m in awe of him, he sends and cures diseases, disquiets their spirits (as Cyprian saith) torments and terrifies their souls, to make them adore him: and all his study, all his endeavour is to divert them from true Religion, to superstition: and because he is damned himself, and in an errour, he would have all the world participate of his errours, and be damned with him." The primum mobile therefore, and first mover of all superstition, is the Devil, that great enemy of mankind, the principal agent, who in a thousand several shapes, after divers fashions, with several engines, illusions, and by several names hath deceived the inhabitants of the earth, in several places and countries, still rejoycing at their fals. "All the world over before Christ's time, he freely domineered, and held the souls of men in most slavish subjection, (saith Eusebius,) in divers forms, ceremonies, and sacrifices, till Christ's coming," as if those divels of the Ayre had shared the earth amongst them, which the Platonists held for Gods, (* Ludus deorum sumus) and were our governours and keepers. In several places, they had several rites, orders, names, of which read Wierus de præstigiis dæmonum lib. 1. cap. 5. " Strozius, Cicogna, and others; Adonided amongst the Syrians; Adramalech amongst the Capernaites, Asinie amongst the Emathites; Astartes with the Sydonians, Asteroth with the Palestines; Dagon with the Philistines; Tartary with the Hanai; Melchonis amongst the Ammonites Beli the Babylonian, Beelzebub and Baal with the Samaritans and Moabites, Apis, Isis and Osyris amongst the Egyptians: Apollo Pythius at Delphos, Colophon, Ancyra, Cuma, Erythra: Jupiter in Crete, Venus at Cyprus, Juno at Carthage, Esculapius at Epidaurus, Diana at Ephesus, Palas at Athens, &c. And even in these our days, both in the East and West Indies, in Tartary, China, Japan, &c. what strange Idols, in what prodigious forms, with what absurd ceremonies are they adored? What strange Sacraments, like ours of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, what goodly Temples, Priests, sacrifices they had in America when the Spaniards first landed there, let Acosta the Jesuite relate lib. 5. cap. 1, 2, 3, 4, &c. and how the Divel imitated the Ark, and the children of Israel's coming out of Egypt: with many such. For as Lip n 1 Vitam turbant, somnos inquietant, irrepentes etiam in corpora mentes terrent, valetudinem frangunt, morbos lacessunt, ut ad cultum sui cogant, nec aliud his studium, quam ut a vera religione, ad superstitionem vertant; cum sint ipsi pœnales, quærunt sibi adponas comites, ut habeant erroris participes. Lib. 4. præparat. Evangel. c. Tantamque victoriam amentia hominum consequuti sunt, ut si colligere in unum velis, universum orbem istis scelestibus spiritibus subjectum fuisse invenies: Usque ad Salvatoris adventum hominum cæde pernitiosissimos dæmones placabant, &c. * Plato. D Strozius, Cicogna omnif. mag. lib. 3. cap. 7. Ezek. 8. 4. Reg. 11. 4. Reg. 3. & 17. 14, Jer. 49. Num. 11. 3 Reg. 13. sius sius well discourseth out of the doctrine of the Stoicks, maximè cupiunt adorationem hominum, now and of old, they still and most especially desire to be adored by men. See but what Vertomannus, l. 5. c. 2. Marcus Polus, Lerius, Benzo, P. Martyr in his Ocean Decades, Acosta, and Mat. Riccius expedit. Christ. in Sinus, lib. 1. relate. Eusebius wonders how that wise city of Athens, and flourishing kingdoms of Greece should be so besotted; and we in our times, how those witty China's, so perspicacious in all other things should be so gulled, so tortured with superstition, so blind as to worship stocks and stones. But it is no marvel, when we see all out as great effects amongst Christians themselves: how are those Anabaptists, Arrians, and Papists above the rest, miserably infatuated! Mars, Jupiter, Apollo, and Esculapius, have resigned their interest, names and offices to Saint George, «* (Maxime bellorum rector, quem nostra juventus St. Christopher, and a company of fictitious Saints, Venus to the Lady of Lauretta. And as those old Romans had several distinct gods, for divers offices, persons, places, so have they Saints, as P Lavater well observes out of Lactantius, mutata nomine tantum, 'tis the same spirit or Divel that deludes them still. The manner how, as I say, is by rewards, promises, terrors, affrights, punishments: In a word, faire and foule means, Hope and fear. How often hath Jupiter, Apollo, Bacchus and the rest, sent plagues in Greece and Italy, because their sacrifices were neglected? "Dii multa neglecti dederunt to terrifie them, to rouze them up, and the like: see but Livy, Dyonysius Halicarnassæus, Thucydides, Pausanias, Philostratus, Polybius, before the battel of Cannas, prodigiis signis, ostentis, templa cuncta, privatæ etiam ædes scatebant. Oeneus raigned in Etolia, and because he did not sacrifice to Diana with his other Gods (see more in Libanius his Diana) she sent a wild Bore, insolite magnitudinis, qui terras & homines miserè depascebatur, to spoil both men and country, which was afterwards killed by Meleager. So Plutarch in the life of Lucullus relates, how Mithridates King of Pontus, at the scige of Cizicum, with all his Navy was overthrown by Lib. 4. cap. 8. præpar. Part. 1. cap. 1. & lib. 2. cap. 9. 