vinces us that the _Devil_ has not lost his natural Powers by
his Fall; and our learned Commentator Mr. _Pool_ is of the same Opinion;
tho' he grants that the _Devil_ has lost his moral Power, or his Power
of doing Good, which he can never recover. _Vide_ Mr. _Pool_ upon _Acts_
xix. 17. where we may particularly observe, when the Man possess'd with
an evil Spirit flew upon the seven Sons of _Scaeva_ the _Jew_, who would
have Exorcis'd them in the Name of _Jesus_, without the Authority of
_Jesus_, or without Faith in him; He flew on them and master'd them, so
that they fled out of the House from the Devil conquered, naked and
wounded: But of this Power of the Devil I shall speak by it self.

In a Word, and to sum up all the _Devil_'s Story from his first
Expulsion, it stands thus: For so many Years as were between his Fall
and the Creation of Man, tho' we have no _Memoirs_ of his particular
Affairs, we have Reason to believe he was without any Manner of
Employment; but a certain tormenting Endeavour to be always expressing
his Rage and Enmity against Heaven; I call it tormenting, Because ever
disappointed; every thought about it proving empty; every attempt
towards it abortive; Leaving him only Light enough to see still more and
more Reason to despair of Success; and that this made his Condition
still more and more a Hell than it was before.

After a Space of Duration in this Misery, which we have no light given
us to measure or judge of, He at length discovered the new Creation of
Man, as above, upon which he soon found Matter to set himself to work
upon, and has been busily employ'd ever since.

And now indeed there may be room to suggest a Local _Hell_, and the
Confinement of Souls (made corrupt and degenerate by him) to it, as a
Place; tho' he himself, as is still apparent by his Actings, is not yet
confin'd to it; of this Hell, its Locality, Extent, Dimensions,
Continuance and Nature, as it does not belong to Satan's History, I have
a good excuse for saying nothing, and so put off my meddling with that,
which if I would meddle with, I could say nothing of to the Purpose.

CHAP. VIII.

_Of the Power of the Devil at the Time of the Creation of this World;
whether it has not been farther straitn'd and limited since that
Time, and what Shifts and Stratagems he is obliged to make use of to
compass his Designs upon Mankind._

Cunning Men have fabled, and tho' it be without either Religion,
Aut