Charles Wentworth Upham - The True Story of Salem - Book 1-7

IX. The Judges would fain have seen them show some of their Tricks ; but they Unanimously declared, that, Since they had confessed , all, they found all their Witchcraft gone; and the Devil then Appeared very Terrible unto them, threatning with an Iron Fork , to thrust them into a Burning Pit, if they persisted in their Confession.

X. There were discovered no less than threescore and ten Witches in One Village, three and twenty of which freely confessing their Crimes, were condemned to dy. The rest, ( One pretending she was with Child) were sent to Fahluna , where most of them were afterwards executed. Fifteen Children, which confessed themselves engaged in this Witchery, dyed as the rest. Six and Thirty of them between nine and sixteen years of Age, who had been less guilty, were forced to run the Gantlet, and be lashed on their hands once a Week, for a year together; twenty more who had less inclination to these Infernal enterprises, were lashed with Rods upon their Hands for three Sundays together, at the Church door; the number of the seduced Children, was about three hundred. This course, together with Prayers , in all the Churches thro' the Kingdom, issued in the deliverance of the Country.

XI. The most Accomplished Dr. Horneck inserts a most wise caution, in his preface to this Narrative, says he, there is no Public Calamity, but some ill people, will serve themselves of the sad providence, and make use of it for their own ends; as Thieves when an house or town is on fire, will steal what they can. And he mentions a Remarkable Story of a young Woman, at Stockholm , in the year 1676, Who accused her own Mother of being a Witch; and swore positively, that she had carried her away in the Night; the poor Woman was burnt upon it: professing her innocency to the last. But tho' she had been an Ill Woman, yet it afterwards prov'd that she was not such an one; for her Daughter came to the Judges, with hideous Lamentations, Confessing, That she had wronged her Mother, out of a wicked spite against her; whereupon the Judges gave order for her Execution too.

But, so much of these things; And, now, Lord, make these Labours of thy Servant, Profitable to thy People.

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Nineteen Witches have been Executed at New-England , one of them was a Minister, and two Ministers more are Accus'd. There is a hundred Witches more in Prison, which broke Prison, and about two Hundred more are Accus'd, some Men of great Estates in Boston , have been accus'd for Witchcraft . Those Hundred now in Prison accus'd for Witches, were Committed by fifty of themselves being Witches , some of Boston , but most about Salem , and the Towns Adjacent. Mr. Increase Mather has Published a Book about Witchcraft , occasioned by the late Trials of Witches, which will be speedily printed in London by John Dunton .

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2 Cor. II. 11. We are not Ignorant of His Devices.

Our Blessed Saviour has blessed us, with a counsil, as Wholsome and as Needful as any that can be given us, in Math. 26.41. Watch and Pray, that yee Enter not into Temptation. As there is a Tempting Flesh , and a Tempting World , which would seduce us from Our Obedience to the Laws of God, so there is a Busy Devil , who is by way of Eminency called, The Tempter ; because by him, the Temptations of the Flesh and the World are managed.

It is not One Devil alone, that has Cunning or Power enough to apply the Multitudes of Temptations , whereby Mankind is daily diverted from the Service of God; No, the High Places of Our Air, are Swarming full of those Wicked Spirits , whose Temptations trouble us; they are so many, that it seems no less than a Legion , or more than twelve thousands may be spared, for the Vexation of one miserable man. But because those Apostate Angels, are all United , under one Infernal Monarch, in the Designs of Mischief, 'tis in the Singular Number, that they are spoken of. Now, the Devil , whose Malice and Envy, prompts him to do what he can, that we may be as unhappy as himself, do's ordinarily use more Fraud , than Force , in his assaulting of us; he that assail'd our First Parents, in a Serpent , will still Act Like a Serpent , rather than a Lion , in prosecuting of his wicked purposes upon us, and for us to guard against the Wiles of the Wicked One , is one of the greatest cares, with which our God ha's charged us.

We are all of us liable to various Temptations every day, whereby if we are carried aside from the strait Paths of Righteousness , we get all sorts of wounds unto our selves. Of Temptations , I may say, as the Wise Man said, of Mortality ; there is no discharge from that war. The Devils fell hard upon both Adams , nor may any among the Children of both, imagine to be excused. The Son of God Himself, had this Dog of Hell, barking at Him; and much more may the Children of Men , look to be thus Visited; indeed, there is hardly any Temptation , but what is, Common to Man . When I was considering, how to spend one Hour in Raising a most Effectual and Profitable Breast-work , against the inroads of this Enemy, I perceived it would be done, by a short answer to this.

What are those Usual Methods of Temptation, with which the Powers of Darkness do assault the Children of Men?

The Corinthians , having upon the Apostles Direction, Excommunicated one of their Society, who had married his Mother-in-law, & this, as it is thought, while his own Father was Living too; the Apostle encourages them to Re-admit that man, upon his very deep and sharp Repentance . He gives divers Reasons of his propounding this unto them; whereof one is, Lest Satan should get advantage of them ; for, had the man miscarried, under any Rigour of the Sentence continued upon him, after his Repentance , 'tis well if the Church itself had not quickly fallen to pieces thereupon; besure, the Success of the Gospel had been more than a little Incommoded. The Apostle upon this Occasion, intimates, That Satan has his Devices ; by which word are meant, Artifices or Contrivances used for the Deceiving of those that are Treated with them well, But what shall we do that we may come to this Corinthian Attainment , We are not Ignorant of Satan's Devices? ( Non cuivis homini Contingit! )

Truly, the Devil has Mille Nocendi Artes ; and it will be impossible for us, to run over all the Stratagems and Policies of our Adversary. I shall only attempt a few Observations upon the Temptations of our Lord Jesus Christ: who was Tempted in all things like unto us, except in our Sins . When we read the Temptations of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Fourth Chapter of Matthew There, Thence, you will understand, what was once counted so difficult; Even, The way of a Serpent upon the Rock . There are certain Ancient and Famous Methods which the Devil in his Temptations , does mostly accustome himself unto; which is not so much from any Barrenness, or Sluggishness in the Devil, but because he has had the Encouragement of a, Probatum est , upon those horrid Methods. How did the Devil assault the First Adam ? It was with Temptations drawn from Pleasure , and Profit , and Honour , which, as the Apostle notes, in 1 Joh. 2.16. are, All that is in the World . With the very same temptations it was, that he fell upon the Second Adam too. Now, in those Temptations , you will see the more Usual Methods , whereby the Devil would be Ensnaring of us; and I beseech you to attend unto the following Admonitions, as those Warnings of God, which the Lives of your souls depend upon your taking of.