he
inhabitants of the earth, in several places and countries, still rejoicing
at their falls. "All the world over before Christ's time, he freely
domineered, and held the souls of men in most slavish subjection" (saith
[6371]Eusebius) "in diverse forms, ceremonies, and sacrifices, till
Christ's coming," as if those devils of the air had shared the earth
amongst them, which the Platonists held for gods ([6372]_Ludus deorum
sumus_), and were our governors and keepers. In several places, they had
several rites, orders, names, of which read Wierus _de praestigiis
daemonum, lib. 1. cap. 5._ [6373]Strozzius Cicogna, and others; Adonided
amongst the Syrians; Adramalech amongst the Capernaites, Asiniae amongst
the Emathites; Astartes with the Sidonians; Astaroth with the Palestines;
Dagon with the Philistines; Tartary with the Hanaei; Melchonis amongst the
Ammonites: Beli the Babylonians; Beelzebub and Baal with the Samaritans and
Moabites; Apis, Isis, and Osiris amongst the Egyptians; Apollo Pythius at
Delphos, Colophon, Ancyra, Cuma, Erythra; Jupiter in Crete, Venus at
Cyprus, Juno at Carthage, Aesculapius 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 Lord's Supper, what goodly
temples, priests, sacrifices they had in America, when the Spaniards first
landed there, let Acosta the Jesuit relate, _lib. 5. cap. 1, 2, 3, 4_, &c.,
and how the devil imitated the Ark and the children of Israel's coming out
of Egypt; with many such. For as Lipsius well discourseth out of the
doctrine of the Stoics, _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 Sinus,
lib. 1._ relate. [6374]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 Chinese, 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, Arians, and Papist