innocent insinuations and pretences of Sanctity and contempt of the things of this World These are they that make a laughing-stock of Christianity by their bitter invectives and derision of the Ordinances and Ceremonies of the Christian Religion these are they that make no distinction between Forms and Order for having cryed down the former their Dispensations will not bear with the latter it being their main design to bring the business of Religion to that condition wherein Man was before he had assum'd thoughts of Government that is to say into Anarchy and confusion As for their Blasphemies and horrid expressions of Christian things Mahumetans Jews and Pagans own more Modesty and less Profaneness But to retail their Opinions or to anatomize this Monster we must come to particulars 1. They hold that God Devils Angels Heaven Hell c. are Fictions and Fables 2. That Moses the Baptist and Christ are Impostors and what Christ and his Apostles acquainted the World with as to matter of Religion perished with them and nothing transmitted to us 3. That preaching and praying is useless and that it is but publick lying 4. That there is an end of all Ministry and Administrations and People are to be taught immediately from God 5. They hold Baptism a pure legal Administration nor proceeding from Christ but from John 6. They jest the Scriptures that Divine Legacy of our Salvation out of all Life Reverence and Authority quoting it in driblets and shreds to make it the more ridiculous In their Letters they endeavour to be strangely prophane and blasphemous uttering Atheistical Curses and imprecations which is a kind of canting amongst them as among Gipsies as for example in one you have this style My own hearts-blood from whom I daily receive Life and Being to whom is ascribed all Honour c. Thou art my Garment of Needle-work my Garment of Salvation Eternal Plagues consume you all not sink and damn your Bodies and Souls into devouring fire where none but those who walk uprightly can enter The Lord grant that we may know the worth of Hell that we may scorn Heaven 7. Sin is onely what a man imagines and conceives to be so within himself 8. Ordinances they account poor low things nay the perfections of the Scriptures are so inconsiderable in their apprehensions that they pretend to live above them Their Lives witness without them 9. If you ask them what Christian Liberty is they will tell you that it consists in a Community of all things and among the rest of Women which they paint over with an expression called The enjoyment of the Fellow Creature 10. The enjoyment of the Fellow-Creature cannot but be seconded with lascivious Songs drinking of Healths Musick Dancing and Bawdry Lastly They are those who most of all kick against the Pricks of Authority for Magistracy cannot have any thing more sacred than the Ministry so that they wish as much Policy in the State as Government in the Church which is none at all so to bring an Aegyptian Darkness upon both that the Word might be the less scandalized at their Madnesses and Extravagancies But this Age which is much more faithful in Religions than good Works of Scripture Phrases than of Scripture Practices of Opinions than of Piety has spawned more Religions than that Lady of Holland did Infants to mention all which were to tire my self and Reader therefore I shall quit so nauseous a Subject and look back and give a short account of the several Sects amongst the Jews it not being at all necessary to speak of it in it's Purity that matter having been canvassed by so many others Two Sons Carying their Parents through The flames of Mount Aetna Page 119 LXII The Nazarites were Votaries Numb 6. so called from Nazar to separate for they separated themselves from Wine and strong Drink from coming near the Dead and from the Razor Some were Nazarites for their Life as Sampson John Baptist c. others only for a time to wit thirty days as Absalom who cut his Hair the thirtieth day of his Vow such a Nazarite was Paul Act 21.24 Nazareth was a Village in Galilee where Christ was conceived and bred and therefore was called a Nazarite Mat. 2.23 and his Disciples Nazarites Acts 24.5 but indeed he was the only true Nazarite because he was pure holy and separate from Sinners but he was no legal Nazarite for he drunk Wine and went near the Dead These Hereticks were also called Nazarites who taught that with the Gospel should be joyned the Law of Moses Act. 15.2 Of the Rechabites so called from Rechab their Father we read Jer. 35.2 3 4 c. These neither drunk Wine nor sowed Seed nor built Houses nor planted Vine-yards but like Strangers lived all their days in Tents The Sampsorans acknowledged one God and worshipped him using certain Washings Some of them abstained from living Creatures and would dye for Elxai his Posterity which they had in such Honour that if they went abroad the People would gather up the dust of their feet for Cures and their Spittle and used them for Amulets and Preservatives They admit neither the Apostles nor Prophets they worship Water