and speaks not a true Word For in truth notwithstanding all his Vaunting our Saviour draws him like the Leviathan by a Hook Job 41.1 Like an Ox he has an Halter upon his Head and his Nostrils are bored with a Ring and his Lips with an Hoople of Disgrace like a Fugitive He is ty'd like a Sparrow by the Lord so that we may justly deride him He and his Crew crawl now like Serpents So that now he may be trod upon by us Christians This is a certain Sign that our way of Living mads and crosses him for he who before vapour'd that he would make the Sea like a Pot of Oyntment and clinch the Earth in his Fist lo now he cann't so much as hinder you from Exercise or keep me from speaking to you against him Wherefore we mind not what he says neither do we shrink for his Objections and Lies for there is nothing but a seeming light in them They are only as it were the Portraitures of the Fire prepared for them They would fain fright us with those Fires with which they will be tormented themselves but they are quickly detected in their Falacies and do not hurt the Faithful But only give us a semblance of that Fire with which the Wicked will be tormented Wherefore it behoves us not to fear for all their Devices through the Grace of Christ come to nought for they are full of Guile and ready to be transformed into all Shapes Hence 't is that they often pretend to sing Psalms and cite the Scriptures and sometimes whilst we are a Reading they give us Ecchoes of what we read and oft in our Sleep raise us up to Prayers And this they will do continually not suffering us to rest Nay and sometimes they will put on the Religious Habit of Monks and talk like Religious Persons that they may deceive us by such Appearances and when we are deceived lead us whither they please But we should not give ear or listen to them at all No though they wake us to pray and advise us not to eat at all or pretend to condemn and deject us for those Matters in which they before incouraged us for they don't do this out of a Principle of Religion or Truth but that they may bring the Simple into Despair and make them apt to say Exercise is unprofitable and so make them nauseate a Solitary as a very grievous and burthensome way of Living and may entangle those who have entred into a Course of Self-Government Wherefore a Prophet whom the Lord sent has declared such Miserable Hab. 2.15 Wo be to him who offers his Neighbours thick dregs to drink because such Schemes and Purposes do turn us out of the Path that leads up to Vertue for our Lord Himself muzzled the Devils though they spoke Truth and commanded them to be silent for they did speak Truth when they said Thou art the Son of God Matt. 8.29 Mark 1.25 lest with the Truth they also slily sow their Perversness with the more Advantage and that he may accustom us not to hearken to them though they seem to speak Truth for 't is very unseemly for us who have the Holy Scriptures and Deliverance by our Saviour to be taught by the Devil who kept not his own Station but studied Disorder For this Reason he is forbid Psal 50.16 to quote Scripture Vnto the Wicked said God wherefore do'st thou utter my Statutes and takest my Covenant in thy Mouth for they do pretend and disturb all things to delude the Simple Sometimes they stamp sometimes they laugh and sometimes they hiss But when one regards them not then they weep and lament as vanquished For this Reason the Lord God muzzled the Devils We therefore having learnt this from the Holy Scriptures ought to resist them and imitate their Resoluteness and Stratagems against us Pray eye the Example of David Psal 39 2. Whil'st the Wicked was before me I was deaf and still and held my peace even from good Words And again Like a deaf Man I heard not and as one who is dumb I opened not my my Mouth I became like a Man who does not hear Wherefore let us not hear them as being Strangers to us nor obey them although they wake us to go to Prayers or talk about Fasts But rather let us attend to the Purpose of our Exercise and not be deceived by them who always act with Deceit Neither let us be afraid though they should come with Force against us and threaten to kill us for they are weak and can do nothing but threaten But this by the By But now I think of it I must not think much to speak more largely of these matters to you for a Remembrance of them will be safe for you When our Lord was a Pilgrim upon Earth the Enemy fell and his Forces were weakened For this Reason he a Tyrant though fall'n is not at rest yet but threatens us with Words Think of this all of ye and despise the Devil Were they confin'd to such Bodies as these they might possibly say Men lie hid and we do not find them But when we do find them we make work with them But if the Case were so with them we might hide our selves by shutting the Doors against them But since 't is not so but their Nature on the contrary is such that they can enter in even when the Door is shut and they themselves are all over and all about us in the Air together with their Principal the DESTROYER and do always will Mischief and are ready girt to do it and the Devil as our Saviour hath told us the Father of Mischief John 8.44 is a Murderer and we now live a Life of War against him 't is plain now that notwithstanding they are not embodyed they have no Strength and therefore their Weakness cannot be imputed to the Confinement of Bodies for no Place hinders them from laying