Articles.

THE nine and thirty Articles are much ano

TH

ther thing in Latin, (in which Tongue they were made) than they are tranflated into English; they were made at three feveral Convocations, and confirmed by Act of Parliament fix or feven Times after. There is a Secret concerning them: Of late Minifters have fubfcribed to all of them, but by A& of Parliament that confirm'd them, they ought only to fubfcribe to thofe Articles which contain matter of Faith, and the Doctrine of the Sacraments, as appears by the firft Subscriptions. But Bishop Bancroft (in the convocation held in King James's days) he be gan it, that Ministers should subscribe to three Things, to the King's Supremacy, to the Common-Prayer, and to the Thirty Nine Articles; though many of them do not contain matter of Faith. Is it matter of Faith how the Church should be govern'd? Whether Infants fhould be baptized? Whether we have any Property in our Goods? &

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TWA

Baptifm.

WAS a good way to perfuade Men to be Chriftned, to tell them that they had a Foulnefs about them, viz. Original Sin, that could not be washed away but by Baptifm.

2. The Baptifing 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 fay they go into Limbus Infantum. It fucceeds Circumcifion, and we are fure the Child underftood nothing of that at eight Days old; why then

may not we as feasonably baptise a Child at that Age ? In England of late Years I ever thought the Parfon baptiz'd his own Fingers rather than the Child.

3. In the Primitive Times they had God-fathers to fee the Children brought up in the Chriftian Religion, becaufe many times, when the Father was a Chriftian, the Mother was not; and sometimes, when the Mother was a Chriftian, 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.

IS faid the 23 d. of Deuteron. 2. [A Baftara shall not eater into the Congregation of the Lord, even to the tenth Generation.] Non ingredietur in Ecclefiam Domini, he shall not enter into the Church. The meaning of the Phrase is, he shall not marry a Jewish Woman. But upon this grofly miftaken; a Baftard at this Day in the Church of Rome, without a Dispensation, cannot take Orders; the thing haply well enough where 'tis fo fettled; but '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 Prieft; because their Priefts were born so, not made.

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Bible, Scripture.

IS a great Queftion 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

any thing? how I know this Carpet to be green ? Firft, because fome body told me it was green; that you call the Church in your Way. Then after I have been told it is green, when I fee 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 Tranflation of the Bible is the best. Tranflation 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 Translation in King James's time took an excellent way. That Part of the Bible was given to him who was most excellent in fuch a Tongue (as the Apocry pha to Andrew Downs) and then they met together, and one read the Tranflation, the reft holding in their Hands fome Bible, either of the Learned Tongues, or French, Spanish, Italian, &c. if they found any Fault, they spoke; if not, he read on.

3. There is no Book fo tranflated as the Bible for the purpose. If I tranflate a French Book into English, I turn it into English Phrafe, not into French English. [Il fait froid] I fay 'tis cold, not, it makes cold; but the Bible is rather tranflated into English Words than into English Phrafe. The Hebraifms are kept, and the Phrase of that Language is kept: As for Example, [He uncover'd her Shame] which is well enough, fo long as Scholars have to do with it; but when it comes among the Common People, Lord, what Jeer do they make of it!

4. Scrutamini Scripturas. These two Words have undone the World; because Chrift fpake it to his Difciples; therefore we muft all, Men, Women and Children, read and interpret the Scripture.

5. Henry the Eight made a Law, that all Men might read the Scripture, except Servants; but no Woman, Sxcept Ladies and Gentlewomen, who had Leifure and

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might

might ask fomebody the Meaning. The Law was re peal'd in Edward the Sixth's Days.

6. Lay-men have best interpreted the hard Places in the Bible, fuch as Johannes Picus, Scaliger, Grotius » Salmafius, Heinfius, &c.

7. If you ask which of Erafmus, Bexa, or Grotius did beft upon the New Teftament, 'tis an idle Question: For they all did well in their Way. Erasmus broke down the firft Brick, Beza added many things, and Grotius added much to him, in whom we have either fomething new, or fomething heighten'd, that was faid before, and fo 'twas necessary to have them all three.

8. The Text ferves only to guefs by, we must satisfie our felves fully out of the Authors that liv'd about thofe times.

9. In interpreting the Scripture, many do as if a Man fhould fee 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 fees. 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 fix Pounds in ano ther 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 ferve our turn; whereas if we take it all together, and confider'd what went before, and what followed after, we fhould find it meant no fuch thing.

10. Make no more Allegories in Scripture than needs muft; the Fathers were too frequent in them; they indeed, before they fully understood the literal Senfe, look'd out for an Allegory. The Folly whereof you may conceive thus: Here at the firft fight appears to me in my Window a Glafs and a Book; I take it for

granted

granted, 'tis a Glass and a Book, thereupon I go about to tell you what they fignifie; afterwards upon nearer view, they prove no fuch thing; one is a Box made like a Book, the other is a Picture made like a Glass, where's now my Allegory?

II. When Men meddle with the literal Text, the Question is, where they should ftop: In this Cafe, a Man muft venture his Difcretion and do his best to fatisfie himself and others in thofe 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, whofe Copy, either might be falfe, or he might make it falfe: 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?

12. The Scripture may have more Senfes befides the Literal; because God understands all things at once; but a Man's Writing has but one true Senfe, which is that which the Author meant when he writ it.

13. When you meet with feveral Readings of the Text, take heed you admit nothing against the Tenets of your Church; but do as if you was a going over a Bridge, be fure you hold faft by the Rail, and then you may dance here and there as you pleafe; be fure you keep to what is fettled, and then you may flou rish upon your various Lections.

14. The Apocrypha is bound with the Bibles of all Churches that have been hitherto. Why fhould we leave it out? The Church of Rome has her Apocrypha (viz.) Sufanna and Bell and the Dragon, which she does not efteem equally with the reft of thofe Books that we call Apocrypha.