was not directly against Christianity, which the common people would never have endured.

GOLD.

THERE are two reasons why these words, "Jesus autem transiens per medium eorum ibat," were about our old gold. The one is, because Ripley the alchymist, when he made gold in the tower, the first time he found it, he spoke these words, "per medium eorum," that is, "per medium ignis et sulphuris." The other, because these words were thought to be a charm, and that they did bind whatsoever they were written upon, so that a man could not take it away. To this reason I rather in

cline.

HALL.

THE hall was the place where the great Lord used to eat, (wherefore else were the halls made so big?) where he saw all his servants and tenants about him. He eat not in private, except in time of sickness: when once he became a thing cooped up, all his greatness was

spoiled. Nay the king himself used to eat in the hall, and his lords sat with him, and then he understood men.

HELL.

1. THERE are two texts for Christ's descending into hell; the one Psalm xvi. the other Acts ii., where the Bible that was in use when the thirty-nine articles were made, has it "hell." But the Bible that was in queen Elizabeth's time, when the articles were confirmed, reads it " grave"; and so it continued till the new translation in king James's time, and then 't is "hell" again. But by this we may gather, the church of England declined, as much as they could, the descent, otherwise they never would have altered the Bible.

2. "He descended into hell." This may be the interpretation of it. He may be dead and buried, then his soul ascended into heaven. Afterwards he descended again into hell, that is, into the grave, to fetch his body, and to rise again. The ground of this interpretation is taken from the Platonic learning, who held a metempsychosis; and when a soul did descend from heaven to take another body, they called

it κατάβασιν εἰς ᾅδην, taking ᾅδης for the lower world, the state of mortality. Now the first Christians many of them were Platonic philosophers, and no question spake such language as was then understood amongst them. To understand by hell the grave is no tautology; because the creed first tells what Christ suffered, "he was crucified, dead, and buried"; then it tells us what he did, "he descended into hell, the third day he rose again, he ascended," &c.

HOLIDAYS.

THEY say the church imposes holidays. There's no such thing, though the number of holidays is set down in some of our commonprayer-books. Yet that has relation to an act of parliament, which forbids the keeping of any holidays in time of popery; but those that are kept, are kept by the custom of the country; and I hope you will not say the church imposes that.

HUMILITY.

1. HUMILITY is a virtue all preach, none practise, and yet every body is content to hear.

The master thinks it good doctrine for his servant, the laity for the clergy, and the clergy for the laity.

2. There is "humilitas quædam in vitio." If a man does not take notice of that excellency and perfection that is in himself, how can he be thankful to God, who is the author of all excellency and perfection? Nay, if a man hath too mean an opinion of himself, 't will render him unserviceable both to God and man.

3. Pride may be allowed to this or that degree, else a man cannot keep up his dignity. In gluttony there must be eating, in drunkenness there must be drinking: 't is not the eating, nor 't is not the drinking that is to be blamed, but the excess. So in pride.

IDOLATRY.

IDOLATRY is in a man's own thought, not in the opinion of another. Put case, I bow to the altar, why am I guilty of idolatry? Because a stander-by thinks so? I am sure I do not believe the altar to be God; and the God I worship may be bowed to in all places, and at all times.

JEWS.

1. God at the first gave laws to all mankind, but afterwards he gave peculiar laws to the Jews, which they were only to observe. Just as we have the common law for all England, and yet you have some corporations that besides that have peculiar laws and privileges to themselves.

2. Talk what you will of the Jews, that they are cursed, they thrive wherever they come ; they are able to oblige the prince of their country, by lending him money; none of them beg; they keep together; and for their being hated, my life for yours, Christians hate one another as much.

INVINCIBLE IGNORANCE.

'Tis all one to me if I am told of Christ, or some mystery of Christianity, if I am not capable of understanding, as if I am not told at all; my ignorance is as invincible; and therefore 't is vain to call their ignorance only invincible, who were never told of Christ. trick of it is to advance the priest, whilst the church of Rome says a man must be told of Christ by one thus and thus ordained.

The