The History of the Devil Part 29

Hence the _Devil_ goes to work with Mankind a much shorter Way; for instead of the Art of Wheedling and Whining, together with the laborious Part of Tricking and Sharping, Hurrying and Driving, Frighting and Terrifying, all which the _Devil_ was put to the Trouble of before; in short, he acts the GRAND MANNER as the Architects call it (I don't know whether our Free-Masons may understand the Word) and therefore I may hereafter explain it, as it is to be Diabolically as well as mathematically understood.

At present my meaning is, he acts with them immediately and personally by a magnificent Transformation, making them meer _Devils_ to themselves, upon all needful Occasions, and _Devils_ to one another too, whenever he (Satan), has Need of their Service.

This Way of embarking Mankind in the _Devil_'s particular Engagement, is really very modern; and tho' the Devil himself may have been long acquainted with the Method, and as I have heard, began to practise it towards the Close of the _Roman_ Empire, when Men began to act upon very polite Principles, and were capable of the most refin'd Wickedness, and afterwards with some Popes, who likewise were a kind of Church Devils, such as Satan himself could hardly expect to find in the World; yet I do not find that he was ever able to bring it into Practice, at least, not so universally as he does now: But now the Case is alter'd, and Men being generally more expert in Wickedness than they were formerly; they suffer the smaller Alteration of the Species, in being transmigrated; in a Word, they turn into _Devils_, with no trouble at all hardly, either to the _Devil_ or to themselves.

This Particular would want much the less Explanation, could I obtain a License from Sir _h.e.l.lebore Wormwood_, Bart. or from my Lord _Thwartover_, Baron of _Scoundrel Hall_ in the Kingdom of _Ireland_, to write the true History of their own Conduct; and how early, and above all, how easily they commenc'd _Devils_, without the least Impeachment of their Characters, as wise Men, and without any Diminution of that Part of their Denomination which establish'd them for Fools.

How many mad Fellows appear among us every Day in the critical Juncture of their Transmigration, just when they have so much of the Man left as to be known by their Names, and enough of the _Devil_ taken up to settle their Characters? This Easiness of the _Devil_'s access to these People, and the great Convenience it is to him in his general Business, is a Proof to me that he has no more Occasion of Diviners, Magicians, Sorcerers, and whatever else we please to call those People who were formerly so great with him; for what Occasion has he to employ _Devils_ and Wizards to confound Mankind, when he is arriv'd to such a Perfection of Art as to bring Men, at least in these Parts of the World, to do it all themselves; upon this Account we do not find any of the old Sorcerers and Diviners, Magicians or Witches appear among us; not that the _Devil_ might not be as well able to employ such People as formerly, and qualify them for the Employment too, but that really there is no need of them hereabout, the _Devil_ having a shorter Way, and Mankind being much more easily possess'd; not the old _Herd of Swine_ were sooner agitated, tho' there was full 2000 of them together; Nature has open'd the Door, and the _Devil_ has egress and regress at Pleasure, so that Witches and Diviners are quite out of the Question.

Nor let any Man be alarm'd at this Alteration, in the Case as it stands between Mankind and the _Devil_, and think the _Devil_ having gain'd so much Ground, may in time, by Encroachment, come to a general Possession of the whole Race, and so we should all come to be _Devils_ incarnate; I say, let us not be alarm'd, for Satan does not get these Advantages by Encroachment, and by his infernal Power or Art, no not at all; but 'tis the Man himself does it by his Indolence and Negligence on one Hand, and his Complaisance to the _Devil_ on the other; and both Ways he, as it were, opens the Door to him, beckons him with his very Hand to come in, and the Devil has nothing to do but enter and take Possession: Now if it be so, and Man is so frank to him; you know the _Devil_ is no Fool not to take the Advantage when 'tis offer'd him, and therefore 'tis no wonder if the Consequences which I have been just now naming follow.

