of the Truth but to engage your Wills to the Practice of it As 1. Because the holy Scriptures were by God himself at first directed and address'd to Lay-men That this Epistle to the Colossians was so you have seen already I shall now shew the same concerning other parts of holy Scripture The Moral Law was spoken by God to all the People in such an audible Voice that they might all hear it The Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire says Moses Deut 4. 12 13. Ye heard the voice of the words and he declared unto you his Covenant So clearly and plainly did God deliver this Law to them that he is said to talk with them face to face The Deut. 5. 4. Statutes and the Judgments that is the Ordinances concerning Ceremonial Worship and the Laws about matters of Right between Man and Man were not indeed spoken immediately to the People no more were they to the Priests but to Moses himself who by God's command recited them to the People and wrote them in a Book from which Exod. 24. 3 4. Deut. 31. they might take a Copy of them Nor were the Sermons of the Prophets committed to the Priests custody that according to their discretion the People might either more or less or not at all be made acquainted with them but they were by the Prophets address'd to the People themselves So God commanded them Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem stand in the gate Jer. 2. 2. of the Lord's house and proclaim these words and say Hear the word of the Lord all ye of Judah c. And so the Prophets accordingly did Hear the word of the Lord saith Jeremy Jer. 7. 2. Jer. 2. 4. O house of Jacob. Hear the word which the Lord hath spoken against you O Children of Israel saith the Prophet Amos Hear the word of the Lord ye Kine of Basham which Amos 3. 1. Amos 4. 1. are in the Mountain of Samaria It is needless to insist upon the proof of this since nothing is more obvious than that the Exhortations Admonitions and Reproofs of the Prophets were not only delivered in the audience of the People but that those of them in which the People were concern'd were expressly directed to them And therefore when Jeremy was shut up in the Dungeon and could not speak to the People himself he commanded Baruch to write all the words of his Prophecy in a Book and read them in the ears of all the People in Jerusalem and of all the people which came from the Cities of Judah to Jer. 36. 8 9. Jerusalem In like manner our blessed Saviour though he spake as never Man spake yet was he contented with the vulgar sort of hearers His first solemn Sermon was preached to his Disciples not to the twelve only but to all those who were desirous to be instructed by him out of which he chose the twelve who were afterward call'd Apostles But though his speech was directed to his Disciples yet he so spake as that the multitude also who stood at a greater distance might hear him for S. Matthew expressly tells us that the Matth. 7. 28. multitudes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were astonished at his Doctrine His Sermons at Capernaum Nazareth by the Sea side and in the Wilderness were they preached to Priests only No his Auditors for the most part were the rude and unlearned People And can any Man reasonably suppose that he would not have those Sermons read by Lay-men which he thought fit to preach to such The Apostles of our Lord not only preached to the common People but sent their Epistles also to them The Epistles of S. Paul are for the most part directed to the Saints to the faithful in Christ Jesus to the beloved all which titles in those days were used in the same latitude as the name Christian is now with us And that no Man may imagine they were to be confined to Christians of a higher rank they are expressly directed to all So the Epistle to the Romans To all that are at Rome beloved of Rom. 1. 7. God call'd to be Saints The first Epistle to the Corinthians To the Church of God at Corinth to them that 1 Corinth 1. 2. are sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be Saints to all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. The second Epistle To the Church of God which is at 2 Cor. 1. 1. Corinth with all the Saints which are in all Achaia The Epistle to the Philippians to all the Saints which are at Philippi Philip. 1. 1. The Epistles of S. James S. Peter and S. Jude were written to all the dispersed Jewish Christians The first Epistle of S. John to little Children young Men and Fathers that is to Christians of all sizes and degrees The second To an elect Lady and her Children The third To a private Christian To conclude this argument No Man can in reason suppose but that those persons should read their Epistles to whom they wrote them since therefore they wrote them to Lay-men it cannot be imagined it was their intention That Priests only should read them II. Nor were the holy Scriptures only addressed to Lay-men but which is more they also were plainly commanded to read and acquaint themselves familiarly with them Thus God commanded the Jews with respect to the Law given to them The words which I command thee Deut. 6. 6 7 8. this day shall be in thine heart and thou shalt teach them diligently to thy Children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way when thou liest down and when thou risest up and thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand c. What is the import of this Command but that they should familiarly converse with the Divine Law make it the matter of their daily meditation and discourse and that they should not think it enough to acquaint themselves with it but should take care to teach it to their Children that the knowledge thereof might never fail but descend from one generation to another And to whom was this Command given Not to the Priests and Levites only but to the whole Body of the Israelites Hear O Israel The same in effect God afterward Deut. 6. 4. Josh 1. 8. commanded Joshua This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night It might not depart out of his mouth he was therefore to read it and talk of it and not only so but to meditate therein day and night Not that they were obliged in every moment of time to be thinking or speaking of the Law of God for that cannot be and in case it could it could not be a Duty because it would be inconsistent with other Commands But that they were to take all fit occasions and besides
