our indifferent Person would thereupon not only vindicte us but the D's also from the Cheat or Combination seeing we all declined the use of any such Popish Magicial Diabolical Means As to Mr. T 's most untrue and uncharitable charge of our promising our selves a rich Harvest by the Miracle we should work It 's well for us Mr. T. must not be our judg and that our own Conscience is as a thousand Witnesses for us His other Reflections here are like the opening of some stinking Grave which I would rather cover Pag. 65 Mr. T. is void of all Reason as well as Modesty in saying that we were guilty of superstitious Credulity were coming Creatures to the Priests swallowed all that was offer'd by them when he at the same time saith it 's true we declined the reading of the Paper over D. that the Priests sending the Paper to D. is an unanswerable Argument of his corresponding with them when himself acknowledgeth that the D 's declined it also Where 's Mr. T 's Religion or Reason Sed perit judicium quandores transit in affectum Mr. T. dare eng age for the Devils vanishing upon our reading that Paper over D. It was wisely done to pass his word for the Devil on such hard Conditions as were never likely to be performed I shall leave the business of the Commission here mentioned to others to canvass I shall only hint here that the Papers which came into D's hand when he stretch't it forth were undoubtedly from an invisible hand as the Spectators testify so as to those Papers and other things which he committed it is attested that he was not near any Wall nor could any one visible convey them to him For I took little notice of what the Devil said concerning his commission nor of the date of it I had a higher to look at from whom he had his Commission or Permission and who alone could determine the time and cancel the Commission as he pleased As to that Poyson of Asps and Gall of Bitterness in charging us with vain-glory all along our being so full of our selves and of the Spirit we had to deal with It serves but to fill up his own measure and that of his Partakers which seems to be almost brimful I confess I did from several Circumstances fear that the Devil in some drunken Fit had drawn D. into some blind Contract with him or Consent to him not because the Devil might say to that purpose but because he was ready to gratify D's Humour several ways yet if the Devil be found a Lyar herein I am not sorry for that and if I did mistake I hope their needs no very large Charity to cover it Pag. As to Mr. T 's reproachful Term of a Farce and reproaching us with weariness because we could do no good in the former he is profane if he refer to the Ordinunce in the latter he doth some of us wrong I am sure we may be weary in our work but not weary of it How little any threatning with Warrants did affect D. towards accepting of the Physician will appear by further evidence and the event in that he was cured of his strange Fits before he took the Physick tho it 's evidenced already that he had his Fits as formerly after the Threatning As to the Passage of Satans speaking several Noises and Voices out of the Lump which rose up I do not remember any thing but that T. Core testifies to that Dr. B's Testimony will but signify a little in this case with those who knew what his Faith and Practice was but he 's dead de mortuis nil nisi bonum And as to his Profession as a Physician what Judgment could he pass upon D's Fits whenas he saw him but once and had not seen the Depositions at all as I suppose I cannot be positive for his supposed Letter bears no date neither can I tell when it was that Dr. B. died Besides what he is supposed to say is not to the purpose for what is it as to the rising of the Lump from his Foot upward when he tells of convulsive Twitchings How doth he prove his being before instructed to improve those Motions to such a purpose Might not a Spirit move such parts tho it have neither Flesh nor Bones so could not be felt What silly work is here But when Men lose their Religion they lose their Reason also What rational Person will deny a Spirits acting tho not animating as the Soul doth the Body Concerning the Expressions in Prayer which I am charged with by I know not who at second or third Hand this is my constant comfort amidst my acknowledged Infirmities in all my Duties that I hope I have the Holy Spirit to help my Infirmities Jesus Christ to bear them the Father to pitty them that I stand not to the Mercy of some Men's Misconstructions and Misrepresentations nor to the Wresting and wiredrawing of my Words by such as Mr. T. to their evil Ends but take the words which they insinuate me guilty of and as they are reported by Mr. T. the former part of them viz. that Satan might appear or seem to be in those that did not believe him to be in that young Man by way of Possession are potentially expressed such a