tion of the Jewish Religion by the hand of Mofes, and the plain or exprefs covenant of the Law, we fhall find nothing there promised fave the welfare and happiness of this life: as namely, a fruitful Land, abundance of Corn and Victual. victory over their Enemies, foundness of Body, length of Days, the comfortable Bleffing of a hopeful Iffue, and furviving Pofterity, and the like. For if there be any thing beyond, it is involved in dark shadows, or must be collected by wife and difficult reafoning: Which indeed was the Caufe why many (in particular the Sadduces, who profeffed themfelves to be followers and obfervers of Mofes his Law,) had no hope of enjoying any happiness after this life.

As for the Grecians, who received their Learning from the Chaldeans and Egyptians, and had fome hope in another World, after this life was ended, they fpake thereof after a very doubtful manner; as appears by the difputations of Socrates, by the Writings of Tully, Seneca, and others. And the Arguments they produce for it are grounded upon Uncertainties; proving no more the happiness of a Man, than of a Beaft: Which while fome of them obferved, it was no wonder if they imagined that Souls were tranflated and conveyed from Men to Beasts, and again from Beafts into Men.

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But because this Opinion was not confirmed by teftimonies, or grounded upon certain reafon, (and yet it was undeniable that there is fome end propofed to Man's actions,) therefore others were induced to think, that vertue was the end or reward of Mens endeavours; and that a wife Man was happy enough, even thought he were put into that tormenting brafen Bull made

Book II. by Phalaris. Howbeit this fancy was justly diftaftful and improbable to another fort, who faw well enough that Man's happiness, especially the higheft, could not confift in any thing that was accompanied with perils, troubles, torment and death, unless we have a mind to follow the found of words without the fenfe of things: Wherefore they placed Man's chiefeft happiness and end in fuch things as were delightful and pleafing to fenfe. But yet this opinion alfo was difproved and fufficiently confuted by many, as being prejudicial to all bonefty, the feeds whereof are rooted in our hearts by nature: as alfo be-cause it debafes Man, who is advanced to a higher pitch, and throws him down into the rank of Beafts; which stoop down, and pore upon thing but what is on the Earth.

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With thefe and fuch like Uncertainties and doubtings was Mankind diftracted, at that time when Chrift brought in the true knowledge of the right end who promised unto his followers after their departure hence, a life, not only withcout death, without forrow and trouble, but attended with the higheft joy and happiness and that not of one part of Man alone, to wit, of his Soul, (the felicity whereof after this life, partly by probable conjecture, and partly from tradition, was hoped for before) but also of his Body and Soul together. And this most justly; that the Body, which for the Divine Law, must often fuffer grievances, torments and death, may not cbe without a recompence of reward. Now the sreward and promifed joys are not vile and bafe, $ "as good chear and dainty fare, wherewith the

more carnal fort of Jews feed their hopes; or the embraces of beautiful Women, which the

Turks

Turks expect to enjoy after death: for both thefe fenfualities are proper to this frail life,at the best: being but helps or remedies of mortality, the former of them conducing to the prefervation of every particular Man or Beaft: and the latter for the continuation of the fame creatures by fucceffion in their kind. But by the happiness aforefaid. our Bodies fhall be indued with conftant vigour, agility,ftrength,and more than a ftar-like beauty.. In the Soul there fhall be an understanding without errour, even of God himself and his Divine Providence, or whatfoever is now hid from us. And a will freed from all turbulency of pathons, bufied chiefly abut the fight, the admiring and praifing of the Almighty. In a word, all things much greater and better, than can be conceived by comparifon with the beft and greatest things in this World.

SECT. XII.

Anfwer to an Objection, That Bodies once Dead cannot be revived again.

ESIDES the doubt but lately answered,

B there is another difficulty objected againft BESL

this Doctrine of the Refurrection: namely, how can it be poffible for buman Bodies once diffolved into duft and corruption ever to be united and fet together again? But this relies upon no reafon. For fince it is agreed among moft Philofophers, that how foever things be changed, there remains ftill the fame matter, capable of divers Species or Forms; who dare fay, that either God doth not know in what places, though never fo diftant,

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diftant, the parts of that matter are, which belong to a humane Body; or, that He wants Power to reduce them and fet them together again, and do that in his Univerfe, which we fee Chydo in their Fornaces, and Veffels, gather together and unite things of the fame nature, though fcattered and difperfed? And that a thing alfo may return to the form of its original, though the Species be never fo much altered, we fee an example in the nature of things, as in the Seeds of Plants and living Creatures.

Neither is that knot impoffible to be unloofed which is tyed by many; concerning those hu mane bodies which pafs into the nourishment of wild Beafts or Cattle; who, being fed with them, become again the food of Man. For we muft know, that the greatest portion of fuch things as we eat is not converted into integral parts of our bodies but either turned into excrements, or ་ humors of the body, as Phlegm and Choler; yea, much of that which becomes our nourishment is wafted away, either by difeafes, or by inward natural heat, or by the Air about us. All which being fo; he that fo carefully regards all kinds of brute Beafts, that none of them perish, the fame God with a mo fpecial providence can alfo provide for humane bodies, that fo much of them as becomes the food of other Men, fhall no more be converted into the fubftance of those that eat them, than are poifons or physical potions ; and the rather, because it is in a manner naturally apparent, that humane Flesh was not intended for Man's food. Or fuppofe it were not fo, but fomething which hath made an acceffion to the latter body muft be taken from it again; this will not make it not to be the fanie body:

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for even in this life there happen greater changes of particles than this comes to. Yea, we fee, that a Butterfly is in a Worm; and the fubftance of Herbs or Wine in fome very fmall things; from whence they may be reftored to their former juft magnitude. Surely, fince both thefe and many al other things may without any inconvenience be fuppofed, there is no reafon that the reftitution of a body diffolved fhould be reckoned among impoffible things: which learned Men, Zoroafter among the Chaldeans, almoft all the Stoicks, and Theopompus among the Peripateticks, believed not only might, but should be.

The excellency of holy Precepts given for the worship of God.

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fecond thing wherein Chriftian Religion excels all others that are, or ever were, or can be imagined, is the great holiness of Laws and Precepts; both in thofe things that appertain to the Worship of God, and in thofe that concern other matters.

The holy Offices of the Pagans throughout almost the whole World, (as Porphyry fhews at large, and the Navigations of our times have dif covered) were full of cruelty; For it was the ufage, in a manner every where to appease the Gods, even with the facrifice of Humane Blood. Which custom neither the Greek Learning, nor the Roman Laws took away; as appears by what we read concerning the Victims inade to Bacchus Omeftes among the Greeks; and of a Greek Man

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and