life but this? 1. Here we are but in seeking him, and still are forced to complain that we fall short. Here we are but in the use of means. 2. We find that our knowledge, desires, and love will here reach no higher than to carry us on towards that perfection that is in our eye, and not to satisfy the soul. The creature that doth attain his end, hath rest in it, and is better than before. But we have nothing here like rest, and should be in a worse condition hereafter, if we had no more. 3. Here we sin against the Lord, and wrong him more than we serve him. We know but little of him and his work; and serve and praise him but a little, and not according to the capacity of our nature. And therefore if he have not a higher end for us, and we a higher end to seek than any is in this world to be found, our natures seem to be in vain. For my part, though it be in weakness, I must needs say it is my trade and daily work to serve my God, and seek after an immortal blessedness. And if I thought that there were no such thing to be had, and no such use for me, I must needs stand still, and look about me, or in my practice unman-myself by a brutish life, as I had brutified myself in my estimation and intention. For what could I find to do in the world? What should I do with my reason and knowledge, or any faculty above a beast, if I had no higher a work and end than beasts? Verily, if I had lost the hopes of another life, I knew not what to do with myself in the world! but must become some other creature, and life some other kind of life, than now I live.

Query 11. Moreover, I desire you to consider, 'Whether it be credible to a man of reason, that God made his noblest creature in this world with a nature that should be a necessary misery and vexation to itself above all the misery of the baser creatures? and that the wiser any man is, the more miserable he must needs be?'

This is not credible. Yet thus would it be, if there were no life but this. For, (1.) The knowledge that man hath of a superior good (which beasts have not) would tantalize him and torment him. To know it, and must not partake of it, is to be used as a horse that is tied near his provender, which he must not reach.

(2.) The love, and desires, and hopes, that I before described, would all be our vexation. To love and desire that

which we cannot attain, and that with the chief of our affections, is but to make us miserable by virtue.

(3.) To use all those means, and do the duties beforementioned in vain, when we are not capable of the end, is but to roll a Sisiphus' stone, and to be made to wash blackamores, or to fill a bottomless tub.

(4.) No creature here but man, hath fears of any misery after death, and therefore none would be here so miserable. There is no infidel but must confess, that for aught he knows there may be a life of punishment for the wicked. And this 'may be' will breed more fears in a considerate man, than death itself alone could do.

(5.) Or if there were no fear of that, yet man hath reason to think beforehand of his death, and to think of his abode in darkness, which beasts have not. To think of being turned to a stinking carrion, and to a clod, and so continuing for ever, without any hope of a resurrection, would be matter for continual horror to a considering man, which brutes are not molested with. And wise men that can foresee, would be tormented more than fools. All this is incredible, that God should make his nobler creature to be naturally most miserable; and give him knowledge and affections, and set a certain death, and possible torment continually before his eyes, to torment him, without any remedy! And beside the hoped life hereafter, there is none.

Query 12. Do you think that the belief of another life, is needful or useful, to the well governing of this world, or not?' If you say no, (1.) Why then do infidels and brutists say, that religion is but the device of men for the governing of the world? and that without it subjects would not be ruled? You confess by this your frivolous objection, that the world cannot be ruled well without the belief of a life to

come.

(2.) And it is most manifest from the very nature of man, and from the common experience in the world, 1. If man be well governed, it must be either by laws containing rewards and penalties, or without. Not without, For, 1. All the world doth find it by experience, that it cannot be; and therefore every commonwealth on earth is governed by laws, either written, customary, or verbal.

2. If the love of virtue for itself should prevail with one

of a thousand, that would be nothing to the government of the world.

3. Nor could any man be effectually induced to love virtue for itself, according to the doctrine of the brutists. For virtue itself is made no virtue by them, but a deformity of the mind, while they overthrow the end, and object, and law, that it is measured and informed by (as I shall more fully open to you anon). It is therefore most certain that no nation is or can be governed as beseemeth man, without proposed punishments and rewards.

And if so, then these must be either temporal punishments and benefits, or such as are to be had in the life to come. That temporal punishments and benefits cannot be motives sufficient for any tolerable (much less perfect or sufficient) government, is a most evident truth. For 1. 'De facto,' we see by experience, that no people live like men that be not governed by the belief of another life. The nations that believe it not, are savages almost all; living naked and bestially, and knowing nothing of virtue or vice, but as they feel the commodity or discommodity to their flesh. They eat the flesh of men, for the most part, and live as brutishly as they believe. And if you say that in China, it is not so, I answer, one part of them there believe the immortality of the soul, and most of them take it as probable, and so the nation hath the government which it hath, from everlasting motives.

