Master Tormenter of Mankind himself than any of those his small Officers And indeed what trust can be given to Exorcism or how can we be made believe that these Exorcisers can eject a Grand Devil when they cannot move so much as the Gout or the Stone or the Spleen which are but petty Tormenters to the Saucer-ey'd Satan himself Here it is to be noted That if the Devil in any Exorcism make answer and say That he is the Soul of any person deceased you are not to believe him because it is a Heresie but urge him to tell his proper Name which he had from the beginning when he was expelled out of Heaven Ask him also of what Order and Quality he is of and the Name of his Superior and for what cause he entred into the body of such or such a party and conjure him not to depart without leave and to give notice of his departure and cause him also to leave his habitation in the same condition as when the party was first baptized There is great reason that the Exorcist should know the Devils proper Name for otherwise the Devil might bring his Action against the Exorciser for suing him in a wrong Name But why should the Devil be so loth to for sake this or that single habitation of a pitiful poor mans Body when so many Monasteries Colledges Frieries Nunneries nay the Popes own Palace and the very Colledge of Cardinals are all so much at his devotion that he may take up there what Lodgings he pleases and be welcome And it were to be wished that it were not the Popish Exorcisers fault that the Devil has so much power over men as he has For he is forced to seek for shelter among men because they will not let him be any where else The Air must not hold him though he be Prince of it Thence they thus expel him The Air Conjured I Conjure and exorcise thee O Air in the Name c. by him that commands the Winds and the Sea by all the Angels and Archangels c. by the whole Court of Heaven c. not to entertain in any place this accursed wicked and malicious Transgressor of a Devil nor any of his Confederates but to refuse reject and turn him out of doors as the Virgin Mary rejected all contamination of sin They exterminate him from the Earth and will not let him have so much as a rotten Nut-shell to rest in The Earth Exorcised I Exorcise thee O Earth in the Name c. and by all the Prayers and heavenly sollicitations which are daily made in thee and upon thee not to give any harbour or entertainment to this wicked Spirits nor to any of his Accomplices c. They will not suffer him to live in the water nor to have so much as the benefit of a Menows belly The Water Exorcised I Exorcise ye O Waters both great and small by the power of Moses's Rod by the water that issued from the side of Christ by the Virgin Mary by all the Angels and Archangels c. by all the Prophets Patriarchs Doctors Saints and holy Hermits not to harbour or entertain the wicked Spirit or any that belong to him but to chase him from all your boundless Territories with all the zeal imaginable as the Devils were cast out of Mary Magdalen They expel him out of the Fire so that there is never a Glass-house in the World dares to admit him The Fire Exorcised I Conjure thee O Element of Fire in whatever place or part of the World thou art by him that appeared to Moses in the burning Bush by him that freed the Three Children out of the fiery Furnace and by all the Sacred Holocausts which were made by thee and by all the Angels and Archangels c. not to entertain this Evil Spirit nor any of his Confederates but to send him with all speed upon the receipt and sight of these Presents to the infernal dismal Lake of ever burning Flames and that you do not let him stir from thence till the day of Judgment Again I exorcise all things that live in thee or by thee to the same effect c. But now having thus chased the Devil out of all the four Elements they command Lucifer to take him into custody and give him no Quarter as if they were the sole Commanders of that Infernal Bridewel Hell Exorcised O Hell and thou Fire Infernal all you infornal Torments and all you infernal Devils hear hearken and understand the words of my mouth I conjure ye by him who raised Lazarus after he had been three days dead when the Devil trembled and all his Ministers were in a Pannic fear O Hell and Fire Infernal c. I conjure ye by his Power that subdued ye to his Dominion that ye obey us in all things and fulfil our Commands in whatever we shall impose upon ye O Hell the Holy Trinity commands thee to obey us The whole Host of Angels and Archangels c. commands thee I conjure thee therefore O Hell and ye infernal Fires and Torments and all you Devils of what quality or condition soever ye be by him that brake down your Gates and took from ye all the Holy Fathers by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist and by the terrible day of Judgment and by all the words