?bat theh9ly Scriptures*ereisditedby gelsf#rit. 34= excelled all humanewritings in conceit ofwit,andexcellen - Why the ¡trip. tieofphrafeand ftile,as farce as God excelle thman,whereas tares werepen. we feethat they are penned after a,snofl fimple plaine and ncdis a fïn*ple npolifhedmanner:To whichIanfwere,that it doth not be- e andplaP come aPrince to play theOratour when he fettethout an e- di&, nor to vfe Rhetorical! figures and alluringperfwafions whenhebath to deale withhis fubieds, but rather pererp- torie commandementsand plaine phrafes,fulofgrauitieand authoritiewithout all affectation; &howmuch leffe fLould the chiclecommander ofKing and fubiecrt, vfe fuch a ffile as fauouredany whit ofhumane elogMence;feeing it better be- feemeth his Maieflie plainly to command,then toperfwade, or allure with inticing fpeeches ? Secondly, theScriptures werepenned by the holyGhol ,not only for thewife & lear- ned,but alfo for the fimple and ignorant ; and therfore how- foeuer theLord in the profunditie ofhiswifedome, could hauewritten in fuch a loftie flile aswould haue filledeuen themoll learnedwithadmiration, vet he vfeth a Pimple calk ílile fit for thecapacitieofall,becaufe it wasfor the vfe ofall, andneeeffarie to faluation tobee vnderflood ofall forts and conditions. As thereforehe framethhimfelfe to cur 'hallow capacitie in the penningoftheScriptures, and fpeakethnot according tohis vnfearchable wifedome, but after the man- nerofmen,or elfe no man, no not the moll wife and learned couldvnderfland him : fohee thought it fit to fpeake afwell to the capacitieof the fimple asthe wife, becaufe the know- ledge ofhis wordwas noleffe neceffary to faluation to thefe than to the other;and in his mercieand goodneffehe vouch- fafedas well milketo the babe,as firongmeare to thofewho werecome to more ripe yeeres inknowledge and fpirituall wifedome. At which thewife and learned haue no reafon :o beof1'ended,feeing the faluationofone is as deale to God as ofanother, and they maywith greater facilitie vnderfland theScriptures being plaine and-eafie, which could not bee ^vnderflood ofthe fimple, ifthey werepenned ina loftie elo- quent phrafe. Andyetifthey examine the Scriptures in the balanceof a true iudgement, theymay linde foede therein contained ftfortheirownepallat and talk .; for under this 3 hutntlittc. A
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