Christ the fountain of lifeChrist the fountaine of life

In that solemn reading, God gave a more then ordinary blessing to little children those poor ignorant things that usually come to the Congregation, and hear much, but learn little, yet even they in the year of Release, when the time comes that God would shadow out to them their release by Christ; even then little children, that know not any thing, shall get some knowledge, and fear of God, by hearing ⟨p. 183⟩of those words then read, so that it was such a reading as was upon such a solemn year of release as typed out Christs Redemption; to show you, that men that are come to a year of release from all their sins by Christ, they shall hear and know, and though they know nothing before, now they shall never read but with some profit, and some growth in Gods fear.

In that solemne reading, God gave a more then ordinary blessing to little children those poore ignorant things that usually come to the Congregation, and heare much, but learn little, yet even they in the year of Release, when the time comes that God would shadow out to them their release by Christ; even then little children, that know not any thing, shal get some knowledge, and fear of God, by hearing ⟨p. 183⟩of those words then read, so that it was such a reading as was upon such a solemne year of release as typed out Christs Redemption; to shew you, that men that are come to a yeare of release from all their sins by Christ, they shall heare and know, and though they know nothing before, now they shall never read but with some profit, and some growth in Gods feare.

And another answer may be this; That when he there speaks of reading, he speaks not of bare reading, reading is some times put for all that expounding and applying, that did ordinarily accompany their reading at such a time, for it was at the same feast that Nehemiah speaks, chap. 8. last. It is said, chap 8.4. to 8. there was a Pulpit of Wood; and in vers. 8. it is said, They did read distinctly in the Law, and caused the people to understand the meaning of it; so that it was not a mere outward and bare reading of the letter, but an opening of the sense, and such a kind of applying it to the hearts of the people, that the people went away much rejoicing, because they understood the Law that was read unto them, and many of them could not but joy and rejoice in it, as you see from vers. 8. to the end of the 12th. and when they had so done the people went away rejoicing, and he said to them, Go your way home, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, &c. vers. 10. So that this you shall find to be true, that God hath either never so far forth blessed the reading of the Word, as to bring on unbelievers to Christ, either never, or if he have, it is at some solemn extraordinary feast, once in seven, or once in fifty years, which was their great Jubilee, to make known to his Church what in after times it should be, when they knew Christ.