their Snares neither do they spare us because we are their Friends neither are they Lovers of Good to rectifie us But they are rather more Wicked And there is nothing about which they are so solicitous as to mischief us and all the Friends of Vertue and of the true worship of God But because they are able to do nothing therefore they are continually pretending and threatning Could they do any thing they would not delay but they would put their Mischief in Execution for their Design against us is inveterate Ye see we are here together and speak against them in spight of their Teeth and they do know that they are weakened by our Proficiency in Vertue Had they Power and Authority they would not suffer one of us Christians to live for Piety is an Abomination to a Sinner And having not such Power they wound and vex themselves the more because they cannot put their Threats in Execution This should often be in our Thoughts that we may not be afraid of them Had they any Power
from excess of Pleasure and rears up the Soul when it begins to stoop Wherefore having set foot in the path of Vertue let us advance faster and faster and that we may be Masters of all Opportunities before us let none of us look back as did Lot's Wife for our Lord hath positively said that No one that puts his hand to the Plough and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of Heaven Now by the Expression look back is meant nothing else but to change our Thoughts and to relish the Things of this World Be not startled when ye hear any thing of Vertue neither think strange of the Name for 't is not far from us nor without us but the work is in our Power and an easie matter if we have but an hearty Resolution The Greeks travel and cross the Seas to learn Letters but we need not travel for the Kingdom of Heaven or to cross the Seas for Vertue for our Lord has told us before hand â—â—k 17.21 The Kingdom of Heaven is within you Wherefore Vertue stands only in need of the Will since 't is within us and built up out of us For Vertue consists of a Soul which has a primitive Natural Temper Now the Mind is so when it has that Temper wherein it was created 'T was created very beautiful and upfight for which reason Jesus the Son of Nave bid the People Joshua 24.23 Incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel as John also Make strait your paths for the Soul 's being strait or upright does consist in its having its intellectual Faculty in that posture in which it was created Again When the Soul bends or is crooked from Nature's posture then the Soul has Evil imputed to it Wherefore the Business is not so difficult as some make it for if we continue as we were made we are in a State of Vertue But if we purpose things that are wicked we are arraigned before God for wicked Persons If this Accomplishment were such as that it must necessarily be procur'd from without us it would be difficult But since 't is within us let us keep our selves from evil filthy Purposes and having received so great a Trust from God let us keep our selves for God that he may own his Work when he sees it such as he made it Let us contend earnestly lest Wrath tyrannize or Lust domineer over it for 't is written The Wrath of Man worketh not the Righteousness of God But Lust when it hath conceived brings forth Sin and Sin when it is finished brings forth Death But since the Case is so with us let us be sincerely sober and as 't is written Keep our Hearts with all Diligence for we have shrewd and subtile Enemies even wicked Devils To which I add with the Apostle We wrestle not against Flesh and Blood but against Principalities and Powers against the Rulers of this World against Spiritual Wickednesses in high places for there is a vast rout of them in the Air against us Nor are they far from us But there is a great difference in Devils But to speak of their Nature and Diversity would take up too much time A Narrative of that kind must be the work of greater Abilities That which lies upon us as necessary to be known is their various Subtilties against us And here be it known that the Devils were not by Nature what they are by Name For God made nothing Evil But they were created Fair and Good But having fall'n from an Heavenly Prudence and now wheeling about the Earth they deceived the Gentiles with their Phantasies And now that they envy us Christians they leave no stone unturn'd to hinder us from Entring into the Kingdom of Heaven lest we should get thither whence they fell therefore we stand in need of much Prayer and Exercise till we obtain the Gift of discerning of Spirits for when once a Man has obtain'd that he may be able to know which of them is more and which less Wicked and whither their different Endeavours mostly tend and by what Means every one of them may be conquered and cast out For they have several Wiles and Stratagems Hence came that Saying of the Apostle and his Followers For we are not ignorant of his Devices 2 Cor. 2.11 Since therefore we are tempted by them we should be setting one another's Souls to rights Wherefore I having partly experienced their Wiles do now but as a Child speak something to you about them Well then If they observe any Christians especially Monks labouring hard to make a considerable Progress in Vertue they assault and tempt them by laying continual obstacles in their way viz. evil Thoughts But however we should not be afraid of their Threats for by