A LETTER of Dr. REINOLDS to his friend, concerning his advice for the study of Divinity.  
LONDON Printed by john Beale, for jonas man.. 1613.   

¶ A Letter of Doctor Reinolds to his friend concerning his advice for the study of Divinity. etc.  
I Must request you to impute to my businesses, which have diverse ways troubled me, not to lack of good will, my slackness is not hitherto answering your letters. Which assure yourself, if I had been able, I would have sooner answered, so much the more willingly, the better I liked of them, as being sure witnesses of your good will to me ward, and desire of godliness: whereof for the one I have heartily to thank you; for the other greatly to rejoice with you. Then to show my judgement concerning the order which you may best follow in the study of divinity, I can tell you nothing but that you have already better read in others and do know yourself. Howbeit to satisfy your loving request, I will briefly mention the chiefest points in my judgement, which are to be regarded: which if you well consider, and earnestly do follow, as I trust you will, and God grant you may, your labour shall be taken to the advancement of God's glory, the profit of his Church, & your own comfort  
The chiefest point of all, to begin withiss, sith that divinity, the knowledge of God, is the water of life; the vessel must be clean that shall receive so precious a liquor: the house must be cleansed that shall have Gods holy spirit, not only a guest, but also a continual dweller in it. God forbid you should think divinity consists of words, as wood doth of trees, divinity without godliness doth but condemn consciences against the day of vengeance, and provoke the wrath of the mighty Lord, and make more inexcusable before the seat of judgement. I will not add, that true divinity cannot be learned, unless we frame our hearts and minds wholly to it. But I will desire you to consider that, only, that as the Poet saith, Symcrum est nisi vas, quodcunque infundis acesssit: so it is written in the book of Wisdom, Wisdom cannot enter into the heart of a wicked man, nor dwell in a body that is subject unto sin. I hope there is no great cause of standing upon this point, when I write unto you, who are, as I trust, the chosen of God, and therefore appointed also to be sanctified. Yet sith yourself have mentioned unto me your own remiss kind of living (as you do term it;) as you love me, take heed that this remissness be not the same in a man's mind, which a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in the body. And in this, to conclude, consider with yourself, that if the heathens at their sacrifices were wont to cry out, Procul ô procul este profani: what study of holiness ought there to be in us, whom God hath adopted, Christ hath redeemed, the holy Ghost hath sanctified to be a peculiar people unto God, zealous of good works: which if it be required at the hands of all christians, what shall be asked at theirs, who studying divinity to instruct others, should shine themselves as lights in the midst of a lewd generation? Shall he ever persuade others to embrace godliness, that hath not persuaded himself that it is a pearl to be redeemed with all treasures?  
For the study itself, which is next to be considered, the knowledge of God must be learned of God, if ever it be learned. Of whom that we may learn it, we have to use two means, prayers and reading of holy scripture. Prayers, ourselves to talk with God; reading, to hear God talk with us. For, because without the grace of the holy spirit, all study, especially in divinity, is vain: therefore we must earnestly desire of God that he will enlighten our minds, and soften our hearts, both to know and follow his will revealed to us. Now because the holy spirit doth teach the same doctrine which our Saviour did, which is set forth unto us in the Law, and the Prophets, and the Evangelists: therefore we must diligently give ourselves to reading and meditating of the holy scriptures in tongues in which they were written by the holy Spirit. Which how much more forcible it is then to be doubtful among translations, if S. Austin did not show, who instructeth a christian preacher that the knowledge of the Hebrew and Greek tongues is very necessary to understand the old and new testastament: yet Themistocles might show, who having to speak to the king of Persia, was afraid that his mind would not be perceived by interpreters, and therefore requested the king to grant him first a years space to learn the Persian tongue. Wherefore I wish that you also join Hebrew to your Greek, though peradventure you have once began it, and given it over. For in that you may follow me, sith you propose my example, so much the better, who myself, when I was first Master of Arts, began the study of it, and being weary, left it: the next year perceiving the necessary use of it, I set again upon it, and I thank God, since continued a student in it. Wherefore the word of God, and that, if it may be, out of the very wellspring, not out of the brooks of translations (if I may so term them) must be diligently read, and by often reading made familiar unto us, though it be not in all places thoroughly understood as the same Austin hath very well noted. As for the parts of scripture (besides this continual reading of the whole) to be read first over with more diligence than the rest, I will give you the same counsel which I heard of Doctor Villerius given to young students, that first you take your greatest travail with the help of some learned interpreter, in understanding S. john's Gospel and the Epistle to the Romans, the sum of the new Testament: Esay the Prophet, and the Psalms of David, the sum of the old▪ Howbeit in the rest, you shall do well also if in harder places you use the judgement of some godly writer, as Calvin and Peter Martyr, who have written best on the most part of the old Testament. And because it is expedient to join the reading of some compend of scriptures and sum of all divinity, together with the scriptures, I would wish you to travail painfully in Calvin's Institution of Christian Religion, whereby you shall be greatly profited not only to the understanding of the scriptures, whereof it is a brief and learned commentary: but also to the perceiving of points of doctrine, whither all things do pertain, and may of us be applied. Of farther reading of Doctors and histories & other treatises of religion, I will not add at this present: we may hereafter (if God will) at greater leisure, when these things are done which must be laid for the foundation, more conveniently talk. Howbeit, if sometimes to recreate yourself, you intermingle with graver studies the reading over of the history Ecclesiastical, especially as it is written more for our country by good M. Fox, you shall receive of it, together with great profit, great delectation.  
