Parentator. Memoirs of remarkables in the life and the death of the ever-memorable Dr.…

Now many Good Men took up an Opinion, That the Providence of GOD would not Permit ⟨p. 164⟩an Innocent Person to come under such a Spectral Representation; and that a Concurrence of so many Circumstances would prove an Accused Person to be in a Confederacy with the Daemons thus Afflicting of the Neighbours. Diverse of the Accused People were brought upon their Trial, while this Opinion was yet Prevailing in the Minds of the Judges and the Juries; and though against many of the Tried, there was brought in some other Evidence, yet several were Executed mainly upon This, which was called The Spectre-Evidence. And it happened, that some of the Accused coming to Confess themselves Guilty, their Shapes were no more seen by any of the Afflicted, though the Confession of the former had been kept so Secret that the latter knew nothing of it: But instead thereof, these Accused ones fell under the same Vexations with the Afflicted; This Confirmed many in their Opinion. The Apparitions of Ghosts, which Declared themselves Murdered by the Accused, (and were some of them also seen by some Others besides the Afflicted,) and some of the Murders thereupon Confessed by some of the Accused; These also added unto the Zeal of the Proceedings. And Wiser Men, than those Flashy and F•eering Witlings, who at a Distance think a Scornful Scoff to be a Sufficient Solution for these things, had they been on the spot, could not but have been extremely Puzzled with them. On the other part, there were many very Wise Men, who from the Beginning, were very much Dissatisfied at what was adoing; and feared that in the Extraordinary ⟨p. 165⟩Descent of Wicked Spirits from their High-Places upon the Country, such Principles, and so such Practices, might be taken up, as would cause the Righteous to Perish with the Wicked. It Affected them to see, that the more the Afflicted were Hearkened to, the more the Number of the Accused was Increased; until at last, many Unquestionably very Good People were Cried out upon.

Now many Good Men took up an Opinion, That the Providence of GOD would not Permit ⟨p. 164⟩an Innocent Person to come under such a Spectral Representation; and that a Concurrence of so many Circumstances would prove an Accused Person to be in a Confederacy with the Daemons thus Afflicting of the Neighbours. Diverse of the Accused People were brought upon their Trial, while this Opinion was yet Prevailing in the Minds of the Judges and the Juries; and though against many of the Tried, there was brought in some other Evidence, yet several were Executed mainly upon This, which was called The Spectre-Evidence. And it happened, that some of the Accused coming to Confess themselves Guilty, their Shapes were no more seen by any of the Afflicted, though the Confession of the former had been kept so Secret that the latter knew nothing of it: But instead thereof, these Accused ones fell under the same Vexations with the Afflicted; This Confirmed many in their Opinion. The Apparitions of Ghosts, which Declared themselves Murdered by the Accused, (and were some of them also seen by some Others besides the Afflicted,) and some of the Murders thereupon Confessed by some of the Accused; These also added unto the Zeal of the Proceedings. And Wiser Men, than those Flasy and Feering Witlings, who at a Distance think a Scornful Scoff to be a Sufficient Solution for these things, had they been on the spot, could not but have been extremely Puzzled with them. On the other part, there were many very Wise Men, who from the Beginning, were very much Dissatisfied at what was adoing; and feared that in the Extraordinary