something ill against them that deserves God should curse me for it. On the other side, 'tis not a Man's blessing me that makes me blessed; he only declares me to be so; and if I do well I shall be blessed, whether any bless me

or not.

3. At the time of Dissolution, they were tender in taking from the Abbots and Priors their Lands and their Houses, till they surrounded them (as most of them did). Indeed the Prior of St. John's,* Sir Richard Weston, being a stout Man, got into France, and stood out a whole Year, at last submitted, and the King took in that Priory also, to which the Temple belonged, and many other Houses in England. They did not then cry no Abbots, no Priors, as we do now, No Bishops, no Bishops.

4. Henry the Fifth put away the Friars, Aliens, and seized to himself 100,000l. a Year; and therefore they were not the Protestants only that took away Church Lands.

5. In Queen Elizabeth's time, when all the Abbies were pulled down, all good Works defaced, then the Preachers must cry up Justification by Faith, not by good Works.

* St. John's of Jerusalem at Clerkenwell, founded 1100, endowed with the revenues of the English Knights Templars, 1323. The Prior ranked as first Baron of England. The last Prior, Sir R. Weston, retired on a pension of 1000l. a year, but died of a broken heart on Ascension day, 1540; the day the Priory was suppressed. The Church and the House remained entire during Henry the Eighth's reign; he kept his hunting tents and toils in them. But in Edward the Sixth's time the Church was blown up with gunpowder, by order of Somerset, and the stones carried to build his house in the Strand.

Articles.

HE nine and thirty Articles are much another thing in Latin, (in which tongue they were

made) than they are translated into English. They were made at three several Convocations, and confirmed by Act of Parliament six or seven times after. There is a Secret concerning them: Of late Ministers have subscribed to all of them; but by Act of Parliament that confirmed them, they ought only to subscribe to those Articles which contain matter of Faith, and the Doctrine of the Sacraments, as appears by the first Subscriptions.* But Bishop Bancroft (in the Convocation held in King James's days) he began it, that Ministers should subscribe to three things, to the King's Supremacy, to the Common Prayer, and to the Thirty-nine Articles. Many of them do not contain matter of Faith. Is it matter of Faith how the Church should be governed? Whether Infants should be baptized? Whether we have any Property in our Goods? &c.

Baptism.

WAS a good way to persuade Men to be christened, to tell them that they had a Foulness

about them, viz. Original Sin, that could not

be washed away but by Baptism.

See Blackburne's Confessional, page 5, and 368, and Lamb's Historical Account of the Thirty-nine Articles. Cambr. 1829, 4to. page 32.

2. The Baptising of Children with us, does only prepare a Child against he comes to be a Man, to understand what Christianity means. In the Church of Rome, it has this Effect, it frees Children from Hell. They say they go into Limbus Infantum. It succeeds Circumcision, and we are sure the Child understood nothing of that at eight Days old; why then may not we as reasonably baptise a Child at that Age? In England of late years I ever thought the Parson baptized his own Fingers rather than the Child.

3. In the Primitive Times they had God-fathers to see the Children brought up in the Christian Religion, because many times, when the Father was a Christian, the Mother was not, and sometimes, when the Mother was a Christian, the Father was not; and therefore they made choice of two or more that were Christians to see their Children brought up in that Faith.

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Bastard.

IS said the XXIII. of Deuteron. 2. [A Bastard shall not enter into the Congregation

of the Lord, even to the tenth Generation.] Non ingredietur in Ecclesiam Domini, he shall not enter into the Church. The meaning of the Phrase is, he shall not marry a Jewish Woman. But upon this grossly mistaken, a Bastard at this Day in the Church of Rome, without a Dispensation, cannot take Orders: the thing haply well enough where 'tis so settled; but that 'tis upon a Mistake, (the Place having no reference to

the Church,) appears plainly by what follows at the third Verse: [An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the Congregation of the Lord, even to the tenth Generation.] Now you know with the Jews an Ammonite or a Moabite could never be a Priest, because their Priests were born so, not made.

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Bible, Scripture.

IS a great Question how we know Scripture to be Scripture, whether by the Church, or by Man's private Spirit. Let me ask you how

I know any thing? how I know this Carpet to be green ? First, because somebody told me it was green; that you call the Church in your Way. Then after I have been told it is green, when I see that Colour again, I know it to be green; my own eyes tell me it is green; that you call the private Spirit.

2. The English Translation of the Bible is the best Translation in the World, and renders the Sense of the Original best, taking in for the English Translation, the Bishop's Bible as well as King James's. The Transla

1. The Bishops' Bible, begun soon after Elizabeth's accession to the throne, by Archbishop Parker and eight Bishops, besides others. It was published in 1568 with a preface by Parker.

2. King James's. Begun in 1607, published in 1611: 47 of the most learned men in the nation employed on it. There is no book so translated, i. e. so peculiarly translated, considering the purpose it was meant for-General reading.

Many impressions of English Bibles printed at Amsterdam, and more at Edinburgh, in Scotland, were daily brought over hither

tion in King James's time took an excellent way. That Part of the Bible was given to him who was most excellent in such a Tongue, (as the Apocrypha to Andrew Downs); and then they met together, and one read the Translation, the rest holding in their Hands some Bible, either of the learned Tongues, or French, Spanish, Italian, etc. if they found any Fault, they spoke, if not he read on.

3. There is no Book so translated as the Bible for the

purpose. If I translate a French Book into English, I turn it into English Phrase, not into French English. [Il fait froid] I say 'tis cold, not, it makes cold; but the Bible is rather translated into English Words than into English Phrase. The Hebraisms are kept, and the Phrase of that Language is kept: As for Example, [He uncovered her Shame] which is well enough, so long as Scholars have to do with it; but when it comes among the Common People, Lord, what Gear do they make of it!

4. Scrutamini Scripturas. These two Words have undone the World. Because Christ spake it to his Disciples, therefore we must all, Men, Women and Children, read and interpret the Scripture.

5. Henry the Eighth made a Law, that all Men might read the Scripture, except Servants; but no Woman, ex

and sold here. Little their volumes, and low their prices, as being of bad paper, worse print, little margin, yet greater than the care of the corrector-many abominable errata being passed therein. Take one instance for all. Jerem. iv. 17: speaking of the whole commonwealth of Judah, instead of "Because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the Lord," it is printed (Edinb. 1637.) "Because she hath been religious against me."