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
That which is, perhaps, the greatest Effect of the _Devils Wrath_, seems
to be in a manner at an _end_: and this would make one hope that the
_Devils time_ cannot be far from its _end_. It is in Persecution, that
the _wrath_ of the Devil uses to break forth, with its greatest fury.
Now there want not probabilities, that the _last Persecution_ intended
for the Church of God, before the Advent of our Lord, has been upon it.
When we see the _second Woe passing away_, we have a fair signal given
unto us, _That the last slaughter of our Lord's Witnesses is over;_ and
then what Quickly follows? The next thing is, _The Kingdoms of this
World, are become the Kingdoms of Our Lord, and of His Christ:_ and then
_down_ goes the Kingdom of the Devil, so that he cannot any more _come
down_ upon us. Now, the Irrecoverable and Irretrievable Humiliations
that have lately befallen the _Turkish Power_, are but so many
Declarations of the _second Woe passing away_. And the dealings of God
with the _European_ parts of the world, at this day, do further
strengthen this our expectation. We _do_ see, _at this hour a great
Earth-quake all Europe over_: and we _shall_ see, that this _great
Earth-quake_, and these great Commotions, will but contribute unto the
advancement of our Lords hitherto-depressed Interests. 'Tis also to be
remark'd that, a disposition to recognize the _Empire_ of God over the
_Conscience_ of man, does now prevail more in the world than formerly;
and God from on High more touches the Hearts of Princes and Rulers with
an averseness to Persecution. 'Tis particularly the unspeakable
happiness of the English Nation, to be under the Influences of that
excellent Queen, who could say, _In as much as a man cannot make himself
believe what he will, why should we Persecute men for not believing as
we do! I wish I could see all good men of one mind; but in the mean time
I pray, let them however love one another._ Words worthy to be written
in Letters of Gold! and by _us_ the more to be considered, because to
one of _Ours_ did that royal Person express Her self so excellently, so
obligingly. When the late King _James_ published his Declaration for
_Liberty of Conscience_, a worthy Divine in the Church of _England_,
then studying the _Revelation_, saw cause upon _Revelational_ Grounds,
to declare himself in such words as these, _Whatsoever others may intend
or design by this Liberty of Conscience, I cannot believe, that it will
ever be recalled in +England+, as long as the World stands._ And you
know how miraculously the _Earth-quake_ which then immediately came upon
the Kingdom, has established that _Liberty_! But that which exceeds all
the tendencies this way, is, the dispensation of God at this Day,
towards the blessed _Vaudois_. Those renowned _Waldenses_, which were a
sort of _Root_ unto all Protestant Churches, were never dissipated, by
all the Persecutions of many Ages, till within these few years, the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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