XI. Afterwards there came in the Confessions of several other (penitent) Witches, which affirmed this How to be one of those, who with them had been baptized by the Devil in the River, at Newbury-Falls: before which he made them there kneel down by the Brink of the River and worshiped him.



V.

THE TRIAL OF MARTHA CARRIER, AT THE

COURT OF OYER AND TERMINER, HELD BY ADJOURNMENT

AT SALEM, AUGUST 2. 1692.

I.

Martha Carrier was Indicted for the bewitching certain Persons, according to the Form usual in such Cases, pleading Not Guilty, to her Indictment; there were first brought in a considerable number of the bewitched Persons; who not only made the Court sensible of an horrid Witchcraft committed upon them, but also deposed, That it was Martha Carrier, or her Shape, that grievously tormented them, by Biting, Pricking, Pinching and Choaking of them. It was further deposed, That while this Carrier was on her Examination, before the Magistrates, the Poor People were so tortured that every one expected their Death upon the very spot, but that upon the binding of Carrier they were eased. Moreover the Look of Carrier then laid the Afflicted People for dead; and her Touch, if her Eye at the same time were off them, raised them again: Which Things were also now seen upon her Tryal. And it was testified, That upon the mention of some having their Necks twisted almost round, by the Shape of this Carrier, she replyed, Its no matter though their Necks had been twisted quite off.

II. Before the Trial of this Prisoner, several of her own Children had frankly and fully confessed, not only that they were Witches themselves, but that this their Mother had made them so. This Confession they made with great Shews of Repentance, and with much Demonstration of Truth. They related Place, Time, Occasion; they gave an account of Journeys, Meetings and Mischiefs by them performed, and were very credible in what they said. Nevertheless, this Evidence was not produced against the Prisoner at the Bar, inasmuch as there was other Evidence enough to proceed upon.

III. Benjamin Abbot gave his Testimony, That last March was a twelvemonth, this Carrier was very angry with him, upon laying out some Land, near her Husband's: Her Expressions in this Anger, were, That she would stick as close to Abbot as the Bark stuck to the Tree; and that he should repent of it afore seven Years came to an End, so as Doctor Prescot should never cure him. These Words were heard by others besides Abbot himself; who also heard her say, She would hold his Nose as close to the Grindstone as ever it was held since his Name was Abbot. Presently after this, he was taken with a Swelling in his Foot, and then with a Pain in his Side, and exceedingly tormented. It bred into a Sore, which was launced by Doctor Prescot, and several Gallons of Corruption ran out of it. For six Weeks it continued very bad, and then another Sore bred in the Groin, which was also lanced by Doctor Prescot. Another Sore then bred in his Groin, which was likewise cut, and put him to very great Misery: He was brought unto Death's Door, and so remained until Carrier was taken, and carried away by the Constable, from which very Day he began to mend, and so grew better every Day, and is well ever since.

Sarah Abbot also, his Wife, testified, That her Husband was not only all this while Afflicted in his Body, but also that strange extraordinary and unaccountable Calamities befel his Cattel; their Death being such as they could guess at no Natural Reason for.

IV. Allin Toothaker testify'd, That Richard, the son of Martha Carrier, having some difference with him, pull'd him down by the Hair of the Head. When he Rose again, he was going to strike at Richard Carrier; but fell down flat on his Back to the ground, and had not power to stir hand or foot, until he told Carrier he yielded; and then he saw the shape of Martha Carrier, go off his breast.

This Toothaker, had Received a wound in the Wars; and he now testify'd, that Martha Carrier told him, He should never be Cured. Just afore the Apprehending of Carrier, he could thrust a knitting Needle into his wound, four inches deep; but presently after her being siezed, he was throughly healed.

He further testify'd, that when Carrier and he sometimes were at variance, she would clap her hands at him, and say, He should get nothing by it; whereupon he several times lost his Cattle, by strange Deaths, whereof no natural causes could be given.

V. John Rogger also testifyed, That upon the threatning words of this malicious Carrier, his Cattle would be strangely bewitched; as was more particularly then described.

VI. Samuel Preston testify'd, that about two years ago, having some difference with Martha Carrier, he lost a Cow in a strange Preternatural unusual manner; and about a month after this, the said Carrier, having again some difference with him, she told him; He had lately lost a Cow, and it should not be long before he lost another; which accordingly came to pass; for he had a thriving and well-kept Cow, which without any known cause quickly fell down and dy'd.

VII. Phebe Chandler testify'd, that about a Fortnight before the apprehension of Martha Carrier, on a Lords-day, while the Psalm was singing in the Church, this Carrier then took her by the shoulder and shaking her, asked her, where she lived: she made her no Answer, although as Carrier, who lived next door to her Fathers House, could not in reason but know who she was. Quickly after this, as she was at several times crossing the Fields, she heard a voice, that she took to be Martha Carriers, and it seem'd as if it was over her head. The voice told her, she should within two or three days be poisoned. Accordingly, within such a little time, one half of her right hand, became greatly swollen, and very painful; as also part of her Face; whereof she can give no account how it came. It continued very bad for some dayes; and several times since, she has had a great pain in her breast; and been so siezed on her leggs, that she has hardly been able to go. She added, that lately, going well to the House of God, Richard, the son of Martha Carrier, look'd very earnestly upon her, and immediately her hand, which had formerly been poisoned, as is abovesaid, began to pain her greatly, and she had a strange Burning at her stomach; but was then struck deaf, so that she could not hear any of the prayer, or singing, till the two or three last words of the Psalm.

VIII. One Foster, who confessed her own share in the Witchcraft for which the Prisoner stood indicted, affirm'd, that she had seen the prisoner at some of their Witch-meetings, and that it was this Carrier, who perswaded her to be a Witch. She confessed, that the Devil carry'd them on a pole, to a Witch-meeting; but the pole broke, and she hanging about Carriers neck, they both fell down, and she then received an hurt by the Fall, whereof she was not at this very time recovered.

IX. One Lacy, who likewise confessed her share in this Witchcraft, now testify'd, that she and the prisoner were once Bodily present at a Witch-meeting in Salem Village; and that she knew the prisoner to be a Witch, and to have been at a Diabolical sacrament, and that the prisoner was the undoing of her, and her Children, by enticing them into the snare of the Devil.

X. Another Lacy, who also confessed her share in this Witchcraft, now testify'd, that the prisoner was at the Witch-meeting, in Salem Village, where they had Bread and Wine Administred unto them.

XI. In the time of this prisoners Trial, one Susanna Sheldon, in open Court had her hands Unaccountably ty'd together with a Wheel-band, so fast that without cutting, it could not be loosed: It was done by a Spectre; and the Sufferer affirm'd, it was the Prisoners.

* * * * *

Memorandum. This Rampant Hag, Martha Carrier, was the person, of whom the Confessions of the Witches, and of her own Children among the rest, agreed, That the Devil had promised her, she should be Queen of Heb.



Having thus far done the Service imposed upon me; I will further pursue it, by relating a few of those Matchless CURIOSITIES, with which the Witchcraft now upon us, has entertained us. And I shall Report nothing but with Good Authority, and what I would invite all my Readers to examine, while 'tis yet Fresh and New, that if there be found any mistake, it may be as willingly Retracted, as it was unwillingly Committed.

THE FIRST CURIOSITIE.

I. 'Tis very Remarkable to see what an Impious and Impudent imitation of Divine Things, is Apishly affected by the Devil, in several of those matters, whereof the Confessions of our Witches, and the Afflictions of our Sufferers have informed us.

That Reverend and Excellent Person, Mr. John Higginson, in my Conversation with him, Once invited me to this Reflection; that the Indians which came from far to settle about Mexico, were in their Progress to that Settlement, under a Conduct of the Devil, very strangely Emulating what the Blessed God gave to Israel in the Wilderness.

Acosta, is our Author for it, that the Devil in their Idol Vitzlipultzli, governed that mighty Nation. 'He commanded them to leave their Country, promising to make them Lords over all the Provinces possessed by Six other Nations of Indians, and give them a Land abounding with all precious things. They went forth, carrying their Idol with them, in a Coffer of Reeds, supported by Four of their Principal Priests; with whom he still Discoursed in secret, Revealing to them the Successes, and Accidents of their way. He advised them, when to March, and where to Stay, and without his Commandment they moved not. The first thing they did, where-ever they came, was to Erect a Tabernacle, for their false god; which they set always in the midst of their Camp, and they placed the Ark upon an Alter. When they, Tired with pains, talked of, proceeding no further in their Journey, than a certain pleasant Stage, whereto they were arrived, this Devil in one Night, horribly kill'd them that had started this Talk, by pulling out their Hearts. And so they passed on till they came to Mexico.'

The Devil which then thus imitated what was in the Church of the Old Testament, now among Us would Imitate the Affairs of the Church in the New. The Witches do say, that they form themselves much after the manner of Congregational Churches; and that they have a Baptism and a Supper, and Officers among them, abominably Resembling those of our Lord.

But there are many more of these Bloody Imitations, if the Confessions of the Witches are to be Received; which I confess, ought to be but with very much Caution.

What is their stricking down with a fierce Look? What is their making of the Afflicted Rise, with a touch of their Hand? What is their Transportation thro' the Air? What is their Travelling in Spirit, while their Body is cast into a Trance? What is their causing of Cattle to run mad and perish? What is their Entring their Names in a Book? What is their coming together from all parts, at the Sound of a Trumpet? What is their Appearing sometimes Cloathed with Light or Fire upon them? What is their Covering of themselves and their Instruments with Invisibility? But a Blasphemous Imitation of certain Things recorded about our Saviour or His Prophets, or the Saints in the Kingdom of God.

A SECOND CURIOSITIE.

