1. To do good to the church, by the excellent gifts of many hypocrites. 2. To do good to themselves, by the means or helps of grace which they meet with in the church.i

Sect. 42. But the proper, appointed place which all that are not (at age) persuaded to the profession of true Christianity, should continue in, is the state of catechumens, or audientes; mere learners, in order to be made Christians.k

Sect. 43. The visible church is much larger than the mystical, though but one church, that is, the church hath more professing than regenerate members, and will have to the end of the world, and, none must expect that they be commensurate.1

Sect. 44. As a corn-field; 1. Corn; 2. Straw and chaff, and, 3. Weeds and stricken ears; and is denominated from the corn, which is the chief (preserved) part; but the straw must not be cast out, because it is necessary for the corn; but the weed must be pulled up, except when doing it may hurt the wheat: even so the church hath, 1. Sincere Christians, from whom it is denominated; 2. Close hypocrites, whose gifts are for the good of the sincere, and must not be cast out by the pastors; 3. Heretics and notorious wicked men, who are impenitent after due admonition; and these must be cast out, except when it may hazard the church.m

Sect. 45. The means of increasing the church must ultimately be intended always to the increase of the church mystical, for holiness and salvation."

Sect. 46. These means are, 1. All the fore-mentioned means of holiness, for holiness is the church's glory; the image of God, which will make it illustrious and beautiful in the eyes of men, when they are sober and impartial, and will do most to win them home to Christ. 2. Especially the great abilities, holiness, patience, and unwearied diligence of the ministers of Christ, is a needful means. 3. The advancement of arts and sciences doth much to prepare the way. 4. The agreement and love of Christians among themselves. 5. Love to the infidels and ungodly, and doing all the good we can even to their bodies. 6. A spiritual, pure, rational, and decent worshipping of God. 7. And the concord of christian princes among them

1 Phil. i. 15-18; Matt. x. 1, and vii. 22,【23.

Mark xvi. 16; Acts v. 13.

1 Rom. ix. 6; Matt. xiii. 41, 42, 47, and xx. 22.

m Matt. xiii. 28, 36, and iii. 12; Psalm ii. 4; Jer. xiii, 28.

* 2 Tim, ii. 10; John xi. 52; 1 Tim, ii. 4.

selves, for the countenancing and promoting the labours of such preachers as are fitted for this work,o

Sect. 47. The hinderances, then, of the church's increase, and of the conversion of the heathen and infidel world, are, 1. Above all, the wickedness of professed Christians, whose falsehood, and debauchery, and unholiness, persuade the poor infidels that Christianity is worse than their own religion, because they see that the men are worse that live among them. And 2. The hadness of the pastors, especially in the Greek and Latin churches, and the destruction of church discipline, and impurity of the churches hereupon, together with the ignorance and unskilfulness of most for so great a work, is a great impediment. 3. The defectiveness in arts and sciences. 4. The many divisions and unbrotherly contentions of Christians among themselves, either for religion or for worldly things. 5. Not devoting ourselves, and all that we have, to the winning of infidels, by love, and doing them good. 6. A carnal, irrational, or indecent manner of worshipping God; for they will contemn that God, whose worship seemeth to them ridiculous and contemptible, 7. The discords, wars, or selfishness, of christian princes, who unite not their strength to encourage and promote this noble work, but rather hinder it, by weakening the hands of the labourers at home. 8. Especially when the very preachers themselves are guilty of covetous or ambitious designs, and, under pretence of preaching Christ, are seeking riches, or setting up themselves, or those that they depend on. These have kept under the church of Christ, and hindered the conversion of the world till now.P

• Acts ij. 44, 46; iv. 32, 34; ix. 31 ; xii. 24; ix. 15, and xx. 20, &c.; 2 Tim. ii. 21; John iv. 22-24, and xvii. 24, 25; 2 Tim. ii. 25.

P. Isa. ix. 17; 1 Thess. v. 22; Rom. ii. 21, 24; 1 Tim. vi.; 1 Tit. ii. 5; 1 Pet. iii. 16, 17; iv. 15, and ii. 12. Read Joseph Acosta of this at large, and Tho. D. S. Jesu de convers. gent. 1 Cor. xiv. 2, &c.; vii. 10, 11, and xiv. 16, 22, 23. Read Bishop Bilson Of Christian Subjection, (p. 526.') 6

Vos æris tinnitibus et tibiarum sonis - persuasum habetis Deos; delectari et affici, irasque aliquando conceptas eorum satisfactione moiliri. Nos inconveniens ducimus, quinimo incredibile judicamus, eos qui gradibus mille genus omne virtutum perfectionis transierint summitate, in voluptatibus habere atque in deliciis esse res eas, quas homo sapiens rideat, et quæ non aliis videantur continere aliquid gratiæ, quam infantibus parvulis et trivialiter et populariter institutis. Hæc cum ita se habeant, cumque sit opinionum tanta nostrarum vestrarumque diversitas, ubi aut nos impii, aut vos pii; cum ex partium sensibus pietatis debeat atque impietatis ratio ponderari? Non enim qui simulachrum sibi aliquod conficit, quod pro Deo veneretur is habendus est rebus esse deditus divinis, Opinio religionem

