ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 303 



states of the Church, as well in general as in particulars, these 

 Scriptures are not to be interpreted barely according to the 

 obvious sense of the place, or with regard to the occasion upon 

 which the words were spoken, or precisely by the context, or 

 the principal scope of the passage, but upon a knowledge of 

 their containing, not only in gross or collectively, but also dis- 

 tributively, in particular words and clauses, numberless rivulets 

 and veins of doctrine, for watering all the parts of the Church 

 and all the minds of the faithful. For it is excellently observed, 

 that the answers of our Saviour are not suited to many of the 

 questions proposed to him, but appear, in a manner, imperti- 

 nent: and this for two reasons, i. because, as he knew the 

 thoughts of those who put the question, not from their words as 

 men know them, but immediately, and of himself, he answered 

 to their thoughts, and not to their words ; and 2. because he 

 spoke not to those alone who were present, but to us, also, now 

 living, and to the men of every age and place, where tne gospel 

 shall be preached. And this observation holds in other parts 

 of Scripture. 



We find, among theological writings, too many books of con- 

 troversy ; a vast mass of that we call positive theology, com- 

 mon-places, particular treatises, cases of conscience, sermons, 

 homilies, and numerous prolix comments upon the several 

 books of the Scriptures : but the thing we want and propose, 

 as our third appendix to theology, is, a short, sound, and judi- 

 cious collection of notes and observations upon particular texts 

 of Scripture; without running into common-place, pursuing 

 controversies, or reducing these notes to artificial method ; but 

 leaving them quite loose and native a thing we find some- 

 thing done in the more learned kind of sermons, which are 

 seldom of long duration, though it has not hitherto prevailed in 

 books designed for posterity. But certainly, as those wines 

 which flow from the first treading of the grape are sweeter and 

 better than those forced out by the press, which gives them the 

 roughness of the husk and the stone ; so are those doctrines 

 best and wholesomest, which flow from a gentle crush of the 

 Scripture, and are not wrung into controversies and common- 

 place. And this treatise we set down as wanting, under the 

 title of the first flowings of the Scriptures. 



And now we have finished our small globe of the intellectual 

 world with all the exactness we could, marking out and describ- 



