In a word, as Seneca concludes, Religio Deum colit, superstitio destruit, superstition destroyes, but true Religion honours God. True Religion, ubi verus Deus vere colitur, where the true God is truely worshipped, is the way to Heaven, the mother of all vertues, Love, Fear, Devotion, Obedience, Knowledge, &c. It rears the dejected Soul of man, and amidst so many cares, miseries, persecutions, which this world affords, it is a sole ease, an unspeakable comfort, a sweet reposal, Jugum suave, & leve, a light yoke, an anchor, and an Haven.

It addes courage, boldness, and begets generous spirits: although tyrants rage, persecute, and that bloudy Lictor or Serjeant be ready to martyr them, aut lita, aut morere, (as in those persecutions of the primitive Church, it was put in practise, as you may read in Eusebius and others) though enemies be now ready to invade, and all in an uproare, Si fractus illabatur orbis, impavidos ferient ruinæ, though heaven should fall on his head, he would not be dismaid.

But as a good Christian prince once made answer to a menacing Turke, facilè scelerata hominum arma contemnit, qui dei præsidio tutus est: Or as Phalaris writ to Alexander in a wrong cause, he nor any other enemie could terrifie him, for that he trusted in God. Si Deus nobiscum, quis contra nos?

In all calamities, persecutions whatsoever, as David did, 2 Sam. 2. 22. he will sing with him, The Lord is my rock, my fortresse, my strength, my refuge, the towre and horn of my salvation, &c. In all troubles and adversities, Psal. 46. 1. God is my hope and help, still ready to be found, I will not therefore fear, &c. ’tis a fear expelling fear; he hath peace of conscience, and is full of hope, which is (saith Austin) vita vitæ mortalis, the life of this our mortall life, hope of immortality, the sole comfort of our misery:

otherwise as Paul saith, we of all others were most wretched, but this makes us happy, counterpoising our hearts in all miserie; superstition torments, and is from the Divell, the author of lies; but this is from God himself, as Lucian that Antiochian Priest made his divine confession in Eusebius, Author nobis de Deo Deus est, God is the author of our Religion himself, his word is our rule, a lanthorn to us, dictated by the holy Ghost; he playes upon our hearts as so many harp-strings, and we are his Temples, he dwelleth in us, and we in him.

The part affected of superstition, is the brain, heart, will, understanding, soul it self, and all the faculties of it, totum compositum, all is mad, and dotes: Now for the extent, as I say, the world it self is the subject of it, (to omit that grand sin of Atheisme) all times have been misaffected, past, present, there is not one that doth good, no not one from the Prophet to the Priest, &c.

A lamentable thing it is to consider, how many myriads of men this idolatrie and superstition (for that comprehends all) hath infatuated in all ages, besotted by this blind zeal, which is Religions Ape, Religions bastard, Religions shadow, false glass. For where God hath a Temple, the Divell will have a chappel: where God hath sacrifices, the Divell will have his oblations; where God hath ceremonies, the Divell will have his traditions; where there is any religion, the Divell will plant superstition; and ’tis a pitifull sight to behold and read, what tortures, miseries it hath procured, what slaughter of soules it hath made, how it rageth amongst those old Persians, Syrians, Ægyptians, Greeks, Romans, Tuscans, Gaules, Germanes, Britaines, &c.

Britannia jam hodie celebrat tam attonitè, saith Pliny, tantis ceremoniis (speaking of superstition) ut dedisse Persis videri possit. The Britaines are so stupendly superstitious in their ceremonies, that they go beyond those Persians.

He that shall but read in Pausanias alone, those gods, temples, altars, Idols, statues, so curiously made with such infinite cost and charge, amongst those old Greeks, such multitudes of them and frequent varieties, as Gerbelius truely observes, may stand amazed, and never enough wonder at it; and thank God withall, that by the light of the Gospel, we are so happily freed from that slavish Idolatrie in these our dayes. But heretofore almost in all countries, in all places, superstition hath blinded the hearts of men: in all ages what a small portion hath the true Church ever been!

