young Lady of this Stamp, having heard of the Custom of washing and drying a Shift before the Fire on a Midfummer Eve, as we think; and that it was an infalible Means to help her to the Sight of her future Husband, who would certainly come and turn it, refolved to try the Experiment, imagining it perhaps but an innocent Frolick. Accordingly fhe did io, and about Mid ight the Appearance of a Man entered the Room, who, with a frowning A pect, going up to the Shift, as it hung by the Fire, and turning it, ftuck a Dagg r thro' it, which he left therein, and vanished; and which the took and locked up carefully. Whether the before knew this Perion, or not, we canno fay; but fo it was, that in process of Time he married him, was his Wife fome Years, and they lived comfortably. But, one unfortunate Day, going to the Place where the Dagger was concealed, to fearch for fomewhat, fhe took it out, not dreaming of the fatal Confequence, and her Husband fetting Eyes thereon, and knowing it to have been formerly his, asked her, with fome Sharpne, where she had it; and how she came by it. She hefirated fome Time about aufwering; but he, obferving it, and infisting upon knowing the Truth, the at laft related the whole Story, excufing herfelf by alledging, what might be true, that the thought no manner of Harm. Ay, is it fo? fays her Spoufe fte nly, And did you go to the Devil for a Husband! To the Devil then you fhall go again, by the Hands of your Husband: Which faid, he plunged the fatal Dagger into her Breaft ; and he afterwards declared, that no one upon the Rack could endure greater Tortures than he did all that Night when his Wife had recourfe to this wicked Practice; and that he verily believed his Spirit had been conveyed thither in his Sleep, by fome fupernatural Power, fince he not only remembered every Particular of his entring the Room, and ticking the Dagger in the Shift, &c. but, though he found himself in the Morning in his own

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Bed, he actually miffed his Dagger, and had never feen it again till then.

All the Remarks we fhall make upon this furprizing Story, are thefe; First, That we know not how far the Almighty may permit the Spirits of Darkness, who are always ready for any Mifchief, to exert their Power in gratifying the Curiofity of those who have recourfe to fuch unwarrantable Practices. Secondly, That aftonishing and unaccountable as this Relation is, we are credibly affured fomething fimilar to it happened to the great Duke of Buckingham, who was tabbed by Felton, which was as follows:

A Spectre in the Shape of his Father, Sir George Villiers, appearing to one of the poor Knights of Windfor, who had formerly been a Servant in his Family, charged him to tell his Son, that unlefs he mended his Courfes, he would fhortly be killed with that very Knife, which he the Spectre then gave him. The Man made fome Difficulty of complying with the Spirit's Defire, not only as not being likely to get Accefs to his Grace, but as being yet more unlikely to obtain Credit: Whereupon the Apparition acquainted him with fome particular Paffages, known only to his Son and himself, which he affured him would gain him Belief. Ac cordingly the Man went, and delivered the Duke the Meffage, with the Knife; relating to him at the fame Time thofe Paffages, which his Gracefwore could not have been told him by the Devil; wherefore, as it made fome Impreffion on him, he locked up the fatal Knife very carefully in his Cabinet But to little or no Purpose, for with that very Knife he was stabbed by Felton, who bought it but the Day before his Murder, in Portsmouth: At least the Duke, immediately after his being wounded, difpatched a Meffenger to London, with Orders to look for the Knife in that Cabinet, whereof he then gave him the Key, and it was gone.

Το

To return from whence we have digreffed, the be forementioned Examples, we believe, are more than fufficient to convince any one that is not downright incorrigible, not only of the Wickedness and Enormity, but alfo of the great Danger of having recourfe to any fuch fuperftitious Practices; at leaft, they who will not be forewarned by thefe, will be equally unmoved, fhould we multiply them without Number, which would not fuit with the Bounds of this Treatife, and would only weary out the Patience of the Generality of our Readers: Let us therefore conclude here what we have to fay upon this Head, and pafs on to the other Violations of this Commandment.