3. od. 6. Lib. 3. hist. Bapt. Mant. 4. Fast. de Sancto Georgio. 9 Polyd. Virg. lib. 1. de prodig. † Hor. 1. Proserpina, Proserpina, for neglecting of her holy day. She appeared in a vision to Aristagoras in the night, Cras inquit tybicinem Libicum cum tybicine pontico committam, and the day following this Enigma was understood; for with a great South wind which came from Lybia, she quite overwhelmed Mithridates' army. What prodigies and miracles, dreams, visions, predictions, apparitions, oracles, have been of old at Delphos, Dodona, Trophonius Denne, at Thebes, and Lebaudia, of Jupiter Ammon in Egypt, Amphiareus in Attica, &c. what strange cures performed by Apollo and Esculapius? Juno's Image, and that of Fortune spake, Castor and Pollux fought in person for the Romans against Hannibal's army, as Pallas, Mars, Juno, Venus, for Greeks and Trojans, &c. Amongst our pseudocatholiques, nothing so familiar as such miracles; how many cures done by our Lady of Lauretta, at Sichem! of old at our S. Thomas Shrine, &c. S. Sabine was seen to fight for Arnulphus Duke of Spoleto. "S. George fought in person for John the bastard of Portugal, against the Castilians; S. James for the Spaniards in America. In the battel of Bonnoxburn, where Edward the second, our English King, was foyled by the Scots, S. Philanus' arm was seen to fight (if Hector Boethius doth not impose) that was before shut up in a silver capcase: Another time in the same Author, S. Magnus fought for them. Now for visions, revelations, miracles, not only out of the Legend, out of purgatory, but every day comes news from the Indies, and at home, read the Jesuits' letters, Ribadineira, Thurselinus, Acosta, Lippomanus, Xaverius, Ignatius lives, &c. and tell me what difference? t His ordinary instruments or factors which he useth, as God himself, did good Kings, Lawful Magistrates, patriarchs, prophets, to the establishing of his Church, are Polititians, Statesmen, Priests, Heretiques, blind guides, Impostors, pseudoprophets, to propagate his superstition. And first to begin of Polititians, it hath ever been a principal axiom with them to maintain religion or superstition, which they determine of, alter and vary upon all occasions, as to them seems best, they make Religion meer policie, a cloak, a humane invention, nihil aquè valet ad regendos vulgi animos ac superstitio,, as 2 Tacitus and Tully hold. Austin l. 4. de civitat. Dei. c. 9. censures Scævola saying and acknowledging, expedire civitates religione fulli, that it was a fit thing cities should be deceived by religion, according to the diverb, Si mundus vult decipi, de Oratâ lege me dicastis mulieres Dion Halicarn. Tully de nat. deorum lib. 2. Æqua Venus Teucris Pallas iniqua fuit. Jo. Molanus lib. 3. cap. 59. * Pet. Oliver. de Johanne primo Portugalliæ Rege strenue pugnans, & diversæ partis ictus clypeo excipiens. * L. 14. Loculos sponte aperuisse & pro iis pugnasse. Religion, as they hold, is policie, invented alone to keep men in awe. 21. Annal. ⚫ Omnes religione moventur. 5. in Verrem. cipiatur, cipiatur, if the world will be gulled, let it be gulled, 'tis good howsoever to keep it in subjection. 'Tis that Aristotle and *Plato inculcate in their Politiques, "Religion neglected, brings plagues to the city, opens a gap to all naughtiness." 'Tis that which all our late Polititians ingeminate. Cromerus l. 2. pol. hist. Boterus, 1.3.de incrementis urbium, Clapmarius l. 2. c. 9. de Arcanis rerump. Arneseus cap. 4. lib. 2. polit. Captain Machiavel will have a prince by all means to counterfeit religion, to be superstitious in shew at least, to seem to be devout, frequent holy exercises, honour divines, love the Church, affect priests, as Numa, Lycurgus, and such law-makers were, and did, non ut his fidem habeant, sed ut subditos religionis metu facilius in officio contineant, to keep people in obedience. + Nam naturaliter (as Cardan writes) lex Christiana lex est pietatis, justitiæ, fidei, simplicitatis, &c. But this error of his, Innocentius Jentilettus a French Lawyer, Theorem. 9. comment. 