II. In all the Witchcraft which now Grievously Vexes us, I know not whether anything be more Unaccountable, than the Trick which the Witches have to render themselves, and their Tools Invisible. Witchcraft seems to be the Skill of Applying the Plastic Spirit of the World, unto some unlawful purposes, by means of a Confederacy with Evil Spirits. Yet one would wonder how the Evil Spirits themselves can do some things; especially at Invisibilizing of the Grossest Bodies. I can tell the Name of an Ancient Author, who pretends to show the way, how a man may come to walk about Invisible, and I can tell the Name of another Ancient Author, who pretends to Explode that way. But I will not speak too plainly Lest I should unawares Poison some of my Readers, as the pious Hemingius did one of his Pupils, when he only by way of Diversion recited a Spell, which, they had said, would cure Agues. This much I will say; The notion of procuring Invisibility, by any Natural Expedient, yet known, is, I Believe, a meer PLINYISM; How far it may be obtained by a Magical Sacrament, is best known to the Dangerous Knaves that have try'd it. But our Witches do seem to have got the knack: and this is one of the Things, that make me think, Witchcraft will not be fully understood, until the day when there shall not be one Witch in the World.

There are certain people very Dogmatical about these matters; but I'll give them only these three Bones to pick.

First, One of our bewitched people, was cruelly assaulted by a Spectre, that, she said, ran at her with a spindle: tho' no body else in the Room, could see either the Spectre or the spindle. At last, in her miseries, giving a snatch at the Spectre, she pull'd the spindle away, and it was no sooner got into her hand, but the other people then present, beheld, that it was indeed a Real, Proper, Iron spindle, belonging they knew to whom; which when they lock'd up very safe, it was nevertheless by Demons unaccountably stole away, to do further mischief.

Secondly, Another of our bewitched people, was haunted with a most abusive Spectre, which came to her, she said, with a sheet about her. After she had undergone a deal of Teaze, from the Annoyance of the Spectre, she gave a violent snatch at the sheet, that was upon it; wherefrom she tore a corner, which in her hand immediately became Visible to a Roomful of Spectators; a palpable Corner of a Sheet. Her Father, who was now holding her, catch'd that he might keep what his Daughter had so strangely siezed, but the unseen Spectre had like to have pull'd his hand off, by endeavouring to wrest it from him; however he still held it, and I suppose has it, still to show; it being but a few hours ago, namely about the beginning of this October, that this Accident happened; in the family of one Pitman, at Manchester.

Thirdly, A young man, delaying to procure Testimonials for his Parents, who being under confinement on suspicion of Witchcraft, required him to do that service for them, was quickly pursued with odd Inconveniences. But once above the Rest, an Officer going to put his Brand on the Horns of some Cows, belonging to these people, which tho' he had siez'd for some of their debts, yet he was willing to leave in their possession, for the subsistance of the poor Family; this young man help'd in holding the Cows to be thus branded. The three first Cows he held well enough; but when the hot Brand was clap'd upon the Fourth, he winc'd and shrunk at such a Rate, as that he could hold the Cow no longer. Being afterwards Examined about it, he confessed, that at that very instant when the Brand entered the Cow's Horn, exactly the like burning Brand was clap'd upon his own Thigh; where he has exposed the lasting marks of it, unto such as asked to see them.

Unriddle these Things,—Et Eris mihi magnus Apollo.

A THIRD CURIOSITIE.

III. If a Drop of Innocent Blood should be shed, in the Prosecution of the Witchcrafts among us, how unhappy are we! For which cause, I cannot express my self in better terms, than those of a most Worthy Person, who lives near the present Center of these things. The Mind of God in these matters, is to be carefully lookt into, with due Circumspection, that Satan deceive us not with his Devices, who transforms himself into an Angel of Light, and may pretend justice and yet intend mischief. But on the other side, if the storm of Justice do now fall only on the Heads of those guilty Witches and Wretches which have defiled our Land, How Happy!

The Execution of some that have lately Dyed, has been immediately attended, with a strange Deliverance of some, that had lain for many years, in a most sad Condition, under, they knew not whose evil hands. As I am abundantly satisfy'd, That many of the Self-Murders committed here, have been the effects of a Cruel and Bloody Witchcraft, letting fly Demons upon the miserable Seneca's; thus, it has been admirable unto me to see, how a Devilish Witchcraft, sending Devils upon them, has driven many poor people to Despair, and persecuted their minds, with such Buzzes of Atheism and Blasphemy, as has made them even run distracted with Terrors: And some long Bow'd down under such a spirit of Infirmity, have been marvelously Recovered upon the death of the Witches.

One Whetford particularly ten years ago, challenging of Bridget Bishop (whose Trial you have had) with steeling of a Spoon, Bishop threatned her very direfully: presently after this, was Whetford in the Night, and in her Bed, visited by Bishop, with one Parker, who making the Room light at their coming in, there discoursed of several mischiefs they would inflict upon her. At last they pull'd her out, and carried her unto the Sea-side, there to drown, her; but she calling upon God, they left her, tho' not without Expressions of their Fury. From that very time, this poor Whetford was utterly spoilt, and grew a Tempted, Froward, Crazed sort of a Woman; a vexation to her self, and all about her; and many ways unreasonable. In this Distraction she lay, till those women were Apprehended, by the Authority; then she began to mend; and upon their Execution, was presently and perfectly Recovered, from the ten years madness that had been upon her.

A FOURTH CURIOSITIE.

IV. 'Tis a thousand pitties, that we should permit our Eyes, to be so Blood-shot with passions, as to loose the sight of many wonderful things, wherein the Wisdom and Justice of God, would be Glorify'd. Some of those things, are the frequent Apparitions of Ghosts, whereby many Old Murders among us, come to be considered. And, among many instances of this kind, I will single out one, which concerned a poor man, lately Prest unto Death, because of his Refusing to Plead for his Life. I shall make an Extract of a Letter, which was written to my Honourable Friend, Samuel Sewal, Esq.; by Mr. Putman, to this purpose;

'The Last Night my Daughter Ann, was grievously Tormented by Witches, Threatning that she should be Pressed to Death, before Giles Cory. But thro' the Goodness of a Gracious God, she had at last a little Respite. Whereupon there appeared unto her (she said) a man in a Winding Sheet, who told her that Giles Cory had Murdered him, by Pressing him to Death with his Feet; but that the Devil there appeared unto him, and Covenanted with him, and promised him, He should not be Hanged. The Apparition said, God Hardned his heart; that he should not hearken to the Advice of the Court, and so Dy an easy Death; because as it said, It must be done to him as he has done to me. The Apparition also said, That Giles Cory, was carry'd to the Court for this, and that the Jury had found the Murder, and that her Father knew the man, and the thing was done before she was born. Now Sir, This is not a little strange to us; that no body should Remember these things, all the while that Giles Cory was in Prison, and so often before the Court. For all people now Remember very well, (and the Records of the Court also mention it,) That about Seventeen Years ago, Giles Cory kept a man in his House, that was almost a Natural Fool: which Man Dy'd suddenly. A Jury was impannel'd upon him, among whom was Dr. Zorobbabel Endicot; who found the man bruised to Death, and having clodders of Blood about his Heart. The Jury, whereof several are yet alive brought in the man Murdered; but as if some Enchantment had hindred the Prosecution of the Matter, the Court Proceeded not against Giles Cory, tho' it cost him a great deal of Mony to get off.' Thus the Story.



The Reverend and Worthy Author, having at the Direction of His EXCELLENCY the Governour, so far Obliged the Publick, as to give some Account of the Sufferings brought upon the Countrey by Witchcraft; and of the Tryals which have passed upon several Executed for the Same:

Upon Perusal thereof, We find the Matters of Fact and Evidence, Truly reported. And a Prospect given, of the Methods of Conviction, used in the Proceedings of the Court at Salem

Boston Octob. 11. William Stoughton 1692. Samuel Sewall.



But is New-England, the only Christian Countrey, that hath undergone such Diabolical Molestations? No, there are other Good people, that have in this way been harassed; but none in circumstances more like to Ours, than the people of God, in Sweedland. The story is a very Famous one; and it comes to Speak English by the Acute Pen of the Excellent and Renowned Dr. Horneck. I shall only single out a few of the more Memorable passages therein Occurring; and where it agrees with what happened among ourselves, my Reader shall understand, by my inserting a Word of every such thing in Black Letter.

I. It was in the Year 1669. and 1670. That at Mohra in Sweedland, the Devils by the help of Witches, committed a most horrible outrage. Among other Instances of Hellish Tyranny there exercised. One was, that Hundreds of their Children, were usually in the Night fetcht from their Lodgings, to a Diabolical Rendezvouz, at a place they called, Blockula, where the Monsters that so Spirited them, Tempted them all manner of Ways to Associate with them. Yea, such was the perillous Growth of this Witchcraft, that Persons of Quality began to send their Children into other Countries to avoid it.

II. The Inhabitants had earnestly sought God by Prayer; and Yet their Affliction Continued. Whereupon Judges had a Special Commission to find and root out the Hellish Crew; and the rather, because another County in the Kingdom, which had been so molested, was delivered upon the Execution of the Witches.

III. The Examination, was begun with a Day of Humiliation; appointed by Authority. Whereupon the Commissioners Consulting, how they might resist such a Dangerous Flood, the Suffering Children, were first Examined; and tho' they were Questioned One by One apart, yet their Declarations All Agreed. The Witches Accus'd in these Declarations, were then Examined; and tho' at first they obstinately Denied, yet at length many of them ingeniously Confessed the Truth of what the children had said; owning with Tears, that the Devil, whom they call'd Locyta, had Stopt their Mouths; but he being now Gone from them, they could No Longer Conceal the Business. The things by them Acknowledged, most wonderfully Agreed with what other Witches, in other places had confessed.

IV. They confessed, that they did use to Call upon the Devil, who thereupon would Carry them away, over the Tops of Houses, to a Green Meadow, where they gave themselves unto him. Only one of them said, That sometimes the Devil only took away her Strength, leaving her Body on the ground; but she went at other times in Body too.

V. Their manner was to come into the Chambers of people, and fetch away their children upon Beasts, of the Devils providing: promising Fine Cloaths and other Fine Things unto them, to inveagle them. They said, they never had power to do thus, till of late; but now the Devil did Plague and Beat them, if they did not gratifie him, in this piece of Mischief. They said, they made use of all sorts of Instruments in their Journeys! Of Men, of Beasts, of Posts; the Men they commonly laid asleep at the place, whereto they rode them; and if the children mentioned the Names of them that stole them away, they were miserably Scurged for it, until some of them were killed. The Judges found the marks of the Lashes on some of them; but the Witches said, They would Quickly vanish. Moreover the Children would be in strange Fits, after they were brought Home from these Transportations.

