A26888:322
The certainty of the worlds of spirits and, consequently, of the immortality of souls…
The certainty of the worlds of spirits and, consequently, of the immortality of souls of the malice and misery of the devils and the damned : and of the blessedness of the justified, fully evinced by the unquestionable histories of apparitions, operations, witchcrafts, voices &c. / written, as an addition to many other treatises for the conviction of Sadducees and infidels, by Richard Baxter.The certainty of the worlds of spirits and, consequently, of the immortality of souls of the malice and misery of the devils and the damned : and of the blessedness of the justified, fully evinced by the unquestionable histories of apparitions, operations, witchcrafts, voices &c. / written, as an addition to many other treatises for the conviction of Sadduces and infidels, by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for T. Parkhurst, 1691
Treatise › Chapter 8: Of good Angels, and some doubtful Spirits, and their notable Actions.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
VI. In 1662. came out divers Books of new Prodigies, most of them as Executions on notorious Sinners, and some as Deliverances of better Men. I read them, and enquired after the Matter of Fact; and I found by what Policy Satan hath perverted History, and obscured the Honour of God's Works, by causing weak-headed, factious ⟨p. 164⟩Persons to over do. I found many of the Strange, things there mentioned, had sufficient Proof: But the Writers dropped in many Circumstances and Stories, by partial Credibility, that were not true. And this frustrated the Books, and the Prodigies, by spoiling the Credit of all the rest.
VI. In 1662. came out divers Books of new Prodigies, most of them as Executions on notorious Sinners, and some as Deliverances of better Men. I read them, and enquired after the Matter of Fact; and I found by what Policy Satan hath perverted History, and obscured the Honour of God's Works, by causing weak-headed, factious ⟨p. 164⟩Persons to over do. I found many of the Strange, things there mentioned, had sufficient Proof: But the Writers dropp'd in many Circumstances and Stories, by partial Credibility, that were not true. And this frustrated the Books, and the Prodigies, by spoiling the Credit of all the rest.
VII. I know not what to impute it to, that Lightnings and Thunder-bolts fall more upon Churches, than upon Castles and City Stone Walls, or any such Buildings. Jersey Castle indeed was torn with the Gun-powder, set on fire by Lightning, (as Heidelberg had terribly been as a Presage of the greater Evil following:) And what was it but an invisible Power, that there caused the Lord's Child, that was Governor, to be blown up, and cast down again on the Leads, without Hurt? Angels have a special Care of Infants.
VII. I know not what to impute it to, that Lightnings and Thunder-bolts fall more upon Churches, than upon Castles and City Stone Walls, or any such Buildings. Iersey Castle indeed was torn with the Gun-powder, set on fire by Lightning, (as Heydelberg had terribly been as a Presage of the greater Evil following:) And what was it but an invisible Power, that there caused the Lord's Child, that was Governor, to be blown up, and cast down again on the Leads, without Hurt? Angels have a special Care of Infants.