Page:Wonderful progidies (sic) of judgment and mercy.pdf/59

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divers Magicians and Witches.
59

would ſay, "This is he whom the devil called bold Rothwell"

Mr. Rothwell turning to the people, ſaid, Good people, you ſee the goodness of our God and his great power, though the devil made a fool of me even now through my weakneſs, God hath made the devil dumb now; do but obſerve how the man lies, therefore let us go to prayer, and that God who hath made him dumb, will, I doubt not, drive him out of this poor man.

The devil hereupon raged, blaſphemed, and ſaid, And wilt thou go to prayer, if thou doſt, I will make ſuch a noiſe, that thy prayer ſhall be diſtracted, and thou knoweſt God will not hear a diſtracted prayer; but thou haſt got a device, becauſe thou wilt not be diſtracted, thou ſhutteſt thy eyes in prayer, (for ſo he always did) but if thou pray, I will pull out thy eyes.

Rothwell. I look to find thee as great an enemy in this duty now, as I have done heretofore, but I fear not thy threats, I know thou art limited, God heareth the prayers of the upright, and hath promiſed to give his Spirit to ſupply infirmities, therefore in confidence of his promiſe, and powerful aſſiſtance of his Spirit, and in the name and interceſſion of his Son Jesus Chriſt, we will go to prayer: and accordingly they did ſo, Mr. Rothwell kneeling by the bedſide where the poor man lay; the devil for more than a quarter of an hour made a moſt horrible noiſe; however Mr Rothwell's voice was louder than his, and a while after the devil roared at the very face of Mr. Rothwell, wherewith the body of the man moved, and the hand was held up which was the firſt time he ſtirred; Mr. Rothwell took the hand, and held it down with much eaſe, two men being ſcarce able to hold the other hand; get prayers were ſtill continued, and at length the devil lay ſilent in the man, and ſoon after departed out of him; the man then fetched ſeveral deep ſighs, inſomuch that they believed