Divisum imperium cum Jove Dæmon habet.

The Patriarchs and their families, the Israelites a handfull in respect, Christ and his Apostles, and not all of them neither. Into what straights hath it been compinged, a little flock! how hath superstition on the other side dilated her self, errour, ignorance, barbarisme, folly, madness, deceived, triumphed, and insulted over the most wise, discreet and understanding men, Philosophers, Dynastes, Monarches, all were involved and over-shadowed in this mist, in more than Cymmerian darkness. Adeo ignara superstitio mentes hominum depravat, & nonnunquam sapientum animos transversos agit.

At this present, quota pars! How small a part is truely religious! How little in respect! Divide the World into six parts, and one or not so much is Christians; Idolaters and Mahometans possesse almost Asia, Africk, America, Magellanica. The Kings of China, great Cham, Siam, and Bornaye, Pegu, Decan, Narsinga, Japan, &c. are Gentiles, Idolaters, and many other pettie Princes in Asia, Monomotopa, Congo, and I know not how many Negro Princes in Africk, all Terra Australis incognita most of America Pagans, differing all in their severall superstitions; and yet all Idolaters.

The Mahometans extend themselves over the great Turks dominions in Europe, Afrik, Asia, to the Xeriffes in Barbary, and his territories in Fez, Sus, Morocco, &c. The Tartar, the great Mogor, the Sophy of Persia, with most of their dominions and subjects, are at this day Mahometans. See how the Divell rageth: Those at oddes, or differing amongst themselves, some for Alli, some for Enbocar, for Acmar, and Ozimen, those four Doctors, Mahomets successors, and are subdivided into 72 inferior sects, as Leo Afer reports.

The Jews as a company of vagabonds are scattered over all parts; whose story, present estate, progresse from time to time, is fully set down by Mr. Thomas Jackson Doctor of Divinity, in his Comment on the Creed. A fift part of the world, and hardly that, now professeth CHRIST, but so inlarded and interlaced with several superstitions, that there is scarce a sound part to be found, or any agreement amongst them.

Presbyter John in Africk, Lord of those Abyssines, or Æthiopians, is by his profession a Christian, but so different from us, with such new absurdities and ceremonies, such liberty, such a mixture of Idolatry and Paganisme, that they keep little more then a bare title of Christianitie. They suffer Polygamy, Circumcision, stupend fastings, divorce as they will themselves, &c. and as the Papists call on the Virgin Mary, so do they on Thomas Didymus before Christ.

The Greek or Eastern Church is rent from this of the West, and as they have four chief Patriarchs, so have they four subdivisions, besides those Nestorians, Iacobines, Syrians, Armenians, Georgians, &c. scattered over Asia minor, Syria, Ægypt, &c. Greece, Valachia, Circassia, Bulgary, Bosnia, Albania, Illyricum, Slavonia, Croatia, Thrace, Servia, Rascia, and a sprinkling amongst the Tartars.

The Russians, Muscovites, and most of that great Dukes subjects, are part of the Greek Church, and still Christians: but as one saith, temporis successu multas illi addiderunt superstitiones, In processe of time they have added so many superstitions, they be rather semi-Christians, then otherwise. That which remaines, is the Western Church with us in Europe, but so ecclipsed with severall schismes, heresies and superstitions, that one knows not where to finde it.

The Papists have Italy, Spaine, Savoy, part of Germany, France, Poland and a sprinkling in the rest of Europe. In America they hold all that which Spaniards inhabit, Hispania nova, Castella Aurea, Peru, &c. In the East Indies, the Philippinæ, some small holds about Goa, Malacha, Zelan, Ormus &c. which the Portugall got not long since, and those land-leaping Jesuites have assayed in China, Japan, as appears by their yearly letters; in Africk they have Melinda, Quiloa, Mombaze, &c. and some few towns, they drive out one superstition with another.