forming them, or then making them Luminaries to the earth, and appointing them their relative office; but hath not told us of their other ufes, which are nothing to us.) The fifth day he made inferiour Senfitives, Fishes and Birds, the inhabitants of Water and Air, with the power of generation or multiplication of individuals. The fixth day he made firft the terreftrial Animals, and then Man, with the power also of generation or multiplication. And the feventh day, having taken complacency in all the works of this glorious pertected frame of Nature, he appointed to be obferv'd by mankind as a day of reft from worldly labours, for the worshipping of Him their Omnipotent Creator, in commemoration of this work. ]

This is the fum and fenfe of the Phyficks of Gen. 1. And here is no errour in all this, what ever prejudice Philofophers may imagine.

Object. XIX. It is a fufpicious fign, that Believing is commanded us instead of knowing, and that we must take all upon trust without any proof.

Anfw. This is a meer flander. Know as much as you are able to know: Chrift came not to hinder, but to help your knowledge: Faith is but a mode, or act of knowing: How will you know matters of Hiftory which are pift, and matters of the unfeen world, but by believing? If you could have an Angel come from heaven to tell you what is there, would you quarrel because you are put upon believing him? if you can know it without believing and teftimony, do: God biddeth you believe nothing but what he giveth you fufficient reafon to believe: Evidence of credibili y in Divine faith, is evidence of certainty: Believers in Scripture ufually fay,

We know that thou art the Chrift, &c.] You are not forbidden, but encouraged to try the fpirits, and not to believe every spirit nor pretended prophet: Let this Treatife teftifie, whether you have not Keafon and evidence for Belief: it is Mahomet's doctrine and not Chrift's, which for biddeth examination.

Object. XX. It impofeth upon us an incredible thing, when it perfwadeth us, that our undoing, and calamity, and death, are the way to our felicity and our gain; and that fi fferings work together for our good: At least thefe are hard terms, which we

cannot

cannot undergoe, nor think it wisdom to lofe a certainty for uncertain hopes.

vitam, nec in carun

Anfw. Suppofe but the truth of the Gofpel proved, yea or but the Immortality and Retribution for Souls hereafter, (which the light of Nature proveth) and then we may well fay, that this Objection favoureth more of the Beast than of the Man: A Heathen can answer it though not fo well as a Chriftian: Seneca and Plutarch, Antonine, and Epictetus have done it in part. And what a dotage is it to call things prefent, Certainties, when they are certainly ready to pals away, and you are uncertain to poffefs them another hour? who can be ignorant what hafte Time maketh, and how like the Life of man is to a dream? What fweetnefs is now left of Sed & nobis in hujuf modi cafibus non all the pleasant cups and morfels, and all the merry hours you have had, and all the proud or luftfull fancies, which have Prompta & mani. auxiliatur Deus. tickled your deluded filefhly mindes? Are they not more fefta caufa eft. Niterrible than comfortable to your moft retired fober thoughts? hil enim eft nobis and what an inconfiderable moment is it, till it will be fo premiflum ad hanc with all the reft? All that the World can poffibly afford you, culæ hujus folliculo will not make Death the more welcom, nor less terrible to conftitutis, opis aliyou; nor abate a jot of the pains of Hell. It is as comforta- quid fponfum eft, ble to die poor as rich; and a life of pain and weaknefs and auxiliiq; decretum : perfecution, will end as pleasantly as a life of Pomp and Quinimo edocti fuwealth,and pleasures. If it be no unreasonable motion of a Phy- quæcunq, funt parvi fician to tell you of blood-letting, vomiting, purging and strict ducere-- Atq; ifta dyet, to fave your lives; nor any hard dealing in your Parents, quam dicitis perfeto let you many years to School, to endure both the labour of beratio noftra eft, learning and the Rod, and after that to fet you to a seven non perfecutio: nec years Apprentice-fhip, and all this for things of a tranfitory pœnam vexatio infenature; fince God deferveth not to be accufed as too fevere, ret, fed ad lucem if he train you up for Heaven, more strictly and in a more nobius adv. Gent, 1.2. fuffering way, than the flesh defireth. Either you believe in fine. that there is a future Life of Retribution, or you do not: If not, the foregoing Evidences muft firft convince you, b.fore you will be fit to debate the cafe, whether fufferings are for your hurt or benefit: But if you do believe a life to come, you must needs believe that its concernments weigh down all the matters of fleshly intereft in this World, as much as a mountain would weigh down a feather: And then do but further bethink your felves impartially, whether a life

Hhh

of

mus minas omnes

libertatis educet: Ar

of Profperity or of Adverfity be the liker to tempt you into the Love of this World, and to wean away your thoughts and defires from the heavenly felicity? Judge but rightly first of your own intereft, and you will be fitter to judge of the Doctrine of Chrift.

Obj. XXI. Chrift femeth to calculate all his Precepts to the poorer fort of peoples ftate, as if he had never hoped that Kings and Nobles would be Christians: If men think as hardly of the Rich as he doth, and take them to be so bad, and their falvation fo difficult, how will they ever honour their Kings and Governours? And if all men must fiffer fuch as abuse and injure them, and must turn the other cheek to him that striketh them, and give him their Coat who taketh away their Cloak, what ufe will there be for Magistrates and Judica-,

tures?

