Accidents > Life and most surprising adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, mariner, who lived eight and twenty years in an uninhabited island on the coast of America, near the mouth of the great river Oroonoque

IJO ROBINSON CRUSOE.
I had, it feems, one day, been talking to him of
the omnipotent power of God, and his infinite ab¬
horrence of fin, infomnch that the fcriptures ftiled
, him a cor fuming fire to all the workers of iniquity ;
and that it was in his power, whenever he pleafed, to
deftroy all the world in a moment, the greater part
of which are continually offending him.
When, with a ferious attention, he had lifiened a
great while to what I faid, after I had been telling
him, how the devil was God’s enemy in the hearts
of all men, and ufed all his malice and fkill to defeat
the good defigns of Providence, and to defiroy the
kingdom of Chrifi in the world, and fo forth : Very
well, Mailer (faid Friday), you fay, God is fo ftrong,
fo great, is he not much ftronger, much mightier than
the naughty devil ? To be lure, Friday, laid I, God
is more wife and ftronger than the ferpent: He is
above the devil, which makes us pray to him, that
he would tread down Satan under our feet, enable us
to refill: his violent temptations, and quench his fiery
darts. Why then, anfwered Friday quickly, if God, as
you fay, has much ftrong, much might as the devil, why
God no kill devil, make no more tempt, no more do wicked.
You may be certain' I was ftrangely furprifed at this
queftion or my man’s-, and tho’ an old man, I was
but a young do<ftor, and confequently very ill qualified
for a cafuift or a refolver of intricate doubts in reli¬
gion. And as it required fome time for me to ftudy
for an anfiver, I pretended not to hear him, nor to
ufk him what he faid : But fo earneft was he for an
anfwer, as not to forget the queftion, which he re¬
peated in the very fame broken words as above. When
I had recovered myfelf a little, Friday (fad I) God will
at lafi punifb him feverely, being referved for judgment,
and is to be cajl into the bottomlefs pit, to remain in fire
everlafiing. But all this did not fatisfy Friday, for re¬
turning upon me, he repeated my words, referve at
lafi, me no underfiartd; but why not kill devil now,
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