Prayer and Fasting and Faith in God they quickly fall But after they have been thrown they don't desist but presently come again subtlely and deceitfully for if they cann't cheat our Hearts by gross Pleasures they will assault us another way striving to terrifie us by false Appearances and transforming themselves into the Shapes of Women Beasts Serpents Bulky Bodies and Armies of Souldiers Even then our Heaâ—â—â— should not mis-give us for they are nothing and presently dis-appear especially if the Christian immures and fortifies himself with the Faith and the Sign of the Cross But still they are very bold and impudent for when they have been thus vanquished they set upon us another way and pretend to Prophecy and foretell things to come Also to scare us they will represent themselves so Tall as to touch the Cieling and proportionably Broad that they may steal those away by such Delusions whom they could not deceive by their Sophistry But if they find a Soul so secur'd with Faith and that Hope which attends true Repentance as to resist them still at last they bring the Prince of the Devils 16. He said also that the Devil often appeared just as he is described in Job 41.18 19 20. His Eyes are like the Eye-lids of the Morning Out of his Mouth go burning Lamps and sparks of Fire leap out Out of his Nostrils goeth Smoke as out of a Seething-pot or Caldron When the Prince of the Devils makes such a figure the old Impostor strikes Terrour upon Flesh and speaks very big And therefore he is upbraided where we read He esteemeth Iron as Straw and Brass as rotten Wood and looks upon the Sea as a Pot of Oyntment and the deep Abyss as his Conquest even the Abyss is to him as a Walk And by the Prophet Ezek. 15.9 the Enemy said I will and will overtake And again by another Prophet Isa 10.14 I will grasp the whole Earth in my hand like a Nest and take it up like forsaken Eggs. And to speak all in one Word they often make such Brags and Promises only to deceive those who worship God But we that are Faithful should not fear his Appearances nor give ear to his Words for he is a Lyar
remaining in them they would not have came in such a Multitude or put on such Appearances or have transformed themselves for Stratagems sake Were it otherwise the Strength of one would have suffic'd to have done what he list For a Wicked Being that is invested with Power does not kill in Effigie or terrifie by Multitudes but abuses his Power as he pleases But the Devils being stript of their Power like Actors on a Stage shift themselves into many Shapes which only fright Children And therefore their Weakness should render them contemptible in our Eyes The true Angel of whom we read 2 Kings 19.35 who was sent by the Lord stood in no need of Multitude or outward Appearances or Shoutings or Clappings but made use of his Power without Noise and strait-way killed an Hundred and Eighty Five Thousand Only weak Angels strive to terrisie by Phansies 17. But if any one here should have Job's Case in his Thoughts and ask How came the Devil to do so much against Job He plum'd him of his Estate kill'd his Children and struck his Body with a grievous Ulcer I answer such in one the Devil had no Power but God gave it him for the Tryal of Job Being able to effect nothing of himself and without leave he requested Power and got it And therefore the Devil is the more to be despised because he had not Power so much as against one Righteous Person for had he had it he would not have requested it His having begg'd it not only once but a second time shews that he had not Power And truly we need not wonder that he had no Power against Job for he could not hurt meer Brutes without God's Permission Matt. 8.31 He has no Authority no not so much as over the Swine for 't is written that they entreated the Lord saying Suffer us to go into the Swine Now if they have no Authority over the Swine much less over Men who were made after God's Image God alone ought to be feared As for Devils they should be despised not dreaded in the least The more they level against us the more intent let us be upon Exercise for an upright Life and Faith in God is a very serviceable piece of Armour against them They are afraid of the Fasting the Prayer the Vigilance the Meekness the Contentedness the Contempt of Money and Glory the Lowliness and Love of Poverty the Alms and Meekness of Asceticks but principally of their Piety to Christ. This is the Reason why they make such a bustle that there may be none to trample on them For they are very sensible that Christians have Grace given them by our Saviour against themselves For He himself says Luk. 10.19 Behold I have given you Power to tread upon Serpents and Scorpions and every Power of the Enemy Whenever therefore they pretend to foretell future things let no one presume to regard them For sometimes they tell us of Brethren that meet us some Days after and accordingly we meet them But this they do without any principle of Kindness to them to whom they tell it For they do it only to perswade them to believe them in other Matters and having once got them in their Clutches they at length find an Opportunity to undo them Therefore we must not give them the Hearing but reject them and tell them We do not want to know such unnecessary Matters Besides too What wonder is it if they whose Bodies are so much finer than Mens when they have seen Persons set out upon a Journey get before