this Point, and prove by Scripture that the Spirit of Reason in Man is the Devil.

First. It was the Spirit of Reason in Cain that killed righteous Abel, for Cain reasoned in himself, why fhould God accept of Abel and his Offering, and not of him and his Offering: He reasoned in himself, why fhould God fend Fire from Heaven to teftify his Acceptance of Abel's Offering, and fent no Fire from Heaven to confume his Offering: Allo Cain reasoned in himself, I am the First born, and lo God hath had Respect unto the Younger, what Reason is there that God should refpect the Younger, and reject the Elder? Likewife Cain reasoned in himself, that he would kill Abel, then thought he, God will accept of me, there being none to offer up Sacrifice unto him, but himself; fo thefe Reasonings and fuch like, paffed through Cain's Soul before he was refolved to kill righteous Abel, but this Reasoning being too ftrong for Cain, it made him refolve to kill his Brother when he had an Opportunity, which a while after he had an Opportunity, when he met Abel in the Field, he talked with him and flew him. And this Spirit of Reafon in Cain was the firft Devil in Man that killed righteous Abel, and this was the Spirit of Reason in Cain, and not any Unreasonablefs in him.

For he thought he had Reafon to kill Abel, feeing God had dealt fo by him to accept the Younger, and reject the Elder. Ayo the like Cafe was with Jacob and Efau; because Jacob had got the Bleffing from Efau, he reasoned in himself to kill his Brother Jacob; fo he reafoned in himself how he might do this Murder, and not incur his Father Ifaac's Displeasure ; fo he reasoned in himfelf how he might have Opportunity to do it, and not to be difcovered that he did it; and this Reafoning in Efau took Place in his Soul, and give a Refolution to put it into Execution to kill Jacob, because he was bleft, and Efau was not bleft with that bleffed Promise that the righteous Seed fhould come of him, as his Brother Jacob was.

For this is to be minded by the Reader, that the Perfon that is accepted of God, of that Perfon the righteous Seed muft, and doth come of; and look what Perfon is rejected of God, of that Perfon mult, and doth come the reprobate and curfed Seed, as it was in Cain and Efau alfo? Efau would have put his Reatoning of his Mind in Practife, had not

Rebecca

Rebecca his Mother, by her Revelation of Faith, fent Jacob away out of Efau's Reach; but Efau's Refolution remained in his Mind ftill, and waited for an Opportunity: Now was not this Reafon in Efau the Devil? For if Efau had had no Reason to kill Jacob, he would never have refolved to do fuch Wickednefs; but Efau thought he had good Reafon to kill Jacob, who had stolen away the Bleffing from him, whose Birthright he thought in Reafon it was; fo he thought it was but Reason to kill his Brother who had done him that Injury or Wrong: Was not this the Spirit of Reafon the Devil in Efau, that would have killed his Brother Jacob, of whom the righteous Seed came of?

Again, were not those reasonable Men that talked with Chrift, to whom Chrift faid, Why reafon you in yourselves, faying, You have Abraham for your Father, faith Chrift, God is able of thefe Stones to raise up Children unto Abraham; so those Pharifees and Sadducees that came to the Baptifm of John, Mat. iv. were they not wife rational Men, and indued with a high Measure of Reason? Did not they ask a reasonable Question, whether John was the Chrift or no? Yet John calls them a Generation of Vipers: And Chrift calls those wife rational Men he talked with, Serpents, Devils, yea, and that the Devil was their Father; yet thefe were wife, prudent Men, indued with a great Measure of Reafon: They were no distracted Men, nor poffeft with any Witchcraft-fits, as you Quakers are, but were fober, fenfible Men, and would ask a reasonable Question, and required a reasonable Answer; yet this Spirit of Reafon, in these wife and prudent Men, it was but the Devil Reafon in them.

For John calls them a Generation of Vipers, and Chrift calls them Serpents, Devils, and that they were the Devil's Children; yet these were wife Men, endued with Reason, and it was that Wisdom of Reafon in them, that would have intrap'd Chrift in his Words, that they might have had fome Reafon to have put him to Death; for Reafon propounds Questions to catch him in his Words, that they might have had fome Reason to put him to Death; therefore Reafon laid many Snares to catch him.

So they reafoned among themfels, if we let this Man alore, the Romans will take away our Place and Nation; fo when

they

they had accomplished their Defires by their Reafon, and, brought him before the High-prieft and Council of the Jews, the Council fome of them reafoned that it was fit Chrift should die for Blafphemy, in that he made himself the Son of God; others reafoned again, that he ought not to die by their Law, not being justly accused.

So when he come into Pilate's Cuftody, what Reafoning had Pilate in his Spirit? His Reafon told him it was better to whip Chrift, than to kill him; and Pilate's Wife's Dream put him exceedingly to reafon how he might deliver Chrift, but the Reafon of the High-priefts, and Elders, and those that were below them, their Reafon was too strong for Pilate, and Pilate thought it more Reafon to obey Cæfar than his Wife's Dream, or the Reasoning of his own Heart.

