the exercise of Ecclesiasticall jurisdiction at last the Statute concludes with this proviso Provided also that such Canons Constitutions Ordinances and Synodalls provinciall Stat. 25. Hen. 8. 19. being already made which be not contrariant nor repugnant to the Lawes Statutes and Customes of this Realme nor to the damage or hurt of the Kings Prerogative Royall shall now still be used and executed as they were afore the making of this Act till such time as they be viewed searched or otherwise ordered and determined by the said two and thirty persons or the more part of them according to the tenour forme and effect of this present Act. It followes then that till those thirty two persons determine otherwise old Canons may bee still executed and retaine their ancient vigor and authority and when that will be I know not but as yet I am sure it hath not been done As for that which he saith he heard a Popish Canon alledged in the High Commission in opposition to a Parliament Statute unlesse he had brought us the Particular I will crave leave to put that among the rest of his incredible fictions which hee hath foisted upon that Honorable Court and those that sit Iudges in it And whereas heads that the Act of Parliament prefixed to the Communion-booke restraines Rites and Ceremonies to bee used in our Church to those only which are expressed in the same booke under the penalty of imprisonment c. I grant that the Statute doth forbid the use of any other rite ceremonie order forme or manner of celebrating of the Lords Supper Mattens or Evensong c. than is set forth in the said booke But this doth not hinder the retaining of any laudable and pious customes then and of a long time before in use in the Church which are no way contrary to the forme or rites prescribed in the booke of Common prayer For where is it said in that booke that men during the time of Divine Service or of prayer and the Letany shal sit with their hats off and uncovered and yet that ceremony is piously observed by all that have any religion in them * Sine scripto jus venit quod usus approbavit nam diuturni mores consensu utentium comprobaâ—i legem imitantur Iustin Instit l. 1. Tit. 2. Consuetudo est jus quoddam moribus institutum quod pro lege suscipitur cum deficit lex Gratian. Distinct 1. c. 5. In his rebus de quibus nihil certi statuit diving scriptura mospopuâ—i Dei vel instituta maâ—orum pro lege tenenda sâ—nt Aug. Ep. 86. Custome not contrary to Law or good reason hath ever obteined the force of a law and in things of this nature the pious customes of Gods people as Saint Aug speakes are to be held for lawes And being so must or at least may lawfully be observed till some law expressely cry them downe which I am sure the Common-prayer-book nor any Statute yet hath done And if Master B. shall not allow this for good reason he will doe himselfe more prejudice by it than those whom hee opposeth for besides that he will bee at a stand what gesture to use in many things which are yet left there undetermined His present practice in many things must needs be condemned as having no warrant or prescription in that booke For I would for instance faine know where in that booke his rite of carrying the blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ up and downe the Church to the receivers pewes is to be found Where hee hath any allowance of singing a Psalme while hee is administring where or by what Statute those meetred Psalmes were ever allowed to be sung at all in the Church And if he can plead custome or however practice these and many others like them which might bee reckoned up without the warrant of the Common Prayer-book Why may not the same plea hold as strongly for those which he oppugnes which saving that hee hath called them all to nought are neither against the Word of God nor booke of Common-prayer but most decent and religious and venerable for their antiquity in the Church of God Nay if the not being in the booke of common-Common-prayer shall bee enough to exclude all rites and ceremonies from being used in the Church and that upon so great a danger as imprisonment c. Therâ— surely such as are contrary to the expresse orders there prescribed must much more be excluded their practice expose men more deservedly to the same danger And certainely Master B. by this meanes would be but in an ill case many others especially of his faction For how could they justifie their not reading of Gloria Patri at the end of every Psalme their addition of those words to the Lords Prayer for thine is the Kingdome the power c. when they finde it not there printed Their Christening of children after divine Service and the Sermon is ended their consummation of the whole forme of Marriage in the body of the Church without going to the Communion-Table and their churching of women other where than by that table and many other things which are contrary to the expresse words of the * If any person c. shall c. speake any thing in derogation depraving of the same book or of any thing therein contained c. every such person beeing thereof lawfully convicted shall forfeit for the first offence 100. markes for the second 400. for the 3. all his goods and chattels and suffer imprisonment during his life Stat. 1. Eliz 2. Rubrick yea which is more than all this how can Master B. bee excused from the penalty imposed by that Statute for depraving speaking against the reading of the second or Communion service at the Communion Table beeing so appointed in that booke These things considered it may justly be wondred at why the Statute should