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<DATE>5-9-14</DATE>
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<NAME>John Latta</NAME>
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<TEXT LANG="eng lat">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="1">
<OPENER><SALUTE>READER.</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_THis little Treati&s;e, (tending towards the vindication of a con&s;iderable priviledge of the Saints of God, from the u&s;e and ex|erci&s;e whereof they have in former dayes been re&s;trained, under &s;evere penalties, and pre&s;&s;ing them to the performance of a morall duty, which &s;ome have indeavoured to di&s;charge them of, by an attempt for it's enclo&s;ure, unto per&s;ons peculiarly appointed to take care thereof,) being reque&s;ted thereunto, I make bold to recommend unto thy &s;erious peru&s;all. The e|vidence which the Author (whom I know not) hath given herein of his piety, mode&s;ty, and learning, will I &s;uppo&s;e find a regard even with tho&s;e who are other|wi&s;e minded, as to that which he pleadeth for. I &s;hall only &s;ay, that as to the <HI>the&s;is</HI> it &s;elfe by him maintai|ned, (though he build it not on tho&s;e principles, which in Church affaires I owne as the mind of God, and proceed upon; nor extend the priviledge and duty therein a&s;&s;erted, to their ju&s;t liberty and compa&s;se, yet as to what he hath undertaken,) he hath laid &s;uch foundations, and given &s;uch evidence to his inferen|ces from them, that I hope the truth of it may thereby be cleared to &s;ome, who&s;e concernment it is to owne it, before they come to give their account.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>IOHN OWEN.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<P>The Private Chri&s;tians NON VLTRA, OR, <HI>A PLEA For the</HI> LAY-MAN's <HI>Interpreting the SCRIPTVRES.</HI></P>
<P>Written by PHILOLAOCLERUS.</P>
<Q><P>De&s;pi&s;e not the day of &s;mall things.</P></Q>
<Q><P>Divinus etenim &s;ermo, &s;icut my&s;teriis prudentes exercet, &s;ic plerunque &s;uperficie &s;implices refovet; habet in publico, unde parvulos nutriat, &s;ervat in &s;ecreto, unde mentes &s;ublimium in admiratione &s;u|&s;pendat; qua&s;i quippe fluvius (ut ita dixerim) planus &amp; altus, in quo &amp; agnus ambulet, &amp; elephas natet.</P> <BIBL>Greg. epi&s;t. ad Leand. c. 4. praefat. in JOB.</BIBL></Q>
<P><HI>OXFORD,</HI> Printed by H. HALL, Printer to the UNIVERSITY, for THO. ROBINSON. 1656.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="treatise">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>That private Chri&s;tians may privately meet weekly, upon &s;ome working day, to pray, read, and joyne together in the interpreting of Scriptures, for the building up of each other in knowledge and holyne&s;&s;e.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CAP. 1. <HI>The opening of the Termes.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_IN the Holy Scripture there is a difference made among tho&s;e that belong to the Church of Chri&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Heb.</HI> 13.17.</NOTE> whereof &s;ome are called to <HI>rule,</HI> others are called to <HI>&s;ubmit.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e rulers are men &s;et apart by impo&s;ition of hands, they are men in office, commonly called Mini&s;ters; <HI>cle|rus in eccle&s;i&acirc;,</HI> mentioned in the Scrip|ture under &s;everall titles; when their holyne&s;&s;e is imply'd, they are &s;aid to be <HI>men of God;</HI> when their vigilancy, <HI>watchmen;</HI> when their courage, <HI>Souldiers;</HI> when their painfullne&s;&s;e, <HI>harve&s;t laborers;</HI> when their care over their flock, <HI>&s;hepheards;</HI> when their wi&s;edome, <HI>over&s;eers;</HI> when their nece&s;&s;ary u&s;e in pre&s;erving and informing men, <HI>the &s;alt of the earth,</HI> and <HI>the light of the world.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e that are to &s;ubmit,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Act.</HI> 20.28. <HI>Heb.</HI> 13.7.</NOTE> are &s;aid to be under the <HI>charge</HI> of others, others mu&s;t <HI>account</HI> for them, they have their &s;everall titles, &s;ometimes cald <HI>hearers, flock, &s;aints, virgins, Gods heritage; clerus eccle&s;ia.</HI> The&s;e are <HI>private Chri&s;tians,</HI> whereof.</P>
<P N="1">1. Some are learned in tongues and &s;ciences, as were <HI>Grotius, Selden,</HI> and many others: who, by
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><HI>Ca&s;e of Con&s;c. decad.</HI> 3. <HI>ca&s;.</HI> 10. <HI>p.</HI> 348.</NOTE> <HI>Bi&s;hop Hall,</HI> are allowed to in|terpret,
<PB N="2" REF="3">and admired for their works. If the&s;e men had been denyed their rights, they were able (as being of age) to have plea|ded for them&s;elves.</P>
<P N="2">2. Others are not learned in the one or the other, but they are diligent in reading or hearing, a peculiar people, zealous of good workes, anointed with the &s;pirit, taught of God, having the word of Chri&s;t dwelling in them richly, able to give an account of the hope that is in them, and that are not a&s;hamed of the Go&s;pell of Chri&s;t, becau&s;e it is the power of God unto &s;alvation. The&s;e <HI>private Chri&s;tians</HI> are here meant</P>
<P><HI>Privately meeting;</HI> this notes the place cheifely and not the num|ber of per&s;ons meeting.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Of Places.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. Some are <HI>publicke:</HI> The Jewes had their <HI>Tabernacle</HI> and <HI>Temple,</HI> the Gentiles their <HI>delubra, Fana, &amp;c.</HI> the Chri&s;tians their, <HI>Ba&s;ilica, Eccle&s;ia, Memoria</HI>
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><HI>Memoria Martyrum ibi e&s;t Mediolanen&s;ium, Gerva&s;ii, &amp; Prota&s;ii.</HI> Au|gu&s;t. de civit. Dei. l. 22. c. 8.</NOTE>, <HI>paroechiae, martyria,</HI> &amp;c. their Churches now; but whether only &s;ince the fir&s;t three hundred yeares, as
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Epi&s;t. Ignat. ad Magn: Ex|ercit. 2. c. 4. 1 Cor. 11.22.</NOTE> <HI>Vedelius</HI> Contends, I &s;hall not enquire.</P>
<P N="2">2. Some are <HI>private,</HI> which the Apo&s;tle cals <GAP DESC="foreign"> hou&s;es, &s;o women, <HI>&s;i quid di&s;cere volunt,</HI> if they will learne any thing, mu&s;t aske their husbands at <HI>home.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Weekly;</HI> (i.e.) if men &s;o plea&s;e, not that any nece&s;&s;ity is intended.</P>
<P><HI>&V;pon &s;ome working day;</HI> this &s;peakes the time for the exerci&s;e.</P>
<P>Of <HI>Time</HI> &s;ome is <HI>&s;olemne</HI> and <HI>&s;acred:</HI> The <HI>Romanes</HI> had their <HI>dies fe&s;ti</HI> and <HI>feriati,</HI> their holy dayes, and dayes for &s;acrifice; &s;o under the Go&s;pell the Lord hath <HI>his day,</HI> which by
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Epi&s;t. ad Mag.</NOTE> <HI>Ignatius</HI> as well as <HI>S. John</HI> is cald <GAP DESC="foreign">, and by
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Apolog. 2. pro Chri&s;t.</NOTE> <HI>Ju&s;tin Martyr</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>The Lords day, Sunday.</HI> The day of publicke meeting.</P>
<P>Some is <HI>common,</HI> given unto us by God, in which we are to doe all the worke we have to doe, this common time makes up our working dayes; it is expre&s;&s;ed here to <HI>meete</HI> on a <HI>wor|king day</HI> and in a <HI>private place,</HI> that &s;o Chri&s;tians may be ready to give all po&s;&s;ible re&s;pect unto the publick ordinance on the Lords day; For many times that which is lawfull in it &s;elf, becomes unlawfull through mi&s;carriage. And here I will farther adde, that although it is to be found in the Acts of the Apo&s;tles, that the Chri&s;tians continued in duty untill midnight, and al&s;o in
<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">l. 10. Epi&s;t. 97.</NOTE> <HI>Pliny,</HI> &amp;c. that they met <HI>ante lucem,</HI> before day, to &s;ing P&s;almes, &amp;c. yet
<PB N="3" REF="3">in regard it gave &s;o great offence to the <HI>Gentiles,</HI> as appeares by
<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">in his Octa|vius.</NOTE> <HI>Minutius Felix</HI> and others, Chri&s;tians &s;hould make it their great care to meete in the day time, that &s;o every concernment of this private &s;ervice and freewill offering may be clothed with inno|cency.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>To interpret the Scriptures;</HEAD>
<P>Some Scriptures are
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>darke and ob&s;cure.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>plaine &amp; ea&s;y.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>The <HI>darker</HI> and <HI>more ob&s;cure</HI> places are wrapp'd up in &s;uch my|&s;tery's, that the be&s;t accompli&s;hments of any in the world are not &s;ufficient for them, and if men be not here mode&s;t and &s;ober in their expo&s;itions, they may &s;oone make them&s;elves as ridiculous as the <HI>Monke, Paraeus</HI>
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><HI>Comment on</HI> Rev. c. 1. v. 1.</NOTE> &s;peakes of, who derived the word <HI>Apocalyp&s;is</HI> from <HI>apo, quod e&s;t, re; &amp; clyp&s;or, clyp&s;aris, quod e&s;t, velo, velas.</HI></P>
<P>The more <HI>plaine</HI> and <HI>ea&s;y places</HI> are the <HI>milke</HI> the Apo&s;tle &s;peakes of provided by God for <HI>Babes.</HI></P>
<P><HI>To interpret or expound;</HI>
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">I&s;ag. ad Scrip. Sacr. c. 14.</NOTE> <HI>Rivet</HI> &s;aith there is a twofold <HI>inter|pretation.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. The one <HI>circa dictiones &amp; earundem propriam &s;ignificationem;</HI> concerning words and their proper &s;ignification, which he cals a <HI>ver&s;ion, paraphra&s;e</HI> or <HI>metaphra&s;e,</HI> rendring the originall in a more knowne tongue.</P>
<P N="2">2. The other is <HI>in judicatione &s;en&s;&ucirc;s ex intentione ejus qui &s;crip&s;it;</HI> which may be call'd, with <HI>Bi&s;hop Hall,</HI> the <HI>giving the &s;en&s;e of a text.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><HI>Ib.</HI> Phil. Sac. l. 2. part. 2. p. 456.</NOTE> <HI>Gla&s;&s;ius</HI> makes two parts of interpretation.</P>
<P>One is <HI>veri &amp; genuini &s;en&s;&ucirc;s inve&s;tigatio.</HI></P>
<P>The other is <HI>eju&s;dem plana &amp; per&s;picua enarratio;</HI> a &s;earching out of the true and genuine meaning of a place, and then a cleare and per&s;picuous reporting of it.</P>
<P>'Twere needle&s;&s;e to &s;ay any thing to the other dutyes of <HI>praying and reading</HI> becau&s;e it is granted on all hands that Chri&s;tians may meet for &s;uch performances.</P>
<P>The la&s;t words expre&s;&s;e the end of the meeting, <HI>to build up, &amp;c.</HI> which are laid downe &s;o plainly, that if a man &s;hould u&s;e words to open them he would expo&s;e him&s;elfe, probably, to that cen&s;ure &s;ome <HI>expo&s;itors</HI> lye under, who, after &s;ome pains, leave texts more intri|cate then they found them.</P>
<P>The &s;umme of all then is this. <HI>That private Chri&s;tians though nei|ther
