On this occasion, suffer me to make an excursion, from the usual style of this work, and with some solemnity to express my thoughts thus:
How glorious is the wisdom and goodness of the great Creator of the world! in thus restraining these seraphic outcasts from the power of assuming human or organic bodies! which could they do, invigorating them with the supernatural powers, which, as seraphs and angels, they now possess, and might exert, they would be able even to fright mankind from the face of the earth, and to destroy and confound God’s creation; nay, even as they are, were not their power limited, they might destroy the creation itself, reverse and overturn nature, and put the world into a general conflagration: but were those immortal spirits embodied, though they were not permitted to confound nature, they would be able to harass poor, weak and defenceless man out of his wits, and render him perfectly useless, either to his Maker or himself.
But the dragon is chained, the Devil’s power is limited; he has, indeed, a vastly extended empire, being prince of the air, having, at least, the whole atmosphere to range in; and how far that atmosphere is ex tended, is not yet ascertained by the nicest observations; I say at least, because we do not yet know how far he may be allowed to make excursions beyond the atmosphere of this globe into the planetary worlds, and what power he may exercise in all the habitable parts of the solar system; nay, of all the other solar systems, which, for aught we know, may exist in the mighty extent of created space, and of which you may hear farther in its order.
But let his power be what it will there, we are sure it is limited here, and that in two particulars; first, he is limited, as above, from assuming body, or bodily shapes, with substance; and secondly, from exerting seraphic powers, and acting with that supernatural force, which, as an angel, he was certainly vested with before the fall, and which we are not certain is yet taken from him; or, at most, we do not know how much it may or may not be diminished by his degeneracy, and by the blow given him at his expulsion: this we are certain, that be his power greater or less, he is restrained from the exercise of it in this world; and he, who was once equal to the angel who killed 180,000 men in one night, is not able now, without a new commission, to take away the life of one Job, nor touch anything he had.
But let us consider him then limited and restrained as he is, yet he remains a mighty, a terrible, an im mortal being; infinitely superior to man, as well in the dignity of his nature, as in the dreadful powers he retains still about him. It is true the brain-sick heads of our enthusiastics paint him blacker than he is; and, as I have said, wickedly represent him clothed with terrors that do not really belong to him; as if the power of good and evil was wholly vested in him, and that he was placed in the throne of his Maker, to distribute both punishments and rewards: in this they are much wrong, terrifying and deluding fanciful people about him, till they turn their heads, and fright them into a belief that the Devil will let them alone, if they do such and such good things; or carry them away with him they know not whither, if they do not; as if the Devil, whose proper business is mischief, seducing and deluding mankind, and drawing them in to be rebels like himself, should threaten to seize upon them, carry them away, and, in a word, fall upon them to hurt them, if they did evil; and, on the contrary, be favorable and civil to them, if they did well.
Thus a poor deluded country fellow in our town, that had lived a wicked, abominable, debauched life, was frightened with an apparition, as he called it, of the Devil: he fancied that he spoke to him, and, telling his tale to a good, honest Christian gentleman, his neighbor, that had a little more sense than himself; the gentleman asked him if he was sure he really saw the Devil? “Yes, yes, sir,” says he, “I saw him very plain.” And so they began the following discourse:
Gentleman. See him! see the Devil! art thou sure of if, Thomas?
Thomas. Yes, yes, I am sure enough of it, master; to be sure it was the Devil.
Gent. And how do you know it was the Devil, Thomas? Had you ever seen the Devil before?
Tho. No, no, I had never seen him before, to be sure; but. for all that, I know it was the Devil.
Gent. Well, if you are sure, Thomas, there is no contradicting you; pray what clothes had he on?
Tho. Nay, sir, don’t jest with me; he had no clothes on; he was clothed with fire and brimstone.
Gent. Was it dark or day-light when you saw him?
Tho. O! it was very dark, for it was midnight.
Gent. How could you see him then? did you see by the light of the fire you speak of?
Tho. No, no, he gave no light himself; but I saw him, for all that.
Gent. But was it within doors, or out in the street?
Tho. It was within, it was in my own chamber, when I was just going into bed. that I saw him.
Gent. Well then, you had a candle, hadn’t you?
Tho. Yes, I had a candle; but it burnt as blue! and as dim!
Gent. Well, but if the Devil was clothed with fire and brimstone, he must give you some light; there can’t be such a fire as you speak of, but it must give a light with it.
Tho. No, no, he gave no light, but I smelt his fire and brimstone; he left a smell of it behind him, when he was gone.
Gent. Well, so you say he had fire, but gave no light; it was a devilish fire indeed; did it feel warm? was the room hot while he was in it?
Tho. No, no, but I was hot enough without it, for it put me into a great sweat wkh the fright.
Gent. Very well, he was all in fire, you say, but without light or heat; only, it seems, he stunk of brimstone; pray what shapes was he in? what was he like? for you say you saw him.
Tho. O! sir, I saw two great staring saucer eyes, enough to fright any body out of their wits.
Gent. And was that all you saw?
Tho. No, I saw his cloven-foot very plain, it was as big as one of our bullocks that goes to plough.
Gent. So you saw none of his body, but his eyes and his feet? a fine vision indeed!
Tho. Sir, that was enough to send me going.
Gent. Going! what, did you run away from him?
Tho. No, but I fled into bed at one jump, and sunk down, and pulled the bed-clothes quite over me.
Gent. And what did you do that for?
Tho. To hide myself from such a frightful creature.
Gent. Why, if it had really been the Devil, do you think the bed-clothes would have secured you from him?
Tho. Nay, I don’t know; but in a fright it was all I could do.
Gent. Nay, it was as wise as all the rest; but come, Thomas, to be a little serious, pray did he speak to you?
Tho. Yes, yes, I heard a voice; but who it was the Lord knows.
Gent. What kind of voice was it? was it like a man’s voice?
Tho. No, it was a hoarse, ugly noise, like the croaking of a frog; and it called me by my name, twice, “ Thomas Dawson, Thomas Dawson.”
Gent. Well, did yon answer?
Tho. No, not I, I could not have spoke a word for my life; why, I was frightened to death.
Gent. Did it say anything else?
Tho. Yes, when it saw that I did not speak, it said, “Thomas Dawson, Thomas Dawson, you are a wicked wretch; you committed a great sin last night; if you don’t repent, I will take you away alive, and carry you to hell, and you shall be punished, you wretch.”
Gent. And was it true, Thomas? did you commit a crime the night before?
Tho. Indeed, master, why, yes, it was true; but I was very sorry afterwards.
Gent. But how should the Devil know it, Thomas?
Tho.