bee so strait-laced to some as not to admit any ceremony to be used but those that are prescribed and mentioned in the common-Common-prayer booke though commended by antiquity and the practice of the most judicious and of greatest authority in the Church and yet so indulgent to others as to suffer them freely to use what they thinke good and to wave the orders there prescribed and to deprave and speake against them at their pleasure But let us heare what more he hath to say Besides all this saith he these men have one speciall Sanctuary to fly unto and that is their Cathedrall Churches Well what then nay stay and give him leave first to empty his stomack for we may well thinke he cannot name Cathedrall Churches without moving his vomit which hee utters plentifully both against those places and those that belong to them with all their furniture vestments yea and the divine Service that is used in pag. 160. them And having thus cleared himselfe of that cholericke and bitter stuffe which I loath to pudle in he propounds
but to assert the Doctrine of St. Paul commanding Phil. 2. 12. us to Work out our salvation with feare and trembling and of St. Peter who tells us 2 Pet. 1. 11. That thus an entrance shall bee ministred into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ And I beleeve for I have not the Booke at hand if Mr. Shelfords justification by charity be well examined it will proove to bee no other than this at least no other than in St. Iames Iam. 2. 24. sense when he saith Yee see how that by works a man is justified and not by faith onely And I would demand of any reasonable man whether the expresse words of that Apostle may not without aspersion of Popery be even openly and publikely maintained if there be no sense obtruded upon them which may crosse St. Pauls doctrine which Mr. Burton can never prove that they did whom hee chargeth with that assertion But the the truth is such is the humour that possesses many men of Mr. Burtons straine that they cannot endure any glosse upon that place of St. Iames but such as shall both make the Text like themselves full of non-sence and to turne the seeming and verball into a reall and direct contradiction of St. Paul To the third That the Pope is not Antichrist I answere that though many of the learned in our Church especially at the beginning of the ReformatioÌ„ when the greatest heat was strickeÌ„ between us and Rome have affirmed the Pope to be Antichrist and his whole religion Antichristian and that some exceeding the bounds of moderation in this point have passed abroad that with the license of authority wherein yet they are to be excused in that they have beene so intolerably provoked by the odious criminations of the adversary yet to them that calmely and seriously consider it it may not without good reason bee disputed as doubtfull whether the Pope or any of them in his person or the Papall Hierarchy bee that great Antichrist which is so much spoken of And which way soever it be determined it makes not the religion any whit the better nor frees the practises of the Popes and Court of Rome from being justly accounted and stiled Antichristian For Mr. Shelfords second Book I have not seene it and therefore will say nothing but onely that if hee seeme to set as they thinke too light by preaching and pulpits hee doth at the worst but pay them in their owne coine who have magnified it to the vilifying and contempt of publick Prayer the most sacred and excellent part of Gods worship Neither have I seene that other Booke called the Female glory nor will I spend words by way either of censure or defence of it upon sight onely of those fragments which here hee presents us with as well knowing his art and at what rate to value his credit in quotations Yet in all those panegyrick straines of Rhetorick for such for the most part they seeme rather than positiue assertions he hath not deviated so much to the one extreme as Mr. Burtons marginall hath to the other in scoffingly calling her the New great Goddesse Diana And if it bee true that hee hath not digressed in any particular Lo here the new great goddesse Diana whom the whole Pontifician world worshippeth H. B. p. 125. from the Bishop of Chichester as Mr. Burton makes him affirme I dare boldly say Mr. Burton will never bee able to finde the least point of Popery in it For it is well known that Bishop whom he as if hee had bid adieu to all civility yea and shame too termes a tried Champion of Rome and so a devout votary to the Queene of heaven hath approved himselfe such a Champion against Rome that they that have tried his strength durst never yet come to a second encounter Beside we have elsewhere other points of Pag. 67. Popish Doctrine which he saith are preached and printed of late As Auricular Confession Prayer for the dead and praying to Saints Which because I finde onely mentioned by him without any proofe to evidence the truth of his assertion I might with one word reject till hee produced the Authors which have so Preached and Printed and what it was that they have delivered touching those points But because there are many that by reason of their ignorance of the truth in these points are apt to beleeve what he affirmes and to entertaine a sinister opinion of the Churches Doctrine in them I will briefly adde some of them in this place First for Confession It cannot bee denied Of Confession but that the Church of England did ever allow the private confession of sinnes to the Priest for Booke of Common Prayer Exhortation before the Communion the quieting of mens consciences