be can fo ftrongly imprint falfhoods upon their Minds, that they become unable to difcern betwixt Truth, and a Lye; and fo by darkning their Understanding, they are effectually perfwaded to believe an Er

TOAT.

Secondly, There is yet another proof of this Spiritual witchcraft, from the confideration of the Effects of it upon the Deluded: and the uncouth, ftrange unnatural way of its proceeding. Let all particulars of this kind be put together, and it will not be found poffible to give any other rational accompt of fome Errours, than that of extraordinary Delufion.

Firft, Let us take notice of the vilenefs and odioufnefs of fome Errours that have prevailed upon Men; fome have been plainly fottish; fo evidently foolish, that it cannot be imagined, that Men that entertained them, had at that time the use of Reafon, or any competent Understanding. This very confideration, the Prophet Ifaiab infifts upon largely, Chap. 44. from verf. 9. to verf. 21. Where he taxeth them fmartly, for the fenceless doltifhnefs of their Errour, in Worshiping Idols: he tells them, the matter of it is the Work of Nature; a Cedar, Oak, or Afh, that they themfelves(poffibly) had planted, and the Rain did nourish it. Verf. 14. He tells them alfo, That the form of it, was from the Art of the Workman, the Smith, or Carpenter. Verf. 12, 13. The Smith with the Tongs, both worketh in the Coals, and fashioneth it with Hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his Arms.-The Carpenter ftretcheth out his Rule, he marketh it out with a Line, befitteth it He furwith Planes, and be marketh it out with a Compass. ther minds them, that without any reverence, they make use of the refidue of the Materials; out of which, they formed their Idol to common fervices of dreffing their meat, and warming themselves; He burneth part thereof in the Fire, with part thereof be eateth Fleh, be roafteth roast, and is fatisfied; yea, warmeth himSelf, and faith, Aba, I am warm, I have feen the fire. Verf. 16. Then he accufeth them of Sottifhnefs; in that, the refidue thereof he maketh a God, even his graven Image, he falleth down to it, and worShipeth it, and prayeth unto it, and faith, Deliver me, for thou art my God, verf. 17. And from all this he concludes, That seeing this is fo directly contrary to common reafon and understanding, (which in the ordinary exercise of it, would eafily have freed them from fuch a dotage: for if they had but knowledge or underftanding to fay, I have burnt part of it in the fire; I bave baked

bread

bread, and shall I make the refidue an abomination?-Verf. 19. They could not have been fo foolith,) it mult then, of neceflity, be a Spiritual Infatuation. Their Eyes were shut that they cannot fee, and their Hearts, that they cannot understand-Verf. 18. A deceived beart bath turned him afide-Verf. 20. Other Errours there are, that lead to beaftly, and unnatural Villanies; fuch as directly cross all the fober Principles of Man-kind, the natural Principles of Modefty, the most general and undoubted Principles of Religion,and Holiness. As when Adulteries, Swearing, Ranting, going Naked, Cruelties, Murthers, outragious Confufions, and Madnefs, are cloathed with pretences of Spirit, Revelation, freedom in the ufe of the Creature, exercife of Love, and having all things common, &c. (Of which, fad inftances have been given more than once.) Let any fober Man confider, how it could come to pass, That Men that have Reafon enough to defend them against fuch Furies, and the knowledge of Scripture, which every-where (with the greatest happiness imaginable, and higheft earneftness) doth probibit fuch Practices as most Abominable, and doth direct to a Sober, Juft, Modeft, Humble, inoffenfive Life, fhould entertain notwithstanding, fuch Errours, as transform Men into Beasts, Monsters, or rather De-Ferunt quenvils; and Religion, into the groffeft Impieties: and all this, as Montanum the perfection and top of Religious Attainment, commanded in Spiritu quothe Word of God, or by his Spirit; and well-pleasing to most dam maligno holy and pure Divine Majefty? Let it (I fay) be left to the con- abripi, & de fideration of Men, how it should be, without fome fuch extra- & mentis infaordinary Caufe as hath been mentioned ?

