ducees and such as retain unto the church of God, but is also content that Epicurus, Democritus, or any heathen should hold the same. And to this effect he maketh men believe that apparitions, and such as confirm his existence, are either deceptions of sight, or melancholy depravements of fancy. Thus when he had not only appeared but spake unto Brutus; Cassius, the Epicurean, was ready at hand to persuade him it was but a mistake in his weary imagination, and that indeed there were no such realities in nature. Thus he endeavours to propagate the unbelief of witches, whose concessions infers his coexistency; by this means also he advanceth the opinion of total death, and staggereth the immortality of the soul; for, such as deny there are spirits subsistent without bodies, will with more difficulty affirm the separated existence of their own.7

Now, to induce and bring about these falsities, he hath laboured to destroy the evidence of truth, that is, the revealed verity and written word of God. To which intent he hath obtained with some to repudiate the books of Moses,

7 Lastly, &c.] Most certainly the Devil would have work enough on his hands, if he were concerned in all the mischief, real and imaginary, which has been attributed to him by many great men, and, among others, by our author. As an admirer of Browne, I cannot but regret most deeply the share which his views of Satanic influence led him to take in the trial of Amy Duny and Rose Cullendon, who were condemned and executed as witches, in 1664, at Bury, before one of the greatest and best men of his time, Sir Matthew Hale.-But, on the other hand, although we attribute to popular superstition the belief in modern witchcraft, and although it be conceded to the research and ingenuity of recent very eminent physiologists, that many of the best attested cases of apparitions were spectral illusions, attributable to physical causes,—we must not hence be supposed to doubt the existence and active agency of the Devil;-nor to question the scriptural relation of witches, and spiritual appearances. I am by no means inclined to admit that apparitions "confirm the existence of the Devil;" but I feel no greater difficulty in believing that such spiritual manifestations may still be occasionally permitted to take place, than in admitting that spiritual existence is not subject to the same laws as those which govern material existence. The spirit, at death, leaves the body permanently no more to resume its tenement on earth; why then should not a transient separation during life take place, and the spirit-bound by no laws of time and space-pay its monitory visit to some distant friend? See Hibbert's Philosophy of Apparitions; Alderson's Essay on Apparitions; Ross, p. 72, § 6.

others those of the prophets, and some both; to deny the gospel and authentic histories of Christ; to reject that of John, and to receive that of Judas; to disallow all, and erect another of Thomas.8 And when neither their corruption by Valentinus and Arrius, their mutilation by Marcion, Manes, and Ebion, could satisfy his design, he attempted the ruin and total destruction thereof; as he sedulously endeavoured, by the power and subtilty of Julian, Maximinus, and Dioclesian.

But the longevity of that piece, which hath so long escaped the common fate, and the providence of that spirit which ever waketh over it, may at last discourage such attempts, and if not make doubtful its mortality, at least, indubitably declare this is a stone too big for Satan's mouth, and a bit indeed oblivion cannot swallow.

And thus how strangely he possesseth us with errors may clearly be observed, deluding us into contradictory and inconsistent falsities; whilst he would make us believe,-That there is no God-that there are many-that he himself is God—that he is less than angels or men- —that he is nothing

at all.

Nor hath he only by these wiles depraved the conception of the Creator, but with such riddles hath also entangled the nature of our Redeemer. Some denying his humanity, and that he was one of the angels, as Ebion; that the Father and Son were but one person, as Sabellius. That his body was phantastical, as Manes, Basilides, Priscillian, Jovinianus; that he only passed through Mary, as Eutyches and Valentinus. Some denying his divinity; that he was begotten of human principles, and the seminal son of Joseph, as Carpocras, Symmachus, Photinus: that he was Seth, the son of

8 to receive that of Judas, &c.] In Fabricii Codex Apocryphus and in Jones's Method of settling the Canonical authority of the New Testament, accounts are to be found of these Apocryphal gospels. There were two under the name of Judas; one of Judas Iscariot, and the other of Judas Thaddeus, but they are not now extant. Of the gospel of Thomas, some fragments yet remain, under the name of "the gospel of our Saviour's infancy."

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nature of our Redeemer.] The doctrines of the Heresiarchs enu merated in this paragraph, are, upon the whole, accurately stated by our author: detailed views of most of them will be found in Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History.-Br.

Adam, as the Sethians; that he was less than angels, as Cerinthus; that he was inferior unto Melchisedec, as Theodotus; that he was not God, but God dwelt in him, as Nicolaus; and some embroiling them both. So did they which converted the trinity into a quaternity, and affirmed two persons in Christ, as Paulus Samosatenus; that held he was a man without a soul, and that the word performed that office in him, as Apollinaris; that he was both Son and Father, as Montanus; that Jesus suffered, but Christ remained impatible, as Cherinthus. Thus he endeavours to entangle truth; and, when he cannot possibly destroy its substance, he cunningly confounds its apprehensions—that from the inconsistent and contrary determinations thereof, consectary impieties and hopeful conclusions may arise, there's no such thing at all.