thing might be I wish it were not so The latter part of the words that others might take Warning and thereby Learning are exprest optatively as praying that others may take warning and learn by this Example The Reader will pardon the Incoherence of the Expressions and rather impute it to the Ignorance of the Reporter and the Imperfection of the Report Where now is the Profaneness and Curse of the Petition Where is the Justice of any being scandalized What occasion hath Mr. T. so Sarcastically and Blasphemously to reflect upon praying by the Spirit and Spiritual Sacrifices offer'd up to God But it 's according to the Evil Spirit that Mr. T. I doubt is led by and walks after Pag. 67 Whenas Mr. T. would insinuate against us words of Blasphemy or near bordering thereupon were not my Soul filled and fortified with such firm Faith in dear Love to and deep Veneration of the most precious Person of Chirst his most glorious Gospel and truly Miraculous Works Yea his most Holy Spirit and Conversation too then might Mr. T 's Scorpion Language tho thy such a feeble Hand wound me to the quick but through the Grace of God it is but as Lashes upon Armour in this case Whenas also he would insinuate that a Tongue which speaks such words ought to be boared through with an hot Iron but we must spare the Phanaticks saith he Blessed be God who hath made our Officers Peace and our Exactors Righteousness yea thanked be our Rulers which are such Shields of Defence to us else we yet see what such as Mr. T. would be at right or wrong And what is all this bitter Zeal as the Apostle James calls
vero est quod movet atque ducit dicitque insuper quae non noverit occupatus futura nonnunquam praedicit quo inquam pacto dicemus hac esse erraticas materiae motiones Let Mr. T. also at present take notice of what may be obvious to any one in this particular case in reference to what Mr. T. with his Testimonies say thereupon Tho the case be otherwise solved yet let us say something as to what Mr. T. alledgeth from the Physitians and would thence prove D's Fits to be an Epilepsy Convulstion or the like As to Dr. Willis the Instances brought out of him all together do not near reach this case Besides the Doctor doth not deny Possession in some of them Neither doth he according to Mr. T. tell us the means of their Cure As to Dr. Radcliffs Letter to Mr. T. upon this occasion the Doctor is not very ingenuous in saying that the Non-conformists do engross any thing to themselves in this case For if he do but peruse Mr. Burton's Collections under this Head he may have his answer And as to our averring that the Devil sometimes tells the truth the Doctor if he be well acquainted with the Scripture of Truth may easily find several Instances both in the Gospels and in the Acts to shew that the Devil sometimes speaks great Truths tho he be forced to it and besure speaks them for no good end The truth is many in this Age are more Atheistical than the Devil himself as wicked as he is for he believes a God to make him tremble he professeth Christ in his desperate way he makes use of Scripture Words and Truths to pervert them As to Dr. R's Instance out of Galen concerning the fore knowledg of his Fit it 's nothing to the purpose for D's fore-telling was in the fore-going Fit and not when the present Fit was coming on him this latter is easy enough in several ordinary natural Distempers But why doth he not bring us one Instance in that case of a Person always in so many Fits exactly fore-telling the time of the following Fit and still hitting his Fit being greater or lesser His telling and fore-telling other things also the Doctor doth wholly wave this is not fair dealing His Testimony out of Leiselius doth not come up to this case Had the Doctor haa the Surey Informations by him and consulted them he might have seen it to be as I say His account as to D's Gravity and Levity in the same Fit seems rather ridiculous for both were in the same dead Fit and he continued in the said Fit a considerable time after the Witnesses had several times tried his weight This many Persons do testify upon Oath and others inform to the said purpose I think we may challenge all the Doctors in England to bring us a single Instance out of any approved Author any such under a meer natural Disease to parallel the case Pag. That Passage of Satan's pushing D on to such Words and Dees c. refers to him then as being out of his Fit so I find it to be in those Minutes which I took all along not to his Fits wherein he was so long dumb as I suppose And I may well suppose it tho Mr. T. would so disingeniously without any Proof insinuate the contrary Pag. 34 I am not able to remember particulars but must refer to my Memorials in my Diary upon that occasion where are all and only these Words about that called the Lord's Day cry viz The next meeting on this occasion will be on the 16th