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Epheflans,Chapa3.
V
E
a.
q.¡
onelycotnmended to
us a
little book, hatli
infpircd
his
fcrvants
fo,
as
to
write
in
few
words. And feting the
Scripture
is
fo
compendious,
we
muff
bang upon
the gift
of
interpretation, without which
wee
can-
not
conceive
of
it as
we
ought.
V
E
x s.
4.
Whereby whenye
reade, ye
may know
mine under
f
anding
inthe
myflery
of
Chrifl.)
This
is
the
fruit
of
his
writing: In which
we
confider,
i.
The
thing they
fhould
know,
his
underilanding
in
the
myflery
of
Chri
i.
2.
The
meane,
by
reading;
which
when
you
read.
z.
Then
we
fee
what the
Apoftle maketh the
oie
which
he
inten-
ded
in his
writing,
to exhibit
a
draught of
his
underaanding
in
Chrif!:'
Doti,
this
doth teach
us,
That
though
they
did
write
briefly
in few
words,
yet
The
fcopa
of
fuffciently
to
falvation; this
was
the
(cope
of
them
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 they
did
fee
behoovefull for that
city
of
God.
To
confider
this
ön
ytofaiva-
doth
prevent
that which the
Papiff
s
would inferre,
O fav
they,
they
write
in
few
words,
and therefore obfcurely and unfufficiently:
Nay,
in
few
words,faith
Paul, yet fo that
you
may
fee by
mean
of
it
what I
know
Doti.
ofchrifl. The
principal!
dofirine
of
this
verfe
is
this,
viz: That reading
ÿeódnggreíh is
an exerts
fegreatly
availing
no;
he telleth
the.içphe
/ianc,
that
reading,
!y
profitable
to
us.
V
e
R.
4.
Deat.6.
9.
Yet
notto
he
matched
with
preaching.
they
fould
knowhis
underflan-ding.
Now
there
are
two
kindes
of
reading, Private
and
Ecclefi4
licall.
z. In private
Gods
people were commanded
to
have
the
words
of
the Law
upon
thepofis
of
their
doores
;and
all
are
commanded,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
Commentary
upon
the portion read,
and
co/64.
r6.
When
this
Epi-
file isread
of
you,
caufe it
to
be
read in
the Church
of
the Laodiceans, &c.
and
r
The 5.
27.i
charge
you
in
the
Lord,that
thù
Epiflle
be
read
unto
¡Li
she
brethren.
You
may
fee
how
the Churches had
this
aflame
of
reading when
they
were affembled.
Andthis
ordinance
of
God
is
ve-
ry beneficial!
to
all
forts,
both to
the
called and uncalled. Thefe
it
doth
prepare toedification
by
the ordinance
,
others it doth
build
úp
and lead even to
behold the knowledge, the
affcéfions
of
the
men
of
God by whom they
were penned. Yet though it bean ordinance
fruit-
ful!, it
muff
not be
made
a
compeere with the preaching
of
the
Word,
much
leffe
be preferred before
ir.
z.
It
is
not
fo
abfolutely neceffary for the being
of
a
Church,
which
the
Primitive Churches
did
know,
who
before the
written
Word
came into
theirtongues,were the
true Churches
of
God.
2.
It
is
not an ordinary
meane
of
converting
to God
,
the
preach-
ing of the
Word
goeth before
it here,
Rom.
s
0.14.
3. Though
it
furtherpromote knowledge,
and
the
work
of
grace
in
A