conuerted to the Christian faith and newly planted in the Church Timothy liued in Asia and therefore was necessarily to furnish the Church out of Gentilisme for this cause Paul aduiseth him to make choise of such as were setled in the doctrine of Christianitie and not to aduaunce men to the dignitie of a Bishop by and by after their conuersion So that howsoeuer I confesse that maturitie of yeares is yet to be respected in a Minister because in the ordinary course it is accompanied with ripenesse of iudgement yet neither doeth that place of the Apostle prescribe a law for the debarring of young men from the ministery neither doeth any place of scripture disable that age or make it vncapable of the ministery so that it be graced with gifts sufficient for so excellent a function And this I thinke may be answer full enough to this obiection Nymp. What exception these wise men will make against this your answer I know not you haue resolued me to the full and concerning yong Ministers I heard once an acquaintance of mine who was brought vp in the Vniuersitie say that he knew many schollers in his time that when they were yong and fresh were of very great hope and were also very zealous and had a good gift in preaching who notwithstanding in time grew cold and lesse able for gifts both of iudgement and zeale and vtterance to do good in Gods Church but these points I will not mell with onely your discourse brought that into my mind which I heard a friend of mine say a good while since I must craue your iudgement yet a litle further touching these men besides al these pretended reasons they stand much vpon two things which flesh and bloud doth well approue of one is that few of the great men of the world do esteeme preaching the other is that it is not wisedome for a man in matters of religion to be too forward What say you to this Epaph. I say it is a hard matter for those men to come to amendment out of the snare of the diuell which are taken of him at his will and we had néede to beg of that God who commaunded the light to shine out of darknesse that he would shine in our hearts to giue the light of his knowledge for if a man be once entangled in error Sathan hath so many deuises to hold him in that it is a hard matter for him to get from him yet if men haue any grace or wil yeeld to any reasō they may soone sée the vanitie of these perswasions as I wil briefly declare vnto you In the former there are two things to be noted first that if the practise of men were a sufficient rule in matters of Religion there are thankes be to God many honorable personages many nobles many gentlemen many of good note for worldly respects who do vnfainedly reuerence and heartily embrace the preaching of Gods word and no doubt it is vnto them the ioy and reioycing of their hearts and they estéeme of it to be euen as it is The power of God vnto saluation so that if the approbation of men were a reason of force it is not wanting vnto preaching but as God hath a people out of all so that also hath friends and fauourers among all Secondly suppose that this course of Preaching were vtterly despised and all the great wise men of the world did euen scorne it and tread it vnder their feete yet this were a poore argument vnlesse we will say it was a good reason which they vsed against Christ Doeth any of the rulers or of the Pharisees beleeue in him The best things haue not commonly the most voices and many times according to the prouerbe the greater part is too hard for the better part There was a voyce put vp for making a golden calfe and there was not one against it There was a voyce what should be done with Iesus and all cryed Crucifie him Another was whether God should be God or Baal should be God and none held with God but Eliah S. Augustine saith that the church was sometimes in one Abel and in one Enoch God forbid we should be in the number of those who define the church by the multitude we are content to leaue that absurditie to the Papists we know that Christs flocke is a little flocke and we must endeuor to grow to that resolution to say Lord though that all men should be offended by thee yet will I neuer be offended Now for that other perswasion that it is not good to be too eager in matters of religion I know it to be the common perswasion of a great many but yet this is a sure rule that that man who thinketh himselfe to haue knowledge and zeale and religion enough the same hath no knowledge no zeale no religion at all For wheresoeuer the graces of God are in truth there is in regard of the sweetnesse which a man findeth in them a forgetting that which is behind and an endeuouring a mans selfe to that which is before grieuing more for that which is yet wanting then reioycing in that which already is attained In the parable of the Talents it is said that from him that hath not euen that he hath shall be taken away but in another of the Gospels it is said From him shall be taken euen that which it seemeth that he hath So that it is but a conceit and opinion of grace where there is no desire to increase in grace It is a good saying when a man is come to that passe that he hath no desire to be better then he quite leaueth off to be good And therfore men do but deceiue themselues in neglecting the benefit of preaching vpon a conceit that it is best to keepe a temper in matters of religion and to content themselues with a certaine portion of knowledge and with a set measure of zeale and neuer to proceede further for we must desire the sincere milke of the word that we may grow thereby And indéed if so be that we haue tasted how bountifull the Lord is we shall neuer be able to satisfie our selues either in the laboring after knowledge in religion or in the zealous profession and practise of religion Nymph Now that you speake of being too forward and precise in matters of religion it putteth me in mind of a saying of Salomons which I well vnderstand not Be not thou saith he iust ouermuch It may seeme to agree with their opinion which would not haue men to be too straite as they call it Epaph. It is a good rule of the learned that for the finding out the true meaning of a place of scripture we must consider what goeth before and what followeth this rule obserued will soone cleare this place In the verse going before Salomon had spoken of the confusion as
