better with the world, and spoken plainly the things which the fimple and all muft know, and yet fpoken fublimely of things myfterious, heavenly and fublime.

This is the true nature and character of Christianity.

CHAP. V.

Of the Congruities in the Chriftian Religion, which make it the more easily credible, and are great · preparatives to Faith.

Ecause Truth is never contrary to it felf, nor agreeable Effectivum in Creawith errour, it is a way that reafon teacheth all men, tione, Refe&tivum in Truth is never in the trying of any queftioned point, to reduce it to thofe Redemptione, Perthat are unquestionable, and fee whether or no they accord feftivum in fanctifi with thofe And to mark the unquestionable Ends of Reli- catione. Job.a Combis gion, and try how it fuiteth its means thereunto: And Comp. Theolog. 1. 4. therefore men of all fober profeflions have their determinate principles and ends, by which they try fuch particular opinions, as Chriftians do by their analogy of faith. And in this trial of Chriftianity, I fhall tell you what I find it.

Ø. 1. I find in general, that there is an admirable concord between Natural Verity, and the Gospel of Christ, and that Grace is medicinal to Nature; and that where Natural light endeth, Supernatural beginneth; and that the fuperstructure which Chrift hath built upon Nature, is wonderfully adapted to its foundation.

This is made manifeft in all the first part of this Treatise. Reason, which is our Nature, is not deftroyed, but repaired, illuminated, elevated and improved, by the Chriftian faith. Free-will, which is our Nature, is made more excellently free by Christianity. Self-love, which is our Nature, is not destroyed, but improved by right conduct and help to our attainment of its ends. The Natural part of Religion is fo far from being abrogated by Chriftianity, that the latter doth but fubferve the former. Chrift is the way to God the Father. The duty which we owe by Nature to our Creator, we owe him still; and Chrift came to enable and teach us to

6. I.

す

Read chap. 16. with

the citations.

Nam vitris nemo fine

nafcitur; optimus ille

perform it: the love of God our Creator with all our hearts is ftill our duty: and faith in Chrift is but the means to the love of God, and the bellows to kindle that holy fire. The Redeemer came to recover us to our Creator; He taketh not the Book of the Creatures or Nature out of our hands, but teacheth us better to read and use it. And fo it is through all the reft.

1.2. I find alfo that the ftate of this prefent world is exceeding fuitable to the Scripture-character of it; that it is exceeding evil, and a deluge of fin and mifery, doth declare its great neceffity of a Saviour, and fheweth it still to be a place unmeet to be the home and happineß of Saints.

Of all the parts of God's Creation, this earth doth feem to be next to Hell: certainly it is greatly defiled with fin, and Qui minimisurgetur. overwhelmed with manifold calamities; and though God Horat. hath not totally forfaken it, nor turned away his mercy as he hath done from Hell, yet is he much eftranged from it: The bidness of the fo that those who are not recovered by grace, are next to world occafioned the devils. And alas how numerous and confiderable are they to Manichees to think, denominate it, [an evil world!] Thofe that Chrift calleth that God made it not out of it, he fanctifieth, and maketh them unlike the world: them to run into that and his grace doth not give them a worldly felicity, nor eTour, to bo'd, that fettle them in a Reft or Kingdom here; but it faveth them God made not man, from this world, as from a place of fiares, and a company of which he fo vehement cheaters, robbers and murderers; and from a tempestuous ly defendeth, lib. 2. Sea, whose waves feem ready ftill to drown us. adverf. gentes: yet profeffing, that he who mide us, and whence evil cometh, is a thing to us unknown.

and Arnobius with

I. I find it is a world of Sin. II. And of Temptation. III. And of Calamity.

I. For Sin, it is become, as it were, its nature, it liveth with men from the birth to the grave. It is an ignorant world, that wandereth in darkness; and yet a proud selfconceited world, that will not be convinced of its ignorance; and is never more furiously confident, than when it is most deceived and moft blind. Even natural wifdom is fo rare, and folly hath the major vote and strength, that wife men are wearied with refitting folly, and ready in difcouragements to leave the foolish world unto it felf, as an incurable Bedlam: fo fierce are fools againft inftruction, and fo hard is it to make them know that they are ignorant, or to convince men of their miftakes and errours: The Learner thinks his

