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Æsculapius of old, that counterfeit God, did as many famous cures; his temple (as Strabo relates) was daily full of patients, and as many severall tables, inscriptions, pendants, donaries, &c. to be seen in his church, as at this day at our Lady of Loretta’s in Italy. It was a custome long since,
——suspendisse potenti Vestimenta maris deo. (Hor. Od. 1. lib. 5. Od.)
To do the like, in former times they were seduced and deluded as they are now. ’Tis the same devil still, called heretofore Apollo, Mars, Neptune, Venus, Æsculapius, &c. as Lactantius lib. 2. de orig. erroris, c. 17. observes. The same Iupiter, and those bad angels are now worshipped, and adored by the name of S. Sebastian, Barbara, &c. Christopher and George are come in their places. Our Lady succeeds Venus (as they use her in many offices) the rest are otherwise supplied, as Lavater writes, and so they are deluded.
And God often winkes at these impostures, because they forsake his word, and betake themselves to the devil, as they do that seek after Holy water, crosses, &c. Wierus lib. 4. cap. 3. What can these men plead for themselves more then the heathen gods, the same cures done by both, the same spirit that seduceth: but reade more of the Pagan gods effects in Austin de Civitate Dei l. 10. cap. 6. and of Æsculapius especially in Cicogna l. 3. cap. 8.
Or put case they could help, why should we rather seek to them, then to Christ himself, since that he so kindly invites us unto him, Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden, and I will ease you, Mat. 11. and we know that there is one God, one Mediator betwixt God and man Jesus Christ, (1 Tim. 2.5.) who gave himself a ransome for all men.
We know that we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ. (1 Ioh. 2.1.) that there is no other name under heaven, by which we can be saved, but by his; who is alwaies ready to hear us, and sits at the right hand of God, and from whom we can have no repulse, solus vult, solus potest, curat universos tanquam singulos, & unumquemque nostrum ut solum, we are all as one to him, he cares for us all as one, and why should we then seek to any other but to him?