sure a truth as this, of the necessity and the excellency of a holy life. None are so fully resolved of this question as they that have tasted the end of both, and past the righteous judgment of the Lord. They that are feeling the anguish of their consciences, and the tormenting displeasure of Almighty God, are satisfied by this time, whether the godly or ungodly were the wiser men, and whether sanctity or sensuality were the better course. They that are rejoicing with Christ in glory, are satisfied perfectly in this question, and are far from repenting of their choice; Luke xvi. Christ tells you enough, in the case of the rich man and Lazarus, how men judge in the life to come.

12. But if all these witnesses will not serve you, what shall we say to you? Whom will you choose to be your counsellor? There is none left that I remember, unless you will go to the devil for advice. But against this I have told you enough before. Will he speak for holiness that is a spirit of uncleanness; and will he shew thee heaven that laboureth purposely to hide it from thee, till thou have lost it? or will he let thee see the odiousness and danger of thy sin, when it is the snare and bait by which he hopeth to undo thee? But yet for all this, let me tell thee that thou mayst learn even from the tempting enemy himself, the truth of that which I am now asserting. For as the devil himself believeth it when he persuadeth thee not to believe it, so the very nature and manner of his temptations may help thee to perceive that heaven is attainable, and holiness is the only way. Would he make so much ado about it, to keep thee from the believing it, and seeking it, if there were not a heaven for thee to find? Why is he so eager to draw thee unto sin, if sin be not hurtful to thee? Dost thou not feel the importunity of his temptations? It is easy to observe them. Why is he so much against a holy doctrine, and a holy life, and a holy people, if it were not that he knows the necessity and worth of holiness for thy good? The actions of a knowing enemy may do very much to acquaint us with the truth. Besides this, he hath oft appeared in bodily shapes (as I am able to prove by undeniable evidence); sometimes to entice men to sin, and sometimes to be God's executioner to afflict them for it, and sometimes to make a covenant with witches and conjurers for their souls, as many a hundred of them have confessed at their death. And why should he be so desirous

more.

of thy soul, if thou hadst none to lose? or so desirous to deceive thee, and deprive thee of salvation, if there were none for thee to lose? and if this were not the chief concernment of thy soul, why should thy chief enemy so much regard it? Thou seest that he is not so careful to deprive thee of thy fleshly pleasure. He careth not how much thou hast of this. The more the glutton is pleased with his cheer, and the more the drunkard delighteth in his cups, and the more the fornicator is pleased in his filthiness, and every voluptuous person in his voluptuousness, the devil is pleased so much the He cares not if thou have all the kingdoms of the world, if he can deprive thee of the everlasting kingdom. Nor will he grudge thee the glory and honour of the world, if he can but keep thee from the heavenly glory. He will allow thee the hypocrite's reward, which is the applause of men, if he can but keep thee from the saint's reward, which is the favour of God. He cares not how much of thy good things thou hast here, if he can deprive thee of the everlasting good. It is his desire that thou have thy portion in this life, that thon mayst miss the believer's portion in the next. Certainly the devil himself, by his temptations, apparitions, and contracts, doth plainly tell us of a life to come, and what it is that conduceth most to our good or hurt, our joy or torment; and consequently teacheth us what to choose, by tempting us so palpably and eagerly to refuse it.

You see now what a jury of witnesses I have brought in, to testify which is the better part. The devil and the wicked are added to the rest, because you will hear no better witnesses. If you will, here are enough whose testimonies are unquestionable.

But when all is done, it is the Lord that is and will be Judge. All these are but witnesses to dispose thee to receive his sentence. Thou art no believer, till the authority of the word of God will serve to satisfy and resolve thee.

CHAPTER III.

Full proof (in twenty Queries) from Reason itself that there is a Life to come, and Holiness is the way to it, and the Better Part. And that the Gospel is the certain word of God (in fifteen Queries more) with Answers to the Infidel's Objections.

AND by this time I come somewhat nearer to the infidel, and am ready to answer his foregoing question, Where shall I find the judgment or testimony of the Lord?' 'O,' saith the unbeliever, if I were but sure that there were a life hereafter, where the godly and wicked shall be differently rewarded, as the Scripture speaks, then I must confess he were no better than a madman that would prefer this world, or wilfully live in sin, and would not seek heaven with all his might, and be as earnest in holiness as the strictest saints! But I am not sure that this is true, and that there is any such difference after death, to be expected.'

