Sixthly, There remains one inftance more of the Devils Cruelty, which is yet different from the former, which I may call his Perfonal Cruelties, because they are acted by his own immediate Hand upon certain of his Vaffals, without the help or interposure of Men, who (in most of the forementioned cafes) have been as Instruments acted by him. Here I might take notice of his fury to those that are poffeffed, fome have been as it were racked and tortured in their Bodies, and their Limbs and Members fo diftorted, that it hath been not only matter of Pity to the Beholders to fee them fo abused, but also of Admiration, to confider how fuch abuses fhould be confiftent with their lives, and that fuch rendings and tearings have not quite feparated the Soul from the Body. In the Gospels we read of fome fuch caft into the Fire, and into the Water. Others, converfing with Tombs and Sepulchers in the cold nights without Cloaths,and all of them fpoken of as Creatures fadly tormented, and miferably vexed. The Hiftories of later days tell us of fome, that vomited crooked Pins, pieces of Leather, Coals, Cloth, and fuch like. Of others Snatched out of their Houses, and tired even to fainting, and waste of their Spirits, as Domina Raffa, (mentioned by Bodin,) with a great many more to this fame purpose. We may take a view of his dealing with Witches, who (though he seem to gratify them in their Transportations from place to place, and in their Feaftings with Mufick and Dancings,) are but cruelly handled by him very often; the very Work they are put upon (which is the deftruction of Children, Men, Women, Cattle, and the Fruits of the Earth,) is but a bafe Imployment; but the account he takes of them, of the full performance of their Enterprizes, and the cruel Beatings they have of him, when they cannot accomplish any of their Revenges, is no less than a fevere Cruelty He gives them no reft, unless they be doing Hurt ; and when they cannot do it to the Perfons defigned, they are forced to do the fame Mischief to their own Children, or Relations, that they may gratifie their Tyrannical Mafter. Bodin relates the Story of a French Baron, (who was Pag. 180. afterward put to death for Witchcraft) that after he had killed eight Children, was at laft upon a defign of facrificing his own Child to the Devil: and if at any time they grew weary of fo execrable a Slavery, or confefs their Wickeness, they are fo miferably tormented, that they chufe rather to die than live: And what elfe but Cruelty can thefe Slaves expect from him, when the Ceremo

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nies of their Entrance into that curfed Service, betokens nothing elfe; for their Bonds and Obligations are ufually writ, or fubfcribed with their own Blood; and fome Magical Books have been writ with the blood of many Children, befides the farewel that they have of him at their usual Meetings, is commonly this thundering Threatning, Avenge your felves, or you fhall die. All thefe particulars are collected from the Confeffions of Witches, by Bodin, Wierus, and others.

But leaving thefe, Let us further enquire into Satan's Carriage toward thofe, that in America, and other dark and barbarous Places know no other God, and give their devouteft worship to him. To those he is not fo kind as might be expected, but his conftant way is, to terrifie and torment them; infomuch, that fome know no other reafon of their worship, but that he may not burt them: And fince the English-Colonies went into these Parts, thefe Americans have learned to make this distinction between the Englishman's God and theirs, that theirs is an evil God, and the Porphyrius 1.2. other a good God; though that diftinction in other places, is in De Abftinent, the general, far more ancient; where they acknowledge two Gods, Plutarchus. one good, the other bad, and the worse the God is, the faddeft, Aug. De Civ. moft mournful Rites of facrificing were used, as in Caves, and in Dei.1.8.c.13. the Night, the manner of the Worship fitly expreffing the nature

Lod. Vives in

of the God they ferved. Our Countrymen have noted of the Natives of New-England, that the Devil appeared to them in ugly Shapes, and in hideous Places, as in Swamps and Woods. But thefe are only the Prologue to the Tragedy it felf, for they only ferve to impress upon the minds of his Worshippers, what Cruelties and Severities they are to expect from him; and accordingly he often lets them feel his hand, and makes them know, that those dark and dismal Preludiums are not for nothing: for fometime. he appears to the Worshippers, tormenting and afflicting their Wonder work- Bodies, tearing the Flesh from the Bones, and carrying them away quick ing. prov. for with him: fometime fix have been carried away at once, none N. E. lib. I. ever knowing what became of them. By fuch bloody acts as cap. 10. thefe, he kept the poor Americans in Fear and Slavery; so that as bad a Master as he is, they durft not but pay their Homage and Service to him. All thefe particulars being put together, will fhew we do the Devil no wrong, when we call him Cruel.

CHAP.

Of Satan's Diligence in feveral Inftances. The Question about the Being of Spirits and Devils handled. The Sadducees Opinion difcovered. The Reality of Spirits proved.

