12. Above all things, good Policy must be used, to prevent the Trea- The Money of a Kingdom fure of a Kingdom from getting into few Hands; otherwife a State may not to be enftarve in the midft of Wealth: for Money is, like Manure, unfruitful if groffed. not fpread. This is principally effected by fuppreffing, or at leaft reftraining those great Devourers, Ufury, Monopolies, exorbitant Pafturage, and the like.

13. As for the removing of Difcontents; at least the Dangers that might The removing arife from them; we muft obferve, that as every State has two kinds of of DifconSubjects; viz. Nobles and Commons; if only one of these be difcontent tents. without the other, the Danger is not great; for the Vulgar are flow of Motion, unless excited by the Great: And again, the Great have little Strength, unless the People be difpofed and ready to move of themselves. But the Danger is impending when the Great wait only for the troubling of the Waters, amongst the Multitude; that they may declare themselves. The Poets feign, that the Gods confpired to bind Jupiter; which he being apprized of, by the Counsel of Pallas, fent for Briareus, with his hundred Hands, to affift him. This Emblem doubtlefs admonishes Princes how fafe and prudent it is for them to fecure the Good-will of the People h

14. 'Tis a fafe Way to indulge a moderate Liberty, for the Difcontent to To give them evaporate; provided it be not attended with Infolence and Audacity: for vent. to turn the Humours back, and make the Wound bleed inwards, endangers malignant Ulcers, and pernicious Impoftumations.

15. For foftening of enraged and malevolent Spirits, the Part of Epi- To feed Men metheus might well be transferr'd to Prometheus; as there is no better Re- with Hopes. medy. Epimetheus, when he perceived Evils and Misfortunes fly out, at laft clap'd on the Lid, and kept Hope in the bottom of the Box. Certainly the political and artificial keeping up and cherishing of Hopes, and leading Men round from Hope to Hope, is one of the strongest Antidotes against the Poifon of Difcontent. And there is no furer Sign of a wife Government, and prudent Administration, than where Mens Hearts are detained with Hopes, whilft Satisfaction cannot be given: And again, where Matters are managed with fuch Forefight, that no Misfortune can happen fo adverfe as not to have its Out-let of Hope. And this is the lefs difficult to provide for, because Factions, as well as private Perfons, are apt to flatter themselves; or at least, to glory in more than they believe.

Faction.

16. It is, indeed, a common, but excellent Caution, for preventing To fuffer no Danger from Difcontent, that there be no fit Head or Leader whereto the fit Head of Difaffected may refort, and form a Body under his Protection. I underftand by a fit Head or Leader, a Perfon of Nobility and Character, acceptable to the Malecontents; who turn their Eyes upon him, and believe him difcontented in his own particular. Such Perfons as thefe are either

h See Vol. I. the Sapientia Veterum, Sect. 3. paffim.

See the Fable explained in the Sapientia Veterum, Sect. 1.

to

To fow Di

Factions.

to be won over, and reconciled to the State, in a firm and folid manner; or elfe to be opposed by others of the fame Party, to divide the popular Efteem.

17. It is generally conceived no bad Remedy, to divide and break Comfruft among binations and Factions against the State, by fetting them at variance with each other; or at least by fowing Diffidence among them: for it would be extremely hard upon Governments, if the Difaffected to them should continue entire and united; whilft the Well-affected remain full of Diffentions.

Princes to be

tences.

18. It is obfervable, that ingenious and fharp Sayings falling inconfideware of short rately from Princes, have fometimes given Fire to Seditions. Cefar gave poignant Sen himfelf a fatal Wound by that Saying, Scylla nefcivit Literas, ditare non potuit: For this fingle Sentence cut off all the Hope before entertain'd by the People, that he would in time refign the Dictatorship. Galba ruin'd himself by that Saying, Legi a te militem, non emit. For hence the Soldiers defpaired of the Donatives. And Probus had no better Success with that Expreffion, Si vixero non opus erit amplius Romano Imperio militibus +. For this alfo was matter of Defpair to the Soldiers; and there are many Instances of the like kind. Certainly it concerns Princes in tender Points, and ticklish times, to be cautious of what they fay; efpecially in these fhort Sentences, which fly abroad like Darts; and are thought to proceed from their fecret Intentions. But large Speeches are flatter things; and not fo much regarded *.

Kings to have

19. Laftly, against all Events, let Kings have conftantly near them, Select military certain Perfons of approved military Valour, for the quelling of Seditions Officers in in their first Rife; otherwife the Courts of Princes are in more Confufion conftant waiting. than is proper upon the first breaking out of Difturbances and the State labours under that kind of Danger which Tacitus thus expreffes. Such was the general Difpofition, that few durft attempt the heinous Crime; more wished it; but all permitted it to be committed'. But let fuch military Perfons be of great Fidelity, and high Efteem, rather than factious or popular; and alfo have a good Understanding with the other Great Men of the State: or elfe the Remedy is worfe than the Disease m.