esteeming it as a God believing that Life is from thence The. Essenes so called from their skill in curing Diseases for they were much given to the Study of Physick in their Opinions were Pythagoreans ascribing all things to Fate offering no Sacrifices but of inanimate things shunning Oaths Pleasures and Wine contenting themselves with Water only and mean Apparel their Garments were white and they had all things in common amongst them They worshipped towards the East observed the Sabbath more strictly than others kept seven Pentecosts every Year to wit every seventh Week one and generally they abstained from Marriage yet some did marry for Procreation They were superstitious in preserving the Names of Angels they were much given to Silence with the Pythagoreans chiefly at Table none were admitted into their Society without four Years Probation There were some of these Essenes contemplative only and lived in Gardens or remote Villages who contented themselves with Bread and Salt others were active and gave themselves to manual Labours these lived in Cities and fared better and eat twice a day LXIII The Sadduces were so called either from Tzedek Justice because they would be accounted the only just men in the World or from Sadok the Author of their Sect who was the Scholar of Antigonus Socheus These rejected all Traditions and Scriptures except the five Books of Moses denyed the Resurrection Pains or Rewards after this Life Angels and Spirits Fate likewise or Destiny ascribing all to man's free will they held also that the Soul dyed and perished with the Body The Samaritans held with the Sadduces that there was no Scripture but the Pentateuch that there was no Resurrection nor Life eternal nor any Traditions to be admitted yet they dissented from the Sadduces in acknowledging Angels in worshipping
sight of this Ark of the new Covenant the Dagon of Idolatry fell to the ground When this Lyon of the Tribe of Judah did roar all the Beasts of the Forrest that is the Pagan Idols or Devil rather hid themselves in their Dens Apollo complained that his Oracles failed him and that the Hebrew Child had stopped his Mouth When it was proclaimed at Palotci by Thanas the Egyptian Ship-Master that the great God Pan was dead all the Evil Spirits were heard to howl and bewail the Overthrow of their Kingdom Porphyri complained that the Preaching of Christ had weakned the Power of their Gods and hindred the Gain of their Priests The Bones of Babylas so hindred Apollo that he could deliver no Oracle while they were there The Delphick Temple fell down with Earth-quake and Thunder when Julian sent to consult with the Oracle Such was the irresistable Power of the two-edged Sword which came out of Christ's Mouth that nothing was able to withstand it The little Stone cut out of the Mountain without Hands smote the great Image of Nebuchadnezzar and brake it in pieces To the Doctrine of twelve poor Fisher-men did the great Potentates of the World submit their Scepters Thus the Stone which the Builders refused became the head of the Corner The terrible Beast which with his iron Teeth destroyed all the other Beasts is destroyed by the weakness of preaching against which the more the Roman Empire strugled the more it was foiled and found by Experience that the blood of Martyrs was the Seed of the Church which conquered the great Conquerours not with acting but with suffering not by the Sword but by the Word and more by their Death than by their Life like so many Sampsons triumphing over these Philistines in their Death and Torments But long did it not continue in it's Splendour and Purity Heresie and Persecution did quickly break in upon it Persecution first beginning under Nero and continued with all the Barbarity imaginable under his Successors but Heresie broke forth much sooner and made way for Mahumetanism XXVII The first Heretick was Simon called Magus because he was a Witch a Samaritan by Birth and a Christian by Profession he would have bought the Gifts of the Holy Ghost for Money Act. 8.13 He deny'd the Trinity and affirmed himself to be the true God he taught that the World was made by the Angels not by God and that Christ came not into the World nor did he truly suffer he deny'd also the Resurrection of the Flesh and permitted promiscuous Marriages he likewise affirmed that the true God was never known to the Patriarchs and Prophets Besides these impious Opinions he held Magick and Idolatry lawful he gave to the Angels barbarous Names he slighted the Law of Moses as being not from God and blasphemously denied the Holy Ghost to be a Substance but a bare Vertue or Operation and caused his Disciples to worship his Whore Helena or Selena for a Goddess XXVIII 2. Nicholas of whom are the Nicholaitans was a Proselite of Antioch and one of the seven Deacons mentioned Acts 6. He had a most beautiful Wife and being upbraided by the Apostles that he was jealous of her he brought her out before them and to clear himself gave her Liberty to marry to whom she pleased neither did he afterwards marry