retires home take De utilitate Lect. Scrip. the Bible into his hands and run over the sense of those things that have been spoken if he desire to reap continual and sufficient benefit from the Scriptures for bare hearing for two hours is not sufficient for our security These were the lessons this Holy Man inculcated upon those who daily attended to the publick preaching and reading of the word and who heard the Scriptures read in a language they understood which is not now permitted in the Roman Church so necessary in his judgment was the private reading of the Scripture that all that was heard in publick would not suffice without it For it is not enough that the word of Christ dwell in us sparingly but 4. It must dwell in us richly which it can never do save in those only who frequently read it and meditate upon it Some persons I know there are who cannot read some others who can live in those unhappy places where they cannot procure Bibles If these do otherways what in them lies to attain to the knowledge of the Scriptures God will accept them according to that 2 Cor. 8. 12. they have and not according to that they have not For unavoidable defects he will either make allowances or make a supply some other way But for others who have both ability and opportunity of reading the word of Christ as it is their bounden duty so it can argue no less than contempt of God himself to neglect it For since God hath condescended for their good to write it how can they chuse but entertain very low thoughts of him who will not vouchsafe to read it VII What has been said of the need all Men stand in of the word of Christ suggests another argument viz. The great Evils they must needs lay themselves open to who neglect the study of the Scriptures For by how much the less they know them by so much the less must they know their duty and by how much the more ignorant they are of their duty by so much the less must they practise it Yea those duties which they are plainly taught by the Law written in their hearts they will be easily perswaded to neglect because the great motives to quicken them to these must be fetch'd from the Scriptures And therefore no wonder that many persons so eagerly pursue the Pomps and Vanities of this wicked World make provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof and are led captive by the Devil at his pleasure who solemnly renounced all these in their Baptism because for want of acquaintance with the Scriptures they are destitute of those forces without which they cannot successfully encounter these their spiritual enemies Nor are such persons in more danger of falling into sin in matters of Practice than of being mis-led in points of Belief for having no solid foundation to bottom their Faith upon thy will like Children be tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of Doctrine by the slight of Men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive It need not therefore seem strange if many persons should be seduc'd from that Faith which was once deliver'd to the Saints and which they themselves for some time made profession of In short Ignorance of the Scriptures as S. Chrysostom in his Comment upon my Text tells us is the cause of all evil How deplorable then must their condition be who live in the constant disuse and neglect of them Having already shew'd That the things which are written were at first address'd to Laymen That God hath plainly commanded them to acquaint themselves familiarly with them That the subject matter of the Holy Scriptures and the uses and ends for which they were written do concern the Laity That some special Duties are laid upon them which no Man can perform who is not conversant in the Scriptures Having also shew'd the great need the Laity stand in of them the inestimable benefits they may receive by them and the intolerable evils they will expose themselves to in case they neglect the study of them VIII What now remains to quicken you further to this great duty unless it be to shew the vanity of those objections which are made against it It may indeed be just matter of wonder to find any thing objected against a Duty so clear and of such great moment Yet so it is that some Men have dared to say those things which if they were true might justly affright the People from it and make them take it for a Sin rather than a Duty to read the Bible In general it is said That the promiscuous reading of the Scriptures by the vulgar does more hurt than good Because in particular it occasions their falling into dangerous Errors both in matters of Faith and in matters of Practice so that if this liberty should be allow'd they will neither believe nor live so as they ought Which charge consisting of two parts the one relating to Belief the other to Manners that the answer may be the more clear and satisfactory I shall consider them distinctly and apart And Obj. First It is objected That many pestilent Sects and