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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.

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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, then all men would say they fought for land.

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 owrnpía, 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.

2. They pretend not to abide the cross, because it is superstitious; for my part I will believe them, when I see them throw their money out of their pockets, and not till then.

3. If there be any superstition truly and properly so called, it is their observing the Sabbath after the Jewish manner.

SUBSIDIES.

1. HERETOFORE the parliament was weary what subsidies they gave to the king, because they had no account; but now they care not how much they give of the subjects' money, because they give it with one hand and receive it with the other; and so upon the matter give it themselves. In the mean time what a case the subjects of England are in; if the men they have sent to the parliament misbehave themselves, they cannot help it, because the parliament is eternal.

2. A subsidy was counted the fifth part of a man's estate, and so fifty subsidies is fiveand-forty times more than a man is worth.

SIMONY.

THE name of Simony was begot in the canon law; the first statute against it was in queen

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