But let no Man be discourag'd by this, from reaffirming his natural and religious Powers, and venturing to shut the _Devil_ out; for the Case is plain he may be shut out; the Soul is a strong Castle, and has a good Garrison plac'd within to defend it; if the Garrison behave well, and do their Duty, it is impregnable, and the cowardly _Devil_ must raise his Siege and be gone; nay, he must fly, or, as we call it, make his Escape, lest he be laid by the Heels, that is, lest his Weakness be exposed, and all his Lurking, lying in Wait, ambuscade-Tricks; this Part would bear a great Enlargement, but I have not room to be witty upon him, so you must take it in the Gross, the DEVIL lies at _Blye Bush_, as our Country People call it, to watch your coming out of your Hold; and if you happen to go abroad unarm'd he seizes upon and masters you with ease.

Unarm'd, you'll say, what Arms should I take? what Fence against a Flail? What Weapons can a Man take to fight the _Devil_? I could tell you what to fight him with, and what you might fright him with, for the _Devil_ is to be frighted with several Things besides _Holy Water_; but 'tis too serious for you, and you'll tell me I am a preaching and a canting, and the like; so I must let the _Devil_ manage you rather than displease you with talking Scripture and Religion.

Well, but may not the _Devil_ be fought with some of his own Weapons? Is there no dealing with him in a Way of human Nature? This would require a long answer, and some Philosophy might be acted, or at least imitated, and some Magic, perhaps; for they tells us there are Spells to draw away even the Devil himself; as in some Places they nail Horse-Shoes upon the Threshold of the Door, to keep him out; in other Places old pieces of Flint, with so many Holes and so many Corners, and the like: But I must answer in the Negative, I don't know what _Satan_ might be scar'd at in those Days, but he is either grown cunninger since or bolder, for he values none of those Things now; I question much whether he would value St. _Dunstan_ and his red hot Tongs, if he was to meet him now, or St.

_Francis_ or any of the Saints, no not the Host itself in full Procession; and therefore, tho' you don't care I should preach, yet in short, if you are afraid he should charge upon you and attack you, if you won't make Use of those Scripture Weapons I should have mention'd, and which you may hear of, if you enquire at _Eph._ vi. 16. you must look for better where you think you can find them.

But to go on with my Work, the Devil, I say, is not to be fear'd with Maukins, nor does he employ his old Instruments, but does much of his Work himself without Instruments.

And yet I must enter a Caveat here too, against being misunderstood in my saying the Devil stands in no need of Agents; for when I speak so, I am to be taken in a limited Sense; I don't say he needs them no where, but only that he does not need them in those polite Parts of the World which I have been speaking of, and perhaps not much here; but in many remote Countries 'tis otherwise still; the _Indians_ of _America_ are particularly said to have Witches among them, as well in those Countries where the _Spaniards_ and the _English_ and other Nations have planted themselves, as amongst those where the _European_ Nations seldom come: _for Example_, the People of _Canada_, that is, of the Countries under the _French_ Government of _Quebeck_, the Equimeaux, and other Northern Climates, have Magicians, Wizards and Witches, who they call _Pilloatas_ or _Pillotoas_; these pretend they speak intimately and familiarly with the Devil, and receive from him the Knowledge of Things to come; all which, by the Way, I take to be little more than this; that these Fellows being a little more cunning than the rest, think, that by pretending to something more than human, they shall make the stronger Impressions on the ignorant People; as _Mahomet_ amus'd the World with his Pigeon, using it to pick Peas out of his Ear, and persuaded the People it brought him superior Revelations and Inspirations from Paradise.

Thus these _Pillotoas_ gaining an Opinion among the People, behave like so many Mountebanks of h.e.l.l, pretending to understand dark Things, cure Diseases, practise Surgery, Physick and Necromancy altogether; I will not say, but _Satan_ may pick out such Tools to work with, and I believe does in those Parts, but I think he has found a nearer Way to the Wood with us, and that is sufficient to my present Purpose.

Some would persuade me the _Devil_ had a great Hand in the late religious Breaches in _France_, among the Clergy, (_viz._) about the Pope's Const.i.tution _Unigenitus_, and that he made a fair Attempt to set the Pope and the _Gallican_ Church together by the Ears, for they were all just upon the Point or breaking out into a Church War, that for ought we knew might have gone farther than the _Devil_ himself car'd it should; now I am of the quite contrary Opinion, I believe the _Devil_ really did not make the Breach, but rather heal'd it, for fear it should have gone so far among them as to have set them all in a Flame, and have open'd the Door to the Return of the _Hugonots_ again, which it was in a fair Way to have done.

