;56 Epheflans,Chapa3. V E a. q.¡ onelycotnmended tous a little book, hatliinfpircd his fcrvants fo, as to write in fewwords. And feting the Scripture is fo compendious, we muff bang upon the gift of interpretation, without whichwee can- not conceiveofit as weought. V E x s. 4. Whereby whenye reade, ye may knowmine under fanding inthemyflery ofChrifl.) This is the fruit ofhis writing: In which we confider, i. The thing they fhouldknow, his underilanding in the myflery ofChri i. 2. The meane, by reading; whichwhen you read. z. Then we fee what the Apoftle maketh the oiewhich he inten- ded in his writing, to exhibit adraught of his underaanding in Chrif!:' Doti, this doth teachus, That though they did write briefly in few words, yet The fcopa of fuffciently tofalvation; thiswas the (cope ofthem to reveille Chriff in their the Apo writings fufficiently unto falvation. For the Apofflcs being faithful! writing was, to reveale Regifters for the Church of God , could not fuppreffe any thing chaff fuflici- which theydid feebehoovefull for that city ofGod. To confider this önytofaiva- doth prevent that which the Papiffs would inferre, O fav they, they write in fewwords,and therefore obfcurely and unfufficiently: Nay, infewwords,faithPaul, yet fo thatyou may fee by meanofit what I know Doti. ofchrifl. Theprincipal! dofirineofthisverfe is this, viz: That reading ÿeódnggreíh is an exertsfegreatlyavailing no; he telleth the.içphe/ianc, that reading, !y profitable tous. V eR. 4. Deat.6. 9. Yet notto he matched with preaching. they fould knowhis underflan-ding. Now there are two kindes of reading, Private andEcclefi4 licall. z. In private Gods people were commanded to have the words of the Law upon thepofis oftheir doores;and all arecommanded,iohn 5.39. Searchthe Scriptures: and Miniffers efpecially, r Tim. 3 . 13. Give at. tendance to reading. a. Ecclefiaficall , a leulure out of the Law and the Prophets, and chapters in the Prophets fuited with the Law, which might ferve as a Commentaryupon the portion read, andco/64. r6. When this Epi- file isreadofyou, caufe it to beread in the Church ofthe Laodiceans, &c. and r The 5. 27.i chargeyou in the Lord,that thù Epiflle be read unto ¡Lishe brethren. Youmay fee how the Churches had this aflameof reading when theywere affembled. Andthis ordinance ofGod is ve- ry beneficial! to all forts, both to the called and uncalled. Thefe it dothprepare toedification by the ordinance , others it dothbuild úp and lead even tobehold the knowledge, the affcéfions of the men of God by whom theywere penned. Yet though it bean ordinancefruit- ful!, it muff not bemade acompeere with the preachingof theWord, much leffe be preferred before ir. z. It is not fo abfolutely neceffary for the being ofa Church, which the Primitive Churches did know, who before the written Word came into theirtongues,were thetrue Churches ofGod. 2. It is not an ordinarymeane ofconverting to God , thepreach- ing of the Word goeth beforeit here, Rom. s0.14. 3. Though it furtherpromote knowledge, and the workofgrace in A
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