Instant Tho the Youth knew nothing of it upon the Lord's Day before nor any of the Family concerning this Meeting Yet in a Fit on the said Lord's Day he foretold of this day and told of the number of the Ministers viz. Five when as none of the Ministers themselves knew it would be so then none else was likely to know what can the most critical Wit and most captious Spirit make of this Pag. 36 The Family 's being so impoverisht as to sell two head of Cattle was before we had any thing to do with them as to this affair or any other ways it was by the charge whilst Dugdale was with Mr. Crabtree Our eating and drinking with them upon their importunity when the exercise was over is far from devouring Widdow's Houses as Mr. T. would suggest especially if that be true which Robert Clark testifies viz. That he had it from William Sellars that they had got above 20 l. by us And if it be true as their Neighbours say that the Family hath lived in a better condition ever since tho they have had but little from us since We did not so eat with them as to devour them nor so relieve them as to bribe them His Prediction as to England paying the Piper as he phrased it notwithstanding its present Security whilst Ireland was in such Misery is much verisied by sad Experience and I think few did then think that the War would continue so long and that the charge of it would have been so great I mention this without any murmuring thereat Pag. 37 I must confess that I do pen down all the Heads of my Sermons and the most of the Proofs to the several particulars before hand ordinarily so that the Devil might discover the same to D. tho Mr. T. judgeth very hardly that therefore we have our Sermons from the Devil The Lord judg betwixt us whether we have our Sermons from the good Spirit according to the written word in a way of Prayer or else from the evil one Unless Mr. T. be of a better Spirit than appears in his Writing and Preaching against us on this occasion His ordinary Readers and Hearers will say he speaks from his own Spirit at best which is bad enough Pag. 38 Why doth he manifest more virulence and violence against us than against the Papists What Combination hath Mr. T. proved as he hopes I dare not so much as think that he hath so little Charity for us as to think that we combined with them upon any ill design of cheating tho I confess some in their Passion have been too censorious that way But the Reverend Mr. W. was pleased in his discourse with me to clear Mr. C. himself from ill designing in this matter and some of his People have testified under their hand their sense of the sincerity of my Endeavours therein Pag. I will not foul my Paper and offend my Reader with those scurrilous and ridiculous Passages in this Page O the Eructations of an exulcerated Heart How desperately wicked is the Heart of Man Pag. 41 As to the Marginal Notes upon the Affidavits I must mind the Reader that the Witnesses Testimony upon their Oath must needs carry the cause Besides I suppose there will be nothing found in the Informations at Darwin that interfereth with the Affidavits at Holcomb I cannot but observe how little notice Mr. T. take of
that came along with him gave such an account of his Case that I saw cause to suspect he was possessed by an Evil Spirit and I was further satisfied concering it whilst we were at Family-duty at which he was present The Fit did then seize on him partly whilst I was reading and opening the word But much worse whilst I was at prayer His motions in his Fit were very strange particularly turning the sight of his Eyes in ward and so making him stark blind whilst his Eye-lids were open with other motions preternatural He had also such strong motions as were above his natural Ability and Agility but I was more confirmed by that rage he was in against the Ordinance of God especially then Christ was more solemnly named and his condition was earnestly commended to the Lord Then he raged as if the Devil had been in his bodily Shape tho' he manifested otherwise Inclinations to the VVord and Prayer when he was not in his Fit And he was in health of Body to all outward appearance at the said time Other Means he had used both lawful and unlawful so that Prayers and Fasting seemed to be the proper and only Means in this case Accordingly he desired that we would keep a Day of Prayer on his behalf Accordingly we met at the Sparth upon the 8th of May before we begun to exercise the Pastor of another Society being present to assist in the work we examined the Parents and the young Man himself as to the occasion of the sad Affliction they at that time confessed that both Father and Son were in drink at Whally Rush-bearing upon the James-Tide before that they then had a Scuffle with a young man whom they suspected or his Partakers to be instrumental of his harm VVe also enquired as to the means they had made use