Piety, or practical ness of nature, and the force and greatness of different things, the true knowledge of religion, being either intermitted for some time, or corrupted by men's judgments, or abandoned through their sloth, or let alone by reason of the difficulty of the thing itself, is at so low an ebb with almost all ages and degrees of men; and that men seek so little after it with their studies, or having sought after it, recover it, or preserve it after recovery. And, concerning the first part of religion, this may be explication enough. The remaining part is placed in the efficiency of those divinity. things which sanctity does contain. For nothing can be fitly performed and administered, without a true notion and foreknowledge of the thing we are in pursuit of, to govern the whole action with counsel, and to appoint and manage it with reason. And those things are unprofitably, and scarce are knowingly comprehended, out of which no consequent action buddeth forth, and in which there is not a steadiness of reason and judgment, to curb the turbulent and vicious insurrections of the mind. Piety opposed. But this piety is variously opposed, and is besieged with as many kinds, on every side, of things to infest it, and that provoke it with continual skirmishes, as we have observed sanctity to be for the most part attacked with. For there are those things which manifestly oppose it, and that wage open and perpetual war with piety. There are others, who have the semblance of piety, and carry all the worth and dignity of it in their looks, their words, and gestures, but have nothing of solid and sincere piety in them. There are not wanting those, who, through a mistake of the true worship, do that which ought least of all to have been done, and fall into a depraved and corrupt method of devotion, and account it for that which is most right and true. For those who run out with loose inclinations, and are hurried whithersoever their passion carries them; they are neither restrained by reason from running headlong, nor are reclaimed by grace from an impure and flagitious life; who turn the grace of God into lasciviousness, and live as if God were altogether without care of them; and who who. neither consider with themselves, nor care whether there be a God or no, or whether he has any administration or foresight of human affairs, or that he will recompense good men with good things, and bad men with what is evil. The Scriptures mark them out under several titles; but it is most agreeable to our present purpose to call them Atheists who know, indeed, and understand what ought Atheists, to be done, what is good, what pleases God, and what is perfect; who lay out much pains and study in the knowledge of the divine law, but perform nothing that is real; who carry a fair outside in looks and gestures, as though they were full of piety, while they are at the same time internally empty of all good works; and if they are given to alms, or fasting, or devotion, they determine not the doing of these things upon any such grounds, but propose to themselves another end of all their actions than God has appointed. The Scripture calls them hypocrites. Hypocrites. But those who neither openly oppose piety, nor pretend to it, but are mistaken in it; who strive to please God in things that he would not have, and study to worship him, and fear him in matters wherein he is not to be feared; who have, as it were, a kind of zeal, but without knowledge, and without sanctity; who think, that in killing men, they in an extraordinary manner do God service; who are afraid upon the least omission of any of those things wherewith they fancy God to be pleased, and believe that there is no means, nor no religion, that can take away and expiate such omission: so that they are fluctuating in perpetual fear and error. These are said to be Aelodaíμoves, vainly timorous without a cause; the Latins name them superstitious. These kinds are very different Superstifrom one another, and do much prejudice the soundness of religion, and are great impediments throughout the whole course of a pure and Christian life; so that even sanctity and piety, being associated and linked together, cannot, with all men, make religion to be completely entire and perfect. For wicked men seem to me to be not unlike those who break their constitution by drunkenness and intem tious. Hypocrites. Superstitious. perance; they had rather be frequently sick, and be tormented with the greatest pains, than forego any part of their lust, or of those gratifications that are present.. Hypocrites are like to them, who, being tortured with the French disease, or some such incurable and loathsome distemper, do, in the midst of this most grievous vexation, and miserable state of body, pretend that they are sound; and do by all possible means dissemble their pains, and conceal their distempers, and bear nothing with greater trouble and uneasiness, than to be called what they really are. The superstitious are not far from being in their state and condition, who being sick to extremity, yet think themselves in good health; and who, being within the very jaws of death, through the weakness of nature have no pricking or sense of pain, feel no racking of the joints; but as nature, being vanquished and overcome by the force of the disease, yields to the greatness of