them and give Notice of it Has not an Horseman the same Advantage of one who travels on Foot We need not therefore admire them for this For they do not foretell of things that are not God alone knows things before they are To how many do these Devils run like Thieves before-hand and tell them what we are now a doing and how we are Discoursing against them before any of us depart hence and acquaint others with it but Cannot any that runs do the same trick by one that walks gently To make this familiar by an Instance Suppose a Person begins to walk from Thebes or any other Town and the Devils before he begins to walk don't know that he will walk but when they see him walking run before-hand and give Notice of it before he is come and accordingly he comes at the time mentioned Can this be call'd a Prediction nay oftimes when those who began to walk return back they deceive them In like manner they trifle about the River-Water for having seen many Rains fall in some Quarters of Egypt and thence conjecturing that the River will overflow before the Water come to Egypt they run and give Notice of the Flood Which Men might easily do if they could run so fast They are just like David's Spies who 2 Kings 13.14 went up to the top and saw a Person coming before him that tarried below This is to foretell things that are already upon the Anvil instead of foretelling suture Events Thus these Spirits tell one another Such a Person is Sick or the like only that they may deceive Whereas should Providence as He can decree any contrary Accident concerning the Waters or the Travellers the Devils have falsify'd and those that minded them are deceived Thus the Prophesies of the Greeks were pack'd together and they were deceived by the Devil in former times and at length a period was put to their Deceit for the Lord came and brought the Devils with their Subtleties to nought For they see nothing of themselves but like Thieves carry away what they see from others So that they are rather Conjecturers than Foretellers Let no one therefore admire them if they speak Truth sometimes For just so Physicians after they have observed in others the same Diseases by Symptoms and comparing give Notice of them in their Patients So also Mariners and Husbandmen observe the Temper of the Air and by Use forebode that there will be a Storm or a Calm Now no one says such foretell from Divine Providence but from Experience and Custom Wherefore if the Devils do so they neither deserve Admiration nor Attention for What Advantage can it be to know such things before-hand if they be true for such Knowledge as this neither contributes to Vertue nor Good Manners No one is judg'd for what he does not know of this kind nor benefitted by having learnt it But every Man is judg'd by God and himself whether he has kept the Faith and observed his Commands To this we should give great Attendance Our Exercise and Contention should be not to fore-know but to walk well-pleasing in God's Sight And we ought to Pray not that we may fore-know nor to request this as the Reward of our Exercise but that our Lord may work with us towards our obtaining a Victory over the Devil But if we find our selves solicitous to foreknow indeed let us be pure in our Minds
for I do believe that a Soul in every respect pure and brought to its primitive Frame may become so discerning as to see by the Revelation of our Lord both more and remoter Events too than Devils Just so the Soul of Elisha saw Gehazi 2 Kings 5.25 and the Hosts standing before him 6.17 18. When therefore they come in the Night and are willing to tell things or say We are good Angels believe them not for they lye Or if they praise your Exercise or call you Happy believe them not neither submit so far to them as to hear them But rather cross your selves and your Families and pray together and ye shall see them vanish for they are dastardly and dread the Sign of our Lord's Cross because by that our Saviour made them bare and publickly exposed them Col. 2.15 Moreover if they grow more and more Impudent and leap about wantonly in various Shapes don't be afraid or attend to them as good Spirits for by God's Assistance 't will be possible nay easie to distinguish between the Presence of a Good and a Bad Spirit For the Appearance of Holy Spirits is not with Disturbance and Disorder Matt. 12.19 for He will not strive nor cry neither doth any one hear their Voice But a Good Spirit visits in such a sweet and delectable manner that Joy and Transport and Confidence presently cover the Soul that is visited For the Lord is with them who is our Joy and the Power of God the Father Besides too when they visit the Thoughts of the Soul are free from Consternation and Wavering For the Soul being enlightened by such a Vision views with Ease the Spirits that appear Furthermore it has a certain desire of Divine and future things seizing it and is willing to joyn with the Spirits and to go out with them And if those to whom they appear be afraid of the Vision they presently take away the Fear by Love as Gabriel did from Zachary Luke 1.13 As also the Angel which appeared to the Women at the Divine Tomb Matt. 28.5 A Testimony of this Truth too is that saying of the Shepherds in the Gospel Luke 12.10 Be ye not afraid for the Fear of Good Men is not a Fear of Pusillanimity but it proceeds from the Sense of the Advent of superiour Beings So much concerning the Nature of the Vision