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
IV. Things in themselves _Allowable_ and _Convenient_, are oftentimes
turned into sore _Temptations_ by the Devil. He press'd our Lord unto
the mak[55]ing 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 God. '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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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