the soul of a beast; equal, as the angels: but nothing is better and if happily something of these better, this cometh to pass by sin and not by nature; by which sin notwithstanding it becometh not so ill, that the soul of a beast is either to be preferred before it, or to be compared with it. God therefore alone is to be worshipped of it, who alone is the author of it. And as for any other man, though he be most wise and most perfect, or any soul endued with reason, and most blessed, they are only to be loved and followed; and according to desert and order, that is to be exhibited How saints unto them, which agreeth and is fit for them. For it is worshipped. written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve1.'" These be St Augustine's words. And thus far have we entreated of one only, living, true, and everlasting God to be served.

are to be

Of true religion.

Moreover, whosoever cleave unto God with a sincere faith, and worship, call upon, and serve one God lawfully, they are rightly named religious: their study and action is true religion. Some will have religion to be derived a relinquendo, because thereby we leave or forsake false gods, all errors, and earthly desires, and seek after the true God, after truth, and heavenly things. Massurius Sabinus saith: "That is religious, which for some holiness' sake we put by and severally set aside. The word 'religion' hath his name a relinquendo, as Ceremoniæ a carendo3." But M. Cicero supposeth that Religio is so called a relegendo (of selecting or putting apart), because they that be religious do carefully choose all

[1 Si quid ergo aliud est eorum quæ Deus creavit, quiddam est deterius, quiddam par: deterius, ut anima pecoris; par, ut angeli: melius autem nihil. Et si quando est aliquid horum melius, hoc peccato ejus fit, non natura; quo tamen non usque adeo fit deterior, ut ei pecoris anima præferenda aut conferenda sit. Deus igitur solus ei colendus est, qui solus ejus est auctor. Homo autem quilibet alius, quanquam sapientissimus et perfectissimus, vel prorsus quælibet anima rationis compos atque beatissima, amanda tantummodo et imitanda est, eique pro merito atque ordine, quod ei congruit, deferendum. Nam Dominum Deum tuum adorabis, et illi soli servies.—August. ibid.] [2 Vol. I. p. 125, note 4.]

[3 Massurius Sabinus, in commentariis quos de indigenis composuit, Religiosum, inquit, est quod propter sanctitatem aliquam remotum ac sepositum a nobis est; verbum a relinquendo dictum, tanquam cærimoniæ a carendo.-Aul. Gell. Noct. Att. Lib. IV. cap. 9. p. 280. Lugd. Bat. 1700.]

But

things which seem to belong to the service of the gods. he is confuted, in many words, of Lactantius Firmianus, an ancient writer of the church, Lib. Instit. iv. cap. 28, where among other things he saith: "On this condition we are born, that being born we might do to God just and due service, that we should know him alone, and that him we should follow. With this bond of godliness we are straitly bound and tied unto God; whereupon religion itself took her name.” And anon after: "We said that the name of religion was derived from the bond of godliness, because God hath tied and bound man unto himself in godliness: for that it is needful that we serve him as a lord, and obey him as a father 4" Other ecclesiastical writers also following him, as Hierome and Augustine, derived religion a religando, of tying or binding. For Hierome in his commentary upon the ninth chapter of Amos saith: "This bundle tied up with the religion of the Lord, which is one. Religion therefore took her name a religando, of tying together, and binding into the Lord's bundle 5." And Augustine in his book de Quantitate Animæ, chapter 36, saith: "True religion is, whereby the soul tieth herself through reconciliation to one God, from whom through sin she had as it were broken away"." The same Augustine, in his book de Vera Religione, and last chapter, saith: "Let religion tie us unto one God Almighty, whereof it is believed to be named religion"."

[4 Hac conditione gignimur, ut generanti (Bullinger read, generati) nos Deo justa et debita obsequia præbeamus; hunc solum noverimus; hunc sequamur. Hoc vinculo pietatis obstricti Deo religati sumus; unde ipsa religio nomen accepit: non, ut Cicero interpretatus est, a relegendo; qui in libro de natura deorum secundo (cap. 28) dicit ita, &c. &c. ... Diximus nomen religionis a vinculo pietatis esse deductum; quod hominem sibi Deus religaverit, et pietate constrinxerit: quia servire nos ei, ut domino, et obsequi, ut patri, necesse est.-Lactant. Instit. Lib. IV. cap. 28.]

[5 Iste fasciculus una Domini religione constrictus est. Unde et ipsa religio a religando, et in fascem Domini vinciendo, nomen accepit. -Hieron. Comment. in Amos. cap. 8. Opp. Tom. III. col. 1448. Par. 1693-1706.]

[6 Est enim religio vera, qua se uni Deo anima, unde se peccato velut abruperat, reconciliatione religat.-Aug. Opp. Par. 1532. Tom. I. fol. 131. col. 1.]

[7 See the quotation, Vol. 1. p. 233, note 5. Aug. Opp. Tom. 1. fol. 156, col. 3.]

What true religion is.