by which you infernal Fires and Devils infernal may be constrained compelled and forced I conjure thee O Lucifer Prince of Hell not to let this wicked Spirit rest any where in quiet but to send thy special Warrant for him and all his Accomplices with all speed and when thou hast him in thy clutches to cast him into the burning Lake where I conjure you O infernal Torments to plague him a thousand thousand times more than according to the usual rate of Tormenting Thus the World may see what sorts of Whips and Scourges the Papists pretend to have for the Devil what a Power they challenge to have over him and how unmercifully they exercise it while to shew their Authority they command one Devil to punish another not for any misdemeanours committed one among another but for doing his Duty and his Office which is to do Mankind as much mischief as he can And this Authority they assume from the Repetition of holy Names and the Cooperations of Saints some of which were as ignominious as the Devil himself the assistance of the Cross and Holy Water dablings Whereas there never was any such power given them which the Devil well knows and therefore 't is no wonder he gives no more credit to their counterfeit Warrants To display therefore to the full the Folly Superstition and Ignorance of these Exorcists let us consider what true Divinity says concerning these Exorcisms first when they began and secondly whether they are still to be retained and made use of among Christians As to the first we do not find in all the Old Testament any mention made of Exorcisms to
him and afford him the healing relief of thy salvation and heavenly grace through Christ our Lord. Here ends the last Scene of the fourth Act and 't is greatly to be feared the Devil will be vengeance-weary before the Play be done 'T is no matter for that he 'l be the more glad to be gone 't was done to that intent and purpose And yet one would think the Devil should laugh in his sleeve to see how his Adversary does and undoes For in his Incantations he assumes a power committed to him already to remove the vexation and arbitrarily commands the removal In his prayers he desires that to be done which he declares he had power to do before Nor does the Priest complain of any limited Commission neither This therefore must certainly be a very great comfort to the Devil under his affliction of Three Knots For you may be sure that the Devil listens like a Sow in the Beans to every word that is said and if there be any hole to creep out of his misery he 'l never strain a point of Curtesie with the Priest But till the Exorcist has quite done he knows not what to think on 't Only he 's sure there 's a dismal storm coming by the great bundle of Hyssop in the Holy Water Bason And now the first Act being begun the Priest spares for no Holy Water which he plentifully bestows upon the Party possessed The showre being over and the Devil's courage as he thinks being sufficiently cool'd the Exorcist full of hope and faith falls briskly to work that is to conjure all the Devils remaining in the Demoniac's Body after this bold manner HEar unclean Spirit and infamous Devil I admonish thee I exorcise thee and command thee O Tempter vain hare-brain'd false heretical wicked drunkard mad man thrown from the grace of God and Christ. By him I exorcise thee who for our sakes descended to Earth who was named by the Angels incarnate by the Holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary and growing in years and wisdom in the twelfth year of his Age disputed with high understanding in the midst of the greatest Doctors I conjure thee by him who was baptized by John the Baptist in the River of Jordan tempted by the Devil sold and betrayed by Judas his Disciple fed with Gall made to drink Vinegar crowned with Thorns despoiled of his garments upon which they cast lots I conjure thee by him who was crucified dead and buried and rose from the dead the third day ascended into Heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father from whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead and the World by fire that thou immediately go forth and fly from this Vessel and Creature of God without any damage to him or hurt to me or any of the standers by I exorcise thee by him of whom the Angel Gabriel declared that he should be born of the Virgins womb and John saluted in the womb of Elizabeth and by him I conjure thee to answer me to all and every such questions which I shall ask thee and that thou answer me the truth what is thy Master's and thy own name and whether thou beest in this body or without it whether thou art alone or one or more Legions with thee Here the Exorcist ought to examine the name of the Devil Possessor what Companions he has under what Order of Devils he is for what cause he possest the Party whether he be bound