things which seem to belong to the service of the gods. But 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” And Augustine in his book de Quantitate Anime, 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?”
[[ Hac conditione gignimur, ut generanti (Bullinger read, generati)]
[nos Deo justa et debita obsequia preebeamus; hune solum noverimus;]
[hune 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,]
[&e. &c.. Diximus nomen religionis a vinculo pietatis esse deductum;]
[quod hominem 5101 Deus religaverit, et pietate constrinxerit: quia ser-]
[vire nos ei, ut domino, et obsequi, ut patri, necesse est.—Lactant.]
[Instit. Lib. 1v. cap. 28.] [> 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. 11. 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. 1.]
[fol. 131. col. 1.] [7 See the quotation, Vol. 1. p. 233, note 5. Aug. Opp. Tom. 1.]
[fol. 156, col. 3.]]
We say, therefore, that true religion is none other thing is. ry. Line.. 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: