The Scripture speaks of a Spirit of _Divination_, _Acts_ xvi. 16. and a Wench that was possess'd by this Spirit _brought her Master much Gain by Southsaying_, that is to say, according to the Learned, by _Oracling_ or answering Questions; whence you will see in the Margin, that this southsaying _Devil_ is there call'd _Python_, that is, _Apollo_, who is often call'd _Python_, and who at the Oracle of _Delphos_ gave out such Answers and _double Entendres_, as this Wench possibly did; and hence all those Spirits which were call'd Spirits of Divination, were in another Sense call'd _Pythons_. Now when the Apostle St. _Paul_ came to see this Creature, this Spirit takes upon it to declare that _those Men_, meaning St. _Paul_ and _Timotheus_, _were the Servants of the most high God, which shew'd unto them the Way of Salvation_; this was a good turn of the _Devil_, to preserve his Authority in the possess'd Girl; she brought them Gain by Southsaying, that is to say, resolving difficult Questions, answering Doubts, interpreting Dreams, _&c._ Among these Doubts, he makes her give Testimony to _Paul_ and _Timotheus_, to wheedle in with the new Christians, and perhaps (tho' very ignorantly) even with _Paul_ and _Timotheus_ themselves, so to give a Kind of Credit and Respect to her for speaking. But the _Devil_, who never speaks Truth, but with some sinister End, was discover'd here and detected; his flattering Recognition not accepted, and he himself unkennel'd as he deserv'd; there the _Devil_ was over-shot in his own Bow again. Here now was a real Possession, and the evil Spirits who possess'd her, did stoop to sundry little Acts of Servitude, that we could give little or no Reason for, only that the Girl's Master might get Money by her; but perhaps this was a particular Case, and, prepar'd to honour the Authority and Power the Apostles had over evil Spirits. But we find these Things carried a great Way farther in many Cases, that is to say, where the Parties are thus really possess'd; namely, the _Devil_ makes Agents of the possess'd Parties to do many Things for the propagating his Interest and Kingdom, and particularly for the carrying on his Dominion in the World: But I am for the present not so much upon the real Possession as the pretended, and particularly we have had many that have believed themselves possess'd, when the _Devil_ never believed it of them, and perhaps knew them better; some of these are really poor _Devils_ to be pitied, and are what I call _Diables Imaginaire_; these have notwithstanding done the _Devil_ good Service, and brought their Masters good Gain by Southsaying.