VI. The First Thing, they said, they were to do at Blockula, was to give themselves unto the Devil, and Vow that they would serve him. Hereupon, they cut their Fingers, and with Blood writ their Names in his Book. And he also caused them to be Baptised by such Priests, as he had, in this Horrid company. In some of them, the Mark of the cut Finger was to be found; they said, that the Devil gave Meat and Drink, as to Them, so to the Children they brought with them: that afterwards their Custom was to Dance before him; and swear and curse most horribly; they said, that the Devil show'd them a great, Frightful, Cruel Dragon, telling them, If they confessed any Thing, he would let loose that Great Devil upon them; they added, that the Devil had a Church, and that when the Judges were coming, he told them, he would kill them all; and that some of them had Attempted to Murder the Judges, but could not.

VII. Some of the Children, talked much of a White Angel, which did use to Forbid them, what the Devil had bid them to do, and Assure them that these doings would Not last long; but that what had been done was permitted for the wickedness of the People. This White Angel, would sometimes rescue the Children, from Going in, with the Witches.

VIII. The Witches confessed many mischiefs done by them, declaring with what kind of Enchanted Tools, they did their Mischiefs. They sought especially to kill the Minister of Elfdale, but could not. But some of them said, that such as they wounded, would Be recovered, upon or before their Execution.

IX. The Judges would fain have seen them show some of their Tricks; but they Unanimously declared, that, Since they had confessed, all, they found all their Witchcraft gone; and the Devil then Appeared very Terrible unto them, threatning with an Iron Fork, to thrust them into a Burning Pit, if they persisted in their Confession.

X. There were discovered no less than threescore and ten Witches in One Village, hree and twenty of which freely confessing their Crimes, were condemned to dy. The rest, (One pretending she was with Child) were sent to Fahluna, where most of them were afterwards executed. Fifteen Children, which confessed themselves engaged in this Witchery, dyed as the rest. Six and Thirty of them between nine and sixteen years of Age, who had been less guilty, were forced to run the Gantlet, and be lashed on their hands once a Week, for a year together; twenty more who had less inclination to these Infernal enterprises, were lashed with Rods upon their Hands for three Sundays together, at the Church door; the number of the seduced Children, was about three hundred. This course, together with Prayers, in all the Churches thro' the Kingdom, issued in the deliverance of the Country.

XI. The most Accomplished Dr. Horneck inserts a most wise caution, in his preface to this Narrative, says he, there is no Public Calamity, but some ill people, will serve themselves of the sad providence, and make use of it for their own ends; as Thieves when an house or town is on fire, will steal what they can. And he mentions a Remarkable Story of a young Woman, at Stockholm, in the year 1676, Who accused her own Mother of being a Witch; and swore positively, that she had carried her away in the Night; the poor Woman was burnt upon it: professing her innocency to the last. But tho' she had been an Ill Woman, yet it afterwards prov'd that she was not such an one; for her Daughter came to the Judges, with hideous Lamentations, Confessing, That she had wronged her Mother, out of a wicked spite against her; whereupon the Judges gave order for her Execution too.

But, so much of these things; And, now, Lord, make these Labours of thy Servant, Profitable to thy People.



MATTER OMITTED IN THE TRIALS.

Nineteen Witches have been Executed at New-England, one of them was a Minister, and two Ministers more are Accus'd. There is a hundred Witches more in Prison, which broke Prison, and about two Hundred more are Accus'd, some Men of great Estates in Boston, have been accus'd for Witchcraft. Those Hundred now in Prison accus'd for Witches, were Committed by fifty of themselves being Witches, some of Boston, but most about Salem, and the Towns Adjacent. Mr. Increase Mather has Published a Book about Witchcraft, occasioned by the late Trials of Witches, which will be speedily printed in London by John Dunton.



THE DEVIL DISCOVERED.

2 Cor. II. 11. We are not Ignorant of His DEVICES.

Our Blessed Saviour has blessed us, with a counsil, as Wholsome and as Needful as any that can be given us, in Math. 26.41. Watch and Pray, that yee Enter not into Temptation. As there is a Tempting Flesh, and a Tempting World, which would seduce us from Our Obedience to the Laws of God, so there is a Busy Devil, who is by way of Eminency called, The Tempter; because by him, the Temptations of the Flesh and the World are managed.

It is not One Devil alone, that has Cunning or Power enough to apply the Multitudes of Temptations, whereby Mankind is daily diverted from the Service of God; No, the High Places of Our Air, are Swarming full of those Wicked Spirits, whose Temptations trouble us; they are so many, that it seems no less than a Legion, or more than twelve thousands may be spared, for the Vexation of one miserable man. But because those Apostate Angels, are all United, under one Infernal Monarch, in the Designs of Mischief, 'tis in the Singular Number, that they are spoken of. Now, the Devil, whose Malice and Envy, prompts him to do what he can, that we may be as unhappy as himself, do's ordinarily use more Fraud, than Force, in his assaulting of us; he that assail'd our First Parents, in a Serpent, will still Act Like a Serpent, rather than a Lion, in prosecuting of his wicked purposes upon us, and for us to guard against the Wiles of the Wicked One, is one of the greatest cares, with which our God ha's charged us.

We are all of us liable to various Temptations every day, whereby if we are carried aside from the strait Paths of Righteousness, we get all sorts of wounds unto our selves. Of Temptations, I may say, as the Wise Man said, of Mortality; there is no discharge from that war. The Devils fell hard upon both Adams, nor may any among the Children of both, imagine to be excused. The Son of God Himself, had this Dog of Hell, barking at Him; and much more may the Children of Men, look to be thus Visited; indeed, there is hardly any Temptation, but what is, Common to Man. When I was considering, how to spend one Hour in Raising a most Effectual and Profitable Breast-work, against the inroads of this Enemy, I perceived it would be done, by a short answer to this.



CASE.

What are those Usual Methods of Temptation, with which the Powers of Darkness do assault the Children of Men?

The Corinthians, having upon the Apostles Direction, Excommunicated one of their Society, who had married his Mother-in-law, & this, as it is thought, while his own Father was Living too; the Apostle encourages them to Re-admit that man, upon his very deep and sharp Repentance. He gives divers Reasons of his propounding this unto them; whereof one is, Lest Satan should get advantage of them; for, had the man miscarried, under any Rigour of the Sentence continued upon him, after his Repentance, 'tis well if the Church itself had not quickly fallen to pieces thereupon; besure, the Success of the Gospel had been more than a little Incommoded. The Apostle upon this Occasion, intimates, That Satan has his Devices; by which word are meant, Artifices or Contrivances used for the Deceiving of those that are Treated with them well, But what shall we do that we may come to this Corinthian Attainment, We are not Ignorant of Satan's Devices? [Non cuivis homini Contingit!]

Truly, the Devil has Mille Nocendi Artes; and it will be impossible for us, to run over all the Stratagems and Policies of our Adversary. I shall only attempt a few Observations upon the Temptations of our Lord Jesus Christ: who was Tempted in all things like unto us, except in our Sins. When we read the Temptations of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Fourth Chapter of Matthew There, Thence, you will understand, what was once counted so difficult; Even, The way of a Serpent upon the Rock. There are certain Ancient and Famous Methods which the Devil in his Temptations, does mostly accustome himself unto; which is not so much from any Barrenness, or Sluggishness in the Devil, but because he has had the Encouragement of a, Probatum est, upon those horrid Methods. How did the Devil assault the First Adam? It was with Temptations drawn from Pleasure, and Profit, and Honour, which, as the Apostle notes, in 1 Joh. 2.16. are, All that is in the World. With the very same temptations it was, that he fell upon the Second Adam too. Now, in those Temptations, you will see the more Usual Methods, whereby the Devil would be Ensnaring of us; and I beseech you to attend unto the following Admonitions, as those Warnings of God, which the Lives of your souls depend upon your taking of.

There were especially Three Remarkable Assaults of Temptations, which the Devil it seems, visibly made upon our Lord; after he had been more invisibly for Forty dayes together Tempting of that Holy One; and we may make a few distinct Remarks upon them all.

S. The first of our Lords three Temptations is thus related, in Mat. 4.3. He was an Hungry; and when the Tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, Command that these Stones be made Bread.

From whence, take these Remarks.

I. The Devil will ordinarily make our Conditions, to be the Advantages of his Temptations. When our Lord was Hungry, then Bread! Bread! shall be all the Cry of his Temptation; the Devil puts him upon a wrong step, for the getting of Bread. There is no Condition, but what has indeed some Hunger accompanying of it; and the Devil marks what it is, that we are Hungry for. One mans Condition makes him Hunger for Preferments, or Employments, another mans makes him Hunger for Cash or Land, or Trade; another mans makes him Hunger for Merriments, or Diversions: And the Condition of every Afflicted Man, makes him Hunger with Impatience for Deliverance. Now the Devil will be sure to suit his Perswasions with our Conditions. When he has our Condition to speak with him, & for him, then thinks he, I am sure this man will now hearken to my Proposals! Hence, if men are in Prosperity, the Devil will tempt them to Forgetfulness of God; if they are in Adversity, he will tempt them to Murmuring at God; in all the expressions of those impieties. Wise Agur was aware of this; in Prov. 30.9. says he, if a man be Full, he shall be tempted, to deny God, and say, who is the Lord? if a man be Poor, he shall be tempted, to steal, and take the Name of God in vain. The Devil will talk suitably; if you ponder your Conditions, you may expect you shall be tempted agreeably thereunto.

