See much more of them, and their wickedness in Maffæus "Histor. Indic.' (lib. xii. p. 565-567). It were easy to give you like reports of many more of those unhappy nations, but for tediousness. (See, to the same purpose, 'Olaus Magnus de gentibus Septentrionalibus.')

Yea, the Sinæ themselves, that so much excel the rest, are yet idolaters, and worshippers of devils.

Pet. Maffæus 'Histor. Indic.' (lib. vi. pp. 271, 272) saith thus of them: Many of them adore dumb images and informed stones; for such are commonly the gods of the gentiles. Moreover, some make gods of the inventors of any arts, or of others that publicly or privately deserved well of them, and some of their parents, or dear friends, and to them do they erect statues and build temples, and make vows, and offer incense; and not only to the dead, but which is more detestable, to them while they are alive; others do, with all devotion, worship the sun, and moon, and stars, and specially heaven itself, whence all good comes on the earth. Some also worship infernal monsters, girded about with snakes, and vomiting out fire, as we picture devils in Europe, and that not so much to obtain any good from them, as to escape hurt by them because, meeting ofttimes with such sights, they are the more afraid of them.' So far Maffæus, with more to the like purpose. And about the Brazilian witches (lib. xv. pp. 686, 687).

Sect. VIII.

The fifth way by which Satan discovereth his malicious inclinations and designs, and especially his enmity to the Gospel of Christ, and the salvation of the world, is by his incessant endeavours to raise heresies, and the power by which he animateth and maintaineth them. As when Moses first set upon his office to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt, Satan had his magicians to imitate and resist him: so when Christ first sendeth forth his disciples to seek and save that which was lost, Satan sendeth forth his ministers, partly by imitation, partly by opposition, and partly by divisions to hinder, and, if it might have been, to mar the work. The strange spirit that animated these men, the magical arts that they used, the vain fancies and abominable doctrines which they owned, the wicked lives they led, the unhappy ends they came to, and the palpable interpositions of the devil for their seducement and confirmation, plainly showed from what fountain they sprung, and by what father they were begotten.

Because it is so common a thing for angry and factious men to call one another heretics, I will here tell you what kind of men I mean, before I proceed further.

By a heretic, I mean one that, pretending to the name of a Christian, doth yet cut off himself from the catholic church by some error, subverting the essentials or fundamentals of the christian faith, and usually by actual separation from true Christians.

Where you may see that there are three sorts of heretics: The first are those that hold such errors as directly subvert the foundation, or so far subvert it that he cannot possibly hold the foundation itself while he holdeth that error, and yet doth not actually separate from the society and external communion of the church. This man is a heretic in heart and tongue, and such a one as cannot be saved; but yet not a heretic of the highest strain, nor of the most common sort.

The second sort are those that, holding such damning doctrines, do withdraw also from the external communion of the catholic church, or true, orthodox Christians, and do set up separated churches of their own, pretending usually to more soundness in doctrine or worship than the true assemblies have among them. These are the common heretics of all ages of the church, who are composed of two parts, damning doctrine and schism, or separation from the catholic church; the first as the soul, the second as the body. By the first, they separate from the church as invisible; by the second, from the church as visible or, to speak more properly, by the first they separate from the true, internal, spiritual communion of the church; by the second, they separate from the external communion of it.

The third sort of heretics are those that separate only from the external communion of the catholic church; of which there are also three distinct sorts.

1. Those that separate only corporally upon some perverse conceit, that they should be defiled if they join in any of their assemblies, or the like reason, or on some error about communion not fundamental thereto : I will not determine whether the name heretics or schismatics is more proper for them.

2. Those that corporally separate upon the denial of the fundamentals of external communion, though they deny not the fundamentals of internal communion, or of faith; for such a distinction of fundamentals must be observed, as those that deny the office of the ministry, or a church-government, or any

essential part of that government, and upon that account separate from all the catholic communion: some call these heretics, and some schismatics: while we understand the matter, there need not be so much strife about the name. I incline to think that some of this sort may be saved, though salvation among them be rare and difficult.

The third sort is those that, besides the corporal separation, and the denying of fundamentals of communion (external), do also hold some dangerous error in other doctrines, which, though it subvert not the foundation or christian faith, doth yet sorely wound it the salvation of these, also, I suppose possible, though difficult, if they so continue.

Though some call this latter sort all schismatics, yet, strictly, I suppose a mere schismatic is one that doth divide particular churches, yet holding communion with the universal church, and that both internal and external; for he may close with some particular churches, though he divide others. And these are of three sorts:

1. Those that separate from a true, particular church, without just cause, either through disobedience or the like sinful ground. 2. Those that separate not from the church, but yet stir up divisions and make parties in it.

3. Those that hold the principles of such schismatical courses in their minds, though they yet practise them not: these are but mentally schismatical, and not fully schismatics.

Having showed you whom I mean, I proceed to show how the devil hath showed his designs, and his opposition to Christ, by raising and encouraging such in all ages of the church.

