last day. Not that I did absolutely conceive PART I a mortality of the Soul; but if that were, (which rise again perish, and Faith, not Philosophy, hath yet throughly dis- with the body; proved,) and that both entred the grave together, yet I held the same conceit thereof that we all do of the body, that it should rise again. Surely it is but the merits of our unworthy Natures, if we sleep in darkness until the last Alarum. A serious reflex upon my own unworthiness did make me backward from challenging this prerogative of my Soul: so that I might enjoy my Saviour at the last, I could with patience be nothing almost unto Eternity. The second was that of Origen, That GOD 2d. that all would not persist in His vengeance for ever, but men should finally be after a definite time of His wrath, He would re- saved; lease the damned Souls from torture. Which error I fell into upon a serious contemplation of the great Attribute of GOD, His Mercy; and did a little cherish it in my self, because I found therein no malice, and a ready weight to sway me from the other extream of despair, whereunto Melancholy and Contemplative Natures are too easily disposed. for the Dead. A third there is, which I did never positively 3d. that we maintain or practise, but have often wished it might pray had been consonant to Truth, and not offensive to my Religion, and that is, the Prayer for the Dead; whereunto I was inclin'd from some charitable inducements, whereby I could scarce con- See below, tain my Prayers for a friend at the ringing of a p. 105. Bell, or behold his Corps without an Orison for his Soul. 'Twas a good way, methought, to be PART I. remembred by posterity, and far more noble than an History. But these he to grow into Heresies. These opinions I never maintained with persuffered not tinacy, or endeavoured to enveagle any mans belief unto mine, nor so much as ever revealed or disputed them with my dearest friends; by which means I neither propagated them in others, nor confirmed them in my self; but suffering them to flame upon their own substance, without addition of new fuel, they went out insensibly of themselves. Therefore these Opinions, though condemned by lawful Councels, were not Heresies in me, but bare Errors, and single Lapses of my understanding, without a joynt depravity of my will. Those have not onely depraved understandings, but diseased affections, which cannot enjoy a singularity without an Heresie, or be the Author of an Opinion without they be of a Sect also. This was the villany of the first Schism of Lucifer, who was not content to err alone, but drew into his Faction many Legions of Spirits; and upon this experience he tempted only Eve, as well understanding the Communicable nature of Sin, and that to deceive but one, was tacitely and upon consequence to delude them both. SECT. VIII. St. Matth. xxiv. 5, &c. That Heresies should arise, we have the Prophesie of CHRIST; but that old ones should be abolished, we hold no prediction. That there 1 Cor. xi. 19. must be Heresies, is true, not only in our Church, Of the mani- but also in any other: even in doctrines heretical, there will be super-heresies; and Arians not only divided from their Church, but also fold nature of schism, among themselves. For heads that are disposed PART I. unto Schism and complexionally propense to in- ever multinovation, are naturally indisposed for a commu- plying itself. nity, nor will be ever confined unto the order or œconomy of one body; and therefore, when they separate from others, they knit but loosely among themselves; nor contented with a general breach or dichotomy with their Church do subdivide and mince themselves almost into Atoms. 'Tis true, that men of singular parts and humours have not been free from singular opinions and conceits in all Ages; retaining something, not only beside the opinion of his own Church or any other, but also any particular Author; which, notwithstanding, a sober Judgment may do without offence or heresie ; for there is yet, after all the Decrees of Councils and the niceties of the Schools, many things untouch'd, unimagin'd, wherein the liberty of an honest reason may play and expatiate with security, and far without the circle of an Heresie. SECT. IX. As for those wingy Mysteries in Divinity, Mies and airy subtleties in Religion, which have un- in Divinity hing'd the brains of better heads, they never only to be approached stretched the Pia Mater of mine. Methinks there in Faith. be not impossibilities enough in Religion for an active faith; the deepest Mysteries ours contains have not only been illustrated, but maintained, by Syllogism and the rule of Reason. I love to lose my self in a mystery, to pursue my Reason to an O altitudo! 'Tis my solitary recreation to pose my apprehension with those involved Ænigmas and riddles of the Trinity, with C Rom. xi. 33, &c. De Carne See below, PART I. Incarnation, and Resurrection. I can answer all the Objections of Satan and my rebellious reason with that odd resolution I learned of Christi, c. 5. Tertullian, Certum est, quia impossibile est. I desire to exercise my faith in the difficultest point; for to credit ordinary and visible objects is not faith, but perswasion. Some believe the better for seeing CHRIST'S Sepulchre; and, when they have seen the Red Sea, doubt not of the Miracle. Now, contrarily, I bless my self and am thankful that I lived not in the days of Miracles, that I never saw CHRIST nor His Disciples. I would not have been one of those Israelites that pass'd the Red Sea, nor one of CHRIST'S patients on whom He wrought His wonders; then had my faith been thrust upon me, nor should I enjoy St. John xx. that greater blessing pronounced to all that believe and saw not. 'Tis an easie and necessary belief, to credit what our eye and sense hath examined. I believe He was dead, and buried, and rose again; and desire to see Him in His glory, rather than to contemplate Him in His Cenotaphe or Sepulchre. Nor is this much to believe; as we have reason, we owe this faith unto History: they only had the advantage of a bold and noble Faith, who lived before His coming, who upon obscure prophesies and mystical Types could raise a belief, and expect apparent impossibilities. 29. SECT. X. of a Chris 'Tis true, there is an edge in all firm beThe armour lief, and with an easie Metaphor we may say. the Sword of Faith; but in these obscurities I Eph. vi. 16. rather use it in the adjunct the Apostle gives it, tian. PART I. See below, p. 85. p. 203. à Buckler; under which I conceive a wary combatant may lye invulnerable. Since I was of understanding to know we knew nothing, my reason hath been more pliable to the will of Faith; I am now content to understand a mystery' without a rigid definition, in an easie and Platonick description. That allegorical description of Hermes pleaseth me beyond all the Meta- See below, physical definitions of Divines. Where I cannot satisfy my reason, I love to humour my fancy: I had as live you tell me that anima est angelus hominis, est Corpus DEI, as Entelechia;-Lux est umbra DEI, as actus perspicui. Where there is an obscurity too deep for our Reason, 'tis good to sit down with a description, periphrasis, or adumbration; for by acquainting our Reason how unable it is to display the visible and obvious effects of Nature, it becomes more humble and submissive unto the subtleties of Faith; and thus I teach my haggard and unreclaimed Reason to stoop unto the lure of Faith. I believe there was already a tree whose fruit our unhappy Parents tasted, though, in the same Chapter when GOD forbids it, 'tis positively said, the plants of the field were not yet grown, for GOD had not caus'd it to rain upon Gen. ii. 5. the earth. I believe that the Serpent, (if we shall literally understand it,) from his proper form and figure, made his motion on his belly Gen. iii. 14. before the curse. I find the tryal of the Pucellage 13, &c. and virginity of Women, which GOD ordained Deut. xxii. the Jews, is very fallible. Experience and History informs me, that not onely many particular |