there by any Art of Witchcraft how that tye may be dissolved how long he had lived there by what Saint or person he may be expelled who are his greatest enemies in Heaven and who in Hell and what signs he will give of his departure Then command him that he do no harm to the Patient and that from thence forward he never presume to return But let the Exorcist be prudent and circumspect in his Interrogatories lest he be deceived Rather let him endeavour to free the poor man from his vexation than stand prating with the Devil At last having sufficiently examined the Spirit if he neither depart nor answer or whether he do or no he shall prosecute his Conjuration The Conjuration THou therefore O Homicide Reprobate Son of Perdition I conjure thee by his sign that appeared in the Heavens which the Shepherds saw and the Wise-men adored by him whom Angels and Archangels praise that thou presently depart from that Vessel and Creature of Christ that thou go to the bottom of the Sea or into some old Trees or into some Desarts where no Christians inhabit and where the Lightning from Heaven may consume thee May the Son and Holy Ghost and true Majesty of God compel thee to go forth I conjure thee wicked Devil by him whose Name is Jesus of Nazareth that thou presently depart at the first word of the Lord from this Servant of God I conjure thee by him at whose Birth the Holy Angels sang Glory be to God c. Whom the Wise-men coming from the East adored offering to him Gold Frankincense and Myrrh I conjure thee by him at whose Birth a Star appeared in Heaven of whom Isaiah prophesied saying A Star shall arise in Jacob and by him whom the mute Animals knew as it is written The ox knows his owner and the ass his masters crib I conjure thee by him whom Herod would have slain but could not and for whom the holy Innocents were martyred with whose blood the holy Jerusalem is adorned I conjure thee by him who fled with his mother into Egypt and at Canaan in Galilee turnedwater into wine whom Pilate crowned with a Crown of Thorns whom Longinus pierced with a Lance and who upon the Cross cryed out Eli Eli Lammasabachtani I conjure thee by him who was found in the Temple disputing with the Doctors was crucified upon the Cross between two Thieves and in the midst of the Air. And by him who after his Resurrection stood in the midst of his Disciples saying Peace be unto you fear not 't is I. I conjure thee by him who died and was buried who descended into Hell and delivered his own from the Devil particularly Adam the first Man and rose again the third day and forty days after ascended into Heaven May he eject thee and compel thee to depart this body and the joynts of the members of this Creature of God N He that cast thee from Heaven let him compel thee to declare the name of thy Master and whether thou art alone or not or whether any Legion be with thee I conjure thee by him that built Paradise encompassing it in with the four Rivers Gyon Physion Tigris and Euphrates whom thou wouldst have tempted saying If thou art the Son of God command these stones to be made bread and then shewing him all the Kingdoms of the World wentest on All these will I give thee if thou
ye far from the presence of God and which shall burn ye at the Command of him who liveth for ever Here let the Exorcist again shew the Devil the Sign of the Cross conjuring him by that Sign and by the aforesaid Names of God that he presently depart but if he demur to the Sentence and plead That by certain Incantations Charms and Bonds he is not to abandon the Party possessed then let the Exorcist give the Devil another Black-Sanctus in this manner I Conjure adjure exorcise and discharge all you Evil Spirits before mentioned who are bound by any prevailing Charm upon this Creature that by virtue of the aforesaid Powers Miracles Graces and Powers of God and of his holy Image the Crucifix and of all the Names of God and by these Conjurations Prayers Bonds and Exorcisms which have power in the Name of Christ to damn constrain and exercise ye and by the Power and Favour of God and that most terrible Day which shall one day bind ye to Eternity in the deep Lake of the Abyss forthwith speedily to depart out of this Body without any hurt or detriment either to Body or Soul The Popish Legends tell us That when the mighty Lucifer heard this piece of multum in parvo he was taken with such a griping in the Guts that he scummer'd for fifteen months together And it had certainly thrown him into a Feaver but that one of his great Counsellors cured him with a comfortable piece of advice For said that Machiavilian of a Devil Your Highness you know has a general and unquestionable Licence to ramble about the World like a roaring Lion Give Exemplifications of this Licence to all your Officers that you send to the Earth and let them shew the Exorcists those