bloud of all men and that no man who liueth vnder our ministery may haue cause in the day of the Lord to impute his slownes in repenting to our too cold too mild and couert maner of reproouing Nymph But what say you now sir to the third accusation which is that you make your preaching too common and so by that means draw it into contempt make it to be the lesse esteemed among men I can tell you there be many that are preachers themselues be of that opinion Epaph. I am the more sorie and to tell you what I thinke plainly I am of that mind that those which blame often preaching as a fault what colour soeuer they may set vpon it yet they do it chiefly for the couering of their own shame that their negligence may not be taken notice of I remember the old fable of the Foxe who hauing had a mischance lost his taile coming into the assembly of the beasts of the same kind fell to perswade them euery one to cut off his taile pleading the cumbersomnesse and waightinesse of it with many the like circumstances but the matter coming to further scanning it was found that the wily foxe did it onely to couer his owne deformitie which if to be without tailes had once bene a fashion should neuer haue bene espied I leaue you to apply it Only I wold wish all such so minded to follow Hieromes counsell in which he admonisheth one Calphurnius vpon some such occasiō as this that if he wanted téeth himselfe he should not be enuious against those with were able to eate When one counselled Moses to silence Eldad Medad imagining that their Prophecying in the hoast might haue eclipsed Moses his credite Moses liked not the aduice but wished that all the Lords people were Prophets But lest I should seeme too tart against this kind of mē of whō yet there is some hope I wil be cōtent to examin their reasons because as I gather by your spéech they séeke as the Prouerbe is to be mad with reason They say the ouer-commonnesse of preaching will breed contempt of preaching First of all suppose it fareth with some in respect of preaching as it did with the vnthankfull Israelites which loathed the Manna wherwith the Lord so miraculously fed them in the wildernesse so they also seeme to be as it were glutted with the continuall vse of the word preached yet this can be no reason why a diligent and frequent Preacher should remit any thing of his former industrie and speak more sparingly drawing his Sermons into a smaller number then he was wont It is truly said that there are thrée very good mothers which haue three very bad daughters and they are these 1. Truth which yet in the world bréedeth hatred 2. Peace a great blessing of God and yet through our corruption it causeth Idlenesse 3. Familiarity and the cōmon vse of a good thing which is notwithstanding mostly recompenced with Contempt And yet this is not in the nature of these things but onely in our corruption For as the nature of God is so perfectly good that he doth turn euen very euill things into very good things as he made the malice of the Iewes in putting his Sonne to death to be a meane of our saluation so our nature is so absolutely euill that it turneth very good things into euill as sometimes the grace of God into wantonnesse and Christian libertie into an occasion vnto the flesh so in these particulars which I haue named Now because truth is generally hated shall men therefore banish it from their speeches and frame their toungs to flatterie Because many abuse the blessing of peace shall we therefore voluntarily raise tumults or desire God to put an end to our happie dayes of quietnesse There is in the world no reason for it Neither is there any iust cause why we should go about to make our preaching as it were something more dainty because it may séeme to some raw and ill disposed stomackes to breed a kind of fulnesse and satietie Secondly if we looke better into it we shall see that the true cause of mens contempt of preaching is not so much the common vse of it as the ignorance of the worth and excellencie of it The Sun the water the fire what things more common and yet what things lesse despised and the reason is because we all know we cannot liue without them Let men be once perswaded of this that neither the Sunne nor water nor fire are more necessary for the outward man then preaching is for the soule and spirit and that where it is wanting there the people decay thē they will neuer be cloyed or at least if satietie through the in-bred corruption of our nature créepe vpon them by the remembrance hereof it will quickly be recouered Thirdly do but marke what course of preaching it is which pleaseth some to call ouer-common namely a setled course for euery Sabboth and it may be some wéeke day Lecture as it is called vsually Now I would faine sée how any man can say with reason that this is ouer often Paule commaundeth to preach in season If this charge carie any waight what better season can there be then the Sabboth a day of leasure a day in which men if not for conscience yet for custome and because of the lawes assemble themselues in one place for the performance of one common dutie and seruice vnto God I remember it is premitted as a circūstance to the historicall relation of some of Christs sermons that when he saw the multitude and great troupes resorted to him then he spake many things to them and in another place it is said that beholding the swarmes of