Objects we saw in this Dark World I must add this that were but the Eyes of Men opened to see the Kingdom of the Dragon in this World with the multitudes of Evil Angels which are every where tempting and ensnaring Men they would be amused and not dare to be by themselves without good Consciences and a great assurance of the love and favour of God in protecting them by the Ministration of the holy Angels 2. As to the Objects of the outward Smell I must let you know that within the three Weeks space in which these Wonders appeared at several times the Evil Spirits and Angels did raise up such noysom poysonous Smells that both the inward and outward part of those that were exercised with them became much disturbed and offended For through the sympathy betwixt the Body and the Soul the sulphurous hellish Smells much exercised both by Magical Tincturation 3. In reference to the Objects of Tast You must know that sometimes both in the day and night we were exercised with the loathsom hellish tasts of Sulphur Brimstone Soot and Salt mingled together Which were so loathsom to our Natures as that they were ready to cause great Distempers and Nauseousness in our Bodies but the Invisible Power of Jehovah supported us beyond our own Strength 4. In relation to our inward and outward Touch we were much exercised both in Body and Soul As to our Souls we sometimes felt such strange Magical Wounds and Prickings by the fiery Darts of the Devil that none can express but those that have been exercised in some measure as Job was who felt the Poyson of those invenomed Arrows which came upon him by the permission of the Almighty which like the Scorpions in the Revelations sting and pierce those they touch As to our Bodies we found material Impressions from the Powers of Darkness very noxious in themselves to our natural Spirits and Life but cheerfully born by Invisible support and quiet submission unto the Will of God But to conclude By these wonderful and strange Exercises we could not but have strong apprehensions and lively resemblances of the Torments and Miseries of Hell where Sulphur Fire Brimstone poysonous Smells Darkness monstrous horrid Shapes and Sights are the entertainment of the imprisoned Spirits But now I come to the other Internal World which we may term Mundus Luminosus or the Light World which with its various Objects was then likewise opened to the inward Senses First then I shall here set forth the Objects of the inward Eye which were then seen by us There appeared then to our inward Sight multitudes almost innumerable of pure Angelical Spirits in figurative Bodies which were clear as the Morning-Star and transparent as Christal These were Mahanaim or the Lord's Host appearing all in manly Forms sending forth a Tincture like the swift Rays of the hot Beams of the Sun which we powerfully felt to the refreshing of our Souls and enlivening of our Bodies Now beholding the multiplicity variety and beauty of these Spirits with the various Objects and Wonders of this World Cloathed in the purest Tincture of Light and Colour we could not but bless the God of Heaven who by the Eyes of Wisdom and Hand of Power brought forth such Glorious Creatures and now shewed them in their several Beauties to us in a time of Tryal and Temptation Secondly In relation to our inward sense of Hearing there were many musical Sounds and Voices like those which John heard upon Mount Zion then heard by us the sweetness harmony and pleasantness of which cannot be expressed nor that Spiritual Joy and Delight which by them was infused into our Souls uttered by the Tongue being ready to ravish our Spirits into the highest Praises of the Eternal Jehovah Thirdly In relation to the Faculty of Smelling the Tongue can hardly express those Odours of Paradise and heavenly Perfumes which then were smelt piercing into the very Spirit with a cherishing Tincture besides that quickning Virtue which by them was communicated and insinuated into the Spirits of our outward Bodies which like a Cordial had been able to have renewed the strength of our languishing Nature Fourthly Our Sense or Faculty of Tasting was very pleasantly entertained with those invisible Dews which were sweeter than Hony or the Hony-comb and therefore deserve to be called the Dews of Heaven with which instead of Food we were many times wonderfully Refreshed Fifthly In relation to the Sense of spiritual Contaction that was also delighted with its heavenly Objects For none can utter that pleasing Impression which the burning Tincture of this Light World afforded us coming like a hot Cordial into the centre of our Spirit being sensibly felt in the inward Parts so as to cause much joy and heavenly Pleasure which penetrated through our Souls giving us occasion to bless praise and magnifie the Lord. Thus for the space of three Weeks or a Month were we exercised inwardly and outwardly through that great Conflict which was betwixt those two Worlds and their Inhabitants The Dark World sometimes afflicting us with dreadful Shapes abominable Smells loathsom Tasts with other Operations of the Evil Angels The Light World at other times