Teacher

Teacher doteth; and he that hath but wit enough to diftin- Unicuique dedit vi. guish him from a bruit, is as confident as if he were a Do- tium natura creato, ctor. The Learned themselves are for the most part but halfPropert. witted men, who either take up with lazie ftudies, or elfe Sed quia czcus ineft have the disadvantage of uncapable temperatures and wits, vitiis amor, oa ne fuor of unhappy Teachers and falfe principles received by ill turum, education, which keep out truth: fo that they are but fitted Defpicitur, fuadent to trouble the world with their contentions, or deceive men tum brevem præfentia fruby their errors: and yet have they not the acquaintance Eruit in vetitum with their ignorance, which might make them learn of damni fecura libido. fuch as can inftruct them; but if there be among many but Claud. 2. Eur one that is wifer than the reft, he is thought to be unfit to live among them, if he will not deny his knowledge, and Egregium fanctumq; own their errours, and confefs that modefty and order re- virum fi cerno, biquire, that either the higheft, or the major vote are membri the mafters of truth, and all is falfe that is against their Hoc monftrum puero, opinions.

vel miranti fub ara

tro

He that will perufe

It is an Atheistical ungodly world, that knoweth not its Pifcibus inventis, & Maker; or forgetteth, contemneth, and wilfully difobeyeth fatæ comparo mule. him, while in words it doth confels him: and yet an hypo- Juven, Sat. 13. critical world, that will speak honourably of God, and of vertue and piety, of juftice and charity, while they are ne- that notable defcript.on glecting and rejecting them, and cannot endure the practice of the state of mortals, of that which their tongues commend: almoft all forts will and of fouls in fish, prefer the life to come in words, when indeed they utterly which Arnobius bath, neglect it, and prefer the fleshly pleasures of this life: They adv. Gentes, l.b, 2. p. 18,19. Annot.Bib. cry out of the vanity and vexation of the world, and yet Pat. (too long to be they fet their hearts upon it, and love it better than God and tranfcribed) shall fee the world to come: they will have fome Religion, to mock the vanity and shame God, and deceive themselves, which shall go no deeper than of this corrupted world the knee and tongue, in forms, or ceremonies, or a diffembled expressed to the life. affection and profeflion. But to be devoted abfolutely to God, in felf-refignation, obedience and love, how rare is it even in them who cannot deny, but the Law of Nature it felf doth primarily and undeniably oblige them to it? Their Religion is but felf-condemnation, while their tongues condemn their hearts and lives.

It is a fenfual bruitish world, and feemeth to have hired out their reafon to the fervice of their appetites and lufts : gluttony, and excefs of drink, and fports, and plays, and

Ii 2

gaming,

:

gaming, with pride, and wantonnefs, and fornication, and uncleanness, and worldly pomp, and the covetous gathering of provifion for the flesh, to fatisfie thefe lufts, is the butnefs and pleasure of their lives: and if you tell them of Noftri tantum qui Reafon, or the Law of God to take them off, you may almott Chriftiani vocamur as well think to reafon a hungry Dog from his carrion, or a nulla vobis cura eft; luftful Boar to forbear his luft.

finitis enim nos qui And it is a Selfish world, where every man is as an idol to nihil mali patramus, himfelf; and affected to himself and his own intereft, as if immo omnium piissimè juftiffimeque cum he were all the world: drawing all that he can from others, erga Deum tum im- to fill his own infatiable defires: loving all-men, and honourperium vestrum nos ing, and efteeming, and praifing them, according to the gerimus, exagitari, measure of their efteem of him, or their agreeableness to his rapi, fugari, nomen duntaxat noftrum plc. opinions, ways or interest: felf-love, felf-conceit, felf-esteem, rifque impugnanti- felf-will and felf-feeking, is the foul and bufinefs of the bus. Athenagor. Apo- world. And therefore no wonder that it is a divided and log, p. I.

contentious world, when it hath as many ends as men; and every man is for himself, and draweth his own way. No wonder that there is fuch variety of apprehenfions, that no two men are in all things of a mind: and that the world is like a company of drunken men together by the ears, or of blind men fighting with they know not whom, and for they know not what. And that ignorant fects, and contentious wranglers, and furious fighters, are the bulkie parts of it. And that ftriving who fhall Rule, or be Greatest, or have his will, is the worlds employment.

