for what Province is free from Atheisme, superstition, idolatry, schisme, heresie, impiety, their factours and followers? thence they proceed, and from that same decayed image of God, which is yet remaining in us.

Os homini sublime dedit, cœlumque tueri Jussit,——

our own conscience doth dictate so much unto us, we know there is a God, and nature doth inform us; Nulla gens tam barbara (saith Tully) cui non insideat hæc persuasio Deum esse; sed nec Scytha, nec Græcus, nec Persa, nec Hyperboreus dissentiet (as Maximus Tyrius the Platonist ser.1. farther addes) nec continentis nec insularum habitator,

let him dwell where he will, in what coast soever, there is no nation so barbarous that is not perswaded there is a God. It is a wonder to read of that infinite superstition amongst the Indians in this kinde, of their Tenents in America; pro suo quisque libitu varias res venerabantur superstitiosè, plantas, animalia, montes, &c. omne quod amabant aut horrebant (some few places excepted as he grants, that had no God at all.)

So the Heavens declare the glory of God, and the Firmament declareth his handie work, Psalm.19. Every creature will evince it;

Præsentemque refert quælibet herba deum.

Nolentes sciunt, fatentur inviti, as the said Tyrius proceeds, will or nill, they must acknowledge it. The Philosophers, Socrates, Plato, Plotinus, Pythagoras, Trismegistus, Seneca, Epictetus, those Magi, Druides, &c. went as far as they could by the light of Nature; multa præclara de natura Dei scripta reliquerunt, writ many things well of the nature of God, but they had but a confused light, a glimpse,

Quale per incertam lunam sub luce malignâ Est iter in sylvis,——

as he that walkes by Moonshine in a wood, they groped in the dark; they had a gross knowledge; as he in Euripides, O Deus quicquid es, sive cœlum, sive terra, sive aliud quid, and that of Aristotle, Ens entium miserere mei. And so of the immortality of the Soul, and future happiness.

Immortalitatem animæ (saith Hierom) Pythagoras somniavit, Democritus non credidit, in consolationem damnationis suæ Socrates in carcere disputavit; Indus, Persa, Gothus, &c. Philosophantur.

So some said this, some that, as they conceived themselves, which the Divell perceiving, led them farther out (as Lemnius observes) and made them worship him as their God, with stockes and stones, and torture themselves to their own destruction, as he thought fit himself, inspired his Priests and Ministers with lies and fictions to prosecute the same, which they for their own ends were as willing to undergo, taking advantage of their simplicitie, fear and ignorance.

For the common people are as a flock of sheep, a rude illiterate rout, void many times of common sense, a meer beast, bellua multorum capitum, will go whithersoever they are led: as you lead a Ram over a gap by the horns, all the rest will follow, Non quâ eundum, sed quâ itur, they will do as they see others do, and as their Prince will have them, let him be of what Religion he will, they are for him.

Now for those idolaters, Maxentius and Licinius, then for Constantine a Christian. Qui Christum negant malè pereant, acclamatum est Decies, for two hours space; qui Christum non colunt, Augusti inimici sunt, acclamatum est ter decies; and by and by Idolaters again under that Apostate Iulianus; all Arrians under Constantius, good Catholiques again under Iovinianus.

And little difference there is betwixt the discretion of men, and children in this case, especially of old folkes and women, as Cardan discourseth, when as they are tossed with fear and superstition, and with other mens folly and dishonesty. So that I may say their ignorance is a cause of their superstition, a Symptome, and madness it self.

Supplicii causa est, suppliciumque sui.

Their own fear, folly, stupidity, to be deplored Lethargy, is that which gives occasion to the other, and puls these miseries on their own heads. For in all these Religions and Superstitions, amongst our idolaters, you shall still find that the parties first affected, are silly, rude, ignorant people, old folkes, that are naturally prone to superstition, weak women, or some poor rude illiterate persons, that are apt to be wrought upon, and gulled in this kinde,

prone without either examination or due consideration (for they take up Religion a trust, as at Mercers they do their wares) to beleeve any thing. And the best means they have to broach first, or to maintain it when they have done, is to keep them still in ignorance: for Ignorance is the mother of devotion, as all the world knows, and these times can amply witness.

This hath been the divels practice, and his infernall ministers in all ages; not as our Saviour by a few silly Fishermen, to confound the wisdom of the world, to save Publicans and sinners, but to make advantage of their ignorance, to convert them and their associates; and that they may better effect what they intend, they begin, as I say, with poor stupid, illiterate persons.

So Mahomet did when he published his Alcoran, which is a piece of work (saith Bredenbachius) full of non-sense, barbarisme, confusion, without rime, reason, or any good composition, first published to a company of rude rustickes, hog-rubbers, that had no discretion, judgement, art, or understanding, and is so still maintained.

For it is a part of their policy to let no man comment, dare to dispute or call in question to this day any part of it, be it never so absurd, incredible, ridiculous, fabulous as it is, it must be beleeved implicitè, upon pain of death no man must dare to contradict it, God and the Emperour, &c.

What else do our Papists, but by keeping the people in ignorance, vent and broach all their new ceremonies and traditions, when they conceal the Scripture, read it in Latine, and to some few alone, feeding the slavish people in the mean time with tales out of Legends, and such like fabulous narrations?

Whom do they begin with but collapsed Ladies, some few tradesmen, superstitious old folkes, illiterate persons, weak women, discontent, rude, silly companions, or sooner circumvent? So do all our schismaticks and hereticks. Marcus and Valentinian hereticks in Irenæus, seduced first I know not how many women, and made them beleeve they were Prophets. Frier Cornelius of Dort seduced a company of silly women.

What are all our Anabaptists, Brownists, Barrowists, Familists, but a company of rude, illiterate, capricious base fellowes? What are most of our Papists, but stupid, ignorant and blinde bayards? how should they otherwise be, when as they are brought up and kept still in darkness?

If their Pastors (saith Lavater) had done their duties, and instructed their flockes as they ought, in the Principles of Christian Religion, or had not forbidden them the reading of Scriptures, they had not been as they are. But being so mis-led all their lives in superstition, and carried hood-winked like hawkes, how can they prove otherwise than blinde ideots, and superstitious Asses? what shall we expect else at their hands?

Neither is it sufficient to keep them blinde, and in Cymmerian darkness, but withall, as a Shoolmaster doth by his boyes, to make them follow their books, sometimes by good hope, promises and encouragements, but most of all by fear, strict discipline, severity, threats and punishment, do they collogue and sooth up their silly Auditors, and so bring them into a fools paradise.

Rex eris aiunt, si rectè facies, do well, thou shalt be crowned; but for the most part by threats, terrors and affrights, they tyrannize and terrifie their distressed souls: knowing that fear alone is the sole and onely means to keep men in obedience, according to that Hemistichium of Petronius, primus in orbe deos fecit timor, the fear of some divine and supreme powers, keeps men in obedience, makes the people do their duties: they play upon their consciences;

which was practised of old in Ægypt by their Priests; when there was an Ecclipse, they made the people beleeve God was angry, great miseries were to come; they take all opportunities of naturall causes, to delude the peoples senses, and with fearfull tales out of purgatory, fained apparitions, earth quakes in Japonia or China, tragicall examples of divels, possessions, obsessions, false miracles, counterfeit visions, &c.