colunto; & eos, quos in cœlum merita vocaverint. That the Saints should be worshipped, as well thofe that had been always efteemed the happy inha bitants of Heaven, as thofe that by their merits have been exalted into Heaven. See another Roman Law like it. Deorum manium jura fanita funto, hos letho datos divos habento. That the rights of the Gods Manes should be inviolable, and that they should be reputed for Saints after their death. Is there not an admirable Providence in this, that new Rome hath re-establisht the fame Laws almoft in the fame terms. And who can doubt after this, whether Antichriftian Rome hath renewed ancient Rome's Doctrine of Damons?

Demons,

But befides, thefe men become Damons, that A fecond ancient Pagan Theology did acknowledge others rank of that were always fuch, and that never had been feparate men. All the monuments of Paganism that we fpirits, have, are full of this Theology. Apuleius expreffes it in these words; There is another fort of De Deo Demons that are fuperiour and more august, who being free from the bonds and dif-engaged from the chains of body, have each of them received a certain particular firength and power. 'Tis from this rank of fuperiour Demons, that Plato hath taken thofe Damons, of which he believes every man hath one all his life time for a witness of his actions and a guardian. How is it poffible, that one fhould not perceive this perfect conformity, between the Pagan Theology and the popish Theology? Exact- The Pa. ly as the Heathens did, fo do the Papists make make two two orders of fpirits, that are the mediatours and mediatory protectors of men humane fouls or glorified fpirits. Saints, and Angels naturally feparate from matter. The Heathens took Guardians from among thofe Damens, who had never been men; the Pa

P 2

pifts

pifts aifo

forts of

erection,

tion and

perfectly

pifts affign to each man a guardian fpirit, but he is taken out of the order of Angels. They call him the guardian Angel; and every devout perfon recommends himself to his guardian Angel, when he undertakes any thing of danger.

The Papifm The Heathens to render thefe Damons, or these in the Demi-Gods, favourable to them, erected their confecra- pictures, and made Images of them; all the world' worship of knows that. They confecrated thefe Images, and Images hath perfwaded themselves, that by vertue of that brought confecration, the fpiritual Gods came to dwell in back the that matter, to which they had given a shape. worship of Demons. The makers of Images, faitli Tertullian, give bödies to the Damons. One may fee this Theology very diftinctly expreffed in a Dialogue entitled Afclepius attributed to Hermes Trefmegiftus, which at leaft is of fome antiquity, and was in fome efteem among the Heathens, feeing Apuleins took the pains to tranflate it into Latin. 'Tis a marvel, faith he, that furpasseth all other marvels, that man hath found a way to make Gods. Our Ancestors were greatly deceived by their incredulity touching the Gods, and had but little regard to Religion and the purity of the Divine fervice. They invented an art of making Gods; Becaufe they could not make fouls, andjoin them to infenfible bodies, they called the fouls of Damons and of Angels, to put them into their Images, and in thẻ holy mysteries, by which means' the Images obtain the power of helping or hurting. See altogether pure popery. They may fay what they will, that they believe not that there is any vertue in the Images: yet however, it is true, Firft, That in the Papifm, an Image, that hath not been confecra ted, according to the Ritual, cannot be expofed to the publick devotion of the people. Secondly,

That

-That Images not confecrated, are reputed of no vertue; whereas thofe that are confecrate, do often work miracles, or the he and she-Saints work miracles by them. But if you would have any thing that is yet more like to the Doctrine of the Heathens, touching the power of confecrations, to draw the Gods into their Images, you will find it in the Doctrine of Transfubftantiation,and the real prefence. As the Heathens believed, they did by their invocations draw down their Gods into their brass and marble; fo the papifm by the vertue of confecration draws down its God into a morcel of bread, and there enclofes it faft.

The ancient Heathens defended themfelves in this matter, juft as our new Heathens. You deceive your felves, faid they; we worship neither copper, nor filver, nor gold, nor other matter of which the Images of the Gods are made, &c. But in thefe figns we adore and worship the Gods.

Laftly, the Heathens did adore and ferve the Reliques of their dead men and of their Damons. 'Twas to the honour of these dead men, that the feafts were made, that are called inferis, parentalia, parentationes and novemdialia, and a hundred other things, whence we have elsewhere fhew'd its perfect conformity with the fervices of the papism for the dead. We have heard Plate quoted by Eufebius, telling us, we must worship the fepulchers of the Hero's. Clemens Alexandrinus, Arnobius, Eufebius, &c. tell us, the Temples of the falfe Gods were nothing else but the Tombs of the Heroes. And this is exactly what the papifm imitates; its Temples, and its Altars are garnifht with Reliques; and it would believe,that a Temple would not have all that it must have, if there were not fome bones of a Saint under the Altar.

The word

ture is not

ill fenfe.

Thus you have that which perfwades me, that the Apostle defigns the worship of the papifm by the doctrine of Damons? "Tis this exact conformity that is found between the ancient Doctrine of Demons and the new. I think nothing can be objected but this, viz. that the word Damon in the H. Scriptures is never taken in a good fenfe. It always fignifies those wicked fpirits, that feduce men in this World, and muft torment them in the other. Whereas the Heathens in their Theology by Demons understood thofe kind fpirits, which are the mediatours of commerce between God: and men. fofeph Mede anfwers to this, two things.

First, That the ufage of this word Damon in Damon in the fenfe of the Pagans, for Gods of the fecond the Scrip rank, was not unknown to the writers of the new always ta- Teftament. Saint Luke in the 17th Chap. of the ken in an Acts, introduceth the Athenians, faying of Saint Paul, that he is a fetter forth of strange Damons. In the fame Chap. Saint Paul faith, that he found the Athenians too much addicted to the worship of Damons. In the 9th Chapter of the Revelation Saint John faith, that the horrible plague that fell on men, hindred them not from worshipping of Demons. The people there fpoken of, that came from above Euphrates, horfemen to the number of twenty thousand times ten thousand, are in all likelihood the Tus. And thofe that are fmitten with that plague, are the Chriftians, to whom the adoration of Damons is attri buted because they worshipped Saints and Angels.

The fecond thing, that Jofeph Mede answers, which is very certain and very folid, is, that the Heathens facrificed and render'd their homage to

thens & the

ship good

Genius's,

215 evil spirits, and not, as they pretended to Angels, The Hea and to the happy Spirits; that are Administratours Papifts in under God. Because these holy creatures are too believing much given to the fervice of God, and too much they wor in the interefts of their great mafter, to arrogate Geve the to themselves and receive any of that homage that wicked men would render to them. The Heathens there- fpirits. fore in their intention ferved good Genius's, but indeed the wicked Demons? Tis the fame with the Heathens of the Antichriftian Empire. They intend to ferve the Saints and Angels; but thofe pure and happy Spirits, have no mind to receive fuch worship. It goes to them that refuse it, it goes not to God who abominates it. It goes therefore to the Devils, that take it for themfelves, and rejoyce in it; fo the Antichriftian Idolatry may juftly be called by the fame name as the Heathen Idolatry. For they have the fame model, the fame principles, the fame ceremonies, and they go to the honour of the fame Prince of darkness, whose Empire they encreafe.

CHAP. XXI.

What is the Character of those, that were to eftablish Idolatry in the Chriftian Religion. They are Priests and Monks, Authors of the. Laws of Celibacy and of fafts. How many fables and fictions have been invented by these men feared in their Confciences.

WE are much obliged to the H. Spirit fpeak

ing by the mouth of S. Paul, that he would in this Text add the Character of the perfons that

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were