opening and relieving us with odoriferous Perfumes most sweet Dews glorious Visions and Angelical Harmony which the Lord favoured us with to shew his extraordinary Love in this Succouring us in extraordinary Exercises and Tryals Thus much for those two internal Worlds spread throughout the visible World in which the Evil and good Angels are more immediately than in this visible Air to which they cannot be commensurate by reason of their spiritual Natures each of them abiding in their distinct Principle the the one sort being in Joy the other being in Torment the one in Light the other in Darkness according to the Scripture Besides these two Worlds we had an opening of the Eternal World called in Scripture the World to come or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 2. 5. from the futurity of its full and clear manifestation and a precursory entrance into the most Holy Place by a Divine Transportation into the Glory of the Majesty agreeable to that of St. John 17. 24. Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my Glory which thou hast given me c. Here were seen heard and felt unutterable Mysteries of that Kingdom which are not yet to be divulged in regard of the Pride Ignorance Prejudice and Envy of many in the World being reserved for those humble gracious Spirits which are waiting in Silence for the second coming of the Son of Man But now it is time to come to the third Particular which was the effects and Impressions left upon our Spirits by these wonderful Exercises and Manifestations After this we began more clearly to see that Strait and Narrow Way which leads to Life Eternal which we call the Virgin Life or the Life of Purity and Righteousness in its Perfection being the Life of fixed Love In any thing short of which the perfection of Virgin Life cannot consist So that meerly to abstain from the concupiscible lustings of Venus under the Spirit of this great World is but the Life of outward Chastity and but a particular Branch of the other For the Virgin Life is not attained till the Will of the Soul is
Speed and imperceptible Motion in insinution of himself and his Experiments upon the Body renders it upon a bare natural account much subject to his Power 5. And no less advantage hath he upon the Soul First in respect of it self and its own spiritual Nature whereby in all probability he can secretly and immediately insinuate himself with it and Perswade and Excite and Deceive and Abuse as a subtil Man can deal with another of more simplicity For it seems altogether as reasonable upon a bare natural account that one Spirit may communicate with another in a Kind proper to their Nature as one Man may communicate to another in a Kind suitable with his Nature 2. And principally in respect of the manner of the operation of the Soul of Man in Communion with the Body whereby she hath a kind of dependance upon the Body's Constitution and by a disturbance or disorder in that become subject to a disorder in her Actings Upon this account he can disturb the Blood into Cholar or Lust abuse the Fancy with false representations or disturbances in Truth corrupt the Organ of the Sense or the Species which they receive inrage and discompose the Humours of the Body mingle Ingrediants with them that shall impede or corrupt the actings of the Soul And as thus he can corrupt within so he can by observation of the prevalence of any Lust or Passion and of the just and true season when it is at the height fit it with a Temptation that shall draw it out to Action When Achan's covetous humour is high he can unvail the Wedge of Gold and the Babylonish Garment When David's Security and Idleness and possibly high and delicate Fare hath raised up the Lust of his Flesh he can present him with a Bathsheba Thus partly by his own Wisdom Experience malicious Vigilancy Invisibility Strength and Power partly by our own Weakness and Infirmity partly by the Correspondence he hath with our Tempers and Dispositions he is able to make advantage upon us either by internal Corrupting or by external Alluring or Inciting us to what is hurtful and prejudicial 6. Since therefore it is apparent that he wants neither Power nor Opportunity nor Malice to mischief us it remains that certainly the obstruction of the executing of that Power doth not arise from himself for his Malice is unsatiable it is his business every day to go about seeking whom he may Devour And unquestionably his Malice would carry him to the execution of the utmost of his Power either to destroy Mankind or at least to make them Slaves to his Kingdom Alexander who was most certainly the most Ambitious Prince in the World could not be near so fond of bringing the World under his Subjection as this Prince of Darkness is Those that he cannot make his Vassals he would soon extirpate and exterminate out of the Bounds of his affected Empire And on the other side the obstruction is not from our selves we are too weak to deal with him he was too hard for Adam in his Innocence and therefore must needs be too hard for us in our corrupted Estate And if it be said there was but one to one we are many to one or at