22 Chap. 5. Concerning Misbelief. Introdu&. And thus muchfor thispoint of viq ad Domiuum, the way to come toGod. r. By believing. z. By ftrengthning that belief. 3. By expelling the Spirit for ourDi- redor. 4. And laftly byproceeding by degrees, ina rightpath. CHA P. V. 3. That We mull believe there is a God. Mifbelief in four things. r . Autotheifine, 2. Polytheifine. 3..4theifine. 4. Dîabolifine. The Reafons of Atbeifls , An- filtered. Religion upholds all flares. The Original of Atbeifine, from r. Difsontent. z. Senfuality. THe third point it: that we mutt believe there is a God. This is our third Ration or journey : for our better preparation and tlrengthning wherein, we are to note four Obftacles or Errors, which the Devil laies in our way. Misbelief feen in four points. a. The firft is Autotheifine. When Adam was in the ftate of Perfeuion, it was im- poffible to perfwade him, either, a. That he was a God, or z. To worship any Creatureas God, or 3. To believe that there was no God, 4. Or to worship the Devil as a God. And thereforeheufed allhis Art to deceive him, and perfwaded him, that by eating the Apple his Eyes fhould be opened, and that he fhould plainly perceive that he fhould be like to God. And by his-perfwafion he departed from Godby unbelief and prefumption ( to whom he mutt come again by beliefand humi- liation : ) but in the fame day wherein he tranfgreffed Gods command, and followed the Devils Counfel, he confuted that Opinion (as foon as he had tafted the forbidden fruit) by hiding himfelf behind the bufh. So Alexander by his Flatterersperfwafr- ons, wasdrawn to believe himfelf to be agod : but being wounded at a liege, hecry. ed, hisfanguis hominem denetat, his blood (hewed plainly to be a man. And the Em- perour Claudius that was in the fame humour, being feared with a clap of Thunder,fied intohis Tent,and (hiding himfelf) could cryout, Hie Deus, Claudius non eft Deus, this is God,Claudius is none. z. The fecond is Polythei fine. Becaufe God was ahelp to Man after his fall, inmaking himGarments, direfìs him how to drefs the earth to yield him food, and gave him theufe of the Creatures, and this was a help and fray to soap; theDevil by a falfe in- verfion(truck into the minds of his Pofterity, that whatfoever was beneficial to man, was his God : and fo faith the Philofopher, .e 7rtm s.as is;, that which feedeth us, is a god : and fo deriving that goodto the inftrument, which was proper to the ¡rind. pal, many gods were brought into the opinions ofmen : asMen, and Celeftial Bodies : and at la[tt they came unto fisch an extremity ofabfurdity, as that Cats, Crocodiles, and many other unreafonablecreatures became tobe worshiped asgods. 3. The third is Atbeirme. When this multitude of gods grew fo great,-as that the 7uvenal. Peet laid of them , Quorum nafcuntar in barris nomina, they had gods growing in .\ their Gardens : it loon became a queflion, and a doubt was made, whether there were a God or no. And this was the caufe (as fome conceive) why Diagaras fiat broached this doubt. 4 Laftly, Diabolifme. After that the Devil had brought the World thus far, it was impotfrble it fhould fray long there : therefore to chew his Mafter.piece, he brought himfelf, by his lies, falfe and doubtful Oracles, and the like, firft into admiration, and then even to adoration, caufing the people to worship him as a God. And he wanted not woríhippers, even of the molt learned and gresteft perfons : As Appoiio- nims, Tyaneus, iarnblicus, and ÿulian the Apofiata, who being ofno Religion, fell to worship the Devil, and proved Necromancers, Sorcerers, and Conjurers. The like fuccefs he had in the Eaft-Indies, where the Gofpel was preached bySt. Thomas the Apofile. The People in after ages falling into contention about Religion, they grew r- at length to worship him in an Image called Thor, and continuehisworship to this day. We (hall infift efpecially upon the third Errour, Atheifine. They which have flood in defence of this Errour, let down clickfive Heads for their grounds.
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