PART II. to diftingtitifh .l.tffaions: 109 ciples, are capable of ; fo there is nothing in their Nature which re- quires that peculiar, inimitable and unparallel'd Exercife of the glori- ous Power of God, in order to their Produaion, which it has been Ihown there is in the the Produaion of true Grace. There ap- pears to be nothing in their Nature above the Power of the Devil. 'Tis certainly not above the Power of Satan to fuggeff Thoughts to Men ; becaufe otherwife he could not tempt them to Sin. And if he can fuggeff any Thoughts or Ideas at all, doubtlefs imaginary ones, or Ideas of Things external are not above his Power t ; for the ex- ternal Ideas Men have are the loweff Sort of Ideas., Thefe Ideas may be railed only by Impreffions made on the Body, by moving the animal Spirits, and imprefling the Brain. Abundant Experience does certainly (how, that Alterations in the Body will excite imaginary or external Ideas in the Mind ; as often, in cafe of a high Fever, Me- lancholly, &c. Thefe external Ideas are as much below the more intellectual Exercifes of the Soul, as the Body is a lefs noble Part of Man than the Soul. And there is not only nothing in the Nature of thefe external Ideas or Imaginations of outward Appearances, from whence we can infer that they are above the Power of the Devil ; but it is certain alfo that the Devil can excite, and often hath excited fuch Ideas.- They were external Ideas which he excited in the Dreams and Vifions of the falle Prophets of old, who were under the Influence of lying Spirits, that we often read of in Scripture, as Dent. 13. i. i Kings 22. 22, Ifai. 2$. 7. Ezek. 13. 7. Zech. 13. 4. And they were external Ideas that he often excited in the Minds of the heathen Priefls, Ma- gicians and Sorcerers in their Vifions and Extafies ; and they were external Ideas that he excited in the Mind of the Man Chrift Jefus, when he (hewed him all the Kingdoms of the World with the Glory of them, when thofe Kingdoms were not really in Sight. And if Satan, or any created Being, has Power to imprefs the Mind with outward Reprefentations, then no particular Sort of out- ward Reprefentations can be any Evidence of a divine Power. Al- mighty Power is no more requifite to reprefent the Shape of Man to the Imagination, than the Shape of any Thing elle : There is no higher Kind of Power neceffary to form in the Brain one bodily Shape or Colour than another : It needs a no more glorious Power to repre- fent the Form of the Body of Man, than theForm of a Chip or Block ; Le Confider how difficult, yea and impofible it is to determine « that fuch -a Voice, Vifion or Revelation is of God, and that cc Satan cannot feign or counterfeit it ; feeing he bath left no 64 certain Marks by which we may diftinguifh one Spirit from. « another ". Flavel's Caufes and Cures of mental Errors, Caufe 14. tho'
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