The Power of Godliness, Treatise · Part 3 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. The next great help & direction for attaining of Holineſs, is, reading of holy books.
THe next direction and advice, is, to read holy books the chief and fountain of all the reſt is the Scripture, which is able to make us wiſe unto Salvation. I confeſs it doth amaze mee, to think, that any one that dare own the name of a Chriſtian, ſhould forbid the people of God to read the Bible; but when I conſider that Popery is upheld by cruelty, and policy, and that it is unpoſſible but that their errors ſhould bee detected; if their ignorance were diſpelled, then no marvell they ſhould forbid the reading of the Scripture; but becauſe there is ſo much fear, that their errours will bee ſpread, I ſhall ſpeak a word or two to this point.
1. What reaſon imaginable is it, that they to whom the Scripture is commanded to bee read, ſhould bee forbidden to read the Scripture; but the Scripture is commanded to bee read, even to men, women, and children, Deut. 31.11, 12.
2. How ſenſleſs is it to ſay, I write, and ſend a letter to ſuch a man, but I intend not that hee ſhould read it? Now it is plain, that generally the Epiſtles of Saint Paul, and others, were writ to all the Saints in that City, to which the reſpective Epiſtles are directed, as appears by the titles of the ſeveral Epiſtles: And for any one to ſay, that Paul, &c. did not intend that they ſhould read them, notwithſtanding they ſent them to them, is ſo ſenſleſs, that the very naming of it is ſufficient confutation: But if any one deſires further ſatisfaction in a thing ſo evident, let them read the ſtrict command of the Apoſtle, that they ſhould read it, 1 Theſ. 5.27. I charge you by the Lord, that this Epiſtle hee read unto all the holy brethren: And in his Epiſtle to the Coloſians, hee commands them, not only to read the Epiſtles writ unto them, but the Epiſtle writ to Laodicea alſo, and that thoſe of Laodicea ſhould read the Epiſtle writ to Coloſs, Coloſians 4.16.
3. Thoſe that have been frequent in ſearching the Scripture, and thereby to judge of the Doctrine that was delivered to them, by St. Paul were commended, then it is a commendable thing to read the Scripture, except one can ſearch the Scripture, without reading of it: Now it is plain the Bereans were highly commended for this very thing, Acts 17.11.
4. Our Saviour doth command the Jewes to ſearch the Scriptures, John 5.39. Paul commends Timothy for learning the Scriptures, from a childe, 2 Tim. 3. & 15. and hee is bleſſed, that reads, and that meditates in it, day and night, Rev. 1.3. Pſalm 1.2.
Object. But they ſay, Alas! how can poor ſimple people underſtand the Scriptures?
I anſwer. 1. Ask God that queſtion, who commands them to read the Scriptures, as hath been ſhewn already.
2. One main end of writing the Scripture, is, for their ſakes that are ſimple, Prov. 1.4. Pſalm 19.7. Pſalm 119.130.
3. The way that they would have ſimple people take, is far more intricate, for they would have them believe the Church, but the marks whereby the Church is to bee known, as Antiquity, viſibility, &c. one cannot know, except one reads over the Fathers, Centuries, &c. which requires more time and learning a thouſand-fold, than that which they pretend is too difficult for them, viz. reading the Scriptures.
They take away the Scriptures, which is the Word of Truth, and give them images, which they call Lay-mens books, which God himſelf faith, are Teachers of lies; and for their ſaying, that hence all our errours and hereſies come, that every one is ſuffered to read the Scripture, they ſpeak contrary to that of Chriſt, Mat. 22.29. And for this reaſon, learned men ſhould rather bee forbidden to read the Scripture, than others, ſince generally all Hereticks have been learned men; dare they blaſpheme God, and ſay, (as they muſt, if this were true) Lord, thou haſt commanded us to read the Scriptures; and haſt ſaid, that they are able to make us wiſe to Salvation; and that the cauſe of errour, is the ignorance of the Scripture, yet we finde, that it is the cauſe of all errours and hereſies; and therefore, though thou haſt ſtrictly commanded it, wee do as ſtrictly forbid it. But I muſt crave pardon that I mix any thing of controverſie, in a Treatiſe that I intended to bee purely devotionary; therefore I muſt crave pardon alſo, that I have handled this controverſie, rather in a popular, than Scholaſtical way, ſince my main end of publiſhing this Treatiſe, is, not for the wiſe and prudent, but for babes, in our Saviours ſenſe, Mat. 11.25. therefore I ſhall now return to my former way of more practical matter, and ſhall ſet down ſome ſpiritual directions for reading the Word of God with profit.
Directions how to read the Scripture.
1. REad it as the word of God, there is abundance in this very direction; for if wee conſider the incomprehenſible Attributes of God, they would all inflame us with fervent deſires to read it, and infallible demonſtrations to believe it, and ſtrong endeavours to obey it; and indeed would inable us in all other reſpects, to read it, as wee ought to read it; for did we believe it to bee the Word of God, as John his Revelation, or Daniel his, wee ſhould doubtleſs read it according to theſe ſeveral following directions: For though it is true, Daniel, and other of the Prophets and Apoſtles; were more ſure, that their Revelations were the Word of God, than wee are, that the Scripture is, yet not then they were, that the Scripture was, and is, 2 Pet. 1.17, 18. and indeed wee ought to take heed, that is, read, mark, and conſider it, until the Spirit of Chriſt ſhall ariſe in our hearts, and make us as certain of the divine truth of it, as they were; therefore the firſt great thing is, to confirm our ſelves of this truth, that the Scripture is the Word of God: But this caution I muſt give, that wee muſt take heed to go about this work, meerly by the ſtrength of humane reaſon, without craving the aſſiſtance and light of the Spirit of God, not but that there are ſuch invincible arguments and demonſtrations, that except one bee reſolved to finde out cavils, wee cannot but yeeld to this truth; yet God is ſuch an enemy to the pride of humane reaſon, that God doth hide his truths from thoſe that come to diſcover them with a carnal eye, Mat. 11.25.
