that they blow hot and cold with the same Breath. It would be far more eligible to impress the vulgar, with the folid and real foundations of truth. An important naval victory was gained, a few months fince, against the Turks, under the command of John of Auftria; it has also pleafed God, at other times, to let us wit→→ nefs as great a victory at our own expence In fine, it is impoffible to reduce divine ordimances to our own balance. Thofe who declare that Arius and Pope Leo, the principal leaders of the Arian herefy, were vifited at feparate times with a fimilar and extraordinary kind of death, and aggravate the divine vengeance, by faying that they were feized with this diforder in confequence of their carrying on a warm difputation in the court, might as well add, that Heliogabulus experienced a fimilar fate, without being engaged in a fimilar controverfy. God has been pleased to inform us, that the righteous have fomething else to hope for, and the wicked fomething else to fear, than the benefits or miffortunes of this world; and while he iffues in our days, of endeavouring to afcertain the truth of our religion by the prosperity of our enterprizes. Our belief has fufficient founda tion, without attempting to fupport it by fluctuating events. The people, accustomed to these plausible arguments, will, on the reverfe of military fortune, ftagger alfo in their belief. In the war wherein we are now engaged on account of religion, many perfons afferted, that the advantage we obtained at Roche L'Aleille *, was an infallible proof that our cause was juft: but when they were afterwards obliged to excuse our defeats at Jarnac, and at Moncontour, they acknowledged that they were defigned as paternal corrections. Thus, if they cannot make the people think just as they please, it plainly appears that they take different forts of grift from the fame fack, or A great skirmish, which nearly produced a general engagement between the troops of Admiral Coligni, and those of the Duke of Anjou, in May, 1569. ✝ Battles gained by the Duke of Anjou in March and October, 1599. that that they blow hot and cold with the fame. breath. It would be far more eligible to impress the vulgar with the solid and real foundations of truth. An important naval victory was gained, a few months since, against the Turks, under the command of John of Austria; it has also pleased God, at other times, to let us witness as great a victory at our own expence In fine, it is impossible to reduce divine ordi nances to our own balance. Those who declare that Arius and Pope Leo, the principal leaders of the Arian heresy, were visited at separate times with a similar and extraordinary kind of death, and aggravate the divine vengeance, by saying that they were seized with this disorder in consequence of their carrying on a warm disputation in the court, might as well add, that Heliogabulus experienced a similar fate, without being engaged in a similar controversy. God has been pleased to inform us, that the righteous have something else to hope for, and the wicked something else to fear, than the benefits or miffortunes of this world; and while he issues his decrees, according to bis secret will and pleasure, he denies us the power of turning them to our own profit and advantage; and those people abuse themselves and us, who pretend to dive into these mysteries by the power of human reason; they never prove themselves right once, but they are convicted of being twice in the wrong. We should be satisfied with the light which it pleases the fun to communicate to us, by virtue of his rays; and whoever elevates his eyes, in order to take in a greater body of that luminary, ought not to be surprised if, for his presumption, he should be struck blind.. "Where is the man that can discover the counsel of Can God? «Or who can imagine what is the will of the Lord " Most of the ancients concur in the opinion, that life is not desirable when more evil than benefit is likely to accrue from its preservation. But to carry this contempt of life, so far as to call upon. death to remove us from the danger of riches and honours (as if reason was not sufficient without this new injunction), is what I never observed, till a passage of Seneca, upon this subject, lately sell under my notice. Seneca, advising Lucilius, the emperor's favourite, to change his voluptuous and extravagant way of living, and to retire from all worldly vanity and ambition, to some solitary, calm, and philofophical way of life, says, "I am of opinion, either that you quit that kind of life, or life itself. I would, indeed, advise you to adopt the gentle method, and to untie rather than break the knot you have indiscreetly knit, pro |