But be it one Way or t'other, the historical Part seems to be a little against me; for 'tis certain, the _Devil_ both wanted and made Use of Legions of Agents, as well human as infernal, visible and invisible in that great and important Affair, and we cannot doubt but he has innumerable Instruments still at work about it.

Like as in _Poland_, I make no Question but the _Devil_ has thousands of his Banditti at work at this Time, and in another Country not far from it, perhaps, preparing Matters for the next General Diet, taking care to prevent giving any Relaxation to the Protestants, and to justify the moderate Executions at _Thorn_, to excite a Nation to quarrel with every Body who are able to fight with no body; to erect the Apostate Race of _S----y_ upon a Throne which they have no t.i.tle to, and turn an elective Throne into an hereditary, in favour of Popery.

I might antic.i.p.ate all your Objections, by granting the busy _Devil_ at this Time employing all his Agents and Instruments (for I never told you they were idle and useless) in striving to enflame the Christian World, and bring a new War to overspread _Europe_; I might, perhaps, point out to you some of the Measures he takes, the Provocatives which his State Physicians administer to the Courts and Counsellors of Princes, to foment and ferment the Spirits, and Members of Nations, Kingdoms, Empires and States in the World, in order to bring these glorious Ends of Blood and War to pa.s.s; for you cannot think but he that knows so much of the _Devil_'s Affairs, as to write his History, must know something of all these Matters more than those that do not know so much as he.

But all this is remote to the present Case, for this is no Impeachment of Satan's new Methods with Mankind, in this Part of the World, and in his private and separate Capacity; all this only signifies that in his more general and national Affairs, the _Devil_ acts still by his old Methods; and when he is to seduce or embroil Nations, he, like other Conquerors, subdues them by Armies, employs mighty Squadrons of _Devils_, and sends out strong Detachments, with Generals and Generalissimos to lead them, some to one Part of the World, some to another; some to influence one Nation, some to manage and direct another, according as Business presents, and his Occasions require, that his Affairs may be carried on currently, and to his Satisfaction.

If it were not thus, but that the _Devil_ by his new and exquisite Management, of which I have said so much, had brought Mankind in general to be the Agents of their own Mischiefs, and that the World were so at his Beck, that he need but command them to go and fight, declare War, raise Armies, destroy Cities, Kingdoms, Countries and People; the World would be a Field of Blood indeed, and all Things would run into Confusion presently.

But this is not the Case at all, Heaven has not let go the Government of the Creation to his subdu'd Enemy, the Devil; that would overturn the whole System of G.o.d, and give Satan more Power, than ever he was or will be vested with; when, therefore, I speak of a few forward Wretches in our Day, who are so warm in their Wickedness, that they antic.i.p.ate the Devil, save him the Trouble to tempt, turn Devils to themselves, and gallop h.e.l.lward faster than he drives; I speak of them as single Persons, and acting in their own personal and private Capacity, but when I speak of Nations and Kingdoms, there the Devil is oblig'd to go on in the old Road, and act by Stratagem, by his proper Machinery, and to make use of all his Arts, and all his Agents, just as he has done in all Ages, from the beginning of his politic Government to this Day.

And if it was not thus too, what would become of all his numberless Legions, of which all Ages have heard so much, and all Parts of the World have had so much fatal Experience? They would seem to be quite out of Employment, and be render'd useless in the World of Spirits, where it is to be supposed they reside; not the Devil himself could find any Business for them, which by the Way, to busy and mischievous Spirits, as they are, would be a h.e.l.l to them, even before their Time; they would be, as it were, doom'd to a State of Inactivity, which we may suppose was one Part of their Expulsion from Blessedness and the Creation of Man; or as they were for the surprising Interval between the Destruction of Mankind by the Deluge and _Noah_'s coming out of the Ark, when indeed they might be said to have nothing at all to do.

