bowls, and both judged by the eye; one says, it is his cast, the other says, it is my cast; and having no measure, the difference is eternal. Ben Jonson satirically expressed the vain disputes of divines by Inigo Lanthorne, disputing with his puppet in a Bartholomew fair. It is so-It is not so-It is so-It is not so, crying thus one to another a quarter of an hour together.

11. In matters of religion to be ruled by one that writes against his adversary, and throws all the dirt he can in his face, is, as if in point of good manners a man should be governed by one whom he sees at cuffs with another, and thereupon thinks himself bound to give the next man he meets a box on the

ear.

12. It is to no purpose to labour to reconcile religions, when the interest of princes will not suffer it. It is well if they could be reconciled so far, that they should not cut one another's throats.

13. There is all the reason in the world divines should not be suffered to go a hair beyond their bounds, for fear of breeding confusion, since there now be so many religions on foot. The matter was not so narrowly to be looked after when there was but

one religion in Christendom; the rest would cry him down for an heretic, and there was nobody to side with him.

14. We look after religion as the butcher did after his knife, when he had it in his mouth.

15. Religion is made a juggler's paper; now it is a horse, now it is a lanthorn, now it is a boar, now it is a man. To serve ends religion is turned into all shapes.

16. Pretending religion and the law of God, is to set all things loose: when a man has no mind to do something he ought to do by his contract with man, then he gets a text, and interprets it as he pleases, and so thinks to get loose.

17. Some men's pretending religion, is like the roaring boys' way of challenges; 'their reputation is dear, it does not stand with the honour of a gentleman;' when, God knows, they have neither honour nor reputation about them.

18. They talk much of settling religion: religion is well enough settled already, if we would let it alone. Methinks we might look after, &c.

19. If men would say they took arms for any thing but religion, they might be beaten

out of it by reason; out of that they never can, for they will not believe you whatever you say.

20. The very arcanum of pretending religion in all wars is, that something may be found out in which all men may have interest. In this the groom has as much interest as the lord. Were it for land, one has a thousand acres, and the other but one; he would not venture so far, as he that has a thousand. But religion is equal to both. Had all men land alike, by a lex agraria, would say they fought for land.

then all men

SABBATH.

WHY should I think all the fourth commandment belongs to me, when all the fifth does not? What land will the Lord give me for honouring my father? It was spoken to the Jews with reference to the land of Canaan ; but the meaning is, if I honour my parents, God will also bless me. We read the commandments in the church service, as we do David's Psalms, not that all there concerns us, but a great deal of them does.

SACRAMENT.

1. CHRIST suffered Judas to take the communion. Those ministers that keep their parishioners from it, because they will not do as they will have them, revenge, rather than reform.

2. No man can tell whether I am fit to receive the sacrament; for though I were fit the day before, when he examined me, at least appeared so to him; yet how can he tell what sin I have committed that night, or the next morning, or what impious atheistical thoughts I may have about me, when I am approaching to the very table?

SALVATION.

WE can best understand the meaning of owrηpía, salvation, from the Jews, to whom the Saviour was promised. They held that themselves should have the chief place of happiness in the other world; but the Gentiles that were good men, should likewise have their portion of bliss there too. Now by Christ the partition-wall is broken down, and the Gentiles that believe in him, are admitted to the same place of bliss with the

Jews. And why then should not that portion of happiness still remain to them, who do not believe in Christ, so they be morally good? This is a charitable opinion.

STATE.

IN a troubled state save as much for your own as you can. A dog had been at market to buy a shoulder of mutton; coming home he met two dogs by the way, that quarrelled with him; he laid down his shoulder of mutton, and fell to fighting with one of them; in the mean time the other dog fell to eating his mutton. He seeing that, left the dog he was fighting with, and fell upon him that was eating; then the other dog fell to eat; when he perceived there was no remedy, but which of them soever he fought withal, his mutton was in danger, he thought he would have as much of it as he could, and thereupon gave over fighting, and fell to eating himself.

SUPERSTITION.

1. THEY that are against superstition oftentimes run into it of the wrong side. If I will wear all colours but black, then am I superstitious in not wearing black.