burdened with sinne and that they may receive ghostly counsell advice and comfort and the benefit of absolution This is the publike Order prescribed in our Church And it were very strange if our Church ordaining Priests and giving them power of absolution and prescribing the forme to bee used Forme of absolution in the Visitation of the sick for the exercise of that power upon confession should not also allow of such private confession To advise then and urge the use and profit of private confession to the Priest is no Popish Innovation but agreeable to the constant and resolved Doctrine of this Church and that which is requisite for the due execution of that ancient power of the Keyes which Christ bestowed upon his Church And if any shall call it auricular because it is done in private and in the eare of the Priest I know not why hee should therefore bee condemned of Popery But if Mr. Burton by Auricular Confession meane that Sacramentall Confession which the Councell of Trent hath defined to bee of absolute necessity by Divine ordinance and that which exacts that many times impossible particular enumeration of every sinne and the speciall circumstances of every sinne This wee justly reject as neither required by God nor so practised by the ancient See Bishop Ushers answer to Iesuites â—chall Church And if Mr. Burton knowes any that hath Preached or Printed ought in defence of this new pick-lock and tyrannicall sacramentall Confession hee may if he please with the Churches good leave terme them in that point Popish Innovators For the second point Simply to condemne Of prayer for the dead all prayer for the Dead is to runne counter to the constant practise of the ancient Church of Christ Prayer for the dead it cannot bee denied it is ancient saith the late learned Bishop of Winchester That the ancient Church had Commemorations Oblations and prayers for the dead the testimonies of the Fathers Ecclesiasticall Histories and ancient Liturgies in which the formes of Prayers used for that purpose are Cannon 55. found doe put out of all question and they that are acquainted with the Canons and Liturgy
those men in whose steps Master B. hath gone to the intent that it may appeare that they of his faction may more truly be termed Innovators in this Church as being both in their doctrine and discipline new and contrary to the formes in both kindes which the first authors of those by them admired principles found here established CHAP. XXI A briefe discourse of the beginning and progresse of the Disciplinarian faction their sundry attempts for their Genevian Dearling Their Doctrines new and different from the true and ancient Tenets of the Church of England and they truely and rightly termed Innovators IT was one of the greatest evils that ever happened to this Church that in the infancy of the reformation which was happily begun in the reigne of King Edward of happy memory many for conscience sake and to avoyd the storm of persecution which fell in the dayes of Queen Mary betaking themselves to the reformed Churches abroad and especially to Geneva were drawn into such a liking of the forme of discipline then newly erected by Master Calvin there that returning home they became quite out of love with that which they found here established by Authority insomuch that set on by the perswasions and examples of Iohn Knox and other fiery spirited Zealots in Scotland they attempted and by all meanes endeavoured to advance their strongly-fancied platforme of Genevian discipline For the bringing about whereof the course they then tooke for the drawing of the people to a liking of their intentions was to pick quarels against the names and titles given to the Fathers and Governours of our Church apparrell of Ministers and some ceremonies in the booke of Common prayer retained and prescribed which they taxed of superstition and remnants of Popery And afterwards when T. C. and others who had also beene at Geneva had drunke in the opinion of Master Beza who by that time had promoted the discipline there invented by his Master and made it one of the especiall notes of the true Church as if it had till then beene maymed and imperfect what bookes were then written what seeming humble motions made what pamphlets pasquils libels flew abroad yea what violent attempts plots conspiracies and traiterous practices were then set on foot by the men of that faction are at large set forth in divers books of that argument and are yet fresh in the memories of many alive at this day What the care and couragious zeale of the Govenors of this Church and State then was for the preventing and overthrowing of these mens desperate disignes the flourishing and peacefull estate which this Church hath since by their meanes enjoyed doth abundantly speake For the authors of these innovations troubles and disorders receiving just and publick censure according to their severall demerits they which remained well-willers and abettors of that cause were glad to lie close and carry themselves more warily than before and to waite some better opportunitie for the effecting of their purpose Which they apprehending to bee offered at the comming of King Iames to this crowne began againe to move but so as beginning as it were at their old A. B. C. their complaint was principally against the use of ceremonies subscription and sundry things formerly questioned by their predecessors in the booke of Common Prayer And when that learned and judicious King had out of his wise and gratious disposition vouchsafed to take their complaint into his