Commentary on the Gospels and Acts, Preface – To the reader
The Preface to the Reader.
THe manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man1 Cor. 12. 7. to profit withall, saith S. Paul. And, as any man hath1 Pet. 4. 10. received the …, so let him minister the same to others, saith S. Peter. We therefore learn that we… lela mmed Prov. … may teach, is a Proverb among the Hebrews. And I do therefore lay in, and lay up, saith the Heathen, that I may draw forth… & com. again, and lay out for the good of many. Synesius speaks of some, who having… quae … foreign Ea que ad … excerpta, aut ad … aut ad exercituum … rectores mirtebat, &c. Suet. l. 2 cap 88. a treasure of rare abilities in them, would assoon part with their hearts, as their conceptions: the canker of whose great skill shall be a swift witnesse against them. How much better Augustus and Augustin! Of the former, Suetonius tels us, that, in reading all … of good Authours, he skilfully pickt out the prime precepts and paterns of valour and vertue, sending the same to such of his servants and under-officers for tokens, as he thought they might do most good unto. And for the later, he accounted nothing his own, that he did not communicate: and somewhere professeth himself in the number of those, Qui scribunt proficiendo, & scribendo proficiunt, That write what they have learned, and learn yet more by writing. His last works are observed to be his best:Joh. Manl loc. And the reason is given by Melancthon, Quia docendo didicit, becausecom. p. 68. by much trading his talent, he had much improved it. Of Melancthon …. epist. ded.himself, one of his Countrey-men gives this testimony: It appears (saith he) that Melancthon was on this wise busied abroad the world, that seeing and hearing all he could, he made profit of every thing; and stored his heart, as the Bee doth her hive, out of all sorts of flowers, for the common benefit. … labour like Bees, but with this difference, Quod illae faciant cibos, hae condant, That the Bees make their meat, the Pismires gather it: both have their proper praise and profit. If I may be esteemed by thee (Courteous Reader) either the one or the other, it is enough: And that I may, Enitar sane ( saith Gerson, and I with him) I will endeavour out of other mens good … Gerson de laude Script.and Collections, to frame to my self (but for thy use) some sweet honey-comb of truth, by mine own art and industry, in mine own words and method: And then envy it self cannot (likely) say worse of me (it cannot, truly, say so bad) as one doth of Hugo de Sancto Victore: Ivonis deflorator est ( saith he) quem per omnia ferèPatric. Junij Notae in prim. foreign sequitur, He hath pickt the best out of Ivo, and transcribed him word for word almost. I never envied Zabarel, that arrogantClementis ad Corinth. epist. brag of his, Hoc ego primus vidi, I was the first that ever found out this; and yet I hate extreamly to be held a plagiary. Remigius and Haymo seem to be but two Friers under one hood. Cedrenus his ImperiallGesner. History is read (a great part ofit) under the name of Joannes…. Curopalates: That's a foul blur to one of them, but to which, I knowEralm in Lact. not. And that's no praise to Lactantius in Erasmus his judgement, thatde opificio Dei. having read Aristotle and Pliny writing of the same subject that he did, and borrowing much out of them, he never so much as once mentioneth them; as he doth Tully; whom he nameth indeed, but disparageth. Atqui candidius erat nominare eos per quos profecit, quam eumErasm. ibid. quem notat, saith Erasmus; I have not spared to professe by whom I have profited, to tell out of whom I have taken ought: and that I hope shall excuse me for that matter, with the more ingenuous; what fault else soever they may finde with me. Faults will escape a man betwixt his fingers, let him look to it never so narrowly, saith B. Jewel. Some plain solecismes,Iew. ag. Hard. and harsh expressions have been found even in Tullies own works, as Augustin noteth. And Erasmus addeth, Qualia nonnunquam excidunt, & horum temporum scriptoribus, & in his mihi quoque. Our times are (as one well observeth) partly accurately judicious, partly uncharitably censorious. The one likes nothing not exquisite, not sublimated; the other, nothing at all. Let them please themselves for me: I am of Hieroms minde, Si cui legere non placet, nemo compellitErasm. ibid. invitum. If any think good to read what I have written, let him:In ep. ad Aug. foreign. if otherwise, let him do as he will; but let him know, That every man cannot be excellent, that yet may be usefull, Honestum est ei, qui…. in primis non potest, in secundis tertiisve consistere, saith the Oratour.Cicero. An iron key may unlock the door of a golden treasure: yea, ferrum potest, quod aurum non potest. Iron can do some things that gold cannot. A little boat may land a man into a large continent, and a little hand threed a needle, as well as a bigger. Philadelphia had but a little strength, yet a great door opened, Revel. 