4 whichyou are to learn : It is the Art of loving God, and be- ing happy inhis love. And therefore a wòrldly, fenfual, vicious foul, muff needs be under very great difadvantage for the re- ceiving of fuch a kind of Truths. Do not therefore impute that to the doubtfulnefs of the Whine, which is but theeffect ofthe enmity and incapacity of your minds : How can he pre- fently rellifh the fpiritual and heavenly doctrine, of the Gofpel, who is drowned in the love and care of contrary things? Such men receive not the things of the Spirit : They fcem taithem bothfooliJhnefs and undefirable. 3, lainknot that the hiffory of things done fo long ago, and fo far off, fhould have no more obfcurities, nor be liable to any more ObjeFionr, than of that which was done in the time and Country whereyou live. Nor yet that things done in the pre- fenceof others, and wordsfpoken in their hearing only, fhould be known to you otherwife than by h4iorical evidence, (unlefs every Revelation to others, muff have a new Revelation to bring it to each individual perfon in the world.) And think not that he who is a (hanger to all other helps of Church- hittory, fhould be as well able to undcriland the Scripture- hiffory, as thofe that have thofeother helps. 4. Thinknot that the narrativi of things done in a Country and Age fo remote, and to us unknown, fhould not have many difficulties, arifing from our ignorance of the perlons, places, manners, cuffoms, and many circumffances, which if we had known, would cafily have refolved all fuch doubts. 5. Think, not that a Book which was roritten fo long ago, in fo remote a Country, in a language which few dofury underhand, and which may fence then have feveral changer, as to phrafes, and proverbial and occafional fpeeches, fhould have no more difficulties in it, than a Book that were written at home, in the prefcnt Ages in our Country language, and the moli ufual dialed. To fay nothingof our own language, what changes are made in all other tongues, fince the times that the Gofpel was recorded ? Many proverbial fpecches and phrafes may be now difufed and unknown, which Were then moil cafìe to be underfloor!. And the tranfcribing and preferving ofthe Copies, require us toallow for tome Weds of humane skill and induilry therein. 6. 'Under-
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