A Continuation of morning-exercise questions and cases of conscience practically resolvedA Continuation of morning-exercise questions and cases of conscience practicaly resolved

And first, we must know what is meant by Satan's Possession, either of the Body or the Soul. It is not merely his Local Presence and Abode in a man that is called his Possession; for we know little of that, how far he is more present with a bad man than a good: But it is his exercising Power on a man by such a stated effectual operation. As the Spirit of God is present with the worst, and maketh many holy Motions to the Souls of the impenitent, but he is a settled powerful Agent in the Soul of a Believer, and so is said to dwell in such, and to possess them, by the Habit of Holiness and Love; even so Satan maketh too frequent Motions to the Faithful; but he possesseth only the Souls of the ungodly by predominant Habits of Unbelief and Sensuality.

And first, we must know what is meant by Satans Possession, either of the Body or the Soul. It is not meerly his Local Prese•ce and Abode in a man that is called his Possession; for we know little of that, how far he is more present with a bad man than a good: But it is his exercising Power on a man by such a stated effectual operation. As the Spirit of God is present with the worst, and maketh many holy Motions to the Souls of the impenitent, but he is a setled powerful Agent in the Soul of a Believer, and so is said to dwell in such, and to possess them, by the Habit of Holiness and Love; even so Satan maketh too frequent Motions to the Faithful; but he possesseth only the Souls of the ungodly by predominant Habits of Ʋnbelief and Sensuality.

And so also he is permitted by God to inflict Persecutions and Crosses and ordinary Diseases on the just, but when he is Gods Executioner of extraordinary Plagues, especially on the Head, depriving men of Sense and Understanding, and working above the bare Nature of the Disease, this is called his Possession.