people and considering their spirituall wants euen his very bowels did worke within him and he began to teach them So no doubt it is ought to be with euery good Minister he cannot as we say find in his heart to dismisse a multitude assembled to worship God without some word of exhortation Me thinketh that when a Pastor of a parish is comen into the church vpon the Sabboth day beholdeth his whole flocke gathered together as one man he should euen imagine that the very presence of the people doth cal to him as the Rulers of the synagogue did to Paul and Barnabas that if he haue any word of exhortation for them he should say on So that if to preach in season be a Minister his dutie and the fulnesse of an assembly vpon the sabboth be a seasonable occasiō as no man can deny it I cannot see how so seasonable an exercise can be charged with ouer-commonnesse or blamed as a meanes to make the word of God lesse precious amongst men God requireth that we should call the Sabboth a delight to consecrate it now how can that day be hallowed and consecrated as it ought if so speciall a
but they shall not preuaile against thee for I am with thee to deliuer thee saith the Lord yet notwithstanding lest their conceipts should be any hindrance to those that are well affected or it should be an encouragement to them in their euill when they find those that séeme contrary minded vnable to answer them therfore I do both commend your care herein and will be as helpefull to you as I am able in opening the vanitie of their seuerall exceptions that are enemies vnto preaching Nymph I thanke you for it and I trust that he which commanded Peter when he was himselfe conuerted to strengthen the brethren will both blesse your care to my profite and render to you seuen fold into your bosome the comfort that I shall receiue by your aduice I will be bold therefore as farre as I can call to mind to make knowne vnto you euery thing that I haue heard obiected in this case Epaph. Be so I pray you and faile not till you be fully satisfied to vrge euery thing to the vttermost Nymph You know sir that we haue in our countrie men of diuers humours and sundrie fashions some grossely ignorant and meere sottish chiefly in matters of religion some prophane such as Esau was who care more for a portion of meate esteeme more of a worldly coÌ„moditie then of a heauenly treasure some wise and sensible as the world calleth wisedome some learned also and schollers by profession now it hath bene my hap at some one time or other to fall into conference with euery of these sorts and as communication draweth in one thing after another so to find out their seueral opinions and though some of them be very simple and to be called idle surmises rather then grounded reasons yet because you haue made me so kind an offer you shall therefore haue all Epaph. Be it so I am well contented and because Ignorance is a mother sin therefore let vs first heare I pray you the ignorant mans exceptions Nymph One thing that I haue heard some ignorant men with vs alleage is that they can see no reason why there should be more vse of preaching now then there hath bene in former times They haue liued they say some thirtie some fortie some more yeares without a setled ministery hauing onely vnlesse it were now or then at times the ordinary seruice read among them and all this while they felt no want of that which is now called teaching and therefore they are minded not to esteeme that much for the remainder of their life without which they haue liued and done wel enough hitherto How like you this sir is not this a profound reason Is not here good Diuinitie Epaph. Indéede you may well call this the ignorant mans reason it is so grosse hauing in it but thrée errours which you know is nothing to speake of in so short an allegation First of all they wil neglect preaching now because they haue liued without it hitherto as though it were wisedome for a man in his old or middle age to refuse a kindnesse offered because in his youth or childhood he had no meanes to enioy it Had it bene a good reason for Paul when Christ called him from heauen to haue said O sir it is now too late I am a man that haue spent the best part of my time without the knowledge of thee of thy religion therefore I pray thée trouble me not now I hope to shift out as wel for so much of my life as is behind as I haue done so this day No man will be so without coÌ„mon sense as to say that Paul might iustly haue refused vpon such a pretence and yet it had bin as good a reason as theirs Secondly they erre in this in that they account the time of their ignorance to haue bin without danger because they neuer saw the danger Alas litle do they consider the extreme misery of those times Christ saith that he that walketh in the darke namely without the bright shining light of Gods holy word knowes not whither he goeth he is euen in the valley of the shadow of death a stranger from the life of God walking after the course of this world and after the prince that ruleth in the ayre euen the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience A man that hath bene in a swound and is awaked out of it by the paines of his friends he will tel you how pleasing the slumber therof séemed to his senses and at the first beginning to be awaked he will say perhaps You should haue let me alone why did you trouble me But when he is