Exemplifications when the Exorcisers shew them the Sign of the Cross and then let them bid the Exorcisers kiss their backsides This Counsel wonderfully pleased Lucifer who advanced his Admonisher for his advice and by that means it is reported That the lesser Devils have disappointed many a Bucket of Holy Water The Oath which is to be given to the Devil to extort from him the truth of all things appertaining to the Delivery of the Demoniac The Exorcist may give the following Oath to the Devil possessing the body of Man at any time of the performance of this or any other Exorcism as he shall see cause and may use all ways to sist and probe the Devil to find out the Truth as well by fair as foul means as well by mildness as threatning language I Swear and promise to thee the Priest and Minister of Christ to observe all things which thou shalt command me on the part of God and our Lord Jesus Christ which shall appertain to the delivery of this Creature And if I fail in performance of any thing which I promise I invoke the Omnipotent God who is highly offended against me in revenge of this my Perjury to send his holy Angels potent in Battel to cast me forth from this Body I also invoke the mighty Lucifer with all the Princes and Potentates of Hell to use their utmost indignation against me and to carry me into the deepest and most tormenting place in all Hell there to use their utmost Cruelty toward me But suppose the Devil should be forsworn for all this Then you 'l say Try him by a Jury of God Dammee's and the Devil confound mee 's They 'l never find him if it be but to save their Bacon hereafter Certainly the Popish Exorcisers believe the Devils to be Creatures as silly and as nonsensical as the poor simple people whom themselves delude As if they had lent the Jesuits all their stock of Equivocations and not reserved so much as one for themselves in point of an Oath or a strict Examination But you 'l say A man may as soon believe the Devil as believe a Jesuit Seeing therefore the Papists do believe in the Jesuits why should they not believe in the Devil Yes and sooner too Then why may not a Popish Exorciser give the Devil his Oath I am convinced pray go on Sir Now because it happens that several parties possessed cannot be delivered from the unclean Spirits that possess them at the first second or third time therefore the Priest having at length with much ado as he believes put an end to his Conjuration may command the Spirits which are departed out of the Body by virtue of a certain Precept as follows A Precept to all Unclean Spirits departed out of Bodies possessed I Command you all unclean Spirits who are departed out of this Body in the Name c. that ye take upon ye no farther Power or Authority of shewing your selves to this Creature of God or of imposing upon him any delusion or of offending or hurting him either in Body or Soul or of returning back or of sending any other Devils to possess or molest the same person but that ye be forced by virtue of this Precept to go quietly and without murmuring to your Infernal Habitations or to the places appointed for You by God where you may be able to hurt no Creature either rational or irrational Behold the Cross c. Fly Devils with a Witness If the Party possessed be not delivered and yet the Priest is constrained upon earnest business to leave off before he has finished his Conjuration then command all the unclean Spirits remaining in the Body and not only command but see it done that they depart out of the principal parts of the Body as the Head Breast and Stomach and to descend to the inferior parts of the Body as the Nails of the Feet and beware that thou permit them not to return upwards again but when thou hast got them down then lay thy Commands upon them as follows A Command to be given to Spirits remaining in the Body when the Conjurer has not time to finish his Conjuration I Command Ye all you unclean Spirits that possess this Body in the Name c. under pain of being plunged over head and ears into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone for a thousand years presently after your departure out of this Body from whence we are resolved to pull ye by head and shoulders that you remain no longer in the Head or other members of this body but that ye remove to the utmost and lowermost parts till ye be called upon by me or some other Exorcist or that ye be permitted by God to ascend to your own Consusion and the Salvation of the Parties Soul but that you permit this person to eat drink sleep and do all those things which are necessary for life To which purpose I bind ye to your good behaviour till I come again I do not like this way of commanding the Devil by halves for if you expel him to the lower parts he presently turns to the Stone or the Gout that a man had better harbour the Great Lucifer or