The Wonders of the Invisible World: Being an Account of the Tryals of Several Witches Lately Executed in New-England, to which is added A Farther Account of the Tryals of the New-England WitchesMather, Cotton
History
The Wonders of the Invisible World: Being an Account of the Tryals of Several Witches Lately Executed in New-England, to which is added A Farther Account of the Tryals of the New-England Witches
Mather, Cotton
Witchcraft -- New England -- Early works to 1800
_Proposition I._ That there is a _Devil_, is a thing Doubted by none but
such as are under the Influences of the _Devil_. For any to deny the
Being of a _Devil_ must be from an Ignorance or Profaneness, worse than
_Diabolical_. _A Devil._ What is _that_? We have a Definition of the
Monster, in _Eph. 6.12._ _A Spiritual Wickedness_, that is, _A wicked
Spirit_. A Devil is a _Fallen Angel_, an Angel _Fallen_ from the Fear
and Love of God, and from all Celestial Glories; but _Fallen_ to all
manner of Wretchedness and Cursedness. He was once in that Order of
Heavenly Creatures, which God in the Beginning made _Ministering
Spirits_, for his own peculiar Service and Honour, in the management of
the Universe; but we may now write that Epitaph upon him, _How art thou
fallen from Heaven! thou hast said in thine Heart, I will Exalt my
Throne above the Stars of God; but thou art brought down to Hell!_ A
Devil is a _Spiritual_ and _Rational_ Substance, by his _Apostacy_ from
God, inclined unto all that is Vicious, and for that _Apostacy_ confined
unto the Atmosphere of this Earth, _in Chains under Darkness, unto the
Judgment of the Great Day_. This is a _Devil_; and the _Experience_ of
Mankind as well as the _Testimony_ of Scripture, does abundantly prove
the Existence of such a Devil.
About this _Devil_, there are many things, whereof we may reasonably and
profitably be Inquisitive; such things, I mean, as are in our Bibles
Reveal'd unto us; according to which if we do not speak, on so _dark_ a
Subject, but according to our own uncertain, and perhaps humoursome
Conjectures, _There is no Light in us._ I will carry you with me, but
unto one Paragraph of the Bible, to be informed of three Things,
relating to the _Devil_; 'tis the Story of the _Gadaren Energumen_, in
the fifth Chapter of _Mark_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account