any other but taught his Sons and his Daughters to follow Chastity But certain perverse men who boasted that they were his Followers gave themselves to all Uncleanness teaching that Men ought to have their Wives in common they scrupled not to eat of things offered to Idols at their Love-Feasts they used to put out their Lights and commit promiscuous Adulteries with each others Wives They said that not God but Angels created the World Not long did they retain this Name but were called Gnosticks from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Knowledge as if therein they excelled other Men. They taught also that in faithful Men were two Souls one holy of the Divine Substance the other adventitious by Divine Insufflation common to Man and Beasts Their Doctrine began to spread about the beginning of Domitian's Reign after Christ fifty two Years XXIX 3. Corinthus was a Jew by Birth and circumcised taught that all Christians ought to be so also he taught that it was Jesus that dyed and rose again but not Christ he denyed the Article of Eternal Life and taught that the Saints should enjoy in Jerusalem carnal Delights for one thousand Years he denyed the Divinity of Christ he owned no other Gospel but that of St. Matthew rejected Paul as an Apostate from the Law of Moses and worshipped Judas the Traytor in most things they agreed with the Ebionites so called from Ebion a Samaritan St. John would not enter the same Bath with the pernicious Heretick Corinthus but against his and the Heresie of Ebion he wrote his Gospel He spread his Heresie in Domitian's time about sixty two Years after Christ XXXI 4. Carpocrates of whom came the Carpocratians was born at Alexandria in Egypt he flourished about the Year of Christ 109. in the time of Antoninus Pius Eusebius accounts him the Father of the Gnosticks and saith That his Followers gloried of charmed love Drinks of devilish and drunken Dreams of ossistane and associate Spirits and taught That he who would attain to Perfection in their Mysteries must commit the most filthy Acts nor could they but by doing evil avoid the Rage of Evil Spirits They said that Christ was but a mere Man and that only his Soul ascended into Heaven They hold Pythagorean Transmigration but denyed the Resurrection They said not God but Satan made this World and that their Disciples should not publish their abominable Mystery they bored their right Ear with a Bodkin XXXI 5. Valentinus an Egyptian lived in the time of Antoninus Pius When Hyginus was Bishop of Rome he began to spread his Heresie He held that there were many Gods and that he that made the World was the Author of Death that Christ took Flesh from Heaven and passed through the Virgin as Water through a Pipe or Conduit He said there were thirty Ages or Worlds the last of which produced the Heaven Earth and Sea out of the Imperfections of this Creator were procreated divers Evils as Darkness from his Fear evil Spirits out of his Ignorance out of his Tears Springs and Rivers and out of his Laughter Light They have Wives in common and say that both Christ and the Angels have Wives They celebrated the Heathenish Festivals were addicted to Magick and what not This Heretick was of great Reputation in Rome from whence he went to Cyprus and thence into Egypt XXXII 6. Marcion of whom came the Marcionites was of Senope a City of Pontus or Paphlagonia being driven from Ephesus by St. John he went to Rome he was the Son of a Bishop in Pontus and by his Father exiled for Fornication being not received by the Brethren in Rome he fell in
leisurely upon his Head and filled the Cloth up to his Mouth and Nostrils that he could not draw Breath but that he must suck in Water and so continued till it forced his inward Parts to come out at his Nose Eyes and Ears stifling him and choaking him into a Swoon or Fainting but being taken down they made him vomit out the Water and so somewhat recovered they torture him again four or five times his Body swollen three times bigger his Cheeks like Bladders his Eyes staring out beyond his Brows One Colson thus tortured did still deny the accusation whereupon they burn'd him under the Paps Arm-holes Elbows Hands and Feet till the Fat dropped out their Torches then they lodged him in a Dungeon where his Flesh putrefied and Maggots ingendred in it to a horrid and loathsome condition till at the end of eight dayes they were executed March 1623. At which instant there was a sudden Darkness and a Tempest which forced two Dutch Ships out of the Harbour which were hardly saved The Dead were all buried in one Pit and one Dunkin their Accuser stumbled at their Grave and fell stark mad and died so within three dayes after also a Sickness followed at Amboyna of which divers Dutch died The names of the English thus inhumanely dealt with were Captain Towerson Thompson Beaumont Collins Colson Wibber Rampsey Johnson Ford and Brown CXXXV In the Reign of King Edward the Sixth upon the alteration of Religion there was an Insurrection in Cornwal and divers other Countreys wherein many were