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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.

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."

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.

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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 CONCLUSION.

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.

I measured my endeavours about this subject, according as the occasions of my own soul had led me. Among all the temptations which have at any time assaulted me, I have found those so contemptible and inconsiderable, as to their strength, which would have made me doubt of the being of God, that I am apt to think that it is so with others; and, therefore, in the review of this discourse, I find no reason to stand to answer any man's objections against the being, or essential attributes or properties of God."

And for the second point, that we all owe to this God our absolute resignation, obedience and love, and so that holiness is naturally our duty, it doth so naturally result from the nature of God and man compared, that I can scarcely think of any thing worthy of a confutation which can be said against it, but that which denieth the nature of God or man; and, therefore, is either confuted under the first head, or is to be confuted under the third.

As for the fourth particular contained in the second tome, (the truth of the Gospel,) I find not any reason to defend it more particularly, nor to answer any more objections than I have done; for, in proving the truth, I have proved all the contradictory assertions to be false; and I have answered already the greatest objections: and after this, to answer every ignorant exception of unsatisfied persons, against the several passages of the Scripture, would be tedious, and not necessary to the end of my design. And, indeed, I perceive not that any considerable number are troubled with doubtings of the truth of the christian faith, in a prevalent degree, who are well convinced of those antecedent verities of the Deity, and of the natural obligation and necessity of holiness, and of the immortality of the soul, or of a future life of reward and punishment, and that live in any reasonable conformity to these natural principles which they profess. For when natural evidence hath sufficiently convinced a man that he is obliged to be holy, in absolute obedience and love to

Si vis Deorum speciem apprehendere, proprietates animæ rationalis ultimæ cogita, et oppositas in perfectione Diis attribue.-Jamblic. de Myster. per Ficin. b When Mahomet had taken Constantinople, and demanded of the patriarch an account of the christian faith, George Scholarius, alius Gennadius, then patriarch, wrote that brief summary which you may find in Mart, Crucius's Turco Graæ.' (1.2;) Hist. Eccles.' (p. 10,) &c. which very well openeth the mystery of the Trinity, and of Christianity, with seven reasons

his Creator, through the hopes and fears of another life, he is very much prepared to close with the design and doctrine of the Gospel, which is so far from contradicting this, that it doth but confirm it, and show us the way by which it may most certainly be brought to pass.

And, therefore, my observation and experiences constrain me to think, that there is no point which I have insisted on, which so much calleth for my vindication, as the third about the life to

come.

I know there is a sort of overwise and overdoing divines, who will tell their followers in private, where there is none to contradict them, that the method of this treatise is perverse, as appealing too much to natural light, and overvaluing human reason; and that I should have done no more but shortly tell men that all that which God speaketh in his word is true; and that, propria luce, it is evident that the Scripture is the word of God; and that to all God's elect he will give his Spirit to cause them to discern it; and that this much alone had been better than all these disputes and reasons: but these overwise men, who need themselves no reason for their religion, and judge accordingly of others, and think that those men who rest not in the authority of Jesus Christ should rest in theirs, are many of them so well acquainted with me, as not to expect that I should trouble them in their way, or reason against them, who speak against reason, even in the greatest matters which our reason is given us for. As much as I am addicted to scribbling, I can quietly dismiss this sort of men, and love their zeal, without the labour of opening their ignorance.

My task, therefore, in this conclusion, shall be only to defend the doctrine delivered in this foregoing treatise, of the life to come, or the soul's immortality, against some who call themselves philosophers. For of men so called, it is but a small part who at all gainsay this weighty truth. The followers of Plato, the divine philosopher, with the Pythagoreans, the stoics, the cynics, and divers other sects, are so much for it, that, indeed, the most of them go too far, and make the soul to be eternal both à parte ante, and à parte post: and Cicero doth conclude, from its self-moving power, that it is certainly eternal and divine insomuch that not only Arnobius, but many other ancient Christians, write so much against Plato for holding the soul to be naturally immortal, and assert themselves, that it is of a middle nature, between that which is naturally immortal,

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