Anf. 1. Chrift fitteth his Precepts to the benefit of all men: But in fo doing he must needs tell them of the danger of overloving this World, as being the moft mortal fin which he came to cure: And he muft needs tell them what a dangerous temptation a flesh-pleafing profperous ftate is to the moft, to entice them to this pernicious fin. Had he filenced fuch neceffary truths as thefe, he could not have been their Saviour: For how should he fave them from fin, if he conceal the evil and the danger of it? If the corruption of mans Nature be fo great, that Riches and Honours, and Pleasures are ordinarily made the occafions of mens perdition, mußt Chrift be Chrift and never tell them of it? And is he to be blamed for telling them the truth? or they rather who create thefe difficulties and dangers to themselves? Chrift teacheth men to honour a Sacred Office, fuch as Magiftracy is, without honouring Vice, or betraying finners by concealing their temptations. And to holy faithfull Rulers he teacheth us, to give a double honour. They that will prove,that most of the great and wealthy shall be saved, muft prove first that moft of them are godly,and mortified,heavenly perfons: And the fit proof of that must be by fhewing us the men that are fo.

2. The Laws of Chrift require every Soul to be fubject to the higher Powers, and not refift; and this not only for fear of their wrath, but for Conscience fake; and to pay ho

nour

nour and cuftom to all whom it is due to. And what more can be defired for the fupport of Government.

3. Yea, nothing more tendeth to the comfort and quietnefs of Governours, than the obedience of thofe Precepts of patience and peace, which the Objection quarrelleth with. If Subjects would love each other as themselves, and forgive injuries, and love their enemics, what could be more joyfull to a faithfull Governour? And to the Queftion, What use would there be then of Judicatures? I anfwer, They would be usefull to good men for their protection against the injuries of the bad; where we are but Defendants; And allo in Cafes where it is not want of Love, but of Knowledge, which caufeth the Controverfie, and when no fit arbitration can decide it: And they will be ufc full among contentious perfons: For all men are not true Believers: The most will be (ordinarily) the worft: As we will not be Fornicators, Thieves, Perjured, &c. left you fhould fay, To what purpofe is the Law againft fuch offenders? fo we will not be revengefull and contentious, left you should say, To what end are Judicatures? The Law is to prevent offences by threatned penalties: And that is the happyeft Commonwealth, where the Law doth moft without the Judge, and where Judicatures have leaft employment: For there is none to be expected on Earth fo happy, where meer LOVE (of Virtue and of one another) will prevent the ufe both of P.nal Laws and Judicatures.

4. And it is but selfishness, and contentiousness, and private revenge which Christ forbiddeth, and not the necessary defence or vindication of any Talent which God hath committed to our truft, fo it be with the prefervation of brotherly Love and Peace.

5. And that Chrift foreknew what Princes and States would be converted to the Faith, is manifeft, 1. In all his Prophets, who have foretold it (that Kings fhall be our Nurling Fathers, &c.) 2. In that Chrift prophefied himfelf, that when he was lifted up, he would draw all men to him. 3. By the Prophecies of John, who faith, that the Kingdoms of the World fhould become the Kingdoms of the Lord, and of his Chrift.

Obj. Sed & ipfe pol- Obj. XXII. But it is the obfcurity of all thofe Prophecies licetur quæ non pro- which is one of the difficulties of our Faith, and that they are bat. Refp. Ita eft: Nulla enim futuro- never like to be fulfilled: Almost all your Expofitors differ about rum exiftere poteft the fenfe of Johns Revelations: And the Calling of the Jews, comprobatio. Araob. and bringing in all the Gentiles to their subjection, seem to be plainly prophefved of, which are never like to come to

lib. 2.

Anfw. 1. Prophecies are feldom a Rule of Life, but an Encouragement to hope, and a Confirmation to Faith when they are fulfilled: And therefore if the particularities be dark, and underfood by few, fo the gentral fcope be understood, it fhould be no matter of offence or wonder. It is doctrine and precept, and promifes of falvation, which are the daily food of Faith.

2. If no man can hitherto truly say, that any one Promise or Prophecie hath failed, why thould we think that hereafter they will fail? what though the things feem improbab!c to us? They are never the unliker to be accomplished by God: The Converfion of the Gentiles, of the Roman Empire, and fo many other Nations of the World, was once as improbable as the Calling of the Jews is and yet it was done.

3. And many of thofe Prophecies are hereby fulfilled, it being not a worldly Kingdom, as the carnal Jews imagined, which the Prophets foretold of the Meftah, but the fpiritual Kingdom of a Saviour: When the power and glory of the Roman Empire in its greatest height, did fubmit and refign it felf to Chrift, with many other Kingdoms of the world, there was more of thofe Prophecies then fulfilled, than felfishnefs will fuffer the Jews to understand. And the rest shall all be fulfilled in their feafon. But as in all Sciences, it is but a few of the extraordinarily wife, who reach the most fubtile and difficult points, fo it will be but a very few Chriftians who will understand the most difficult prophecies, till the accomplishment interp.et them.

Obj. XXIII. But the difficulties are as great in the Doctrines a in the Prophecies: Who is able to reconcile Gods Decrees, foreknowledge and efficacious fpecial Grace, with mans Freewill, and the righteousness of Gods Judgement, and the reasonableness of bis Precepts, Promifes and Threats? How Gods De

crees