at the best of them in
particular; nay, the granting this point is giving an unanswerable
reason, why the _Devil_ practises with such unwearied and indefatigable
application upon the best men, if possible, to disappoint GOD
Almighty's decree, and that he should not find enough among the whole
Race, to be proper subjects of his clemency, and qualified to succeed
_the Devil_ and his host, or fill up the places vacant by the Fall. It
is true indeed, _the Devil_, who we have reason to say is no fool, ought
to know better than to suppose that if he should seduce the whole race
of mankind, and make them as bad as himself, he could, by that success
of his wickedness, thwart or disappoint the determined purposes of
Heaven; but that those which are appointed to inherit the Thrones, which
he and his followers abdicated, and were deposed from, shall certainly
be preserv'd in spite of his Devices for that inheritance, and shall
have the possession secur'd to them, notwithstanding all that _the
Devil_ and all the Host of _Hell_ can do to prevent it.

But, however he knows the certainty of this, and that when he endeavours
the seducing the chosen servants of the most High, he fights against GOD
himself, struggles with irresistible grace, and makes war with infinite
power; undermining the church of God, and that faith in him which is
fortified with the eternal promises of Jesus Christ, that the gates of
_Hell_, that is to say, the _Devil_ and all his power, shall not prevail
against them; I say, however he knows the impossibility there is that he
should obtain his ends, yet so blind is his rage, so infatuate his
wisdom, that he cannot refrain breaking himself to pieces against this
mountain, and splitting against the rock. _qui Jupiter vult perdere hos
dementat._

But to leave this serious part, which is a little too solemn, for the
account of this rebel; seeing we are not to expect he will write his own
History for our information and diversion, I shall see if I cannot write
it for him: In order to this, I shall extract the substance of his
whole story, from the beginning to our own times, which I shall collect
out of what is come to hand, whether by revelation or inspiration,
that's nothing to him; I shall take care so to improve my intelligence,
as may make my account of him authentick, and, _in a word_, such as the
Devil himself shall not be able to contradict.

In writing this uncouth story I shall be freed from the censures o