That Scylla could not diftate for want of Learning.

†That he did not buy, but raise the Army.

1

If I live, the Roman Empire will have no farther need of Armies.

See the Author's Collection of Apophthegms, Vol. I. Supplem. VI.

Atque is habitus animorum fuit, ut pessimum Facinus auderent pauci, plures vellent, omnes paterentur.

m See more upon this general Subject in the Sapientia Veterum, Vol. L. Supplem. VII. Selt. 3. paffim.

ESSAY

I.

A

ESSAY XIV. Of UNITY in RELIGION.

S Religion is the chief Bond of Society, 'tis proper that itself Religion to be should be bound in the true Bonds of Unity and Charity. Quar-kept within the Bonds of rels and Diffentions about Religion were Evils unknown to the Heathens; Unity and their Religion confifting rather in Rites and Ceremonies, than in any fixed Charity. Belief and Confeffion. For it is easy to conjecture what kind of Faith they had, when the chief Doctors and Fathers of their Church were the Poets. But it is an Attribute of the true God, that he is a jealous God; and therefore his Worship admits of no Mixture or Partner. We will therefore here speak of the Unity of the Church; and confider, (1.) what are the Fruits thereof; (2.) what the Limits; and (3.) what the Means of procuring this Unity.

2. (1.) The principal Fruits of Unity (befides its being highly pleafing Two Fruits of to God, which is firft to be efteem'd) are two; the one regarding Unity in Rethose without the Church, the other those within. For the former; 'tis ligion. certain that Herefies and Schifms are the greatest Scandals in the Church; even greater than Corruption of Manners: as in the natural Body, Wounds and Solutions of Continuity are worfe in kind than corrupt Humours. Whence nothing fo much deters fome Men from coming into the Herefies and Church, and drives others out of it, as the Breach of Unity: and there- Schifms the greatest Scanfore, when the times are come that fome fay, Ecce in Deferto! and others, dals in the Ecce in Penetralibus! that is, when fome feek Chrift in the Conventicles of Church. Hereticks, and others in an outward Face of a Church, 'tis neceffary to have this Voice continually founding in Mens Ears, Go not out.

reticks occa

3. St. Paul, whofe peculiar Province it was to take care of the Gen- Different Opitiles, or those without the Church, afks this Queftion: If an Infidel, or un-nions of Helearned Perfon, enters your Congregations, and bears you speak with different fion Religion Tongues; will be not say you are mad? And certainly, 'tis little better, to be ridiculed. when Atheists, and prophane Perfons, fee fuch great Contentions, and so many clashing Opinions in Religion. For this turns them from the Church; and makes them fit down in the Chair of the Scorners. It may feem too trifling for fo ferious an Effay, to mention the following Particular; but it admirably describes the Deformity of the Thing. A certain eminent Jefter, in giving the Catalogue of a fabulous Library, puts down, among other Books, one with this Title: The Morris-Dance of Hereticks: for as every Morris-Dancer has his own peculiar ridiculous Motion, and deformed Gesture of Body; fo has every Heretick his peculiar Humour and Deformity of Mind which cannot fail of being ridiculed by Libertines, and depraved Politicians; who are apt to fall into a Contempt of holy Things.

4. As for the Fruit of Unity, redounding to those within the Church; The Fruit of it is in one Word, Peace; which contains innumerable Bleffings: for it Unity within

VOL. II.

Y

establishes

the Church.

Unity.

establishes Faith, and kindles Charity and the outward Peace of the Church diftils by degrees into internal Peace of Confcience; and turns the Labours of Controverfy-Writers, into Books of Piety, and Devotion. The Limits of 5. (2.) As for the Limits of Unity; to place thefe juftly, is of great Importance to the whole of Religion. There appear to be two Extremes in fixing them: For all mention of Peace is odious to Zealots. Is it Peace, Febu? What haft thou to do with Peace? Follow me: as if Peace were nothing, but Party all. On the other hand, certain Perfons, lukewarm in the Caufe of Religion, like the Laodiceans, think to drefs up agreeable Summaries of Religion, by going in a middle way, ingeniously accommodating Opinions, and acting as Reconcilers between God and Man. Both thefe Extremes are to be avoided; and may be, by clearly understanding and diftinguishing between thofe two Points of the Covenant of Chriftians, laid down by our Saviour himself, which at first fight feem to clash; viz. He that is not with us, is against us: and again, He that is not against us, is with us: that is, if the truly effential and fundamental Points of Religion, were justly difcerned and diftinguished from thofe that are, not of Faith, but of probable Opinion, or pious Intention; and defign'd for the fake of Order, and the Government of the Church. This may appear trivial to many; and a matter done already: but if done with less regard to Party, it would be more generally receiv'd.