3. 8. Quintilian Una est de Grā matici virtutibus. ….saith, it is a vertue in a Grammarian, aliquid ignorare, to be ignorant of some things: but say a man knew never so much, yet, in Plinies Non … interdum est Oratoris tacere quā dicere. Plin.judgement, it no lesse becomes an Oratour sometimes to hold his tongue, then to speak his minde. Apelles was wont to say, That those Painters were in a fault qui non sentirent quid esset satis, that understood not when they had done enough. And he's a good huntsman,Cic. de orat. saith Nannius, qui plures feras capit, non omnes, that can catchPetr. Nan. some beasts, though he take not all. Lysippus, that famous …,Not. in Horat. Plut. was wont to set forth his best pieces to publike view with this underwritten,Lib. 1. praefat. foreign, Lysippus hath somewhat more to doe at this work. Nihil perfectum, aut a singulari consummatum industria, saith Columella, Nothing can be perfected at first. Let it be a praise proper to our Lord Christ, to be Authour and finisher all at once: andHeb. 12. 2. out of the mouths of babes and sucklings to perfect praise. … Mat 21. 16.first actions are usually but essaies and enterprizes: review may … things, and second thoughts mend that which former faulted in. But Iforeign. cease to say more by way of Preface or Apology, having (as Octavius said to Decius, a captain of Anthonies) to the understanding spoken sufficient, but to the ignorant or ill-affected too much, had I said lesse.Appian. Doe thou (good Reader) but observe Epictetus his rule, to take … … quem que … prebendas, quâ commodè teneri queat.by that handle, whereby I may best be held, and then all shall be well betwixt us. There is yet one thing more that I have to tell thee, before we part, that what thou here readest, are verba vivenda non legenda, AEgid. ….words that thou must live as well as read. Lest else some learned Linaker,…. observing such a vast difference betwixt our laws and our lives,D. Stougbton. break out again into this patheticall protestation, Profectò aut hoc nonepist. ad …. est Evangelium, aut nos non sumus Evangelici, For certain, either this is not the Gospel, or we are not right Gospellers.
The Epistle to the Reader.
READER,
THE worth of the Authour of this Book is already well known in the Church of Christ, by same former labours of his which are extant: and they which are well acquainted with him, … but know: and teftifie, that he is a man of singular Prudence and …, of … acute wit, of a sound judgement, and of an indefatigable spirit, who … wholly devoted, and given up himself to the service of Gods Church, and doth naturally care for the good thereof: witnesse his … preaching, even whilst the burthen and care … a … School lay upon him: and now in these … and bloudy times, … he … suffered …, being driven from his charge, and forced to shrowd himself in a … of the Parliaments, yet notwithstanding his daily labours amongst the souldiers, and in the midst of the noises of gunnes and …, he hath betaken himself to writing of … upon the sacred Scriptures; and besides this present Book, he hath prepared for the Presse some notes upon Genesis, and now by the good hand of Gods providence, compleated a … upon the whole new Testament; the first volume whereof presents it self unto thee in this Book, and the later part is hastening after it, which thou mayest expect with all expedition. I presume that it will be superfluous for me to tell thee how usefull and advantagious … labours in this kinde may be; for though we have many Comments in Latine, yet but few in English; and … want thereof, and a right understanding of the Scripture, daily … shews how wofully many persons are led aside into … waies: For that which the Apostle Peter saith of S. Pauls Epistles, is true of all the word of God; 2 Pet. 3. 13. That therein some things are hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable pervert to … own destruction. Blesse God therefore for stirring up the hearts of those who are pious and judicious, to lay forth … labours this way: and amongst others, make use of this Comment, which by Gods blessing will prove no lesse pleasing … profitable, in regard of the variety and excellency of the … contained therein; as also it will give great satisfaction to … more judicious in regard of his pains in noting all the Criticismes through these his labours: which that it may doe, his prayers shall not be wanting, who subscribes himself,
Thine in the Lord SA. CLARKE.