of already and convinced them of the evil of some unlawful means they had made use of One Instrument they had made use of was mr Crabtree VVe also shewed them that these means we were about were appointed by Christ in this case and that they might hope for a Blessing in this way Psa 1.11 to 25. they repenting of their Sins and expecting Mercy in God's own way Multiplying of Prayers and other Services being in vain if there be not Repentance and Reformation withal God regards not to answer in Mercy where there is a secret regard to any Iniquity Psal 66.18 VVe see to whom the promise of Mercy belongs Prov. 38.13 viz. Thse who consess their Sins and forsake them through Divine Grace We then proceeded to the Word and Prayer the Scripture insisted on was Acts 26.18 To turn them from the Power of Satan to God The Power which Satan hath in particular and in general is matter of Lamentation and Supplication The Lord rebuke Satan and rescue Sinners from his Power He had two dreadful Fits in the time of the Exercise he also consessed several Appatitions he had upon the Riot at James-Tide and Offers of Gold to him c. One Sabbath he was quiet under the Ordinances all the while another Sabbath he was extream rude all the while He ordinarily attending at our Meeting under this Affliction Upon their desire we kept another day the 28th Instant on his behalf the concourse of the People was much greater He was extream rude in his Fits all the while yet we continued in the Word and Prayer as before Thus the Providence of God puts his Servants to it and withal puts his Spirit in them that they may be more instant and importunate with him in Prayer He needs not intreating Luke 18. it 's we that need exciting And we are humbly bold to say the Lord did graciously help us Our third Meeting on his behalf was at Surey Because of its Vicinity to Whally we acquainted Mr. Jea the Vicar with the occasion that he might take no offence All the while the Evil Spirit did work in the Demoniack yet it brake not out into a Fit but afterward the Evil Spirit did hurry him in a most violent manner and manifested more than ordinary Rage against Mr. waddington And the Subject insisted on was Eph. 6.12 The Rulers of the Darkness of this World shewing the dark Regions where the Devil rules This Surey the place of the Parties Habitation was recorded and certified according to Law Providence set us upon the publick Stage that the thing might not be done in a Corner On the following Sabbath there was yet a greater concourse of People Many came to see him but heard something which affected them withal The Sermon being to shew that many are under the Power of Sin and Satan in a less sensible and therefore in a more dangerous manner We were without Distractions from the Demoniack all the while Another Sabbath he was very ill through all the time of the Exercise and afterwards as I stood by him he spurned at me with great violence grinting and spitting at me in a strange manner but he hurt me not I could little think of any ill intent of his herein I took it only as the Devil's spite at me With reference to the Sabbath before God hath his ends as Men have theirs we design'd it not to draw the People to our Meetings nor it may be diâ— many dâ—sign chiefly to hear the Word much less to get good thereby It was faâ—â—rom Ovesimas's disign in fleeing to Rome that he should there be converted by Paul's Ministrs Christ's end for the Conversion the Woman of Samaria John 4. was not her Errand to Jacob's-well The next day upon this occasion was at Surey upon the 5th of July The Lord was gracious to the Assembly and Party also in freeing us sometimes from those grievous Distractions which at other times we had upon this occasion The Lord pitty'd us particularly with respect to the Lord's Day that day of Rest Isa 58.13 14. that we might the better sanctisy it Yet had we Spiritual Rest whilst in our way and at our work when he was at worst we were helped to wait on the Lord without inward Distraction however He was very present help The next Meeting on this occasion was upon the 16th instant tho' the Youth knew nothing of it upon the Lord's Day before nor any of the Family concerning this Meeting yet in a Fit upon the said Lord's Day he foretold of this day and told of the number of Ministers viz. five when as none of the Ministers themselves knew it would be so The Devil raged exceedingly at this Meeting it may be the great Confluence of the People on this occasion enraged him the more had not the Lord helpt us mightily we had been run down by him He play'd upon the younger Ministers very sore until they got above him At the Evil Spirit fill'd the Jews with Envy contradicting and blaspheming when they saw the Muleitudes flocking to hear the word of God So in this case Yet were not