better aduised he wil thank them that brought him again because he knoweth that if he had bene let alone it might haue cost him his life So in this case a man liuing in blindnesse and grosse ignorance séemeth to himselfe for the present to be in a maruellous good state and his soule in as good as any mans and when the Preacher shall cry vnto him Awake thou that sleepest and stand vp from the dead Oh thou ignorant person Why wilt thou die saue thy self from this froward generation Like enough he wil say O M. Preacher trouble me not I pray you spare your sides I am well enough my soule is in no such danger but if the Lord once open his eyes and make him a new heart and a new spirit then he wil blesse God for him that called him because he will then perceiue that otherwise he had euen runned on to his owne destruction He that trauelleth by night vpon the edge and hanging of a steep hil from which if he should fall he must needs breake his neck goeth on without feare because in the darke he seeth not the daunger but â—et him be brought back at light of day it wil make him euen quake to thinke vpon the peril he was in wonder that euer he should escape it In like sort he that is in the blindnesse of ignorance without the word the same is hourely ready to fall into the pit of hell yet he feareth it not because he seeth it not but if euer he haue any remorce by the light of the Gospel shining in his heart it wil terrifie him to remember his former misery and make his belly to tremble to consider it so that here is the second errour in this ignorant obiection Men conclude there was no danger in the dayes of blindnesse because they saw no danger whereas indeed the daunger was so much the greater A third error there is yet in this exception that is that they consider not how that the refusall of Gods mercy which is freely offered in the preaching of the word doth double their sinne and make their condemnation more iust by whom it is refused If I had not come and spoken vnto them they should not haue had sin sayth our Sauior that is they
more is thought also to be more for sinne not espied is in mens iudgements as no sin So then partly in this respect it may be said that since there was so much preaching the world hath bin worse because the holy doctrine which is taught condemneth many things for sin which the blind world estéemed as no sin and because the liues of those which are conuerted by preaching do shew more euidently the monstrous sins of those which are giuen ouer to vngodlinesse Secondly the preaching of the word is an occasion of sin as also the law of God is not in it selfe or in it owne nature for it reproueth sin and setteth it selfe against all maner of vngodlinesse but it is so partly through the corruption of our nature partly thorough the iust iudgment of God the corruption of our nature is alwayes the more furious the more it is restrained striuing still to do that most which is most forbidden euery humor desireth that most whereby it may be most encreased Let a Physitian forbid a melancholike man such and such meates he shall find himselfe to haue an appetite to no meate so much as to that which is inhibited I do verily think the other trees in Paradise affoorded fruite as pleasant to the eye and as good for meate as the forbidden tree but when as Satan had made a little entry then euen that circumstance that it was forbidden did set an edge vpon the womans desire and made her more faine to eate of that one then of any of the rest which were allowed Paul sayth that the law is the strength of sinne both because it encreaseth the guilt of sinne and because sin thereupon becommeth more outragious according as Ieremie witnesseth out of his owne experience I cried out sayth he of wrong and proclaimed desolation therefore the word of the Lord was made a reproch vnto me it séemeth that vpon his preaching the people grew to greater insolencie Besides there are many points of necessitie to be taught which though they be deliuered with neuer so great circumspection yet the leudnesse of mans heart not being ouer-ruled by the power of Gods spirit will abuse the same So we see the doctrine of Iustification by faith only breedeth negligence in good works as appéereth by the caueat of the Apostle What shall we say then shal we cōtinue stil in sin that grace may abound God forbid So the doctrine of our fréedom by Christ from the curse of the law bringeth forth carnal libertie that made Paul so carefull to vse that restraint Only vse not your libertie as an occasion to the flesh In like maner this point that we are insufficiēt to kéep the law that we cannot so much as think a good thought but as God worketh it in vs Satan works by by vpon a supposed aduantage draws as much as he may to carelesnes thereupon And therfore the spirit of God in his great wisdome together with the teaching of that point that it is God which worketh in vs both the will and the deed coupleth this exhortation Make an end of your owne saluation with feare and trembling The same might be shewed by many other points which yet notwithstanding is so not in the nature of the doctrine but in the wretched disposition of mans hart who abuseth the comfortable doctrine of the Gospel and turneth the grace of our God into wantonnesse Againe as sin through the corruptiō of nature taketh occasiō to multiply it self by the doctrine preached