least to few we deceive our selves herein for they are Numerous One Man was possessed with a Legion in the Gospel But if it were otherwise yet the Agility and nimbleness of those impure Spirits is great and their dispatches speedy they are Itinerarii Circumferanei walking to and fro through the World 7. It remains therefore that the power and malice of this great Enemy is checked and controlled and limited by a higher Power it is Regnum sub graviori Regno And he that hath shut up the Sea in Bars and Doors and said Hitherto shalt thou come and no further and here shall thy proud Waves stay hath likewise limited and confined this proud and malicious and powerful Adversary within his Sphear and Limit and chained up this unruly and ravenous Woolf so that he cannot to one Link beyond his prefixed Bounds 8. These Bounds or limits of the Power and Activity of this Adversary are many we may reduce them into these four viz. 1. The Law of their Subjection 2. Providential Dispensation 3. Ministerial Resistance 4. Natural Impediments I. The first restraint is the Law of their Subjection for tho those impure Spirits are like Rebels and Malefactors against their Lord and have an habitual Opposition against him yet they are under his Dominion tho they hate to Obey him they dare not disobey him tho they have not the love of the Law of their Being yet they are under the Cohersion and fear of that Law Just as there be among Men many vile People that yet dare not act their Villany for fear of Punishment and if they do they do it by stealth and secretly So doubtless those Evil Angels are under a fear of Offending and do smart for it Government is the Ordinance of God as well in the Invisible as the Visible World And this seems plain to me by that Petition of the evil Spirits to our Saviour that they might not be sent to the place of Torment even before their last and final Judgment There are certain Torments for their Extravagancies inflicted by an Invisible Oeconomy which they fear and dread as much as Malefactors do the Whip and the Pillory And upon this account partly it was that Satan tho he had naturally power to have afflicted Job durst not attempt it without leave and permission from God II. Providential Dispensation And this is the same over Men and Devils It naturally lies in the Power of one Man to Kill or Hurt another yet that same Superintendency of Divine Providence without which a Sparrow falls not to the Ground prevents one Man from doing all the mischief to another that naturally lies in his Power and the same prevention and Providential interposition hinders the activity of the Evil One from doing all that Mischief he naturally can among the Children Men. And this was that Hedge and Fence that God had made about Job and all he had and till that were removed the attempts of Satan were vain and idle to have broken in upon him III. Ministerial Impedimeuts and these are of two kinds 1. Such Impediments as concern the Soul only and the immediate Agency there Satan he disturbs and provokes and perswades and tempts to Evil but the Divinae Graciae Adminicula counter-perswade The Son of God came into the World to destroy the Works of the Devil and there is a perpetual contest between these two for the Principality and Dominion over the Children of Men on the one side the Devil and his Angels they Fight by their Method and Temptations and Allurements and Insinuations to win over the Children of Men to the Kingdom of Darkness On the other side Michael and his Angels the Angels of the Covenant and the secret and powerful Agencies of his Grace
and assistance take all opportunities to reduce Men to the Obedience of God to their Duty to him confirms them in it detects and discovers and convinceth the Tempter and upholds the Spirits of Men against him He will convince the World of Judgment by judging the Prince of this World that is by detecting his Sophistry his Falsity and the ill consequences thereof 2. Such as concern the inward Man and the outward Man also the Ministration of the Good Angels who are as diligent to counter-work the Evil Angels in their Mischiefs as they can be sedulous to inflict them they are Ministering Spirits When the Devil was using a slight to gain the Body of Moses to make an Idol of him Michael resisted him The Evil Angels are full of Power and full of Malice against the Children of Men and on the other side the good Angels are no whit inferior to them in Power and are Benevolent and Loving to the Children of Men and do many and many times when we know it not prevent us from many mischiefs that these malevolent Regiments of Hell would inflict upon our Bodies and our Souls And doubtless as we see in the visible Administration of the World or of any one Kingdom thereof there is continual Diligence on one side by seditious turbulent minded Men to break the Peace of a Kingdom or City or place which is with much diligence watchfulness and vigilancy attended and prevented by wise and good Men so there is no less care and vigilancy and counterworking by the Pure and Good Angels against the mischievous designs of these evil Spirits against