with him in a publick way but as he the first Printing Aggressor might have saved the trouble of so speedy publishing the Surey Narrative if he had in a Christian Brotherly private way sought an opportunity for satisfaction as to that case at first so might he it may be have saved himself the pains of Preaching and Printing against us afterward if he had when he was so near some of us sought to be satisfied in the said way as to the said Narrative Mr. T. is very liberal in his Title Page and all along to bestow on us at random the Imputation of Fanaticism and Enthusiasm But let him take heed lest he brands not the Experiences of God's special Grace and the special assistance of his Spirit tho human Infirmities do accompany the same with the odious Name of the Diabolical Enthusiasm of Heathenish Fanes And so be found guilty of a Sin if not the Sin against the Holy Ghost As to the manner of my dealing with him I hope to deal with him in such a Spirit as becomes my Profession and Age however he hath dealt with me Mr. T. chargeth me as declaring it to be as real a Possession as any in the Gospel Pre … this he saith without any Proof that I said it Yet I shall be so ingenuous as to give it him now under my hand that it seems probable to me according to all the Indications I meet with in approved Authors on that Subject that it was a Possession or an Obsession as commonly called For what more probable signs thereof can any one assign Yea may I not modestly say that there seem'd to be as many signs of Possession or Obsession as in most if not in any of those recorded in the Evangelick History Indeed in the manner of dispossessing there is a vast difference That this doth any way disadvantage the cause of revealed Religion I understand not for we give that Glory to divine Miracles which our Blessed Lord did in his own and his extraordinary Ministers did in his name that they were wrought not only in the immediate effecting of what might possibly in process of time be done by ordinary Means as when he cured Feavors but of what could not be done by any means but by his own Divine Power as when he raised the dead gave sight to those born blind c. This I suggest to shew upon what Basis true Miracles do stand But that any Imposture is foisted in or that there are clearer Indications of Possession in all or any of those stiled Demoniacks in the Gospel is yet unproved so that we firmly believe the Gospel Revelation of the Miracles and the Confirmation thereof thereby And as to Demoniacks and Dispossessions in particular tho the Possession might be mediante morbo viz. through Lunacy or a Mania yet it was certainly immediate sometimes as in the Pythoniss Acts 16. and so we suppose in this case Concerning Dr. Heylin's Story about Mr. Darrel mentioned in Mr. T 's Preface how little regard is to be had to him as an Historian in general especially wherein his opinion is concerned Arch-Bishop Vsher Dr. Barnard and Bishop Burnet have sufficiently satisfied the World And as to this particular case of Mr. Darrel's take the words of the Reverend Dr Hall Bishop of Norwich in his invisible World Whence it is plain that as there are several kinds of Devils one worse and more powerful than another so the worst of them are to be vanquished with Prayer sharpened with Abstinence What a difference then is there of Times and Means At the first it was a greater work to dispossess Devils by Prayer and Fasting than by Command now it 's far greater to do it by a meer Command than by Prayer and Fasting That which was then ordinarily done would be now strangely miraculous and that which is in the ordinary course now was then rare and unusual The Power of an adjuring Command we see ceased the Power of fervent Prayer can never be out of date This and this only is the remedy of both bodily and mental Possession Thus if we will resist the Devil he shall flee away from us Now upon the ground of the Scripture it was AS MY SELF WAS WITNESS that in our Age Mr. Darrel a Godly and Zealous Preacher undertook and accordingly through the Blessing of God upon his faithful Devotion performed those famous Ejectments of Evil Spirits both at Nottingham and Lancashire which exercis'd the Press and raised no small Envy from the Gainsayers Before we enter upon the examination of Particulars I shall premise three things which answer to the threefold design of Mr. T 's Book 1. That whereas he would sometimes have Dugdale 's strange Fits to be the Effects of some bodily Disease as Epilepsy or Convulsion the Party not only utterly and solemnly denies any such bodily Disease before as the natural cause of the said Fits but the contrary cannot be proved nor is it attempted that his Body was distemper'd by the Fits and had relief by Physick afterward is all along acknowledg'd but various Effects must needs give place to their several proper Causes He had no such Disease before to be the cause of such Fits What Distemper he had after