To His Grace,

Christopher

Lord Duke of Albemarle, &c. Lord-Lieutenant of the Counties of Devon and Effex, Gentleman of His Majefty's Bedchamber, one of His Majefty's moft Honourable Privy Council, and Knight of the most Noble Order of the Garter, &c.

My LORD, may it please your Grace,

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Dare not call this Addrefs, Prefumption, the ufual Compliment Men give to Perfons of Honour in Dedications of Books, but Duty, and the greatest Service I can pay you. It's the Caufe of God, and the Caufe of Men's immortal Souls, I am defending in this Treatife, a Subject which claims Attention from all Degrees of Men, and wherein the most puissant Prince is as much concerned, as the meanest Vafal. It is a future Eftate; and what becomes of Men, when their Bodies do drop from them, and what they must do to inherit that Eternal Glory, which a merciful God hath been pleased to promife them, that I intend to speak to; and if there be fuch a thing, as a Retribution after Death, and our Souls, when they leave their Earthly

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Tabernacles must come to an After-reckoning, and appear before the dreadful Tribunal of a just and infinite Majefty, certainly that Man is unjust to himself, and an Enemy to his own Prefervation, that dares neglect his Preparation for that great and tremendous Audit, and prefers not Meditation on that laft Account,before all the Senfual Enjoyments of this World.

My Lord, We are fallen into an Age, wherein fome few daring Men (indeed their Number is inconfide rable, compared with the more Sober, Part of Mankind,) have prefumed to mock at a Punishment after Death, and termed that a Bugbear, derived from the Tales of Priests, and the Melancholy of Contemplative Men, which the wifer World heretofore was afraid to entertain, but with moft ferious Reflections. When the ripeft and most fubalt Judgments, for almost Six thousand Tears together, by the Instinct of Nature, and Confcience, have believed a future Retribution; it's pretty to fee a few raw Touths, who have drowned their Reafon in Senfuality, and scarcely ever perused any Books, but Romances, and the Lafcivious Rhapsodies of Poets, affume to themselves a Power to controul the Univerfal Senfe, and Confent of Mankind; think themselves wifer than all the grave Sages, that have lived before them; and break Fests in their Riots, and Debaucheries, upon that, which not only Chriftians, but Jews, Mahometans, and Heathens, the fubti left, and most knowing of them, have, ever fince we have any Record or Hiftory of their Actions and Belief, profeffed, and embraced with all imaginable

Reverence.

And,

And, are not things come to a fine pass, My Lord, when Christianity, the cleareft Revelation that was ever vouchsafed to Men, hath been received, confir med, and approved of in the World, above Sixteen hundred Tears; and the greatest Philofophers, in many of thofe Countries where it hath taken Root, have not dared to doubt of the Truth of it, the convin cing power that came along with it proclaiming its Divinity, and Majefty; that thefe bold Attentates fhould now begin to arraign its Authority, and put us upon proving the first Principles of it, as if the World were returned to its former Barbarism, and we had once more to do with Infidels, as if Men had divested themselves of Humanity, and put on the Nature of Beafts, and were fent into the World to underftand no more, but the Matter and Motion of the Malmsbury Philofophy.

I confefs, I have fometimes blamed my felf for accufing thefe Libertines of Atheism, when I have underflood what mortal Enemies they were to Lying and Nonfenfe; for how should not they believe a God, that cannot speak a Sentence, but muft Swear by Him; or the Truth of the Chriftian Religion, that put fo remarkable and Emphafis upon's Wounds and Blood; or another World, that do so often imprecate Damnation to themselves; or the being of a Devil, who do not feldom wifh, he may confound them? Would not any Man conclude, That Perfons who do so exclaim against every mistaken and misplaced Word, and are fuch perfect Masters of Senfe, and value themfelves fo much upon their Veracity, muft needs be43

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live the Existence of thofe Things they make use of. in their ingenious Oaths, and Curfes, the Pompous Ornaments, which in this Licentious Age Set off the Glory, Wit, and Gallantry of fuch accomplished Pretenders? But though we must not be fo unmannerly, as to accufe thefe Wits, of Contradictions in their Difcourfes; yet any Man that doth not love Darknefs better than Light, may foon perceive how faulty this way thefe Scepticks are, there being nothing more common with them, than to fmile at the Notion of that God,by whom they fwore just before; and to rail at that Day of Judgment, which they feemed to acknowledge in their abfurd Wishes and Imprecations.

Some have I known, who, in a serious Pit, have been pleased to tell me, that if they could be fure there was another World, and a Retribution for Good and Evil, none fhould exceed them in strictness of Conver Jation, and exact Piety of Life; and I am so charitable to believe, that thefe fpeak the Senfe of most of the reft, and that the imaginary want of certainty in this dubious Point, diverts them from venturing on that Innocence and Purity, which was the Glory of the Primitive Chriftians. But may it not be requifite to enquire, Whether thefe Doubters have ever taken the right way to be fatisfied If one that had never heard of fuch a City as Exeter, fhould be told, That a Friend of his, lately deceafed there, had left him à Thousand Pounds; and he should reply, That if he were certain there were fuch a City, he would repair thither, and yet would not enquire of those that are able to inform bim: Might it not be prefumed, that such an one had no mind to be satisfied? And I durst appeal to the

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