lord’s discovery of the banians and persees. 555

men {hall deferve the attributes to them appropriate ? Touching their law, the mainpillars thereof have been demolifhed in its confutation : “ The kingdom of God confillsnot in meats and drinks.” For other their ceremonies and rites, contained in theirfecond tract of the book, what man of reafonable underltanding doth not wonder attheir fuperftitions, which place their faith in outward walkings, lotions and fprinklings ?in worlhip of fun, moon, and other living creatures, in paintings, unctions, and garilhproceflions, in offerings under green trees, in cringings, backings, and bowings toimages, and other multifarious ceremonies ? All evidences of brains intoxicate with thefumes of error and polytheifm. As for their four tribes, or calls, as in all things elfe,how Pythagorically they Hand upon the number of four ? The world was formed offour principles ; divided into four points of the compafs ; to endure for four ages;planted by four men, matched by four women ; reftored again by four; and to bedemolilhed by four feveral deftructions ; in four feveral elements ; and, to conclude,like Sadducees, denying the refurrection, in which confilleth the hopes of the blelfed :of which of St. Paul, i Cor. 15. 29. {e If in this life only we have hope of Chrift, w?are of all men moll miferable.”

All thefe declare how they have made their religion a compofed fiction, rather thanany thing real for faith to lean on. Though, then, the novelty of this relation may makeit grateful to any, who like an Athenian defireth to hear fome Itrange thing or new, Iknow not wherein it may be more profitable than to fettle us in the folidnefs of our ownfaith, which is purged of all fitch levities ; for the vainnefs of error makes truth’s greatellopinion, which duly confidered may well move us to fay,

-— Micat inter omnes

Julium Sydus, velut inter ignesLuna minores.

“ That our great light outfhines all thefe, as far‘ f As filver moon outfhines each lelfer liar.”

THE RELIGION OF THE PERSEES.

THE INTRODUCTION.

H AVING declared the religion, rites, cufloms, and ceremonies of a people living inthe Eall Indies, called the Banians, a fed not thoroughly publiflied by any hereto*fore, whilft my obfervation was bellowed on fuch inquiry, I obferved in the town ofSurrat, the place where I refided, another feci called the Perfees ; who, becaufe I diddifcern them to differ both from the Moor and Banian in the courfe of their living,and in the form of their religion j as alfo that the fcripture, Dan. vi. 15. fpeaketh ofthe law of the Medes and Perfians that might not alter ; finding thefe to be that famepeople that are linked with the Medes, I thought it would not be unworthy of mylabour to bring to the eyes of my countrymen this religion alfo, efpecially fince I neverread of any that had fully publiflied the fame, but that it hath remained obfcureand hid from common knowledge. For this caufe, defirous to add any thing to theingenious that the opportunities of my travels might confer upon me, I joined myfelfwith one of their churchmen, called the Daroo, and by the interpretation of a Perfee,

4 B 2 whofe