im. And it may be feared that, in the Horrible
Tempest which is now upon ourselves, the design of the Devil is to sink
that happy Settlement of Government, wherewith Almighty God has
graciously inclined their Majesties to favor us."--_Wonders, p. 10._

He then proceeds to compliment Sir William Phips, alluding to his
"continually venturing his all," that is, in looking after affairs and
fighting Indians in the eastern parts; to applaud Stoughton as
"admirably accomplished" for his place; and continues as follows: "Our
Councellours are some of our most eminent persons, and as loyal to the
Crown, as hearty lovers of their country. Our Constitution also is
attended with singular privileges. All which things are by the Devil
exceedingly envied unto us. And the Devil will doubtless take this
occasion for the raising of such complaints and clamors, as may be of
pernicious consequence unto some part of our present Settlement, if he
can so far impose. But that, which most of all threatens us, in our
present circumstances, is the misunderstandings, and so, the
animosities, whereinto the Witchcraft, now raging, has enchanted us. The
embroiling, first, of our Spirits, and then, of our affairs." "I am
sure, we shall be worse than brutes, if we fly upon one another, at a
time when the floods of Belial are upon us." "The Devil has made us like
a troubled sea, and the mire and mud begins now also to heave up apace.
Even good and wise men suffer themselves to fall into their paroxysms,
and the shake which the Devil is now giving us, fetches up the dirt
which before lay still at the bottom of our sinful hearts. If we allow
the mad dogs of Hell to poison us by biting us, we shall imagine that we
see nothing but such things about us, and like such things, fly upon all
that we see."

After deprecating the animosities and clamors that were threatening to
drive himself and his friends from power, he makes a strenuous appeal
to persevere in the witchcraft prosecutions.

"We are to unite in our endeavours to deliver our distressed neighbors
from the horrible annoyances and molestations wherewith a dreadful
witchcraft is now persecuting of them. To have an hand in any thing that
may stifle or obstruct a regular detection of that witchcraft, is what
we may well with an holy fear avoid. Their Majesties good subjects must
not every day be torn to pieces by horrid witches, and those bloody
felons be left wholly unprosecuted. The witchcraft is a b