dam nomine

repente furore

nia exagita

atq; mox non

dem voces fun

Secondly, Let it be obferved alfo, That fome Errours bring tum bacchari with them fome extraordinary, ftrange, unnatural, unusual Actions; folum timerè and put Men into fuch odd garbs, poftures, and behaviours, that garrire,fed peit is cafie to fee, they are acted by a force, or power, not humane, regrinas quaf Some have been carried to do things, beyond whatfoever might pro have been expected from the age and capacities of the Parties; phetare--Nonas Extafies, Trances, and quakings of little Children; their Pro- nulli illum phefying, and fpeaking Scripture-threatnings after fuch fits. tanquam infaSome have been acted in a way of extatical Fury; as Montanus, ditum, Dæmoro Spiritu præof whom Eufebius witneffeth: That fometimes he would be nio agitatum feized upon, by a kind of malignant Spirit, and would fuddenly increpabunt break forth into a rage and Madness; and prefently utter rafhita Christopher and bold Speeches, ftrange unufual Voices, with Prophesyings; info- Hiltor. Ecclef. in erp. Eufeb. much, that he was judged by thofe that faw him, to be acted by the Lib.g. Cap.15.

Dd 2

Devil :

Baxter's con

Devil. Others have been as in a more fober fpiritual Rapture: an inftance whereof I fhall give you from Mr. Baxter in these words; I have beard from an ancient godly Man, that knew Arthington, and Coppingers that they were poffeffed with the Spirit of the Grundleto nians. The fame Man affirmed, That he went but once among them bimfelf, and after Prayer, they breathed on him, as giving him the hor feffion of Faich ly Ghosts and he was fo strangely transported for three days, that be pag. 3. In the was not the fame Man; and his Family wondred what was the matMargin. ter with him: he had no Confeffion of Sin, but an elevated ftrain in Prayer, as if he had been in ftrange Raptures and after three days he was as before, and came no more at them. Some have been carried into childish, and ridiculous Actions; fuch was the behaviSee his story our of Jo. Gilpin, in his Delufion at Kendal in Weftmerland; ashis Quaker fhaken going to the Fidlers Houfe, playing upon a Base Viol, in token of Spiritual Melody his creeping up the Streets upon hands and knees, in token of bearing his Crofs; his making Marks on the ground, and beating it, as his Mortification of Sin: and a great many more things of like nature.

called the

Such things as these, are as spiritual Marks and Characters engraven upon Errours, by which a diabolical Power, moving and acting fuch deluded Creatures, (like so many Puppits) is evidentlý difcovered.

Thirdly, When we fee not only Idiots, and those whofe defect of understanding, might put them under the power of an ordina ry Cheat, thus impofed upon; but Men, otherwife intelligent, rational, and serious, blinded with Follies, taken with apparent Dotages, admiring Trifles, and carried away with things, which common reason would teach them to abhor: 'tis more than fufpi cious, that 'tis not any probability of Truth, or excellency in the Errour, that prevails with them: but, a Spiritual Power that doth bewitch them. When we confider, that such a Learned Man as Tertullian begins to admire fuch a wretch as Montanus; or fuch an one as Arthington, led away with Hacket and Coppinger; or fucha Man as Kneperdollin, feduced by John of Leyden; and especially, fuch numbers of wife, and feemingly fober and Religious perfons going down the ftream, afterirrational and plainly irreligious Errours, what else can be apprehended to be the caufe, but a powerful Satanical Delufion?

Fourthly, Add we to thefe, the consideration of the Sudden nefs of the prevalency of fuch Errours, against plain and evident

Truths,

Truths, (which is a circumstance taken notice of by the Apostle. Gal. 1. 6. I marvel that ye are Lo foon removed from him that called you into the Grace of Chrift, unto another Goffel.) In which cafe we may observe, it ufually falls out, That Mens Affections prevent their Discoveries, at the firft view they are taken, before they understand what the Errour is; and they are perfmaded before they. know.

