the Scripture than yourselves, may help to clear your understanding. When Philip asked the eunuch that read Isa. liii. "Understandest thou what thou readest? he said, How can I except some man should guide me "?" Make use of your guides, if you would not err.

Direct. x. When you are stalled by any difficulty which over-matcheth you, note it down, and propound it to your pastor, and crave his help, or (if the minister of the place be ignorant and unable) go to some one that God hath furnished for such work.' And if after all, some things remain still dark and difficult, remember your imperfection, and wait on God for further light, and thankfully make use of all the rest of the Scripture which is plain. And do not think as the papists, that men must forbear reading it for fear of erring, any more than that men must forbear eating for fear of poison, or than subjects must be kept ignorant of the laws of the king, for fear of misunderstanding or abusing them.

CHAPTER XXI.

Directions for Reading other Books.

a

BECAUSE God hath made the excellent, holy writings of his servants, the singular blessing of this land and age; and many an one may have a good book, even any day or hour of the week, that cannot at all have a good preacher *; I advise all God's servants to be thankful for so great a mercy, and to make use of it, and be much in reading; for reading with most doth more conduce to knowledge than hearing doth, because you may choose what subjects and the most excellent treatises you please; and may be often at it, and may peruse again and again what you forget, and may take time as you go to fix it on your mind: and with very many it doth more than hearing also to move the heart, though hearing of itself, in this hath the advantage; because lively books may be more easily had, than lively preachers: es

hActs viii. 30, 31,

a Xenophon primus omnium quæ dicebantur, notis excepta in publiéum edidit. Diog. Laert. lib. ii. sect. 48. p. 109.

pecially these sorts of men should be much in reading. 1. Masters of families, that have more souls to care for than their own. 2. People that live where there is no preaching, or as bad or worse than none. 3. Poor people, and servants, and children, that are forced on many Lord's days to stay at home, whilst others have the opportunity to hear. 4. And vacant persons that have more leisure than others have. To all these, but especially masters of families, I shall here give a few Directions.

Direct. 1. I presuppose that you keep the devil's books out of your hands and house.' I mean cards, and idle tales, and play-books, and romances or love-books, and false, bewitching stories, and the seducing books of all false teachers, and the railing or scorning books which the men of several sects and factions write against each other, on purpose to teach men to hate one another, and banish love: for where these are suffered to corrupt the mind, all grave and useful writings are forestalled. And it is a wonder to see, how powerfully these poison the minds of children, and many other empty heads: also books that are written by the sons of Corah, to breed distastes and discontents in the minds of the people against their governors, both magistrates and ministers. For there is something in the best rulers, for the tongues of seditious men to fasten on, and to aggravate in the people's ears; and there is something even in godly people, which tempteth them too easily to take fire and be distempered before they are aware; and they foresee not the evil to which it tendeth.

Direct. 11. When you read to your family, or others, let it be seasonably and gravely, when silence and attendance encourage you to expect success; and not when children are crying or talking, or servants bustling to disturb you.' Distraction is worst in the greatest businesses. Direct. 111. Choose such books as are most suitable to your state, or to those you read to ".' It is worse than unprofitable to read books for comforting troubled minds, to those that are blockishly secure, and have hardened, obstinate, unhumbled hearts. It is as bad as to give medicines

↳ Saith Aristippus, in Diog. Laert. As they are not the healthfulest that eat most, so are they not the most learned that read inost; but they that read that which is most necessary and profitable.

or plasters contrary to the patient's need, and such as cherish the disease. So is it to read books of too high a style or subject, to dull and ignorant hearers. We use to say, • That which is one man's meat, is another man's poison.' It is not enough that the matter be good, but it must be agreeable to the case for which it is used.

Direct. 1v. To a common family, begin with those books, which at once inform the judgment about the fundamentals, and awaken the affections to entertain them and improve them.' Such as are treatises of regeneration, conversion, or repentance: to which purpose I have written myself, The Call to the Unconverted ;-The Treatise of Conversion;-Directions for a Sound Conversion;-A Treatise of Judgment;-A Sermon against making Light of Christ ;-True Christianity ;-A Sermon of Repentance; -Now or Never;-A Saint or a Brute; with others; which I mention, not as equalling them with others, but as those which I am more accountable for. On this subject these are very excellent, Mr. R. Allen's Works ;—Mr. Whateley on the New Birth;-Mr. Swinnock of Regeneration;—Mr. Pinks's five Sermons ;-most of Mr. Hooker's Sermons ;-Mr. J. Rogers's Doctrine of Faith ;Mr. Dent's Plain Man's Pathway to Heaven ;-most of Mr. Perkins', and Mr. Bolton's Works, and many the like.

