The prophete Ionas with an introduccion: before teachinge to vnderstonde him and the right vse also of all the scripture/ and why it was written/ and what is therin to be sought/ and shewenge wherewith the scripture is locked vpp that he which readeth it/ can not vnderstonde it/ though he studie therin neuer so moch: and agayne with what keyes it is so opened/ that the reader can be stopped out with no sotilte or false doctrine of man/ from the true sense and vnderstondynge therof. — John Locke — John Shaqi
The prophete Ionas with an introduccion: before teachinge to vnderstonde him and the right vse also of all the scripture/ and why it was written/ and what is therin to be sought/ and shewenge wherewith the scripture is locked vpp that he which readeth it/ can not vnderstonde it/ though he studie therin neuer so moch: and agayne with what keyes it is so opened/ that the reader can be stopped out with no sotilte or false doctrine of man/ from the true sense and vnderstondynge therof.
John Locke · en
¶ To speake of lottes/ how ferforth they are lawfull/ is a light
questiō. First to vse thē for the breakinge of strife/ as when
partenars/ their goodes as equally diuided as they cā/ take euery mā his
parte by lott/ to auoyde all suspiciō of disceytfulnesse: & as [the]
appostles in [the] first of [the] Actes/ whē they sought a nother to
succede Iudas the traytoure/ & .ii. persones were presentes/ thē to
breake strife & to satisfie al parties/ did cast lotttes/ wheter shuld
be admitted/ desirynge god to teper thē & to take whō he knew most mete/
seynge they wist not wheter to preferre/ or haply coude not all agre on
ether/ is lawfull ad in all like cases. But to abuse them vn to [the]
temptinge of God & to cōpell him therwith to vtter thinges wherof we
stōd in doute/ when we haue no commaundemēt of him so to do/ as these
hethē here dyd/ though God turned it vn to his glorie/ can not be but
euell.
¶ The hethen scepmē asstonied at [the] sight of [the] miracle/ feared
God/ prayed to him/ offered sacrifice & vowed vowes. And I doute not/
but that some of thē or haply all came therby vn to the true knowlege &
true worshepinge of God & ware wōne to God in theyr soules. And [thus]
God which is infinite mercifull in all his wayes/ wrought their soules
health out of [the] infirmite of Ionas/ euen of his good will & purpose
& loue wherewith he loued them before the world was made/ & not of
chaunce/ as it appereth vn to the eyes of the ignoraunt.
¶ And that Ionas was .iii. dayes & .iii. nightes in the bely of his
fish: we cā not therby proue vn to te Iewes & īfideles or vn to any man/
[that] Christ must therfore dye ād be buried & rise agayne. But we vse
[the] ensample ād likenesse to strength the faith of the weake. For he
that beleaueth the one can not doute in [the] other: in as moch as the
hād of God was no lesse mightie in preseruīge Ionas aliue agenst all
naturall possibilite & in deliuerynge hī safe out of his fish/ thē in
reysynge vpp Christe agayne out of his sepulchre. And we maye describe
[the] power & vertue of [the] resurrecciō therby/ as Christ hī selfe
boroweth [the] similitude therto Mat. xij. sayēge vn to [the] Iewes that
came aboute him & desyred a signe or a wōder frō heuen to certifye thē
that he was christ: this euell & wedlockebreakīge naciō (which breake
[the] wedlocke of faith wherwith they be maried vn to God/ ād beleue in
their false workes) seke a signe/ but there shal no signe be geuen thē
saue [the] signe of the Prophete Ionas. For as Ionas was .iij. dayes ād
iij. nightes in the bely of the whale/ euē so shall the sonne of man be
.iij. dayes & .iij. nyghtes in the herte of the erth. Which was a watch
word/ as we saye/ & a sharpe threateninge vn to [the] Iewes & as moch to
saye as thus/ ye harde herted Iewes seke a signe: loo/ thys shalbe youre
sygne/ as Ionas was reysed out of the sepulchre of his fishe & then
sent vn to the Niniuites to preach [that] they shuld perish/ euen so