2 gö The Evil of Evils, Or the grievous thing to fee men thus pofieft. Many men have extraordinary fits of the Convulfion, and the like, and men think they be poflèffed we ordinarily mitlake, and it is buta meerfit of. theConvulfion; but if wedid know they were really poffeflèd, we fhould be terrified : Oh fuch a friend, fuch a neighbor lived wickedly before, and now the Devil hath pofleflèd him ; we thought it a Difeafe till now, we thought it theConvulfion, butnow we fee it is from the Devils poffeflionof them. Would you not en- dureany affliction in theworld rather than Cod fhould fay of you, the next oath you fwear, whenyou open your tiouthes to fwear, theDe- vil íiu1 come in and take poflèffìon of your bo- dies; or the next evil language you (peak, the Devil fi ail come in and poflèfs you ; this were a fearful thing,and you would take heedofthis. But this I am to-make good, That when yougo on in fin, in any one fin, it is a greater evil than if never fo many Devils poffèft you , if there ftouldbe Legions; as he Paid toChrifi when he afked his name, he laid, Legion, becaufe webe many. It is not fogreat an evil if God fhould give upyourbodies tobe poflèfled by Legions ofDevils ; you will fay, furely that is a great e- vil, but not fo great as to be under the power of one fin. flow will that appear you will fay ? Thus: Poffefïion makes you not hateful to God, andguiltybefore-God, and loathfom to God nor is it that whichGod hates, but it is an objeff ofpitty; Chri1t pittied themwhenhe faw them thus : but Sinmakes a man odious and hateful to
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