was plainly the Effect of his said strange Fits Idem non patest esse causa effectus ejusdem 2. That whereas Mr. T. would otherwhile have the business to be a cheat for he knows not on whether to six here also not only the Parties immediatly concerned do utterly and solemnly deny it but the Testimonies as to Matter of Fact do demonstrate the contrary when Mr. T. and all his Accomplices have done their utmost the Witnesses the not at all tampered with do still stand to their Testimony and upon further tryal may so explain themselves as to put the Case further beyond all dispute So do the Parties immediately concerned they still persist in their disclaiming any such thing 3. Mr. T. says their was a Popish Combination Here again those immediately concerned do not only utterly and solemnly deny it but the Proofs to the contrary are altogether deficient as to Mr. T 's design of a Combination with the Papists As to any Combination among the Papists I know nothing I leave that to Mr. T. to find out who doth so vainly boast of his Talent in discovering such Intriegues As to us Dissenters himself clears us from having any hand in the Contrivance only he would fain have us to be the Papists diminutive Vnderlings and their Fools As to the Dugdale's it's not denied but discovered by us that the Popish Priests would have been tampering with them Yea it may be the poor ignorant People might in their great Distress and through their Infirmity have a Tempatation when they saw not the desired Success so soon as they expected to seek to such unlawful Means as they had sought to other unlawful Means before and as one King of Israel did indeed
not insinuate that he was the great Instrument of finding D. in the River and helping him out he owns others concernment in it as well as himself But Mr. T. doth very unjustly insinuate that F. was taught to call it a dumb Fit which D. fell into when he came out of the Water Fletcher will anon speak for himself as to this Observe also that the Gentlemen did not deny that they had been abusing D. in the Buttery at the Abby when D. in his Fit charged them with it Any one may think that Mr. T. would have let us known if it had been so So that Mr. T. hath furnished us with a further Testimony against himself Aliqando bonus dormitat Homerus As to Mr. T 's reason of that extravagant Whim as he calls it it proves but his own imagination So I may let it evaporate as an uncharitable Surmise Alas What pumping for occasions of Reflections as we see in the Instance of M. S. yet how little comes I am very loath to emprove that Hint of the near Neighbourhood of M. S. now and of R. C. before alas what Influences may wordly Interest and ill Company have upon Persons otherwise ingenuous and sober A plain representing of the Truth which I do here and all along as in the Presence of God will I hope manifest that Mr. T. is but foaming out his own Shame and that all his Falsities and Virulencies shall vanish as to us I do not wish that the guilt stain and recompence may stick upon him Should I tell him how I have pittied and prayed for him he would but scorn and scoff at it I fear as I hinted before and do what I say more than once Yea through the Grace of God I will do it till I know Mr. T. hath sinned the Sin unto Death Neither I nor any other that I know of did ever promise D. deliverance as Mr. T. is pleased to say but encouraged him from the Word of God in the way of his duty this we did and ought to do It 's not said in the Narrative that there was a Fast-day at Surey on the 24th of March 1689. I said before we had left meeting at Surey a little before for the cause aforesaid but some of us I am sure carried on that work of solemn seeking the Lord on that occasion as diligently as formerly according to the best of my remembrance I may truly and will humbly say through the Lord's help we did not let fall our Hands till we had got the Victory nor let go our hold till we had got the Blessing tho some may blasphemously call this canting I am sure as to my self I hope as to others As to the casting out of the Devil we do not know of any such gift of Miracles as to command the Devil in the name of Christ to depart and that he should immediately thereupon depart as in the Primitive Times Yet we believe that Dispossession may be and frequently hath been in tract of time according to Mat. 17.21 Even in these latter Ages as Dr. Hall Bishop of Norwich testified in his discourse with Costerus the Jesuit see his Life even among Protestants tho Dr. Heilin and such like will by no means admit it among the Non-conformists if others can give us Instances thereof we would gladly hear of them to strengthen our common Cause against the Papists I am told there is a Canon of the Convocation which prohibits the attempting this way of dispossessing Satan without the License of the Ordinary which necessarily implies