serious consideration and to grant them a solemne and deliberate hearing in the conference held at Hampton Court The successe of that conference to use the words of his Royall Proclamation was such as Proclamation before the Booke of common prayer happeneth to many other things which moving great expectation before they be entred into in their issue produce finall effects For to give the sum of that which there followes mighty and vehement informations were found to be supported with so weak and slender proofes that that wise King and his Councell seeing no cause to change any thing either in the booke of Common Prayer Doctrine or rites established Having caused some few things to be explained He by his Royall Proclamation commanded a generall conformity of all sorts requiring the Archbishops and Bishops to see that conformity put in practise Being thus frustrate of their hopes of bringing in their darling plat-forme some of the principall among them remaining stiffe in their opinion and opposition to Authority received a just censure and suffered deprivation others grown wiser by the example of their fellowes suffering that they might save their reputation and yet continue in their places invented a new course and yeelded a kinde of conformity not that they thought any whit better of the things but for that they held them though in themselves unlawfull not to be such as for which a man ought to hazzard not his living that might savour of covetousnesse but his ministery and the good which Gods People might by that meanes receive This project prevailed with many to make them come off to a subscription and yet gave them liberty in private and where they might freely and with safety to expresse themselves to shew their dis-affection to the things to which they had subscribed resolving not to practise what they had professed nor to use the ceremonies enjoyned further than they should be compelled And for this cause they did wisely avoid all occasions that might draw them to the publick profession of conformity by using the ceremonies and betooke themselves to the worke of preaching placing themselves as much as might be in Lectures and where any of them were beneficed getting conformable Curates under them to beare the burden of the ceremonies Thus saving themselves and maintaining their reputation with the people they gained the opportunity to instill into them their principles not only of dislike of the Church-government and rites but also of the doctrine established and though through the vigilancie and care of those that have sate at the sterne in this Church they have beene hitherto hindred from erecting their altars of Damascus publickly in our Temples yet have they using this art now a long time in an underhand way brought up the use of their owne crotchets and erected a new Church both for doctrine and discipline far differing from the true and ancient English Church and made though not a locall as some more zealous among them have by removing to Amsterdam and New-England yet a reall separation accounting themselves the wheat among the tares and monopolizing the names of Christians Gods children Professors and the like stiling their doctrine The Gospell The Word and their Preachers The Ministers The good Ministers Powerfull preachers and by such other distinctive names As for all other men they account them no better than * Resembling herein the Donatists of old with whom Optatus expostulates in this manner Eum qui in nomine Christi tinctus est Paganum vocas And againe Paganum vocas
in which they take it yet is the sanctification expressely referred not to the day but to the Fast which in regard of the religious ends and uses of it may bee truly called an holy or sanctified work and so cannot inferre any Sabbaticall sanctification of a day much lesse of every such day for that worke 2. Neither doth the solemn assemblie necessarily import it the word being of more generall signification and some times applyed to such assemblies as are farre from holines and however as I said before being onely a particular command cannot be drawne into Ier 9. 2. an Assemblie of treacherous men a perpetuall rule As is judiciously observed by that Reverend Divine Master Hen. Mason in his pious Treatise of Fasting or Christian humiliation where this point is more largely and learnedly discussed I leave this then as an opinion built upon a sandy and tottering foundation which whatever shew of pietie it seemes to carry with it hath no ground in reason or Scripture to support it And I shall crave leave likewise that I may not trace him any more in his wilde vagaries that hee here makes bringing fire saucie and presumptuous Arguments to prove that His Majestie never intended to restraine Preaching on the Fast dayes when the Proclamation which is vox Regis speakes it Some men but none goes beyond Master B. have a dainty facultie this way if a thing like them they will have Scripture for it or it shall goe hard and if they can finde none they will yet bring reasons to shew that it must and ought to bee there as some Ames med Theol. l. 2. c. 5. have done for the establishing of the Lords Day If they like it not then plaine words are not enough to prove it spoken as here His Majesties Proclamation is not sufficient to declare his Royall meaning but hee must be forced by multitude I cannot say weight or force of Arguments to meane otherwise yea cleane contrary to his expresse words But this is but his old fetch to put the Bishops betweene when hee levels his envenomed shafts of detraction against His