For God is merciful unto
all, because better to the worst than the best deserve; and to say He
punisheth none in this world, though it be a paradox, is no absurdity. To
one that hath committed murder, if the judge should only ordain a fine,
it were a madness to call this a punishment, and to repine at the
sentence rather than admire the clemency of the judge. Thus our offences
being mortal, and deserving not only death, but damnation; if the
goodness of God be content to traverse and pass them over with a loss,
misfortune, or disease, what frenzy were it to term this a punishment,
rather than an extremity of mercy; and to groan under the rod of His
judgments, rather than admire the sceptre of His mercies!
ON THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
Such I do believe the holy Scriptures; yet were it of man, I could not
choose but say, it was the singularest, and superlative piece that hath
been extant since the creation; were I a Pagan, I should not refrain the
lecture of it, and cannot but commend the judgment of Ptolemy, that
thought not his library complete without it. The Alcoran of the Turks (I
speak without prejudice) is an ill-composed piece, containing in it vain
and ridiculous errors in philosophy, impossibilities, fictions, and
vanities beyond laughter, maintained by evident and open sophisms, the
policy of ignorance, deposition of universities, and banishment of
learning, that hath gotten foot by arms and violence; this, without a
blow, hath disseminated itself through the whole earth.
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