that the Episcopal Clergy did believe there then was such a thing as Possession and Dispossession Yea we find in Mr. J. Bruen's Life that such a License was granted upon such an occasion I am told Mr. T. was informed of the said Cannon and thereupon reformed the first Leaf of his Preface Also as to means of dispossessing and their success now a-days Dr. Willet in Synop. Papis P. 92. owns not only the extraordinary means but this of Fasting and Prayer whereby saith he we doubt not but even in these days when it pleaseth God Satan is chased from the Possession of Christ's Members Pag. 57 But to limit the holy one of Israel to answer Prayers in accomplishing his work just whilst we are at Solemn Prayer were a great presumption and tempting God indeed yea would be found contrary to the ordinary Experience of those who know what belongs to the answer of their Prayers or the benefit of any Ordinance or Providence which usually comes after some time of waiting This also we take to be the meaning of those Scripture-Phrases of looking up and hearkening what the Lord will say As to what I judg in this case I shall with all plainness and modesty declare my self afterwards according to clear Scripture Warrant without any appearance of tempting the Holy Ghost as Mr. T. would charge upon us I hope we shall be found far as from tempting the Spirit of the Lord so from lying to him It 's true of some on the on hand in imposing on the holy Spirit that they may offend so on the other hand in Quenching Grieving Vexing Resisting yea denying of Him his Office Operatinons and despiting the Spirit of Grace Some would have called Caleb's other Spirit an odd Spirit as well as Mr. T. calls ours so All the Extremity D. endured his impatience and fleeing to Sir E. A. for relief must argue to impartial Persons that there was nothing of Cheat or of Popish Combiantion in the case the Effects of his Fits were sometimes so grievous that to use his own Expressions he would not for all the World wish that Misery to the vilest Creature in the World The Ministers discouragement because of the ill Frame and Carriage of of D. sometimes as to the success of their Endeavours which Mr. T. objects against us is nothing but what there 's cause for and it may be others in the like Circumstances would have thought so too As to the Lord 's giving up D. also We are but Men and so subject to like Infirmities with others yet upbraiding in this case is very unbecoming As to the trying of Physicial Means this might have been better taken by Mr. T. as our designing the discovery of the case and doing the Party good by any lawful means But things are it seems ad modum recipientis How will Mr. T. reconcile this to his cenforious charging us with an ambitious design of a Power to cast out the Devil The Physicians we consulted with were judicious conscientious Persons Licentiates by the Colledg of Physicians they honestly declined intermedling as Physicians tho they might have made considerable advantage by it apprehending that his afffliction was not mainly a bodily Disemper yet these must needs be my Tools and less sincere than Mr. Crabtree the Spider will have Poyson even where the Bee will gather Honey As to the suspicion of Witchcraft in the Family I have already
in his Fits we saw Tho' he saith and others testisy he could not dance at all besore nor then out of his Fits The Youth out of his Fit would not confess any thing of a Contract with the Devil that he knew of But it 's too probable that there was a Consederacy At least wt did thensuspect such a thing because the Devil was so ready to gratify him not only in such artisicial dancing but to tell many things which could not be known without such hellish help yeathose discoveries being frequently upon whispering with something in a certain Corner That it is the Devil which speaks in him seems very plain speaking strange Langugges which the Youth never learned and with another Voice than his own Yea with two Voices at once and sometimes speaking when the Organs of Speech were nor made use of Also his saying that he was God and requiring to be worshipped yea using many such VVords and Gestures as are most dreadful tho' the Youth can tell nothing of them when the Fit is over Yet at some other times in his Fits he deelaimed much against the Sins of the Place and Time Upon the 11th of October we again met at the Surey in the same manner and upon the same account the People still flocked to the meeting very much and many were much convinced and wrought upon all along the Lord working by Providence and Ordinance together Being desired I stayed to see his Fitover tho' that was till about of the Clock in the Evening some of the time was spent in discoursing expounding singing and praying the Youth was very attentive all the while and at the close of the Exercises his Fit began and lasted about an hour