A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties

The second private means of a godly life, which may be used by our selves alone, or with others, is reading, which is the perusing and studying of religious writings, for the information of our judgements in the knowledge of God and his truth, the sanctifying of our hearts and affections, and the reforming of our lives and conversations. The which exercise may be performed when we are alone, by the sight of the eye, and the discourse of the mind, either with or without the use of speech; but with all necessarily joined together, when we perform this duty with others. In speaking whereof, let us first generally observe, who are to read, and then the subject matter which is to be read of them. For the first, all sorts and conditions of men without exception, are tied to this duty, who are any way able to perform it, both the learned and unlearned, the Ministers and common people, the poor and rich, men & women, young, old, and of middle age: seeing the Lord in the Scriptures hath imposed it as necessary and profitable for all men. Thus he requireth that not only the Levites, but his whole people of Israel should continually study in the Book of his Law, and take all good occasions to speak and talk of it in all places; that they should bind the words of it ¹for a sign upon their hands, and that they should be as frontlets between their eyes, and that they should write them upon the posts of their house and on their gates, to no other end, but that they might often take occasion thereby to read and study them. Our Saviour Christ also doth exhort all to search the Scriptures, and affirmeth this to be the cause of all errors