<PB N="4" REF="4">ordained, nor learned in Arts and tongues, having the words of Chri&s;t dwelling in them richly, zealous of good workes, may meet weekly if they plea&s;e, in &s;ome of their owne private hou&s;es, upon &s;ome working day, to interpret and give the &s;en&s;e of &s;ome more u&s;efull and more ea&s;ie places in the booke of God, for the building up of each other in knowledge and holine&s;&s;e,</HI> which &s;hall be proved by proceeding thus.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CAP. 2. Containing the Arguments, by which 'tis proved lawfull for private Chri&s;tians to interpret.</HEAD>
<P>Fir&s;t of all, it is not to be found in all the book of God, that the <HI>worke of interpretation</HI> is made proper to the <HI>Mini&s;try.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">v. <HI>Dru&s;ius de tribus &s;ect is. lib.</HI> 2. <HI>cap.</HI> 12.</NOTE> Learned men may, the Scribes did interpret, who yet were of &s;everall Tribes. Tis granted that the publike interpretation, in the face of the Congregation, upon the Lords day, belongs to men in office, and &s;o doe al&s;o the performance of other duties, which no man &s;urely will &s;ay are peculiar to them; as for in&s;tance, the mini&s;ter is the mouth of the Congregation, and it is his duty <HI>in public&acirc; pre|catione aliis voce praeire,</HI> as <HI>Sharpius</HI> contends
<NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg"><HI>Symph. Proph. &amp; Apo&s;t. pag.</HI> 218.</NOTE>. But what then? may not private Chri&s;tians pray privately in their families, clo&s;ets, and occa&s;ionall meetings?</P>
<P>The <HI>A&s;&s;embly of Divines</HI> in their larger Catechi&s;me, in an&s;wer to that que&s;tion, whither the word of God be to be read of all, &s;ay thus, although all are not to be permitted to read the word publikely to the Congregation, yet all &s;orts of people are bound to read it apart by them&s;elves and with their families. Whither the <HI>Lection of the King</HI> mentioned by Mr. <HI>Lightfoot</HI>
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Temple &s;ervice cap.</HI> 17. <HI>&s;ect.</HI> 1.</NOTE> and <HI>Ain&s;e worth</HI>
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>On Deut.</HI> 31. <HI>v.</HI> 11.</NOTE> in his Annotations, were ju&s;tifiable by Gods law, is very doubtfull, as &s;ome conceive
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Vid. Jack&s;on. Deodate in loc.</NOTE>. But however the Kings rendring of the Law is an extraordinary &s;ervice. And here it will not be a|mi&s;&s;e to take notice of what
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Comment. on Philem. v.</HI> 1.2.</NOTE> <HI>Atter&s;oll</HI> &s;aith of private Chri&s;tians. <HI>This &s;hall be a &s;ingular commendation unto us, if we &s;o order our &s;e|verall charges and places of government, as that they may be called rather Churches, then private families; rather Schooles, then hou&s;es; rather temples of God, then dwellings of men: rather Tabernacles &s;et up to &s;erve the Lord, then buildings erected to &s;erve our &s;elves. Now we &s;hall attaine to this prai&s;e and e&s;timation among the faithfull, if our
<PB N="5" REF="4">hou&s;es do re&s;emble Churches, by the practi&s;e of &s;uch exerci&s;es as are performed in it. For the Mai&s;ter is both a King and a Pa&s;tor within his owne hou&s;e; a King to rule and correct, a Pa&s;tor to in&s;truct and reprove; yea to remove &s;uch as are ob&s;tinate and obdurate. Let us therefore all of us &s;et up little Churches in our hou&s;es, let us u&s;e in them prayer to God, Catechizing of our youth, teaching of the Ignorant, reading of the Scriptures, &s;inging of P&s;almes, conferring one with a|nother, examining of our people, taking an account how they profit, comforting them that are weake, encouraging them that are willing, di&s;countenancing them that are froward and untoward, &s;hewing gentle|ne&s;&s;e unto all, &s;uffering the evill, and in&s;tructing them with meekne&s;&s;e that are contrary minded.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, private Chri&s;tians, though not in <HI>office,</HI> nor learned <HI>in languages,</HI> are <HI>bound</HI> to read the word, and no where forbid to interpret. Read it they ought. Here then lets &s;ee what this word is which they mu&s;t read: <HI>Andrew Willet</HI>
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><HI>Synop. Pa|pi&s;mi</HI> p. 46.</NOTE> &s;aith that the <HI>Scripture is not the letter, but the &s;en&s;e thereof.</HI> So al&s;o <HI>Thorndike</HI>
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg"><HI>Relig. A&s;&s;em.</HI> c. 6. p. 177.</NOTE>, <HI>the word of God is not the letter and &s;yllable, but the &s;en&s;e and meaning of the Scriptures.</HI> If &s;o, then all tho&s;e places in the Law, Prophets and Apo&s;tles which command the&s;e <HI>private</HI> men to <HI>read,</HI> do al&s;o command them, to <HI>render the &s;en&s;e</HI> of all tho&s;e places they do read unto them&s;elves, which is <HI>interpretation:</HI> if then every particular man be to interpret to him&s;elfe,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 4.9.</NOTE> why may we not &s;ay that <HI>vis u|nita fortior,</HI> that two are better then one? &s;hall <GAP DESC="foreign"> be en|couraged into the world againe? mu&s;t men turne <HI>Monkes</HI> when they read and interpret? If any man &s;hould que&s;tion whither a private man be not enjoyned to interpret to him&s;elfe what he reads, I could wi&s;h he would con&s;ider,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 8.30. <HI>in loc.</HI></NOTE> whether that were a whole|&s;ome and pertinent que&s;tion, which <HI>Phillip</HI> offered to the <HI>Eunuch; under&s;tande&s;t thou what thou reade&s;t? Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> is much in the commendation of <HI>Phillip,</HI> for his &s;ea&s;onable que&s;tion and prudent in&s;inuation, <HI>vide Philippi philo&s;ophiam;</HI> and much in the prai&s;e of the <HI>Eunuch,</HI> for the improvement of his time, <HI>Eunuchus &amp; in foro, &amp; in curru vectus, lectioni Scripturarum attendebat, &s;ed vos hoc non agitis, nullus enim ve&s;tr&ucirc;m in manibus habet librum, &s;ed omnia potius qu&agrave;m librum.</HI> The <HI>Eunuch was for his booke, we are for all things but our bookes.</HI> Were Chri&s;tians permitted to read, and tied up &s;o, as that they ought not to interpret to them&s;elves, they would read
<PB N="6" REF="5">without <HI>under&s;tanding,</HI> which is as un&s;eemly, as to <HI>pray without under&s;tanding;</HI> neither would they fare much better then the <HI>Ro|mans</HI> now with their <HI>unknowne tongue,</HI> or then the <HI>Romans</HI> of old, when 'twas <HI>capitall</HI> for any, except the <HI>Quindecemviri,</HI> to read the <HI>Prophe&s;ies of the Sybills,</HI> as
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Apol.</HI> 2. <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Lactant. in&s;t.</HI> l. 1. c. 6.</NOTE> <HI>Ju&s;tin Martyr</HI> ob&s;erves.</P>
<P>Thirdly, I &s;hall lay downe &s;ome texts, that charge private men with the duty of <HI>teaching</HI> one another. <HI>Col.</HI> 3.16. <HI>Let the word of Chri&s;t dwell in you richly, in all wi&s;dome, teaching and admoni&s;hing one another.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>per&s;ons</HI> here concerned to <HI>teach,</HI> are not only men in <HI>office,</HI> but <HI>private men,</HI> whether learned, or no, tis a duty charged upon al men, <HI>mundani &amp; &s;aeculares</HI> (i. e.) that according to <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome,</HI> all that have Wife,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chry&s;o&s;t. in loc.</NOTE> Children, Servants, and Soules to &s;ave, mu&s;t teach.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Trap. in loc.</NOTE> <HI>This duty is double,</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. The <HI>one</HI> concernes a man towards him&s;elfe <GAP DESC="foreign">, the word mu&s;t dwell richly in him, or rather <HI>indwell</HI> in him, as an ingrafted and incorporated word. <HI>Alexander</HI> was wont to lay <HI>Homers Iliad's</HI> under his pillow,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Plut. in vit.</NOTE> but Chri&s;tians &s;hould lay up Chri&s;ts word in their <HI>hearts:</HI> they &s;hould &s;o concoct and dige&s;t the word, as to turne it into <HI>&s;uccum &amp; &s;anguinem,</HI> into pure nouri&s;hment, that if there were any &s;uch thing in the world as <HI>Tran&s;ub&s;tantia|tion,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chry&s;.</NOTE> it &s;hould be here. Men mu&s;t <HI>omnia iter&ugrave;m at&abque; iter&ugrave;m ver&s;are,</HI> &s;earch and &s;earch againe, till the word be as well known to them, as tho&s;e that live in the &s;ame hou&s;e, <HI>intus &amp; in cute.</HI> They &s;hould not let the word <HI>qua&s;i peregrinum foris &s;tare,</HI> &s;tand at the door like a &s;tranger:
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>of Frater: cor|rep.</HI> p. 6.</NOTE> now as a means whereby the word of Chri&s;t may dwell richly in us, <HI>Dr. Hammond</HI> ob&s;erves that Chri&s;tians are to teach and admoni&s;h one another, which leads me to the</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Duty,</HI> which concernes a man towards others, <GAP DESC="foreign">. There hath been a double mi&s;take about this word.</P>
<P>Some are apt with <HI>E&s;tius</HI> and <HI>Pi&s;cator,</HI> to &s;ay that here is <GAP DESC="foreign"> an incongruity, making the text to &s;peake fal&s;e <HI>Greeke,</HI> and then correct it: the&s;e men I find
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">&s;olicit&egrave; in au|thore hoc &s;eloeci&s;|mos excu&s;ant, c&ugrave;m ip&s;i potius accu&s;andi &s;unt, qui tam temer&egrave; judicium tule|runt. Exercit. in No: Te&s;t. in loc.</NOTE> <HI>Hein&s;ius</HI> to deale with, and con|fute with a <GAP DESC="foreign">.</P>
<P>Others conceiving the word to lay too much duty upon private Chri&s;tians, &s;eeme to mince it, allowing men to teach the Scrip|tures, but not to interpret them: with the&s;e I have now to do. <HI>Zanchy</HI> &s;aith, that to teach, is <HI>Scripturam ad aliorum u&s;um inter|pretari,</HI>