II. The Devil does often manage his temptations, by urging of our Necessities. Our Lord, was thus by the Devil bawl'd upon; You want Bread, and you'll starve, if in my way you get it not. The Devil will show some forbidden thing unto us, and plead concerning it, as of Bread we use to say, it must be had. Necessity has a wonderful compulsion in it. You may see what Necessity will do, if you read in Deut. 28.56. the tender and the delicate Woman among you, her eye shall be evil towards the Children that she shall bear, for she shall eat them for want of all things. The Devil will perswade us that there is a Necessity of our doing what he does propound unto us; and then tho' the Laws of God about us were so many Walls of Stone, yet we shall break through them all. That little inconvenience, of our coming to beg our Bread, O what a fearful Representation does the Devil make of it! and when once the Devil scares us to think of a sinful thing, it must be done, we soon come to think, it may be done. When the Devil has frighted us into an Apprehension, that it is a Needful thing which we are prompted unto, he presently Engages all the Faculties of our Souls, to prove, that it may be a Lawful one; the Devil told Esau, You'll dye if you don't sell your Birthright; the Devil told Aaron, You'll pull all the people about your ears, if you do not countenance their superstitions; and then they comply'd immediately. Yea, sometimes if the Devil do but Feign a Necessity, he does thereby Gain the Hearts of Men; he did but feign a Need, when he told Saul, the Cattel must be spared, and the sacrifice must be precipitated, & he does but feign a Need, when he tells many a man, if you do no servile work on the Sabbath-day, and if you don't Rob God of his evening, you'll never subsist in the world. All the denials of God, in the world, use to be from this Fallacy impos'd upon us. It never can be necessary for us to violate any Negative Commandment in the Law of our God; where God says, thou shalt not, we cannot upon any pretence reply, I must. But the Devil will put a most formidable and astonishing face of necessity upon many of those Abominable things, which are hateful to the soul of God. He'll say nothing to us about, the one thing needful; but the petite and the sorry Need-nots of this world, he'll set off with most bloody Colours of Necessity. He will not say, 'tis necessary for you to maintain the Favour of your God, and secure the welfare of your Soul; but he'll say, 'tis necessary for you to keep in with your Neighbours; and that you and yours may have a good Living among them.

III. The Devil does insinuate his most Horrible Temptations, with pretence, of much Friendship and Kindness for us. He seemed very unwilling that our Lord should want any thing that might be comfortable for him; but, he was a Devil still! The Devil flatters our Mother Eve, as if he was desirous to make her more Happy than her Maker did; but there was the Devil in that flattery. Sub Amici fallere Nomen,——to Salute men with profers to do all manner of Service for them; and at the same time to Stab them as Joab did Abner of old; this is just like the Devil, and the Devil truly has many Children that Imitate him in it. Some very Affectionate Things were spoken once unto our Lord; Lord, be it far from thee, that thou shouldest suffer any Trouble! But our Lords Answer was, in Mat. 16.23. Get thee behind me Satan. The Devil will say to a man, I would have thee to Consult thy own Interest, and I would have Trouble to be far from thee. He speaks these Fair Things, by the Mouths of our professed Friends unto us, as he did by the Tongue of a Speckled Snake unto our Deluded Parents at the first. But all this while, 'tis a Direction that has been wisely given us; When he speaks fair, Believe him not, for there are seven Abominations in his Heart.

IV. Things in themselves Allowable and Convenient, are oftentimes turned into sore Temptations by the Devil. He press'd our Lord unto the making of Bread; Why, that very thing was afterwards done by our Lord, in the Miracles of the Loaves; and yet it is now a motion of the Devil, Pray, make thy self a Little Bread. The Devil will frequently put men by, from the doing of a seasonable Duty; but how? Truly by putting us upon another Duty, which may be at that juncture a most Unseasonable Thing. It is said in Eccl. 8.5. A Wise Mans heart discerns both Time and Judgment. The Ill-Timing of good Things, is One of the chief Intregues, which the Devil has to Prosecute. The Devil himself, will Egg us on to many a Duty; and why so? But because at that very Time a more proper and Useful Duty, will have a Supersedeas given thereunto. And, thus there are many Things, whereof we can say, though no more than this, yet so much as this, They are Lawful ones, by which Lawful Things——Perimus Omnes. Where shall we find that the Devil has laid our most fatal Snares? Truly, our Snares are on the Bed, where it is Lawful for us to Sleep; at the Board, where it is Lawful for us to Sit; in the Cup, where 'tis Lawful to Drink; and in the Shops, where we have Lawful Business to do. The Devil will decoy us, unto the utmost Edge of the Liberty that is Lawful for us; and then one Little push, hurries us into a Transgression against the Lord. And the Devil by Inviting us to a Lawful thing, at a wrong time for it, Layes us under further Entanglement of Guilt before God. 'Tis Lawful for People to use Recreations; but in the Evening of the Lords Day, or the Morning of any Day, how Ensnaring are they! The Devil then too commonly bears part in the Sport. If Promiscuous Dancing were Lawful; though almost all the Christian Churches in the World, have made a Scandal of it; yet for Persons to go presently from a Sermon to a Dance, is to do a thing, which Doubtless the Devil makes good Earnings of.

V. To distrust Gods Providence and Protection, is one of the worst things, into which the Devil by his Temptations would be hurrying of us. He would fain have driven our Lord unto a Suspicion of Gods care about Him, said the Devil, You may dy for lack of Bread, if you do not look better after your self, than God is like to do for you. It is an usual thing for Persons to dispair of Gods Fatherly Care Concerning them; they torture themselves with distracting and amazing Fears, that they shall come to want before they dy; Yea, they even say with Jonas, in Chap. 2.4. I am cast out of the sight of God; He wont look after me! But it is the Devil that is the Author of all such Melancholly Suggestions in the minds of men. It is a thought that often raises a Feaver in the Hearts of Married Persons, when Charges grow upon them; God will never be able in the way of my Calling, to feed and cloath all my Little Folks. It is a Thought with which Aged persons are often tormented, Tho' God has all my dayes hitherto supplied me, yet I shall be pinched with Straits before I come to my Journeys end. 'Tis a malicious Devil that raises these Evil surmisings in the hearts of Men. And sometimes a distemper of Body affords a Lodging for the Devil, from whence he shoots the cruel Bombs of such Fiery Thoughts into the minds of many other persons. With such thoughts does the Devil choose to persecute us; because thereby we come to Forfeit what we Question. We Question the Care of God, and so we Forfeit it, until perhaps the Devil do utterly drown us in Perdition. Our God says, Trust in the Lord, and do good, and verily thou shall be fed. But the Devil says, don't you trust in God; be afraid that you shall not be fed; and thus he hinders men from the doing of Good.

VI. There is nothing more Frequent in the Temptations of the Devil, then for our Adoption to be doubted, because of our Affliction. When our Lord was in his Penury, then says the Devil, If thou be the Son of God; he now makes an If, of it; What? the Son of God, and not be able to Command a Bit of Bread! Thus, when we are in very Afflictive Circumstances, this will be the Devils Inference, Thou art not a Child of God. The Bible says in Heb. 12.7. If you are Chastened, it is a shrow'd sign that you can't be Children. Since he can't Rob us of our Grace, he would Rob us of our Joy; and therefore having Accused us unto God, he then Accuses God unto us. When Israel was weak and faint in the Wilderness, then did Amalek set upon them; just so does the Devil set upon the people of God, when their Losses, their Crosses, their Exercises have Enfeebled their Souls within them; and what says the Devil? E'en the same that was mutter'd in the Ear of the Afflicted Job, Is not this the Uprightness of thy Ways? Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being Innocent? If thou wert a Child of God, He would never follow thee, with such Testimonies of his Indignation. This is the Logic of the Devil; and he thus interrupts that patience, and that Chearfulness wherewith we should suffer the will of God.

VII. To dispute the Divine Original and Authority of Gods Word, is not the least of those Temptations with which the Devil troubles us. God from Heaven, had newly said unto our Lord, this is my Beloved Son; but now the Devil would have him to make a dispute of it, If thou be the son of God. The Devil durst not be so Impudent, and Brasen fac'd, as to bid men use Pharaohs Language, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice? But he will whisper into our Ears, what he did unto our Mother Eve of old, It is not the Lord that hath spoken what you call his Word. The Devil would have men say unto the Scripture, what they said unto the Prophet, in Jer. 43.2. Thou speakest falsely; the Lord our God hath not sent thee to speak what thou sayst unto us; & he would fain have secret & cursed Misgivings in our hearts, that things are not altogether so as the Scripture has represented them. The Devil would with all his heart make one huge Bonefire of all the Bibles in the world; & he has got Millions of persecutors to assist him in the suppression of that miraculous book. It was the devil once in the tongue of a Papist, that cry'd out, A plague on this bible; this 'tis that does all our mischief. But because he can't Suppress this Book, he sets himself, to Disgrace it all that he can. Altho' the Scripture carries its own Evidence with it, and be all over, so pure, so great, so true, and so powerful, that it is impossible it should proceed from any but God alone; yet the Devil would gladly bring some Discredit upon it, as if it were but some Humane Contrivance; Of nothing, is the Devil more desirous, than this; That we should not count, Christ so precious, Heaven so Glorious, Hell so Dreadful, and Sin so odious, as the Scripture has declared it.

S. The Second of our Lords Three Temptations, is related after this manner, in Mat. 4.5, 6. Then the Devil taketh him up, into the Holy City, and setteth him upon a Pinacle of the Temple; and saith unto him, if thou be the Son of God, cast thy self down; for it is written, He shall give his Angels charge concerning thee, and in their Hands, they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy Foot against a Stone.

From whence take these Remarks.

I. The places of the greatest Holiness will not secure us from Annoyance by the Temptations of the Devil, to the greatest wickedness. When our Lord was in the Holy City, the Devil fell upon him there. Indeed, there is now no proper Holiness of Places in our Days; the Signs and Means of Gods more special Presence are not under the Gospel, ty'd unto any certain places: Nevertheless there are places, where we use to enjoy much of God; and where, altho' God visit not the Persons for the sake of the Places, yet he visits the Places for the sake of the Persons. But, I am to tell you that the Devil will visit those Places and best Persons there. No Place, that I know of, has got such a Spell upon it, as will always keep the Devil out. The Meeting-House wherein we Assemble for the Worship of God, is fill'd with many Holy People, and many Holy Concerns continually; but if our Eyes were so refined as the Servant of the Prophet had his of old, I suppose we should now see a Throng of Devils in this very place. The Apostle has intimated, that Angels come in among us; there are Angels it seems that hark, how I Preach, and how you Hear, at this Hour. And our own sad Experience is enough to intimate, That the Devils are likewise Rendevouzing here. It is Reported, in Job 1.5. When the Sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, Satan came also among them. When we are in our Church-Assemblies, O how many Devils, do you imagine, croud in among us! There is a Devil that rocks one to Sleep, there is a Devil that makes another to be thinking of, he scarce knows what himself; and there is a Devil, that makes another, to be pleasing himself with wanton and wicked Speculations. It is also possible, that we have our Closets, or our Studies, gloriously perfumed with Devotions every day; but alas, can we shut the Devil out of them? No, Let us go where we will, we shall still find a Devil nigh unto us. Only, when we come to Heaven, we shall be out of his reach for ever; O thou foul Devil; we are going where thou canst not come! He was hissed out of Paradise, and shall never enter it any more. Yea, more than so, when the New Jerusalem comes down into the High Places of our Air, from whence the Devil shall then be banished, there shall be no Devil within the Walls of that Holy City. Amen, Even so Lord Jesus, Come quickly.