Heresies which infest the Church have taken their rise from the reading of the Scriptures by Laymen who for want of being qualified to understand them aright do usually wrest them to a pernicious sense What is commonly said of the obscurity of the Scripture may be considered elsewhere At present I return several things in answer to the objection as now proposed each of which singly considered would be a sufficient answer 1. This reflects foul dishonour upon God himself For what can be more highly derogatory both to his Wisdom and Goodness than to say that he hath written such a Book for his People's use which they cannot read but they will be in danger of being eternally ruin'd by it If this be so they are then much beholden to those who take the Bible from them but owe no thanks to God who gave it to them 2. Our blessed Saviour thought the ignorance of the Scriptures the cause of Heresies and the means he prescribes to prevent and cure them is the study of the Scriptures Ye err said he to the Sadducees what because ye study the Scriptures No but because ye know Matth. 22. 29. not the Scriptures And though he very well knew how maliciously the Jews were bent to wrest the Scriptures to justifie their rejection of him yet does he not reprove them for reading the Scriptures they so much abused but contrariwise commands to read them again and more diligently Search the Scriptures for they Joh. 5. 39. testifie of me As if he had said You will not yet believe on me but take me for a Deceiver I require you therefore not barely to read but to search the Scriptures that is attentively throughly and impartially to read them and you will then be convinced that
us more careful to avoid all occasions and to repress the very first motions toward evil This use the Apostle teaches us for having shew'd how shamefully the Israelites sinn'd and how remarkably they were punish'd he concludes Wherefore let him that thinketh 1 Corinth 10. 12. he standeth take heed lest he fall 4. As they teach us to lift up our eyes and our hearts unto God from whom alone cometh our help to implore continually the assistance of his Holy Spirit to inable us to subdue our evil inclinations to withstand all the Temptations of the World the Flesh and the Devil and by patient continuance in well doing to seek for glory and honour and immortality 5. As they teach us Thankfulness to God for his preventing and assisting Grace in case we have withstood those Temptations which other good Men have been overcome by and preserv'd from those sins into which they have fallen since it is not by any strength originally in our selves but by the Grace of God that we stand And by how much the more thankful any Man is for the Grace he hath already received by so much the more he may expect 6. As they teach us to be charitable in our Censures of others and not presently to conclude a Man lost though he fall into some great sin but endeavour to restore him again with the spirit of meekness But 7. If through our neglect and carelesness we fall into any great sin we are by these examples encouraged to rise again What greater encouragement to Repentance than the hope of a pardon in case we repent And this we can have no reason to despair of when we find that others who fell into as foul sins were actually pardon'd and received into God's favour upon their Repentance Thus we see how those evil examples we meet with in the holy Scripture may be highly advantagious to our spiritual Good. THE APPLICATION 1. FRom what hath been said it plainly follows That those Teachers who withhold the Scriptures from the Vulgar have not that regard they ought to have either to the Commandments of God or to the good of their People How careful those of the Church of Rome are to keep the People from being acquainted with them either by hearing them in publick or by reading them in private is well known It is true that Lessons out of the Scriptures and Epistles and Gospels are read in their publick Service but how are they read In a language that the Vulgar do not understand that is so as that they know as little of them after they are read as they did before As the darkness is as great when a Candle is in the house as when there is none if that Candle be hid under a Bushel But if they give the People so little of the Bible in publick do they not make some amends for this by allowing them the free use of it in private I answer No. No Man is allow'd to read or so much as to have Rule 4th of the Index Expurg made by order of the Council of Trent the Bible in the Vulgar tongue though translated by those of their own Church without a Licence from the Bishop of the Diocess or the Inquisitor with the advice of the Parish Priest or Confessor which Licence they must have in writing And if any Man shall presume without such Licence either to read or have it he may not receive Absolution of his sins unless he first deliver up his Bible to his Ordinary This is the standing Law of the Church of Rome establish'd by the authority of the Council of Trent and confirm'd not only by Pope Pius IV. but by many succeeding Popes which because I have heard confidently denyed by some of their ignorant Proselytes I will therefore refer them to a late Author in their own language to whom I presume they will give credit who in his Chapter of reading the Holy Scriptures gives this Character of a Papist It is A Papist Misrepresented and Represented c. c. 10. true he does not think it viz. the Holy Scripture fit to be read generally by all without a Licence or in the vulgar Tongue And having told you why he does not think so he adds For these reasons he is taught that it is not convenient