<PB N="7" REF="5">to interpret the Scriptures to the edification of others; and there will be the le&s;&s;e doubt whether <HI>Zanchy</HI> be in the right,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">in loc.</NOTE> if it be ob&s;erved that Chri&s;t makes u&s;e of the &s;ame word,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 28.20. <HI>Crit. &s;ac.</HI></NOTE> when he commands his Apo&s;tles to teach all nations, <GAP DESC="foreign">. Mr. <HI>Leigh</HI> &s;aith it may generally be taken for all the parts of the Apo&s;toli|call and Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall mini&s;try. Dr.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Epi&s;c. jura di&s;.</HI> 3. c. 16.</NOTE> <HI>Hammond</HI> puts &s;ome kind of honour upon the word, making it to import the worke of the Pa&s;tor or Bi&s;hop, whiles <GAP DESC="foreign">, and <GAP DESC="foreign"> im|port rather the worke of the Evangeli&s;t. The Evangeli&s;t was to preach to tho&s;e <HI>without,</HI> the Pa&s;tor or Bi&s;hop was to teach and build up tho&s;e <HI>within.</HI> Now if a Pa&s;tor or Bi&s;hop may interpret, becau&s;e Chri&s;t hath bid him go and reach; why may not we con|ceive &s;o al&s;o concerning the private Chri&s;tian who is bid to teach untill we heare from Chri&s;t to the contrary?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">in loc.</NOTE> <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> is very full to this purpo&s;e, <HI>Dic mihi, &s;i qui ad literatores abeunt, perpetu&ograve; in elementis addi&s;cendis per&s;i&s;terent, annon multum laboris praeceptori exhiberent? quou&s;&abque; vobis &amp;c.</HI> (i.e.) Tell me, what will ye never have learnt your letters? mu&s;t I be troubled with you alwaies? twas not &s;o with the Apo&s;tles, they were wont to teach for a while, and then make their be&s;t Scholler teacher to the re&s;t, and ha&s;ten away to another place; I could wi&s;h you would but looke into the world and &s;ee what want of Pa&s;tors there is; <HI>&s;ed vos me detine|tis h&icirc;c affixum.</HI> But if you did, 'twere not &s;afe for me to go from you yet, for I have not perfected my work among you. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> was much moved that he had taught them &s;o long, and they had profited &s;o little, whereas they might haue been able &s;o to have taught them&s;elves, as to have &s;pared him for tho&s;e places in the Country that had more need. But what was it he would have them teach one another? &s;urely 'twas the <HI>Scripture;</HI> for in the &s;ame place he calls to them, <HI>comparate vobis Biblia,</HI> to get Bibles, at lea&s;t to get the <HI>New Te&s;tament.</HI> But what were they to teach one another from <HI>the&s;e Scriptures?</HI> Surely they were not to teach one another how many times <HI>[a]</HI> or <HI>[b]</HI> was u&s;ed in the <HI>N. T.</HI> the worke of the <HI>Ma&s;orites</HI> under the old; but to teach one another the things belonging to their eternall peace. But it may be that <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> would have them teach one another the Scriptures, but not in|terpret the Scriptures. You &s;ay well, this is &s;omething, and when you &s;hew me a man that hath found out a <HI>new way</HI> to <HI>teach,</HI> and
<PB N="8" REF="6">not give the <HI>&s;en&s;e</HI> of what he <HI>teacheth,</HI> which is <HI>interpreting;</HI> then it may be, I will beleive, that <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> and <HI>St. Paul</HI> would have private men to teach, but not interpret. I will now returne to <HI>Zanchy</HI> againe, and &s;ee what he adds concerning admoni&s;hing one another, in regard he was &s;o expre&s;&s;e, telling us that to teach was to interpret. <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>commonefacere,</HI> to admoni&s;h, (i.e.) &s;aith he in <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>in animum ponere, imprimere &amp; in&s;culpere,</HI> to pre&s;&s;e and urge upon the Con&s;cience what you have taught: a man mu&s;t admoni&s;h tho&s;e <HI>qui &s;ciunt &amp; pigri &s;unt,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">in loc.</NOTE> &s;aith <HI>H. Cardinal.</HI> or as <HI>Calvin,</HI> becau&s;e <HI>virtus laudatur &amp; alget, &s;imul addit admonitione~, quae e&s;t veluti doctrinae &s;timulus.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">in loc.</NOTE> (i.e.) A man, I &s;ay, mu&s;t admoni&s;h tho&s;e that know their Ma&s;ters will, and do it not; the word mu&s;t be en|forced upon their hearts, that have golden tongues, and leaden heeles, that can talke richly, but walke &s;hamefully. Tis not e|nough for one private Chri&s;tian to teach another, (i. e.) to in|forme his under&s;ta~ding; but he mu&s;t al&s;o admoni&s;h another, (i.e.) apply what he hath taught, to reforme the affection. To this purpo&s;e doth <HI>Zanchy</HI> open the text, whence he al&s;o rai&s;eth a Do|ctrine which I &s;hall here in&s;ert.</P>
<P><HI>Ob&s;erva. Docendi munus, non &s;ol&ugrave;m pal&agrave;m &amp; public&eacute; in Eccle&s;i&acirc;, &s;ed privatim &amp; &s;ecret&ograve; in aedibus quoque debere vigere, &amp; Chri&s;tia|nos teneri&s;e mutu&ograve; docere, &amp; adhortari privatim.</HI> (i. e.) the bui&s;i|ne&s;&s;e of teaching is not only relating to the publick in the Con|gregation; but private Chri&s;tians ought to teach and admoni&s;h one another in their owne hou&s;es. I know by this time, &s;ome will be ready to &s;ay, that if private Chri&s;tians may <HI>teach</HI> and <HI>apply,</HI> they may not only <HI>interpret,</HI> but <HI>preach</HI> al&s;o; for what is <HI>preaching,</HI> but <HI>teaching</HI> and <HI>applying?</HI> And here they will inveigh again&s;t all private meetings, and private per&s;ons interpreting, as plaine prea|ching; re&s;olving to &s;tarve their poor &s;oules, rather then refre&s;h them at a neighbours hou&s;e. But good Reader weigh that which <HI>Byfeild</HI> hath by way of <HI>objection</HI> and <HI>an&s;wer.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">in loc.</NOTE></P>
<P><HI>Ob.</HI> <Q>It &s;eems this place favours the opinion of &s;uch as hold that Chri&s;tian neighbours met together upon the Lords day, or at o|ther times, when there is no publick exerci&s;e, may labour to e|difie them&s;elves by in&s;tructing one another, out of the word privately.</Q></P>
<P><Q><HI>R.</HI> It is not unlawfull &s;o to do, and this place doth approve of
<PB N="9" REF="6">it, &s;o as they keep within their bounds, viz. that the matter taught be not again&s;t piety, the true peace of Zion. And that the manner be plaine and familiar, as Family in&s;truction &s;hould be, by keeping on foot publike doctrine, by conference, pro|pounding of doubts, or in&s;tructing of the ignorant, out of &s;uch places as they do undoubtedly under&s;tand.</Q></P>
<P>Bi&s;hop Davenant <HI>to the &s;ame purpo&s;e:</HI> <Q>Primus u&s;us e&s;t, ut Chri&s;ti|ani (etiam Laici) &s;e&s;e mutu&ograve; doceant &amp; in&s;tituant in rebus ad fi|dem pertinentibus, &amp; quam &s;ibi compararunt &s;cientiam ex Scrip|turis, expromant ad fratres aedificandos cum opus fuerit. Quam|vis enim munus, public&egrave;, cum autoritate, docendi, incumbit mini|&s;tris; officiu~ tamen, privatim, ex charitate, docendi, incumbit cui|libet privato, cui datur facultas &amp; occa&s;io alios in religionem &amp; fide aedificandi. <HI>The &s;umme of this I find in</HI> Elton.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">in loc.</NOTE> Tis not the Mini&s;ters office alone to teach and admoni&s;h, though e&s;pecially, and in peculiar &s;ort it belong to him; but it is the duty of all that profe&s;&s;e Chri&s;t, they are to teach &amp; admoni&s;h one another, as occa&s;ion is offered &amp;c, yea private per&s;ons may &s;ometimes in&s;truct teachers in &s;ome things in private, examples we have in <HI>Act.</HI> 18.26. poor <HI>Aquila</HI> and <HI>Pri&s;cilla</HI> in&s;tructed eloquent <HI>Apollos;</HI> the text &s;aith; whom when <HI>Aquila</HI> and <HI>Pri&s;cilla</HI> had heard they tooke him unto them, and expounded to him the way of God more perfectly. We &s;ee then our duties, now this duty is little thought on or practi&s;ed, nay I may adde tis much op|po&s;ed.</Q></P>
<P>In the old Te&s;tament God was remarkeably &s;evere,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cron. 26. <HI>v.</HI> 16.-22.</NOTE> again&s;t all that did intrude upon the <HI>Prie&s;ts office, &V;zziah</HI> the King was &s;mit|ten with Lepro&s;y, for offering to burne incen&s;e;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cron. 17.9. Deut. 11.18.19.</NOTE> yet as the Prie&s;ts were to teach the people, &s;o were the Jews to teach their Children, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 17.9. <HI>Deut.</HI> 11. <HI>v.</HI> 18, 19.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> in both which places there is the &s;ame <HI>Hebrew</HI>
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> word, and rendred by the <HI>Septuagint</HI> by the &s;ame word
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> <HI>St. Paul</HI> made u&s;e of <HI>Col.</HI> 7.16. which imports the &s;ame duty.</P>
<P>The Prei&s;ts were to teach, and to interpret the Law, and the Scribes, as <HI>Thorndike</HI> reports out of <HI>Philo,</HI> of the <HI>E&s;&s;enes,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Relig. A&s;&s;em. c.</HI> 3.</NOTE> <HI>lib. omnem probum liberum e&s;&s;e. Coming to their holy places called Synagogues they &s;it downe in ranks, according to yeares, the younger under the El|ders, with a fit decorum, di&s;po&s;ed to heare, then one taketh the booke
<PB N="10" REF="7">and readeth, another of the be&s;t practi&s;ed cometh afterwards and recog|nizeth that which was lea&s;t under&s;tood; that is, expoundeth.</HI> So <HI>I&s;. Ca&s;aub.</HI>
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Exer: tertia, ad Appa: Annal. Baro. diat.</HI> 9.</NOTE> &s;peaking of the <HI>Scribes,</HI> &s;aith that <HI>legem populo legebant&mdash;ac &s;i opus e&s;&s;et, interpretabantur.</HI> i. e. they did read the law to the people, and if need were, expounded it.</P>
<P>So were the Fathers of Families, men not in office, to teach the law and expound it:
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Jew. Antiq. lib.</HI> 1. <HI>c.</HI> 6.</NOTE> From <HI>Godwin</HI> it appeares, that as the <HI>publike mini&s;teriall</HI> expo&s;ition of the law belonged to the Prie&s;ts and Pro|phets, &s;o a <HI>private Chatecheticall</HI> expo&s;ition of the law belonged to the Ma&s;ters of Families. <HI>Deut.</HI> 6. <HI>v.</HI> 6, 7. <HI>The&s;e words which I command thee this day, &s;hall be in thy heart, and thou &s;halt teach them diligently unto thy Children, and thou &s;halt talke of them, when thou &s;itte&s;t in thine hou&s;e, and when thou walke&s;t by the way, and when thou lye&s;t downe, and when thon ri&s;e&s;t up.</HI> Here we will note <HI>two things.</HI>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The <HI>duty,</HI> teach.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The <HI>per&s;ons</HI> to be taught, children.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P N="1">1. The duty, teach them diligently, or whet them; i. e. as <HI>Ain&s;|worth</HI> &s;aith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">in loc.</NOTE> <HI>often, earne&s;tly and diligently teach them, that they may pierce the hearts of thy Children to under&s;tand and affect them.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ain&s;w. in loc.</NOTE> The per&s;ons to be taught, thy children: <HI>the Hebrewes under|&s;tand not the naturall &s;ons only, but Schollers al&s;o or Di&s;ciples;</HI> the manner how the father &s;hould teach his Child, is &s;et downe in <HI>Exod.</HI> 12.26, 27. <HI>and it &s;hall come to pa&s;&s;e, when the Children &s;hall &s;ay unto them, what meane you by this &s;ervice, that ye &s;hall &s;ay it is the &s;acrifice of the Lords pa&s;&s;over, who pa&s;&s;ed over the hou&s;es of the Chil|dren of I&s;rael in Aegypt, when he &s;mote the Aegyptians, and delive|red our hou&s;es.</HI></P>
<P>The Jewes were to teach their Children,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">ib.</NOTE> not only the outward <HI>rite,</HI> but the <HI>meaning</HI> of it al&s;o, accordingly they hold, from <HI>Exod.</HI> 23. <HI>v.</HI> 14, 15. and <HI>Deut.</HI> 16. <HI>v.</HI> 14, 16. <HI>that every child that could hold his Father by the hand, and go up from Jeru&s;alem gates, to the mountaine of the Temple, his Father was bound to cau&s;e him to go up, and appeare before God with him, to the end he might catechi&s;e him in the commandements.</HI></P>