I had almost forgotten your two last points, Quae ratio annotandi, Quae exercitatio adhibenda, I have so little to say of them. For touching noting, you know I do not like the common custom of common places. The best in my judgement, is to note in the margin or in some paper book for that purpose, the sum and method of that which you read. As for examples sake, M. Bunnie hath done very well in Calvin's Institutions, showing all his method and sum of every section, in his Compendio &c. which book you may well join with the reading of Calvin, to understand his order & method the better. For the other, which is exercising, it will be good sometimes to occupy your pen either at large or briefly, as you list, of such godly meditations as the reading of the scriptures shall offer unto you; prayers unto God, reproving of sin, commending of godliness, exhorting to righteousness, dehorting from iniquity, consolation in miseries, confirming of the truth, refuting of heresies, & taking an occasion of doing these things some tims to other of your friends (a lively and godly exercise,) whereby you may perfect them, or yourself at the least. If you cannot find such occasions to others, I pray write to me sometime of doubts that you may find, or whatsoever you list, and I will acknowledge myself in that respect as in others, beholding to you.  
Now if God give you grace, as earnestly to follow these things, as you have been desirous that I should prescribe them: you see the learning of the Hebrew tongue, the reading of the scriptures, of learned interpreters, of the sum of religion, of noting what you read, and your exercise therein, these things require much time, & a mind attended; to speak nothing of prayers, and the study of godliness, which will also require some meditation. Laborandum, mi johannes, non luxuriandum. You know what Tully saith for Caelius, that to the bare attaining of eloquence omittendae sunt omnes voluptates, relinquenda studia delectationis iocus, ludus, conuivium, sermo pene familiarium deserendus. You know what Plato saith of his Philosopher, what a great 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he would have him, if ever he shall be admitted a man worthy to govern his city. If eloquence, if philosophy require such travail for civil and base things (in this comparison:) what shall we think that the knowledge of God, the study of divinity, desireth for the greatness, & for the worthiness deserveth. Whether you will take such pains or no, or whether you will fly all enticements from it, I do not know; I pray God you may. Surely hitherto, which I write with grief, (your writing, & your friendship doth embolden me to write freely that which I trust you will take in good part) you have been too much carried away by means of company, from earnest travail to your study, to sweet enticements of the flesh, seeing of vain spectacles, over much eating & drinking, banqueting, frequenting of the town, delighting in vanity, resorting to taverns, forgetting the word of God. Be not filled with wine wherein is excess but be filled with the spirit. Will you pardon my love for desiring to heal you, or shall I become your enemy for speaking of the truth?) they have made you to neglect your profit in study, they have hurt your wit, weakened your memory, corrupted your good desire, stained your manners, enfeebled your body, touched your good name, grieved your friends, and indeed almost quenched, but yet I thank God they have not put out the lively sparks of God's spirit in you. A great well willer of yours, though not greatly acquainted with you, did ask me a day or two before the act, since I received your letters, what I thought of you, as one that did heartily desire your profit in learning & godliness. When I had answered him, for that good opinion which I had always conceived of you, both always for your towardliness, and especially for your letters, so friendly that I will not now report: he said that he was very glad to hear it, & that he asked the question in some doubt, because in few days that here he had stayed, he had seen you somewhat often in the town But it might be that by reason of strangers you had some occasion, the judges being here, to be the oftener abroad. Howbeit about & since the same time, to absent yourself from prayers, an exercise so necessary for christians, that indeed desire the grace of God, and know it comes from him only, to absent yourself from sundry exercises of divinity, wherein peradventure some good might have been done to the furthering of your study: me think these things did not so well as I wished, agree with the profession & as it were protestation, whichin your letters, so shortly before you writ to me. I may seem overbold, & perhaps am to sharp in this my dealing with you, agreeing as some may think, rather to one that were a superior, then fit for a friend, whose degree & state is equal. But I know not how, the good will which I did bear, first being reader to you being scholar, and ever since continued with my free advise in all things wherein ever you have asked my counsel (as, I thank you, you have done in many) doth constrain me to pour forth my inward affection to you, so much the more willingly, because I know you have learned of Solomon, that the wounds of a friend are better than the kiss of an enemy. Even these things that hinder your study, & therefore at your request I was constrained to touch, I have touched the more boldly, because I do not doubt but yourself do mislike them: & I see in your letters the strife betwixt the flesh and the spirit, which S. Paul setteth down as a mark of God's children, that you do not the good which you would but the evil which you would not, that you do. God give you grace to stir up your heart & strive as a faithful servant to fly from the lusts of youth, as S. Paul exhorteth Timothy, that you may set your mind to prayers & the reading of holy scripture. It will be convenient that you have your appointed times for the one and for the other. Which to prescribe as yourself knowing your own business, may most conveniently; so constantly to follow your order prescribed, I hope the grace of God, which earnestly you shall pray for, will not be failing to you. july 4. 1577  
FINIS.