for the Scripture to be read indifferntly by all Men but only by such as have express Licence and good testimony from their Curates c. And is not this course as effectual to keep the generality of the Laity from reading the Scripture as the absolute forbidding it would have been For how few will be at the trouble and charge of procuring a Faculty when it cannot be had but from the Bishop or Inquisitor Or if many were willing to be at the pains and cost yet few of those many will be able to obtain it For how few will be able to satisfie the Bishop or Curate that they are such as will receive no hurt by reading when they cannot so much as ask it without being suspected of Heresie So that all things consider'd it may reasonably be presumed that the effect of such Licences will amount to little or nothing And yet how little soever it be it was thought too much to be granted For by the Order of Pope Clement VIII this observation is added to the Rule That hitherto by the Command and practice of the holy Roman and universal Inquisition the Faculty of granting such Licences for reading or keeping Bibles in the vulgar Tongue or any summaries or historieal compendiums of the said Bibles is taken away which is to be inviolably observed And if no such Licence can be legally granted then no Man of what quality soever can read the Scripture in the vulgar Tongue without transgressing the Laws of the Roman Church I am not ignorant that in this Kingdom and I suppose in some others where the Reformation hath got considerable footing some Lay-persons of that Communion are permitted to have the Bible in their own Tongue But this permission is directly contrary to their Laws and extorted from them in these Countries to prevent a greater mischief which they see would otherwise ensue If you make enquiry in Spain or Italy you will find no such indulgence there I shall add only this That in the Index of prohibited Books published by Pope Alexander VII not only those Bibles that are translated and printed by Hereticks but all Bibles in any vulgar Tongue are absolutely prohibited 2. Let us then be thankful to God and bless and praise and speak good of his name for that we have been born and brought up in a Church which allows free liberty of searching the Holy Scriptures and not only so but lays it as a Duty upon all Men and endeavours to quicken them thereunto by the most powerful motives How earnest our Church is in pressing this Duty upon her Children you may see in her exhortation to the reading of the holy
Scriptures a small part of which I shall transcribe desiring you at your leisure attentively to read the whole Thus then she bespeaks us If we profels Christ why are we not asham'd to be ignorant of his Doctrine Seeing that every Man is ashamed to be ignorant in that learning which he professeth That Man is asham'd to be call'd a Philosopher which readeth not the Books of Philosophy and to be call'd a Lawyer an Astronomer or Physician that is ignorant in the Books of Law Astronomy and Physick How can any Man then say that he professeth Christ and his Religion if he will not apply himself as far forth as he can or may conveniently to read and hear and so to know the Books of Christ's Gospel and Doctrine Although other Sciences be good and to be learned yet no Man can deny but this is the chief and passeth all other incomparably What excuse shall we therefore make at the last day before Christ that delight to hear or read Mens phantasies and inventions more than his most Holy Gospel and will find no time to do that which chiefly above all things we should do and will rather read other things than that for the which we ought rather to leave reading of all other things Let us therefore apply our selves as far as we can have time and leisure to know God's word by diligent hearing and reading thereof as many as profess God and have faith and trust in him And having shew'd the vanity of those excuses which are commonly made by those who have no good affection for the Scripture she concludes Surely none be Enemies to the reading of God's word but such as are either so ignorant that they know not how wholsome a thing it is or else be so sick that they hate the most comfortable Medicine that should heal them or so ungodly that they would wish the People still to continue in blindness and ignorance of God. Whereupon she earnestly renews her Exhortation in these words Let us thank God heartily for this his great and special gift beneficial favour and fatherly providence Let us be glad to receive this special gift of our Heavenly Father Let us hear read and know these Holy Rules Injunctions and Statutes of our Christian Religion Let us with fear and reverence lay up in the Chest of our Hearts these necessary and fruitful Lessons Let us night and day muse and have meditation and contemplation in them c. And yet as if she thought not this enough in the Information for them which take offence at certain places of the Holy Scripture she renews the Exhortation again and presses it with variety of cogent Arguments So far is the Church of England from declining the Holy Scriptures that she thinks she can never too vehemently press her Children to search into them She knows her Doctrines will abide the Trial and therefore desires they may be exposed to the open light being confident that the more they are examined the more they will be approved As she hath taken nothing from the Scriptures so neither hath she added any new Doctrines contrary to them and therefore need not conceal any part of them in an unknown tongue 3. How great then is their Sin who while they own themselves members of this Church do seldom take the word of God into their hands much less lay it up in their Hearts make it no part of their meditation and study God will not impute to their condemnation the not reading of the Bible whose lot is fallen in those unhappy places where they can by no means procure it But for us who have not only free liberty to read it but are so earnestly pressed by our Church to make it the matter of our study if we use it no more than those who are forbidden the use of it what Apology can we make for our selves Our sin alas is wilful and utterly inexcusable a plain contempt of God and our Duty and therefore our punishment will be more grievous and intolerable This will be our Condemnation that light is risen to us but we shut our eyes and will not suffer it to shine into our hearts because our deeds are evil for Joh. 3. 