Sacred Majestie thereby hoping to procure them envie and to get a starting hole to avoyd the danger of broad-mouthed Treason The Bishops prohibited Preaching and not the King But whoever did it naught it was and that which made the Fast to bee neither grave nor religious and if it prove to bee His Majesties I suppose it is not Mr. Burtons saying he had rather dye than conceive such an opinion of his King that will save him from the just reward of his audaciousnes But I passe by this and those nine reasons that follow moving him had the season served for his accesse to have becom'n an humble petitioner to His Majestie for the taking off of that restraint that preaching at the Fasts in places infected might bee permitted partly because of their vanitie and weaknesse and partly because I would not prevent my selfe being to speake of preaching in Generall under the next head where I must touch upon some of these particulars of which I now come to speake CHAP. XVII Of the sixth pretended Innovation in the Meanes of Knowledge The Knowledge of God necessary The Scriptures the key of Knowledge Impious to take them away or hinder the Knowledge of them The difference betweene the Scriptures and Sermons How Faith is begotten of Rom. 10. 17. The Word of God must be rightly divided and what it is so to doe THE sixth Innovation he tells us is about the meanes of the Knowledge of God and of the mysterie of our salvation where in hee charges the Prelates as our Saviour did the Scribes and Pharisees That they shut up the Kingdome of Heaven against men and neither goe in themselves Matth. 23. 13. nor suffer them that were entring to goe in Which saith he in Luke 11. 52. is expressed thus Yee take away the key of knowledge And then hee declares his meaning after a confused clamorous manner The summe whereof is but this They hinder and disgrace preaching and will not suffer men to preach or Catechise as they desire For answer to this I say first That it is a certaine truth and granted by all that understand any thing in religion That the knowledge of God and of the mysteries of salvation is most necessary for every Christian so as without a competent measure thereof by some meanes attained it is impossible for any man come to yeares of discretion to be saved Secondly It is also as certaine that it is not in the power of nature to attaine unto this competencie of knowledge in those things especially that concern the mysteries of our redemption without the helpe of a key reached out unto us from God himselfe who alone can make knowne what is that his good acceptable and perfect Will by beleeving and doing whereof hee hath determined to bring men to happinesse Thirdly It is agreed upon by all Protestant Divines that this key of knowledge is the Word of God contained in the Canonicall Scriptures of the old and new Testament which containe all things necessary to salvation Now it cannot but bee a most hatefull and odious sinne and impiety to take away from Christians this Key of knowledge and to barre them any way from the use of it and this kinde of persecution which was used by Iulian the Apostate is the most cruell of all others as tending not to the destroying of the bodies but both of bodies and soules for ever in hell fire and therfore we justly condemn the Church of Rome as envious of the salvation of mens soules in not permitting the Scripture to be had or read in a vulgar and known language And if any of our Prelates should doe the like I think Mr. B. might justly complain and in an orderly way seek redresse of so great a mischief But this he cannot say for hee that hath said so much I doubt not if he could have had the least colour for it but he would have said that too All the businesse that he moves this stir about is The putting downe of some Lectures and Sermons and regulating of Catechising And this he would have the people beleeve to bee the taking away of the key of knowledg and the means of the knowledg of God and of the mysteries of salvation And this hath beene an old deceit with which many Ministers of his faction have cosened if not themselves the people For whatsoever is spoken concerning the efficacie or necessity of Gods Hook Eccl. Pol. l. 5. §. 21. Word the same they tie and restraine only unto Sermons howbeit not to Sermons read neither for such they also abhor in the Church but Sermons without booke Sermons which spend their life in their birth and may have publike audience but once And hence it is that these great cryes are raised that a Minister shall not for any irregularity be suspended or his extravagant fancies restrained
or any order for the time or manner of preaching prescribed but presently they cry out that the Word of God the Gospel ordinary means of salvation are taken away or hindered The truth is we have no Word of God but the Scripture Apostolike Sermons were unto such as heard them his Word even as properly as unto us their writings are Howbeit not so our owne Sermons the expositions which our discourse of wit doth gather and minister out of the Word of God And much lesse every fond opinion which passion or misguided zeale shall utter out of the Pulpit To dignifie these with the name of Gods Word is both a grosse taking of Gods Name in vaine and a dangerous delusion of Gods People And yet so farre are some transported and carried away with this mis-perswasion that they attribute more to mens expositions than to the pure and infallible Word of God it selfe For they deny that any power to save soules though read or otherwise published in a knowne tongue and so plainely expressed that it cannot transcend the capacity of a meane understanding as indeed it is and we confidently and upon sure and infallible grounds mantaine it to be so against our adversaries of Rome in those things that are absolutely necessary to salvation Which opinion of theirs if ever any were is most senselesse and contrary to all reason For wee read that the Scriptures are able to make men wise unto salvation That the Word of God received 2 Tim. 3. 