A Book for Beginners, Chapter 15
CHAP. XV. Directions to thoſe that can reade.
I. AS for thoſe who are able to reade, I need not, ſure, adviſe them to uſe that ability; but onelyonly to uſe it well: avoiding vain and idle (eſpecially all filthy) Books, and being converſant in thoſe that are good and profitable; ſuch as will improve their minds in uſefull knowledg, or excite in them devout affections towards God, or direct them in the practice of Juſtice and Mercy, of Temperance and Chaſtity, and of all other Chriſtian Vertues.
II. But above all other Books, acquaint your ſelves with the Holy Scriptures; which Timothy (S. Paul ſays) had known from a child; and were able to make him wiſe unto Salvation, through faith which is in Chriſt Jeſus, 2 Tim. III. 15. Which is a high commendation of the Old Scriptures, and a great incouragement to ſtudy thoſe Holy Books; from whence we may reap the greater benefit, now that we have the New Scriptures added to them, which contain the Faith in Chriſt Jeſus, which the Apoſtle ſpeaks of.
You do but pretend to love God, (which you acknowledge is a part of the Duty you owe Him,) if you do not ſeek after his mind and will, which is onelyonly to be found in the Holy Scriptures.
III. And of all other parts of the Scripture, I have obſerved young people delight (as it is natural to doe) in reading the Hiſtorical Books of the Old Teſtament. Which truly are writ with ſuch a ſpirit of Piety, as is to be found in no other Hiſtory; deſigning viſibly theſe two things. Firſt, to inſtill into the people a belief of Divine Providence, which governs all things; and preſides not onelyonly over Nations, but particular Perſons: who therefore ought to have God in all their thoughts, to whom all events are aſcribed by the holy Hiſtory. And ſecondly, to nurſe them up in a ſenſe of the difference of Good and Evil: the former of which always received remarkable teſtimonies of God's Favour; and the other was ever attended with the effects of his ſevere Diſpleaſure.
IV. Do not think therefore that you have profitably read theſe Books, unleſs you come away from the reading of them more ſenſible of theſe two things, and more affected with them. Poſſeſſed, that is, with a more lively apprehenſion of God's overruling Power and Providence, whereby all things are diſpoſed: and therefore reſolved to commit your ſelves unto Him in well-doing; and to make that difference between Good and Evil that He doth; reſting ſatisfied with what He is pleaſed to order, when you have taken care to order your ſelves ſo, as to avoid what He hates, and to follow that which He loves.
V. But above all other Books of the Old Teſtament, the Pſalms are of moſt general uſe: and therefore ordered by our Church to be read over publickly once every month. Some of which you would doe well to get by heart, that you may ſay them upon all occaſions, as anciently they were wont to doe: nothing being more ordinary then to hear the Husbandman chanting them as he followed the Plow, the Seaman as he ſate at the Helm, the Waterman at his Oar, the Weaver at his Loom, the good Houſwife at her Spindle or her Wheel; nay, the poor Ditcher ſang them at his Spade, and the very Children in the ſtreets. In ſhort, they ſuckt theſe in with their Mothers milk, and from their very infancy, as ſoon as they could learn any thing, were taught a ſmattering of them, before they could ſpeak perfectly: ſuch a love they had to the ſweet Muſick of theſe Holy Songs.
VI. The very firſt of which will put you in mind of your Duty; and of the Happineſs it will bring you if you doe it faithfully. Let that therefore, and the reſt that are of moſt general uſe, (and relate not merely to David's preſent condition, or to ſome publick calamity,) be read moſt frequently, and pondered moſt ſeriouſly. Such are the VIII. XV. XIX. XXXIII. XXXIV. CIII. CIV. CXIX. CXXXIX. CXLV. with many other, which every one may obſerve for his own uſe: particularly the VII Penitential Pſalms; which are moſt proper when you are in a ſad afflicted condition, or bewail any Sin you have committed, to which they may be alſo applied. They are the VI. XXXII. XXXVIII. LI. CII. CXXX. CXLIII.
VII. But when all this is done, you muſt chiefly reade the Books of the New Teſtament, or Covenant made with us in Jeſus Chriſt: to which the Books of the Old Teſtament refer you, as the perfection of that Knowledg which was but obſcurely delivered by them. And firſt, the Holy Goſpels, which moſtly contain the Hiſtory of our Saviour's Birth, Life, Death, Reſurrection, and Aſcention: in all which principally obſerve the mighty power of God giving Teſtimony unto Him, and declaring Him to be the Son of God. Whom therefore you are bound to obey; and in order thereunto ſtudy what his Will is: which is moſt fully delivered in the Sermon on the Mount, recorded in the V. VI. and VII. Chapters of Saint Matthew. Reade theſe at leaſt once a week.