19. 20. every one that doth evil hateth the light neither cometh he to the light lest his deeds should be reproved 4. Be then exhorted to apply your selves to the study of the Holy Scriptures let us take all opportunities of hearing them when read and preached in publick and not only so but of acquainting our selves more familiarly with them in private let us with David make them our daily Companions our delight and our Counsellors If either the love of God or of our selves If the consideration of our Duty or of our Interest of our present or future good will sway with us we shall need no other Motives than those arguments already proposed which I therefore beseech you seriously to reflect upon Many I know pretend that they have so much other business that they can find no leisure to look into the Scriptures I desire those persons who make this Plea to consider these few things 1. Have you any business of greater concernment than this Can any thing be of greater moment than to know wherein your true happiness consists and what conditions are required of you in order to the attainment of it Can any thing be more necessary than to be acquainted with your Duty and with those powerful Motives that may prevail with you to practise it Is not this the one thing necessary So our Saviour thought Martha Luke 10. 41 42. Martha says he thou art careful and troubled about many things but there is one thing needful and Mary hath chosen the better part And what was that one thing needful that Mary had chosen but to sit at Christ's Feet and hear his word that she might do it 2. You who pretend you have no leisure for reading the Scriptures do not many of you find time enough for worthless impertinent matters if not also for such as are hurtful Do you not spend hour after hour in light and trifling discourse Have you not time for Feasts and merry mettings for Cards and Dice for Taverns and Play-Houses How many morning hours more than need do many persons spend in their Beds or in attiring themselves when they get up Who cannot find one hour to spare for studying the will of God. And are these matters of such great concernment 3. Many of you who seem to spend your time to better purposes what are the great businesses you lay it out upon What but to heap up riches and to raise your fortunes in the World And are these matters of such weight that they deserve to be put in the ballance against your everlasting concernments Is it more necessary to leave a rich Heir behind you than to enrich your Souls with the treasures of Divine Knowledge and Grace when God shall call you to your great Accounts will he think you take this for a good Plea Lord my time was all little enough for the getting of such an Estate and therefore I pray thee have me excused for neglecting to study thy Word 4. You who can find no time for enquiring into the word of God consider seriously That you must shortly find a time to die in When death comes it will not be put off to a more convenient season but will force you whether you will or no to be at leisure and will effectually convince you that you had time enough had you but had hearts to use it for acquainting your selves with the Holy Scriptures For if you be not then quite besotted as many persons are by the long course of a sensual worldly life and by God's just judgment upon them these and such like will be your sad resentments I am now going to make my appearance before the great and righteous Judge of all the World and what shall I say who have had so little respect to his Word by which I must be judged that I have not vouchsafed to read it Can I say that I had not leisure I cannot be so impudent when I found time not only for a thousand impertinent trifles but for my Vices O that I had spent that time in devout meditation on the Law of God that I mis-spent in sensual Pleasure or in heaping up of Riches O that that time had been laid out in beautifying and adorning my Soul with Divine Grace that was laid out in enquiring after Fashions in getting fine Cloaths and in dressing my Body A la mode But woe and alas these wishes are vain and to no purpose It is now too late the time is past and will never return again Consider therefore 5. That the true reason why you do not find time to read the Bible is not want of leisure but want of inclination and affection to it You can find nothing there that sutes with your carnal and worldly Appetites The thoughts of God and of the things of another World are such as you can take no pleasure in and the gross and sensual entertainments of this World are the only things you have a relish for But then consider withal that unless the temper of your Souls be changed before you die unless you become new Creatures and get a taste and relish for the things above you are not so much as capable of entering into the Kingdom of Heaven FINIS