Pietas in patriam the life of His Excellency Sir William Phips, Knt. late Captain…

However uncommon it might be, for guil•less Pe• sons to come under such unaccountable Circumstances, ⟨p. 76⟩as were on so many of the Accused, they held, Some things there are, which if suffered to be Common, would subvert Government, and Disband and Ruin Humane Society, yet God sometimes may suffer such Things to even, that we may know thereby, how much we are beholden to him, for that restraint which he lays upon the Infernal Spirits, who would else reduce a World into a Chaos. They had already known of one at the Town of Groton, hideously agitated by Devils, who in her fits, cried out much against a very Godly. Woman in the Town, and when that Woman approached unto her, though the Eyes of the Creature, were never so shut, she yet manifested a violent Sense of her approach: But, when the Gracious Woman thus Impeached, had prayed earnestly with and for this Creature; then instead of crying out against her any more, she owned, that she had in all, been deluded by the Devil. They now saw, that the more the Afflicted were Hearkened unto, the more the number of the Accused increased; until, at last, many scores were cried out upon, and among them, some, who by the Unblameableness, yea and Serviceableness of their whole Conversation, had obtained the Just Reputation of Good People among all that were acquainted with them. The Character of the Afflicted likewise added unto the common Distaste, for though some of them too, were Good People, yet others of them, and such of them as were most Flippant at Accusing, had a far other Character.

However uncommon it might be, for guil•less Pe• sons to come under such unaccountable Circumstances, ⟨p. 76⟩as were on so many of the Accused, they held, Some things there are, which if suffered to be Common, would subvert Government, and Disband and Ruine Humane Society, yet God sometimes may suffer such Things to evene, that we may know thereby, how much we are beholden to him, for that restraint which he lays upon the Infernal Spirits, who would else reduce a World into a Chaos. They had already known of one at the Town of Groton, hideously agitated by Devils, who in her fits, cried out much against a very Godly. Woman in the Town, and when that Woman approached unto her, though the Eyes of the Creature, were never so shut, she yet manifested a violent Sense of her approach: But, when the Gracious Woman thus Impeached, had prayed earnestly with and for this Creature; then instead of crying out against her any more, she owned, that she had in all, been deluded by the Devil. They now saw, that the more the Afflicted were Hearkned unto, the more the number of the Accused encreased; until, at last, many scores were cryed out upon, and among them, some, who by the Ʋnblameableness, yea and Serviceableness of their whole Conversation, had obtained the Just Reputation of Good People among all that were acquainted with them. The Character of the Afflicted likewise added unto the common Distast, for though some of them too, were Good People, yet others of them, and such of them as were most Flippent at Accusing, had a far other Character.