II. Any other acknowledgments of the Lord Jesus Christ, will be permitted by the Temptations of the Devil, provided those Acknowledgments of him, which are True and Full, may be thereby prevented. What was it, that the Devil hurried our Lord Jesus Christ unto the Top of the Temple for? Surely it could not meerly be to find Precipices; any part of the Wilderness would have afforded Them. No, it was rather to have Spectators. And why so, Why, the carnal Jews had an Expectation among them; that Elias was to fly from Heaven to the Temple; and the Devil seems willing, that our Lord should be cry'd up for Elias, among the giddy multitude; or any thing in the World, tho never so considerable otherwise, rather than to be received as the Christ of God. The Devil will allow his Followers to think very highly of the Lord Jesus Christ; O but he is very lothe to have them think, All. We read in Col. 1.19. It has pleased the Father, that in Him there should all Fullness dwell. But it is pleasing to the Devil that we deny something of the Immense Fullness, which is in our Lord. The Devil would confess to our Lord, Thou art the Holy One of God! but then he claps in, Thou art Jesus of Nazareth; which was to conceal our Lords being Jesus of Bethlehem, and so his being, The True Messiah. All the Heresies, and all the Persecutions, that ever plagued the Church of God, have still been, to strike at some Glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. A CHRIST Entirely Acknowledged, will save the Souls of them that so Acknowledge Him; but, says the Devil, Whatever tides I must not give way to that. As they say, the Devil makes Witches unable to utter all the Lords Prayer, or some such System of Religion, without some Deprevations of it; thus the Devil will consent that we may make a very large Confession of the Lord Jesus Christ; only he will have us to deprave it, at least in some one Important Article. Some one Honour, some one Office, and some one Ordinance of the Lord Jesus Christ, must be always left unacknowledged, by those that will do as the Devil would have them.

III. High Stations in the Church of God, lay men open to violent and peculiar Temptations of the Devil. When our Lord was upon the Pinacle, that is not the Fane, or Spire, but the Battlements of the Temple, there did the Devil pester him, with singular Molestations, and he therein seems to intend an Entanglement for the Jews, as well as for our Lord. Believe me they that stand High, cannot stand safe. The Devil is a Nimrod, a mighty Hunter; and common or little Game, will not serve his Turn: he is a Leviathan, of whom we may say, as in Job. 41.34. He beholds all high things. Men of high Attainments, and Men of high Employments, in the Church of God, must look, like Peter to be more Sifted, and like Paul, to be more Buffeted than other Men. Ferunt Summos Fulmina Montes.——The Devil can raise a Storm, when God permitteth it, but as for those Men that stand near Heaven, the Devil will attack them with his most cruel storms of Thunder and Lightening. It was said, let him that standeth take heed; but we may say, They that stand most high, have cause to take most heed. The Devil is a Goliah; and when he finds a Champion, he'l be sure most fiercely to Combate such a Man. He is for, Killing many Birds with one stone; and he knows that he shall hinder a world of Good, and produce a world of Ill, if once he can bring a Man Eminently Stationed into his Toyls. Hence 'tis that the Ministers of God, are more dogg'd by the Devil, than other persons are. Especially such Ministers, as more in the highest Orb of Serviceableness; and most of all such Ministers as have spent many years in Laudable Endeavours to be serviceable; Those Ministers are the Stars of Heaven, at which the Tayl of the Dragon, will give the most sweeping and most stinging strokes; the Devil will find that for them, that shall make them Walk softly all their Days. These are the Men, that have creepled, and vexed the Devil more than other Men; for which the Devil has an old Quarrel with them. O Neighbours, little do you think, what black Days of Mourning, and Fasting, and Praying before the Lord, a Raging Devil does fill the lives of such Men of God withall.

IV. The Devil will make a deceitful and unfaithful use of the Scriptures to make his Temptations forceable. When the Devil Solicited our Lord, unto an evil thing, he quoted the Ninty First Psalm unto him, tho' indeed he fallaciously clip'd it, and maim'd it, of one clause very material in it. O never does the Devil make such dangerous Passes at us, as when he does wrest our own Sword out of our Hands, and push That upon us. We have to defend us, that Weapon in Eph. 6.16. The Sword of the Spirit, which, is the word of God; but when the Devil has that very Weapon to fight us with, he makes terrible work of it. When the Devil would poyson men with false Doctrines, he'l quote Scriptures for them; a Quaker himself, will have the First Chapter of John always in his mouth. When the Devil would perswade men to vile Actions, he'l quote Scriptures for them; he'l encourage men to go on in Sin, by showing them, where 'tis said, The Lord is ready to Pardon. I say this, The one story of Davids Fall, in the Scripture, has been made by the Devil an Engine for the Damnation of many Millions. The Devil will fright men from doing those things, that are, the Things of their Peace; but How? He'l turn a Scripture into a Scare-crow for them. The Devil will fright them from all constant Prayer to God, by quoting that Scripture, The Sacrifice of the Wicked, is an Abomination to the Lord; the Devil will fright them from the Holy Supper of God, by quoting that Scripture, He that Eats and Drinks unworthily, Eats and Drinks damnation to himself. And thus the Devil will by some abused Scripture, Terrifie the Children of God; the Scripture is written as we are told, For our Comfort; but it is quoted by the Devil, for our terror. How many Godly Souls have been cast into sinful Doubts and Fears, by the Devils foolish glosses upon that Scripture, He that doubts is Damned; and that, the fearful shall have their portion in the burning Lake; The Devil sometimes has play'd the Preacher, but I say, Beware all silly Souls when such a fool is Preaching.

V. Grievous and Pulling Hurries to Self-Murder are none of the smallest outrages, which the Devil in his Temptations commits upon us. Why, did the Devil say to our Lord, Cast thy self down, but in hopes that our Lord would have broke his Bones, in the fall? The Devil is an Old Murtherer; and he loves to Murder men; but no Murder gives him so much satisfaction, as that which at his instigation, men perpetrate upon themselves. We see that such as are Bewitched and Possessed by the Devil, do quickly lay violent hands upon themselves, if they be not watched continually, and we see that when persons have begun that Unnatural business of killing themselves, there is a Preternatural Stupendious Prodigious Assistance, by the Devil given thereunto. When people are going to Harm themselves, we call upon them, like those to the Jailor, in Acts 16.28. Do thy self no harm! And we have this Argument for it, It is the Devil that is dragging of you to this mischief; but will you believe, will you obey such an one as the Devil is? What was it that made Judas to strangle himself? We read it was when the Devil was in him. I suppose there are few self-murderers, but what are first very strangely fallen into the Devils hands; and possibly, 'tis by some Extraordinary Discontent, against God, or back-sliding from him, that the Devil first entred into those disturbed Souls. Indeed, some very great Saints of God, have sometimes had hideous Royls raised by the Devil in their minds; untill they have e'en cry'd out with Job, I choose strangling rather than Life; and sometimes the ill Humours or Vapours in the Bodies of such Good Men, do so harbour the Devil that they have this woful motion every day thence made unto them; You must Kill your self! you must! you must! But it is rarely any other than a Saul, an Abimelek, an Achitophel, or a Judas; rarely any other, than a very Reprobate, whom the Devil can drive, while the man is Compos Mentis, to Consummate such a Villany. Yea, no Child of God, in his Right Senses can go so far in this impiety, as to be left without all Time and Room for true Repentance of the Crime; 'tis thus done, by none but those that go to the Devil. A self-murder, acted by one that is upon other accounts a Reasonable man, is but such an attempt of Revenge upon the God that made him, as none but one full of the Devil can be guilty of. If any of you are Dragoon'd by the Devil, unto the murdering of your selves, my Advice to you is, Disclose it, Reveal it, make it known immediately. One that Cut his own Throat among us, Expired crying out, O that I had told! O that I had told. You may spoil the Devil, if you'l Tell what he is a doing of.

VI. Presumptuous and Unwarrantable Trials of the Blessed God, are some of those things whereinto the Devil would fain hook us with his Temptations. This was that which the Devil would have brought our Lord unto, even, A tempting of the Lord our God. It is the charge of our God upon us, in Deut. 6.16. Thou shalt not Tempt the Lord thy God. But that which the Devil Tries, is, to put us upon Trying in a sinful way, whether God be such a God as indeed he is. 'Tis true as to the ways of Obedience, our God says unto us, Prove me, in those ways; Try, whether I won't be as good as my Word. But then there are ways of Presumption, wherein the Devil would have us to trie, what a God it is, With whom we have to do. The Devil would have us to trie the Purpose of God, about our selves or others; but how? By going to the Devil himself; by Consulting Astrologers, or Fortune Tellers; or perhaps by letting the Bible fall open, to see what is the first Sentence we light upon. The Devil would have us trie the Mercy of God, but how? By running into Dangers, which we have no call unto. He would have us trie the Power of God; but how? By looking for good things, without the use of Means for the getting of them. He would have us trie the Justice of God; but how? By venturing upon Sin in a Corner, with an Imagination that God will never bring us out. He would have us trie the Promise of God; but how? By Limiting the Lord, unto such or such a way of manifesting Himself, or else believing of nothing at all. He would have us trie the Threatning of God; but how? By going on impenitently in those things, for which the Wrath of God comes upon the Children of Disobedience. Thus would the Devil have us to affront the Majesty of Heaven every day.

