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 II._ There is a Devilish _Wrath_ against _Mankind_, with
which the _Devil_ is for _God's sake_ Inspired. The Devil is himself
broiling under the intollerable and interminable _Wrath_ of God; and a
fiery _Wrath_ at God, is, that which the Devil is for that cause
Enflamed. Methinks I see the posture of the Devils in _Isa. 8.21._ _They
fret themselves, and Curse their God, and look upward._ The first and
chief _Wrath_ of the Devil, is at the Almighty God himself; he knows,
_The God that made him, will not have mercy on him, and the God that
formed him, will shew him no favour;_ and so he can have no _Kindness_
for that God, who has no _Mercy_, nor _Favour_ for him. Hence 'tis, that
he cannot bear the _Name_ of God should be acknowledged in the World:
Every Acknowledgement paid unto _God_, is a fresh drop of the burning
Brimstone falling upon the Devil; he does make his Insolent, tho
Impotent Batteries, even upon the _Throne_ of God himself: and foolishly
affects to have himself exalted unto that _Glorious High Throne_, by
all people, as he sometimes is, by Execrable _Witches_. This horrible
Dragon does not only with his Tayl strike at the _Stars of God_, but at
the God himself, who made the _Stars_, being desirous to out-shine them
all. God and the Devil are sworn Enemies to each other; the Terms
between them, are those, in _Zech. 11.18._ _My Soul loathed them, and
their Soul also abhorred me._ And from this Furious _wrath_, or
Displeasure and Prejudice at God, proceeds the Devils _wrath_ at us, the
poor Children of Men. Our doing the _Service_ of God, is one thing that
exposes us to the _wrath_ of the Devil. We are the _High Priests_ of the
World; when all Creatures are called upon, _Praise ye the Lord_, they
bring to us those demanded _Praises_ of God, saying, _do you offer them
for us._ Hence 'tis, that the Devil has a Quarrel with us, as he had
with the _High-Priest_ in the Vision of Old. Our bearing the Image of
God is another thing that brings the _wrath_ of the Devil upon us. As a
_Tyger_, thro his Hatred at man will tear the very Picture of him, if it
come in his way; such a _Tyger_ the Devil is; because God said of old,
_Let us make Man in our Image_, the Devil is ever saying, _Let us pull
this man to pieces_. But the envious _Pride_ of the Devil, is one thing
more that gives an Edge unto his Furious _Wrath_ against us. The Apostle
has given us an hint, as if _Pride_ had been the _Condemnation of the
Devil_. 'Tis not unlikely, that the Devil's _Affectation_ to be above
that Condition which he might learn that Mankind was to be preferr'd
unto, might be the occasion of his taking up Arms against the _Immortal
King_. However, the Devil now sees _Man_ lying in the Bosom of God, but
_himself_ damned in the bottom of Hell; and this enrages him
exceedingly; _O_, says he, _I cannot bear it, that man should not be as
miserable as my self._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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