The first heretics that we read of were the false apostles that troubled the church so about the Jewish law, teaching that a man could not be saved unless he were circumcised, and kept it; against whom the Synod (Acts xv.) was congregate, and against whom Paul oft contended, as the Epistle to the Galatians and Romans especially manifest. These so far prevailed as to draw the Galatians, as it were, to hearken to a new Gospel; to disobey the truth, so that Paul was afraid he had bestowed on them labour in vain; yea, they that would before have plucked out their eyes for him, did now take him for their enemy, because he told them the truth.

Next rose up Simon Magus, a Samaritan, who, by his strange magical works, was admired by the people, and called the great power of God, to whom they all gave heed at Samaria, from

the least to the greatest, because of a long time he had bewitched them by his sorceries, giving out that he was some great man but seeing a higher power manifest itself in the miracles of the disciples, and in the giving of the Holy Ghost, he was convinced into a belief that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and baptised into his name; yet never closing with him in sincerity, as his Saviour, he continued his former nature and designs, desiring to promote his own greatness, and not Christ's interest and honour (as all his servants did) by his new profession and, therefore, would have bought of the apostles, with money, the power of giving the Holy Ghost, that he might have this added to the rest of his wonders to make great his name, and to bring him yet into higher admiration of the people. Whereupon he incurred that heavy censure of Peter, (Acts viii. 26,) which though, upon a seeming penitence, which he was affrighted into, was so far mitigated, as that a possibility of pardon was opened to him, yet was he forsaken by that Spirit and grace which he so abused, and given up to himself, and so became a leader of a deluded society, and an opposer of the apostles. To Rome he would go on Satan's work, as they did on Christ's: and there, by his witchcraft, he got into so much admiration in the days of Claudius, that he was taken for a god, and had a statue set up to him with this inscription: To Simon, the holy god;' or as others, To Simon, the magician, a god.' (See Justin Martyr's 'Apolog. 2' of this.) In his contending with the two apostles, Peter and Paul, for the glory of his magical works, he would needs fly in the sight of the people, and at the prayers of the two apostles, tumbled down, and either presently or shortly after ended his wretched life. This is attested by not one or two, but most of the writers of the first ages, that meddle with matters of church history. (See Epiphanius of it, Lib. Hæres. 21.' Cyril. Hierosol. Cateches. 6.') When he professed (saith he) that he would go up to heaven, and was carried in the air in the devil's chariot, the servants of God, on bended knees, in concord, manifested that which Christ had said, If two of you, consenting, shall ask any thing, it shall be done.' Sending up against the magician the dart of concord by prayers, they cast him down to the earth.'

6

So Arnobius, Advers. Gentes, (lib. 2,) saith; "The Romans saw the race or course of Simon Magus, and his fiery chariots blown away by the mouth of Peter, and vanishing away when Christ was named. I say, they saw him, that trusting to false

gods, and being betrayed by them when themselves were afraid, was precipitated by his own weight, and lay with his legs broke, and being carried to Brunda, being weary with torments and shame, he again cast himself from the top of a high place.' So Philostrius, (lib. iii.,) 'De Hæres. and Theodoret,' (lib. i.,) 'De Hæret. Fabul. Sulpit. Sever. Histor.,' (lib. ii.) besides others.

How abominable, the heresy of this magician was, may appear by all the history of the church.

Irenæus (lib. i. cap. 20.,) saith; "That being by many glorified as a god, he taught them that it was he who appeared among the Jews as the Son, and descended in Samaria as the Father, and came into other nations as the Holy Ghost; and that he is in the highest power, even the Father, who is over all, and doth endure men to call him by several names. He led about a concubine, one Selene, or Helena, a Tyrian, whom he called the first conception of his mind, the mother of all things, by whom, at first, he mentally conceived angels and archangels, by whom, he said, this world was made; also, that his Enoea being here detained, was the Helena that occasioned the war of Troy, and the blinding of Stesichorus, and passing from body to body, at last was cast into a brothel-house, and this was the lost sheep which he came purposely from heaven to seek and deliver from bonds, and to give salvation to men by the knowledge of him; for seeing angels did not well govern the world, because every one sought to be the chief, he came to mend things, and descended transformed, and assimulated to powers, and angels, that he might to men appear as a man, being, indeed, no man, and so was thought to have suffered in Judæa, when, indeed, he did not suffer. The prophets, he said, were inspired by those angels that made the world, therefore those that trusted in him and his Selene need not regard them any more, and being now freemen may do what they list, for men are saved according to his grace, and not according to righteous works; for works are not naturally but by accident righteous, as the angels appointed that had made the world, bringing men into bondage by such kind of precepts; therefore he promised that the world should be loosed, and these that be his set free from the rule of them that made the world. Their mystical priests, therefore, do live in lust, and use witchcraft as they are able, and use exorcisms and enchantments, &c. :' thus Irenæus. Of which Epiphanius speaks more largely, reporting yet more of their filthy mysteries, and how he taught them that the flesh