VII. The Temptations of the Devil, aim at puffing and bloating of us up, with Pride; as much perhaps as any one iniquity. The Devil would have had Our Lord make a Vain glorious Discovery of himself unto the World, by Flying in the air, so as no mortal can. Hoc Ithacus velit—the Devil would have us to soar aloft, and not only to be above other men, but also to know that we are so, Pride is the Devils own sin; and he affects especially to be, The King over the Children of Pride, it is a caution in 1 Tim. 3.6. A Pastor must not be A Novice; Lest being lifted up with Pride, He fall into the condemnation of the Devil. (Summo ac Pio cum Tremore Hunc Textum Legamus nos Ministri Juvenes!) Accordingly, the Devil would have us to be inordinately taken and moved with what Excellencies our God has bestowed upon us. If our Estates rise, he would have us rise in our Spirits too. If we have been blessed with Beauty, with Breeding, with Honour, with Success, with Attire, with Spiritual Priviledges, or with Praise-worthy Performances; Now says the Devil, Think thy self better than other Men. Yea, the Devil would have us arrogate unto our selves, those Excellencies which really we never were owners of; and Boast of a false Gift. He would have us moreover to Thirst after Applause among others that may see Our Excellencies! and be impatient if we are not accounted some-body. He would have us furthermore, to aspire after such a Figure, as God has never yet seen fitting for us; and croud into some High Chair that becomes us not. Thus would the Devil Elevate us into the Air, above our Neighbours; and why so? 'Tis that we may be punished with such Falls, as may make us cry out with David, O my Bones are broken with my Falls! The Devil can't endure to see men lying in the Dust; because there is no falling thence. He is a Fallen Spirit himself, and it pleases him to see the Falls of men.

S. The Third of Our Lords Three Temptations, is related in such Terms as these. Matth. 4.8, 9. Again the Devil taketh him up, into an exceeding High Mountain, and sheweth him all the Kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them: and saith unto him, all these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and Worship me. From whence take these Remarks.

I. The Devil in his Temptations will set the Delight of this world before us; but he'll set a fair, and a false Varnish upon those Delights. They were some unknown Perspectives, which the Devil had, both for the Refracting of the Medium, and for the Magnifying of the Object, whereby he gave our Lord at once a prospect of the whole Roman Empire; but what was it? It was the World, and the Glory of it; he says not a word of the World, and the Trouble of it. No sure; not a word of that; the Devil will not have his Hook so barely expos'd unto us. The Devil sets off the Delights of Sin, which he offers unto us, with a stretched and raised Rhetorick; but he will not own, That in the midst of our Laughter, our Heart shall be sorrowful; and That the end of our Mirth shall be Heaviness. There is but one Glass in the Spectacles, with which the Devil would have us to read, those passages in Eccles. 11.9. Rejoyce, O young Man in thy youth, and let thy Heart chear thee in the Dayes of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy Heart, and in the sight of thine Eyes. Thus far the Devil would have us to Read; and he'll make many a fine Comment upon it; he'll tell us, That if we'll follow the Courses of the World, we shall swim in all the Delights of the World. But he is not willing you should Read out the next words; But know thou, that for all these things God shall bring thee into Judgment. O he's loth we should be aware of the dreadful Issues, and Reckonings that our Worldly Delights will be attended with. He sets before us, The Pleasures of Sin; but he will not say, These are but for a Season. He sets before us, The sweet Waters of Stealth; but he will not say, There is Death in the Pot. He is a Mountebank, that will bestow nothing but Romantic Praises upon all that he makes us the Offers of.

II. There are most Hellish Blasphemies often buzz'd by the Temptations of the Devil, into the minds of the best Men alive. What a most Execrable Thing was here laid before our Lord Himself: Even, To own the Devil as God! a thing that can't be uttered, without unutterable Horror of Soul. The best man on earth, may have such Fiery Darts from Hell shot into his mind. One that was acted by the Devil, had the impudence to propound this unto such a good man as Job, Curse God. And the Devil pleases himself, by chusing the Hearts of good men, with his base Injections, That there is no God, or, That God is not a Righteous God; and a thousand more such things, too Devilish to be mentioned. A good man is extreamly grieved at it, when he hears a Blasphemy from the mouth of another man; said the Psalmist, in Psal. 44.15, 16. My Confusion is continually before me, for the voice of him that Blasphemeth. But much more when a good man finds a Blasphemy in his own Heart; O it throws him into most Fevourish Agonies of Soul. For this cause, a mischievous Devil, will Flie blow the Heart of such a man, with such Blasphemous Thoughts, as make him crie out, Lord I am e'n weary of my life. Yea, the Devil serves the man just as the Mistress of Joseph dealt with him; he importunes the man to think wickedly from Day to Day; and if the man refuse, he cries out at last, Behold, what wicked thoughts this man has lodging in him. Sayst thou so? Satan! No, they are Baits of thy own; and at thy Door alone shall they be laid for ever.

III. There is a sort of Witchcrafts in those things, whereto the Temptations of the Devil would inveigle us. To worship the Devil is Witchcraft, and under that notion was our Lord urged unto sin. We are told in 1 Sam. 15.23. Rebellion is as the sin of Witchcraft: When the Devil would have us to sin, he would have us to do the things which the forlorn Witches use to do. Perhaps there are few persons, ever allured by the Devil unto an Explicit Covenant with himself. If any among ourselves be so, my councel is, that you hunt the Devil from you, with such words as the Psalmist had, Be gone, Depart from me, ye evil Doers, for I will keep the Commandments of my God. But alas, the most of men, are by the Devil put upon doing the things that are Analogous to the worst usages of Witches. The Devil says to the sinner, Despise thy Baptism, and all the Bond of it, and all the Good of it. The Devil says to the sinner, Come, cast off the Authority of God, and refuse the Salvation of Christ for ever. Yea, the Devil who is called, The God of this World, would have us to take Him for Our God, and rather Hear Him, Trust Him, Serve Him, than the God that formed us.

IV. The Temptations of the Devil do Tug and Pull for nothing more, than that the Rulers of the World may yield Homage unto him. Our Lord has had this by his Father Engag'd unto him, That he shall one day be Governour of the Nations. The Devil doe's extreamly dread the approach of that Illustrious time, when The Kingdom of God shall come and his Will be done, as in Heaven, and on Earth. For this cause it was that he was desirous, Our Lord should rather have accepted of him, that Kingdom, which Antichrist afterwards accepted of him, for the Establishment of Devil-worship, in the World. I may tell you, The Devil is mighty unwilling, that there should be one Godly Magistrate upon the face of the Earth. Such is the influence of Government, that the Devil will every where stickle mightily, to have that siding with him. What Rulers would the Devil have, to command all mankind, if he might have his will? Even, such as are called in Psal. 94.20. The throne of iniquity, which frames mischief by a Law; such as will promote Vice, by both Connivance, and Example; and such as will oppress all that shall be Holy, and Just, and Good. All men have cause therefore to be jealous, what Use the Devil may make of them, with reference to the Affairs of Government; but Rulers may most of all think, that the Lord Jesus from Heaven calls upon them, Satan has desired that he might Sift you, and have you; O Look to it, what side you take.

Thus have you in the Temptations of our Lord, seen the principal of those Devices, which the Devil has to Entrap our Souls. But what shall we now do, that we may be fortified against those Devices? O that we might be well furnished with the Whole Armour of God! But me thinks, there were some things attending the Temptations of our Lord, which would especially Recommend those few Hints unto us for our Guard.

First, If you are not fond of Temptation, be not fond of Needless, or Too much Retirement. Where was it, that the Devil fell upon our Lord? it was when he was Alone in the Wilderness. We should all have our Times to be Alone every Day; and if the Devil go to scare us out of our Chambers, with such a Bugbear, as that he'll appear to us, yet stay in spite of his teeth, stay to finish your Devotions; he Lyes, he dare not shew his head. But on the other-side by being too solitary, we may lay our selves too much open to the Devil; You know who says, Wo to him that is alone.

Secondly, Let an Oracle of God be your defence against a Temptation of Hell. How did our Lord silence the Devil? It was with an, It is written! And all his Three Citations were from that one Book of Deuteronomy. What a full Armoury then have we, in all the sacred Pages that lie before us? Whatever the Words of the Devil are, drown them with the words of the Great God. Say, It is Written The Belshazzar of Hell will Tremble and Withdraw, if you show these Hand-Writings of the Lord.

Lastly, Since the Lord Jesus Christ has conquered all the Temptations of the Devil, Flie to that Lord, Crie to that Lord, that He would give you a share in his Happy Victory. It was for Us that our Lord overcome the Devil: and when he did but say, Satan, Get hence, away presently the Tygre flew: Does the Devil molest Us? Then let us Repair to our Lord, who says, I know how to succour the Tempted. Said the Psalmist, Psal. 61.2. Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. A Woman in this Land being under the Possession of Devils, the Devils within her, audibly spoke of diverse Harms they would inflict upon her; but still they made this answer, Ah! She Runs to the Rock! She Runs to the Rock! and that hindered all. O this Running to the Rock; 'tis the best Preservation in the World; the Vultures of Hell cannot prey upon the Doves in the Clefts of that Rock. May our God now lead us thereunto.



A FURTHER ACCOUNT OF THE TRYALS OF THE New-England Witches.

WITH THE OBSERVATIONS Of a Person who was upon the Place several Days when the suspected Witches were first taken into Examination.

To which is added,

Cases of Conscience Concerning Witchcrafts and Evil Spirits Personating Men.

Written at the Request of the Ministers of New-England.

By Increase Mather, President of Harvard Colledge.

Licensed and Entred according to Order.

London: Printed for J. Dunton, at the Raven in the Poultrey. 1693. Of whom may be had the Third Edition of Mr. Cotton Mather's First Account of the Tryals of the New-England Witches, Printed on the same size with this Last Account, that they may bind up together.



A TRUE NARRATIVE of some Remarkable Passages relating to sundry Persons afflicted by Witchcraft at Salem Village in New-England, which happened from the 19th. of March to the 5th. of April, 1692.

COLLECTED BY DEODAT LAWSON.

On the Nineteenth day of March last I went to Salem Village, and lodged at Nathaniel Ingersol's near to the Minister Mr. P.'s House, and presently after I came into my Lodging, Capt. Walcut's Daughter Mary came to Lieut. Ingersol's and spake to me; but suddenly after, as she stood by the Door, was bitten, so that she cried out of her Wrist, and looking on it with a Candle, we saw apparently the marks of Teeth, both upper and lower set, on each side of her Wrist.