VIII. Then follow the Acts of the Apoſtles; which abundantly declare their authority, by whoſe Miniſtry we have received the Goſpel; and bid us attend to their Inſtructions, which are left us in their Epiſtles, as the words of men divinely inſpired. And in theſe content your ſelves with thoſe parts of them which are moſt eaſy and plain, and of general uſe and concernment: and meddle not preſently with thoſe which are hard and obſcure, and which relate to ſome particular caſes, which now are not ſo well known, as to make their ſenſe apparent to every one. For it is a very ill ſign, when you ſtand puzzling your ſelves about ſome dark paſſages in the Apoſtolical Writings; when there are plain ones in abundance to exerciſe your thoughts. I will direct you to ſome, that will be fitteſt for your Meditation. In the Epiſtle to the Romans reade often the XII. and XIII. Chapters; with the XIII. of the firſt to the Corinthians; the IV. V. VI. to the Epheſians; III. and IV. to the Coloſſians; IV. and V. of the firſt to the Theſſalonians; and (to omit others) the I. II. X. XI. XII. XIII. of the Epiſtle to the Hebrews; the whole Epiſtles of Saint James, and of Saint Peter.
And when you reade them, let it be with a deſign to grow better, rather then more knowing.
And then think you grow better, when you are made more humble; more ſenſible of God's love, and your own undeſervings; more thankfull; more meek and patient; more ſubmiſſive to God's Providence, and to your Governours, whether civil or ſpiritual, private or publick.
IX. When you are thus diſpoſed, by theſe and ſuch like Chriſtian Vertues, you may venture to reade the harder parts of Scripture; and not be in danger to wreſt them (as thoſe doe who are ſettled upon no principles) to your own deſtruction. For then you will not be forward to frame a ſenſe of thoſe places out of your own head: but confeſs your ignorance; and look upon them as containing things not neceſſary to be known: for all neceſſary things are plainly ſet down; and perhaps ſome of thoſe very things about which you trouble your ſelves, are elſe-where delivered in clearer words. As you may be ſatisfied if you take the next opportunity, to conſult with thoſe whoſe lips are to preſerve knowledge.
Which is the beſt way to be reſolved in ſuch caſes.
X. As for other good Books beſides the Scripture, you may find ſome time to reade them. And the leſs you have on other days, ſpend the Lord's days and other Holy days the more ſeriouſly in this work. When I would adviſe you to reade V. VI. and VII. of Saint Matthew; with ſome part of the Whole Duty of Man. And when you have made ſome proficiency in knowledg, reade Dr. Hammond's PRACTICAL CATECHISM; where you will find that Sermon of Chriſt's upon the Mount expounded.
XI. But whatſoever godly Book you reade, whether the Holy Scriptures or any other, be ſure you indeavour to come away bettered by the reading of them. For if you get no good by them, that very thing will incline you, at laſt, to ſlight and neglect them: as many do, we ſee, the hearing of good Sermons, becauſe they do not perceive, that they or others are at all the better for them; but after much hearing, there is little doeing of God's will.
But this the Scripture it ſelf foretold, and hath exactly deſcribed ſuch people, as are ever learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Tim. III. 5, 6, 7. and intended hereby to breed in every one of us a due caution, leaſt we be of that unprofitable number. Which you muſt prevent, by being more ſerious, attentive and diligent in reading holy Books for that end for which they were writ: and hearing Sermons, not for faſhion ſake, but that you may be taught, or remembred of your Duty; and excited or directed to doe it with greater care and conſtancy.
XII. And if you meet with the very ſame thing over and over again, either in reading or hearing; do not therefore nauſeate it, or grow weary of it, or paſs it by haſtily and careleſly: But rather look upon it as a very uſefull Truth, of which you have great need, becauſe it comes ſo often in your way; and thankfully acknowledging that God is very kind to you (in putting you ſo frequently in mind of that which is ſo neceſſary to your Salvation) give the greater heed to it, and ponder it with ſuch ſeriouſneſs, as a thing of that moment deſerves.