SUBSECT. 4. Prognosticks of Religious Melancholy.

You may guess at the Prognosticks, by the Symptomes. What can these signes foretel otherwise than folly, dotage, madness, gross ignorance, despair, obstinacy, a reprobate sense, a bad end? What else can superstition, heresie produce, but wars, tumults, uprores, torture of souls, and despaire, a desolate land, as Jeremy teacheth, cap. 7. 34. when they commit Idolatry, and walk after their own wayes?

how should it be otherwise with them? what can they expect but blasting, famine, dearth, and all the plagues of Ægypt, as Amos denounceth, cap. 4. vers. 9. 10. to be led into captivity? If our hopes be frustrate, we sow much and bring in little, eat and have not enough, drink and are not filled, clothe and be not warme, &c. Haggai 1. 6. we look for much and it comes to little, whence is it? His house was waste, they came to their own houses, vers. 9. therefore the heaven staid his dew, the earth his fruit:

Because we are superstitious, irreligious, we do not serve God as we ought, all these plagues and miseries come upon us; what can we look for else but mutual wars, slaughters, fearfull ends in this life, and in the life to come eternal damnation? What is it that hath caused so many feral battles to be fought, so much Christian blood shed, but superstition? That Spanish Inquisition, Racks, Wheels, Tortures, Torments, whence do they proceed? from superstition.

Bodine the Frenchman in his method. hist. accounts Englishmen Barbarians, for their civil wars: but let him but read those Pharsalian fields fought of late in France for Religion, their Massacres, wherein by their own relations in 24. years, I know not how many millions have been consumed, whole families and cities, and he shall find ours to have been but velitations to theirs.

But it hath ever been the custome of hereticks and idolaters, when they are plagued for their sins, and Gods just judgements come upon them, not to acknowledge any fault in themselves, but still impute it unto others. In Cyprians time it was much controverted betwixt him and Demetrius an idolater, who should be the cause of those present calamities. Demetrius laid all the fault on Christians, (and so they did ever in the primitive Church, as appears by the first book of Arnobius)

that there were not such ordinary showres in Winter, the ripening heat in Summer, so seasonable Springs, fruitful Autumnes, no marble mines in the mountaines, less gold and silver than of old; that husbandmen, seamen, souldiers, all were scanted, justice, friendship, skill in Arts, all was decayed, and that through Christians default, and all their other miseries from them, quòd dii nostri à vobis non colantur, because they did not worship their gods.

But Cyprian retorts all upon him again, as appears by his Tract against him. ’Tis true the world is miserably tormented and shaken with wars, dearth, famine, fire, inundations, plagues, and many feral diseases rage amongst us, sed non ut tu quereris ista accidunt quod dii vestri a nobis non colantur, sed quod à vobis non colatur Deus, à quibus nec quæritur, nec timetur,

Not as thou complainest, that we do not worship your Gods, but because you are Idolaters, and do not serve the true God, neither seek him, nor fear him as you ought. Our Papists object as much to us, and account us heretiques, we them; the Turks esteem of both as Infidels, and we them as a company of Pagans, Jews against all;

When indeed there is a generall fault in us all, and something in the very best, which may justly deserve Gods wrath, and pull these miseries upon our heads. I will say nothing here of those vain cares, torments, needless works, pennance, pilgrimages, pseudomartyrdome, &c. We heap upon our selves unnecessary troubles, observations;

we punish our bodies, as in Turkie (saith Busbequius leg. Turcic. ep. 3.) one did, that was much affected with Musick, and to hear Boyes sing, but very superstitious; an old Sybil coming to his house, or an holy woman (as that place yeelds many) took him down for it, and told him, that in that other world he should suffer for it; thereupon he flung his rich and costly Instruments which he had bedeckt with Jewels, all at once into the fire.

He was served in silver plate, and had goodly houshold-stuffe: a little after, another religious man reprehended him in like sort, and from thenceforth he was served in earthen vessels. Last of all, a decree came forth, because Turks might not drink wine themselves, that neither Jew nor Christian then living in Constantinople, might drink any wine at all.

In like sort amongst Papists, fasting at first was generally proposed as a good thing; after, from such meats at set times; and then last of all so rigorously proposed, to binde the consciences upon pain of damnation. First Fryday, saith Erasmus, then Saturday, & nunc periclitatur dies Mercurii, and Wednesday now is in danger of a fast.

And for such like toyes, some so miserably afflict themselves, to despaire, and death it self, rather then offend, and think themselves good Christians in it, when as indeed they are superstitious Jews.

So saith Leonardus Fuchsius, a great Physician in his time, We are tortured in Germany with these Popish edicts, our bodies so taken down, our goods so diminished, that if God had not sent Luther, a worthy man, in time to redresse these mischiefes, we should have eaten hay with our horses before this.

As in fasting, so in all other superstitious edicts, we crucifie one another without a cause, barring our selves of many good and lawfull things, honest disports, pleasures and recreations; for wherefore did God create them but for our use? Feasts, mirth, musick, hauking, hunting, singing, dancing, &c. non tam necessitatibus nostris Deus inservit, sed in delitiis amamur, as Seneca notes, God would have it so.

And as Plato 2. de legibus gives out, Deos laboriosam hominum vitam miseratos, the gods in commiseration of humane estate sent Apollo, Bacchus, and the Muses, qui cum voluptate tripudia & saltationes nobis ducant, to be merry with mortals, to sing and dance with us.