It appears likewife, from the common Belief and Experience of Mankind, that as there is a God of infinite Goodness and Holinefs; fo there are wicked and malicious Spirits, which are ever contriving the mifchief and ruine of Men. For befides the Evidence of this from Scripture, which we must be allowed here to alledge in the nature at leaft of an History, it is folly to imagine that all the Oracles and Prodigies of the Heathens could be meer Forgeries, and that there was no ground nor foundation for fuch a Belief as univerfally obtained in all Nations and Ages of the World, and for the Customs and Practices, which followed upon this Belief, that there are Dæmons, or Spirits, of an evil and malicious Difpofition and Power. I fhall inftance only in the unnatural Cruelties which the Heathen World, even the Greeks and Romans themselves, were continually put upon, by the inftigation of these malicious and wicked Spirits. For the Heathen Nations offered up multitudes of innocent Men and Women, and even their own Children, in Sacrifice to their Falfe Gods; which is as fure an Evidence that there are fuch Beings which required thefe Cruelties from them, as it is, that there are Tyrants and Perfecutors, when they cause innocent Men to be murthered, and Children to be torn from the Arms of their Parents and flain in their fight. And though the Dominion of Satan

be

be now reftrained by the over-ruling Power of the Gofpel, we have as great Evidence from all Hiftory that there are fuch Beings as Devils, as we have for any other Matter of Fact whatfoever. There have been, indeed, many falfe Stories concerning Spirits, as well as in other Matters of Hiftory: but doth this prove that there are none true? or could the Hiftorians of all Times and Places be perpetually imposed upon, or confpire to impofe upon others? There is no ancient History but gives fome Inftance or other of these things; and all the modern Histories of Heathen Nations are full of fuch Relations as confirm this Truth to us; and even among Chriftians, thofe who have by unlawful Arts put themselves under the Power of wicked Spirits, have been convinced that there are fuch Beings; which is proved not only by the publick Confeffions of Witches in all Nations, but by the private (a) Acknowledg- (a) See ments of divers learned Men, both Phyficians Mr. Boyle's Excellency and others who have made attempts to difco- of Theology, ver the truth of this matter, in different &c. §. 1. places, and were Perfons neither timorous nor fuperftitious. But the Apparition of Spirits is Præter-natural; and therefore, that Good Spirits, who live in perfect Obedience to the Divine Will, and in Conformity to the Order of their Nature, fhould appear, is now no more to be expected than any other Miracle but there are frequent Apparitions of

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Bad

Bad Spirits in Countries where the Chriftian Religion is not received; and where it is received, they appear to fuch as are willing to come under their Power, but very rarely to others. And if the Devil, after fo much Humane Blood as he has caused to be spilt in his Sacrifices, and after fo many Oracles and Impostures, can yet perfuade fome Men that there is no fuch Being; this is one of his fubtileft Stratagems of all, and proves how great Power, though in a different kind and manner, he ftill retains over the Minds of Men,

Since therefore it is most certain that there is a Being of Infinite Power and Wif dom and Justice and Goodness; and that there is likewise a malicious cruel Spirit, ever watchful and induftrious to abuse and destroy Mankind: it is highly reasonable e to believe, that a Being of fuch infinite Perfections, after he had created Man, would communicate himself to him, would fet him a Rule by which he ought to live, and prefcribe him Laws whereby he might answer the Ends of his Creation, and attain to that Happiness which he was made capable of, and defigned for by his Maker. We cannot fuppofe that the God of all Goodness and Wildom would create Man, and then leave him to himself, to follow his own Inventions, and to live at random, without any Law or Direction to frame his Actions by, and to be expofed to all the Affaults of an

S

implacable fubtile Enemy, without any Cau tion and Inftruction given him, or any help and affiftance afforded for his defence. Man, in his Innocence, was not thus to be left to himself. And we have all the reason in the World to believe, though we had not the exprefs Word of Scripture for it, that the God of Infinite Goodness would not difregard this corrupt State of Mankind, but would ufe fome means to reclaim them from the error of their ways, to bring them to a knowledge of themselves, and of the Divine Majefty, to inform them of their Duty, and direct them to Happiness.

How Man became fo prone to all evil, we can know only by Revelation; and therefore those who reject all Revelation, must fuppofe that Man was firft created in this ftate of Sin and Mifery; which is a very heinous Imputation upon the Goodness and Juftice of God: but to fuppofe him placed in this condition, without all help or remedy, is to charge God ftill more foolishly. But how Men became fo, is not here the matter of Enquiry; it is evident that Man is of himself in a miferable and helpless condition; and confidering the great Ignorance and Wickedness which have been from the Fall of our First Parents visible continually in the World, and ftill reign in it; confidering, I fay, the notorious Wickedness and grols Ignorance of Men, which, from the earliest

Records

Records of Antiquity, have continued down to our own Times, nothing is more reasonable than to think that a Being of Infinite Perfection would take fome care to rectifie the Miftakes, and reform the Manners of Men. Can we believe it confiftent with Infinite Truth, never to manifeft it felf in the World, but to fuffer all forts of Men, of all Nations, to be exposed to all the Designs and Delufions of Impoftors, and of seducing and apoftate Spirits, without any fufficient means afforded them to undeceive and rescue themselves? Can we fuppofe that God of infinite Majesty and Power, and who is a Jealous God, and will not give his honour to another, fhould fuffer the World to be guilty of Idolatry, to make themfelves Gods of Wood and Stone?, nay, to offer their Sons and their Daughters unto Devils, and to commit all manner of Wickedness in the Worship of their Falfe Gods, and make Murther, and Adultery, and the worst of Vices, not only their Practice, but their Religion Can we imagine that the True God would behold all this, for fo many Ages, among fo many People, and yet not concern himself to put a stop to fo much Wickedness, and to vindicate his own Honour, and restore the Sense and Practice of Vertue upon Earth?

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I fhall, in due place, prove at large, That Mankind have in all Ages had the greatest neceflity