580 'DireCiions for ~adi11,g good !J3ooks. Dircli. 9· ~· IC· DireCt 9· _Ke.1d fon;e "f tfu be(f AunotationJ or Expofitorr; wb 9 being betcer acquainted with the phrafe of the s~npturc than )'OUr fdves, may help to dear your underltanding. When Pbi!i asked the Eunuch thH rc<tl !Ca. 53· Vadrrj!mdtj! tbo~t what thou readrft 1 he [aid, How "" ~ except jjme m:m jhould guzde me l ACts 8. 30). 3I· M.1ke ufe of your GHidu, if you would not nr. Dircti. re. tj. 1 J •• Direct. IC· W1mt you are J1. .1Ued by any rjiffim!Jy. w_hicb ~verm.Jtchetb you, note it dow,'l, and prnpm4;rd z: to y11t1' P11jlor, , ar.d crave bu help, or ( 1f the Mm11\er of the place be ignorant and u bl ) go to fi:n_u o11e tb.lt God h.nb (urnijhui for fucb wo~~: And if after all, forne things remain fii~ada:k and d;fficulr, remember yl)llf unperfdl1fln 1 and wa1t on God for further light and thankfully k ufc of all tl~e n.~l o.fi~e Scriptur: which is plain. And do not think as the Pa,piih, that men %~~ forbear nadmg 1t tor h:ar of crr1n~, no more than that men mull forbear eating for fear of p fi or t~an SubjtC~s mull bt:: l(tpt ignorant of the L1ws of the King, for fear of mifunderfia.ndi~y 0~; abLimg them. g CHAP. XX£. 'DireCiionr for !J{eading other !J3ooks. ~'". oph<npc;. BECJufe God hath made the excellent holy Writings of his fervants, the fingular bleffing of nm~ or\rmum rh1s Lmd and Age, and many a one may have a good Book, even auy day or hour ot the week, "q··:e J. c.:h:lr:- that Clnnor at all have a good Prelcher, I advife all Gods fervants to be thankful for tO great ~~;:ran;·~~~P~~~ a mercy and to m<~kc ufe.of ir, and bc much in Readint;: For Reading .with moft doth morecon... lu um c•:i;lit. duce to K7owledge than He.Jrtnf!. dorh : bccau(e you may choofe what fubJcd:s and rhe ~xcellemefi I..u!.i X :opb. Trtatifcs you pleafe; and may be ofren at ir, and may pem[e again and again what you furger, and may rake time as you go to hx it on your mind.: And with very many it dorh more than Ht.JriHg alfo to move the Heart, rhougiJ Htaring of it fllf in this hath the advantage; Becaufe lively Books may be eafilier had, than lively PreJChers: Efpecially theft forts of men lhould be mu<h'in Rta<l– i»g: I• Mallers of families, thar have more fOuls ro CI{e for than their own. 2· People that live where there is no Preaching, or as bad or worfe thannone. 3· Pocr people,and fervan!s) and 'hildren, that are forctd on mapy Lords DJyes to flay at home~ whilll others have the opp0rtunity to hear. 4· And VAcant perfons that have more: leifi1re than others have. To all thefe, but cfpccially Mafters of families, I (hall here give a few Diredions. Dire[/. 2· 9· I . Direct. r. I prrfoppnfe that you kpp the DevilJ Book,.s out of joor handr and houfe; 1 mean Cards, and idle Tales, and Play-books, and Romances or Love-books, and (alft: bcwicching fiories, 2nd the fcducing Books of all falfc: Teachers, and the railing or fcorni.ig Books which the: men of ftveral S~ds and Fad:ions writ~ agam(\: each other, on purpofe to teach men to h?-te one: another, and banifh Love: For where thdCarc fUtTercd to corrupt the mind, all grave and ullful writ'ing, are fordhl1ld : And it is a wonder to fer, how powerfully thefc poyfon the m:nds of children, ~ and mjny other empty heads : Alfo Books that are writtln by the Sons of CoraiJ, tO breed d·lblfcs and d:fCor~tents in the minds of tl~e people againfi: their Governours, both M<~gifirau·s and M:nifters. For there is fomcthing in the bdl: Rulers, for the to,ngues of feditious men to faficn on, and to · U: aggrav.Jte in the peoples cars; and there is fomerhing ev< n in go~ly people, which t~mpceth them too calily to take fire and be diJkmpercd before they are aW~rt:: And thty torel(e not the evil to which it tendt'th. • 9· 2. DireCt. 2· 1Yhen y,ut read to your { .11uil_y or otluu , let it be fo11fm<~bly and gtave!y, rvbtn filotce and 11tt01d mce encour.tgt ) 'OU to exptD {ttcce[i ; and not rvbor children are cr;•ing or t.Jiltjng, ot Jervonli buflwg to djjhtrb yJu, DillraCbon is worll in the grcatcfi bufindf..:s. 'Diretl. 3· §. 3· D~rtd. 3· Cboofe [ur:h Book.J a1 are moft Jitit.~ble to your jlate or to tbofe you read to. It SJ t '.Ar·/tip-) is wodi: than unprofitable, ro rCld Books for comforting troubled minds, to thofe that an. blockifhly ~~~:~~;1Yr:,~t. {tcurr, and have hardne-d, obfiinate, unhumblld hearts : It is as bad as to give Medicines or Piaillcrs nonhelh alrb· contrary to the Pltients 1 eed, and fuch as cherilh the difeafc: So is it to read Books of too fulldlth~rcJt high a fiyle or fubjc.d, to dull and ignorant hearers. \Ve ufc to fly, That which is one mans ~~~~11'11,:~ ~~: meat, is anothe~ m~n: poy.fon. It is nor enough that the matt,cr be good, but it mufi: be agreeable to !e~1~1Ctlil th:n the caft:: fn.r wh1ch If JS ufcd. . . . . . rt·. 1 d;noft,b~H §· 4· Dned:. 4• 7'o a commm [.tmi!y brgin rvzth tbo[e Ro&k,J, rvblch ~~ once n1form the, ]udgtmem they rhat re:J.~ t~brmt tiJe Fund.lmrnt.JIJ, and aw.1b,_en tbe affetJloni to entertain them and zmprove them : Such as are rhlt li·hich. ls Treat ill s nfRcgtntrlrion, Convafion or Rtpenrance: 1 o which purpofc 1have written my felf, rhe ';~11 ~~~fi~~1? C<Zll to t1'e Vncll11Vtrtcd, t!lc 1'rra~ijC of Crmvtrfi 11!, Di,·etJiwu. ( !Jr ~ fund Converfion, a 1uatife of p J:tdganem, a Srrmon ay,.tmff makjug ltt,ht of Chnjf, True Cbnjb.mtty, a SnmotJ ofR.cpent~nce, Now or Nevt1·, A S:tmt 111' a 'Bruit, with others: which J mention not as lqualling rhcm wah others, but as thofe which I am more accountlblc for: On this fubj<:ct thde arc: very exccUenr, Mr. R. AHen's \Vorks,
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