<P>If a child asked this que&s;tion, <HI>what meaneth this &s;ervice?</HI> 'Tis to be &s;uppo&s;ed, that the <HI>an&s;wer was to this purpo&s;e.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. Touching the name of it, tis called the <HI>Pa&s;&s;eover</HI> from an <HI>He|brew</HI> word &s;ignifying to pa&s;&s;e by, or pa&s;&s;e over &amp;c. as the Jews are
<PB N="11" REF="7">called <HI>Hebrews,</HI> from <HI>Eber,</HI> a word of the &s;ame &s;ignification, re|lating to the pa&s;&s;age of <HI>Abraham</HI> over <HI>Euphrates,</HI> as &s;ome thinke.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Selden de Lydis, Syris. prol. c.</HI> 2. B. <HI>Babington in loc. Gerrard. loc. com. Tom.</HI> 4. <HI>de &s;ac:</HI> c. 4.</NOTE> Becau&s;e <HI>Pharaoh</HI> had oppre&s;&s;ed I&s;rael, Gods fir&s;tborne, therefore God pa&s;&s;ed over the <HI>I&s;ralites,</HI> and &s;lew his fir&s;tborne.</P>
<P N="2">2. The outward element, the <HI>res terrena,</HI> was a Lamb; and why a Lamb? becau&s;e the Lamb doth excellently &s;et forth Chri&s;t our Pa&s;&s;eover, who is already &s;acrificed for us; the <HI>Pa&s;chall Lamb</HI> was <HI>perfectus, ma&s;culus, anniculus,</HI> a male of a year old, without ble|mi&s;h, which repre&s;ented Chri&s;t who was without &s;pot, dividing the &s;poile with the mighty, having power given him over all fle&s;h, having the keyes of Hell and Death, the keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven, &s;o that none can go downe to the chambers of death without his leave, or come off from the torments of Hell without his warrant, or enter in at the gates of glory without his favour.</P>
<P N="3">3. The action of the Sacrament.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Segregatio,</HI> the Lambe was to be &s;evered from the flock;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Taylor on Types</NOTE> &s;o was Chri&s;t &s;et apart by the Father for the worke of Redemp|tion, and will not you &s;et your &s;elfe apart for his &s;ervice?</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Mactatio,</HI> the Lamb was &s;laine; Chri&s;t died for the &s;ins of the world:</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>A&s;&s;atio,</HI> roa&s;ted with fire, Chri&s;t was pierced through, fa&s;t|ned to the Cro&s;&s;e, and did undergo the fire of his Fathers wrath, that &s;o he might become food for &s;inners.</P>
<P><HI>Manducatio,</HI> the Lamb was to be eaten; we mu&s;t <HI>eate Chri&s;ts fle&s;h and drinke Chri&s;ts blood, Ioh,</HI> 6.56.</P>
<P N="4">4. Communicants, not forreiners nor hired &s;ervants, but all men and women belonging to the Congregation of I&s;rael, and Profelites al&s;o, if they were circumci&s;ed.</P>
<P N="5">5. The end, <HI>ut e&s;&s;et memoriale praeteriti &amp; figura futuri,</HI> that we might keep in mind the deliverance that is pa&s;t, and that it might figure forth the greater deliverance by Chri&s;t, which was then to come.</P>
<P>To <HI>whet</HI> this doctrine upon the heart of his <HI>Hebrew</HI> child, he might tell him, that as the Lamb was to be eaten with <HI>&s;oure hearbs,</HI> &s;o &s;hould he thankfully remember the hard&s;hip of <HI>Aegypt,</HI> from which God had delivered him, as al&s;o to come before the Lord at this Fea&s;t in the bitterne&s;&s;e of his Soule for &s;in; when the leaven was to be ca&s;t out of the hou&s;e, &s;in was to be ca&s;t out of the &s;oule,
<PB N="12" REF="8">and then the offering would be accepted. Some &s;uch an&s;wer as this, they were to give by Gods law; and they did &s;o, &s;aith <HI>God|win:</HI> certainly here was <HI>verbi &amp; expo&s;itionis conjunctio,</HI> interpreta|tion of Scriptures;
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Godw. in Jew. Ant. l.</HI> 3. <HI>c.</HI> 4. <HI>Rivet. Com. in Exod.</HI> 13. <HI>v.</HI> 16.</NOTE> and yet the Father was bound to it, and it may be, if his <HI>poor neighbour</HI> had asked the like que&s;tion with his child, he might without &s;in, have given a like an&s;wer. But before I pa&s;&s;e to another argument, I will lay downe the Iudgement of &s;ome men, concerning the duty of a Father, becau&s;e I meet with many, that will not allow the Father to interpret the Scriptures to his Child. In <HI>Hilder&s;ham</HI> I find thus, <HI>no Mini&s;ter is more &s;traightly charged of God,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>On P&s;.</HI> 51 <HI>lect.</HI> 58. <HI>Com. on Phil. ver&s;.</HI> 2.</NOTE> <HI>to teach and Catechi&s;e his flock, then you (Parents) to in&s;truct your children. In Dyke</HI> that <HI>there are two &s;peciall duties of the Pa&s;tor re&s;pecting Gods &s;ervice, preaching, and praying; in both the&s;e in &s;ome mea&s;ure &s;hould the governers of the Family be like the Pa&s;tors of the Church.</HI>
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Atter&s;ol. on Phil. v.</HI> 1.2.</NOTE> <HI>They are al&s;o greatly deceived, who take them|&s;elves to be di&s;charged of their duty, when they have taught them</HI> (their Children) <HI>the ten commandements, the Lords prayer, and the Creed, or the Articles of faith, becau&s;e they &s;ay they have done what they can, and are able to performe no more. If they can do no more, it is a &s;hame for them that they will be Fathers, before they can do that which is the duty of Fathers; it is one thing to teach them to &s;ay them, an other to under&s;tand them: it is not enough for us to help them to &s;peake the words, unle&s;&s;e we labour to make them conceive the meaning of the words. The commandements of the law, and the petitions of the Lords prayer, &s;tand not in the bare words, but in the true meaning: let them know there|fore, that they mu&s;t render a greater account, then of teaching them to utter and pronounce the words; they mu&s;t cau&s;e them to under&s;tand them, they mu&s;t &s;ow the &s;eeds of Chri&s;tian Religion in their hearts, they mu&s;t in&s;truct them with all diligence, they mu&s;t exhort them with all earne&s;tne&s;&s;e,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Synag. Judai. c.</HI> 3. <HI>qui&s;quis autem ante tem|pus tredecim an|norum illorum peccaverit ejus poena patrem ma|net.</HI></NOTE> <HI>they mu&s;t charge them to feare God, and to walke in his wayes; that &s;o their children may be made Gods children, and &s;o give them to him againe, of whom, by who&s;e ble&s;&s;ings at the fir&s;t they recei|ved them.</HI></P>
<P>All this I &s;uppo&s;e amounts to that, which <HI>Buxtorphius</HI> relates from the Jewes; that they looked upon the &s;ins of their Children as their owne, till their children came to thirteen yeares of age. And if &s;o, lets not envy parents the be&s;t advantage they can make of Gods word, by interpreting it unto, and whetting it upon them.
<PB N="13" REF="8"><HI>And it being all one whether the&s;e duties be performed in one Family, or a collection of more,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Duty of Pa&s;tors and People. p.</HI> 52.</NOTE> <HI>as</HI> Dr. Owen <HI>ob&s;erves.</HI> I will go on to ano|ther argument.</P>
<P>Fourthly, it may be con&s;idered what the Scripture &s;aith con|cerning private Chri&s;tians <HI>edifying</HI> one another. 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5.11. <HI>e|difie one another,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, the &s;ame word made u&s;e of when Mi|ni&s;ters are commanded to edifie. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.10. <HI>Eph.</HI> 4.12.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Quid nominis,</HI> the word &s;ignifies to build, and the Metaphor is taken from Carpenters and builders, who by degrees carry on and rai&s;e up their worke, untill they have brought it to &s;ome per|fection; this Metaphor the holy Gho&s;t &s;eems much delighted with; tis applied to the Saints, who are the Temple and hou&s;e of God, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 4.17. in which he dwelleth by his Spirit, the whole company of the elect, are compared to a great city, the new Jeru|&s;alem built up of believers, as living &s;tones upon Chri&s;t as the cor|ner &s;tone.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Quid rei,</HI> to edifie or build up one another, is to further and help forward one another by all holy meanes in grace and good|ne&s;&s;e, to exhort, comfort, and reprove one another dayly, <HI>Heb.</HI> 3.13. to provoke each other to love and good works, to warne them that are unruly, to <HI>rebuke our neighbour, and not &s;uffer &s;in up|pon him. Levit.</HI> 19.17.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ani&s;w. in loc. Job.</HI> 13.3. <HI>&amp;</HI> 32.12. <HI>I&s;.</HI> 11.4.</NOTE> The Originall &s;ignifies to rebuke with conviction, or argument, by word, to &s;hew what is right, and to refell the contrary, and tis rendred &s;ometimes to rea&s;on, &s;ome|times to convince, and to reprove: if we do it not, we &s;hall be ly|able to the puni&s;hment of other mens &s;in. <HI>Quare &s;i quis ferat peccatum in altere, jam contraxit peccatum ip&s;e.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Dr. Rainolds Cen&s;. lib. Apoc. Tom.</HI> 2. <HI>prae.</HI> 138</NOTE> To edifie is to make a gratious u&s;e of the <GAP DESC="foreign"> or <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>verba viva, &amp; vivificantia,</HI> the lively Oracles, or life giving Oracles, the Scrip|tures, for all tho&s;e holy ends and purpo&s;es of exhortation, com|fort, admonition &amp;c. The Carpenter can doe nothing without his rule and &s;quare, the Chri&s;tian can doe nothing in this building without Gods word, which is the <HI>rule, Gal.</HI> 6.16. &amp; as builders of a hou&s;e do mutually help on another, till they have fini&s;hed, &s;o eve|ry private Chri&s;tian &s;hould be ready to &s;erve his brother in love, till the Temple be compleated. I will here lay downe one in&s;tance.</P>
<P>Put the ca&s;e many poor Chri&s;tians meeting together a little before Ea&s;ter, fall to di&s;cour&s;e, that Ea&s;ter day is a great day, <GAP DESC="foreign">,
<PB N="14" REF="9"><GAP DESC="foreign">, a good time, they have laid by their offering mony, and if they can gaine their new clothes, they purpo&s;e to receive in the morning, and meet with the young men of the next Pari&s;h, you know where in the afternoone. Whereupon one more &s;erious then the re&s;t, askes them with teares, whether they under&s;tand the nature of the Sacrament, the meaning of that mor&s;el of bread and &s;ip of wine; he finds them all ignorant, not di&s;cerning the Lords body, tells them of the great danger of going to the Mar|riage fea&s;t, without the wedding garment, they would eate and drinke judgment to them&s;elves. At this &s;ome &s;teale away, but o|thers de&s;ire him to go on, tis agreed among them to retire unto the next private hou&s;e for conveniency; and the rather becau&s;e in many places all acts of Religion are &s;corned, but what are per|formed as it were in the <HI>market place and in the corners of the &s;treets.</HI> Well, the hone&s;t hearted Chri&s;tian begins with that of the Apo|&s;tle. <HI>The Lord Je&s;us the &s;ame night in which he was betrayed, tooke bread,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11. <HI>v.</HI> 23-25.</NOTE> <HI>and when he had given thanks, he brake it and &s;aid, take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you, this do in remembrance of me: after the &s;ame manner al&s;o he tooke the cup, when he had &s;upped, &s;ay|ing, this cup is the new Te&s;tament in my blood, this do ye as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me.</HI> Wherein he bids them marke</P>
