tious, and will sell no wine upon the sabbath day.

3. Colonel Goring, serving first the one side and then the other, did like a good miller that knows how to grind which way soever the wind sits.

4. After Luther had made a combustion in Germany about religion, he was sent to by the pope, to be taken off, and offered any preferment in the church, that he would make choice of. Luther answered, if he had offered half as much at first, he would have accepted it; but now he had gone so far, he could not come back. In truth he had made himself a greater thing than they could make him the German princes courted him; he was become the author of a sect ever after to be called Lutherans. So have our preachers done that are against the bishops they have made themselves greater with the people than they can be made the other way; and therefore there is the less charity probably in bringing them off. Charity to strangers is enjoined in the text. By strangers is there understood those that are not of our own kin, strangers to your blood, not those you cannot tell whence they came; that is, be charitable to your neighbours whom you know to be honest poor people.

CHRISTMAS.

1. CHRISTMAS succeeds the Saturnalia, the same time, the same number of holidays: then the master waited upon the servant, like the lord of misrule.

2. Our meats and our sports, much of them, have relation to church-works. The coffin of our Christmas pies, in shape long, is in imitation of the cratch: our choosing kings and queens on twelfth-night, hath reference to the three kings. So likewise our eating of fritters, whipping of tops, roasting of herrings, Jack of Lents, &c., they were all in imitation of church-works, emblems of martyrdom. Our tansies at Easter have reference to the bitter herbs; though at the same time 't was always the fashion for a man to have a gammon of bacon, to show himself to be no Jew.

CHRISTIANS.

1. In the high church of Jerusalem, the Christians were but another sect of Jews, that did believe the Messias was come. To be called, was nothing else but to become a Christian, to have the name of a Christian, it being

their own language; for amongst the Jews, when they made a doctor of law, 't was said he was called.

2. The Turks tell their people of a heaven where there is sensible pleasure, but of a hell where they shall suffer they don't know what. The Christians quite invert this order; they tell us of a hell where we shall feel sensible pain, but of a heaven where we shall enjoy we can't tell what.

3. Why did the heathens object to the Christians, that they worship an ass's head? * You must know, that to a heathen, a Jew and a Christian were all one; that they regarded him not, so as he was not one of them. Now that of the ass's head might proceed from such a mistake as this; by the Jews' law, all the firstlings of cattle were to be offered to God, except a young ass, which was to be redeemed:

"Audio eos turpissimæ pecudis caput asini consecratum ineptâ nescio quâ persuasione venerari.' (Minucius Felix.) Selden has justly remarked, that the Jews and Christians were generally confounded with each other; and accordingly Tacitus affirms, that the Jews placed the image of a beast, doubtless of an ass, in the holy of holies. "Effigiem animalis, quo monstrante errorem sitimque depulerant, penetrali sacravêre." Ernesti, in his note on this passage, refers to several writers who have investigated the origin of so ridiculous a fable.

a heathen being present, and seeing young calves and young lambs killed at their sacrifices, only young asses redeemed, might very well think they had that silly beast in some high estimation, and thence might imagine they worshipped it as a god.

CHURCH.

1. HERETOFORE the kingdom let the church alone, let them do what they would, because they had something else to think of, viz. wars; but now in time of peace, we begin to examine all things, will have nothing but what we like, grow dainty and wanton; just as in a family the heir uses to go a hunting; he never considers how his meal is drest, takes a bit, and away; but when he stays within, then he grows curious; he does not like this, nor he does not like that; he will have his meat drest his own way, or peradventure he will dress it himself.

2. It hath ever been the gain of the church, when the king will let the church have no power, to cry down the king and cry up the church; but when the church can make use of the king's power, then to bring all under the king's prerogative. The Catholics of England go one way, and the court clergy another.

3. A glorious church is like a magnificent feast; there is all the variety that may be, but every one chooses out a dish or two that he likes, and lets the rest alone: how glorious soever the church is, every one chooses out of it his own religion, by which he governs himself, and lets the rest alone.

4. The laws of the church are most favorable to the church, because they were the church's own making; as the heralds are the best gentlemen, because they make their own pedigree.

5. There is a question about that article concerning the power of the church, whether these words," of having power in controversies of faith," were not stolen in; but 't is most certain they were in the book of articles that was confirmed, though in some editions they have been left out but the article before tells you who the church is, not the clergy, but cœtus fidelium."

CHURCH OF ROME.

1. BEFORE a juggler's tricks are discovered, we admire him and give him money, but afterwards we care not for them: so 't was before