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ESSAY II. the whole body is corrupted and dissolved; Of Death. when many times death passeth with less

pain than the torture of a limb; for the most vital parts are not the quickest of sense. And by him that spake only as a philosopher, and natural man, it was well said, 'the array of the death-bed has more terrors than death itself.' Groans and convulsions, and a discoloured face, and friends weeping, and blacks and obsequies, and the like, show death terrible. It is worthy the observing, that there is no passion in the mind of man so weak, but it mates and masters the fear of death; and therefore death is no such terrible enemy when a man hath so many attendants about him that can win the combat of him. Revenge triumphs over death; love slights it; honour aspireth to it; grief flieth to it; fear preoccupateth it; nay, we read, after Otho the emperor had slain himself, pity, which is the tenderest of affections, provoked many to die out of mere compassion to their sovereign, and as the truest sort of followers. Nay, Seneca adds, niceness and satiety: 'Reflect how often you do the same things; a man may

wish to die, not only because he is either brave ESSAY II. or wretched, but even because he is surfeited Of Death. with life.' A man would die, would die, though he were neither valiant nor miserable, only upon a weariness to do the same thing so oft over and over. It is no less worthy to observe, how little alteration in good spirits the approaches of death make: for they appear to be the same men till the last instant. Augustus Caesar died in a compliment; 'Livia, mindful of our union, live on, and fare thee well.' Tiberius in dissimulation, as Tacitus saith of him, 'his bodily strength and vitality were now forsaking Tiberius, but not his duplicity': Vespasian in a jest, sitting upon the stool, 'I am become a divinity, I suppose': Galba with a sentence, 'If it be for the advantage of the Roman people, strike,' holding forth his neck; Septimius Severus in dispatch, 'If aught remains to be done by me, dispatch'; and the like. Certainly the Stoics bestowed too much cost upon death, and by their great preparations made it appear more fearful. Better saith he, 'who reckons the close of his life among the boons

ESSAY II. of nature ?

It is as natural to die as Of Death. to be born; and to a little infant, perhaps, the one is as painful as the other. He that dies in an earnest pursuit is like one that is wounded in hot blood, who, for the time, scarce feels the hurt; and therefore a mind fixed and bent upon somewhat that is good doth avert the dolours of death; but, above all, believe it, the sweetest canticle is 'Nunc dimittis,' when a man hath obtained worthy ends and expectations. Death hath this also, that it openeth the gate to good fame, and extinguisheth envy: When dead, the same person shall be beloved.'

ESSAY III.

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Religion.

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Religion being the chief band of human Of Unity society, it is a happy thing when itself is well contained within the true band of unity. The quarrels and divisions about religion were evils unknown to the heathen. The reason was, because the religion of the heathen consisted rather in rites and ceremonies, than in any constant belief: for you may imagine what kind of faith theirs was, when the chief doctors and fathers of their church were the poets. But the true God hath this attribute, that he

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is a jealous God; and therefore his worship ESSAY III. and religion will endure no mixture nor part- of Unity ner. We shall therefore speak a few words Religion. concerning the unity of the church; what are the fruits thereof; what the bounds; and what the means.

The fruits of unity, next unto the wellpleasing of God, which is all in all, are two; the one towards those that are without the church, the other towards those that are within. For the former, it is certain that heresies and schisms are of all others the greatest scandals: yea, more than corruption of manners for as in the natural body a wound or solution of continuity is worse than a corrupt humour, so in the spiritual: so that nothing doth so much keep men out of the church, and drive men out of the church, as breach of unity and therefore whensoever it cometh to that pass that one saith, 'Behold, he is in the desert,' another saith, 'Behold he is in the secret chambers'; that is, when some men seek Christ in the conventicles of heretics, and others in an outward face of a church, that voice had need continually to sound in

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Religion.

ESSAY III. men's ears, 'nolite exire,'-go not out. The Of Unity doctor of the Gentiles, the propriety of whose vocation drew him to have a special care of those without, saith, 'If a heathen come in, and hear you speak with several tongues, will he not say that you are mad?' and certainly it is little better when atheists and profane persons do hear of so many discordant and contrary opinions in religion. It doth avert them from the church, and maketh them to sit down in the chair of the scorners. It is but a light thing to be vouched in so serious a matter, but yet it expresseth well the deformity. There is a master of scoffing that in his catalogue of books of a feigned library sets down this title of a book, The MorrisDance of Heretics: for, indeed, every sect of them hath a diverse posture or cringe by themselves, which cannot but move derision in worldlings and depraved politicians, who are apt to contemn holy things.

As for the fruit towards those that are within, it is peace, which containeth infinite blessings; it establisheth faith; it kindleth charity; the outward peace of the church

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