The doctrine of devils proved to be the grand apostacy of these later times. An essay tending to rectifie those undue notions and apprehensions men have about dæmons and evil spirits.

CHAP. VII. It undervalues Christs Miracles, in that it allows Ejection of evil Spirits to Devils and Witches.

BUt Secondly, as this Doctrine, in the point of possession, undervalues the Mystery of Christs Incarnation: So doth it more abuse Christ in the crotchet of Dispossession. A Devil, nay, a Witch (say they) by the Devils power, can eject or cast out Devils out of any one possessed: First, out of a Person where there never was any Devil. But Christ saith, Satan casts not out Satan, else his house should be divided, and his Kingdom could not stand: And yet hath and doth it stand ever since, though, at least (as the doctrines of Devils assert) Satan hath cast out Devils or Satan, all the World over, for these Sixteen hundred years: Thus therefore, this doctrine makes Christ a lyer: And which is as bad, it attributes more power to the Devil, than ever Christ (though he appeal to his stupend works for the justification of his Godhead) ever exerted while here

on earth. Christ never so much as cast out one Devil; I know men generally run away with this conceit, because of these notions, cast out Devils, or cured a Demoniack, or one possessed as we render it: But if we consider, That the Scripture speaketh but according to the mode and phrase of times then, where∣in (according to the conceit of Plato∣nizing Pharisees) all great diseases, affli∣ctions or distempers, wherein they thought (as they did in all almost) That there was 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, some extraordinary and super∣natural agency; we may, and will be easily satisfied, That when Christ is said to cast out Devils, they were but dan∣gerous diseases, uncommon maladies, or extraordinary distempers, or else (some∣times sins) that are meant.