1. de Relig. and Thomas Bozius in his book de ruinis gentium & Regnorum have copiously confuted. Many Polititians, I dare not deny, maintain Religion as a true means, and sincerely speak of it without hypocrisie, are truely zealous and religious themselves. Justice and Religion are the two chief props and supporters of a well-governed commonwealth: but most of them are but Machiavellians, counterfeits only for political ends; for Solus Rex (which Campanella cap. 18. Atheismi Triumphati observes) as amongst our modern Turks, Reipub. Finis, as knowing magnus ejus in animos imperium; and that, as Sabellicus delivers, "A man without religion, is like an horse without a bridle." No way better to curb then superstition, to terrifie men's consciences, and to keep them in awe: they make new laws, statutes, invent new religions, ceremonies, as so many stalking horses, to their ends. Hæc enim (religio) si falsa sit, dummodo vera credatur, animorum ferociam domat, libidines coercet, subditos principi obsequentes efficit. Therefore (saith Polybius of Lycurgus,)" did he maintain ceremonies, not that he was superstitious himself, but that he perceived mortal men more apt to embrace Paradoxes, then ought else, and durst attempt no evil things for fear of the Gods." This was Zamolcus' stratagem amongst the Thracians Numa's plot, when he said he had conference with the nymph Ægeria, and that of Sertorius with an Hart; To get more credit to their Decrees, by deriv d Zeleuchus, præfat. legis qui urbem aut regionem inhabitant, persuasos esse oportet esse Deos. 10. de legibus. Religio neglecta maximam pestem in civitatem infert, omnium scelerum fenestram aperit. + Cardanus Com. in Ptolomeum quadripart, Lipsius 1. 1. c. 3. d Homo sine religione, sicut equus Vaninus dial. 52. de oraculis. Lib. 10. Ideo Lycurgus, &c. non quod ipse superstitiosus, sed quod videret mortales paradoxa facilius amplecti, nec res graves audere sine periculo deorum. sine fræno. VOL. II. Kk ing ing them from the gods; or else they did all by divine instinct, which Nicholas Damascen well observes of Lycurgus, Solon, and Minos, they had their laws dictated, monte sacro, by Jupiter himself. So Mahomet referred his new laws to the *Angel Gabriel by whose direction he gave out they were made. Caligula in Dion fained himself to be familiar with Castor and Pollux, and many such, which kept those Romans under (who, as Machiavel proves, lib. 1. disput. cap. 11. & 12. were Religione maximè moti, most superstitious :) and did curb the people more by this means, then by force of arms, or severity of humane laws. Sola plebecula eam agnoscebat (saith Vaninus dial 1. lib. 4. de admirandis naturæ arcanis} speaking of Religion, que facilè decipitur, magnates vero & Phi losophi nequaquam, your Grandies and Philosophers had no such conceit, sed ad imperii conformationem & amplificationem, quam sine prætextu religionis tueri non poterant; and many thousands in all ages have ever held as much, Philosophers especially, animadvertebant hi semper hæc esse fabellas, attamen ob metum publicæ potestatis silere cogebantur, they were still silent for fear of Laws, &c. To this end that Syrian Phyresides, Pythagoras his master, broached in the East amongst the Heathens, first the immortality of the Soul, as Trismegistus did in Egypt, with a many of fained Gods. Those French and Britain Druides in the West first taught, saith Cæsar, non interire animas, "but after death to go from one to another, that so they might encourage them to vertue." 'Twas for a politique end, and to this purpose the old Poets fained those Elysian fields, their acus, Minos, and Rhadamanthus, their infernal judges, and those Stygian lakes, fiery Phlegetons, Pluto's kingdome, and variety of torments after death. Those that had done well, went to the Elysian fields, but evil doers to Cocytus, and to that burning lake of hell with fire and brimstone for ever to be tormented. 'Tis this which Plato labors for in his Phædon, & 9. de rep. The Turks in their Alcoran, when they set down rewards, and several punishments for every particular vertue and vice, when they perswade men, that they that die in battle shall go directly to heaven, but wicked livers to eternal torment, and all of all sorts (much like our Papistical Purgatory) for a set time shall be tortured in their graves, as appears by that tract which John * Cleonardus epist. 1. Novas leges suas ad Angelum Gabrielem referebat, quo monitore mentiebatur omnia se gerere. Lib. 16. belli Gallici. Ut metu mortis neglecto, ad virtutem incitarent. 'De his lege Lucianum de luctu Tom. I. Homer. Odyss. 11. Virg. Æn. 6. Baratheo sulfure & flammâ stagnante æternum demergebantur. § Et 3. de repub, omnis institutio adolescentum es referenda ut de deo bene sentiant ob commune bonum. & Boterus. Baptista |