of a thousand, that would be nothing to the government of the world.

3. Nor could any man be effectually induced to love virtue for itself, according to the doctrine of the brutists. For virtue itself is made no virtue by them, but a deformity of the mind, while they overthrow the end, and object, and law, that it is measured and informed by (as I shall more fully open to you anon). It is therefore most certain that no nation is or can be governed as beseemeth man, without proposed punishments and rewards.

And if so, then these must be either temporal punishments and benefits, or such as are to be had in the life to come. That temporal punishments and benefits cannot be motives sufficient for any tolerable (much less perfect or sufficient) government, is a most evident truth. For 1. 'De facto,' we see by experience, that no people live like men that be not governed by the belief of another life. The nations that believe it not, are savages almost all; living naked and bestially, and knowing nothing of virtue or vice, but as they feel the commodity or discommodity to their flesh. They eat the flesh of men, for the most part, and live as brutishly as they believe. And if you say that in China, it is not so, I answer, one part of them there believe the immortality of the soul, and most of them take it as probable, and so the nation hath the government which it hath, from everlasting motives.

And if you say that the ancient Romans had a sufficient government, I answer, 1. The most of them believed a life to come, and it was but a few that denied the immortality of the soul; and therefore it was this that governed the nations. For those that believed another life, had the government of the few that did not believe it, or else the government itself had been more corrupt. 2. And yet the faultiness of their belief appeared in the faultiness of their government. Every tyrant took away men's lives at pleasure. Every citizen that had slaves (which was common) at pleasure killed them, and cast them into the fishponds. The servants secretly poisoned their masters, and that in so great numbers, that Seneca saith, Epist. 4. ad Lucul. that "the number of those that were killed by their servants, through treachery, deceit, or force, was as great as of them that were killed by kings;" which was not a few.

2. It is apparent that the world would be a wilderness, and men like wild, ravenous beasts, if they were not governed by motives from the life to come.

1. Because the nature of man is so corrupt and vicious, that we see how prone they are to evil, that everlasting motives themselves are too much ineffectual with the most.

2. Every man naturally is selfish, and therefore would measure all good and evil with reference to themselves, as it was commodious and incommodious to them. And so virtue and vice would not be known, much less regarded.

3. By this means there would be as many ends, and, laws, or rules, as men, and so the world would be all in a confusion.

4. If necessity forced any to combine, it would be but as robbers, and strength would be their law and justice; and he that could get hold of another man's estate, would have the best title.

5. All those that had but strength to do mischief, would be under no law, nor have any sufficient motive to restrain them. What should restrain the tyrants of the world, that rule over many nations of the earth, if they believe no punishment after death, but that their laws and practices should be as impious and bestial, as their lusts can témpt them to desire? What should restrain armies from rapes and cruelty, that may do it unpunished? or popular tumults that are secured by the multitude?

6. And there would be no restraint of any villany that could but be secretly committed. And a wicked wit can easily hide the greatest mischiefs. Poisoning, stabbing, burning houses, defaming, adultery, and abundance the like, are easily kept secret by a man of wit, unless a special providence reveal them (as usually it doth).

7. At least, the probability of secrecy would be so great, and also the probability of sinful advantage, that most would venture.

8. And all those sins would be committed without scruple, which the law of man did appoint no punishment for; as lying, and many odious vices.

9. If one man, or two, or ten, should be deterred from poisoning you, or burning your houses, or killing your cattle, &c. by human laws, a thousand more would be let loose and venture.

10. All the sins of the heart would have full liberty, and a defiled soul have neither cure nor restraint. For the laws and judgments of men extend not to the heart. All the world then might live in the hatred of God, and of their neighbours, and in daily murder, theft, adultery, and blasphemy of the heart. Within they might be as bad as devils, and fear no punishment; for man can take no cognizance of it. And it is the heart that is the man. You see then what persons the infidels and brutists would have us all be! What hearts and lives mankind should have according to their laws! Be devils within; and murder, and deceive, and commit adultery as much as you will, so you have wit to escape the gallows, and you are scholars fit for such bestial masters.

11. Yea, let me add this one more mischief: Hereby they would destroy all charity and good works, except the very bestial love of those that please men's lust. For no laws of men compel men to the love of God or man; nor much to good works. Who would do any thing comparatively, that believed not a reward and punishment hereafter? If we give all that we have to the poor, we can here have no reward but the breath of a man's mouth, which at death we understand not. Take down the everlasting ends and motives, and all good works, and inward virtues too that should produce them, are taken down.