<P N="1">1. Who is the Author, Je&s;us Chri&s;t, his table you go to, look to your &s;elves: <HI>Adam</HI> lo&s;t all by eating of the tree of Knowledge, you may do &s;o too by eating of that bread of life.</P>
<P N="2">2. The time, the night wherein he was betrayed, the&s;e are the words of a dying man, which &s;hould be remembred, he hath a Legacy to be&s;tow,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dr. Reynolds med. on Sacram.</NOTE> worthy to be accepted, he is now, even now giving his body, not to the du&s;t, but to penitent &s;inners. O the deare love and the care of Je&s;us towards the children of men! though the time was now drawing nigh that he mu&s;t drinke up the cup of his fathers wrath, and having &s;weat out &s;ome of his blood in the garden, was to loo&s;e the re&s;t upon the Cro&s;&s;e: yet all this could not &s;top the cour&s;e of his affections, nor &s;hut up the bowells of his mercy, nor divert his thoughts from our Salvation to his owne &s;uffering, but <HI>comedentibus illis,</HI> even while he was eating his la&s;t bit, in the very night that he was betrayed, he takes care to give to his Di&s;ciples, this <GAP DESC="foreign">, this potion of im|mortality and bread of eternall life.</P>
<P N="3">3. The matter of the Lords &s;upper, bread and wine, the invi|&s;ible
<PB N="15" REF="9">matter is the body and blood of Chri&s;t. Indeed the table of Chri&s;t hath no outward pomp and beauty; this Sacrament is the picture of him who was a man of &s;orrows, and drawne in the day, when Gods fierce wrath was upon him: but what then, will you de&s;pi&s;e it? God forbid. Chri&s;t can feed thou&s;a~ds with a few loaves. While we have bread we feele no famine, where there is Chri&s;t, there is no want: he is our bread and wine, we may live with him; if we live to him, we cannot live without him. <HI>Vita panis, vita Chri&s;tus.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. The actions of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Accepit panem,</HI> he tooke bread, &s;o he tooke upon him our nature, the &s;eed of Abraham, and became <HI>Emanuell,</HI> God with us: this is the great my&s;tery of Godline&s;&s;e, God manife&s;ted in the fle&s;h. <HI>Deus &amp; homo, mater &amp; virgo:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.16.</NOTE></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>He gave thankes,</HI> or as tis expre&s;&s;ed in another place, <HI>he ble&s;|&s;ed;</HI> this was Chri&s;ts &s;etting apart the bread and wine from com|mon u&s;e, to a holy and &s;olemne u&s;e: he gave thanks, and yet lit|tle comfort he had from the world in his life, and le&s;&s;e he was to have in his approaching death; yet he gives thanks. Chri&s;t had his delights from everla&s;ting with the Sons of men, (i. e.) in contri|ving the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of their &s;alvation in laying the plot and de&s;igne of it, and when he came &s;omewhat neer the <HI>con&s;ummatum e&s;t,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Prov.</HI> 8.31.</NOTE> the accompli&s;hment of it, he told his Di&s;ciples, <HI>de&s;iderio de&s;ideravi.</HI> I have a huge, great, and earne&s;t de&s;ire to eate with you: and there|fore in the very night wherein he was betrayed, he takes the bread, and gives thanks to God the Father, for the lea&s;ure and oppor|tunity of celebrating his la&s;t &s;upper, for the redemption of the world; de&s;iring with all that the bread and wine might nouri&s;h up the &s;oules of his Di&s;ciples to eternall life.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>He brake the bread</HI> and poured forth the wine; &s;o was his body broken, and his blood poured forth for our tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>Take,</HI> Chri&s;t gives the bread and wine; God &s;o loved the world, as to give his Son, and &s;o loved the world as to give him|&s;elfe: Chri&s;t is the greate&s;t gift, of deare&s;t love; as he then gives him&s;elfe to thee, &s;o do thou give thy &s;elfe to him.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>Eate and drinke:</HI> but what is it, O Je&s;us! that they mu&s;t eate and drinke? That body of which thou &s;aid&s;t to <HI>Mary,</HI> touch me not, for I am not yet a&s;cended: mu&s;t not &s;he touch thee, &amp; mu&s;t we feed upon thee? This <HI>accipe &amp; comede,</HI> take, eat, notes not
<PB N="16" REF="10">a carnall feeding upon his fle&s;h now in glory, but a &s;pirituall fee|ding of the Soule upon Chri&s;t under the <HI>&s;pecies</HI> of bread &amp; wine.</P>
<P N="6">6. The
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Joh. Deni&s;on his &s;acram. Ban|quet. p.</HI> 135.</NOTE> verball action as one calls it, <HI>this is my body,</HI> which was broken for you. O happy &s;oule! as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> found God in the bu&s;h, &s;o thou may&s;t find him in the bread.</P>
<P N="5">5. The end of it, <HI>this do in remembrance of me,</HI> behold this Cru|cifix: as the Ma&s;ter of the fea&s;t &s;aid, friend, how came&s;t thou hi|ther? &s;o will Chri&s;t &s;ay one day to every communicant, friend wherefore came&s;t thou in hither? then happy &s;hall that man be, that can &s;ay, Lord, I came to remember thy death, that &s;o my faith may be &s;trengthned, my &s;in mortified, and my pardon &s;ealed. And having gone thus farr, he exhorts them to examine and judge them&s;elves here, that they may not be condemned by the Lord; de&s;iring them but to con&s;ider, whether it be not meet to clean&s;e the roome where the Lord mu&s;t lie, to come with broken and bleeding hearts, to receive a broken and bleeding Je&s;us, and to pray that that blood of Chri&s;t which was once poured forth for them, may now be poured forth upon them, that as Chri&s;t died for &s;in, they may dy to &s;in, and never re|turne to folly more. Having &s;aid thus, the whole company gives him hearty thanks, intreating him as oft as he can to meet with them and in&s;truct them, he promi&s;eth, &s;eeing they &s;o plea&s;e, week|ly at the &s;ame place and time, to come to them, bringing with him &s;ome godly able Chri&s;tians, who in their cour&s;e &s;hall &s;hare with him in the worke; and it may be, they will prevaile with their Mi|ni&s;ter to come and over&s;ee them and encourage them. Now tell me Reader is not this edifying? is not this interpreting? is not this exhorting and in&s;tructing, teaching and admoni&s;hing? cannot &s;ome private Chri&s;tians do thus? may not &s;ome private Chri&s;tians do thus? Hath this private man intruded into the Mini&s;ters office or no? hath he leaped over the bounds which Chri&s;t &s;aid he &s;hould not pa&s;&s;e?
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Math.</HI> 26. <HI>v.</HI> 8.10.</NOTE> I hope thou wilt &s;ay he &s;hould not be troubled, <HI>he hath wrought a good worke,</HI> and not &s;ay as they did; <HI>ad quid perditio haec?</HI> why was he prodigall of his grace? But becau&s;e all men are not of one mind, I will lay downe the thoughts of &s;ome others in their owne words, and leave the world to judge. <HI>Metuebant enim ma|lum, &s;i contra publicam per&s;ua&s;ionem faterentur quod erat verum. Lactant.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Frat. Correp. p.</HI> 5.</NOTE> <HI>In&s;tit. l.</HI> 1. <HI>c.</HI> 19.</P>
<P><HI>Dr. Hammond, Charitative fraternall correption, is not any mans
<PB N="17" REF="10">peculiar province, or enclo&s;ure, but the engagement and duty of every Brother, or common Chri&s;tian;</HI> this is one &s;tep to the worke, the other Te&s;timonies will be full.</P>
<P><HI>Dr. Sclater,</HI> &s;peaking of edifying, <HI>it is true,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Expo&s;ition on</HI> 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5.11.</NOTE> <HI>that in the manner of performing, &s;omething there is in all the&s;e, peculiar to Mini&s;ters. Thus conceive this mutuall edification to differ from that we call mini&s;teriall. Fir&s;t the one is with Authority, the other out of &s;ociall charity. Second|ly to do the&s;e things in the congregation is &s;o peculiar to the Mini&s;try, that he is guilty of u&s;urping the honour of Aaron that intrudes upon it; yet in the Family and private conver&s;ation the duties belong to all.</HI></P>
<P>Pre&s;ently after he comes with a que&s;tion, which &s;ome would make, and then an&s;wers it.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>For&s;ooth every man &s;hall beare his owne burthen, and whereto &s;erve our Mini&s;ters?</HI></P>
<P>R. <HI>God hath laid this charge upon every mans Con&s;cience,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ezek.</HI> 18.30.</NOTE> <HI>to ad|moni&s;h and exhort: the precept is not only to turne, but to cau&s;e others to turne, and the &s;ins of others which thou art bound to hinder, by not hindring become thine. The duties in publike concerne the Mini&s;ters; but is it for nought that you are called a kingdome of Prie&s;ts?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rev.</HI> 1.6. 1 <HI>Iohn</HI> 2.20. <HI>Loc. com. of ad|monition.</HI></NOTE> <HI>and have all received an oyntment from the Father?</HI> To this which the Dr. hath &s;aid, I will add out of <HI>Trap,</HI> that <HI>this oyntment mu&s;t &s;mell all Gods hou&s;e over.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Rutherford</HI> drawes up <HI>Robin&s;ons</HI> argument thus.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Due right of Pre&s;byt. p.</HI> 33.</NOTE> <HI>Tho&s;e who are to watch, to knit together the Saints, to edifie them, have received the keyes and are governers, and Officers, but all the faithfull are to watch, to knit together the Saints.</HI> Ergo. <HI>Fir&s;t the Major is fal&s;e, for if becau&s;e the Saints may edifie, they &s;hall have joynt power and u&s;e of the Keyes with the officers, they may admini&s;trate the Sacraments. Now becau&s;e they may in a Chri&s;tian way do &s;ome acts of edifying, it followeth not, that therefore they may do the&s;e acts by power of the keyes, and with an Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall and Church power, they may do the &s;ame duty,</HI> ergo, <HI>with the &s;ame power. A Scholler may teach his School fellow the &s;ame le&s;&s;on, that his Ma&s;ter doth teach him,</HI> ergo, <HI>he may do it by the &s;ame magi&s;teriall authority: a wife may cure a di&s;ea&s;e,</HI> ergo, <HI>&s;he may by the &s;ame authority that a Dr. of Phy&s;ick, approved by the in|corporation of Phy&s;itians, cure a di&s;ea&s;e, it followeth not.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Dr. Field. An authenticall interpretation, which is not only true,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Of the Church l.</HI> 4. <HI>c.</HI> 16.</NOTE> <HI>but &s;o clearly and in &s;uch &s;ort, that every one is bound, to imbrace and receive it: as before we made</HI> 3 <HI>kinds of judgment, one of di&s;cretion, com|mon
