because ofBy this afflictioon of my owne and my Sister together. being in Daniell I read in the Maccabees also I read of the warres of the [Jewes] [especialy] in the first yeare of her [being ill] wee had \the/ more accesse unto thee, for it was of thee Lord who preparest our harts to pray unto thee. and thine cares heard. \psal 10.17/ and though wee had somtimes sorrow in our selves. yet thereby we feelt more perfit joy in thee which I can well witnes because thy consolations was deare unto mee. as also she confessed to me. and I outwardly perceived, when her fits was over. by those casments of her soule wherein she seemed to mee a conquerour. Lord let all those that put there trust in thee rejoyce. let them shout \[chere]/ for joy: because thou defendest them. Let them also that love thy Name be joyfull in thee \psal [c.11]/ As I take it this time my Brother let me read [or write] another thing a [mongst] the rest I [learnt] not to speak ill of the dead because it is so much against charity they not being able to answere for there selves King James workes which I liked well of. both for devine and morall learning and instruction. and since I thought of this where he writeth of reading the scripture that where any thing is hard or intricate \that place/ to us wee should rather imput it to our owne dullnes and imbecillity of understanding, then thinke any ill or defect of that that which is sence therefore when I thought som places in the scriptures not to agree or hard to understand I thought it was my owne ignorance. therefore I was not much [troubled] because I hoped in thy good time to understand it better which thou hast in good measure granted absolutly good. and perfect. according to this I have thought of S pauls saying let no man presume to understand above that which is meete to understand but that he understand according to sobeiety as God hath dealte to every [one] [the] measure of faith. Rom 12.3 and since I have found S Austine words wee may not censure thy Bible notwithstanding somthing in it shines not out clearly enough. for wee submit our understanding \we thinke/ unto that and hold for certain that even that which is shut from our eyes. to be most rightly and truly spoken⁶⁸ - againe Let me ever in thee O Lord take part with them, and in thee delight my selfe in them. that edifie themselvs with thy truth. in the largenesse of a Charitable construction: yea let us have recourse together unto the words of thy Booke. and this I hoped for afore [but] now I am better sattisfied make search for thy meaning in them⁶⁹, S-Aust. B12. C24.⁷⁰ and I read as I take \it/ for these two yeres following throughout the first Booke of Marters which I found to be very I wrot purleprofitable to know. those primitife times of the spreding of Christianity. and how free the Church was from any point of popery some thus were they [stained] with there owne workes and went a whoring with there owne [inventions] psal [cill. 59] hundered years after Christ. so that at first it was like a good fielde till the enimie sowed tares by those men of sinne. who out of there owne braines brought foorth those idle fances* (they many times) one after another doing and undoeing. what others did afore them but still growing worse and worse. so that I may rightly say and sum up there own doings thou hast made man righteous: but they have sought many inventions. Eccles. 7. [3.1] I thought this Booke necesary to be betimes read of Christians. that they may know the constancy of the faithfull (and what God hath wrot for them) and /that they may\ be better able to defend themselves lest the enemy find them unarmed.

in these times I thought not the day wellspent. unlesse I read some part of what I might inrich my mind. having a desire to doe like the Bee thinking it time to [as well as] profit my body or selfe by worke which thou hast continually for the most part blessed me with [hetherto?] furnish my selfe with that which I might afterwards feed upon. in these yeares I praise thee for the freenesse of conversation wee had together with a gentelwoman which waited on mee shee being much the better for her Gramother a gentillwoman of excellent conversation whom my sister was much pleased with she being helpefull to her and having better bre[ed]ing then the rest of the maides who was much with her yet wee thought our selves happy and I praised thee for most of them who was *and those which could read would for the most part every evening read a chapter before me beginning the Bible so reading thoughout and Mrs Alce used to read to me in the [practice] of piety before I [recieved \it/] I used to examine my life by the commandements good servants* and which wee were glad to make use of. to keepe us company and make us merry having few besids who cam to us. as I read the Booke of Marters so Mrs Alce began the Chronicles of our kings . whose devotion in those first times might put us to shame they having lesse knowledge and more goodnesse then wee have. and if /[when]\ wee read privately to our sel[ves] wee used to repete one to another as I take it in this spring I thought myselfe somwhat [dull] and had a mind to change the place and goe to London but my frinds thought it not so fit for me. I made an end of a pare of gloves which [lev of] before I began as wee sat at worke, those things which wee could remember. that was remarkable or might edifie. Now having done the\[ose]/ garden flowers which was most pleasant to me following the life. I also coveted in these