Causes of Religious melancholy. From the Divell by miracles, apparitions, oracles. His instruments or factors, polititians, Priests, Impostors, Hereticks, blind guides. In them simplicity, fear, blinde zeal, ignorance, solitariness, curiosity, pride, vain-glory, presumption, &c. his engins, fasting, solitariness, hope, fear, &c.

WE are taught in holy Scripture, that the Divel rangeth abroad like a roaring Lyon, still seeking whom he may devour: and as in severall shapes, so by several engines and devices he goeth about to seduce us; sometimes he transforms himself into an Angel of light; and is so cunning, that he is able, if it were possible, to deceive the very Elect.

He will be worshipped as God himself, and is so adored by the Heathen, and esteemed. And in imitation of that divine power, as Eusebius observes, to abuse or emulate Gods glory, as Dandinus adds, he will have all homage, sacrifices, oblations, and whatsoever else belongs to the worship of God, to be done likewise unto him, similis erit altissimo, and by this means infatuates the world, deludes, entraps, and destroys many a thousand souls.

Sometimes by dreams, visions (as God to Moses by familiar conference) the divel in several shapes talks with them: in the Indies it is common, and in China nothing so familiar as apparitions, inspirations, oracles, by terrifying them with false prodigies, counterfeit miracles, sending storms, tempests, diseases, plagues, (as of old in Athens there was Apollo, Alexicacus, Apollo λοίμιος pestifer & malorum depulsor) raising wars, seditions by Spectrums, troubling their Consciences, driving them to despair, terrors of mind, intolerable pains; by promises, rewards, benefits, and fair means, he raiseth such an opinion of his Deity and greatness, that they dare not do otherwise then adore him, do as he will have them, they dare not offend him.

And to compel them more to stand 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 Christs time, he freely domineered, and held the souls of men in most slavish subjection, saith Eusebius, in divers forms, ceremonies, and sacrifices, till Christs 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, Adramelech amongst the Capernaites, Asiniæ amongst the Emathites, Astartes with the Sydonians, Asteroth with the Palestines, Dagon with the Philistines; Tartary with the Hanæi; Melchonis amongst the Ammonites: Beli the Babylonian, Beelzebub, and Baal with the Samaritans and Moabites, Apis, Isis and Osiris amongst the Ægyptians: Apollo Pythius at Delphos, Colophon, Ancyra, Cuma, Erythra: Jupiter in Crete, Venus at Cyprus, Juno at Carthage, Æsculapius at Epidaurus, Diana at Ephesus, Pallas 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 Lords 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 Israels coming out of Egypt: with many such.

For as Lipsius well discourseth out of the † doctrine of the Stoicks, maxime 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 Sinas 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 Æsculapius, have resigned their interest, names and offices to Saint George,

(Maxime bellorum rector, quem nostra juventus Pro Mavorte colit.)———

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 Lavater well observes out of Lactantius, mutato nomine tantum, ’tis the same spirit or Divel that deludes them still.