Therefore the ſecond direction is, to read the Word of God prayingly, and thou art to pray, not only that God would convince thee, that this is his Word, but that thou mayeſt read it with theſe ſeveral following qualifications.
3. Thou art to read it reverently, not as other books, not as books of Phyloſophy and Hiſtory, &c. but there ought to bee upon thy Spirit, the awe and fear of God; I do not mean, that this reverence that I ſpeak of, ſhould bee ſhown to the paper on which the Word of God is printed, though theſe alſo, as the dead bodies of Saints, are not to bee uſed with diſhonour and deſpight; but this reverence is to bee ſhown to the truths, promiſes, and commands, &c. the ſenſe of the Scripture; do not account them as light and trivial things, but read them with fear and trembling, as both the matter and author of the Scripture require.
4. Read the Scriptures attentively, exceedingly, obſerving and marking what is writ in them; as a man that is try'd for his life, diligently obſerves the witneſſes, and ſentence of the Judge, becauſe his life lieth at ſtake; ſo do thou mark and obſerve the Word of God, for it is thy life, Deut. 32.47.
5. Read the Word of God underſtandingly; for to read, and not to underſtand, is like looking on a ſealed book; therefore when thou readeſt mark thoſe places & verſes, of whoſe truth or meaning thou doubteſt, and enquire the next opportunity thou haſt of ſome faithful Miniſter, and enquire the meaning of them; what paſſages thou doſt not underſtand at the firſt reading, upon further examination or enquiry, thou mayeſt underſtand it: The Virgin Mary, what ſhee did not underſtand, but wonder at, when ſhee firſt heard, ſhee laid up, and pondered in her heart, that ſhee might afterward underſtand: So the viſion that was ſhown to Peter, Acts 10. though hee underſtood not what it meant at the preſent, yet hee did ſeriouſly conſider what God meant by it. It were an excellent work, if there were a clear Comment upon the Bible, that might only fill up an ordinary margent, and yet explain the Text ſo fully, that wee might have a competent underſtanding of it: I commend the Annotations, commonly called, The Aſſemblies Annotations on the Bible. Dixon, and Hutcheſon, what they have done this way, and thoſe that ſhall think it too great a labour, to read the Scripture over with theſe Comments, may make uſe of them only, for the underſtanding of thoſe places that are difficult to them; but it is a great pity, and ſhame, that ſeveral of the Gentry ſpend their time, either in vain and ſinful recreations, or in ſuch ſtudies, as Hiſtories, Mathematicks, &c. and let the Bible lie by, as a book not worthy to bee underſtood by them, eſpecially ſince they profeſs themſelves to bee Chriſtians, and confeſs, that it is the Word of God: As if a Lawyer by profeſſion, ſhould ſpend his whole time in other ſtudies, and underſtand nothing, or very little of the Laws of the Land: People generally think, that it belongs onelyonly to a Miniſter, as a Miniſter, to ſtudy and underſtand the Scripture; but it generally proceeds from their undervaluing of the myſteries, and their diſtaſting the holineſs of its commands.
6. You are to read it believingly; for when once you underſtand it, the next thing is to believe, which is not ſo in any other writing in the world; for what book ſoever you read, or Miniſter you hear, when you do underſtand what they mean, you are to examine whether it be a truth or no which they teach; but as for the Scripture, you are not to ſay, How can this be? but whether this bee the meaning of the words, for the ſenſe of the Scripture, when once known, is not to bee examined any further, ſince there is no truth more evident, by which the Scripture, it being taken for the Word of God, can bee tryed; for ſince it is Gods Word, it is as true as that God is true, for ſince truth is eſſential unto God; it is all one to deny that God is true, as to deny that God is; as ſince roundneſs is eſſential to a circle, it is all one to ſay, it is not round, as to ſay, it is not a circle.
7. Wee are to read it applyingly: Indeed divers commands were perſonal, divers are in reſpect of their Office, as to Miniſters, Magiſtrates, divers were typical, thoſe that were perſonal, as the command to Abraham to offer his Son, ſo, is not to bee applyed to any other, ſave only to the equivalency of it, viz. that nothing ſhould bee ſo dear unto us; but though in caſe God do require it, wee ſhould bee willing to part with it: As for thoſe commands that are typical, they are ceaſed; thoſe that belong to any one, as having ſuch an Office, are not to bee applied to any, but of that office; but as for the promiſes, wee muſt not think, that they were made to thoſe to whom they were made, becauſe they were ſuch or ſuch, but becauſe they were ſo qualified, viz. the promiſes were not made to Abraham, as Abraham, but to Abraham, as believing Abraham; and that promiſe which was made perſonally to him, and confirmed with an oath, was not made, or confirmed by an oath, that Abraham ſhould have ſtrong conſolation only, but that all the heirs of promiſe ſhould have ſtrong conſolation alſo, Heb. 6.14, 17. compared together.
8. Thou muſt read it frequently: But becauſe I have ſpoken more largely in that little Treatiſe, viz. Directions to Chriſtian Perfection. I ſhall proceed to nominate, what other books I would adviſe you to read.