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watching us, Day and Night, sleeping and waking; and both openly and in secret, shooting at us his poisoned Arrows, that he may destroy our Souls.

And now, what, though this be true, as it most certainly seems to be so, that at the chearful Hour of Cock-crowing, the wandering Ghosts are not driven away, but still continue going too and fro? What, tho' then their Power be still the same, and their Intentions as fully bent to do Evil? Consider but that GOD's Care and Providence govern the World, and there will be found as much Safety for us, in the Midst of Evil Spirits, as if they absented at that Time. The Almighty Power of GOD, is the same then, as at other Times; nothing but that, preserved us continually, and that, will always be able to preserve us. However great may be the Malice of Devils; however desirous of working our Ruin; tho' they watch all Opportunities, and are unwearied in tempting us; yet the loving Kindness of the LORD endureth for Ever, and his Mercy is over all his Works; He will not suffer our Foot to be moved; he that keepeth us will not sleep: We shall not be afraid of the Sun by Day, nor the Moon by Night: For the Pesti

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lence that walketh in Darkness, nor for the Sickness that destroyeth in the Noon-day.

Are we then afraid of Darkness and the Presence of Night? Let us remember the Creator of them, and have but Faith in him, and we shall find our Night turned into Day. In his Light shall we see Light; We shall be as secure as if there was no Darkness about us, as well knowing that that GOD which protects us, sees through the thickest Mediums, and the darkest Night: For with him the Darkness is no Darkness, but the Night is as clear as the Day; the Darkness and Light to him are both alike. Or are we afraid of that old Serpent the Devil, that nightly Rambler of the World, who is a Lover of Night and Darkness? Let us trust in GOD, and no Harm shall happen to us. If we will but fear no Evil, his Rod and his Staff shall comfort us, though we walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death: For GOD hath reserved the Devil and his Angels in everlasting Chains, under Darkness, unto the Judgment of the great Day. Though there-. fore he is permitted to wander the World, yet he is so chain'd up, that without GOD's particular Order or Permission, he is not allowed

to touch the Sons of Men; and he is so re

served and kept in Darkness, that it is not in his Power even barely to appear and be visible to them, without the Permission of God: So little Reason hath every good Man to fear the Spight and Malice of all the Devils in Hell.

When then the Night pours out her Terrours, covers all Things with Darkness, and strikes thee with Horrour; Lift but up thy Eyes to the Hills, from whence cometh thy Help. and thou shalt clearly see, that our Lord GOD is a Light and Defence to thee. * For to those who are the Children of the Light, the Day shineth in the Night: They are never without Light, whose Hearts are illuminated; never without Sun-shine, whose Sun is CHRIST. In short then, if thou fear Darkness, look up to CHRIST, and thou hast eternal Day; if the Angels of Darkness, look but up with the Eye of Faith, and thou shalt see the Mountains full of Chariots and Horses of Fire: Thou shalt see, as did the Servant of the Prophet Elisha, That they who be with us, are more than they who are against us. No Matter then whether the Spirits of the Night go away, or only

*

Quia filiis lucis & in noctibus dies est. Quando enim sine lumine est, cui lumen in corde est? Aut quando sol ei & dies non est, qui sol & dies Christus est? Cyprian. de Orat. Dom.

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tremble at the Time of Cock-crowing: For sure we are, that the Angel of the LORD tarrieth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them; nay, That GOD himself will arise and scatter his Enemies, and make them that hate him to flie before him. And if GOD be for us, who can be against us?

OBSERVATIONS ON CHAP. VI.

MR. BOURNE might have stiled this Chapter, A Sermon on Spirit-walking; and yet I cannot help thinking, that the Nurse prevails over the Priest in it. The good Man, it must be allowed, has played the Conjuror so far as to raise us Spirits, but does not seem to have had so much of the Scholar in him as to have been able to lay them.

The Gay and the Witty will no doubt laugh at every Thing he has advanced: Perhaps it will be granted on all Hands, that he has not thrown any new Lights on the dark Subject. I make no Pretensions to any Abilities for discussing the Question; and am of Opinion, that as we know so little of the invisible World, we cannot express ourselves with too much Diffidence in speaking of it.--It must however be allowed, that Writers of the highest Character for Probity and Knowledge have

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transmitted to us Accounts of Spirits and Apparitions. Fancy, Imagination, Misinterpretations of the sacred Writings on that Subject, or Credulity, must have deceived them: For it is impossible to believe them guilty of the Baseness of an Intention to deceive us. The frequent Impostures (I shall only instance the Cock-Lane Ghost, in our own Times)' that are to be met with of this Kind, naturally incline us to believe, that all such Relations are either the Forgeries of cunning Men, or the idle Tales of weak ones. It is impossible to follow our Author through all the "Howbeits, Moreovers, "and Neverthelesses," of his tedious Discourse; but to one Thing in his Peroration we readily subscribe our most unfeigned Assent; it is, "That a good Man has not the least Reason to fear the Spite and Malice of all the Devils in Hell."

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Our Divine discovers every where an Intention' of rooting out the old Man from the Hearts of his Readers: I shall be sparing of my Quotations of Chapter and Verse, as I do not think this a proper Place to imitate him in, and purpose only on the present Occasion to eraze the Vestiges of the old Woman, the Impressions of which are still too vi-sibly to be traced on human Nature.

It was the Fashion when Mr. Bourne wrote, that Clergymen should lard every Composition with Scripture Phrases, and nothing seems to have been thought palatable by them, in which every Period was not seasoned with a Spice of Divinity.-These

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