15. Iam. 1. 21 with meeknes ingrafted is able to save our soules and that they thus commended the Scriptures as availeable to this end for certaine had no secret conceit which they never opened to any a conceit that no man in the world should be that way the better for any sentence in it till such time as the same might chance to bee preached upon or alledged at the least in a Sermon There is no such coherence between Sermons and faith that ordinarily a Christian mans beleefe should naturally grow from thence and not possibly from any other kinde of notification of the Word of God The Apostle indeed faith that faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Rom. 10. 17. But is not the Word as well heard when it is read as when it is preached upon in Master Burtons precise acception of the word The begetting of faith in mens hearts commeth from the concurrence of two things First the Word of God which is the object of faith Secondly the notification of this object to the understanding by such meanes as it may bee able to apprehend it and this notification or conveighing of the word of God to the understanding is that which the Apostle calls hearing and comprehends in it both reading of it by a man's selfe hearing it read by others or any other way whereby it may come to be understood and assented unto as preaching in that sense to which it is by these men restrained by way of Sermons and yet we must give preaching even in that sense it 's due and farre be it from any yea and I dare confidently say it is farre from any of those whom Master B. taxeth to deny it it 's just honor onely let it not be lifted up to an unjust competition with the Scriptures and immediately inspired Word of God it selfe and much lesse preferred before it in power and efficacie or to have the word of God to borrow and fetch its power and saving vertue from it neither let it not bee opposed to or bring in contempt that which it ought chiefely to labour to promote the publicke prayers of the Church which is the true and proper worship of God With these Cautions whatsoever honour men shall give not to every vaine babling venting of fables newes corantoes out of the Pulpit but to preaching rightly so called that is the sober and solid explication application of any portion of the word of God will never offend the Prelates of these times nor any other piously affected Christian Let them dignifie this if they please in a secundary sense with the title of Gods word Let them call the Ministers of it even in respect of this as the Apostle hath done in regard of their whole office co-workers or joynt-labourers with God than which what greater dignity can be imagined yet they shall not be gaine said by any Prelate or feare the censure of the High-commission for it Men doe not we know bring the saving knowledge of God into the world with them it must be instilled by some meanes and among the rest it is Gods ordinance That the Priests lips which should Mal. 2. 7. Deut. 32. 2. preserve knowledge should in this way let their doctrine drop as the raine and their speech distill as the dew and that the people who have not the like opportunity or ability of knowledge might seeke the law at their mouthes who even in this are the messengers of the Lord of Hosts Yea if this bee not enough let them preferre this above all other meanes and it will easily be granted in regard they are more apt to make impression upon the hearers more powerfull incentives of good affections than other wayes of teaching are But all this notwithstanding though there be so much of God in this work yet there is somewhat of man still in the best of them and that where ever it be is not priviledged from error imperfection and vanity and hence it comes to passe that many Jer. 23. 31 32. times men with those in the prophet use their tongues and say The Lord saith when God sent them not nor commanded them but they prophesie false dreames and cause the people to erre by their lightnesse Yea too often as these sermons here before us men make the Pulpit but a stage to act their passionate distempers and spleene to ransack the affaires of state and to pick out thence such things as may claw the peoples itch who ever are content to heare those above them taxed or if men doe not shew themselves to bee men in so grosse a manner yet it cannot bee expected but that discretion will bee sometimes wanting to know what meate is fittest for the strength of their auditory and when and how to administer that which is sufficient for their due nourishment without the over laying of their stomackes to the ingendring of spirituall crudities and corrupt humours It is a misconceit that some have who because the Apostle bids his scholer Timothy to preach in season and out of season there can be no 2. Tim. 4. 2. time or measure unseasonable and so no bounds without injury set to preachers or preaching When wee know the nature of the duty it selfe the end of it the necessity of other duties to succeede and all shew that there is an out of season and an out of measure too which the Apostle never intended to urge his