1 swaded there is no Fault in believing either the one or the other, as it appears more probable : For whether soever we believe, we believe in the Protection of Angels, and that seems to be all which the Scripture requires. OBSERVATIONS ON CHAP. XXIX. "The SYMMACHUS, against the Christians, says, divine Being has distributed various Guardians to Cities. As Souls are communicated to Infants at their Birth, so particular Genii are assigned to particular Societies of Men. Moresin tells us, that papal Rome, in Imitation of this Tenet of Gentilism, has fabricated such Kinds of Genii for Guardians and Defenders of Cities and People. Thus she has assigned St. Andrew to Scotland, St. George to England, St. Dennis to France, &c.-Egidius to Edinburgh, Nicholas to Aberdeen, &c. &c*. It were superfluous to enumerate the Tutelar Gods of Heathenism.-Few are ignorant that Apollo and Minerva presided over Athens, Bacchus and * Custodes varios (ait Symmachus in relatione ad Valentinianum &c. pro veteri Deorum cultu adversus Christianos) Urbibus & cultus Mens divina distribuit: ut animæ nascentibus, ita Populis fatales Genii dividuntur. Sic Papa populis et Urbibus consimiles fabricat cultus et Genios Custodes & Defensores, ut Scotia Andream, Angliæ Georgium, Galliæ Dionysium, &c.-Edinburgo Egidium, Aberdoniæ Nicolaum, &c. Moresini Deprav. Rel. Orig. P. 48. Hercules over Baotian Thebes, Juno over Carthage, Venus over Cyprus and Paphos, Apollo over Rhodes, Mars was the Tutelar God of Rome*, as Neptune of Tænarus: Diana presided over Crete, &c. &c. St. Peter succeeded to Mars at the Revolution of the religious Creed of Rome: He now presides over the Castle of St. Angelo, as Mars did over the antient Capitol. It is observable in this Place, how closely Popery has in this Respect copied the Heathen Mythology. -She has the Supreme Being for Jupiter, and has substituted Angels for Genii.-The Souls of Saints for Heroes, retaining all kinds of Dæmons. Against these Pests, she has carefully provided her Antidotes. She exorcises them out of Waters, she rids the Air of them by ringing her hallowed Bells, &c. Thus the Pope, like Pluto of old, may be said to preside over the Infernal Regions. The Romanists in Imitation of the Heathens, have assigned Tutelar Gods to each Member of the Eody, to Professionst, Tradest, &c. It *In the Observations on Days in the antient Calendar of the Church of Rome, I find on this Day the following: “Arx tonat in gratiam tutelaris numinis.” † Apollini et Esculapio ejus filio datur morbo medicinam facere, apud nos Cosma et Damiano: at Pestis in partem cedit Rocho ; oculorum lippitudo Clara. Antonius suibus medendis sufficit: (St. Antony's Pig), &c. Morbo sontico olim Hercules, nunc Joannes & Valentinus præsunt.—In arte obstetricandi Lucinam longè superat postra Margareta, et quia hæc moritur Virgo, ne non satis attenta ad curam sit, quam neque didicit, neque experientia cognovit illi in officia It is perhaps owing to this antient Notion of good and evil Genii attending each Person, that many of the Vulgar pay so great an Attention to particular Dreams, thinking them, it should seem the Means these invisible Attendants use to inform their Wards of any imminent Danger. Michaelmas, says Bailey, is a Festival appointed by the Church, to be observed in Honour of St. Michael the Arch-Angel, who is supposed to be officio jungitur fungendo expertus Marpurgus. Aliqui addunt loco Junonis, Reginam nostri cœli divam Mariam, &c. Moresin Deprav. Rel. p. 16. Statilinus erat Deus cujusque privatus, qui semper suum hominem est dictus comitari: sic Papa cuique adglutinat suum Angelum et quisque sibi patronum ex defunctis unum eligit, cujus sit cliens et cui vota ferat. Ibid. P. 164. Sartoribus nemo Deorum veterum præ est, quem legere contigit, nisi sit Mercurius Fur, cum ipsi sint furacissimi. Bulling. Cap. 34. Orig. ex papæ decreto concedit illis, cum sint plerunque belli homunculi, dignum suis moribus Deum Gutmannum nescio quem, Sed barbarum nomen cogit fateri civiliores esse Scotos, qui Annam, Matrem Virginis Mariæ coluerunt, quæ ac dicunt Tunicam Christi texuit, et ideo meritò illis Dea est. lbid. 155. Fabrorum Deus Vulcanus fuit ferrariorum, nunc in papatu commutant Vulcanum cum Eulogio-Scoti hisce fabris dederunt Alvisium, quem colerent, ut et reliquis qui malleo utuntur. Ibid. P. 56. *Theodoretus in Expositione Epist. Pauli ad Coloss. 2. dicit, qui legem defendebant Pseudo-Apostoli eos etiam ad Angelos colendos inducebant, dicentes, legem per ipsos datam fuisse, mansit autem hoc vitium diu in Phrygia & Pisidia, quocirca Synodus quoque convenit Laodiceæ, quæ est Phrygiæ metropolis, et lege prohibuit, ne precarentur Angelos: Canon Concil Laodicen. est 34. ac ita habet. Non oportet Christianos derelicta Ecclesia abire ad Angelos et Idololatriæ abominandæ congregationes facere, &c. Sed nunc ex Papismo Angeli duo cuique assident, bonum his conceptis precantur verbis. Angele qui meus est Custos pietate superna, the the Chief of the Host of Heaven, as Lucifer is of the Infernal, and as he was supposed to be the Protector of the Jewish Church, so he is now esteemed the Guardian and Defender of the Christian Church. A red Velvet Buckler is said to be still reserved in a Castle of Normandy, which the Archangel Michael made use of when he combated the Dragon! See Bishop Hall's Triumphs of Rome, p. 62. This Writer ridicules also the Superstition of Sailors among the Romanists, who in passing by St. Michael's Grecian Promontory Malea, used to ply him with their best Devotions, that he would hold still his Wings, from resting too hard upon their Sails. Triumph of Piety, p. 50. CHAP. CHAP. XXX. Of the Country Wake: How observed formerly : A Custom of the Heathens, and regulated by Gregory the Great. IN the Southern Parts of this Nation, the most of Country Villages are wont to observe some Sunday in a more particular Manner, than the other common Sundays of the Year, viz. the Sunday after the Day of Dedication, i. e. the Sunday after the Day of the Saint, to whom their Church was dedicated. Then the Inhabitants deck themselves in their gaudiest Clothes, and have open Doors and splendid Entertainments, for the Reception and Treating of their Relations and Friends, who visit them on that Occasion, from each neighbouring Town. The Morning is spent for the most Part at Church, tho' not as that Morning was wont to be spent, not with the Commemoration of the Saint or Martyr, nor the grateful Remembrance of the Builder and Endower. The remaining Part of the Day, is spent in Eating and Drinking; and so is also a Day or two afterwards, together with all Sorts 4 |