And if you say that the ancient Romans had a sufficient government, I answer, 1. The most of them believed a life to come, and it was but a few that denied the immortality of the soul; and therefore it was this that governed the nations. For those that believed another life, had the government of the few that did not believe it, or else the government itself had been more corrupt. 2. And yet the faultiness of their belief appeared in the faultiness of their government. Every tyrant took away men's lives at pleasure. Every citizen that had slaves (which was common) at pleasure killed them, and cast them into the fishponds. The servants secretly poisoned their masters, and that in so great numbers, that Seneca saith, Epist. 4. ad Lucul. that “the number of those that were killed by their servants, through treachery, deceit, or force, was as great as of them that were killed by kings ;" which was not a few.

2. It is apparent that the world would be a wilderness, and men like wild, ravenous beasts, if they were not governed by motives from the life to come.

1. Because the nature of man is so corrupt and vicious, that we see how prone they are to evil, that everlasting motives themselves are too much ineffectual with the most.

2. Every man naturally is selfish, and therefore would measure all good and evil with reference to themselves, as it was commodious and incommodious to them. And so virtue and vice would not be known, much less regarded.

3. By this means there would be as many ends, and, laws, or rules, as men, and so the world would be all in a confusion.

4. If necessity forced any to combine, it would be but as robbers, and strength would be their law and justice; and he that could get hold of another man's estate, would have the best title.

5. All those that had but strength to do mischief, would be under no law, nor have any sufficient motive to restrain them. What should restrain the tyrants of the world, that rule over many nations of the earth, if they believe no punishment after death, but that their laws and practices should be as impious and bestial, as their lusts can tempt them to desire? What should restrain armies from rapes and cruelty, that may do it unpunished? or popular tumults that are secured by the multitude?

6. And there would be no restraint of any villany that could but be secretly committed. And a wicked wit can easily hide the greatest mischiefs. Poisoning, stabbing, burning houses, defaming, adultery, and abundance the like, are easily kept secret by a man of wit, unless a special providence reveal them (as usually it doth).

7. At least, the probability of secrecy would be so great, and also the probability of sinful advantage, that most would

venture.

8. And all those sins would be committed without scruple, which the law of man did appoint no punishment for; as lying, and many odious vices.

9. If one man, or two, or ten, should be deterred from poisoning you, or burning your houses, or killing your cattle, &c. by human laws, a thousand more would be let loose and venture.

10. All the sins of the heart would have full liberty, and a defiled soul have neither cure nor restraint. For the laws and judgments of men extend not to the heart. All the world then might live in the hatred of God, and of their neighbours, and in daily murder, theft, adultery, and blasphemy of the heart. Within they might be as bad as devils, and fear no punishment; for man can take no cognizance of it. And it is the heart that is the man. You see then what persons the infidels and brutists would have us all be! What hearts and lives mankind should have according to their laws! Be devils within; and murder, and deceive, and commit adultery as much as you will, so you have wit to escape the gallows, and you are scholars fit for such bestial masters.

11. Yea, let me add this one more mischief: Hereby they would destroy all charity and good works, except the very bestial love of those that please men's lust. For no laws of men compel men to the love of God or man; nor much to good works. Who would do any thing comparatively, that believed not a reward and punishment hereafter? If we give all that we have to the poor, we can here have no reward but the breath of a man's mouth, which at death we understand not. Take down the everlasting ends and motives, and all good works, and inward virtues too that should produce them, are taken down.

And by this time you may see what a litter of bears, what a pack of ravening dogs, what cannibals the world should be turned into, by the doctrine of the brutists, that deny the life to come.

Well! but perhaps you will by this time have so much sense, as to confess that threatenings and punishments, hopes and fears of the state of another life are necessary to the wellgoverning of this world. And if so, I desire no more, to satisfy any man that believes there is a God (and that is any man that hath not drowned his wits in sin). For 1. This will then shew that the nature of man is formed for another life; and God did not make him such in vain. 2. And certainly if everlasting motives must be put into the laws that govern us, and into our hopes and fears, then it is not possible, but such things there are to be expected. For any man to imagine that God would make a world, which he cannot govern but by falsehood and deceit, this is to say that God is no God.

For all lying and falsehood comes either from a