Two kinds of 6. Let Men beware of rending God's Church by two kinds of ConControversy troverfies: The one, when the Point controverted is fmall and trifling, not to be avoided deferving the Contention raifed about it; but inflamed merely by Oppofition. For, as one of the Fathers elegantly obferv'd, the Coat of Chrift was without Seam; but the Church's Vefture of various Colours: then adds, Let the Variety of the Garment continue, and no Rent be made. For Unity and Uniformity are widely different.

in Religion; viz. the lighter,

and the more

fubtile.

7. The other kind of Controverfy is, when Subject has Weight, but is reduced to too great Subtilty and Obfcurity; fo that it becomes a thing rather ingenious than fubftantial. A Man of Learning and Understanding may fometimes hear unfkilful Perfons differ about a Question, and fee clearly that they think alike, and mean the fame thing; tho they themselves would never agree. And if this may fometimes happen between Man and Man, where there is fo little Difparity of Judgment, is it not reasonable to believe that God, who fearches and knows the Heart, clearly perceives that frail Men, in fome of their Controverfies, think alike, and gracioufly accepts of both? The Nature and Character of fuch Controverfies are admirably expreffed by St. Paul, in his Admonition and Precept about them: Avoid prophane and vain Bablings; and Oppofitions of Science, falfly fo called. Men imagine Oppofitions, which in reality do not exift; and couch them in new Terms, which they make fo fixed and invariable, that tho the Meaning ought to govern the Term, the Term here governs the Meaning".

4. See the Novum Organum, Part I. Sect. II.

8. There

Unities.

8. There are alfo two falfe Unities; the one grounded upon an in- Two falfe plicit Ignorance; for all Colours will agree in the dark: The other pieced up of Expofitions, directly contrary, in fundamental Points. For Truth and Falfhood are like the Iron and Clay in the Toes of the Image that Nebuchadnezzar saw in a Dream: they may cleave, but not incorporate.

9. (3.) For the Means of procuring Unity; let Men beware, whilft they The Means of procuring fecure and guard an Unity of Religion, they do not diffolve and demolish Unity. the Laws of Charity, and Society. There are but two Swords received amongst Christians, the Spiritual and Temporal; and both have their Place and Office in propagating and protecting the Chriftian Religion. But the third Sword, which is that of Mahomet, fhould never be taken up; that is, Religion must never be propagated by War; or the Confciences of Men forced by fanguinary Perfecutions; unless in Cafes of open Scandal, infolent Blafphemy, or Plots and Practices against the Civil State : much less to abet Seditions; fpirit up Confpiracies and Rebellions; put the Sword into the Peoples Hands, and the like: all which manifestly tend to leffen the Authority, and fubvert the Foundation of lawful Government, which is the Ordinance of God. For this is to break the first Table against the fecond; and to confider Chriftians, fo as to forget they are Men.

oppofed.

10. Lucretius, placing before his Eyes Agamemnon facrificing his own Perfecution, Daughter, exclaims, Tantum Religio potuit fuadere malorum*! But what would how to be he have faid, had he known of the Maffacre in France; or the Powder-Plot in England? Surely he would then have been a greater Atheist and Epicurean than before! For as the temporal Sword is to be drawn with great Judgment and Circumfpection in the Caufe of Religion; 'tis monftrous to put it into the Peoples Hand. Let this be left to the Anabaptifts, and other Furies. It was a great Blafphemy, when the Devil faid, I will afcend, and be like the moft High: but it is a greater to perfonate God, and bring him in saying, I will defcend, and be like the Prince of Darkness: yet what difference is there betwixt this, and making the Caufe of Religion defcend headlong to the cruel and execrable Acts of murthering Princes, maffacring People, and fubverting States? Surely this is like bringing down the Holy Ghost in the Form of a Vulture or a Raven, inftead of a Dove! or like hoifting the Flag of Pyrates and Affaffins on board the Ship of the Church! It is therefore juft, and required by the Neceffity of the Times, that the Church by its Doctrine and Decrees; Princes by their Sword; and all Learning, both religious and moral, fhould endeavour, as by their Mercury-Rod, to charm down and confine to the infernal Regions, for ever, all Facts and Opinions tending to encourage and fupport thefe Practices; as in good measure has been already done. It were to be wifhed, that in Councils convened upon the Affair of Religion, this Admonition of the Apostle hung up to open View; The Wrath of Man worketh not the