A Complete Christian Dictionary, Frontispiece – To the reader 1
This Picture heere presented to thine eyē,
Doth represent the comely Gravity
Of Wilsons Countenance: but oh! his Worth!
What Pen, besides his Owne, can set it forth
I'le cease, Heres' but the Shadow of his Face
His Workes doe shew his Learning Vertue, Grace.
… …culp…it
A Complete Christian DICTIONARY: WHEREIN The SIGNIFICATIONS and several ACCEPTATIONS of All the Words mentioned in the HOLY SCRIPTURES OF THE Old and New Testament, Are fully Opened, Expressed, Explained.
Also, Very many Ambiguous Speeches, Hard and difficult Phrases therein contained, are plainly Interpreted, Cleered, and Expounded.
Tending to the increase of Christian knowledge, and serving for the use of All; especially the Unlearned, who have no skill in the Original Languages, Hebrew and Greek, wherein the Scriptures were first written; and may be
Unto Ministers of the Gospel in stead of a CONCORDANCE, COMMENTARY on all the Scriptures.
Unto Masters of Families in stead of a CONCORDANCE, COMMENTARY on all the Scriptures.
Unto Private Christians in stead of a CONCORDANCE, COMMENTARY on all the Scriptures.
Begun by that famous and worthy Man of God, Mr. THOMAS WILSON, Minister of the Word at St. Georges in Canterbury, and one of the Six Preachers there.
Continued by Mr. JOHN BAGWELL.
Augmented and Enlarged with a SIX FOLD Addition:
Viz. I. Of Above four thousand Words, with their several Acceptations, all wanting in the former Editions.
Viz. II. Of Many more Acceptations of the same words, mentioned and to be found therein.
Viz. III. Of A great number of hard and difficult Phrases, not cleered at all in the former Impressions; with a further Explanation of many others therein set down.
Viz. IV. Of The Interpretations of the Proper names of Men, Women, Countreys, Cities, Rivers, Mountains, &c. mentioned in the Holy Scriptures.
Viz. V. Of The Nature and Properties of such Beasts, Fowls, Fishes, Trees, Plants, Fruits, Seeds, Stones, &c. as are named therein.
Viz. VI. Of The divers Readings set in the Margents of the Bibles of the last Translation.
Extracted out of the most approved Authours, both Ancient and Modern, especially PETRI RAVANELLI Bibliotheca Sacra.
And now in this SEVENTH EDITION very much enlarged, and digested into one Complete Alphabetical DICTIONARY.
By the diligent Care and industrious Pains of ANDREW SIMSON, Minister of the Gospel.
foreign. Plato in Gorgia. foreign. Epictetus.
LONDON:
Printed by E. Cotes, and are to be sold by THOMAS WILLIAMS at the BIBLE in Little-Britain without Aldersgate, M. DC. LXI.
An Epistle to the Reader.
THE holy Scriptures are the inditement and invention of the holy Ghost, and therefore full of infinite wisdom and eloquence, even the wisdom and eloquence of God. They contain (as one saith) Cor & animam Dei, the very heart and (as it were) the…. Magnus. soul of God. They are the Saints counsellers and comforters in the house of their pilgrimage. And therefore it is not only our duty to read them, but our great priviledge' and unspeakablePsal. 119. happiness that we have them to read. No man ever drank too much of this water of life, or fed too much of this bread of life. Better want the light of the Sun, then the light of the holy Scriptures.
But yet it cannot be denyed, but that there are many who spider-like suck the poyson of sin and error out of these sweet and precious flowers. There are many that are unlearned and unstable, who (as the Apostle saith) wrest the Scriptures unto their own destruction. But this must not2 Pet. 3. 16. disswade nor discourage us from reading and searching into them. The Bee must not refuse to suck sweetness. out of a flower, because a Spider sucks poyson out of it. Non debet Ovis pellem suam deponere, quia Lupus ea se aliquando contegit: We must not cease from reading the … to our own salvation, because some men abuse them to their own destruction. We read that the Devil brings Scripture against Christ, and yet for all that Christ brings Scripture against him. Christ did not refuse to use it, because the Devil abused it, but he confutes him withMat. 4. 6. his own weapon. The reading of the Scriptures is not a cause of error, but rather the not reading of them, as Christ expresly saith, Mark 12. 24. Christ doth not say (as the Papist) Ye erre because you know the Scriptures; But, You erre not knowing the Scriptures. The light cannot cause darkness, but the absence of light. The rule doth not make the work go wrong, but the want of it. The armour doth not cause a wound, but the absence of it. Now the Scriptures are the Christian mans rule, light, and spiritual armour. The Law of God makes simple men wise, Psal. 19. 7. not wise men simple. It is a soul-murdering practise of the Papists, to deny the reading of the Scriptures to common people, because some sometimes abuse them. By this Argument they must also keep learned men from reading them, because many of them do sometimes wrest them to their own destruction. Most of the heresies that have been in the Church, have come in by learned men, rather then by ignorant men. Things that are of necessary use, the ill using of them must not take away the right using of them, but quicken us to use them rightly. We must not forbear eating and drinking because some abuse their meat to gluttony, and drink to drunkenness; but we must labour to eat and drink with sobriety and temperance. We must not refuse to read the Scriptures (which are more necessary then our appointed food) becauseJob 13. 12. some abuse them, but we must therefore labour to read them with an humble aad self-denying heart, with Prayer to God that made them, that he would reveal to us the meaning of them, with a Gospel fear and trembling, lest we should wrack and torture them, and make them speak what they never meant; And also we must thankfully and diligently make use of all those helps which God hath afforded us for the right understanding of them.
Of which sort there are many in Latin, none that I know in English of this nature, but this ensuing Treatise. A Book of singular usefulness for all Ministers of the Gospel, Masters of families, and private Christians. I may very well call it, A key of the Bible, because it unlocks to us the rich Treasury of the holy Scriptures: A Divine Dictionary, teaching us the language of the holy Ghost in our own native tongue, and expounding to us the most obscure and difficult Phrases and Words of the holy Scriptures. The former Book was so acceptable unto the Church of Christ, that it was five times printed. But this will be far more useful and beneficial, because it doth not only contain what was in the former Editions, but adds, (to make it a Complete Christian Dictionary) 1. The several acceptations and significations of above 4000 words and phrases. 2. All the proper names of the Scripture, with their interpretation. 3. Several words and phrases more fully explained. 4. Divers readings. 5. The nature of the Birds, Beasts, Fishes, Precious stones, Trees, Herbs, Seeds, &c. mentioned in the holy Scriptures.
The perfecting of this Work cost (no doubt) the Reverend Minister the Enlarger and Completer thereof, much time and pains. It is very well worthy the publick view; Let me heartily commend it (Christian Reader) to thy diligent perusal; and the rather, because thereby thou shalt come to know the meaning of those Books which will make thee wise unto ….
Your Servant in the work of the Ministery, EDM. CALAMY.