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
than this; That we should not count, _Christ_ so precious, _Heaven_ so
Glorious, _Hell_ 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 God, 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 Gods 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 God; and where, altho' God
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 Assemble for
the Worship of God, 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 God came to present
themselves before the Lord, Satan came also among them._ When we are in
our Church-Assemblies, O how many _Devils_, do you imagine, [90] croud
in among us! There is a _Devil_ that rocques 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.
Onely, 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 _Paradese_, 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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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