of a Lie doth ever add Pleasure. Doth any Man doubt, that if there were taken out of Men's Minds, vain Opinions, flattering Hopes, false Valuations of Things, Imaginations at Pleasure, and the like; but it would leave the Minds of a Number of Men poor dejected fhrunken Things, full of Melancholy and Languor, and uneafy and unpleafing to themselves?

ONE of the Fathers, in great Severity, calls Poefie, the Wine of Devils, because it fills the Imagination with vain Things; though Poesie is but the Shadow of a Lie. But it is not the Lie, that paffes through the Mind, that does the Hurt; but the Lie that finks in, and fettles in it; fuch I mean as we spake of before. But howfoever these Things are thus, in Men's depraved Judgments and Affections, yet TRUTH (which only doth judge it felf) teaches, that the Inquiry after TRUTH, which is the Lovemaking, or Wooing of it; the Knowledge of TRUTH, which is the Prefence of it; and the Reception of, and Affent to TRUTH, which is the Enjoying

of it; is the fovereign Good of Hu'man Nature,

THE firft Creature of God, in the fix Days Works, was the Light of Sense; the laft, the Light of Reason; and his Sabbath-Work, ever fince, is the Illumination of his Spirit. Firft he breathed Light upon the Face of the Matter, or Chaos; next into the Face of Man; and

ftill he breathes and infpiresan; and

Light into

the Face of his Chofen. The Poet that beautified the Sect, that was otherwife inferior to the reft, faith yet excellently well: It is a Pleafure to ftand upon the Shore, and to fee Ships toft upon the Waves: A Pleafure to ftand at the Window of a Caftle, and to behold an Engagement, and the various Events thereof below. But no Pleasure is comparable to the ftanding upon the VantageGround of TRUTH; (a Hill not to be commanded, and where the Air is always clear and ferene;) and from thence to behold the Errors and Wandrings, the Mifts and Tempefts in the Vale beneath: Provided this Prospect be

with

with Pity, and not with Swelling, or Pride. Certainly it is a Heaven upon Earth, when a Man's Mind Moves in Charity, Refts in Providence, and Turns upon the Poles of TRUTH.

BUT to pafs from Theological and Philofophical TRUTH, to TRUTH, or rather Veracity, in Civil Bufinefs; it will be acknowledged, even by thofe that praAife it not, that clear and round Dealing is the Honour of Man's Nature: And that mixture of Falfhood is like Alloy in Coin of Gold and Silver, which may make the Metal work the better, but it embaseth it. For thefe winding and crooked Courses, are the goings of the Serpent, which goeth bafely upon the Belly, and not upon the Feet. There is no Vice that does fo overwhelm a Man with Shame, as to be found false or perfidious: And therefore Montaign faith very acutely, when he enquired the Reason, why the giving the Lie fhould be fuch a difgraceful and odious Charge; If it be well weigh'd (fays he) to say that a Man lies, is as much as to

+

fay, that he is a Bravado towards God,
and a Coward towards Men. For the
Liar infults God, and crouches to Man.
Surely the Wickednefs of Falfhood,
and breach of Faith cannot poffibly be
more highly exprefs'd, than that it fhall
be the last Péal as it were to call down
the Judgments of God upon the Gene-
rations of Men; it being foretold, that
Christ at his Second Coming fhall not
find Faith upon
Earth.

II. Of DEATH.

ME

EN fear DEATH, as Children fear to go in the Dark. And as that natural Fear in Children is increafed with frightful Tales, fo is the other alfo. Certainly, the Meditation of DEATH, as DEATH is the Wages of Sin, and a Paffage to another Life, is pious and wholfome; but the Fear of it, as it is a Debt of Nature, is weak and vain. Yet in Religious Meditations,

there

there is fometimes an Alloy of Vanity, and of Superftition too. 'Tis advised in some of the Friars Books, that treat of Mortification, that a Man fhould think with himself, what the Pain is, when even the least Joint of a Finger is tortured; and thereby judge how great the Torment of DEATH is, when the whole Body is corrupted and diffolv'd; when yet DEATH many times paffes with less Pain, than is felt in the Torture of a Limb. For the most vital Parts are not the quickest of Senfe. And by him that spake only as a Philosopher, and natural Man, it was well faid; Pompa Mortis magis terret, quam Mors ipfa: Groans and Sobs, Convulfions, Palenefs of Vifage, Friends weeping, Funeral Obfequies, and the like, these are the Things that fhew DEATH terrible. It is very obfervable, that there is no Paffion of the Mind fo weak, but it mafters and fubdues the fear of DEATH. And therefore DEATH is no fuch formidable Enemy, fince a Man has fo many Champions about him, that can win the Combat

B 4