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populi Romani;" holding forth his neck. Septimius Severus in despatch: "Adeste, si quid mihi restat agendum;" and the like.

Certainly the Stoics bestowed too much cost upon 5 death, and by their great preparations made it appear more fearful. Better saith he, "qui° finem vitæ extremum inter munera ponat naturæ." It is as natural to die as to be born; and to a little infant, perhaps, the one is as painful as the other. He that 10 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 15 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."Extinctus amabitur idem."

Let him die and you'll love him tomorrow"

III. OF UNITY IN RELIGION

RELIGION being the chief band of human society, 20 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 25 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 is a jealous God; and therefore his worship and religion will endure no mixture nor partner. We shall therefore speak a few words concerning the unity of the Church: what are the fruits 5 thereof, what the bounds, and what the means.

The fruits of unity, next unto the well-pleasing 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 10 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 15 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, “Ecce° in deserto;" another saith, "Ecce in penetralibus;" that is, when some men seek Christ in the conven- 20 ticles of heretics, and others in an outward face of a church, that voice had need continually to sound in men's ears, "Nolite exire," " go not out. The doctor° of the Gentiles, the propriety of whose vocation drew him to have a special care of those without, 25 saith: "If an 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 30

from the Church, and maketh them "to sit down in the chair of the scorners.' 99 O It is but a light thing to be vouched in so serious a manner, but yet it expresseth well the deformity: there is a mas5ter of scoffing, that in his catalogue of books of a feigned library sets down this title of a book, "The Morris-dance of Heretics." For indeed every sect of them hath a diverse posture or cringe by themselves, which cannot but move derision in worldlings 10 and depraved politics, 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 15 of the Church distilleth into peace of conscience; and it turneth the labours of writing and reading of controversies into treatises of mortification and devotion.

Concerning the bounds of unity: the true placing 20 of them importeth exceedingly. There appear to be two extremes. For to certain zelants all speech of pacification is odious. "Is it peace, Jehu? What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me."° Peace is not the matter, but following and party. 25 Contrariwise, certain Laodiceans and lukewarm persons think they may accommodate points of religion by middle ways, and taking part of both, and witty reconcilements: as if they would make an arbitrement between God and man. Both these extremes 30 are to be avoided; which will be done, if the league

of Christians, penned by our Saviour himself, were, in the two cross clauses thereof, soundly and plainly expounded: "He that is not with us is against us;' and again, "He that is not against us is with us;" that is, if the points fundamental, and of substance, in 5 religion, were truly discerned and distinguished from points not merely of faith, but of opinion, order, or good intention. This is a thing may seem to many a matter triviai, and done already; but if it were done less partially, it would be embraced more gen- 10 erally.

Of this I may give only this advice, according to my small model. Men ought to take heed of rending God's Church by two kinds of controversies. The one is, when the matter of the point controverted 15 is too small and light, not worth the heat and strife about it, kindled only by contradiction. For, as it is noted by one of the Fathers, Christ's coat indeed had no seam, but the Church's vesture was of divers colours: whereupon he saith: "In veste° varietas sit, 20 scissura non sit;" they be two things, unity and uniformity. The other is, when the matter of the point controverted is great, but it is driven to an over-great subtilty and obscurity, so that it becometh a thing rather ingenious than substantial. A man 25 that is of judgment and understanding shall sometimes hear ignorant men differ, and know well within himself that those which so differ mean one thing, and yet they themselves would never agree. And if it come so to pass in that distance of judgment 30

which is between man and man, shall we not think that God above, that knows the heart, doth not discern that frail men, in some of their contradictions, intend the same thing, and accepteth of both? The 5 nature of such controversies is excellently expressed by St. Paul, in the warning and precept that he giveth concerning the same: "Devita profanas vocum novitates, et oppositiones falsi nominis scientiæ." Men create oppositions which are not, and put them 10 into new terms so fixed, as, whereas the meaning ought to govern the term, the term in effect governeth the meaning. There be also two false peaces or unities: the one, when the peace is grounded but upon an implicit ignorance; for all colours will agree in the 15 dark: the other, when it is pieced up upon a direct admission of contraries in fundamental points. For truth and falsehood in such things are like the iron and clay in the toes of Nebuchadnezzar's image°: they may cleave, but they will not incorporate.

Concerning the means of procuring unity: men must beware that in the procuring or muniting of religious unity, they do not dissolve and deface the laws of charity and of human society. There be two swords amongst Christians, the spiritual and 25 temporal, and both have their due office and place in the maintenance of religion. But we may not take up the third sword, which is Mahomet's sword, or like unto it: that is, to propagate religion by wars, or by sanguinary persecutions to force consciences; 30 except it be in cases of overt scandal, blasphemy, or