In the beginning of the Evening I went to give Mr. P. a Visit. When I was there, his Kinswoman, Abigail Williams, (about 12 Years of Age) had a grievous fit; she was at first hurried with violence to and fro in the Room (though Mrs. Ingersol endeavoured to hold her) sometimes making as if she would fly, stretching up her Arms as high as she could, and crying, Whish, Whish, Whish, several times; presently after she said, there was Goodw. N. and said, Do you not see her? Why there she stands! And she said, Goodw. N. offered her THE BOOK, but she was resolved she would not take it, saying often, I wont, I wont, I wont take it, I do not know what Book it is: I am sure it is none of God's Book, it is the Devil's Book for ought I know. After that, she ran to the Fire, and begun to throw Fire-brands about the House, and run against the Back, as if she would run up Chimney, and, as they said, she had attempted to go into the Fire in other Fits.

On Lords Day, the Twentieth of March, there were sundry of the afflicted Persons at Meeting, as Mrs. Pope, and Goodwife Bibber, Abigail Williams, Mary Walcut, Mary Lewes, and Doctor Grigg's Maid. There was also at Meeting, Goodwife C. (who was afterward Examined on suspicion of being a Witch:) They had several sore Fits in the time of Publick Worship, which did something interrupt me in my first Prayer, being so unusual. After Psalm was sung Abigail Williams said to me, Now stand up, and name your Text! And after it was read, she said, It is a long Text. In the beginning of Sermon, Mrs. Pope, a Woman afflicted, said to me, Now there is enough of that. And in the Afternoon, Abigail Williams, upon my referring to my Doctrine, said to me, I know no Doctrine you had, If you did name one, I have forgot it.

In Sermon time, when Goodwife C. was present in the Meeting-House, Ab. W. called out, Look where Goodwife C. sits on the Beam suckling her Yellow Bird betwixt her fingers! Ann Putman, another Girle afflicted, said, There was a Yellow Bird sat on my Hat as it hung on the Pin in the Pulpit; but those that were by, restrained her from speaking loud about it.

On Monday the 21st. of March, the Magistrates of Salem appointed to come to Examination of Goodwife C. And about Twelve of the Clock they went into the Meeting-House, which was thronged with Spectators. Mr. Noyes began with a very pertinent and pathetical Prayer; and Goodwife C. being called to answer to what was alledged against her, she desired to go to Prayer, which was much wondred at, in the presence of so many hundred People: The Magistrates told her, they would not admit it; they came not there to hear her Pray, but to Examine her, in what was Alledged against her. The Worshipful Mr. Hathorne asked her, Why she afflicted those Children? She said, she did not Afflict them. He asked her, who did then? She said, I do not know; How should I know? The Number of the Afflicted Persons were about that time Ten, viz. Four Married Women, Mrs. Pope, Mrs. Putman, Goodwife Bibber, and an Ancient Woman, named Goodall; three Maids, Mary Walcut, Mercy Lewes, at Thomas Putman's, and a Maid at Dr. Griggs's; there were three Girls from 9 to 12 Years of Age, each of them, or thereabouts, viz. Elizabeth Parris, Abigail Williams, and Ann Putman; these were most of them at Goodwife C.'s Examination, and did vehemently Accuse her in the Assembly of Afflicting them, by Biting, Pinching, Strangling, &c. And that they in their Fits see her Likeness coming to them, and bringing a Book to them; she said, she had no Book; they affirmed, she had a Yellow Bird, that used to suck betwixt her Fingers, and being asked about it, if she had any Familiar Spirit, that attended her? she said, She had no Familiarity with any such thing. She was a Gospel Woman: Which Title she called her self by; and the Afflicted Persons told her, Ah! she was A Gospel Witch. Ann Putman did there affirm, that one day when Lieutenant Fuller was at Prayer at her Father's House, she saw the shape of Goodwife C. and she thought Goodwife N. Praying at the same time to the Devil; she was not sure it was Goodwife N. she thought it was; but very sure she saw the shape of Goodwife C. The said C. said, they were poor distracted Children, and no heed to be given to what they said. Mr. Hathorne and Mr. Noyes replyed, It was the Judgment of all that were present, they were Bewitched, and only she the Accused Person said, they were Distracted. It was observed several times, that if she did but bite her under lip in time of Examination, the Persons afflicted were bitten on their Arms and Wrists, and produced the Marks before the Magistrates, Ministers, and others. And being watched for that, if she did but Pinch her Fingers, or Grasp one Hand hard in another, they were Pinched, and produced the Marks before the Magistrates, and Spectators. After that, it was observed, that if she did but lean her Breast against the Seat in the Meeting-House, (being the Bar at which she stood), they were afflicted. Particularly Mrs. Pope complained of grievous Torment in her Bowels, as if they were torn out. She vehemently accused the said C. as the Instrument, and first threw her Muff at her; but that flying not home, she got off her shoe, and hit Goodwife C. on the Head with it. After these Postures were watched, if the said C. did but stir her Feet, they were afflicted in their Feet, and stamped fearfully. The afflicted Persons asked her, why she did not go to the Company of Witches which were before the Meeting-House Mustering? Did she not hear the Drum beat? They accused her of having Familiarity with the Devil, in the time of Examination, in the shape of a Black Man whispering in her Ear; they affirmed, that her Yellow Bird sucked betwixt her Fingers in the Assembly; and Order being given to see if there were any sign, the Girl that saw it, said, it was too late now; she had removed a Pin, and put it on her Head; which was found there sticking upright.

They told her, she had Covenanted with the Devil for ten Years, six of them were gone, and four more to come. She was required by the Magistrates to answer that Question in the Catechism, How many persons be there in the God-head? She answered it but oddly, yet was there no great thing to be gathered from it; she denied all that was charged upon her, and said, They could not prove a Witch; she was that Afternoon Committed to Salem Prison; and after she was in Custody, she did not so appear to them, and afflict them as before.

On Wednesday the 23d. of March, I went to Thomas Putman's, on purpose to see his Wife: I found her lying on the Bed, having had a sore Fit a little before; she spake to me, and said, she was glad to see me; her Husband and she both desired me to Pray with her while she was sensible; which I did, though the Apparition said, I should not go to Prayer. At the first beginning she attended; but after a little time, was taken with a Fit; yet continued silent, and seemed to be Asleep: When Prayer was done, her Husband going to her, found her in a Fit; he took her off the Bed, to set her on his Knees, but at first she was so stiff, she could not be bended; but she afterwards sat down, but quickly began to strive violently with her Arms and Leggs; she then began to Complain of, and as it were to Converse Personally with, Goodwife N. saying, Goodwife N. Be gone! Be gone! Be gone! are you not ashamed, a Woman of your Profession, to afflict a poor Creature so? What hurt did I ever do you in my life? You have but two Years to live, and then the Devil will torment your Soul; for this your Name is blotted out of God's Book, and it shall never be put in God's Book again; be gone for shame, are you not afraid of that which is coming upon you? I know, I know what will make you afraid; the wrath of an Angry God, I am sure that will make you afraid; be gone, do not torment me, I know what you would have (we judged she meant, her Soul) but it is out of your reach; it is cloathed with the white Robes of Christ's Righteousness. After this, she seemed to dispute with the Apparition about a particular Text of Scripture. The Apparition seemed to deny it; (the Womans Eyes being fast closed all this time) she said, She was sure there was such a Text, and she would tell it; and then the Shape would be gone, for, said she, I am sure you cannot stand before that Text! Then she was sorely Afflicted, her Mouth drawn on one side, and her Body strained for about a Minute, and then said, I will tell, I will tell; it is, it is, it is, three or four times, and then was afflicted to hinder her from telling, at last she broke forth, and said, It is the third Chapter of the Revelations. I did something scruple the reading it, and did let my scruple appear, lest Satan should make any Superstitiously to improve the Word of the Eternal God. However, tho' not versed in these things, I judged I might do it this once for an Experiment. I began to read, and before I had near read through the first Verse, she opened her Eyes, and was well; this Fit continued near half an hour. Her Husband and the Spectators told me, she had often been so relieved by reading Texts that she named, something pertinent to her Case; as Isa. 40.1. Isa. 49.1. Isa. 50.1. and several others.

On Thursday the Twenty-Fourth of March, (being in course the Lecture-Day at the Village,) Goodwife. N. was brought before the Magistrates Mr. Hathorne and Mr. Corwin, about Ten of the Clock in the Forenoon, to be Examined in the Meeting-House, the Reverend Mr. Hale begun with Prayer, and the Warrant being read, she was required to give Answer, Why she afflicted those persons? She pleaded her own Innocency with earnestness. Thomas Putman's Wife, Abigail Williams, and Thomas Putman's Daughter accused her that she appeared to them, and afflicted them in their Fits; but some of the others said, that they had seen her, but knew not that ever she had hurt them; amongst which was Mary Walcut, who was presently after she had so declared bitten, and cryed out of her in the Meeting-House, producing the Marks of Teeth on her wrist. It was so disposed, that I had not leisure to attend the whole time of Examination, but both Magistrates and Ministers told me, that the things alledged by the afflicted, and defences made by her, were much after the same manner as the former was. And her motions did produce like effects, as to Biting, Pinching, Brusing, Tormenting, at their Breasts, by her Leaning, and when bended back, were as if their Backs were broken. The afflicted Persons said, the Black Man whispered to her in the Assembly, and therefore she could not hear what the Magistrates said unto her. They said also, that she did then ride by the Meeting-House, behind the Black Man. Thomas Putman's Wife had a grievous Fit in the time of Examination, to the very great impairing of her strength, and wasting of her spirits, insomuch as she could hardly move hand or foot when she was carried out. Others also were there grievously afflicted, so that there was once such a hideous scrietch and noise (which I heard as I walked at a little distance from the Meeting-House) as did amaze me, and some that were within, told me the whole Assembly was struck with Consternation, and they were afraid, that those that sate next to them were under the Influence of Witchcraft. This Woman also was that day committed to Salem Prison. The Magistrates and Ministers also did inform me, that they apprehended a Child of Sarah G. and examined it, being between 4 and 5 years of Age. And as to matter of Fact, they did unanimously affirm, that when this Child did but cast its Eye upon the afflicted Persons, they were tormented; and they held her Head, and yet so many as her Eye could fix upon were afflicted. Which they did several times make careful Observation of: The afflicted complained, they had often been Bitten by this Child, and produced the marks of a small set of teeth accordingly; this was also committed to Salem Prison, the Child looked hail, and well as other Children. I saw it at Lieut. Ingersol's. After the Commitment of Goodw. N. Tho. Putman's Wife was much better, and had no violent Fits at all from that 24th. of March, to the 5th. of April. Some others also said they had not seen her so frequently appear to them, to hurt them.