Direct. v. Next these, read over those books which are more suited to the state of young Christians for their growth in grace, and for their exercise of faith, and love, and obedience, and for the mortifying of selfishness, pride, sensuality, worldliness, and other the most dangerous sins.' My own on this subject are, my Directions for Weak Christians ;-my Saints' Rest ;-A Treatise of Self-denial;-another of The Mischiefs of Self-ignorance; -Life of Faith ;-Of Crucifying the World ;-The Unreasonableness of Infidelity ;—Of Right Rejoicing, &c. To this use these are excellent, Mr. Hildersham's Works; -Dr. Preston's ;-Mr. Perkins' ;-Mr. Bolton's ;-Mr. Fenner's ;—Mr. Gurnall's ;-Mr. Anthony Burgess's Sermons; Mr. Lockier on the Colossians, with abundance more that God hath blessed us with.

Direct. VI. At the same time labour to methodise your knowledge, and to that end read first and learn some short.

catechism, and then some larger (as Mr. Ball's, or the Assemblies, larger); and next some body of divinity, (as Amesius's Marrow of Divinity, and Cases of Conscience, which are Englished).' And let the catechism be kept in memory while you live, and the rest be throughly understood.

Direct. VII. Next read (to yourselves or families) the larger expositions of the Creed, Lord's Prayer, and Ten Commandments.' Such as Perkins, Bishop Andrews on the Commandments, and Dod, &c. That your understanding may be more full, particular, and distinct; and your families may not stop in generals, which are not understood.

Direct. VIII. 'Read much those books which direct you in a course of daily communion with God, and ordering all your conversations.' As Mr. Reyner's Directions ;-The Practice of Piety ;-Mr. Palmer's ;-Mr. Scudder's ;—Mr. Bolton's Directions ;-and my Divine Life.

Direct. Ix. For peace, and comfort, and increase of the love of God, read Mr. Symmond's Deserted Soul, &c.; -and his Life of Faith:-all Dr. Sibbs's Works ;-Mr. Harsnet's Cordials;-Bishop Hall's Works, &c.: my Method for Peace, and Saints' Rest, &c.

Direct. x. For the understanding of the text of Scripture, keep at hand either Deodate's, or the Assembly of Divines, or the Dutch Annotations; with Dr. Hammond's, or Dickson's and Hutchinson's brief observations.

Direct. XI. For securing you against the fever of uncharitable zeal and schism, and contentious wranglings and cruelties for religion sake. Read diligently Bishop Hall's Peacemaker (and other of his books);-Mr. Burrough's Irenicon;-Acontius's Stratagems of Satan ;-and my Catholic Unity;-Catholic Church ;-Universal Concord, &c.' Direct. XII. For establishing you against Popery, on the soundest grounds, not running in the contrary extreme; read Dr. Challoner's Credo Ecclesiam, &c.;-Chillingworth ;-Dr. Field of the Church, &c. ;-and my True Catholic ;-and my Key for Catholics;-and my Safe Religion;—and Winding-sheet for Popery ;-and Disputation with Mr. Johnson.'

Direct. x111. For especial preparation for affliction, sufferings, sickness, death: read Mr. Hughes's Rod;-Mr. Lawrence's Christ's Power over Sicknesses;-Mr. S. Ru

therford's Letters, &c. ;-my Treatise of Self-denial ;—the Believer's Last Work ;-the Last Enemy Death;--and the Fourth Part of my Saints' Rest. I will add no more, lest they seem too many.’

CHAPTER XXII.

Directions for the Right Teaching of Children and Servants, so as may be most likely to have Success.

I HERE suppose them utterly untaught that you have to do with; and therefore shall direct you what to do, from the very first beginning of your teaching, and their learning. And I beseech you study this Chapter more than many of the rest; for it is an unspeakable loss that befalls the church, and the souls of men, for want of skill, and will, and diligence, in parents and masters in this matter.

Direct. I. 'Cause your younger children to learn the words, though they be not yet capable of understanding the matter.' And do not think as some do, that this is but to make them hypocrites, and to teach them to take God's name in vain for it is neither vanity nor hypocrisy to help them first to understand the words and signs, in order to their early understanding of the matter and signification. Otherwise no man might teach them any language, nor teach them to read any words that be good, because they must first understand the words before the meaning. If a child learn to read in a Bible, it is not taking God's name or Word in vain, though he understand it not: for it is in order to his learning to understand it; and it is not vain which is to so good a use: if you leave them untaught till they come to be twenty years of age, they must then learn the words before they can understand the matter. Do not therefore leave them the children of darkness, for fear of making them hypocrites. It will be an excellent way to redeem their time, to teach them first that which they are capable of learning: a child of five or six years old can learn the words of a catechism or Scripture, before they are capable of understanding them. And then when they come to years of understanding, that part of their work is done,