<PB N="18" REF="11">to all; the other of direction, common to the Pa&s;tors of the Church; and a third of Jurisdiction, proper to them that have &s;upreme power in the Church: &s;o likewi&s;e we make three kinds of interpretation, the fir&s;t private; and &s;o every one may interpret the Scriptures,</HI> (i.e.) <HI>private|ly with him&s;elfe, conceive or deliver to other what he thinketh the mea|ning of it to be. The &s;econd of publike direction, and &s;o the Pa&s;tors of the Church &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Mr.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Comment. on Ephe&s;. c.</HI> 4.16.</NOTE> <HI>Bayne. How this</HI> (&s;peaking of edifying) <HI>can be a duty be|longing to private Chri&s;tians, &s;eeing they are the building, the Mini|&s;ters of the word are the builders.</HI> Pre&s;ently after he an&s;wers thus.</P>
<P><HI>We mu&s;t know, fir&s;t, that God doth build this body: on this rock I build this Church. Secondly, the Mini&s;ters of God: I as a Mr. buil|der have laid the foundation, and others build thereupon. Thirdly, eve|ry private Chri&s;tian hath a part in it. The difference is this, God doth put out all the efficacy and vertue that doth create this body, the Mini|&s;ters are in&s;truments publike, whom he hath joined to him&s;elfe by ver|tue of publike callings, how &s;hall they preach except they be &s;ent? Eve|ry private Chri&s;tian is an in&s;trument privately doing that which the Mini&s;ter doth in publike, by vertue of the bond of brotherhood, or &s;ome more near relation.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Mr. Baxter</HI> &s;peaking of the A&s;&s;emblies larger Catechi&s;me;</P>
<P><HI>Where it is &s;aid the word of God is to be preached only by &s;uch as are &s;ufficiently gifted,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Confe&s;&s;ion of his faith. p.</HI> 19.</NOTE> <HI>and al&s;o duly approved and called to that office; I under&s;ta~d it only of that &s;ort of preaching which is proper to Mini&s;ters, beleiving that there is al&s;o a Preaching, that a Ma&s;ter may u&s;e in his Familie, and other Chri&s;tians occa&s;ionally: and herein I doubt not, but I hit their &s;en&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>And if &s;o, then here are Authorities, and good Authorities in great abundance.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CAP. 3. <HI>Containing an An&s;wer to all the Objections, which are u&s;ually made a|gain&s;t private mens interpretings.</HI></HEAD>
<P>I come now to the objections, which are made again&s;t private mens interpretings.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Religion of Prote&s;t. preface to the Reader.</NOTE> Some of them have been a thou&s;and times an&s;wered already; as <HI>Chillingsworth</HI> &s;aith of tho&s;e which <HI>Dr. Pot|ter</HI> made and an&s;wered, yet they mu&s;t be &s;poken to againe.</P>
<P>Ob. 1. The&s;e private men have not the languages, how then can they interpret.</P>
<PB N="19" REF="11">
<P> R. To this I borrow an an&s;wer from <HI>Dr. Taylor.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Dr. Jer. Taylor. lib. pro. Sec.</HI> 4. <HI>num.</HI> 5.</NOTE> <HI>Con&s;ulting the Originall, is thought a great matter to interpretation of Scriptures: but this is to &s;mall purpo&s;e, for indeed it will expound the Hebrew, and the Greeke, and rectifie tran&s;lations; but I know no man that &s;aies, that the Scriptures in Hebrew and Greeke, are ea&s;ie and certain to be under&s;tood, and that they are hard in Latine and Engli&s;h: the difficul|tie is in the thing, however it be expre&s;&s;ed, the lea&s;t is in the language.</HI></P>
<P>Obj. 2. Private mens interpretings, leads them into errors; the Scriptures being too darke and ob&s;cure for them.</P>
<P>R. Upon this &s;core indeed the Prophe&s;ies of the <HI>Sibills</HI> were locked up from the <GAP DESC="foreign">, the people.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;. Cau&s;ab. ib.</NOTE> <HI>Cau&s;a hujus occultationis fuit, ne privati homines, &amp; factio&s;i, auctoritate Sibillarum freti, aut in patriis ceremoniis, aut in public&acirc; re aliquid novarent.</HI> And for the &s;ame rea&s;on, the Papi&s;ts to this day wrapp the Scriptures up in an unknown tongue. And here I will call to mind the An&s;wers which were once thought to be &s;ound again&s;t the Papi&s;ts.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>The way to the true Church &s;ect.</HI> 6. <HI>num.</HI> 11.</NOTE></P>
<P>Dr. White. <HI>It is a common reproach laid upon our people, that they read the Scriptures in their hou&s;es, and the tran&s;lations thereof be no|thing el&s;e but profanations of the Bible; and this gracele&s;&s;e conceit, like bla&s;phemous Athei&s;ts, they urge as rudelie, exclaiming withall, that this is a principall cau&s;e to increa&s;e here&s;ies and &s;uch like: all which being compared with the practi&s;e of the Primitive and Apo&s;tolicall Church, you may freely judge how trulie the Je&s;uit &s;aith afterward, his Romane Church never altered one point of Religion; for thus wri|teth Theodoret of his times. You &s;hall every where &s;ee the&s;e points of our faith, to be knowne and under&s;tood, not onlie by &s;uch as are teachers in the Church, but even of Coblers, and Smiths, and Web&s;ters, and all kind of Artificers, yea all our women, not only they which are book learned, but they al&s;o which get their living by their needle, yea maid&s;erva~ts and waiting womes, &amp; not citizens only, but bu&s;bandmen of the Country are very &s;kilfull in the&s;e things, yea you may heare a|mong&s;t us Ditchers and Neatheards and Wood&s;etters di&s;cour&s;ing of the Trinity and the Creation: the like is reported by others, and what marvaile? for the Laity was accu&s;tomed to the text of the Bible as well as the learned, young Children and women as well as others; and &amp; his doctrine that was Pre&s;ide~t in the Trent Co~&s;piracy, that a di&s;taffe was fitter for women then a Bible was not yet hatched. Nectarius of a Judge, was made Bi&s;hop of Con&s;tantinople, and Ambro&s;e of a Deputy, Bi&s;hop of Millan, Gregory the Father of Nazianzen and Thalae&s;&s;i|us
<PB N="20" REF="12">Bi&s;hop of Cae&s;area, of Laymen were made Bi&s;hops; which &s;hews how diligent Laymen were in the word of God, that they could be able to &s;u&s;taine the office of a Bi&s;hop. Origen from his Childhood was taught the Scriptures, and gat them without booke, and que&s;tioned with his father Leonides an holy Martyr, who rejoiced in it, about the difficult &s;en&s;es thereof. So Macrina, Ba&s;ils nur&s;e, taught him the Scriptures of a Child, after the example of Timothy: and Eme&s;enus from his Infan|cy was u&s;ed to the word of God: manie Laymen among whom was the fa|mous Paphnutius, being very learned, came to the Nicene Councell. Gorgonia the Si&s;ter of Nazianzen was well learned. Hierome writes of Paula a Gentlewoman, how &s;he &s;et her maids to learne the Scrip|tures, and many of his writings are directed to women, commending their labour in the Scriptures, and encouraging them thereto, as to Paula, Eu&s;tochium, Salvina, Celantia &amp;c. which he would not have done, if he had been a Papi&s;t. It was the reproach that Julian the A|po&s;tate laied upon the Chri&s;tians, that their women were medlers with the Scriptures; and from him the Papi&s;ts have borrowed it: but the Apo&s;tles coun&s;ell is rather to be followed, let the word of God dwell in you plentifully, in all wi&s;dome teaching and admoni&s;hing your &s;elves; upon which place &s;aith Hierome; hence we &s;ee that Laymen mu&s;t have the knowledge of the Scriptures, and teach one another not only &s;uffici|ently but al&s;o abundantly.</HI></P>
<P>Dr.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Preface to the N. Te&s;tament again&s;t the Rhem.</NOTE> Fulke. <HI>With reverence of Gods my&s;teries, and to that end they were given, every man might not only without reprehen&s;ion, but with good liking and commendation of the godly Fathers: read, rea&s;on, di&s;|pute and &s;earch, which is to turne and to&s;&s;e the bookes of the Scriptures.</HI></P>
<P>Bi&s;hop Davenant.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>In Col</HI> 3.16.</NOTE> <HI>Si hoc genus argumenti valeret, Deus, Chri&s;tus, &amp; Apo&s;toli pecc&acirc;runt, qui promulgari voluerunt verbum Dei promi&s;|cu&egrave; omnibus; non ob&s;tante hoc, quod multi eodem abutebantur ad &s;uam perniciem.</HI> 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.16. <HI>Praeterea, e&s;&s;et hanc ob cau&s;am Clericis aequ&egrave; ac Laicis neganda lectio Scripturarum; nam &amp; illi &s;aepenumero~ pe&s;&s;i|m&egrave; abutuntur Scripturis. Quis enim ne&s;cit, omnes fer&egrave; haere&s;es ab Epi&s;copis, Presbyteris aut Monachis fluxi&s;&s;e, non &agrave; Laicis &amp; Sae|cularibus. Te&s;timonia fer&egrave; tot habemus, quot haereticorum nomina.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Many private men of good heads and hone&s;t hearts, by their paines and indu&s;try, though unlearned, attaine to great knowledge in the Scriptures; in&s;omuch that wicked men are hardly able to with&s;tand the power, by which they &s;peake, but that their con&s;ci|ences are relieved with the common report, that &s;uch a man is
<PB N="21" REF="12">a Tub-preacher, and it matters not what he &s;aith. I de&s;ire the Reader,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Di&s;cour&s;e concerning the gift of prayer. p.</HI> 26.</NOTE> who ever he be, to con&s;ider of what <HI>Dr. Wilkins</HI> hath concerning prayer, and then let him tell me whether much of it might not be &s;aid concerning interpreting.</P>
<P><HI>Tho&s;e things that we learne for practi&s;e, we learne by practi&s;e, &s;aith the Philo&s;opher; and that is one rea&s;on why many ignorant men do &s;ometimes in this gift excell tho&s;e that are much more eminent for Learning and Kno|ledge; becau&s;e though the&s;e do better under&s;tand the rules and theory, yet the other do practi&s;e more, and by that meanes attaine to a greater readi|ne&s;&s;e and facility in this gift; and this likewi&s;e is the rea&s;on, why in the&s;e latter times, divers men have attained to a greater preheminence this way, then was u&s;uall heretofore, becau&s;e formerly this kind of &s;tudy and indea|vour was le&s;&s;e in u&s;e. Men did generally confine them&s;elves to particular formes, &amp; did not make it their bu&s;ine&s;&s;e to improve in this ability. Againe;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>p.</HI> 12.</NOTE> <HI>And if it be a fault not to &s;trive and labour after this gift, much more is it to jeer &amp; de&s;pi&s;e it, by the name of</HI> ex tempore <HI>prayer, and praying by the &s;pirit; which expre&s;&s;ions, as they are frequently u&s;ed by &s;ome men by way of reproach, are for the mo&s;t part a &s;igne of a prophane heart, and &s;uch as are altogether &s;trangers from the power and comfort of this duty.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. What if &s;ome of tho&s;e private Chri&s;tians cannot deliver their minds &s;o readily and gracefully as might be wi&s;hed? &s;hall all of them be de&s;pi&s;ed? and may not tho&s;e weaklings, in time grow up to &s;ome perfection?
