.NDI.MjIzNDE

never Suffer this to bee. For both in former and in latter ages examples hereof have not been wanting. No longer since then the last winter ther was much discourse in [underlined: London] concerning a Gentlewoman unto whom her dead Son (and another whom she knew not) had appeared. Being then in [underlined: London] I was willing to Satisfie my Self by Enquiring into the [2 crossed out words] truth of what was reported. And February 23 1691. my Brother (who is now a Pastor to a congregation in that city) and I discoursed the Gentlewoman Spoken of. She told us that a Son of hers who had been a very Civil young man, but more Airy in his [illegible word crossed out] temper than was pleasing to his Serious Mother, being dead She was much concerned in her thoughts about his condition in the other world. But a fortnight after his death he appeard unto her, saying, mother you are solicitory [crossed out: of] about my Eternall welfare, trouble your self no more for I am happy. & so vanishd. Should ther be a continuall intercourse between the visible & the invisible world, twould breed confusion. But thence to infer that the great ruler of the Universe will never permitt any thing of this nature to be, is an inconsequent conclusion. Let me further add here, it has [word crossed out: been] very Seldom been known that Satan has personated an inocent man doing an ill thing. but [crossed out word: God] Providence hath found out Some way for their vindication Either they have been able to prove that they wer in another place when that fact was doing or the Like. so that perhaps there [word crossed out: illegible] never was an instance of any inocent person condemned, in any court of judicature on Earth, only threw Satan deluding & imposing on the imaginations of men, when nevertheless the witnesses, Juries & Judges were all to be excused from blame.