yellow Bird betwixt her fingers!_ _Ann Putman_, another Girle afflicted, said, _There was a Yellow Bird sat on my Hat as it hung on the Pin in the Pulpit;_ but those that were by, restrained her from speaking loud about it.

On _Monday_ the _21st._ of _March_, the Magistrates of _Salem_ appointed to come to Examination of Goodwife _C._ And about Twelve of the Clock they went into the Meeting-House, which was thronged with Spectators.

Mr. _Noyes_ began with a very pertinent and pathetical _Prayer_; and Goodwife _C._ being called to answer to what was alledged against her, she desired to go to _Prayer_, which was much wondred at, in the presence of so many hundred People: The Magistrates told her, they would not admit it; they came not there to hear her Pray, but to Examine her, in what was Alledged against her. The Wors.h.i.+pful Mr. _Hathorne_ asked her, _Why she afflicted those Children?_ She said, she did not Afflict them. He asked her, who did then? She said, _I do not know; How should I know?_ The Number of the Afflicted Persons were about that time Ten, _viz._ Four Married Women, Mrs. _Pope_, Mrs. _Putman_, Goodwife _Bibber_, and an Ancient Woman, named _Goodall_; three Maids, _Mary Walcut_, _Mercy Lewes_, at _Thomas Putman's_, and a Maid at _Dr.

Griggs's_; there were three Girls from 9 to 12 Years of Age, each of them, or thereabouts, _viz._ _Elizabeth Parris_, _Abigail Williams_, and _Ann Putman_; these were most of them at Goodwife _C.'s_ Examination, and did vehemently Accuse her in the a.s.sembly of Afflicting them, by _Biting_, _Pinching_, _Strangling_, _&c._ And that they in their Fits see her Likeness coming to them, and bringing a _Book_ to them; she said, she had no _Book_; they affirmed, she had a _Yellow Bird_, that used to suck betwixt her Fingers, and being asked about it, if she had any _Familiar Spirit_, that attended her? she said, _She had no Familiarity with any such thing._ She was a _Gospel Woman_: Which t.i.tle she called her self by; and the Afflicted Persons told her, Ah! she was _A Gospel Witch_. _Ann Putman_ did there affirm, that one day when Lieutenant _Fuller_ was at Prayer at her Father's House, she saw the shape of Goodwife _C._ and she thought Goodwife _N._ Praying at the same time to the Devil; she was not sure it was Goodwife _N._ she thought it was; but very sure she saw the shape of Goodwife _C._ The said _C._ said, they were poor distracted Children, and no heed to be given to what they said. Mr. _Hathorne_ and Mr. _Noyes_ replyed, It was the Judgment of all that were present, they were _Bewitched_, and only she the Accused Person said, they were _Distracted_. It was observed several times, that if she did but bite her under lip in time of Examination, the Persons afflicted were bitten on their Arms and Wrists, and produced the _Marks_ before the Magistrates, Ministers, and others. And being watched for that, if she did but _Pinch_ her Fingers, or _Grasp_ one Hand hard in another, they were Pinched, and produced the _Marks_ before the Magistrates, and Spectators. After that, it was observed, that if she did but lean her _Breast_ against the Seat in the Meeting-House, (being the _Bar_ at which she stood), they were afflicted. Particularly Mrs. _Pope_ complained of grievous Torment in her _Bowels_, as if they were torn out. She vehemently accused the said _C._ as the Instrument, and first threw her m.u.f.f at her; but that flying not home, she got off her _shoe_, and hit Goodwife _C._ on the Head with it. After these Postures were watched, if the said _C._ did but stir her Feet, they were afflicted in their _Feet_, and stamped fearfully. The afflicted Persons asked her, why she did not go to the Company of Witches which were before the Meeting-House Mustering? Did she not hear the _Drum_ beat?

They accused her of having Familiarity with the _Devil_, in the time of Examination, in the shape of a Black _Man_ whispering in her Ear; they affirmed, that her _Yellow Bird_ sucked betwixt her Fingers in the a.s.sembly; and Order being given to see if there were any sign, the Girl that saw it, said, it was too late now; she had removed a _Pin_, and put it on her _Head_; which was found _there_ sticking upright.