CHAPTER XI.

A further Illustration of the same.

Now, although these ways of delusion most Christians have escaped, yet are there many other whereunto we are daily betrayed; and these we meet with in obvious occurrents of the world,2 wherein he induceth us to ascribe effects unto causes of no cognation;3 and, distorting the order and theory of causes perpendicular to their effects, he draws them aside unto things whereto they run parallel, and in their promotions would never meet together.

per

Thus doth he sometime delude us in the conceits of stars and meteors, beside their allowable actions ascribing effects thereunto of independent causations. Thus hath he also made the ignorant sort believe that natural effects immediately and commonly proceed from supernatural powers: and these he usually derives from Heaven, and his own principality the air, and meteors therein; which, being of themselves the effects of natural and created causes, and such as, upon a due conjunction of actives and passives, without a

1 consectary impieties.] "Consequent impieties.”

2 occurrents of the world.] "Occurrences of the world.".

3

of no cognation.] "Of no relation."

miracle, must arise unto what they appear, are always looked on by ignorant spectators as supernatural spectacles, and made the causes or signs of most succeeding contingencies. To behold a rainbow in the night, is no prodigy unto a philosopher. Than eclipses of sun or moon, nothing is more natural: yet with what superstition they have been beheld since the tragedy of Nicias and his army, many examples declare.

True it is, and we will not deny it, that although, these being natural productions from second and settled causes, we need not alway look upon them as the immediate hand of God, or of his ministering spirits: yet do they sometimes. admit a respect therein; and even in their naturals, the indifferency of their existences, contemporised unto our actions, admits a farther consideration.

That two or three suns or moons appear in any man's life or reign, it is not worth the wonder. But that the same should fall out at a remarkable time, or point of some decisive action; that the contingency of its appearance should be confirmed unto that time; that those two should make but one line in the book of fate, and stand together in the great ephemerides of God; beside the philosophical assignment of the cause, it may admit a Christian apprehension in the signality.

5

But, above all he deceiveth us, when we ascribe the effects of things unto evident and seeming casualties, which arise from the secret and undiscerned action of himself. Thus hath he deluded many nations in his augurial and extispicious inventions, from casual and uncontrived contingencies divining events succeeding. Which Tuscan superstition seizing upon Rome, hath since possessed all Europe. When Augustus found two galls in his sacrifice, the credulity of the city concluded a hope of peace with Anthony, and the conjunction of persons in choler with each other. Because Brutus and Cassius met a blackmoor, and Pompey had on a dark or sad-coloured garment at Pharsalia; these were pre

4 Nicias and his army.] He lost his army before Syracuse, by delaying to embark it, at the favourable moment, on account of an eclipse of the moon which suddenly came on. Plutarch in Vit.

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5 extispicious.] Relating to the inspection of entrails in order to prognostication."

sages of their overthrow.6 Which notwithstanding are scarce rhetorical sequels; concluding metaphors from realities, and from conceptions metaphorical inferring realities again.

Now these divinations concerning events, being in his power to force, contrive, prevent, or further, they must generally fall out conformably unto his predictions. When Gracchus was slain, the same day the chickens refused to come out of the coop; and Claudius Pulcher underwent the like success, when he condemned the tripudiary augurations; they died, not because the pullets would not feed, but, because the devil foresaw their death, he contrived that abstinence in them. So was there no natural dependence of the event upon the sign, but an artificial contrivance of the sign unto the event. An unexpected way of delusion, and whereby he more easily led away the incircumspection of their belief. Which fallacy he might excellently have acted before the death of Saul; for that being within his power to foretell, was not beyond his ability to foreshow, and might have contrived signs thereof through all the creatures, which, visibly confirmed by the event, had proved authentic unto those times, and advanced the art ever after.

He deludeth us also by philters, ligatures, charms, ungrounded amulets, characters, and many superstitious ways in the cure of common diseases; seconding herein the expectation of men with events of his own contriving, which while some, unwilling to fall directly upon magick, impute unto the power of imagination, or the efficacy of hidden causes, he obtains a bloody advantage; for thereby he begets not only a false opinion, but such as leadeth the open way to destruction. In maladies admitting natural reliefs, making men rely on remedies, neither of real operation in themselves, nor more than seeming efficacy in his concurrence. Which whensoever he pleaseth to withdraw, they stand naked unto the mischief of their diseases, and revenge the contempt of the medicines of the earth which God hath created for them. And therefore, when neither miracle is

5 Because Brutus and Cassius met a blackmoor.] The Ethiopian, who met the standard-bearer opening the gate of the camp, and was cut in pieces by the soldiers, as affording an ill omen.

7 the Devil foresaw, &c.] "Because he foresaw the death of Gracchus and Claudius Pulcher, he contrived that abstinence in the birds."