so it falleth out by the iust iudgement of God that the contempt of much preaching bringeth forth abundance of iniquitie My word saith God by the Prophet that goeth out of my mouth shal not returne vnto me void And therfore in the same place it is compared to the raine because as the raine maketh the ground if not more fruitful surely then more vnprofitable so the word of God either maketh men hearts softer and themselues more fruitfull in good workes or else harder and their liues more abominable And yet is this no fault in the word for that is vnto God the sweete sauour of Christ euen in them which perish I haue bene longer in this point then I thought but because it is so much stood vpon by many I haue the rather endeuored to manifest the ful truth in this behalfe Nymph Truly for mine owne particular I must needs confesse that you haue taught me more touching this point then I haue heretofore obserued Indeed I haue many times wondred how it shold come to passe that there being now as I thinke much more preaching against sin then hath bin in the dayes of our forefathers yet there should be that aboundance of extreme impietie but now I see the reason of it First ignorance in Gods word is the supporter of Satans kingdome and he hauing drowned men in that gaue way to other things which being good in their owne nature and approued of in the eyes of men yet lost their grace being done without knowledge Secondly mans corrupt nature spider-like turneth the wholsome doctrine into poison and striueth more when it feeleth it selfe limited Thirdly it is iust with God to giue them vp into vile affections and to lay iniquitie vpon their iniquitie that they may worke all vncleannesse euen with greedinesse who receiue not the loue of the truth that they might be saued This I thinke is the summe of all which you haue spoken touching this Epaph. You haue well obserued it that is the very substance of my answer to that exception which I thinke is sufficient to satisfie those whom the truth of God grounded vpon the Scripture may satisfie I pray you now proceed to the next if there be any more of this kind Nymph There is onely to my remembrance one more and that is taken from the tumults diuisions which accompany your doctrine they say it many times breedeth difference euen among those betwixt whom formerly there was the best agreement Epaph. My good neighbor maruell not at this for as I shewed you in the beginning of our conference that resistance doth alwayes accompany the first publishing of the truth so also doth diuision of hearts follow it and to this end is that spéech of Christ to his Disciples Thinke not that I am come to send peace into the earth that is such peace as the world dreameth of I came not to send peace but the sword We read that when Paul exercised his ministery at Iconium there was much ado and the people of the citie were diuided and some were with the Iewes and some with the Apostles This made him to be accused before the ciuill Magistrate for a pestilent fellow and a mouer of sedition according as at this day factious and humorous is a common imputation Now a diuision cannot choose but follow preaching for when as among the hearers some mock some cleaue vnto
set downe the truth of God soundly and bene the meanes of much comfort to well affected people but yet though the doctrine be the same in substance that is read priuately which is publikely deliuered yet the like fruite cannot follow vpon both If you demaund a reason I can giue no better then that which Christ gaue of Gods reuealing those things to babes which he hid from the wise and prudent Euen so it is because the Lord his good pleasure is such When the people of Israel were in their iourney to Canaan and were fed with bread from heauen we read that if vpon the week dayes any man had reserued of the Manna til the morning it was full of wormes and stanke but being kept the day before the Sabbaoth vntill morning it stanke not neither was there any worme therein I would faine sée who could giue me any other reason why the Manna should at the one time corrupt at the other continue swéete but onely this God shewed his power in preseruing it at the one time because it was his own ordinance for the better sanctifying the Sabbaoth and he shewed his iustice in rotting it at the other time because he had forbidden it to teach them to depend vpō his prouidence After the same sort one man he taking himselfe to be a wise man thinking himselfe to be as able to draw good matter out of the books of the scripture and other writings as the best Preacher of them all either contemneth or else neglecteth the publike Ministery Another he in obedience to Gods commaundement VVatcheth dayly at the gates of the Lords house and giueth attendance at the postes of his doores framing all his priuate readings and meditations to the fitting of himselfe for the assembly exercises You will aske me why should the knowledge of the former rot as it were and putrifie and become nothing worth he being a man of good capacitie and vnderstanding reading none but sound authors and the other thriue in knowledge and in the power of godlines that yet for all that learneth no other doctrine then he findeth in his good bookes at home I might happily but verily for mine owne part I will seeke no other answer but this God hath promised to blesse the latter course saying If