Fifthly and Laftly, That the earnestness of the profecution, by which they maintain, and propagate the Errour, is a kind of unnatural fury, which hurries Men with violence into an unyielding ftifnefs, to the ftifling of all kind of Charity, and Confideration. These things put together, (I say) makes the matter in hand evident; when Men, otherwife rational, are at firft touch, highly inamoured with, and violent in the purfuit of Errours, that are fottish,or devillish; we can refolve it into nothing less, than into that of the Apoftle, Who bath bewitched you? The improvement of this firft, and great advantage for the introduction of Errours, is more than can be well expreffed; but he hath befides, other advantages which he no way neglects: among which,

Secondly, Our Imperfection in Knowledge, is none of the leaft; if our Knowledge had been perfect, it would have been a task too hard for the Devil, to make us Erroneous; for Men do not err, but fo far as they are ignorant: to impofe upon Men against clear and certain Knowledg is impoffible. Men cannot believe that to be true, which they know to be falfe. It would be as filly for Satan to make fuch attempts, as for a Jugler to endeavour the deception of those, that know and fee the ways of his Conveiances as well as himself. That our Knowledg is imperfect, I shall prove and explain in the following particulars...

First, The Scripture plainly afferts it, the greateft number of Mcn(which are in an unregenerate Eftate) are exprefly called, foolish, blind, ignorant, Men that are in Darkness, Men that do not know, nor confider, that perith through Ignorance. Others, that (in comparison to thefe) are called Children of the Light; and fuch as fee with open face, are notwithstanding (when compared to a state of Perfection) reprefented to be in the Non-age of their Knowledg, unripe, imperfect; the Apostle doth fo exprefs it, 1 Cor. 13.9. We know in part, we prophefie in part. In the Explanation of this, he compares our attainments in this World, to the understanding, thoughts, and fpeakings of Children, v. 11. concludes v. 12. That

?

all:

all our knowledg, gives us but a dark imperfect reflection of things; we fee through a Glass darkly.

Secondly, Men that have had the clearest heads, and have been at the greatest pains in their enquiries to find out Truths, have Plura nefcio brought back the clear conviction of their own Ignorance. Auftin Epift. 119. c.21 confeffeth, That in the Scriptures, (which he made his chief Melch, Adam ftudy) the things which he knew not, were more than the things be

quam fcic.

in vita.

understood. Chytreus, in humble Modefty goes a little further, My dearest knowledg (faith he) is to know, that I know nothing: and it will be a clear demonftration of that Mans ignorance, that boafts. of his Knowledg; his own mouth will prove against him, that he knows nothing as he ought to know.

Thirdly, The confideration of the Nature of the things, which are the Objects upon which we employ our fearch, will fufficiently convince us, that we do comprehend but very little. For though the Scripture hath expreffed the main concerns of eternal Life fo fully, that they are as clear as Light, and need no such stretch of the Brain, but that the meaneft capacities may as certainly understand them, as they understood any thing of common business; as, That Chrift dyed for Sinners; that without Faith it is impoffible AvevonTá Tve to pleafe God; that without Holynefs no Man fhall fee bis face, &c. Δυσνόητά τινα Yet, (as Peter fpeaks, 2 Pet.3.16.) There are many things that are hard to be understood; there are Difficulties, Depths,and Mysteries. Some things (whereof we have but dark touches in Scriptures though enough to let us know, that fuch things there are; and to humble us for our ignorance) are, in their own nature, fublime, bounded on all fides with Rocks, and Præcipices, where our near and bold approaches are prohibited fuch are thofe things, that concern the Decrees of God, the Trinity, &c. Other things are dark and uncertain to us, from their very proximity to us (as fome are pleased to fancy the reafon ;) fuch are the nature, faculties, and workings of our own Souls within us: which we cannot directly fee, (as the Eye fees not it felf) and do but as it were guess by dark reflections. Some things in Scripture are accidentally ob fcure to us, that were plain to thofe that heard them firft, to whom they were spoken, and written for now, to the understanding of a great many paffages, there is neceffary the knowledg of the Tongues,in which they were dictated, of the Hiftories of thofe times to which they severally related; as alfo, of the particular Cuftoms of the Jewish Nation, which gave a mold and form to a great ma→

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