Feasts which we borrow from the Gentiles; as GentleChristmas, Candlemas, May-day, &c. continuing men what was not directly against Christianity, which the common People would never have endured.

L

Gold

HERE are two Reasons given why those

per medium

corum ibat, were about our old Gold: the one is, because Ripley, the Alchymist, when he made Gold in the Tower, the first time he found it he spoke these Words, per medium eorum, that is, per medium Ignis et Sulphuris. The other, because these Words were thought to be a Charm, and that they did bind whatsoever they were written upon, so that a Man could not take it away. To this Reason I rather incline.

LI
Hall

THE
HE Hall was the Place where the great
Lord used to eat, (wherefore else were
the Halls made so big?), where he saw all his
Servants and Tenants about him. He eat not in
private, except in time of sickness: when once
he became a thing cooped up, all his greatness
was spilled. Nay, the King himself used to eat
in the Hall, and his Lords sat with him, and
then he understood Men.

Hell

LII

Hell

T

:

'HERE are two Texts for Christ's descending into Hell the one, Psal. xvi. the other, Acts ii. where the Bible that was in use when the Thirty Nine Articles were made has it Hell. But the Bible that was in Queen Elizabeth's time, when the Articles were confirmed, reads in Grave; and so it continued till the new Translation in King James's time, and then 'tis Hell again. But by this we may gather the Church of England declined, as much as they could, the descent; otherwise they never would have altered the Bible.

2. He descended into Hell. This may be the Interpretation of it. He may be dead and buried, then his Soul ascended into Heaven. Afterwards he descended again into Hell, that is, into the Grave, to Fetch his Body, and to rise again. The Ground of this Interpretation is taken from the Platonic Learning, who held a Metempsychosis, and when the Soul did descend from Heaven to take another Body, they called it Καταβάσιν εἰς ἄδην taking ἅδὴς, for the lower World, the State of Mortality. Now the first Christians, many of them, were Platonic Philosophers, and no question spake such Language as then was understood amongst them. understand by Hell the Grave, is no Tautology; because the Creed first tells what Christ suffered, He was Crucified, Dead, and Buried;

Το

then it tells us what he did, He descended into Hell Hell, the third day he rose again, he ascended, &c.

LII

Holy Days

THEY say the Church imposes Holy-Days. There's no such thing, though the Number of Holy-Days is set down in some of our Common-Prayer Books. Yet that has relation to an Act of Parliament, which forbids the keeping of any other Holy-Days. The ground thereof was the multitude of Holy-Days in time of Popery; but those that are kept, are kept by the Custom of the Country; and I hope you will not say the Church imposes that.

LIV

Humility

HUMILITY is a Virtue all preach, none

hear.

practise, and yet everybody is content to The Master thinks it good Doctrine for his Servant, the Laity for the Clergy, and the Clergy for the Laity.

If a

2. There is Humilitas quædam in Vitio. Man does not take notice of that excellency and perfection that is in himself, how can he be thankful to God, who is the Author of all excellency and perfection? Nay, if a Man hath too mean an Opinion of himself, 'twill render him unserviceable both to God and Man.

3. Pride may be allowed to this or that

Humil- degree, else a Man cannot keep up his Dignity. ity In Gluttony there must be Eating, in Drunkenness there must be drinking: 'tis not the eating, nor 'tis not the drinking that is to be blamed, but the Excess. So in Pride.

LV

Idolatry

DOLATRY is in a Man's own thought, not

in a

to the altar, why am I guilty of Idolatry? because a stander-by thinks so? I am sure I do not believe the Altar to be God; and the God I worship may be bow'd to in all Places, and at all times.

GOD

LVI
Jews

OD at the first gave Laws to all Mankind, but afterwards he gave peculiar Laws to the Jews, which they were only to observe. Just as we have the Common Law for all England, and yet you have some Corporations that, besides that, have peculiar Laws and Privileges to themselves.

2. Talk what you will of the Jews, that they are cursed, they thrive where'er they come; they are able to oblige the Prince of their Country by lending him Money; none of them beg; they keep together; and for their being hated, my life for yours, Christians hate one another as much.

all

LVII

Invincible Ignorance

'TIS one to me if I am told of Christ, or some Mystery of Christianity, if I am not capable of understanding, as if I am not told at all; my Ignorance is as invincible; and therefore 'tis vain to call their Ignorance only invincible, who never were told of Christ. The trick of it is to advance the Priest, whilst the Church of Rome says a Man must be told of Christ by one thus and thus ordained.

Invincible
Ignor-

ance

LVIII
Images

THE

'HE Papists taking away the second Commandment, is not haply so horrid a thing, nor so unreasonable amongst Christians as we make it; for the Jews could make no figure of God, but they must commit Idolatry, because he had taken no shape; but since the Assumption of our flesh, we know what shape to picture God in. Nor do I know why we may not make his Image, provided we be sure what it is as we say St Luke took the picture of the Virgin Mary, and St Veronica of our Saviour. Otherwise it would be no honour to the King, to make a Picture, and call it the King's Picture, when 'tis nothing like him.

2. Though the learned Papists pray not to Images, yet 'tis to be feared the ignorant do o; as appears by that Story of St Nicholas in Spain.