But this is not Satan's Case, and therefore let me tell you too, that you may not think I treat the Case with more Levity than I really do, and than I am sure I intend to do; tho' it is too true that our modern and modish Sinners have arrived to more exquisite Ways of being wicked, than their Fathers, and really seem, as I have said, to need no Devil to tempt them; nay, that they do Satan's Work for him as to others also, and make themselves Devils to their Neighbours, tempting others to crime even faster than the Devil desires them, running before they are sent, and going of the _Devil_'s Errands _gratis_; by which Means Satan's Work is, as to them, done to his Hand, and they may be said to save him a great deal of Trouble; yet after all, the Devil has still a great deal of Business upon his Hands, and as well himself as all his Legions, find themselves a full Employment in disturbing the World, and opposing the Glory and Kingdom of their great Superior, whose Kingdom it is their whole Business, however vain in its End, to overthrow and destroy, if they were able, or at least to endeavour it.

This being the Case, it follows of course that the general Mischiefs of Mankind, as well national and public, as family Mischiefs, and even personal, (except as before excepted) lie all still at the _Devil_'s Door, as much as ever, let his Advocates bring him off of it if they can; and this brings us back again to the manner of the Devil's Management, and the Way of his working by human Agents, or if you will, the Way of human Devils, working in Affairs of low Life, such as we call Divination, Sorcery, Black-Art, Necromancy, and the like; all which I take to consist of two material Parts, and both very necessary for us to be rightly inform'd of.

1. The Part which Satan by himself or his inferior _Devils_ empowers such People to do, as he is in Confederacy with here on Earth; to whom he may be said, like the Master of an Opera or Comedy, to give their Parts to act, and to qualify them to act it; whether he obliges them to a Rehearsal in his Presence, to try their Talents, and see that they are capable of performing, that indeed I have not enquir'd into.

2. That Part which these empower'd People do voluntier or beyond their Commission, to shew their Diligence in the Service of their new Master, and either (1.) to bring Grist to their own Mill, and make their Market of their Employment in the best manner they can; or (2.) to gain Applause, be admir'd, wonder'd at, and applauded, as if they were ten Times more _Devils_ than really they are.

In a Word, the Matter consists of what the _Devil_ does by the Help of these People, and what they do in his Name without him; the Devil is sometimes cheated in his own Business; there are Pretenders to Witchcraft and Black-Art, who Satan never made any Bargain with, but who he connives at, because at least they do his Cause no harm, tho' their Business is rather to get Money, than to render him any Service, of which I gave you a remarkable Instance before.

But to go back to his real Agents, of which I reckon two.

1. Those who act by Direction and Confederacy, as I have said already many do.

2. Those whom he acts in and by, and they (perhaps) know it not, of which Sort History gives us plenty of Examples, from _Machiavel_'s first Disciple ---- to the famous Cardinal _Alberoni_, and even to some more modern than his Eminence, of whom I can say no more till farther Occasion offers.

1. Those who act by immediate Direction of the Devil, and in Confederacy with him; these are such as I mention'd in the beginning of this Chapter, whose Arts are truly black, because really infernal; it will be very hard to decide the Dispute between those who really act thus in Confederacy with the _Devil_, and those who only pretend to it; so I shall leave that Dispute where I find it; but that there are, or at least have been, a Set of People in the World, who really are of his Acquaintance, and very intimate with him; and tho', as I have said, he has much alter'd his Schemes and chang'd Hands of late; yet that there are such People, perhaps of all Sorts; and that the Devil keeps up his Correspondence with them; I must not venture to deny that Part, lest I bring upon me the whole Posse of the conjuring and bewitching Crew, Male and Female, and they should mob me for pretending to deny them the Honour of dealing with the _Devil_, which they are so exceeding willing to have the Fame of.

Not that I am hereby oblig'd to believe all the strange Things the Witches and Wizards, who have been allow'd to be such, nay, who have been hang'd for it, have said of themselves; nay, that they have confess'd of themselves, even at the Gallows; and if I come to have an Occasion to speak freely of the Matter, I may perhaps convince you that the Devil's possessing Power is much lessen'd of late, and that he either is limited, and his Fetter shortened more than it has been, or that he does not find the old Way (as I said before) so fit for his Purpose as he did formerly, and therefore takes other Measures, but I must adjourn that to a Time and Place by itself: But we are told that there are another Sort of People, and, perhaps, a great many of them too, in whom and by whom the Devil really acts, and they know it not.