And by this time you may see what a litter of bears, what a pack of ravening dogs, what cannibals the world should be turned into, by the doctrine of the brutists, that deny the life to come.

Well! but perhaps you will by this time have so much sense, as to confess that threatenings and punishments, hopes and fears of the state of another life are necessary to the wellgoverning of this world. And if so, I desire no more, to satisfy any man that believes there is a God (and that is any man that hath not drowned his wits in sin). For 1. This will then shew that the nature of man is formed for another life; and God did not make him such in vain. 2. And certainly if everlasting motives must be put into the laws that govern us, and into our hopes and fears, then it is not possible, but such things there are to be expected. For any man to imagine that God would make a world, which he cannot govern but by falsehood and deceit, this is to say that God is no God. For all lying and falsehood comes either from a

want of power, or wisdom, or goodness, when men either cannot make good their words, or otherwise attain their ends; or when they have not wit to know what is, or was, or will be, or when they are so bad, as to be disposed to deceive. But he that ascribeth any of these to God, doth worse than to say that there is no God. If I hate deceit and lying myself; the God that gave me all that little good which I have must hate it more. Dream not of any but a worm, or fool, or impious tyrant, that needs and loves deceit and falsehood to attain their ends. Judge by the frame of heaven and earth, and by that little good that is in good men, whether the living God be one that needs such hellish engines to rule the world.

If therefore in order to the government of mankind we must needs believe a life to come, it is certainly true. And why do you not believe that which government requireth you to believe?

Query 13. Moreover I demand of you, Whether you take God indeed to be the Governor of this world, or not?' By 'governor,' I mean properly, one that ruleth the rational creature as such, by moral means, even laws and executions. I exclude not his potential, efficacious operations, but conclude a necessity of moral government. I know a self-conceited, popish infidel hath endeavoured to persuade the world that God's sovereignty and moral government are metaphorical expressions, arising from the misconceivings of weak men; and that wiser men like himself do conceive of God's government only as of an artificer's disposal of his works, that physically accomplisheth all his will. As if God's natural causations, and his moral, were inconsistent; or as if God were not wise and good as well as Almighty; or did not in his government of men demonstrate his sapience in his laws, and his goodness in attractive benefits, as well as his power in mere natural motion; or as if man were not a rational creature, and a free-agent, and were not to be governed aecording to his nature, by objects suited to his intellect and will, but must be used and ruled like a stone or beast; or as if God could not infallibly attain his ends by a sapiential government, and by preserving the liberty of the will, as well as by a mere necessitating causation! This man was so enamoured upon his supposed skill in physic and metaphysics, that he not only lost his morality, but grew to be such an

enemy to it, as to blot out all true morality, civility, policy, and economy at a dash; and stands with the rest of the proud faternity, as a monument of God's justice against the proud, so deplorately forsaken even in the reason that he glorieth of, that children may perceive his folly. He that is all for operations of power, as excluding sapiential government by laws, and their just executions, doth think sure that a horse hath more of the image of God than a man. For he is much stronger. Brutish force would be more excellent than the attraction of goodness and the conduct of wisdom, if the government (which is no government) that these men dream of were the most excellent. As he will allow his artificer to shew as much at least of his wit, by making a watch or clock that shall, though by a necessity, move without the finger of the workman continually moving it; so methinks he should allow the infinitely wise and gracious God, to be nevertheless wise or gracious, if he rule the rational freeagent, without a physical necessitation, by a gracious attraction and sapiential conduct, agreeable to the reason and liberty of the creature, as long as we exclude not the co-working of Omnipotency, nor deny the infallibility of divine predefinition, which may be secured with the security of the creature's liberty.

In a word, to deny God to be the Sovereign Governor of the world in proper sense; 1. Is a denying him to be God; it being a term of relation, comprising government, and not of mere nature. When it is commanded us that we have no other gods, and when we are required in the holy covenant to take the Lord for our God, and give up ourselves to him as his people, it most plainly expresseth that his governing authority, or his sovereignty is comprehended in the term God. And indeed, having made a rational, free creature, whose nature requireth moral government, it followeth by necessary resultancy, that he that had sole authority and sufficiency, must be his sovereign.

2. These proud blasphemers that deny God's proper government, do contradict the very drift of Scripture, that calleth him our king and governor, and requireth our subjection and obedience.

3. They deny the being of God's laws, both the law of nature, and the written laws, and so blot out the word of God, and the sense and use of all his works. Though they