He laft particular obferved in the Text, is his Diligence. This adds force and ftrength to his Malice, Power, and Cruelty, and fhews they are not idle, dead, or unactive Principles in him, which (if they could be fo fuppofed) would render him lefs hurtful and formidable. This I fhall difpatch in a few Instances, noting to this purpose,

Firft, His Pains he takes in bunting his Prey, and pursuing his Defigns: 'Tis nothing for him to compafs Sea and Land, to labour to the utmost in his Imployment, 'tis all his Business to tempt and destroy, and his whole heart is in it. Hence Intermiffion or Ceffation cannot be expected, he faints not by his labour, and his labour with the fuccefs of it, is all the delight we can fuppofe him to have: fo that being pushed and hurried by the Hellish Satisfactions of deadly Revenge, and having a ftrength anfwerable to thofe violent Impulses, we muft fuppofe him to undergo (with a kind of pleafing willingness) all imaginable Toyland Labour. If we look into our felves we find it true, to our no fmall trouble and hazard: Doth he at any time eafily defift, when we give him a Repulfe? Doth he not come again and again, with often and impudently repeated Importunities? Doth he not carry a Design in his Mind for Months and Years against us? and when the Motion is not feasible, yet he forgets it not, but after a long Interruption begins again where he left: Which fhews that he is big with his Projects, and his Mind bath no reft: He ftretcheth out his Nets all the day long: We may fay of him, that he rifeth up early, and fitteth up late at his work, and is content to labour in the very Fire, fo that he might but either disturb a Child of God, or gain a Profilyte.

Secondly,

Secondly, Diligence is not only discovered in Laboriousness, but also in a peculiar readiness to efpy,and to close in with fit occafions, which may in probability anfwer the End we drive at. In this is Satan admirably diligent, no occafion fhall flip, or through inadvertency efcape him: No fooner are opportunities before us, but we may perceive him fuggefting to us, Do this, fatisfie that Luft, take that Gain, please your felves with that Revenge. No fooner obtains he a Commiffion against a Child of God,but prefentHy he is upon his Back, as he dealt with Job, he loft no time, but goes out immediatly from the prefence of the Lord and fals upon him. Befides what he doth upon folemn and extraordinary Occafions, these that are common and ordinary, are fo carefully improved by him that every thing we hear or fee is ready to become our fnare, and Satan will affay to tempt us by them, though they lye fomething out of the way of our Inclination, and be not fo likely to prevail with us.

Thirdly, 'Tis alfo a Difcovery of his Diligence, that he never fails to purfue every advantage which he gets against us, to the utmoft. If the occafion, and motion thereupon encline us, fo that if we are perfwaded by them, he follows it on, and is not fatisfied, with either a lower degree of acting finfully, or with one or two acts; but then he preffeth upon us to fin to the height, with the greater contempt of God, and grievance of his Spirit, the greater fcandal and offence to our Brethren, and having once caufed us to begin, he would never have us to make an end. His Temptations roll themselves upon us, like the breaking in of Waters, which by the fierceness of their current, make a large way for more to follow. He knows how to improve his Victories, and will not thorow Slothfulness, or Pity, neglect to compleat them. Hence it is, that fometimes he reaps a large Harvest where he had fowen little, and from one Temptation, not only wounds the foul of him that committed it, but endevours to diffuse the Venom and Poyfonous Steam of it to the Infection of others, to the difgrace of Religion, the hardning the Hearts of wicked Men, and the turning the Ignorant out of the way of Truth. In like manner, if he perceive the Spirits of Men grow diftempered and wounded, he then plyes them with Threatnings, fills them with all manner of Difcouragements, dreffeth every Truth with the worst appeaIrance, that it may be apprehended otherwife than it is, and puts fuch Interpretations on all Providences, that every thing may

augment

augment the fmart of the Wound till they be overwhelmed with

Terrors.

Fourthly, The various ways which he takes, fhews alfo his Di ligence; if one Plot take not, he is immediately upon another; he confines not himself to one Defign, nor to one Method; but if he find one Temptation doth not relish, he prepares another more futable; if Covetousneß doth not please us, then he urgeth to Profufeneß; if Terrors do not affright us to difpair, then he abufeth Mercies to make us careless and prefuming. If we are not content to be openly Wicked, then he endeavours to make us fecretly Hypocritical, or Formal; fometime he urgeth Men to be Praphane, if that hit not, then to be Erronious; if he cannot work by one Tool, then he takes another, and if any thing in his way disgust, he will not urge it over-hard, but ftraight takes another courfe; fuch is his Diligence, that we may fay of him (as it was faid of Paul upon a better ground) he will become all things to all Men, that he may gain fome.

Fifthly, Diligence will moft fhew it felf when things are at the greatest bazard, or when the hopes of fuccefs are ready to bring forth. In this point of diligence our Adverfary is not wanting, if Men are upon the point of Errour or Sin, how industriously doth he labour to bring them wholly over, and to fettle them in Evil? one would think at fuch times he laid afide all other bufinefs and only attended this: How frequent, inceffant, and earneft are his Perfwafions and Arguings with fuch? the like diligence he fheweth in obftructing, disturbing, and difcouraging us, when we are upon our greatest Services, or near our greatest Mercies, what part of the day are we more wandring and vain in our thoughts, if we take not great care) than when we fet about Prayer? at other times we find fome more eafe and freedom in our Imaginations, as if we could better rule or command them; but then (as if our thoughts were only confufion and disorder) we are not able to mafter them, and to keep the door of the heart fo clofe, but that these troublesome unwelcome guests will be crouding in, is impoffible: Let us obferve it ferioufly, and we fhall find that our thoughts are not the fame, and after the fame manner impetuous at other times as they are, when we fet about holy things, which arifeth not only from the quickness of our Spiritual Senfe in our readier obfervation of them at that time, but alfo from the Devils bufie Moleftation,and special diligence against us

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