of Good Angels But the Incursion and Appearance of Evil Spirits is disturb'd with Noise and Clamour and Brawling like the Hurlyburly of untaught Boys or High-way-men whence proceeds Timidity of Soul Confusion and Ataxy of Thoughts Grief Hatred of Asceticks great Despondence Tediousness Remembrance of Relations and Fear of Death in short Lusting after Evil things Wearisomness of Vertue and Disorderliness of Morals Wherefore after you have been frighted with a Vision if your Fear be presently taken away and there succeed in the room of it a Joy unalterable and you find within your self Chearfulness and Confidence and Refreshment and Composedness of Thought and all the other things which I mentioned before as Mâ—nlâ—ness and Love towards God take Courage and pray for Joy and Steddiness of Soul discovers the Holiness of the Spirit that is present Thus Abraham when he saw the Lord exulted John 8.56 And John when he heard a Voice from Mary Mother of God leap'd for Joy But if there be Confusion in those that appear and Noise from without and Wordly Pharasies and Threatnings of Death with the other Disorders above-mentioned their know that 't is the Sally of Wicked Spirits Let this be a Common Rule If the Soul be searful there are Enemies in sight for they are Devils that don't take away that Fearfulness as the great Arch-Angel Gabriel did from Mary and Zachary and the Angel that appeared at the Tomb from the Women But Wicked Angels when they see Men afraid they encrease their Phantasies that they may dread them the more and so at last they assault them and jeer them and bid them fall down and worship Thus they deceiv'd the Gentiles By this Means they that were not Gods were falsly called Gods But our Lord has not suffered us to be deluded by the Devil whom he rebuked when he was exciting such Fancies in Him Luke 4.8 Get thee behind me Satan for 't is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve Let therefore the crafty one be more and more despised For what our Lord spake he spoke for our sake that the Devil hearing the same Words from us may be overturned by the Power of the Lord who so rebuked them then 19. But when we have cast out Devils we should not vaunt neither when we have cured Diseases should we be lifted up or admire one that casts out Devils or despise one that does not cast them out But let every one mind every one's Discipline and either imitate or emulate it or rectisie it For doing of Signs and Wonders is not our Business This belongs to our Saviour Hence Luke 10.20 He saith to his Disciples Rejoyce not because the Devils are subject unto you but because your Names are written in Heaven For our having our Names written in Heaven is a Testimony of our Vertue and regular Life But to cast out Devils is the pure Gift of our Saviour who gave it Whence we read Matt. 7.22 that to those who glorying not in their Vertue but in Signs said Lord have we not cast out Devils in thy Name and in thy Name done many Wonders Our Saviour said Truly I say unto you I know you not for the Lord knows not the ways of the Ungodly In short as I said before we should always pray for the Gift of discerning of Spirits that as 't is written 1 John 4.1 we may not believe every Spirit 20. I thought indeed now to have concluded and been silent of what concerned my self and to have contented my self with giving these Memento's But that ye may not think I speak these things idlely but do declare them from Experience and a Knowledge of the Truth therefore though I become as a Pool thereby however the Lord knows the Purity of my Conscience and that I do not do it for my own sake but out of Love to you and to encourage you I will further acquaint you with some of them As oft as they applauded me when I in the Name of the Lord cursed them when they would be fore-telling the Overflow of the River and I ask'd them What need you concern your selves about that when once they came threatning and surrounding me like Souldiers accoutred and hors'd and another while fill'd the House with Wild Beasts and creeping Creatures and I sung Psal 19.8 These in Chariots and they on Horses but we will rejoyce in the Name of the Lord our God they were presently routed by the Mercy of Christ Another time when they came and made an Appearance of Light in the Dark and said We are come Antony to lend thee
our Light but I prayed shutting my Eyes because I disdained to behold their Light presently the Light of the Ungodly was put out A few Months after they came singing and talking out of the Holy Scriptures but I as though Deaf hearkened not to them but prayed that I might abide unshaken in my Mind After this they came and made a Noise and hiss'd and danc'd but as soon as I prayed and lay along singing by my self they presently began to wail and weep as though they were spent But I glorified God who pluck'd down their Boldness and expos'd their Fury Once there came a Devil very tall in Appearance that dar'd to say I am the Power of God and I am Providence What would'st thou have me bestow upon thee But I spit upon him and having nam'd the Name of Christ endeavoured to beat him nay and I seem'd to beat him and he immediately at the Naming of Christ as great as he was disappear'd with the rest of the Devils And when he came as I was fasting in a Monk's Habit with Loaves in his Arms and said Eat and take some Refreshment you toyl more than you need otherwise you will grow weak