taken and executed by Marshal Law the chief Leaders were sent to London and there executed The Sedition being thus suppress'd it is memorable what cruel Sport Sir William Kingston made by vertue of his Office which was Provost Marshal upon Men in Misery One Boyer Mayor of Bodmin in Cornwal had been amongst the Rebels not willingly but enforced to him the Provost sent word that he would come and dine with him for whom the Mayor made great Provision A little before Dinner the Provost took the Mayor aside and whisper'd him in the ear That an Execution must be that day done in the Town and therefore required that a pair of Gallows should be set up against Dinner should be done The Mayor failed not of his Charge presently after Dinner the Provost taking the Mayor by the hand entreated him to lead him to the place where the Gallows was which when he beheld he asked if he thought them to be strong enough Yes said the Mayor doubtless they are Well then said the Provost get you up speedily for they are provided for you I hope answered the Mayor you mean not as you speak In faith said the Provost there is no Remedy for you have been a busie Rebel and so without respite or defence he was hang'd to death Near the same place dwelt a Miller who had been a busie Actor in that Rebellion who fearing the approach of the Marshal told a sturdy Fellow his Servant that he had occasion to go from home and therefore bad him that if any came to enquire after the Miller he should not speak of him but say that he was the Miller and had been so for three Years before So the Provost came and called for the Miller when out comes the Servant and saith He was the man The Provost demanded how long he had kept the Mill These three Years answered the Servant Then the Provost commanded his men to lay hold on him and hang him on the next Tree at this the Fellow cried out that he was not the Miller but the Miller's Man Nay Sir said the Provost I will take you at your Word If thou be'est the Miller thou art a busie Knave if thou art not thou art a false lying Knave and howsoever thou canst never do thy Master better Service than to hang for him and so without more ado he was dispatched CXXXVI King John of England was a great Oppressor On a time a Jew refusing to lend this King so much Money as he required the King caused every day one of his greatest Teeth to be pulled out by the space of seven days and then the poor Jew was content to give the King ten thousand Marks of Silver that the one Tooth which he had left might not be pulled out CXXXVII To which I will add an Instance or two of cruel Massacres In the Year 1506. in Lisbon upon the tenth day of April many of the City went to the Church of St. Dominick's to hear Mass On the lest side of this Church there is a Chappel much reverenced by those of the Country and called Jesus Chappel Upon the Altar there stands a Crucifix the Wound of whose side is covered over with a piece of glass Some of those that came thither to do their Devotions casting their Eyes upon this Hole it seemed to them that a certain kind of gilmmering light came forth of it then happy he that could first cry a Miracle and every one said That God shewed the Testimonies of his Presence A Jew that was but lately become a Christian there denied that it was any Miracle saying It was not likely that out of a dry piece of Wood there should come such a Light Now albeit many of the Standers by doubted of the Miracle yet hearing a Jew deny it they began to murmur calling him wicked Apostate a detestable Enemy to Jesus Christ and after they had sufficiently reviled him with Words all the Multitude foaming with Anger fall upon him pluck off the Hair of his Head and Beard tread upon him trail him into the Church-yard beat him to Death and kindling a great Fire cast the dead Body into it All the residue of the People ran to this mutinous Company there a certain Fryar made a Sermon wherein he eagerly egged on his Auditors to revenge the injury our Lord had received The People mad enough of themselves were clean cast off of the Hinges by this Exhortation Besides this two other Fryars took and held up a Cross as high as they could crying out Revenge Revenge Heresie Heresie down with wicked Heresie and destroy the wicked Nation Then like hungry Dogs they fall upon the miserable Jews cut the Throats of a great number and drag them half dead to the Fires many of which they made for the purpose They regarded not Age or Sex but murdered Men Women and Children they brake open Doors rush into Rooms dash out Childrens Brains against the Walls they went insolently into Churches to pluck out thence little Children old Men and young Maids that had taken hold of the Altars the Crosses and Images of Saints crying Misericordia Mercy there they either so murdered them presently or threw them out alive into the Fire Many that carried the port and shew of Jews found themselves in great danger and some were killed and others wounded before they could make proof that they had no Relation to them Some that bare a Grudge