the disorder, without further resistance, and blazes out a little light of health even before death, and is neither afraid of death, nor enjoys health: : so these, who are in the most miserable and deplorable state, and in perpetual conflict with God, see not the danger they are in; presuming upon little matters, and not terrified with great ones; imagining themselves religious, when they are far otherwise; and whom they fear, they apprehend not how to fear in such a manner as they ought. From all which, in this so blind and troublesome a life, whoever is free and guiltless, is not to be judged happy through any direction of nature, but blessed by the abundance of grace. For so great difficulties, such precipices of opinions, such perturbations of mind, what man can avoid? who is able to escape them? Since there is no government of life or prudence in election, going before our earliest age, but rather following us when we grow old, nor give us their company till we are in the end and passage out of life; affording us no manner of guidance and direcselves, but tion at our first entrance and coming into it, did not the goodness of the divine mercy choose out such as it would Not our God. save, and furnish them in order to that salvation with all manner of grace and good things. Wherefore, as religion is to be pursued and retained by us, with all the faculties and affections of our minds; so the common and popular, but uncomely and deformed sects and parties of irreligion, are all of them to be exploded and cast out: nor is the least room to be afforded them, I do not say in a whole kingdom, but in the single judgments and opinions of men. And now, when every one of these parts is corrupt and vicious, what matters it to make inquiry which of them does most prejudice human nature, or most obstruct divine grace, or be most corrupt and wicked of itself. But were I now to enter into the merits of the cause, and were necessitated to declare what I thought fit to be determined, not about all the singulars I have now mentioned, but that alone, in particular, which above all others ought chiefly to be avoided and declined, my judgment would be this, that there is no one thing is nearer in resemblance, and yet nothing really more remote and distant from reli- Superstition widely gion, than superstition; which most easily insinuates itself distant from into the minds of good but ignorant men, and is most religion. deeply rooted there, and with greatest difficulty pulled from thence. Concerning the several parts of it, several things have been hinted here and there by many, none of them have said all they might. Plutarch and the philosophers have attempted to treat concerning the nature of it in general: our Christian writers have passed it over. But it is a shame that they, in an irreligious religion, should be more diligent to search out what reason teaches, than we, who enjoy a most certain worship, and the truest service of God, to search after what the sacred Scripture prescribes. But since there may be some dispute as to the name, while men are agreed about the thing itself; and the matter under debate is better understood, when the variety of doubtful meanings is taken away; I shall first speak of the name, and then take the thing under examination; that when we are less perplexed about the signification of the Of the word superstition. word, the thing may offer itself more fully and plainly to be treated of. Asioidaμovía, i. e. Superstition. The word itself shews to us what notions the Grecians had of this vice; making little difference between it and the fear of God. Now the fear or dread of God they reckoned in the number of those things that were worthy of praise, and judged it to be a duty that is most becoming us towards God. Hence came these sayings of the Greeks, Fear God, and honour your parents. Therefore is the word superstition treated with equal respect; and from this duty did the most renowned amongst the Greeks receive their commendations: as Agesilaus is represented in Xenophona "to be always possessed with the fear of God; "esteeming these not yet happy, who live well; but be"lieving them to be then really blessed, who had made an "honourable exit out of the world." So St. Paul in the Acts praises the Athenians as men of religion, when he calls them Deisidæmones, such as feared God, or were superstitious. And those controversies in religion, which happened between the Jews and St. Paul, are by St. Luke styled certain questions about superstition, or fear of God. These are taken in the favourable sense: but for the most part it is taken in a different sense from such a godly fear, and has a worse meaning; and then the word contains in it a notion of unprofitable fear of God. For as a frugal person is scarcely distinguished from one that is covetous, because the covetous man sordidly and corruptly imitates him: and there is a kind of wild and rugged hardiness imitates that which is the true patience of mind; so superstition comes very near in resemblance to that which is the true fear of God, when it is distant from it very widely, and would appear not to be far off: when it cannot come in any near conjunction with it, nor * Αἰεὶ δὲ δεισιδαίμων ἦν, νομίζων τοὺς μὲν καλῶς ζώντας οὔπω εὐδαίμονας, τοὺς δὲ εὐκλεῶς τετελευτηκότας ἤδη μακαρίους. • Ζητήματα περὶ δεισιδαιμονίας. |