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Curia praetexto quae nunc ni et alta &s;enatu, Pellitos habuit ru&s;tica cor|da patres. Lactant. In&s;tit. l.</HI> 2. <HI>c.</HI> 7.</NOTE> are we &s;ure that God who knoweth the mind of the &s;pirit, may not owne their labour of love and their freewill offering? <HI>Pliny. Animadverto etiam Deos ip&s;os non tam accuratis adorantium precibus, quam innocenti&acirc; &amp; &s;anctitate laetari, gratiorem&abque; exi&s;timari, qui delu|bris eorum puram ca&s;t&aacute;m&abque; mentem, quam qui meditatum carmen intulerit.</HI> The Engli&s;h of it I find in Mr. Baxter. <HI>This is the unhappy ca&s;e of many men of learning, and good parts, they are &s;o &s;en&s;ible of the evill of the exor|bitancy of the times, that they overlooke and regard not the evill of their owne heartle&s;&s;e and unfaithfull admini&s;tration.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Panegyr. Trajan.</NOTE> <HI>If they heare a private man u&s;e &s;ome unfit expre&s;&s;ions in prayer, it extreamly offendeth them, but if they totally omit it, they are not much offended at it:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Preface to Confe&s;&s;ion of faith.</NOTE> <HI>they forget that God will beare more with many &s;lips of the tongue, and unhand&s;ome words, then with the neglect of his wor&s;hip, or a heartle&s;&s;e performance of it, and that their well dre&s;&s;ed forms if livele&s;&s;e, are &s;tinking carca&s;&s;es, and u&s;ele&s;&s;e pi|ctures, when a broken heart with broken expre&s;&s;ions, may go away with the ble&s;&s;ing: and therefore they are commonly again&s;t private mens praying to|gether, e&s;pecially before many, and as the Papi&s;ts would drive them from
<PB N="22" REF="13">the Scripture, for feare of abu&s;ing it, &s;o would they drive them from &s;uch prayer, lea&s;t they &s;hould hap to u&s;e &s;ome unhand&s;ome words.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. What if the&s;e men &s;hould not give the proper meaning of tho&s;e texts they pretend to interpret? their di&s;cour&s;e may be ju&s;tifiable from other places of Gods word, and very edifying notwith&s;tanding. I do not looke upon &s;uch a mi&s;interpretation, as fal&s;e doctrine, no more then I take that to be fal&s;e Latine, when one pointing with his finger to the earth, cryed out, <HI>O Coelum!</HI></P>
<P><HI>Dr. White. Though the proper interpretation be &s;ome time mi&s;taken, yet the truth is not alwaies thereby ob&s;cured:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ib. p.</HI> 20.</NOTE> <HI>for heare what Au&s;tin &s;aith, he errs not perniciou&s;ly, neither doth he altogether &s;ay untruly, who &s;ome|time expoundeth otherwi&s;e then the text meaneth, if &s;o his expo&s;ition fur|ther charity, the end of the commandement. He is indeed deceived, but yet &s;o, as when a man loo&s;ing his way through a by-field, cometh whither the way leadeth: his meaning is, that in many ca&s;es wrong expo&s;itions hinder not the determinate and plaine judgment of the text.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. Was there never any good done by the&s;e private men? did Chri&s;t never &s;hew him&s;elfe pre&s;ent with them? <HI>Era&s;mus</HI> thought the ble&s;&s;ing of God would attend the indeavoures of &s;incere private Chri&s;tians. <HI>Ego ver&ograve; puto vel nautis e&s;&s;e fas &amp;c.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Relig. Con|viv.</NOTE> <HI>forta&s;&s;e &amp; Chri&s;tus qui pollicitus erat &s;e&s;e adfuturum, ubicun&abque; duo convenirent, de ip&s;o tractantes, a&s;pira|bit nobis tam multis.</HI></P>
<P>Mu&s;t we &s;light the great things God wrought by <HI>Aede&s;ius</HI> and <HI>Fru|mentius</HI> among the <HI>Indians,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Socrates Eccle&s; hi&s;t. l.</HI> 1. <HI>c.</HI> 15. <HI>Hi&s;t. Eccl. l.</HI> 1. <HI>c.</HI> 10.</NOTE> that we may <GAP DESC="foreign">, &s;erve an Intere&s;t? or pa&s;&s;e by unthankfully that which is reported by <HI>Ruffinus</HI> of the captive woman, that converted the <HI>Iberians?</HI></P>
<P>Doe we not find in <HI>Theodoret,</HI> that a Prie&s;ts Son was gained by a godly woman,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Eccle&s;. hi&s;t. l.</HI> 3. <HI>c.</HI> 14.</NOTE> and that the Son did afterward turne his Father from Idolatry, when <HI>Julian</HI> was dead?</P>
<P>Were not women appointed by a Councell to fit the more ignorant of their owne &s;ex for Bapti&s;me,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Caranza. Con Carth.</HI> 4. <HI>can.</HI> 12.</NOTE> and to teach them how they &s;hould live afterwards?</P>
<P>Did not the Bi&s;hop of <HI>Cae&s;area</HI> &amp; <HI>Hieru&s;alem</HI> ju&s;tifie the preaching of <HI>Origen</HI> before his ordination by good authorities,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Eu&s;eb. Ee|cle&s;. hi&s;t.</HI> 6. <HI>c.</HI> 19.</NOTE> when they urged &s;everall examples of godly Brethren, who were exhorted by learned men, and holy Bi&s;hops to preach, adding withall that twas no unu&s;u|all cu&s;tome in other parts? or &s;hall we &s;ay that the&s;e godly Brethren did not good but rather hurt? Much might be &s;aid of this nature from the <HI>Walden&s;es,</HI> &amp; <HI>Albigen&s;es,</HI> of our own times. But I will pa&s;&s;e to another
<PB N="23" REF="13">objection, de&s;iring tho&s;e whom it concerns, to deliberate, whether or no the mi&s;carriages of private meetings might not be prevented, if that time were &s;pent in over&s;eeing them, which is &s;pent in railing again&s;t them.</P>
<P>Ob. 3. Taken from the Scriptures, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.20. <HI>no Prophe&s;ie of the Scrip|ture is of any private interpretation.</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12.30. <HI>do all interpret?</HI></P>
<P>R. 1. To that in the 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.20. it &s;hall be an&s;wered by opening the text: in which 3 things may be con&s;idered.</P>
<P N="1">1. What is meant by interpretation.</P>
<P>R. The word in the Originall comes from <GAP DESC="foreign">,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cameron myro. Evan. in loc.</NOTE> which &s;ignifies as it is u&s;ed by the Septuagint, <HI>ab&s;condita &amp; occulta interpretari.</HI> To in|terpret what was crypticall and darke, the under&s;tanding whereof a man attaineth not unto, no more then <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> could to the &s;en&s;e of the dreames, without &s;peciall and extraordinary light from God. Hence the Prophets, by whom God gave the Scriptures, are &s;aid to be <HI>inter|pretes divinae voluntatis,</HI> to be interpreters of Gods will, making tho&s;e things manife&s;t, which were occult before; and hence al&s;o the&s;e Pro|phets are called by the <HI>Ancients</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, (i.e.) men acted,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Hein&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1+ letters"> in v.</HI> 21.</NOTE> carried out of them&s;elves, to &s;ay and do what God would have them; &s;o that their interpretation of Gods will, was an <GAP DESC="foreign">, a revelation, an in&s;piration; <HI>Prophetarum oracula non e&s;&s;e bumana commenta, &s;ed divina mandata.</HI> (i.e.) The Prophets writings of the old Te&s;tament, were not the <HI>figmenta,</HI> the inventions of their owne heads, but the commands of God.</P>
<P N="2">2. What by <HI>private?</HI></P>
<P>R. <HI>Private,</HI> 1. is not here oppo&s;ed to the interpretation of the Church, which the Papi&s;ts talke of. Nor 2. to the interpretation of men that are ordained and in office. But 3. by private interpretation is meant that which is humane and from man, in oppo&s;ition to that which is from God. So that here is nothing at all directly &s;poken concerning the interpretation of the Scriptures, when men <HI>heare them or read them:</HI> and for ought I know, the interpretation of the mo&s;t learned Dr. when tis erroneous; may be called a private interpretation; when the inter|pretation of the meane&s;t private Chri&s;tian being &s;ound and whol&s;ome, mu&s;t be call'd by a better name. In one word, by private interpretati|on is meant humane interpretation: the Scripture is not from man, but from God. I might give many authorities of learned men for this expo&s;ition which I have made, cheifly out of <HI>Cameron;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Annot. ma. in loc.</NOTE> but I will &s;ati&s;|fy my &s;elfe with <HI>Beza, nec enim propriam interpretationem, opponunt
<PB N="24" REF="14">communi, &s;cil. publicae, &s;ed adventitium Spirit&ucirc;s &s;ancti donum, ei &s;olertiae, vel illi ingenii vigori, qui &s;it &agrave; natura hominibus quantumvis inge|nio&s;is in&s;itus.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Exercit. in N.T. in loc.</HI> 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.21.</NOTE> And Hen&s;ius; <HI>non enim</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>&s;ive proprio in&s;tin|ctu, qui</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>(h. e.) &s;oleni &s;ancti Spirit&ucirc;s in&s;tinctu, ut</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>locuti &s;unt.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Tis an&s;wered to that in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12.30. <HI>do all speake with tongues, do all interpret?</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. The Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of extraordinary gifts.</P>
<P N="2">2. Not confined to men in office, but given al&s;o to private Chri&s;ti|ans as God plea&s;ed.</P>
<P N="3">3.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Cameron ib. in</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12.10.</NOTE> That he &s;pake not of the interpretation of Scripture, as our con|trover&s;ie intends, but of tongues.</P>
<P N="4">4. That many times one had the gift of tongues, that had not the gift of interpretation, and therefore <HI>cap.</HI> 14. <HI>v.</HI> 13. he was to pray that he might interpret.</P>
<P N="5">5. That to &s;ome men God gave the gift of interpreting the things delivered by tho&s;e that had the gift of tongues, and which did increa&s;e the miracle, as <HI>Cameron</HI> ob&s;erves, they could interpret the tongues, they could not &s;peake in. Now judge (Reader) whether the&s;e texts, thus, and rightly, under&s;tood, are more to the purpo&s;e, then if a man &s;hould have undertaken to have proved it unlawfull, for private men to in|terpret by that text, <HI>Math.</HI> 1. <HI>v.</HI> 2. <HI>Abraham begat I&s;aak, and I&s;aak be|gat Jacob; Ergo</HI> tis not lawfull &amp;c.</P>
<P>Ob. 4. This meeting &amp;c, is a gathering a Congregation or Church.</P>
<P>R. 1. I cannot conceive this objection to be made, by men of the In|dependent judgment, becau&s;e they allow private Chri&s;tians the liber|ty here contended for, and al&s;o in&s;i&s;t upon a Church covenant,</P>
<P N="2">2. Neither will I beleive that any &s;ober men of the Epi&s;copall or Presbyterial per&s;wa&s;ion will owne it; becau&s;e I never yet ob&s;erved them to &s;ay, that a Church was not an Organicall body, con&s;i&s;ting of diver&s;e members, as eyes, eares, feet, &amp;c. of &s;ome governing, and others governed. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12.14, 15. <HI>Rom.</HI> 12.4-6. <HI>Act.</HI> 20.28. or that deare affection, or cohabitation and living together, or that meeting in one A&s;&s;embly make a Church, and therefore I will pa&s;&s;e it, till I have more. I have not heard that any thing hath been &s;aid by way of obje|ction, but what I have here laid downe, although it being &s;o ea&s;y a thinge to &s;it at home and find fault, tis likely more may be &s;aid: but let men take heed, they do not envy the grace of God to &s;ome, who&s;e errors they pretend to feare, and become Patrons of ignorance,