and all their studies and endeuours to the seruice of the church and do so long after their people from the very heart roote in Iesus Christ that for their spiritual furtherance they could beteame to deale euen their owne soules vnto thē such I say through the blessing of God vpon their holy labours do so increase in iudgement and in zeale and haue such a doore of vtterance opened vnto them to speake the mysterie of Christ that as they themselues placing a kind of felicity in the doing of their dutie find in themselues a certain facultie in that heauenly exercise so the Church of God committed to them is instructed by their soundnesse of doctrine and whetted on by their zealous exhortations So that to say that sound preaching is for the peoples behoofe and not frequent preaching is a méere collusion presupposing that which is most false namely that soundnes of doctrine and oftenesse of teaching cannot go together How litle I approue of rash aduenturing vpon this kind of exercise that which I haue spoken formerly may witnesse and how small reason there is to separate these two profitable preaching and often preaching I referre it to any indifferent iudgement Nymph But because some that are reputed learned affirme that often preaching is not so much for the peoples profite shew me I pray you some good reason to the contrary that I may be able both to preuaile against mine owne backwardnes when I beginne to grow weary of diligent hearing and to prouoke others also when I shal behold them as it were glutted with multitude of sermons Epaphr There is a certaine disease which we are all more or lesse infected with our Sauior Christ calleth it slownes of heart this euill sicknesse being accompanied with a kind of spirituall sléepinesse and lethargie maketh vs as it were a very lumpe of fluggishnesse slow in attention slow in vnderstanding slow in remembring slow in practising First for attentiō we sée it by euery days experience how like the most of our hearers are vnto the idols of the heathen of whom the Psalme saith that they haue eares and heare not It is true that Elihu sayd to Iob God speaketh once or twise one seeth it not many excellent things are spoken which we obserue not we heare generally with the hearing of the eare so that we haue all need to haue that of the Prophet often vrged He that heareth let him heare that so we might endeuour to fetch vp our hearts to our eares that one sound may at once pierce thē both this is our slownes in attention there is nothing that is heard more idly then that which ought to be listened vnto most carefully Secondly for conceit vnderstāding our slownes therin equalleth our slothfulnes in the former many points are taught that with as much plainnes as is possible in which notwithstanding he that speaketh seemeth as it were a Barbarian vnto vs. That same natural man which perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God sometimes beareth too great a stroke within vs somtimes also God permitting it for our better hūbling the god of this world blindeth our minds that the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ cānot shine vnto vs. The blind man whō Christ healed at Bethsaida when his sight began in some degrees to be restored being asked if he saw ought he looked vp and said I see mē walking as trees he saw at the first not distinctly but after a confused maner I apply it thus we are all by nature blind in the best things and because they are spiritually discerned of our selues we cannot see them now when it pleaseth that God which commandeth the light to shine out of darknes to shine in our hearts we haue at the first but as it were a certain glimpse of heauenly matters the precise exact knowledge is not by and by attained Thirdly touching memory how great weaknes there is in it I cal euery mans conscience to witnes Indeed we see how surely and how long men can remember matters of the world The vncharitable and malicious man will remember an euill turne many a yeere wayting still an oportunity to reuenge it The old man hath so fresh an impression of the toyes vanities of his youth that he wil make you as perfite a relation of them with euery circumstance as if they had bene done but yesterday The couetous worldling though perhaps he can neither write nor reade nor hath any to keepe his reckonings yet he can remember all his bargaines all his conditions in bargaining all his dayes and houres places either for the payment or receipt of any thing The young man or woman can soone learne without book many a ballad or idle Loue-song tending to the increasing or stirring vp of vncleannesse and so it fareth in other particulars But come now to matters of religion piety alas how true is it that the conceipt of them is as soone gone from our minds as the sound from our eares When Dauid enquired of Ahimaaz comming from the camp touching Absolom his answer was I saw a great tumult but I knew not what Like to this will be the answer of a great many when at their returne frō the house of God they are demaunded touching the particulars there deliuered they will say they saw a man speaking and heard the noise of his voice and beheld his gesture but they know not what they can tell litle of that which was vttered by him Lastly for slownesse in practise it is long before after long hearing we are brought to incline to a good dutie and yet after some good disposition to it there are so many delayes and so many pul-backes yea and after a reasonable beginning so many fallings backe and so much waxing weary of well doing that we are too well like Salomons sluggard who it may be maketh many offers of rising yet whilest he crieth Yet a litle sleepe a litle slumber the time stealeth away and his vineyard is all growne ouer with thornes for want of husbandry This is our drowsie sicknes of slownesse of heart The best ordinary remedy against this disease is often preaching as you shall see if you well examine it Continuall calling vpon at last through a kind of importunitie will win vs to attention Often repetition of the same points will both cleare the vnderstanding and settle the iudgment also It grieueth me not saith Paul to write the same things to you and for you it is a sure thing That which after many times deliuery is stil committed to forgetfulnesse yet at the last it is laid vp in the mids of the hart and by the negligence and backwardnes of many yeeres yet in the end the words of the wise Preacher being like goades is drawne vnto some cōfortable perfection If oftē preaching may lawfully be comcomplained of
