Golden Remains of the ever memorable Mr. John Hales, with additions from the author's own copy, sermons and miscellanies, also letters and expresses concerning the Synod of Dordrecht

HE love and favour which it pleafed God to bear our Fathers before the Law, fo far prevailed with him, as that without any Books and Writings, by familiar and friendly converfing with them, and communicating himself unto them, he made them receive and understand his Laws: their inward Conceits and Intellectuals being after a wonder ful manner, as it were, Figured and Character'd, (as St. Bafil expreffes it) by his Spirit, fo that In Pfal. 28. they could not but fee, and consent unto, and confefs the truth of them. Which way of manifefting his will, unto many other gracious priviledges which it had, above that which in after Ages came in place of it, had this added that it brought with it unto the man, to whom it was made, a prefervation against all doubt and hefitancy, a full affurance, both who the Author was, and how far his intent and meaning reacht. We that are their Off-fpring, ought, as St. Chryfoftom tells us, fo to have de- Hom.1.in Mat. meaned our felves, that it might have

been with us as it was with them, that we might have had no need of writing, no other Teacher but the Spirit, no other Books but our hearts, no other means to have been taught the things of God. Nifi infpirationis divina internam fuavioremque doctrinam, ubi fme fonis fermo

num & fine elementis literarum, eo dulcius quo L. 3. Epift. fecretius veritas loquitur; as faith Fulgentius. Έγκλημα γδ των γραμμάτων δίπα, faith

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Ifidorus Pelufiota: for it is a greater argument of our fhame and imperfection, that the holy things are written in Books. For as God in anger tells the Jews, that he himself would not go before them as hitherto he had done, to conduct them into the promised Land, but would leave his Angel with them as his Deputy fo hath he dealt with us, the unhappy Pofterity, degenerated from the antient Purity of our Fore-fathers. When himfelf refused to speak unto our hearts, because of the hardness of them, he then began to put his Laws in writing. Which thing, for a long time, amongst his own People, feems not to have brought with it any fenfible inconvenience. For amongst all thofe acts of the Jews, which God in his Book hath registred for our Inftruction, there is not one concerning any pretended ambiguity or obfcurity of the Text and Letter of their Law, which might draw them into Faction and Schifm; the Devil belike having other fufficient advantages on which he wrought. But ever fince the Gospel was committed to writing, what age, what monument of the Churches Acts is not full of debate and ftrife, concerning the force and meaning of thofe Writings, which the holy Ghoft hath left us to be the Law and Rule of Faith? St. Paul, one of the first Pen-men of the Holy Ghoft, who in Paradife heard words which it was not lawful for man to utter, hath left us words in writing, which it is not fafe for any man to be too bufie to interpret. No fooner had he laid down his Pen, almost e're the Ink was dry, were there found Syllabarum aucupes, fuch as St. Ambrofe fpake of, qui nefcire aliquid erubefcunt, & per occafionem obfcuritatis tendunt laqueos deceptionis, who thought there could be no greater difparagement unto them, then to feem to be ignorant of any thing, and un

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