mind, that cometh to the ears of God. And so shall it come to pass, that, if haply they shall mark that some bishops or ministers in the church do call upon God, either with barbarous words, or with words disordered, or that they understand not, or do disorderly divide the words that they pronounce, they shall not laugh them to scorn." Hitherto he seemeth to bear with praying in an unknown tongue. But in the next sentence he openeth his mind thus, "Not for that these things ought not to be amended, that the people may say Amen, to that which they do plainly understand. But yet these things must be godly borne withal of these catechists, or instructors of the faith, that they may learn, that, as in the common place where matters are pleaded, the goodness of an oration consisteth in sound, so in the church it consisteth in devotion." So that he alloweth not the praying in a tongue not understood of him that prayeth but he instructeth the skilful orator to bear with the rude tongue of the devout simple minister.

To conclude: if the lack of understanding the words that are spoken in the congregation do make them unfruitful to the hearers, how should not the same make the words read unfruitful to the reader? The merciful goodness of God grant us his grace to call upon him as we ought to do, to his glory and our endless felicity; which we shall do, if we humble ourselves in his sight, and in all our prayers, both common and private, have our minds fully fixed upon him. For the prayer of them that humble themselves shall pierce through the clouds, and till it draw nigh unto God, it will not be answered; and till the Most High do regard it, it will not depart. And the Lord will not be slack, but he will deliver the just, and execute judgment' (Ecclus. xxxv.). To Him therefore be all honour and glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

[A suitable Prayer after reading the foregoing Homily.

ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee; and dost promise, that when two or three are gathered together in thy Name thou wilt grant their requests: Fulfil now, O Lord, the desires and petitions of thy servants, as may be most expedient for them; granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life everlasting. Amen.—Morning and Evening Prayer.

WHEREAS St. Paul would have such language spoken to the people in the Church, as they might understand, and have profit by hearing the same; &c. &c. All things shall be read and sung in the Church in the English tongue, to the end that the congregation may be thereby edified.-Concerning the Service of the Church. Q. What meanest thou by this word Sacrament? Ans. I mean an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace, given unto us, ordained by Christ himself, as a means whereby we receive the same, and a pledge to assure us thereof.-Q. How many parts are there in a Sacrament? Ans. Two; the outward visible sign, and the inward spiritual grace.-Catechism.

It is a thing plainly repugnant to the Word of God, and the custom of the Primitive Church, to have publick Prayer in the Church, or to minister the Sacraments in a tongue not understanded of the people.-Twenty-fourth Article.

SACRAMENTS ordained of Christ be not only badges or tokens of Christian men's profession, but rather they be certain sure witnesses, and effectual signs of grace, and God's good will towards us, by the which he doth work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken, but also strengthen and confirm our Faith in him.

There are two Sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord in the Gospel, that is to say, Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord.

Those five commonly called Sacraments, that is to say, Confirmation, Penance, Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme Unction, are not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospel, being such as have grown partly of the corrupt following of the Apostles, partly are states of life allowed in the Scriptures; but yet have not like nature of Sacraments with Baptism, and the Lord's Supper, for that they have not any visible sign or ceremony ordained of God.-Twenty-fifth Art.

We pray (as it is fit we should) in that tongue our people do all understand, that the people, as St. Paul admonisheth, may reap a common advantage by the common prayers, &c.-Jewell's Apol. p. 28.

Ir loqui, to speak, be wittingly to bestow each word in his right place, they that utter words which they understand not, chatter rather than speak; so far be they from praying.-Nowell's Cat. p. 90. M. It resteth last of all to speak of the sacraments and divine mysteries, which alway have prayer and thanksgiving joined unto them. Tell me, therefore, what is a sacrament?

S. It is an outward testifying of God's good-will and bountifulness toward us, through Christ, by a visible sign representing an invisible and spiritual grace, by which the promises of God, touching forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation given through Christ, are, as it were, sealed, and the truth of them is more certainly confirmed in our hearts.-Ibid. p. 109.]

AN INFORMATION FOR THEM WHICH TAKE OFFENCE AT CERTAIN PLACES OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURE.

THE FIRST PART.

