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
If Lastly, We are inquisitive after Instances of those aggravated
_woes_, with which the Devil will towards the _End_ of his _Time_
assault us; let it be remembred, That all the Extremities which were
foretold by the _Trumpets_ and _Vials_ in the Apocalyptick Schemes of
these things, to come upon the World, were the _woes_ to come from the
_wrath_ of the Devil, upon the _shortning_ of his _Time_. The horrendous
desolations that have come upon mankind, by the Irruptions of the old
_Barbarians_ upon the _Roman_ World, and then of the _Saracens_, and
since, of the _Turks_, were such _woes_ as men had never seen before.
The Infandous _Blindness_ and _Vileness_ which then came upon mankind,
and the Monstrous _Croisadoes_ which thereupon carried the _Roman_ World
by Millions together unto the Shambles; were also such _woes_ as had
never yet had a Parallel. And yet these were some of the things here
intended, when it was said, _Wo! For the Devil is come down in great
Wrath, having but a short time._
But besides all these things, and besides the increase of _Plagues_ and
_Wars_, and _Storms_, and _Internal Maladies_ now in our days, there are
especially two most extraordinary _Woes_, one would fear, will in these
days become very ordinary. One _Woe_ that may be look'd for is, A
frequent Repetition of _Earthquakes_, and this perhaps by the energy of
the Devil in the _Earth_. The Devil will be clap't up, as a Prisoner in
or near the Bowels of the earth, when once that _Conflagration_ shall be
dispatched, which will make, _The New Earth wherein shall dwell
Righteousness;_ and that _Conflagration_ will doubtless be much
promoted, by the Subterraneous _Fires_, which are a cause of the
_Earthquakes_ in our Dayes. Accordingly, we read, _Great Earthquakes in
divers places_, enumerated among the Tokens of the _Time_ approaching,
when the Devil shall have no longer _Time_. I suspect, That we shall now
be visited with more Usual and yet more Fatal _Earthquakes_, than were
our Ancestors; in asmuch as the _Fires_ that are shortly to _Burn unto
the Lowest Hell, and set on Fire the Foundations of the Mountains_, will
now get more Head than they use to do; and it is not impossible, that
the Devil, who is ere long to be punished in those _Fires_, may
aforehand augment his Desert of it, by having an hand in using some of
those _Fires_, for our Detriment. Learned Men have made no scruple to
charge the Devil with it; _Deo permittente, Terrae motus causat._ The
Devil surely, was a party in the _Earthquake_, whereby the Vengeance of
God, in one black Night sunk Twelve considerable Cities of _Asia_, in
the Reign of _Tiberious_. But there will be more such _Catastrophes_ in
our Dayes; _Italy_ has lately been _Shaking_, till its _Earthquakes_
have brought Ruines at once upon more than thirty Towns; but it will
within a little while, _shake_ again, and _shake_ till the Fire of God
have made an Entire _Etna_ of it. And behold, This very Morning, when I
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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