(26) O Man! Here consider thyself, here thou seest, from whence the Devil and his fierce wrathful Malice has its Original, as also God's Wrath, and the hellish Fire, also Death and Hell, and eternal Damnation. Ye Philosophers, observe that!

(3) Therefore it is that I say, and have said, that evermore when the devil taketh any body, he figureth in some quality of his body what his servants be in spirit. For he enflameth so the imagination of his contemplatives with the fire of hell, that suddenly without discretion they shoot out their curious conceits, and without any advisement they will take upon them to blame other men’s defaults over soon: and this is because they have but one nostril ghostly. For that division that is in a man’s nose bodily, and the which departeth the one nostril from the tother, betokeneth that a man should have discretion ghostly; and can dissever the good from the evil, and the evil from the worse, and the good from the better, ere that he gave any full doom of anything that he heard or saw done or spoken about him. And by a man’s brain is ghostly understood imagination; for by nature it dwelleth and worketh in the head.

(28) And though the Devil (in thy Sins) says it cannot be now, thou art too great a Sinner; let not any Thing terrify thee, he is a Liar, and makes thy Mind fearful; he makes as if he was not present, but he is present, and snarls like a mad Dog; and thou mayest know for certain, that all doubting whatsoever, that comes into thy Mind, is nothing else but his Suggestions [and Objections.]

(75) But I find, that the most cunning Devil is set against me; he will raise Scorners and Mockers, who will say, that I intend by mine own Conceit to grope, dig deeper, and then out the Deity. Yes, Mr. Scorner, thou art an obedient Son to the Devil, thou hast great Cause to mock God's Children, as if I was able in mine own Power to fathom the Depth of the Deity: No! but the Deity searches the Ground in me: Or, dost thou think, that I am strong enough to stand against it?

(77) But now seeing he is a sworn Arch-enemy of God, and though indeed the Disputants and Helpers of the Devil will needs force it so in Arguments, that God wills the Good and also the Evil, and that he has created some Men to Damnation, therefore and thereupon the Spirit of God cites them, upon Pain of eternal Enmity, to come before this Looking-Glass, wherein their Heart shall be laid open; and they shall see what God is, and who the Devil is, or how he is become a Devil.

(173) O thou blind Man! How does the Devil Mock at thee? O! wherefore dost thou trouble Heaven? Dost thou think thou hast not have enough in this World? O blind Man! Is not Heaven and Earth thine? Nay, God himself too? What dost thou bring into this World, or what dost thou take along with thee at thy going out of it? Thou bringest an Angelical Garment into this World, and with thy wicked Life thou turnest it into a Devil’s Mask or Vizard.

(1) HERE the Devil will oppose like a snarling Dog, for his Shame will be discovered; and he will give the Reader many a sore Stroke, and always put him in doubt that these Things are not so.

(7) And this is the very Reason, because the Devil smells the Matter, and therefore he hinders it, that his Kingdom might not be revealed, but that he might continue to be the Great Prince [of the World still.] For otherwise, if his Kingdom was known, Men might fly from him. Where is it more needful for him to oppose, than on that Part where his Enemy may break in? He therefore covers the Hearts, Minds, Thoughts, and Senses of the Divines; he leads them into Covetousness, Pride, and Wantonness, so that they stand amazed with Fear and Horror at the Light of God, and therefore they shut it up, for they are naked, nay they grudge the Light to those that see it; this is rightly called the Service and Worship of the Devil.

(2) That this is sooth, it seemeth by this that followeth. The devil is a spirit, and of his own nature he hath no body, more than hath an angel. But yet nevertheless what time that he or an angel shall take any body by leave of God, to make any ministration to any man in this life; according as the work is that he shall minister, thereafter in likeness is the quality of his body in some part. Ensample of this we have in Holy Writ. As oft as any angel was sent in body in the Old Testament and in the New also, evermore it was shewed, either by his name or by some instrument or quality of his body, what his matter or his message was in spirit. On the same manner it fareth of the fiend. For when he appeareth in body, he figureth in some quality of his body what his servants be in spirit. Ensample of this may be seen in one instead of all these other. For as I have conceived by some disciples of necromancy, the which have it in science for to make advocation of wicked spirits, and by some unto whom the fiend hath appeared in bodily likeness; that in what bodily likeness the fiend appeareth, evermore he hath but one nostril, and that is great and wide, and he will gladly cast it up that a man may see in thereat to his brain up in his head. The which brain is nought else but the fire of hell, for the fiend may have none other brain; and if he might make a man look in thereto, he wants no better. For at that looking, he should lose his wits for ever. But a perfect prentice of necromancy knoweth this well enough, and can well ordain therefore, so that he provoke him not.

