Some people make a very ill use of the general notion, that there are no apparitions nor spirits at all:  which is worse than those who fancy they see them upon every occasion; for those carry their notions farther, even to annihilate the devil, and believe nothing about him, neither of one kind or other:  the next step they come to, is to conclude, There is no God, and so atheism takes its rise in the same sink, with a carelessness about futurity.  But there is no occasion to enter upon an argument to prove the being of the Almighty, or to illustrate his power by words, who has so many undeniable testimonies in the breasts of every rational being to prove his existence:  and we have sufficient proofs enough to convince us of the great superintendency of Divine Providence in the minutest affairs of this world; the manifest existence of the invisible world; the reality of spirits, and intelligence between us and them.  What I have said, I hope, will not mislead any person, or be a means whereby they may delude themselves; for I have spoken of these things with the utmost seriousness of mind, and with a sincere and ardent desire for the general good and benefit of the world.

CHAP.  V. Of suffering Afflictions.

Afflictions are common to all mankind; and whether they proceed from losses, disappointments, or the malice of men, they often bring their advantages along with them:  For this shews man the vanity and deceitfulness of this life, and is an occasion of rectifying our measures, and bringing us to a more modest opinion of ourselves:  It tells us, how necessary the assistance of divine grace is unto us, when life itself becomes a burden, and death even desirable:  But when the greatest oppression comes upon us, we must have recourse to patience, begging of God to give us that virtue; and the more composed, we are under any trouble, the more commendable is our wisdom, and the larger will be our recompense.  Let the provocation be what it will, whether from a good-natured and conscientious, or a wicked, perverse, and vexatious man; all this we should take as from the over-ruling hand of God, as a punishment for our sins.  Many times injured innocence may be abused by false oaths, or the power of wicked, jealous, or malicious men; but we often find it, like the palm, rise the higher the more it is depressed; while the justice of God is eminently remarkable in punishing those, one way or other, who desire to endeavour to procure the downfal of an innocent man:  Nor does God fail comforting an afflicted person, who with tears and prayers solicits the throne of Heaven for deliverance and protection.  David says, that his soul was full of trouble, and his life drew near unto the grave.  But certainly David’s afflictions made him eminently remarkable, as particularly when pursued by King Saul, and hunted as a partridge over the mountains.  But one thing which stands by innocence, is the love of God; for were we to suffer disgrace, nay, an ignominious death itself, what consolation does our innocence procure at our latest conflict, our last moments!