OF DEATH 



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. 



Ill 

 OF UNITY IN RELIGION 



RELIGION being the chief band of human society, 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 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 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 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 men out of the church, and drive men out of 

 the church, as breach of unity. And therefore, whenso- 

 ever 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 conventicles 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) saith, 