for you are a Man But I observ'd his Stratagem and rose up to Pray which he not enduring to see presently fail'd and going out of Doors disappear'd like Smoak As oft as he laid Gold before me to touch it and see it I fell to Psalmody and then he would pine As oft as they beat me with Stripes I said Nothing shall separate me from the Love of Christ and after that they beat one another However it was not I that vanquish'd them but the Lord who said Luke 10.18 I saw Satan falling like Lightning from Heaven Now I my Children being mindful of the Apostle's Saying apply'd this to my self that ye may learn not to faint nor be afraid of the Devil and his Agents And since I have been a Fool in telling this receive from what I have said a Spirit of Fear and believe me for I don't lye Once one of them knock'd at the Door of my Cell and when I opened it I saw a tall Figure and when I asked him Who art thou He answered I am Satan said I What makes you be here He answered Why do all the Monks and other Christians blame me undeservedly Why do they hourly curse me said I Why dost thou trouble them said he I don't disturb them But they trouble themselves for I am weak Surely they have not read Psal 9.7 O thou Enemy Destructions are come to a perpetual End and thou hast destroyed Cities I have no longer a Place an Arrow or a City There are now Christians every where and at last the Desart is fill'd with Monks Let them preserve themselves and not curse me to no purpose Then I admiring the Grace of the Lord said unto him Thou art always a Lyar and never speakest Truth Thou hast spoke the Truth to me now against thy Will for Christ being come has made thee weak and bare After he had heard the Name of our Saviour which scorch'd him so that he could not endure it he disappear'd If therefore the Devil himself owns that he is weak 't is our Duty always to despise him and his Agents Thus ye see how many Wiles the Enemy with his Hounds has against us But I having learnt his Weaknesses have shew'd my Contempt of him those several ways which I have mentioned to you Don't let us sink in our Minds or form or entertain Fears within our selves saying Lest the Devil come and overthrow us and of a sudden take us up and throw us down and put us out of Order Let us have none of these Thoughts nor be Sorrowful as though we were perishing But rather let us rejoyce and be glad as being in the Number of those who shall be sav'd and consider with our selves that the Lord is with us who have triumph'd over Devils and put them to flight and let us always think that the Lord being with us our Enemies can do us no harm for they deal with us differently according as they find us differently dispos'd and according to the Thoughts which they find within us Thus if they find us dastardly and disturb'd they form strange Fancies within us just like Cut-throats and Robbers they presently seize upon the place which they find unguarded Whatever we think of our selves to that they will be sure to add If we are dejected they encrease our Timerousness by injecting Fancies and Threats and so the miserable Soul is tortured by them But if they find us rejoycing in the Lord and discoursing of Matters that do relate to Him seeing the Soul fenc'd with such Thoughts they are confounded and turn aside because all things are in the Lord's Hand and a Devil prevails not against a Christian When the Enemy saw Job immur'd thus he run away from him But when he found Judas destitute of these he took him Captive So that if we would despise the Enemy we should always think of the things that relate to the Lord and our Souls would be always rejoycing in Hope and we should see all the Devil 's ludicrous Tricks be like Smoak and they themselves rather flying than pursuing For as I told you before they themselves are very fearful always expecting the Fire prepared for them Take this therefore for a Sign not to be afraid of them When any Spirit appears faint not for Fear But be the Vision what it will first boldly ask Who art thou and Whence and if it be the Appearance of a Good Spirit thou wilt presently be strengthen'd with Plerophory and turn thy Surprize of Fear into Joy But if it be a Diabolical Appearance it presently fails when it sees thy Mind strong for thy asking Who and whence art thou is a Sign of the Ataxy of thy Mind Thus Joshua the Son of Nave Josh 5.13 learne by asking and the Enemy was not conceal'd when Daniel ask'd Antony having discours'd after this manner they all rejoyced insomuch that their Love of Vertue was encreas'd and the Negligence of some was shook off and the Opinionativeness or Self-Conceit and Vain-glory of others ceas'd and all were perswaded to despise the Devil's Treachery admiring the Grace that was given to St. Antony by our Lord for his Exercise 21. The MONASTERIES now were like so many Sacred Tabernacles full of Divine Choirs singing and delighting in Holy Conferences and Fasting and Praying and exulting in the Hope of future Goods and working to give Alms and Exercising mutual Love and unanimous Symphony among themselves So that you might see there of a Truth a Land of Piety and Righteousness by it self For there was neither an Injurious nor an injured Person neither any Complaint of the Oppressour But a Multitude of Asceticks having one and the same Ardour for Vertue insomuch that one amongst the rest of the Spectatours seeing such Monasteries and regular Discipline could