I have chose 12. of you to familiarity with me, to by my Apostles, & for all one of you is a Devil.
Repetition intensifies the theme: even those closest to God can harbor corruption. For his listeners, this implies that anyone among them could be a hidden threat.
Have not I chosen you twelve, & one of you is a Devil
Parris draws a biblical parallel between the apostles and his own congregation. The “Devil among the twelve” allows him to accuse indirectly without naming individuals. He emphasizes the presence of evil within the church and warns against hypocrisy.
To be deeply humbled for the appearances of Devils among our Churches. If the Church of Corinth were called to mourn because of one incestuous person among them. 1 Cor. 5 initio How much more may N-E Churches mourn that such as work witchcraft, or are vehemently suspected so to do should be found among them.
Parris compares Salem’s situation to biblical examples (Corinth) to emphasize moral accountability. He heightens fear by linking witchcraft suspicions to spiritual corruption.
stocks and stones,
stocks and stones: idols made of wood or rock; cf. Jeremiah 2:26-27: "As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets, | Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us." See also Wisdom of Solomon 14:21: "And this was an occasion to deceive the world: for men, serving either calamity or tyranny, did ascribe unto stones and stocks the incommunicable name"; and Milton, Sonnet 18, "On the Late Massacre in Piedmont": "When all our fathers worshipped stocks and stones" (4).