II. 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 circumcison, 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.

III. In the primitive times they had godfathers 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.

BASTARD.

I. 'TIS said the 23d of Deuteronomy, ch. z, "A bastard shall not enter into the congrega"tion of the Lord, even to the tenth genera"tion." 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,

Rome, without a dispensation, cannot take or. ders; the thing haply well enough were 'tis so settled; but that it is 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.

BIBLE, SCRIPTURE.

I. IT 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.

II. 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 Bishops' Bible as well as King James's. The translators 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 Apocry

B 3

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, &c.; if they found any fault, they spoke; if not, he read on.

III. 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. 1 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 jeer do they make of it!

:

IV. Scrutamini Scripturas. These two words have undone the world, because Christ spoke it to his disciples; therefore we must all, men, women and children, read and interpret the Scripture.

V. Henry the Eighth made a law, that all men might read the Scripture, except serwants; but no woman, except ladies and genwomen, who had leisure, and might ask somebody the meaning. The law was repealed in Edward the Sixth's days.

VI. Laymen have best interpreted the hard places in the Bible, such as Johannes Picus,

Picus, Scaliger, Grotius, Salmasius, Hein sius, &c.

VII. If you ask which of Erasmus, Beza, or Grotius, did best upon the New Testament, it is an idle question; for they all did well in their way. Erasmus broke down the first brick, Beza added many things, and Grotius added much to him, in whom we have either something new, or something heightened, that was said before, and so it was necessary to have them all three..

VIII. The text serves only to guess by; we must satisfy ourselves fully out of the au thors that lived about those times.

IX. In interpreting the Scripture, many do as if a man should see one have ten pounds which he reckoned by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, meaning four was but four unites, and five five unites, &c. and that he had in all but ten pounds; the other that sees him takes not the figures together as he doth, but picks here and there, and thereupon reports, that he hath five pounds in one bag, and six pounds in another bag, and nine pounds in another bag, &c. when as in truth he hath but ten pounds in all. So we pick out a text here and there to make it serve our turn; whereas if we take it all together, and considered what went before, and what followed after, we should find it meant no such thing.

X. Make no more allegories in Scripture than needs must; the fathers were too fre

quent in them; they indeed, before they fully understood the literal sense, looked out for an allegory. The folly whereof you may conceive thus: Here at the first sight appears to me in my window a glass and a book; I take it for granted, it is a glass and a book, there upon I go about to tell you what they signify; afterwards, upon nearer view, they prove no such thing; one is a box made like a book, the other is a picture made like a glass ;where is now my allegory?

XI. When men meddle with the literal text, the question is, where they should stop: in this case, a man must venture his discre tion, and do his best to satisfy himself and others in those places where he doubts; for although we call the Scripture the word of God, as it is, yet it was writ by a man, a mercenary man, whose copy either might be false, or he might make it false: for example, here were a thousand Bibles printed in England with the text thus, "Thou shalt commit “adultery,” the word "not" left out; might not this text be mended?

XII. The Scripture may have more senses besides the literal, because God understands all things at once; but a man's writing has but one true sense, which is that which the author meant when he writ it.

XIII. When you meet with several readings of the text, take heed you admit nothing against the tenets of your church; but do

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