It is a dreaming and diftracted world, that spend their days and cares for nothing; and are as ferious in following a feather, and in the pursuit of that, which they confefs is vanity and dying in their hands, as if indeed they knew it to be true felicity: they are like children, bufie in hunting butterAies; or like boys at foot-ball, as eager in the purfuit, and in over-turning one another, as if it were for their lives, or for fome great defirable prize: or liker to a heap of Ants, that gad about as bufily, and make as much ado for fticks and duft, as if they were about fome magnificent work. Thus doth the vain deceived world lay out their thoughts and time upon impertinencies, and talk and walk like fo many Noctambulo's in their fleep: they ftudy, and care, and weep, and laugh, and labour, and fight, as men in a dream:

and

O

um

ingratum & impifeculum! O in privatam perniciem incredibili pectoris

and will hardly be perfwaded, but it is reality which they purfue, till death come and awake them. Like a Stage-play, or a Poppet-play, where all things feem to be what they are not, and all partics feem to do what they do not, and then depart, and are all difroab'd and unmask'd; fuch is the life of the most of this world, who spend their days in a ferious obftinatione pronum! jeafting, and in a bufie doing nothing. fi aliquis ad vos me

It is a malignant world, that hath an inbred radicated dicus ex fummotisveniffet, & incognitis enmity to all that virtue and goodness which they want: regionibus, medicathey are fo captivated to their fleshly pleafures and worldly men pollicens-cerinterefts, that the firft fight, approach or motion, of reafon, tatim blanditiis, &c. holinefs, mortification and felf-denial, is met by them with Quænam eft hæc feritas, quæ libido tạm heart-rifing, indiguation and cppofition in which their carnifex, inexpiabile fury beareth down all argument, and neither giveth them bellum indicere nihil leave confiderately to ufe their own reafon, or hearken to de te merito? Dilaanothers: there are few that are truly wife, and good, and cerare fi detur velle heavenly, that escape their hatred and beaftly rage. And non modo nullum incum per vifcera, qui when Countries have thought to remedy this plague, by tulerit malum nulli, changing their forms of Government, experience hath told fed benignus hoftithem, that the vice and root of their calamity lieth in the bus, &c. Arnob...ão in fine. blindness and wickedness of corrupted nature, which no form of Government will cure: and that the Doves that

are governed by Hawkes and Kites, must be their prey, whether it be one or many that hath the Sovereignty.

Profperum ac fælix fcelus virtus vocatur.

Quis nomen unquam Yea, it is an unthankful world, that in the exercife of this fceleris errori dedit? malignant cruelty, will begin with those that deserve beft fæpe error ingen's fceleris obtinuit leat their hands. He that would inftruct them, and stop them cum. Sen. Here. fur. in their fin, and fave their fouls, doth ordinarily make himfelf a prey and they are not content to take away their Anaxarchum, Demolives, but they will (among their credulous rabble) take critium à Cyprio ty away the reputation of their honefty: and no wifdom or ranno excarnificatum learning was ever fo great, no innocency fo unspotted, no Eleatem in tormentis accepimus: Zenonem honefty, juftice or charity fo untainted, no holiness fo vene- necatum: Quid die rable,that could ever priviledge the owners from their rage, or cam de Socrate, cajus make the poffeffors to escape their malice. Even Jefus morti illachrymari Chrift, that never committed fin, and that came into the folco Platonem Ic world with the moft matchlefs love; and to do them the gens. Many more fuck inftances baib Cotta greatest good, was yet profecuted furiously to a fhameful in Cicero, de Nat. death; and not only fo, but in his humiliation his judge- Deor. 1. 3. p. 1075 ment was taken away; and he was condemned as an evil 108.

Ii 3

doer,