the Children of Men. IV. Natural Impediments to the working of that Evil Spirit 1. In reference to the Soul and inward Man God hath fortified the Will of Man with the priviledge of Liberty tho those Evil Angels may sollicit perswade and tempt yet Almighty God hath placed this Bar in his way viz. The freedom of the Will that all the Devils in Hell cannot take from him It is an impregnable Fort that can only be taken by Dedition but never by Storm or Assault And this is partly the reason of that Text Resist the Devil and he will flie from you He knows that where there is Resistance of the Will there is no entrance for him and gives over the Assault 2. In reference to the Body or outward Man He cannot ordinarily exercise any Violence upon the outward Man but by the Mediation of things Corporeal and most ordinarily by the mediation of Mankind He cannot kill a Man but by the Sword of a Man-slayer nor rob or plunder but by a Caldean or Sabean nor infect the Body but by the means of a Witch And all this God hath most wisely ordered in this manner that tho the Impure Spirit it self be out of the reach or regiment of Human Justice or Government yet the Instrument without which he cannot ordinarily work is within the reach of Human Justice or Government whereby the wise and good God hath consequently as it were reduced him viz. in his Instruments without which he cannot act under the very Power of Human Laws and Government I say ordinarily he cannot act any external mischief upon Man but by such Means and Instruments as are under the cohersion of Human Laws I say Ordinarily for when this Irae Divinae satelles is Commissioned from the God of Heaven he may act immediately from himself according to the tenor or extent of his Commission but Ordinarily and Naturally he cannot Not Finished Doctor Pordage his Relation of the wonderful Apparitions Visions and unusual things which were seen in his Family in the Year 1649. DOctor John Pordage Rector of Bradfield in the County of Berks being the Eighteenth of September 1654 Charged with certain Articles then and afterward exhibited to the Commissioners for ejecting of Scandalous Ministers amongst other things for entertaining at his House one Everard a reputed Conjurer and that he had frequent and familiar Converse with Angels and concerning the Vision of a Dragon and Apparitions of Spirits c. As to the Entertainment of Everard he answered and confessed that about four Years before he was received into his House for about three Weeks and no longer but not as a Conjurer but as a workman at Harvest and that he never heard the least intimation that he was ever suspected to be a Conjurer till after his Departure but afterward was strongly enclined to believe that he was And concerning the Vision of a Dragon and Apparition of Spirits I will not confess saith he any Apparition in particular till they be proved lest I should seem to accuse my self they being brought in as a Crime against me and as Instruments to Condemn me Yet in general I acknowledge that some four Years since there were many strange and wonderful Apparitions in my House But what can these in Justice amount to tho attested by Oath and confessed particularly by my self when brought before those who profess themselves Christians and are acquainted with the History of the Holy Scriptures Pray was not Job a pious sincere and eminently Righteous Man Yet how was he scared with Dreams and terrified with Visions Job 7. 14. Did not Zachariah the Prophet Chap. 3. see Satan standing at the right hand of Josua to resist him Did not John Rev. 12. in a Vision behold a great red Dragon that made War with Michael and the Holy Angels And was not Christ himself tempted of the Devil by Voice and Vision Matt. 4. 6 8. Now the Servant is not greater than his Lord Jo. 15. 20. and therefore not exempted from the like attempts of the Devil I beseech you consider whether this Earth be not the Place where the Devil walks up and down seeking whom he may Devour How then can Bradfield or any other Place be exempted from his Appearing when God permits And may not all this be for the manifesting of his Glory Goodness and Power And who can tell whose Family may be next exposed by God's permission to be tryed and proved by the Representation of Satan And I desire you seriously to consider how any such Apparitions raised by the Devil and permitted by God for his own Glory argue me either Ignorant Scandalous or Insufficient Surely it rather argues that he hath blest me with a strong Faith in that he permitted such great Tryals and made me instrumental to overcome them by Prayer and Fasting If it can be proved I ever so much as looked toward the unlawful Art of Black Magick or that any Evil Spirits were raised up by any compact of mine explicit or implicit or that those Evil Apparitions were subdued and overcome by any other means than by God's Blessing upon our Fasting and Prayer I shall judge my self worthy of Punishment But otherwise it is hard measure to be Prosecuted for the Malice of the Devil toward me inflicting what I was Passive in and could not help especially by those who profess