Answ. Alas, poor wretch! Art thou at that pass? Hast thou so far lost the knowledge of God, and of thyself, and of thy end and business here, and of the word and works of God, as to turn worse than Jew, or Turk, or heathen, even to think thyself a beast, that hath no life nor happiness but this? If this be thy case, I cannot now stand to deal with thee according to thy necessity. I am now dealing with them that confess a life hereafter. And because we cannot in all our writings repeat over the same things, I desire thee to peruse what I have already written for such as thee, in the second part of" The Saint's Rest," and in a treatise called, "The Unreasonableness of Infidelity;" and at present take only some brief advertisements for thy conviction.

Query 1. And first, whereas you say, you are not sure of a life hereafter, I demand of you, Whether you are sure that there is not such a life? I am sure you are not. If you think you are (which none but a debauched man can think, that hath put out the eye of natural light), let us hear your proof, and you shall soon be told the vanity of it. But if you are not sure that there is no such life, then I would know of you, Whether a possibility of such everlasting things deserve not greater care and diligence than is used by the most holy saint on earth? You say, you are not sure that there is a heaven

for saints. But what if it prove true (as nothing more true), will you sit still, and lose it for you know not what? or for want of a little care in seeking it? You say, you know not whether there be a hell for ungodly men, or no. But what if it prove true (as certainly it will), where are you then? Will you venture yourselves upon the possibility of such an endless loss and torment, which now you might on reasonable terms escape? You will confess that a possibility of a kingdom should be more regarded than the certainty of a pin or a feather. And a possibility of some tormenting disease but for twenty years, should be more carefully avoided than the certain stinging of a nettle.

Query 2. You say, You are not sure that there is a life to come. But are you sure to continue the life you have? Or is it any great matter that you are called to lose, for the obtaining of that life, that you are not sure of? You know the contrary, or easily may do. You are sure that you have not long to be here. Nothing more sure than that you will shortly die. And you are not sure but it may be to-morrow. And while you are here, it is nothing worth the naming (but what hath reference to another life) that you do possess. What have you to your flesh, but meat, and drink, and sleep, and lust, and such kind of bestial delights, which is better to be without than have, if we could also be without the need of them. Can you call these by the name of happiness, without renouncing your reason and experience? You say, you know not what God will do for you hereafter. But you know what sin and the world will do for you here. Even nothing but hold you in a transitory dream, and then dismiss you into rottenness and dust. If you were not certain of another life, as long as you are most certain of the vanity of this, doth not reason tell you, that a possible everlasting glory, should be preferred before a certain vanity? If you were not sure to get any thing by God and a holy life, yet as long as you are sure, even as sure as you live, that you can lose nothing by it, that is worth the talking of, is not the case then resolved, which way is the better? If you say, you shall lose your fleshly pleasures; I answer, They are not worth the having. The pleasure doth not countervail the trouble; no more than the delight of scratching (as I said before) doth countervail the trouble of the itch. Moderation and temperance is sweeter than excess. If too much be bet

ter than enough, and that which hurteth nature better than that which helpeth it, then self-destroying and fighting against your bodily welfare, would be best. Is not a temperate meal more pleasant than a gluttonous surfeit, that is worse to the feeling of the glutton the next day? Is not common food that costeth not much, and kindleth no troublesome itch in a man's appetite, more pleasant than enticing, costly dainties? Is not so much drink as nature requireth, much better than that which makes the stomach sick, the brain witless, if not the purse pennyless, and breedeth many noisome diseases to the flesh, and hasteneth death, that hasteth of itself? By that time the gaudy apparel, the dainty fare, and drink is paid for; and by that time the flesh hath suffered all that pain and sickness that are the ordinary followers of excess, methinks you should say, that if there were no hell, your sin were a punishment itself, and that in this life, it brings more pain than pleasure, and that such kind of pleasure was not worth the keeping, to the hazard of the least possibility of an everlasting life. Wouldst thou under thy hand and seal, give away thy hopes and possibility of everlasting life, and run the hazard of an everlasting torment for the pleasures of sin, or to avoid the trouble of a holy life? Why then thou mayst as well even sell it all for pins, or points, or children's rackets. Then thou art as foolish as the worst of witches, that sell their souls to a lying spirit, that whatever he doth promise them, doth pay them with nothing but calamity and deceit. When thou comest to know better what it is that the world can do for thee, thou wilt then confess there was nothing in it, that should not have been slighted for the smallest hopes of an everlasting life. Dost thou think the world will be much better to thee for the time to come than hitherto it hath proved? Deceive not thyself; it will prove the same; yea, and worse at last. Look back now upon all the pleasures of thy life, from thy infancy to this day, and tell me what the better thou art for them. If this were the hour of thy death, would all the profits or pleasures of thy life be any comfort to thee, or make thy death a whit the easier? Have the dust or bones of the carcases of voluptuous sinners any comfort or benefit now, by all the pleasure of their former sin? Surely I need not all these words to a man of common understanding, to convince him that if heaven were as uncertain as the infidel doth imagine,