r of Wholesome
Counsel'[66] urging the continual study of the word of God in families
and in congregations.

'Within your own houses, I say, in some cases, ye are bishops
and kings; your wife, children, servants, and family are your
bishopric and charge; of you it shall be required how carefully
and diligently ye have always instructed them in God's true
knowledge, how that ye have studied in them to plant virtue and
repress vice. And therefore, I say, ye must make them partakers
in reading, exhorting, and in making common prayers, which, I
would, in every house were used once a day at least.'

And for each congregation he urged an order of procedure much nearer
that of apostolic times than that which the Reformed Church, at his own
instance, afterwards instituted in Scotland.

'I think it necessary that for the conference [comparing] of
Scriptures, assemblies of brethren be had. The order therein to
be observed is expressed by St Paul,' ... after 'confession' and
'invocation,' 'let some place of Scripture be plainly and
distinctly read, so much as shall be thought sufficient for one
day or time, which ended, if any brother have exhortation,
question, or doubt, let him not fear to speak or move the same,
so that he do it with moderation, either to edify or to be
edified. And hereof I doubt not but great profit shall shortly
ensue; for, first, by hearing reading and conferring the
Scriptures in the Assembly, the whole body of the Scriptures of
God shall become familiar, the judgments and spirits of men
shall be tried, their patience and modesty shall be known, and
finally their gifts and utterance shall appear.'

If any difficulty of interpretation occurs, it should be 'put in writing
before ye dismiss the congregation,' with the view of consulting some
wise adviser. Many, he hopes, would be glad to help them.

'Of myself I will speak as I think; I will more gladly spend
fifteen hours in communicating my judgment with you, in
explaining as God pleases to open to me any place of Scripture,
than half an hour in any matter beside.'

Before six months had passed, however, Knox, who was again abroad, had
become troubled by the too great freedom of opinion and the dangers of
consequent freedom of life even in the Protestant community, and his
letter 'To the Brethren'[67] in Scotland from Dieppe, against
Anabaptists a