thou cause thine eares to hearken vnto wisedome and incline thine heart to vnderstanding then thou shalt vnderstand the feare of the Lord and find the knowledge of God But for the other because it is a course of mans owne deuising sauouring of inward pride therefore the Lord turneth it as hee doeth all humane wisedome into foolishnes so that the knowledge so gotten I meane by another by-way not by that old trodē path of hearing either becometh as the Apostle speaketh vaine iangling or els if it be sound in regard of the apprehension of truth yet it swimmeth onely in the braine and neuer worketh to the renewing and seasoning of the heart Nymph There is yet one thing more touching this conceit which men haue to game more by their owne priuate courses then by the publike ministery and that is this men that write write with great deliberation and aduice as for you when you preach you speake many times at aduenture and nothing so iudicially as do those who commit things to writing Besides that many of you are but nouices and yong schollers whom S. Paul seemeth not so well to approue of And for these causes as they must needs be iealous of your iudgement in many things so neither can they receiue that profit by your preaching as they may by priuate reading Epaph. Alas a poore excuse it is true if men write as they ought they write with iudgement and heedfulnesse and so do they also preach with good aduice who haue learned to feare him that hath said Cursed be he which doeth the worke of the Lord negligently I will not go about to patronise the negligence and carelesnesse of any man I wish we would all studie to shew our selues approued vnto God workemen that neede not be ashamed diuiding the word of God aright that so when the fire shall trie euery mans worke of what sort it is ours may abide Yet this I will say that if you compare like with like that is sound writers with sound preachers you shall find the sermons of the one framed with as good iudgement as the bookes and writings of the other And if that be a commendation as I see no reason but it should for a mans labors to smell of the candle no doubt you shall perceiue euen the ordinarie exercises of painefull and conscionable Preachers to sauour of as much art and industrie as the treatises of your most iudicious and grauest writers Neuerthelesse because as the Scripture sayth In many things we slippe all both Preachers and writers both readers of bookes and hearers of sermons therefore there is a necessitie of care and iudgement in those that seeke to reape benefite by other mens labours that like bées they may sucke out the best and sweetest and most wholesome doctrine from them both Now for the youth of many Ministers which men as you say pleade and seeme also to ground their conceit vpon the scripture I answer first that it is greatly to be lamented to sée the ouerforwardnesse of many young men who not considering the weight of that holy calling do sodainly thrust themselues into it and vndertake as the saying is to teach others before they themselues are well instructed so that I do verily thinke there are not at this day more nouices and punies of any profession then there are of the ministerie And for the preuenting of this euill were those decrees of the auncient Councels which set downe a certaine age before which a man was not to be admitted to the office of a Minister or Bishop in the Church Secondly I adde this withall that the graces of God are not to be limited to any age It was a good distinction of the Heathen man betwixt a yong man in yeares and a yong man in conditions It is not méete that yong men should say with Elihu The dayes shall speake and the multitude of yeares shall teach wisedome And yet it must be remembred which is also there noted that it is the inspiration of the Almightie which giueth vnderstanding and that the aged doe not alway vnderstand iudgement Young Dauid by the studie of Gods word may come to vnderstand more then the auncient Paul biddeth Timothy that no man should despise his youth If we shall distinguish the age of man according as some Philosophers did then Timothy could not be aboue fiue and twentie when Paul so wrote vnto him Touching the place it selfe that a Bishop must not be a young scholler it must not be vnderstood of a yong man in yeares but of one lately
the teachers some beleeue and others beleue not and men fall to haue great reasoning among theÌ„selues there cannot but follow a kind of diuisioÌ„ siding so that they which in their ignorance accorded together touching religioÌ„ are by the working of the word sundred some become zealous folowers others malicious oppressors laboring to stop the passage of the Gospell to peruert the strait waies of the Lord some neuters neither cold nor hot but iust of deputy Gallio his religion who cared nothing for those things The preaching of the word is the fan in the hand of Christ by which he parteth his wheat from the chaffe and whereby he maketh way for that great day of separation in which the beleeuing sheep shal be separated from the rebellious and vnbeléeuing goates Againe let it not be forgotten that the word in the right applying of it is called a light which maketh all things manifest When things lie his in the darknes though they al differ each from other in colour yet they séeme all â—o like but the light approching the variety of colours