non medetur." The virtue thereof is such, that if all did take it, all without doubt should be recovered, but without taking it there is no recovery; in the former respect it may be truly said, that no man's state is so desperate, but by this means it is recoverable, (and this is the first comfortable news that the Gospel brings to the distressed soul) but here it resteth not, nor feedeth a man with such a possibility, that he should say in his heart, "Who shall ascend into heaven to bring Christ from above?" but it brings the word of comfort nigh unto him, even to his mouth and heart, and presents him with the medicine at hand, and desireth him to take it; which being done accordingly, the cure is actually performed. OF THE SABBATH. WORTHY SIR, YOUR letter of the first of February came unto my hands the seventh of April; but, my journey to Dublin following thereupon, and my long stay in the city (where the multiplicity of my public and private employments would scarce afford me a breathing time) was such, that I was forced to defer my answer thereunto, until this short time of my retiring into the country: where being now absent also from my library: I can rather signify unto you, I concur in judgment with those grounds, which you have so judiciously laid in this question of the Sabbath, than afford any great help unto you in the building, which you intend to raise thereupon. For when I gave myself unto the reading of the fathers, I took no heed unto any thing that concerned this argument: as little dreaming that any such controversy would have arisen among us. Yet generally I do remember that the word Sabbathum in their writings doth denote our Saturday: although by analogy from the manner of speech. used by the Jews, the term be sometimes transferred to denote our Christian festivities also, as Sirmondus, the |