The Witchcraft Delusion in New England: Its Rise, Progress, and Termination, (Vol. 1 of 3)Mather, Cotton
History
The Witchcraft Delusion in New England: Its Rise, Progress, and Termination, (Vol. 1 of 3)
Mather, Cotton
Witchcraft -- New England
My Text says, _The Devil is come down in great Wrath, for he has but a
short time_. Yea, but if you do not by a speedy and through Conversion
to God, escape the Wrath of the Devil, you will your selves go down,
where the Devil is to be, and you will there be sweltring under the
Devils Wrath, not for a _short Time_, but _World without end;_ not for
a _Short Time_ but for _Infinite Millions of Ages_. The smoke of your
Torment under that Wrath, will _Ascend for ever and ever!_ Indeed, the
Devil's time for his Wrath upon you in this World, can be but short,
but his time for you to do his Work, or, which is all one, to delay
your turning to God, that is a _Long Time_. When the Devil was going to
be Dispossessed of a Man, he Roar'd out, _Am I to be Tormented before
my time?_ You will _Torment_ the Devil, if you Rescue your Souls out
of his hands, by true Repentance: If once you begin to look that way,
he'll Cry out, _O this is before my Time, I must have more Time, yet
in the Service of such a guilty Soul_. But, I beseech you, let us
join thus to torment the Devil, in an holy Revenge upon him, for all
the Injuries which he has done unto us; let us tell him, _Satan, thy
time with me is but short, Nay, thy time with me shall be no more; I
am unutterably sorry that it has been so much; Depart from me thou
Evil-Doer, that would'st have me an Evil-Doer like thy self; I will now
for ever keep the Commandments of that God, in whom I Live and Move,
and have my Being!_ The Devil has plaid a fine Game for himself indeed,
if by his troubling of our Land, the Souls of many People should come
to _think upon their ways, till even they turn their Feet into the
Testimonies of the Lord_. Now that the Devil may be thus outshot in his
own Bow, is the desire of all that love the Salvation of God among us,
as well as of him, who has thus Addressed you. _Amen._
HAVING thus discoursed on the _Wonders of the Invisible World_, I shall
now, with God's help, go on to relate some Remarkable and Memorable
Instances of _Wonders_ which that _World_ has given to ourselves. And
altho the chief Entertainment which my Readers do expect, and shall
receive, will be a true History of what has occurred, respecting the
WITCHCRAFTS wherewith we are at this day Persecuted; yet I shall choose
to usher in the mention of those things, with
_A Narrative of an_ APPARITION _which a Gentleman in_ BOSTON, _had
of his Brother, just then murthered in_ LONDON.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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