understood? And was it not enough that God appointed the ministerial office purposely to preserve and publish this Gospel to the world from generation to generation? And is not translating (whether by voice or writing) a part of that preaching or explication? Did not the ministers of Christ preach the same doctrine to the world then, in the several languages of the nations where they came? And were not the Scriptures presently translated according to the use of the churches? Upon how silly a pretence then would your imperial majesty impose it on the God of heaven, to write his word in as many languages as are in the world, if he would be believed?

I will trouble you with no more such wretched cavils. These three are the main strength of three pamphlets written against the holy Scriptures and me, by this apostate. Their sum is,' Man is man; therefore we are not sure that Scripture is true, or that God is God.' I mean, ' Man cannot understand the minds of others but by signs. All signs whether words or deeds, have some ambiguity, or liableness to misunderstanding; therefore nothing can be known concerning God or man by signs.' These are not his words; but the true scope and life of all the writings of him and all the infidel seekers.

If you chide me for troubling the Christian reader here with so much against infidels and brutists, I answer, 1. I did it because that sort increase, and threaten the land. 2. Because the strengthening of the belief of the best Christians is the removing the cause of all their weakness and complaints. 3. And principally, because when once the certain truth of another life is manifested, he must be a bedlam or worse that will not be godly, or that will open his mouth any more against a holy life. What! is it possible for a sober man to believe that he is so near an everlasting joy or misery, and yet to neglect it, and oppose them that make it their chiefest care and labour to prepare for it? The brutist hath drowned his reason; and the careless professor laid it to sleep; the malicious, ungodly professor of Christianity fights against it, and only the serious, holy Christian doth use it for his everlasting good.

CHAPTER IV.

Holiness is best for all Societies.

READER, if thou be but a man that hast the free use of thy reason, I have already removed the greatest impediment out of thy way, and said enough by confuting thy infidelity, to prove that godliness is the better part. Thou hast nothing left now to say against it, but what fighteth against reason in the open light, and therefore I shall find an easier task with thy understanding in all that follows, though with thy corrupted will and concupiscence the conflict yet may be as strong.

Well! if yet thou art not resolved, that diligent, serious godliness is that good part that all should choose, and better than all thy worldly pleasures, I shall now discover it to thee in these particulars.

I. I shall shew you that godliness is best for all societies. II. That it is best for every person. And 1. It is the safest way. 2. It is the most honest way. 3. That it is the most gainful way. 4. That it is the most honourable way. And 5. That it is the most pleasant and delightful way. Yea, that there is no other true safety, honesty, profit, honour, or delight but what is to be found in this way. I lay not only all the reputation of my understanding, but all the hopes and happiness of my soul upon the proof of this point. If I prove it not, I will confess myself a fool and undone for ever. But if I prove it, let the ungodly make this sad confession, and choose the better part while they may have it.

I. And first, That Godliness is the best for all societies (that are just) I prove thus :

1. Godliness doth unite or centre all societies in the only Head and Centre of unity; that is, the blessed God himself. A commonwealth will never have peace in a state of rebellion against their sovereign (unless he be one that they can overcome). Nor soldiers in a state of mutiny against their general. Nor scholars in shutting out their master. God is the only Sovereign of the whole world. The godly all unite in him. Ungodliness is rebellion against him. The rebels are always in his power. There is no peace nor safety therefore, nor any unity, but an agreement in rebellion for a while

to any that are not by holiness united in him, and loyal subjects to him. "There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the

wicked;" Isa. xlviii. 22.

Object.' But do we not see that the main divisions of the world are about religion? Answ. 1. It is true; but not by the truly religious. The great quarrel of the world is against religion in the life and practice of it. 2. It is unholy men that cannot abide to be accounted unholy, that are the chief dividers. 3. Among the truly godly, there is no division in the main, but only differences about the smaller branches of religion, which are numerous, and less discernible, and less necessary than the common truths. They are all agreed of truth enough to bring them to heaven; and therefore enough to unite them in dear affection upon earth. Nay, there is not one of them that hath not a special love to all that he discerneth to be the servants of the Lord. If any be without this, he is ungodly. And we are not to answer for the miscarriages of every infidel or ungodly man, that will put on the name of Christianity and godliness. If there should be fallings out among the godly, they cannot rest till they are healed and set in joint again. But you must not then be so unjust as to conclude, that we can have no unity, till we are in all things of a mind. May not men of various complexions be of one society? Are not the multitudes of veins and arteries in your bodies, united in the trunks and roots? Is not the tree one, that hath many branches?