is soone descried So though men in the duskishnes of ignorance are reputed to be knit together in the vnitie of affection yet when the bright beames of Gods word breake in among them the thoughts of many hearts be opened and then you shall see diuers humors and varietie of dispositions By these things it appeareth that if it be well vnderstood diuision and tumult especially at the beginning and first entrie of it among an vntaught people must needes follow the soundnes of setled preaching though those that are reclaimed and brought to the knowledge of God are al of one heart and of one soule proceeding by one rule minding one thing and endeuouring to keepe the vnitie of the spirit in the bond of peace Nymph You haue thankes be to God at least to my iudgement well quit your selfe against this sort of men The next that you haue to do withall are more dangerous being such as Paul saith which do seeme wise in this world and do both liue after a good ciuill fashion and doe also make shew to be not altogether enemies vnto religion They haue also some insight into the Scripture and are wont to reade it and other good bookes priuately onely this their resolution is to keepe a certaine temper in matters of Religion to carrie themselues in an allowable conformitie and not to be ouerforward as many seeme to be whose zeale they account rash and heady indiscretion Epaph. The daunger of this kind of people is most of all in respect of themselues becauss this to be wise in a mans owne eies and to feare God cannot stand together otherwise for answering any thing that they are able to obiect it is a matter of no such great difficulty For the foolishnesse of God is wiser then men and as waxe melteth before the fire so shall their best framed conceipts vanish at the very name and presence of the Scripture Nymph I am glad you are so confident for to tell you true these things being as they are very agreeing to mans reason haue much troubled me and I haue not vpon the sodaine knowne well what to answer when in my presence these things haue bene vrged by such as are thought in the world to be men of good discretion First then it is demaunded why preaching should be the most excellent meanes of spirituall instruction and wherefore you should take so much vpon you as that your speaking is able to saue mens soules you be but men as others are and it is but your pride who because you would be thought some body do thus endeuour to extoll the worth and necessitie of your profession Epaph. Here is indéed a perillous argument it sauoreth altogether of the sawcinesse of an ignorant and vnhumbled heart It is come to a proper passe when as the sonne of man who dwelleth in a house of clay whose foundation is in the dust and which is but a worme shall dare to talk so presumptuously and so to set his mouth against heauen as to aske of God a reason of his doings Is it not enough that the Lord hath made it knowne vnto vs that his will is by the foolishnes of preaching to saue those which beleeue O Man who art thou which pleadest against God And yet behold a reason though this kind of men generally are wiser in their own conceit then seuen men that can render a reason and a man may haue more hope of a foole then of them Looke what reason there was why the Lord would haue the walles of Iericho beaten downe onely with the sound of Rammes hornes and with a shout looke also why the Lord would haue no more circumstance obserued in the cleansing of leprous Naaman but onely this Wash and be cleane the same is the reason why God hath sanctified the ministery of man to so excellent a worke as is the casting downe of the holds of Sathan and the gathering together of his Saints God vsed no engines of warre no pollicies of men in the ouerthrow of the walles of Iericho to the end the people might haue cause to say This was the Lords doing and it is maruellous in our eyes So likewise the Prophet vsed so little ceremonie about Naaman that he might sée the finger of God in his recouerie The same may be said of Preaching the Lord hath sanctified hearing to be the outward meanes to beget faith and hath imparted to vs the treasure of his word in earthen vessels to the end that the whole glorie of our conuersion may be his and that He that reioyceth in the renewing of his mind and the reclaiming of his soule may reioyce in the Lord and acknowledge with humilitie the excellencie of that power which by so meane a meanes could bring so mightie things to passe It is a generall rule and holdeth in the whole course of our saluation that Gods power is made perfect that is apparant and more conspicuous through weaknes Great is the pride and arrogancie of the heart of man and if it may find it selfe able though but by a thought to further and helpe forward it owne saluation it prides it selfe foorthwith and to it self secretly it more magnifieth the litle which it imagineth to be in it own power then all that which it receiueth froÌ„ the Lord. For this cause and for the preuention of this euill God in his great wisedome hath so caried the whole Mysterie of godlines from the first foundation of it in heauen his Election according to his foreknowledge vnto the last perfecting of it vntill the day of Iesus Christ that when a man shall enter into a déepe consideration of it and withall marke the order and progresse of his own conuersion he may lay his hand vpon