in which Fit the Spirit said that the young Man was his own declining any discourse with me and insulting at Mr. Carrington's not appearing that Evening as he had done the Night before For then Mr. Carrington had baited the Evil Spirit sufficiently His Language in his Fit seemed to me to be but a sort of Gibberish at that time or he spake his words so thick that I could make nothing of them there was a great multitude of People even in the Night and they were very rude so that some harm was done to the place and to some Persons We met again at the Surey on the 18th Instant the Crowd of People was very great tho' the Season was very wet it was some Distraction among our selves that one of the Ministers whilst he was praying turned his Speech to Satan as we thought which some took to be an unwarâ—antable Apostrophe Tho' the dissatisfaction was privately managed yet the Deviltook notice of it and did reslect upon some for it Upon the 22d Instant we met again at Altham upon this occasion a great Consluence of People was there also tho' we divulg'd not the opportunity but changed the place on purpose to conceal it the more He had a Fit in time of the Exercise in which Fit two Voices spake in him at the same time and in a strange manner the Devil threamed what he would do this very day and said how narrowly the Youth escaped being hoisted quite away in the Air as he came to the Meeting Some would say that it 's a bodily Distemper or a Cheat Also that there was an Agreement of Themas Dugdale the Father with a Popish Priest but Thomas disown'd it and the Event disprov'd it Tho' some will not believe yet it 's an evident Testimony angainst the Vanity and prosanity of the Times whereof this Family had been very guilty Also against the Saducism and Atheism of many yea some testify their Envy against God's Servants and their Enmity against his ways as others are much convinced and their prejudice quite removed upon this occasion VVe could do no less than with the good Samaritan take compassion when the Priest and Levite passed by However Upon the 31st Instant we met again at Surey upon this occasion the Evil Spirit had so tormented him the Night before that his Limbs were taken from him as to the use of them and he continued in great Anguish So that before we begun the Exercise he broke out into a Fit of Impatience resolving that this should be the last Prayer-day and that he would take another course for his help had his Patents been in the same mind we had then desisted But the Father with Tears entreared us to go on the Youth was some what eased and very quiet all the time of the Exercise In the close he thanked us and wished us to go on in the same course So that it seems altogether improbable by this and several other Passager that their was any ill Design or Cheat in the Party or in his Parents who ' some have been apt to cnarge them to that purpose Charity would rather offend on the other Hand especially when the charge is so criminal Upon the 7th of November we met again at Surey upon the same account then we sound young Dugdale in a much better Frame and carrying it better then formerly the young Man all along seem'd to us be naturally of a plain Spirit nei her having the Art not being apt to dissemble the worse nor the better Here a Christian Candour appeared to us Again at Surey upon the 14th Instant since our last meeting a great Stone about 14 Pounds weight as I suppose was laid upon him in one of his Fits yet without harm to him Neither the Family nor the Spectators knew whence it came nor how it came there none such Stone being thereabout The day after he was extreamly hurried in his Fits ridden about and chafed on his Head as it were the Form of an Horse hard ridden and of a very rank smell Yet the Spirit confessed in his Fâ—t there was good news for Dick as he call'd the Youth but ill news for it self viz. The Spirit meaning some respite the Demaniack should have for some considerale time The Youth fasted for 3 or 4 days together being always full when he should come to his Meals this seems unaccountable to us in anatural ordinary way Upon the 21st Instant we met again at Surey upon the same account Our number of Ministers and of others was but slender the Lord 's assisting of us without any abatement of our other Exercises about home and abroad appear'd both as to our Spirits and Bolies For some of us did find that we could well fast 24 Hours not withstanding extraordinaly pâ—ins besides upon this occasion The Youth being lighter by more than the half and as heavy again as at other times yea this in the same dead Fit is alhing altogether unaccountable when the Sadducees of the Times have studied and said their u m st Upon the 28th Instant we met at my House this being one main occasion of the Day the Youth was quiet and attentive all the while yea very devout both now and at other times