Object. But God whom you will needs unite in, is far from us, and his mind unknown, and so is not the mind of princes; and therefore we cannot unite in God.'

Answ. In things necessary to our future happiness and present unity in special love, the mind of God is more plainly and fully opened to us, than the mind of any prince unto his subjects. What precepts can be plainer, than to love God above all, and our neighbour as ourselves, and first to seek the kingdom of God, and to repent and believe in Christ? How plain are the articles of our faith and the ten commandments! Divisions have been about niceties; I hope God will call back his churches to the ancient simplicity and practical Godliness, and then the Christian world will be agreed, except the wicked.

2. Godliness propoundeth and prosecuteth the most uniting, excellent, powerful end, for all that duty that should

advance societies; and therefore must needs be best for all societies. God and heaven is the common end of all the godly. They are agreed every man of them in one end; and so are not others. Their end hath that power in its attractive excellency, by which it can do the greatest things that are to be done with the will of man. The ends of the ungodly are small and childish toys. Our end also is as the sun, sufficient for all; and therefore not a matter of contention. All may have God as well as one, without diminishing the happiness of any.

3. Godliness takes away the ball of the world's contention, that sets men every where together by the ears. It teacheth men to slight the honour and vainglory that the gallants will fight and die for, and to contemn that wealth that towns, and countries, and kingdoms are divided and destroyed by. It teacheth men to slight that money, the love of which is the "root of all evil;" 1 Tim. vi. 10. It sheweth men a better treasure, and not only verbally, but effectually teacheth them to trample upon that which the tumultuous world doth so much scramble for, and seek by such rapine, oppression, deceit, and blood. If all the ambitious climbers and state-troublers were truly godly, they would quietly seek for higher honours. If all the covetous noblemen, soldiers, landlords, and rich men were truly godly, they would never set both city and country into combustions, and poor oppressed families into complaints, for the love of money. If thieves turned godly you might travel safely, and spare your locks and keep your purses. If tradesmen were all truly godly, deceit would not so break their peace. What is there for societies to strive about, when the bone of contention is taken away, and godliness hath cast down the idol of the world, that did disturb them?

4. Godliness takes down the great disturbing and dividing principle in man's soul; and that is, selfishness. And it both commandeth and worketh self-denial. Every ungodly man hath a private end, and a private spirit, and interest, that is dearer to him than any other. So many ungodly men as there are, so many ends and interests. And how then can there be a possibility of unity? The wisest lawgivers could never yet contrive an effectual course for the uniting of all these. If selfishness were down, I scarce know what should trouble the peace of kingdoms, cities. families, or any other

societies. "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself;" or, "Thou shalt not covet," is the sum and conclusion of all the law of God, concerning our carriage one to another. And it is godliness and nothing else that perfectly teacheth and truly (though imperfectly here) effecteth this self-denial. But of this elsewhere.

5. Godliness hath the most perfect righteous laws; and therefore is best for all societies. If God can make better laws than man, then this is past all question. His laws require nothing but what is for men's good. They prescribe nothing that is dishonest or unjust. They promise the greatest rewards to the obedient. They drive on the backward by the threatening of the greatest punishments. Their authority is highest and most unquestionable. They all proceed from one absolute sovereign, and are the same to all the people of the world. They change not, but are to endure to the world's end. Whereas all the laws of men are limited to their own dominions, and endure but while their power can enforce them. They are subject to error and injustice; and are not the same in one country as in another; or in one age as in the former; and their rewards and punishments are but temporal; and therefore, though under the laws of God, they are necessary for the government of commonwealths, yet without God's laws they would be utterly insufficient.

6. The way of holiness is contrary to all evil whatsoever, and therefore hath nothing to disturb a commonwealth. It is true, we cannot say so of the persons, because they are but imperfectly sanctified. Were they in all things such as their Lord, and rule, and religion do require, they would have nothing that might be injurious to any. But surely as a sick man or a lame, is better than a dead corpse; and as a man of mean understanding is better than an idiot, and a mean scholar better than the illiterate; so a man imperfectly sanctified, is better in a commonwealth, than the ungodly. You blame not the laws of this land, because that thieves and murderers break them. The laws are good, if they oblige men to nothing but what is good, though bad men break them. The rules of the Christian religion are most perfect, and direct or command men nothing that is evil. There may be faults in us, but there is none in the holy laws which we desire and endeavour to obey. Religion therefore is the way