(120) Therefore no Man ought to think, that the Devil is able to tear the Works of the Light out of his Heart, for he can neither see nor comprehend them: And though he rages and raves in the outermost Birth in the Flesh as in his Castle of Robbery or Fort of Pray, be not discouraged or dismayed; only take heed thou thyself bring not the Works of Wrath into the Light of thy Heart, and then thy Soul will be safe enough from the deaf and dumb Devil, who is blind in the Light. [See v. 99.]

(2) And yet in this fantasy them think that they have a restful remembrance of their God without any letting of vain thoughts; and surely so have they in manner, for they be so filled in falsehood that vanity may not provoke them. And why? Because he, that same fiend that should minister vain thoughts to them an they were in good way—he, that same, is the chief worker of this work. And wit thou right well, that him list not to let himself. The remembrance of God will he not put from them, for fear that he should be had in suspect.

(12) Therefore all Objections, which fall into Reason, are nothing else but the subtle Contradictions [or Fallacies] of the Devil, who would very fain maintain, that God did will the Fall of Man, There are also Men that dare to say, that God did will it; [and say] that he fitted the Tongue of the Serpent to seduce Eve; whose Judgment is very justly upon themselves, because they [offer to] confirm the Devil's Word with Lying, and [go about to] make God a Lyar,

(17) Wilt thou say, the Devil beguiled him? Yes indeed, and he beguiles thee too, so that thou enviest the Comeliness and Beauty of others. Has God made thee a Degree higher? Art thou not a Child of Eve? Pray tell me the Truth, Art thou not the Antichrist, which under a Cloak [of being counted the Minister and Servant of God] ridest upon the Devil's Horse? Methinks I see thee. Hearken! When thou wentest out of Paradise into this World, why didst thou not continue in one [only] Love? Why didst thou not rejoice in thy Neighbour? Why didst thou not love the Members of thy Body? Why dost thou not adorn thy Brother with thy Ornament? Didst thou not see him plainly? Was not the Earth thy own? Thou mightest have made what thou wouldst of it. Who did hinder thee in it? Why didst thou not eat with thy Brother? Thou mightest have had fully enough; there would never have been any Want. If thy Humility towards thy Brother had continued, then his also had continued towards thee. And then what a fine Habitation and Dwelling had there been upon Earth? What need had there been for thee to have coined Silver and Gold, if Unity had continued? Thou mightest have made thy Ornaments of it well enough; if thou hadst adorned thy Brother and Sister, then they would have adorned thee again with their ready serviceable Love. Dost thou think it had been of thy Brother, and to the Honour of the great God?

(36) For he hides the noble Grain of Mustard-seed, so that Man does not know himself. And then the World supposes, that he is thus plagued and smitten of God, whereby the Devil's Kingdom remains always hidden and undiscovered.

(2) Many unordained and unseemly practices follow on this error, whoso might perceive all. Nevertheless some there be that be so curious that they can refrain them in great part when they come before men. But might these men be seen in place where they be homely, then I trow they should not be hid. And nevertheless yet I trow that whoso would straitly gainsay their opinion, that they should soon see them burst out in some point; and yet them think that all that ever they do, it is for the love of God and for to maintain the truth. Now truly I hope that unless God shew His merciful miracle to make them soon leave off, they shall love God so long on this manner, that they shall go staring mad to the devil. I say not that the devil hath so perfect a servant in this life, that is deceived and infect with all these fantasies that I set here: and nevertheless yet it may be that one, yea, and many one, be infect with them all. But I say that he hath no perfect hypocrite nor heretic in earth that he is not guilty in some that I have said, or peradventure shall say if God vouchsafeth.

(32) When he sees that he cannot catch [or overcome] Man, by making him doubtful of the Mercy of God, then he makes him careless, so that he accounts all as nothing. He makes his Mind very drowsy, so that he esteems very lightly of himself, as if all was not worth the Looking after: Let Things be as they will, he will not break his Heart, [or trouble his Head,] with it. Let the dPope look after it, they must answer for it. Thus the Mind carelessly passes it over, like a Whirlwind or Stream of Water; concerning which Christ said, The Devil steals the Word out of their Hearts, that they do not apprehend it, nor believe it, that they might be saved; so that it takes no Root.

(1) The most of men have a disposition unstable and heedless, like the nature of storms. "Want of faith has done many good things, and faith evil things." And Epicharmus says, "Don't forget to exercise incredulity; for it is the sinews of the soul." Now, to disbelieve truth brings death, as to believe, life; and again, to believe the lie and to disbelieve the truth hutries to destruction.