<PB N="25" REF="14">whiles they would be thought to di&s;pute again&s;t faction; in due time God may open our eyes to &s;ee, and bleedingly to lament the unhappi|ne&s;&s;e of our generation: we have been &s;o long debating whether pri|vate Chri&s;tians may read the word and interpret it, that we may tru|ly &s;ay with <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome,</HI> there are many do not know,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Comment. in Heb.</HI> 5.</NOTE> whether there be any word of God, or no. <HI>Et tamen po&s;t tanta, &s;unt quidam, quine&abque; &s;ciunt an &s;int Scripturae.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CAP. 4. <HI>Containing an exhortation to the&s;e private Chri&s;tians with &s;ome Cautions.</HI></HEAD>
<P>HEre now a man might wi&s;h, with <HI>Era&s;mus,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Paracl. ad Chri&s;ti philo&s;. &s;tu|dium.</NOTE> for the inclo&s;ure of all the Eloquence in the world to per&s;wade men, but as he corrects him&s;elfe, tis better to importune the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of Chri&s;t, who can with|out the <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>lenocinia,</HI> and ornaments of Rhetorick, give &s;trength to prevaile with tho&s;e I have now to do with. To you therefore,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Plin. ep. lib</HI> 1. <HI>ep.</HI> 2.</NOTE> who&s;e hearts God hath drawne forth to help your poor Brethren towards Heaven; to you I &s;ay, go on and pro&s;per: you &s;ee your commi&s;&s;ion is good, your warrant is from God, you may, you ought upon occa&s;i|on to teach on another: come then ari&s;e, ari&s;e, gird up your loynes, be not a&s;hamed of the Go&s;pell of Chri&s;t, tis the power of God unto &s;alvation. What though men revile you, and &s;peak all manner of e|vill of you, accounting you the <GAP DESC="foreign"> and <GAP DESC="foreign">, the filth of the world, and the off-&s;couring of all things? Say with your &s;elves, we are no better then our fathers, the &s;ervant is not better then his Lord, this is not re&s;i&s;ting unto blood, this is nothing to what Ie&s;us Chri&s;t &s;uffered for us. O keep your eyes fixed upon the recompence of reward, and let your heart bleed for the &s;coffing <HI>I&s;hmaells,</HI> that will neither enter into the Kingdome of Heaven them&s;elves, nor &s;uffer tho&s;e that would; but like the Swine in the Go&s;pell, run from Chri&s;t into the Sea of perdition. When you heare men cry out again&s;t your meetings as u&s;ele&s;&s;e, groundle&s;&s;e and &s;editious, then pitty them, pray for them, bearing in mind, that Spirituall things are Spiritually di&s;cer|ned, and that the&s;e men are in the condition of <HI>Harpa&s;te</HI> in <HI>Seneca,</HI> who having &s;uddenly lo&s;t her eye&s;ight, complained the hou&s;e was dark. The&s;e men u&s;ually have an Altar, they do &s;acrifice,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Epi&s;t</HI> 50. <HI>baec fatua &s;ubit&ograve; defiit videre &mdash; ait domum te|nebro&s;am.</HI></NOTE> but tis <HI>igno|to Deo,</HI> to the unknown God, &amp; like the <HI>Sodomites,</HI> are groping after the door of Heaven, and very hardly find it. Like the Vintner in the Go&s;pell, have at fir&s;t their be&s;t wine, and at la&s;t what is wor&s;e: though
<PB N="26" REF="15">their head be of Gold,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 12. <HI>v.</HI> 1.</NOTE> yet their feet will be of clay; &s;till wor&s;e and wor&s;e, till the dayes draw nigh, when they &s;hall &s;ay, we have no plea|&s;ure in them: O good it had been for them, they had never been borne.</P>
<P>To quicken you to your worke, con&s;ider, 1. tis an excellent meanes to profit by the publike Ordinance, to meet often in private, to conferr upon the Scriptures, that ye may be able to under&s;tand the Mini&s;ter in his Doctrines and U&s;es. The Lord pardon our Nation, the language of the Go&s;pell to &s;ome is an unknown tongue, and the preaching of it is as &s;ounding bra&s;&s;e, and a tinkling Cymball; becau&s;e Chri&s;tians will not teach and admoni&s;h one another, that the word of Chri&s;t may indwell in them. To others tis more familiar and welcome for a time, but this holy fire &s;oon goes out for want of fuell. Who among us al|mo&s;t doth not weave <HI>Penelopes</HI> web, <HI>ip&s;a texuit &amp; retexuit,</HI> what &s;he did weave in the day, &s;he did undoe in the night? Do not we learn and unlearn? what we learn on the Lords day, we forget on the wor|king day; &s;o that we may &s;ay of our coming to Church, as <HI>Peter</HI> of his fi&s;hing, <HI>Ma&s;ter, we have travelled all day, and have taken nothing.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. You are bound to take the care of one another: doth the Lord commend to us the care of our enimies bodies, names, &s;traying Oxe? doth God take care for Oxen? will ye have no bowells nor compa&s;&s;i|on towards Souls, your friends Soules, your deare friends Souls, nay your owne Souls? was it not rude, bloody and profane <HI>Cain,</HI> that &s;aid, am I my Brothers keeper? hath the Devill his agents? are there many Factors for Hell? many <HI>Herods</HI> that watch for the babes of <HI>Bethlehem?</HI> And will not you that are members of the &s;ame body, &s;et by God as guardians one of another, <GAP DESC="foreign">, quicken one another, and provoke unto love and good works? O indeavour to wa&s;h your hands, to di&s;|charge your owne Souls, and let not your Brothers blood lie upon you.</P>
<P N="3">3.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mant. in Jam.</HI> 5.19.20.</NOTE> What an honour is it for you to be <GAP DESC="foreign">, coworkers with God? is it not a great favour that God &s;hould make u&s;e of earthen ve&s;&s;ells, and ca&s;t the glory of his owne free grace upon your labours? <HI>Your pound gaines ten pound, nay ye gaine a brother. Mat.</HI> 18.15. <HI>Jam.</HI> 5.19, 20. <HI>Brethren, if any of you do erre from the truth, and one convert him, let him know, that he which converteth a &s;inner from the error of his way, &s;hall &s;ave a Soule from death, and &s;hall hide a multitude of &s;ins.</HI> Oh how happy will you be ere long? twill be a ble&s;&s;ed day, when Chri&s;t &s;hall appeare, when Mini&s;ters &s;hall walke into heaven with their flocks, and you al&s;o with your Converts, &s;hining like the Sun in his glory.</P>
<PB N="27" REF="15">
<P> And here let me advi&s;e you to take heed.</P>
<P N="1">1. That ye de&s;pi&s;e not tho&s;e that are &s;et over you in the Lord, but honour them for their worke &s;ake, &s;uffer not one duty to crowd out another; as ye are bound to in&s;truct others, &s;o to heare them; remem|ber the judgment of God upon <HI>Corah</HI> and his company, their Cen&s;er was kept by Gods &s;peciall appointment, as a memoriall and warning to all po&s;teritie. <HI>Numb.</HI> 16.40. By whom did God call ye? by whom did God at fir&s;t e&s;pou&s;e you to Chri&s;t? was it not by the publike Mini|&s;trie? and mu&s;t that now be de&s;pi&s;ed? I hope better things from you. Is not this the way wherein Chri&s;t is wont to walke and heale? Surely this Ordina~ce is the golden pipe through which he conveighs grace to the Soule. Stand in the Sun and ye &s;hall grow warme. Walke in the garden of Ro&s;es, and ye will be perfumed with plea&s;ant odours. Con|&s;ider what <HI>Abraham</HI> &s;aid to him in Hell, <HI>Luk.</HI> 16.29. <HI>If thy five Bre|thren would not come, where you are, they have Mo&s;es and the Prophets, audiant ip&s;os, let them heare them.</HI> In one houre ye may have the fruit of many dayes &s;tudy: the Mini&s;ters gather <HI>Manna</HI> &s;eed by &s;eed, but they deliver it out by <HI>Omers</HI> and <HI>Epha's</HI> too. If ever your labour of love, turne to a labour of pride; if ever ye come to de&s;pi&s;e Gods Or|dinance, know a&s;&s;uredly that God will bla&s;t all your indeavours.</P>
<P N="2">2. That ye omit not to advi&s;e with &s;ome Godly and able Mini&s;ter, e&s;pecially in the fir&s;t &s;etting up of your Meetings,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Quod &s;i ul|lum unqua~ animal con|&s;ecrandum fuit, illud profecto fu|it. Cicero of his Child, in Lactant. l. c.</HI> 15.</NOTE> he can better judge of your abilities then your &s;elves. Parents are fond of their owne Children, we are too apt to delight in and admire the i&s;&s;ue of our owne braines: to gaze upon our fine feathers, and forget our foule feet.</P>
<P N="3">3. Be carefull in all your doubts to apply your &s;elves to tho&s;e, who&s;e lips are to pre&s;erve knowldge; inquire of them, what is the mind of the Lord.</P>
<P N="4">4. Meddle not with tho&s;e places of Scripture which are darke and ob&s;cure, &s;ome places are <GAP DESC="foreign">, hard to be under&s;tood. 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.16. But ob&s;erve the advice of the P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>tell what God hath done for your Soules;</HI> let the worke of grace upon your owne hearts be a frequent text, thence interpret, and unfold the great my&s;teries of Gods deare love, fetching the be&s;t and mo&s;t edifying proofs out of your owne bo&s;omes:
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Aul. Gelli|us. l.</HI> 20. <HI>c.</HI> 5.</NOTE> and when ye ob&s;erve failings among your &s;elves or others, choo&s;e tho&s;e places of Scripture, which are mo&s;t pertinent to your occa&s;ions.</P>
<P N="5">5. Carry all things with humility and meekne&s;&s;e, let no man affect
<PB N="28" REF="16">the preheminence, preferring one another in love, &s;ometimes heare, &s;ometimes interpret, doing all things in order, decency, and to edifi|cation, that your good may not be evill &s;poken of.</P>
<P N="6">6. See that ye do not only <GAP DESC="foreign">, but al&s;o <GAP DESC="foreign">, walke the word aright,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Act.</HI> 6.15.</NOTE> as well as divide the word aright, let your di&s;cour&s;e, your habit, your life be &s;erious, that others may find as much holi|ne&s;&s;e in your conver&s;ations, as in your exhortations, that your pre&s;ence may check &s;in, your faces &s;hine as Angells, and your companie become terrible to impenitent &s;inners, that your greate&s;t enemies may reve|rence you and be afraid to hurt you, as the barbarous <HI>Gaule</HI> was of <HI>Marius,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Plut in vit. Mar.</NOTE> though hired to kill him. You mu&s;t be as &s;tarrs to lead to Chri&s;t, your lights mu&s;t &s;hine before others, ye are the looking gla&s;&s;e, others will dre&s;&s;e them&s;elves by you: twas a &s;ore complaint of <HI>Sene|ca</HI> of the Philo&s;ophers, <HI>boni e&s;&s;e de&s;ierunt, &s;imul ac docti eva&s;erint,</HI> the more learned, the le&s;&s;e morall: as if the waters of the Sanctuarie had put out the fire of the Sanctuarie. Take heed while ye exhort others, ye your &s;elves become not Ca&s;tawaies; take heed that whil&s;t ye are building an Arke for others, ye your &s;elves do not peri&s;h. Twas &s;o once, let it not be &s;o againe, but let your knowledg be incarnate in your practi&s;e: twill appeare at the la&s;t daie, that one apple from the tree of good life, is better then ten from the tree of Knowledg.</P>
<P><HI>And now, O Lord, forgive all tho&s;e, that &s;peake evill of thy wayes; that grieve the hearts and weaken the hands of thy poor Servants, that are willing to build up one another in knowledge &amp; holyne&s;&s;e. Even &s;o Lord Je|&s;us, Amen.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="16">
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