InEnglandthesamewarfarewenton。JohnLockehadassertedthetruth，butthetheologicalviewcontinuedtocontrolpublicopinion。MostprominentamongthosewhoexercisedgreatpowerinitsbehalfwasJohnWesley，andthestrengthandbeautyofhischaractermadehisinfluenceinthisrespectallthemoreunfortunate。ThesameservitudetothemereletterofScripturewhichledhimtodeclarethat“togiveupwitchcraftistogiveuptheBible。”controlledhiminregardtoinsanity。Heinsisted，ontheauthorityoftheOldTestament，thatbodilydiseasesaresometimescausedbydevils，and，upontheauthorityoftheNewTestament，thatthegodsoftheheathenaredemons；hebelievedthatdreams，whileinsomecasescausedbybodilyconditionsandpassions，areshownbyScripturetobealsocausedbyoccultpowersofevil；hecitesaphysiciantoprovethat“mostlunaticsarereallydemoniacs。”InhisgreatsermononEvilAngels，hedwellsuponthispointespecially；resiststheideathat“possession“maybeepilepsy，eventhoughordinarysymptomsofepilepsybepresent；protestsagainst“givinguptoinfidelssuchproofsofaninvisibleworldasaretobefoundindiabolicpossession“；andevidentlybelievesthatsomewhohavebeenmadehystericalbyhisownpreachingare“possessedofSatan。”Onallthis，andmuchmoretothesameeffect，heinsistedwithallthepowergiventohimbyhisdeepreligiousnature，hiswonderfulfamiliaritywiththeScriptures，hisnaturalacumen，andhiseloquence。
Buthere，too，sciencecontinueditswork。Theoldbeliefwassteadilyundermined，anatmospherefavourabletothetruthwasmoreandmoredeveloped，andtheactofParliament，in1735，whichbanishedthecrimeofwitchcraftfromthestatutebook，wasthebeginningoftheend。
InGermanyweseethebeginningsofasimilartriumphforscience。InPrussia，thatsturdyoldmonarch，FrederickWilliamI，nullifiedtheeffortsofthemorezealousclergyandorthodoxjuriststokeepuptheolddoctrineinhisdominions；throughoutProtestantGermany，whereithadragedmostseverely，itwas，asarule，castoutoftheChurchformulas，catechisms，andhymns，andbecamemoreandmoreasubjectforjocoseallusion。Fromforceofhabit，andforthesakeofconsistency，someofthemoreconservativetheologianscontinuedtorepeattheoldarguments，andthereweremanywhoinsisteduponthebeliefasabsolutelynecessarytoordinaryorthodoxy；butitisevidentthatithadbecomeamereconventionality，thatmenonlybelievedthattheybelievedit，andnowareformseemedpossibleinthetreatmentoftheinsane。[377]
[377]ForJohnLocke，seeKing’sLifeofLocke，pp。326，327。
ForWesley，outofhisalmostinnumerablewritingsbearingonthesubject，ImayselectthesermononEvilAngels，andhisLettertoDr。Middleton；andinhiscollectedworks，therearemanystrikingstatementsandarguments，especiallyinvols。iii，vi，andix。SeealsoTyerman’sLifeofWesley，vol。ii，pp。260etseq。Luther’sgreathymn，Ein’festeBurg，remained，ofcourse，aprominentexceptiontotherule；butapopularproverbcametoexpressthegeneralfeeling：“AufTeufelreimtsichZweifel。”