Sect. 48. The attempts of the Jesuits in Congo, Japan, and China, was a very noble work, and so was the Portuguese kings' encouragements; but two things spoiled their success, which protestants are not liable to: 1, That when they took down the heathen images, they set them up others in the stead; and made them think that the main difference was, but whose image they should worship and withal, by their agnus deis, and such like trinkets, made religion seem childish and contemptible. 2. But, especially, that they made them see, that while they seemed to promote religion, and to save their souls, they came to promote their commonwealth, or the pope's dominion, and to bring their kings under a foreign power,a

Sect. 49. The honest attempts of Mr. Elliot, in New England, is much more agreeable to the apostles' way, and maketh more serious, spiritual Christians; but the quality of place and people, and the greatness of wants, doth hinder the multiplication of converts, and higher attempts were very desirable,

Sect. 50. The translating of fit books into the language of the infidels, and dispersing them, may, in time, prove the sowing of a holy, fruitful seed.r

Sect. 51. Prosperity useth greatly to increase the church extensively, in the number of visible members; and adversity and persecution to increase it intensively, by increasing holiness in the tried and refined; therefore, 'God useth to send vicissitudes of prosperity and adversity, like summer and winter, to the churches, that each may do its proper work.

Sect. 52. Every true Christian should daily lament the common infidelity and impiety of the world, that the interest of true Christianity is confined in so narrow a room on earth; and to pray with his first and most earnest desires, that more labourers may be sent forth, and that God's name may be hallowed, his facit; et recta de Diis mens: ut nihil eos existimes contra decus præsumptæ sublimitatis appetere.—Arnob. adv. Gentes, 1. 7. in Bib. Pat. Auct. tom. 1. p. 60. Suppose these words spoken by us to the papists. Acosta is very large and honest in this reproof and lamentation of the sins of the clergy. a Read Pet. Maffæus' 'Hist. Ind.' and 'Epist. Jesuit.' and 'Hist. Japon.' and 'Chin.' The king of Tenerate told Sir Francis Drake, "We agree with you in religion against the Portuguese, that we must not worship stocks and stones." Fuller's Holy State' in the 'Life of Sir Francis Drake,' out of a MS. of one of his company. What a scandal is such worship against the christian cause.

Acts ix. 31. As for the grand controversy of "per se aut per alium," read Grotius De Imper.' (pp. 290, 291.) "Nam illud quod quis per alium facit, per se facere videtur;" ad eas duntaxat pertinet actiones, quarum causa efficiens proxima à jure indefinita est.

kingdom come, and his will be done on earth, that it may be liker heaven, which now is grown so like to hell; but yet, to comfort himself in considering, as is before said, that as this earth is to all the nobler world, but as one mole-hill to all England; so if God had forsaken all, it had been but as the cutting off a cancer from a man, or as the casting away of the paring of his nails, in comparison of all the rest.

Therefore should we long for the coming of our Lord, and the better world, which we have in hope. How long, Lord, holy and true, how long? Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly: Amen. For we, according to his promise, look for new heavens, and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. (2 Pet. iii. 11-13.)

"Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened to me; how, then, shall Pharoah hear me?" (Exod. vi. 12.)

"Not to many people of a strange speech, and of a hard language, whose words thou canst not understand: surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee, for they will not hearken unto me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted." (Ezek. iii.)

October 16, 1666.

Dr. Jer. Taylor, of Repent. Pref.” “I am sure we cannot give account of souls, of which we have no notice." Leg. Athanas. Patri. Constantin, de necessaria Episcop. residentia.

THE CONCLUSI ON.

Defending the Soul's Immortality against the Somatists or Epicureans, and other Pseudo-philosophers.

THOUGH in this treatise I have not wilfully balked any regardable objections, which I thought might stick with an intelligent reader, about the truth of the things here delivered; yet, those which are proper to the somatical, irreligious sect of philosophers, I thought more fit to put here as an appendix by themselves, that they might not stop the more sober in their way.

As to the subject and method of this discourse, it consisteth of these four parts: 1. The proof of the Deity, and what God is. 2. Of the certain obligations which lie upon man, to be holy and obedient to this God. 3. The proofs of a life of retribution hereafter, where the holy and obedient shall be blessed, and the unholy and disobedient punished. 4. The proofs of the verity of the christian faith.

For the first of these, that there is a God, though I have proved it beyond all rational contradiction, yet I have despatched it with haste and brevity; because it is to the mind as the sun is to the eye, and so evident in all that is evident in the world, that there needeth nothing to the proving of it, but to help the reader to a rational capacity and aptitude, to see that which all the world declareth. The common argument, from the effects to the cause, in all the entities and motions in the world, is undeniable. Whatsoever any being hath, and hath not originally from itself, or independently in itself, it must needs have from another; and that other cannot act beyond its power, nor give that which it hath not either formally or eminently; therefore, he that findeth in the world about him so much entity and motion, so much intellection, volition, and operation, and so much wisdom, goodness, and power, must needs know that all these have some cause, which, formally or eminently, or in a way of transcendency, hath more itself than it giveth to others.