ries where the dominion of _Satan_ is more particularly
establish'd, and where they may be said to worship him in a more
particular manner, as _a Devil_; which some tell us the _Indians_ in
_America_ did, who worship'd the _Devil_ that he might not hurt them;
yet, _I say_, I do not find that even there the _Devil_ appear'd to them
in any particular constant shape or personality peculiar to himself.

Scripture and History therefore, giving us no light into that part of
the question, I conclude and lay it down, not as my opinion only, but as
what all ages seem to concur in, that the _Devil_ has no particular
body; that he is a spirit, and that tho' he may, _Proteus_ like, assume
the appearance of either man or beast, yet it must be some borrow'd
shape, some assum'd figure, _pro hac vice_, and that he has no visible
body of his own.

I thought it needful to discuss this as a preliminary, and that the next
discourse might go upon a certainty in this grand point; namely, that
the Devil, however, he may for his particular occasions put himself into
a great many shapes, and clothe himself, perhaps, with what appearances
he pleases, yet that he is himself still a meer Spirit, that he retains
the seraphic Nature, is not visible by our eyes, which are human and
Organic, neither can he act with the ordinary Powers, or in the ordinary
manner as bodies do; and therefore, when he has thought fit to descend
to the meannesses of disturbing and frightning children and old women,
by noises and knockings, dislocating the chairs and stools, breaking
windows, and such like little ambulatory things, which would seem to be
below the dignity of his character, and which in particular, is
ordinarily performed by organic Powers; yet even then he has thought fit
not to be seen, and rather to make the poor people believe he had a real
shape and body, with hands to act, mouth to speak, _and the like_, than
to give proof of it in common to the whole World, by shewing himself,
and acting visibly and openly, as a body usually and ordinarily does.

Nor is it any disadvantage to the Devil, that his Seraphic nature is not
confin'd or imprison'd in a body or shape, suppose that shape to be what
monstrous thing we would; for this would, indeed, confine his actings
within the narrow sphere of the organ or body to which he was limited;
and tho' you were to suppose the body to have wings for a velocity of
Motion equal to spirit, yet if it had not a power of i