We say, therefore, that true religion is none other thing than a friendship, a knitting, and an unity (or league) with the true, living, and everlasting God; unto whom we being linked by a true faith do worship, call upon, and serve him alone; upon whom we do wholly depend, living in all things according to his will, or according to the prescript rule and law of his word. Therefore most rightly is the whole matter of salvation and faith comprised in this one word, religion: which elsewhere is called in scripture a league or covenant, and elsewhere again, marriage or wedlock. For as they which be confederate are united and made one by a league; so God and man are knit together by religion: and as by marriage the husband and the wife are made one body, so by religion we are knit into a spiritual body with God, as with our husband, and with the very Son of God, as with our bridegroom and our head. Hitherto therefore doth belong whatsoever things are uttered in the scriptures touching the keeping of the league or covenant, and the faith of marriage. Truce-breakers are they, disloyal, and infamous through their adultery, whosoever, being not knit to one God by faith, worship him alone, call upon him through Christ, and serve him also as he himself hath said in his word he would be served.

The very same are also called superstitious. For superstition is false religion, which doth not serve God but somewhat else for God, or not God alone, or not rightly or lawfully. This word superstition stretcheth itself even to old wives' tales and doting errors: for in Dutch we call superstition, aberglauben, mis-glauben, und mis-bruch. But Lactantius, reasoning most exactly of this word, in his fourth book of Institutions, and twenty-eighth chapter, writeth in this sort: "Religion is the service of the true God; superstition, of the false. They are said to be superstitious, not that wish their children to outlive them, for that we do all wish; but either they that reverence the memory remaining of the dead; or else they that, while their parents were alive, worshipped their images within their houses, like household gods. For those which did take unto themselves new rites, to the intent they might instead of gods honour the dead, whom they thought were taken from among men and received into heaven; those (I say) they called superstitious: but those

that worshipped and served public and ancient gods they named religious. Whereupon saith Virgil:

Vain superstition, ignorant

Of th' old and ancient gods.

But seeing we do find that our ancients have been in semblable manner consecrated gods after their death, they therefore which serve many and false gods are superstitious. But we are religious, which pray and make our supplications to one God, being the true God, &c.1"

when To leave, or

forsake the true God,

only the serve else strange gods.

Superstition consisteth chiefly in these points; either the Lord is not served, but other gods in his stead, the one, true, and living God being left and forsaken; or when the Lord is served, but not alone, but other together with him; or else when he is served, but not with his lawful service.

In the first kind of superstition did the Gentiles in a manner2 offend, who knew not the true God; insomuch that they, instead of the true God, worshipped false, feigned, or strange gods. And that the Israelites also, God's people, were sick of the same madness, the holy prophet Jeremy is a witness; who, expostulating and reasoning the matter with the people, saith: "Hear ye the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and Jer. ii. all the families of the house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain ? For they said not, Where is the Lord that brought us out of the land of Egypt; that led us through the wilderness, through a desert and waste land, through a dry

[1 Superstitiosi vocantur, non qui filios suos superstites optant (omnes enim optamus), sed aut ii, qui superstitem memoriam defunctorum colunt; aut qui parentibus suis superstites colebant imagines eorum domi tanquam deos penates. Nam qui novos sibi ritus assumebant, ut deorum vice mortuos honorarent, quos ex hominibus in cœlum receptos putabant, hos superstitiosos vocabant; eos vero, qui publicos et antiquos deos colerent, religiosos nominabant. Unde Virgilius:

Vana superstitio, veterumque ignara deorum.

Sed cum veteres quoque deos inveniamus eodem modo consecratos esse post obitum, superstitiosi ergo qui multos ac falsos deos colunt: nos autem religiosi, qui uni et vero Deo supplicamus.-Lactant. Instit. Lib. IV. cap. 28. p. 445. Lugd. Bat. 1660.]

[2 fere, Lat.; generally.]

[3 brought us up out, ed. 1577.]

T

land, and by the shadow of death, by a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt? And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the commodities of the same: but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination. The priests said not, Where is the Lord? and they that should minister the law, knew me not: the pastors also offended against me; and the prophets prophesied in Baal, and went after things that did not profit (or followed idols). Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the Lord; and I will plead with your children's children. For go ye to the isles of Chittim, and behold; and send unto Kedar, and take diligent heed; and see whether there be such things. Hath any nation changed their gods,

which yet are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit (or for an idol). O ye heavens, be astonied at this; be afraid, and utterly confounded, saith the Lord. For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, to dig them pits, even broken pits, that can hold no water.' Thou dost hear that the people of Israel by an heinous offence, and for the which no amends might be made, forsook God, the lively spring, and digged unto themselves broken pits. The waters do signify the perfit good, wherewith the desire both of the soul and the body may be satisfied. Such a plentiful spring is God alone, the highest, excellentest, and perfittest good. This being forsaken, they digged, that is, with very great pains and costs they provided for themselves, pits; that is, they turned themselves to creatures, to them that are no gods, neither yet are able to satisfy their desires. This mischief even at this day also is common; whiles many, having forsaken God, are turned unto celestial saints, of whom they desire that which was to be desired of God, neither can be given but of God alone.

Here hath idolatry a place, that is, the worshipping of images. For they not only are superstitious, which feign unto themselves false gods, having forsaken the true God; or that put their trust in things of nothing: but they also which worship and reverence the images either of God, or of gods, are also superstitious. For images or counterfeits2 are set up either to the true God himself, or else to false gods, to [1 not they only, ed. 1577.] [2 simulacra, Lat.]