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
The _Corinthians_, having upon the Apostles Direction, Excommunicated
one of their Society, who had married his Mother-in-law, & this, as it
is thought, while his own Father was Living too; the Apostle encourages
them to Re-admit that man, upon his very deep and sharp _Repentance_.
He gives divers Reasons of his propounding this unto them; whereof
one is, _Lest Satan should get advantage of them;_ for, had the man
miscarried, under any Rigour of the Sentence continued upon him, after
his _Repentance_, 'tis well if the Church itself had not quickly fallen
to pieces thereupon; besure, the Success of the Gospel had been more
than a little Incommoded. The Apostle upon this Occasion, intimates,
That _Satan_ has his _Devices;_ by which word are meant, Artifices or
Contrivances used for the _Deceiving_ of those that are Treated with
them well, But what shall _we do_ that we may come to this _Corinthian
Attainment, We are not Ignorant of Satan's Devices?_ [_Non cuivis
homini Contingit!_]
Truly, the Devil has _Mille Nocendi Artes;_ and it will be
impossible for us, to run over all the _Stratagems_ and _Policies_
of our Adversary. I shall only attempt a few Observations upon the
_Temptations_ of our Lord Jesus Christ: who was _Tempted in all things
like unto us, except in our Sins_. When we read the _Temptations_
of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Fourth Chapter of _Matthew_ There,
Thence, you will understand, what was once counted so difficult; Even,
_The way of a Serpent upon the Rock_. There are certain Ancient and
Famous _Methods_ which the Devil in his _Temptations_, does mostly
accustome himself unto; which is not so much from any Barrenness, or
Sluggishness in the Devil, but because he has had the Encouragement of
a, _Probatum est_, upon those horrid Methods. How did the Devil assault
the First _Adam?_ It was with Temptations drawn from _Pleasure_, and
_Profit_, and _Honour_, which, as the Apostle notes, in 1 Joh. 2, 16.
are, _All that is in the World_. [53] With the very same temptations
it was, that he fell upon the Second _Adam_ too. Now, in those
_Temptations_, you will see the more _Usual Methods_, whereby the
_Devil_ would be Ensnaring of us; and I beseech you to attend unto the
following Admonitions, as those _Warnings_ of God, which the Lives of
your souls depend upon your taking of.
There were especially Three _Remarkable_ Assaults of _Temptations_,
which the _Devil_ it seems, visibly made upon our Lord; after he had
been more invisibly for Forty dayes together _Tempting_ of that Holy
One; and we may make a few distinct _Remarks_ upon them all.
§ The first of our Lords three Temptations is thus related, in Mat. 4,
3. _He was an Hungry; and when the Tempter came to him, he said, If
thou be the Son of God, Command that these Stones be made Bread._
From whence, take these _Remarks_.
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