It would take up a great deal of Time and Room, too much for this Place, so near the Close of this Work, to describe and mark out the involuntary _Devils_ which there are in the World; of whom it may be truly said, that really the _Devil_ is in them, and they know it not: Now, tho' the _Devil_ is cunning and managing, and can be very silent where he finds it for his Interest not to be known; yet it is very hard for him to conceal himself, and to give so little Disturbance in the House, as that the Family should not know who lodged in it; yet, I say, the Devil is so subtle and so mischievous an Agent, that he uses all manner of Methods and Craft to reside in such People as he finds for his Purpose, whether they will or no, and which is more, whether they know it or no.

And let none of my Readers be angry or think themselves ill used, when I tell them the Devil may be in them, and may act them, and by them, and they not know it; for I must add, it may, perhaps, be one of the greatest Pieces of human Wisdom in the World, for a Man to know when the Devil is in him, and when not; when he is a Tool and Agent of h.e.l.l, and when he is not; in a Word, when he is doing the Devil's Work, and under his Direction, and when not.

It is true, this is a very weighty Point, and might deserve to be handled in a more serious Way than I seem to be talking in all this Book; but give me leave to talk of Things my own way, and withall, to tell you, that there is no Part of this Work so seemingly ludicrous, but a grave and well weigh'd Mind may make a serious and solid Application of it, if they please; nor is there any Part of this Work, in which a clear Sight and a good Sense may not see that the Author's Design is, that they should do so; and as I am now so near the End of my Book, I thought it was meet to tell you so, and lead you to it as far as I can.

I say, 'tis a great Part of human Wisdom to know when the _Devil_ is acting in us and by us, and when not; the next and still greatest Part would be to prevent him, put a Stop to his Progress, bid him go about his Business, and let him know he should carry on his Designs no farther in that manner; that we will be his Tools no longer; in short, to turn him out of Doors, and bring a stronger Power to take Possession; but this, indeed, is too solid a Subject, and too great to begin with here.

But now, as to the bare knowing when he is at work with us, I say this, tho' it is considerable, may be done, nor is it so very difficult; _for Example_, you have no more to do but look a little into the Microcosm of the Soul, and see there how the Pa.s.sions which are the Blood, and the Affections which are the Spirit, move in their particular Vessels; how they circulate, and in what Temper the Pulse beats there, and you may easily see who turns the Wheel; if a perfect Calm possesses the Soul; if Peace and Temper prevail, and the Mind feels no Tempests rising; if the Affections are regular and exalted to vertuous and sublime Objects, the Spirits cool, and the Mind sedate, the Man is in a general Rect.i.tude of Mind, he may be truly said to be _his own Man_; Heaven shines upon his Soul with its benign Influences, and he is out of the Reach of the evil Spirit; for the divine Spirit is an Influence of Peace, all calm and bright, happy and sweet like it self, and tending to every Thing that is good both present and future.

But on the other Hand, if at any Time the Mind is ruffled, if Vapours rise, Clouds gather, if Pa.s.sions swell the Breast, if Anger, Envy, Revenge, Hatred, Wrath, Strife; if these, or any of these hover over you, much more if you feel them within you; if the Affections are possess'd, and the Soul hurried down the Stream to embrace low and base Objects; if those Spirits, which are the Life and enlivening Powers of the Soul, are drawn off to Parties, and to be engag'd in a vicious and corrupt manner, shooting out wild and wicked Desires, and running the Man headlong into Crime, the Case is easily resolv'd, the Man is possess'd, the _Devil_ is in him; and having taken the Fort, or at least the Counterscarp and Out-Works, is making his Lodgment to cover and secure himself in his Hold, that he may not be dispossess'd.

Nor can he be easily dispossess'd when he has got such hold as this; and 'tis no wonder, that being lodg'd thus upon the Out-Works of the Soul he continues to sap the Foundation of the rest, and by his incessant and furious a.s.saults, reduces the Man at last to a Surrender.

