[ 1466] Purity and the Heart of Man seldome meet together.
IT is observed of the word Conscientia,* 1.1 that it ever had ill luck in the Church, and could never be found at once, in full syllables: Conscientia altogether may be called Devotion; take away the first syllable, it is Scientia, Knowledg: cut off the next, it is Entia, Means or Worldly maintenance: First, in the time of Prophanenes••e, there was Sci and Entia, Learning and Living, Know∣ledg and Maintenance; but Con was left out, Devotion was wanting, they were ungodly Men: In the next Age there was Con and Entia, Devotion and Exhibition, a Rich and Religious, yea, a superstitious number; but Sci, Know∣ledg was wanting, they were none of the learned'st Clerks. In the third Age, Con and Sci, Learning and Devotion were both lost, and onely Entia was left, they had the Honors and Mannors, the fat of this Land: But now in this last Age, it is come quite round; We have, and not long since in a better measure had, Con and Sci, a Learned and Religious Clergy, onely Entia is taken from them, their livelihood and subsistence is by sacrilegious hands exhausted: The like Fortune hath a Pure Heart in the VVorld,* 1.2 Purenesse goes one way, and the Heart another way, and these two have much ado to meet: There is no lack of Hearts, every Man hath one, some have more then one: And for Purenesse, it abounds, proud Dames will have pure houses, pure cloaths, pure meat, &c. Hypocrites will have pure eyes,* 1.3 pure tongues, pure habits, garbs and gestures; And the Prophane sort are all for brave Hearts, they make a pish at Purenesse: This is the Devils plot, to keep purenesse and the Heart asunder; Purity will do well in nothing without the Heart; the Heart can be happy in nothing without purity: It is great pity, two such sweet Companions should be kept asunder. The God of all purity bring them together.