Another Practice, which is equally inexcufable, is that of making any Addition to, or any Retrenchment from, either the Holy Scriptures, or any Part of Divine Service. Now, though this cannot juftly be charged on any Brance of Protef tants that we know of, except the Quakers, who have banished both the Sacraments out of their Affemblies, it is what the Papifts are likewife notoriously guilty of; not only by erazing the Second out of the Number of their Commandments, as being an exprefs Condemnation of their impious Practices, but by denying the Cup to the Laity, and giving them the Communion but in one Kind, which is not only a Violation of the fame Law, but also of our Saviour's pofitive Injunction, Drink ye all of this. We hope, therefore, no one of any common Senfe will be in Danger, at this Time of Day, of being made Profelytes to either of these two fo erroneous Religions.

At leaft it would be very well, if every one, before he embraces that Communion, would remember what is faid towards the End of this Commandment, namely, that the Lord God is a jealous God; jealous of

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his Honour, which he will not allow of being given to another; and jealous of the Purity and Simplicity of the Worfhip that is offered to himielf, which he will not allow of being adulterated with human Inventions. It would likewife be well to remember, that he visits the Sins of the Fathers upon the Children, and that to the Third and Fourth Generation; fo that every one who tranfgreffes this Commandment, thereby intails a Curfe upon his Family, even beyond his Great Grand Children ; and though he may poffibly efcape Punishment himfelf in this World, has all the Reafon imaginable to fear it will fall the heavier on his innocent Pofterity. Laftly, it would be well to remember, that every one who tranfgrefles this Commandment, is looked upon by GOD as one that hates him, and must accordingly expect to be punished as fuch.

Having thus run through the Sins forbidden by this Commandment, and fhewn the good and evil Confequences attending the Obfervance or Breach thereof, particularly in that eminent Example of the Ifraelites, whofe Welfare or Slavery, almost conftantly depended upon their Regard or Difregard thereto, we fhail next proceed to confider the Third Commandment, which is as follows:

CHA P. III.

Of the good and bad Confequences of the Obfervance, or Non-Obfervance of the Third Commandment.

Hou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God T in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltlefs that taketh his Name in vain. It is very evi

dent

dent from the whole Tenor of this Commandment, when compared with the Conduct of the Generality of Mankind, even of the better Sort, that it is either very little understood, or very little kept in Remembrance; because there are few or none but what are guilty of the frequent Breach thereof, though perhaps not in fo fhocking a Manner, as the common Swearers and Curfers, who daily infeft our Streets, and whofe Mouths feldom open without an Oath, or blafphemous Imprecation.

For Inftance, what is more ufual, even amongst thofe who are counted in other refpects good fober People, and who would tremble at an Oath plainly expreffed, than for them on the most trivial Occafions, or on meeting with any flight Hurt or Misfortune, to cry out, O Jefu, O Chrift, O Lord, and O God, without any Awe or Reverence for, and even without thinking of, the great Name thus taken in vain? Or what is more ufual, than to hear them fay to one another, God help you, poor Thing, by way of Derifion, or Irony, or the Dewce take you, by the way of Jefting, each of which, nevertheless, is a direct Violation of this Law. In effect, it is not only certain, that it is broken by any of thefe, but also that it is violated whenever we mention it without due Reverence and Awe, even in reading a Chapter in the Bible, or faying our Prayers; a Circumftance which too many even of our C'ergy, who, by their hafty and irreverent Mann-*of flubbering over Divine Service, plainly fhew they are regardless of what they are about, would do well to keep in Remembrance.

It also highly concerns their Hearers to take Care they are not guilty of the fame, not only in faying the Lord's Prayer and Creed after the Minister, but in making their Refponfes in the Litany and Communion Service. But if the bare Mention of the Name of God, or Chrift, or Jefus, or any fuch-like G 3

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