604 The _Knowledge of Cod. VoJ. i. ing the Teflirnony which God gave of his Integrity, yet if he were but foundly tried byAriiEtion, he would renounce God, and curie him to his face : but the event proved how groundlefs and malicious this faggeftion was. But there is a far greater difficulty in this matter, from the parlages of Come Divines concern- ing the Devil's immediate accefs to the Minds of Men, and his Power to cart in Wicked Thoughts into them ; which Gems by confequence to grant him fome knowledge of Mens Hearts ; for by the fame Reafon that he can imprint Thoughts upon Mens Minds, he may fee thefe that are imprinted there. That the Devil is a very fagacious Spirit, and can make very fhrewd Conje- ¿lures at the bent and inclinations of Mens Minds, and the probable workings of our Thoughts, from a general Knowledge and Obfervation of our Teappers and Paffions, of our Interefis and Deigns, and from the general tenour of our AElions in Publick and Private, and from our Prayers and Confections to God (if he permit him at any time to be tó near Good Men) I think there is nodoubt but .this is far from a Knowledge of our Hearts ; all this is but ConjeElure, and fuch as Men may make of one another in a lower degree. But as to the buinefs of calling in blafphemous and defpairing Thoughts into the Minds of Men, to this I would fay thefe three things. a. That there are few of thefe cafes which may not more probably he refolved into the Wickednefs and Infidelity of Mens Hearts, or into the Darknefs andMe- lancholy of our tempers, which are apt to raite and fuggefl Grange Thoughts to Men, and fuch as we may be apt to think have no rife from our felves, not con- fidering what an odd and Grange influence the diforder of our bodily Humours mayhave upon our Minds, as we fee in violent Fevers, and feveral other Difeafes ; andMelancholy, tho' the workings of it are moreGill and quiet, is as truly a Difeafe as any other ; fo that I chufe rather to afcribe as much of theta to a bodily Di- Gemper as may be, becaufe it is a very uncomfortable confideration, to think that the Devil bath fuch an immediate Power upon the Minds of Men. z. I do not fee how by any means it can begranted, without prejudice to this Prerogative of God, which the Scripture plainly gives him, of being the only Knower of the Heart, that the Devil can have fo immediate an accefs to our Minds, as to put wicked Thoughts into them ; nor can I think, that when it is laid, .a Chron. zr. r. That Satan provoked David to number thepeople, and Luke zz. 3. That the Devil entredinto fudas, and As S. 3. That Satan had filled the heart of Ananias to lie unto the Holy Ghoff, and Eph. z. z. That the devil is the fpirit that worketh in the childrenof difobedience ; I fay I cannot think that any or all ofthefe expreflions do amount to fuck an immediate power of putting wicked Thoughts into Mens Minds, but theyonly lignifie that the Devil hath a greaterhand in fome fins than others, and that a Heart wickedly bent and inclined give hint a great advantage to tempt Men more powerfully, by prefenting the occafions of fuch wicked Thoughts and Aétions to them ; for it is ufual in Scripture-pphrafe, as to afcribe all goodMotions to God's Spirit, fo all evil Thoughts and Actions to the Devil, not that he is the immediate Caufe of them, but becaufe he is always rea- dy to tempt Men to them, and one way or other to promote them. 3. J fee no rearm to grant (as many have done) an immediate Power to the Devil over the fancies and imaginations of Men, and that he may know the wor- kings of them, tho' not the fecret thoughts of Mens Minds ; for this Teems to me to be in effe' to grant hint the Knowledgeof Mens Hearts, and to give him a Key to that Clofet which God bath referved to himfelf : for it is a very nice Diflinecion which is here made between the Thoughts of Mens Minds, and the Images of their Fancies ; and if thefe lhould happen to be but words thatfignihe the fame thing, we fhall unawares intrench upon the Prerogativeof God. ;There- fore becaufe the Scripture is a franger to there nice and fubtile diGina[ons, be- tween the Imaginations of the Fancy, and the Thoughts of the Heart, I think it is much fifer to altert the Prerogative of God in that Latitude that the Scripture ufeth the word heart, for all the inward motions of the Mind, for the. Thoughts and Intentions of the Heart, and roundly to affirm that all the inward ,motions of our Souls are totally exempted from the immediate cognizance of any other Spirit but
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