in it, contrary to the Teftimony of their Senfes and the latter, no lefs contrary to the Teftimony of Mens Senfes, make their Followers believe, that the Body and Blood of Chrift are fuperadded to the Bread and Wine: Which is a piece of Impudence equal to that of a Man's Wife, who, when her Husband caught her in bed with a Priest, told him, It was nothing but a Deception of the Devil to abuse a Man of God, and that The hoped he would believe his own dear Wife before his Eyes.

THUS the Reader fees the monstrous Abfurditys which do in fact and must neceffarily arife from the Methods employ'd to restrain Men in the Ufe of their Facultys. But if it be poffible, the Abfurditys which relate to the Facultys of the Mind must be greater and more numerous than those which relate to the Senfes, because Men do use their Senfes more than their Understanding," and by confequence have clearer Ideas of the Objects of Senfe than of the Objects of the Understanding.

4thly. ANY Reftraint whatsoever from Reafon on Thinking, is abfurd in it felf. No juft Restraint can be put to my Thinking, but fome Thought, fome Propofition, or Argument, which fhews me that it is not lawful for me to think on the Subject I propofe to do. As for inftance, I propofe to

confider,

confider, Whether the Chriftian Religion is founded on Divine Revelation; but am told, or fuggeft to my felf, the great Danger and Sinfulness of thinking on that Subject, for fear I fhould be caught by the fophiftical Arguments of Infidels, and fo be eternally damn'd for my Unbelief: whereas I am in the way of Salvation, and in no danger in my unexamining ftate; and therefore it is finful in me to run any hazard, by thinking on that matter.

IT is evident this reftraining Argument must be thought freely on or examin'd; for if I do not examine it, I cannot know that I ought to be restrain'd by it, but may proceed in my propos'd Enquiry.

NOW let this reftraining Argument be examin'd, and it will be found to have no manner of weight in it to reftrain me. For what can be more abfurd? I have no way of knowing Truth from Falfhood, or whether I am in a safe or a dangerous ftate, but by using the Understanding and Reason God has given me; and yet I must without any reafon at all fuppofe my felf in a right and fafe way. Nay, I am deter'd from taking the best method of preventing dangerous Miftakes, for fear of falling into dangerous Miftakes; which is as if I fhould be deter'd from using my Eyes, for fear I fhould miftake in using them; and I fhould walk abroad with my Eyes fhut, because of the

poffi

poffibility of falling if I fhould walk abroad with my Eyes open. So that this restraining Argument is manifeftly abfurd, for diverting me a moment from the Profecution of my Enquiry.

I CANNOT pretend to affign, and answer all the reftraining Arguments which bigotted or interested Men make use of at different times and on different occafions, in order to ftop the progrefs of Mens Minds in thinking on this Question, and others of the like nature. It is enough to affign and answer the most plaufible one, as well as that which is most frequently urg'd; and to affirm here, That the moft zealous of the Unthinking, or Half-thinking, or Enemys of Free-Thinking, are not able to affign any Argument which ought to lay a restraint in this or any other Queftion whatsoever for whoever affirms that I ought to be reftrain'd from thinking, is in virtue of that Affirmation oblig'd to affign fome Argument or other which ought to lay a reftraint upon me.

5thly. I MUST not omit one great Benefit of Free-Thinking, of which all paft Ages as well as the prefent may convince us. Free-Thinking is upon experience the only proper means to deftroy the Devil's Kingdom among Men; whofe Dominion and Power is ever more or lefs extenfive, as FreeThinking is difcourag'd or allow'd; and all

other

other means employ'd against him, fuch as the cafting him out miraculously, multiplying Priefts, and enlarging their Power, and ufing the temporal Sword, have often increas'd, but never wholly deftroy'd his Power.

THUS the Devil is intirely banish'd the United Provinces, where Free-Thinking is in the greatest perfection; whereas all round about that Commonwealth, he appears in various fhapes: fometimes in his own, fometimes in the fhape of an old black Gentle man, fometimes in the fhape of a dead Man, and fometimes in that of a † Cat. He obfeffes fome, poffeffes others, and enters into Confederacy with others. As for inftance, he has had from the remoteft Antiquity a great Sway in England; firft, while we were in Heathen Darkness, and afterwards a greater during the thicker Darkness of Po pery. Nor did the Reformation do much to. wards leffening his Power; for great Complaints have been made of the Growth of Witchcraft, and the mighty Power of the Devil among us from thofe most primitive Times of our Holy Church, viz. about 150 Years ago.

-BISHOP JEWEL, in a Sermon before Queen ELIZABETH, told her Ma

Strype's Annals, P. 7. + Vid. Hertford Trial.

jesty

jefty of the marvellous Increase of Witches and Sorcerers within her Realm, and express'd his fears lest her Majesty herself should be bewitch'd by them. I pray God, fays he, they never practise further than upon the Subject.

HIS Sacred Majesty King JAMES the Firft (who was told to his face by the *Archbishop of Canterbury, that his Majefty Spake by the Special Affiftance of God's Spirit, and who employ'd his Royal Pen always on Subjects worthy of a Prince, viz. A Paraphrafe on the Revelations, A Counterblast to Tobacco-taking, and † Love-Letters to the Duke of Buckingham) tells us, || That the fearful abounding at this time in this Country of thefe deteftable Slaves of the Devil the Witches and Enchanters, mov'd him to dif patch in post his Treatife of Demonology.

I

IN the Reign of King CHARLES the Firft, it ought likewife to be fuppos'd that many People of the Church were obfefs'd and poffefs'd by the Devil; fince among the Articles of Enquiry at a Vifitation of the 1640. Diocefs of London by Bishop JuxoN, then Lord Treasurer of England, one is, Whether any Minifter without licence, upon any pretence whatsoever, either of Obfeffion or Poffeffion, cafts out any Devil or Devils.

*

Hampton-Court Conference, p. 96.

Hift. of Engl. vol. 2. in the Life of King James I. || Works, p. 91.