beginning of the worlds creation God for the manifesting of his owne power and glory made light to be the earth to bud forth before the Sun which to vs is the fountaine of light and the cherisher of the vital heat which is in all things was created yet now God hauing established an orderly course we cannot hope either for light in the ayre or for life among the creatures vpon the earth without the Sun I do apply al these things thus the want of the meanes of publicke preaching in former ages could not be any hindrance vnto God in sauing those which he knew before and who were ordained vnto eternall life And I am out of doubt of it that in the dayes of Popery in this land wheÌ„ the key of knowledge was vtterly taken away and the law perished from the priest counsell from the wise and the word from the Prophet so that if a man did wander from sea to sea and did run to and fro from the North euen vnto the East to seeke the word of the Lord yet he could not find it I say I am cleere in it that many then in that great darknes did as the prouerbe is see day at a very litle hole very straÌ„gely came to the knowledge of the truth some by the sight of some parcels of scripture some by the writings of good men some by conference with others though the same were both very seldom very secret some by knowing little more then the Lords prayer in English yet had they the assurance of the truth of it felt that coÌ„fort receiued the sweetnesse by it that as the histories of the church make mention they were conteÌ„ted to sacrifice their liues to spend their best blood to beare witnes vnto it which the Lord did both that it might appeare to all ensuing ages that he â—ed a small remnant euen as the shepheard taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs or a peece of an eare then when as the daugther of Sion was become as Sodome and not much vnlike vnto Gomorâ—hâ— and withal that at the day of Christs appâ—eâ—ng when he shal consume that man of sin with the breath of his mouth and abolish him with the brightnes of his coming he may haue witnesses against him out of all ages both of the deceiuablenesse of his superstitious doctrines of the cruelty of his tyrannous and bloody proceedings That which I say touching the times of the Egyptian darknes of Popery may be said also of many parte of the Realme which notwithstanding the long flourishing of the Gospell in this land yet I know not through whose default neuer enioyed the benefit comfort of setled preaching for though for the most part it be true that where the Lord hath much people there he is not waÌ„ting to send some who may continue with them and teach the of God among them yet as he sometimes vouchsafeth a Preacher to impudent and stif-necked children who will not heare to to that end that in the day of vengeance they may know there hath bene a Prophet among them so also it pleaseth him by secret and hidden yea and very vnlikely courses to affoord vnto some hearts the blessing of inward conuersion vppon whom he hath not bestowed the benefite of outward instruction by a Preacher But what then Yet this remaineth cercertaine that as when the good meanes is wanting and cannot by any meanes be procured the power and mercie of God must not be distrusted so when the meanes is bestowed his bountie cannot without great sin be despised It is herein as it is in the case of the Sacraments it is not simply the want of them when a man cannot though faine he would become partaker of them but the contempt which is damnable As for example if a father vnnecessarily deferre the baptisme of his child longer then the time appoynted by the order of the Church it is a sin in him if the child die without baptisme so likewise for a man vsually to turne is backe from the administration of the Lords Supper making no reckoning of the coÌ„fort offred therein it is doubtlesse a fault which God will not let to go away vnpunished The same may be said of the word preached if a man be depriued of it through a kind of vnauoydable necessitie simply there is no preiudice to a mans saluation thereby if so be these things be ioyned with it first that in this straite the soule do pant after that great benefit of which it is depriued secondly that a man do both desire require that one thing of the Lord euen to behold the beautie of the Lord namely the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ which is the image of God thirdly that he be careful to vse all such helps of reading the scripture and of other godly treatises and of conference with men of knowledge as may possibly be procured But if so be a man may by any meanes enioy the benefite and comfort of preaching though it be with some both charge and trauell if then he carelesly neglect it and trust to other meanes no doubt the Lord will curse those meanes vnto him which for all that in their owne nature are good and might profite if they were not vsed with contempt of the principal This is my iudgment touching this supposal that by pressing the worth of preaching we do confine as it were Gods grace and â—e it to our tongues do cut them short of al hope of saluation which by any occasion haue liued or do liue without it Nymp. Wel sir this kind of men for all this is not satisfied but being beaten by argument and scripture from one fond conceit they forthwith â—un to another and seek not so much how to make a direct reply as to heape vp diuersity of obiections And therfore when they haue said all they can for the pressing of those particulars the vanity whereof you haue layed open to the full then hoping to obtaine that with multitude of words which with waight of reasoÌ„ they cannot they wil needs know a reason why there may not be as much good gotten by their owne priuate reading in the bookes of the scripture and in other good sermons and treatises which are set forth as by hearing a Preacher in the Church Epaph. Touching priuate reading of the scripture I am so far from disliking it any way that with that learned Chrysostome I do alwayes exhort and will not faile in stirring vp the people that they should not onely diligently attend to matters spoken publikely but endeuour themselues also to reade and peruse the scriptures priuatly God forbid I or any other of my profession should maintaine that Popish Maxime that the common vse of the Scripture is the cause of all heresies and not rather the contrary taught by Christ and seconded by the learned in