So that his Reafon was, he thought better to keep the Favour of Cæfar, and the Honour of this World, than the Peace of his Confcience and Favour with God; fo his Reason and their Reafon together delivered up the Juft One to be cru cified by reasonable Men; for the Centurion, and those that guarded him, were reasonable Men alfo, and thought it but Reason to obey their Rulers Command in this, as well as other Things: So that it may be clear to thofe that are truly inlightned, that the Spirit of Reafon in Man is the Devil, and that the Spirit of Reason did kill the Righteous in the Beginning, and the Spirit of Reafon did kill the Just Person, even Chrift Jefus..

CHAP. XXIII.

A Difference between reasonable and unreasonable Men, and a further Discovery that Reafon is the Devil.

AGAIN, it may be clear that the Spirit of Reason in the Devil, as may plainly appear by those Chief-priefs and Elders of the Jews, as in Mat. xxi. 23, thefe Chief-Priests and Elders would know of Chrift by what Authority he did thofe Things? But Christ's Answer was, Is the Baptifm of John from Heaven, or of Men? And these Chief-priefts and Elders of the Jews reafoned in themselves, if they fhould fay from Heaven, then their Reafon told

them

them they fought against God; and if they should say, John Baptift had his Commiffion from Men to baptife with Water, then their Reason told them that the People would stone them.

So they reafoned in themselves, it was better to say they could not tell, which was a Lie against the Light of their own Conscience. Here the Reader may fee that the Spirit of Reason in Man is the Devil; for thefe Chief-priefts and Elders were wife, prudent Men, endued with a great Measure of Reafon, elfe they would not have been chofen Governors and Expounders of the Law and Prophets to the People of the Jews; yet these reasonable Men were Devils, even those who Chrift called Serpents, Devils; and John Baptist called a Generation of Vipers.

So that it may be clear to those that are inlightned, that the Reason in Man is the Devil, and not only a Devil, but a damned Devil; for it was the Spirit of Reafon in Man that always blafphemed and fought against God, and perfecuted and killed the Juft and the Righteous, because God would not accept of the Devil Reason's Worship, as he did of the juft and innocent Worship of the Spirit of Faith: And as for that Saying of Paul, who defired to be delivered from unreasonable Men, for all Men have not Faith; I am of Paul's Mind in that, for I have had Experience in a Measure of the bad Dealings of unreasonable Men, as Paul had; but I fhall fhew the Caufe, and why Paul calls them unreasonable Men, it was because the rude Multitude, or fome envious Men, upon the Report of other envious People, would beat and abuse Paul without any Authority from the Rulers, or without the Command of fome Officer, as is clear in the As, concerning Demetrius and the Goddefs Diana: How were fome of Paul's Friends beaten by unreasonable Men, and Paul himself would have been ferved fo and worse, had he not been rescued by the Town-Clerk's Speech; which Speech of his fhewed that the People did that which was not lawful by their Law, therefore unreasonable, and were in Danger to be called to account by the Judges of their Law, as Deputies and fuch, and to be punished as Offenders of the Law, for their unreasonable Practice, to beat and kill Men uncondemned by the Law, as you may fee Aas xix. 18. and fo in Atts xxiii.

How

How Paul had like to have been killed by unreasonable Men, forty of them had bound themselves in an Oath, neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul; yet by the Power of the Centurion, who had a Commiffion from the Magiftrates to keep the Peace, would not fuffer thefe Men to do fuch unreasonable Deeds to kill a Man, and not condemned by the Law of Reafon; for all Laws are made by the Reason of Man to govern People by.

So in other Places in the As, you may read how Paul was abused by unreasonable Men, fo that Paul had Cause, and all Saints elfe, to defire to be delivered from unreasonable Men; for all Men have not Faith; Paul knowing that thofe Men that have Faith dares not perfecute Men for Confciences, though he hath Reafon fo to do, much less to perfecute Men for Confcience against Law and Reason, as the rude Multitude doth, and envious Men doth, having not Law of their Side, but are punished as evil Doers by the Law of Reason, for doing Things contrary to the Law, therefore called unreasonable

Men.

And in this Senfe Paul defired to be delivered from unreasonable Men, for he knew Men that had Faith in their Hearts would not perfecute nor abuse him, nor kill him, though he should give them Caufe. This I myself knoweth by Experience to be true, for I have fallen fometimes into the Hands of unreasonable Men; for I have been pulled out of the House by Head and Shoulders, and beaten with their Fifts, and knocked down in the Garden, and when they were afraid to do me more Mischief in another Body's House, they confulted to lay in wait in all the Alleys to catch me as I came out, that they might do me fome further Mischief, and nobody know who did it. They thought to break my Bones, if not kill me, but they were fomewhat prevented, for we paffed through a Man's Garden a private Way; fo that the Layers in wait could not catch us until we came in the Fields; but when they heard we were past the Corners of the Alleys, which were four, they run, and the Boys run to fee the Men run, that the Duft and Gravel did fly about with the Sound of their Feet, to overtake us; fo two of the Men of the most desperates of them overtook us in the Fields, and they both

fmote