THE great utility and profit that Christian men and women may take, if they will, by hearing and reading the Holy Scriptures, dearly beloved, no heart can sufficiently conceive, much less is any tongue able with words to express. Wherefore Satan our old enemy, seeing the Scriptures to be the very mean and right way to bring the people to the true knowledge of God, and that Christian religion is greatly furthered by diligent hearing and reading of them, he also perceiving what an hindrance and let they be to him and his kingdom, doth what he can to drive the reading of them out of God's church. And for that end he hath always stirred up, in one place or other, cruel tyrants, sharp persecutors, and extreme enemies unto God and his infallible truth, to pull with violence the holy Bibles out of the people's hands; [who] have most spitefully destroyed and consumed the same to ashes in the fire, pretending, most untruly, that the much hearing and reading of God's word is an occasion of heresy and carnal liberty, and the overthrow of all good order in all wellordered commonweals. If to know God aright be an occasion of evil, then we must needs grant, that the hearing and reading of the Holy Scriptures is the cause of heresy, carnal liberty, and the subversion of all good orders. But the knowledge of God and of ourselves is so far from being an occasion of evil, that it is the readiest, yea, the only mean to bridle carnal liberty, and to kill all our fleshly affections. And the ordinary way to attain this knowledge is with diligence to hear and read the Holy Scriptures. For the whole Scriptures, saith St. Paul, were given by the inspiration of God (2 Tim. iii. 16). And shall we Christian men think to learn the knowledge of God and of ourselves in any earthly man's work or writing, sooner or better than in the Holy Scriptures, written by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost? The Scriptures were not brought unto us by the will of man: but holy men of God, as witnesseth St. Peter, spake as

they were moved by the Holy Spirit of God (2 Pet. i. 21). The Holy Ghost is the schoolmaster of truth, which leadeth his scholars, as our Saviour Christ saith of him, into all truth (John xvi. 13). And whoso is not led and taught by this schoolmaster, cannot but fall into deep error, how godly soever his pretence is, what knowledge and learning soever he hath of all other works and writings, or how fair soever a show or face of truth he hath in the estimation and judgment of the world.

same.

If some man will say, I would have a true pattern and a perfect description of an upright life, approved in the sight of God; can we find, think ye, any better, or any such again, as Christ Jesus is, and his doctrine? whose virtuous conversation and godly life the Scripture so lively painteth and setteth forth before our eyes, that we, beholding that pattern, might shape and frame our lives, as nigh as may be, agreeable to the perfection of the Follow you me, saith St. Paul, as I follow Christ (1 Cor. xi. 1). And St. John in his epistle saith, Whoso abideth in Christ must walk even so as he hath walked before him (1 John ii. 6). And where shall we learn the order of Christ's life, but in the Scripture? Another would have a medicine to heal all diseases and maladies of the mind. Can this be found or gotten otherwhere than out of God's own book, his sacred Scriptures? Christ taught so much, when he said to the obstinate Jews, Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think to have eternal life (John v. 39). If the Scriptures contain in them everlasting life, it must needs follow, that they have also present remedy against all that is an hindrance and let unto eternal life.

If we desire the knowledge of heavenly wisdom, why had we rather learn the same of man than of God himself, who, as St. James saith, is the giver of wisdom (James i. 5; [Eccles. ii. 26])? Yea, why will we not learn it at Christ's own mouth, who, promising to be present with his church till the world's end (Matt. xxviii. 20), doth perform his promise, in that he is not only with us by his grace and tender pity; but also in this, that he speaketh presently unto us in the Holy Scriptures, to the great and endless comfort of all them that have any feeling of God at all in them? Yea, he speaketh now in the Scriptures more profitably to us, than he did by word of mouth to the carnal

For

Jews, when he lived with them here upon earth. they (I mean the Jews) could neither hear nor see those things which we may now both hear and see, if we will bring with us those ears and eyes that Christ is heard and seen with; that is, diligence to hear and read his Holy Scriptures, and true faith to believe his most comfortable promises. If one could shew but the print of Christ's foot, a great number, I think, would fall down and worship it but to the Holy Scriptures, where we may see daily, if we will, I will not say the print of his feet only, but the whole shape and lively image of him, alas! we give little reverence, or none at all. If any could let us see Christ's coat, a sort of us would make hard shift except we might come nigh to gaze upon it, yea, and kiss it too. And yet all the clothes that ever he did wear can nothing so truly nor so lively express him unto us, as do the Scriptures. Christ's images, made in wood, stone, or metal, some men, for the love they bear to Christ, do garnish and beautify the same with pearl, gold, and precious stone. And should we not, good brethren, much rather embrace and reverence God's holy books, the sacred Bible, which do represent Christ unto us more truly than can any image? The image can but express the form or shape of his body, if it can do so much: but the Scripture doth in such sort set forth Christ, that we may see him both God and man; we may see him, I say, speaking unto us, healing our infirmities, dying for our sins, rising from death for our justification. And to be short, we may in the Scriptures so perfectly see whole Christ with the eye of faith, as we, lacking faith, could not with these bodily eyes see him, though he stood now present here before us. Let every man, woman, and child, therefore, with all their heart thirst and desire God's Holy Scriptures, love them, embrace them, have their delight and pleasure in hearing and reading them, so as at length we may be transformed and changed into them. For the Holy Scriptures are God's treasure-house, wherein are found all things needful for us to see, to hear, to learn, and to believe, necessary for the attaining of eternal life.

Thus much is spoken, only to give you a taste of some of the commodities, which ye may take by hearing and reading the Holy Scriptures. For, as I said in the beginning, no tongue is able to declare and utter all.