If the Allegory be not as just and apposite as you would have it be, you may, however, see by it in a full View, the State of the Man, and how the _Devil_ carries on his Designs; nothing is more common, and I believe there are few thinking Minds but may reflect upon it in their own Compa.s.s, than for our Pa.s.sions and Affections to flow out of the ordinary Channel; the Spirits and Blood of the Soul to be extravasated, the Pa.s.sions grow violent and outragious, the Affections impetuous, corrupt and violently vicious: Whence does all this proceed? from Heaven we can't pretend it comes; if we must not say 'tis the _Devil_, whose Door must it lie at? Pride swells the Pa.s.sions; Avarice moves the Affections; and what is Pride, and what is Avarice, but the _Devil_ in the Inside of the Man? ay, as personally and really as ever he was in the Herd of Swine.

Let not any Man then, who is a Slave to his Pa.s.sions, or who is chain'd down to his Covetousness, pretend to take it ill, when I say he has the _Devil_ in him, or that he is a _Devil_: What else can it be, and how comes it to pa.s.s that Pa.s.sion and Revenge so often dispossess the Man of himself, as to lead him to commit Murther, to lay Plots and Snares for the Life of his Enemies, and so to thirst for Blood? How comes this but by the Devil's putting those Spirits of the Soul into so violent a Ferment, into a Fever? that the Circulation is precipitated to that Degree, and that the Man too is precipitated into Mischief, and at last into Ruin; 'tis all the _Devil_, tho' the Man does not know it.

In like manner Avarice leads him to rob, plunder and destroy for Money, and to commit sometimes the worst of Violences to obtain the wicked Reward. How many have had their Throats cut for their Money, have been murther'd on the Highway, or in their Beds, for the Desire of what they had? It is the same Thing in other Articles, every Vice is the Devil in a Man; l.u.s.t of Rule is the _Devil_ of great Men, and that Ambition is their _Devil_ as much as whoring is Father ------'s _Devil_, one has a _Devil_ of one Cla.s.s acting him, one another, and every Man's reigning Vice is a _Devil_ to him.

Thus the _Devil_ has his involuntary Instruments, as well as those who act in Confederacy with him; he has a very great Share in many of us, and acts us, and in us, unknown to our selves tho' we know nothing of it, and indeed tho' we may not suspect it of our selves; like _Hazael_ the _a.s.syrian_, who when the Prophet told him how he would act the _Devil_ upon the poor _Israelites_, answer'd with Detestation, _is thy Servant a Dog that he should do this Thing_, and yet he was that Dog, and did all those cruel Things for all that; the _Devil_ acting him, or acting in him, to make him wickeder than ever he thought it was possible for him to be.

The CONCLUSION.

_Of the_ Devil_'s last Scene of Liberty, and what may be supposed to be his End, with what we are to understand of his being tormented for ever and ever._

As the _Devil_ is a Prince of the Power of the Air, his Kingdom is mortal, and must have an End; and as he is call'd the G.o.d of this World, that is, the great Usurper of the Homage and Reverence which Mankind ought of right to pay to their Maker, so his Usurpation also, like the World it self, must have an End: Satan is call'd the G.o.d of the World, as Men too much prostrate and prost.i.tute themselves to him, yet he is not the Governor of this World; and therefore the Homage and Worship he has from the World is an Usurpation; and this will have an End, because the World it self will have an End; and all Mankind, as they had a beginning in Time, so must expire and be remov'd before the End of Time.

Since then the _Devil_'s Empire is to expire and come to an End, and that the _Devil_ himself and all his Host of _Devils_ are immortal Seraphs, Spirits that are not embodied and cannot die, but are to remain in being; the Question before us next will be, what is to become of him?

what is his State to be? whether is he to wander, and in what Condition is he to remain to that Eternity to which he is still to exist?

I hope no Man will mistake me so much in what I have said as to Spirits, which are all Flame, not being affected with Fire, as if I supposed there was no Place of Punishment for the _Devil_, nor any Kind of Punishment that could affect them; and so of our Spirits also when transform'd into Flame.