On the 25th. of March (as Capt. Stephen Sewal of Salem did afterwards inform me) Eliz. Paris had sore Fits at his House, which much troubled himself, and his Wife, so as he told me they were almost discouraged. She related, that the great Black Man came to her, and told her, if she would be ruled by him, she should have whatsoever she desired, and go to a Golden City. She relating this to Mrs. Sewal, she told the Child, it was the Devil, and he was a Lyar from the Beginning, and bid her tell him so, if he came again: which she did accordingly, at the next coming to her, in her Fits.

On the 26th. of March, Mr. Hathorne, Mr. Corwin, and Mr. Higison, were at the Prison-Keeper's House to Examine the Child, and it told them there, it had a little Snake that used to suck on the lowest Joynt of its Fore-Finger; and when they enquired where, pointing to other places, it told them, not there, but there, pointing on the lowest Joint of the Fore-Finger, where they observed a deep Red Spot, about the bigness of a Flea-bite; they asked who gave it that Snake? whether the great Black Man? It said no, its Mother gave it.

The 31 of March there was a Publick Fast kept at Salem on account of these Afflicted Persons. And Abigail Williams said, that the Witches had a Sacrament that day at an house in the Village, and that they had Red Bread and Red Drink. The first of April, Mercy Lewis, Thomas Putman's Maid, in her Fit, said, they did eat Red Bread, like Man's Flesh, and would have had her eat some, but she would not; but turned away her head, and spit at them, and said, I will not Eat, I will not Drink, it is Blood, &c., she said, That is not the Bread of Life; that is not the Water of Life; Christ gives the Bread of Life; I will have none of it! The first of April also Mercy Lewis aforesaid saw in her Fit a White Man, and was with him in a glorious Place, which had no Candles nor Sun, yet was full of Light and Brightness; where was a great Multitude in White glittering Robes, and they Sung the Song in the fifth of Revelation, the 9th verse, and the 110 Psalm, and the 149 Psalm; and said with her self, How long shall I stay here! let me be along with you: She was loth to leave this place, and grieved that she could tarry no longer. This white Man hath appeared several times to some of them, and given them notice how long it should be before they had another Fit, which was sometimes a day, or day and half, or more or less, it hath fallen out accordingly.

The 3d of April, the Lord's-day, being Sacrament-day, at the Village, Goodw. C. upon Mr. Parris's naming his Text, John 6.70. One of them is a Devil, the said Goodw. C. went immediately out of the Meeting-House, and flung the Door after her violently, to the amazement of the Congregation. She was afterwards seen by some in their Fits, who said, O Goodw. C. I did not think to see you here! (and being at their Red bread and drink) said to her, Is this a time to receive the Sacrament, you ran away on the Lord's-Day, and scorned to receive it in the Meeting-House, and, Is this a time to receive it? I wonder at you! This is the sum of what I either saw my self, or did receive Information from persons of undoubted Reputation and Credit.



REMARKS OF THINGS MORE THAN ORDINARY ABOUT THE

AFFLICTED PERSONS.

1. They are in their Fits tempted to be Witches, are shewed the List of the Names of others, and are tortured, because they will not yeild to Subscribe, or meddle with, or touch the BOOK, and are promised to have present Belief if they would do it.

2. They did in the Assembly mutually Cure each other, even with a Touch of their Hand, when Strangled, and otherwise Tortured; and would endeavour to get to their Afflicted, to relieve them.

3. They did also foretel when anothers Fit was a-coming, and would say, Look to her! she will have a Fit presently, which fell out accordingly, as many can bear witness, that heard and saw it.

4. That at the same time, when the Accused Person was present, the Afflicted Persons saw her Likeness in other places of the Meeting-House, suckling her Familiar, sometimes in one place and posture, and sometimes in another.

5. That their Motions in their Fits are Preternatural, both as to the manner, which is so strange as a well person could not Screw their Body into; and as to the violence also it is preternatural being much beyond the Ordinary force of the same person when they are in their right mind.

6. The eyes of some of them in their fits are exceeding fast closed, and if you ask a question they can give no answer, and I do believe they cannot hear at that time, yet do they plainely converse with the Appearances, as if they did discourse with real persons.

7. They are utterly pressed against any persons Praying with them, and told by the appearances, they shall not go to Prayer, so Tho. Putman's wife was told, I should not Pray; but she said, I should: and after I had done, reasoned with the Appearance, Did not I say he should go to Prayer.

8. The forementioned Mary W. being a little better at ease, the Afflicted persons said, she had signed the Book; and that was the reason she was better. Told me by Edward Putman.



REMARKS CONCERNING THE ACCUSED.

1. For introduction to the discovery of those that afflicted them, It is reported Mr. Parris's Indian Man, and Woman, made a Cake of Rye Meal, and the Childrens water, baked it in the Ashes, and gave it to a Dog, since which they have discovered, and seen particular persons hurting of them.

2. In Time of Examination, they seemed little affected, though all the Spectators were much grieved to see it.

3. Natural Actions in them produced Preternatural actions in the Afflicted, so that they are their own Image without any Poppits of Wax or otherwise.

4. That they are accused to have a Company about 23 or 24 and they did Muster in Armes, as it seemed to the Afflicted Persons.

5. Since they were confined, the Persons have not been so much Afflicted with their appearing to them, Biteing or Pinching of them &c.

6. They are reported by the Afflicted Persons to keep dayes of Fast and dayes of Thanksgiving, and Sacraments; Satan endeavours to Transforme himself to an Angel of Light, and to make his Kingdom and Administrations to resemble those of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7. Satan Rages Principally amongst the Visible Subjects of Christ's Kingdom and makes use (at least in appearance) of some of them to Afflict others; that Christ's Kingdom, may be divided against it self, and so be weakened.

8. Several things used in England at Tryal of Witches, to the Number of 14 or 15 which are wont to pass instead of, or in Concurrence with Witnesses, at least 6 or 7 of them are found in these accused: see Keebles Statutes.

9. Some of the most solid Afflicted Persons do affirme the same things concerning seeing the accused out of their Fitts as well as in them.

10. The Witches had a Fast, and told one of the Afflicted Girles, she must not Eat, because it was Fast Day, she said, she would: they told her they would Choake her then; which when she did eat, was endeavoured.



A FURTHER ACCOUNT OF THE TRYALS OF

THE NEW-ENGLAND WITCHES, SENT IN A LETTER FROM

THENCE, TO A GENTLEMAN IN LONDON.

Here were in Salem, June 10, 1692, about 40 persons that were afflicted with horrible torments by Evil Spirits, and the afflicted have accused 60 or 70 as Witches, for that they have Spectral appearances of them, tho the Persons are absent when they are tormented. When these Witches were Tryed, several of them confessed a contract with the Devil, by signing his Book, and did express much sorrow for the same, declaring also thir Confederate Witches, and said the Tempters of them desired 'em to sign the Devils Book, who tormented them till they did it. There were at the time of Examination, before many hundreds of Witnesses, strange Pranks play'd; such as the taking Pins out of the Clothes of the afflicted, and thrusting them into their flesh, many of which were taken out again by the Judges own hands. Thorns also in like kind were thrust into their flesh; the accusers were sometimes struck dumb, deaf, blind, and sometimes lay as if they were dead for a while, and all foreseen and declared by the afflicted just before it 'twas done. Of the afflicted there were two Girls, about 12 or 13 years of age, who saw all that was done, and were therefore called the Visionary Girls; they would say, Now he, or she, or they, are going to bite or pinch the Indian; and all there present in Court saw the visible marks on the Indians arms; they would also cry out, Now look, look, they are going to bind such an ones Legs, and all present saw the same person spoken of, fall with her Legs twisted in an extraordinary manner; Now say they, we shall all fall, and immediately 7 or 8 of the afflicted fell down, with terrible shrieks and Out-crys; at the time when one of the Witches was sentenc'd, and pinnion'd with a Cord, at the same time was the afflicted Indian Servant going home, (being about 2 or 3 miles out of town,) and had both his Wrists at the same instant bound about with a like Cord, in the same manner as she was when she was sentenc'd, but with that violence, that the Cord entred into his flesh, not to be untied, nor hardly cut——Many Murders are suppos'd to be in this way committed; for these Girls, and others of the afflicted, say, they see Coffins, and bodies in Shrowds, rising up, and looking on the accused, crying, Vengeance, Vengeance on the Murderers——Many other strange things were transacted before the Court in the time of their Examination; and especially one thing which I had like to have forgot, which is this, One of the accus'd, whilst the rest were under Examination, was drawn up by a Rope to the Roof of the house where he was, and would have been choak'd in all probability, had not the Rope been presently cut; the Rope hung at the Roof by some invisible tye, for there was no hole where it went up; but after it was cut the remainder of it was found in the Chamber just above, lying by the very place where it hung down.

In December 1692, the Court sate again at Salem in New-England, and cleared about 40 persons suspected for Witches, and Condemned three. The Evidence against these three was the same as formerly, so the Warrant for their Execution was sent, and the Graves digged for the said three, and for about five more that had been Condemned at Salem formerly, but were Repreived by the Governour.

In the beginning of February 1693, the Court sate at Charles-Town where the Judge exprest himself to this effect.

That who it was that obstructed the Execution of Justice, or hindred those good proceedings they had made, he knew not, but thereby the Kingdom of Satan was advanc'd, &c. and the Lord have mercy on this Country: and so declined coming any more into Court. In his absence Mr. D—— sate as Chief Judge 3 several days, in which time 5 or 6 were clear'd by Proclamation, and almost as many by Trial; so that all are acquitted.