The Preface. mull needs fay, . That no men are moreunmet thenyou to be the accu fers. Haveyou fo corrupted the Miniflry with the infufficient and ungodly, that we are necefsrtated to fapply their places with men that are tooyering ; and nowdo you reproach us, becaufe we imperfemymend your crimes ? yea becaufe we work not impo(sib.lities ? It is the defire of our fouls, that no ableufeful man may be laid by, however differing in fmaller matters, or cantroverfies of policy ? But wecannot createmen, nor infufe learning into them; but when Godhath qualified them, wegladly ufe them ; the heft that can be hadare cbofen ;and what can be donemorel end I hopey.;tt will acknowledge, that godly and tolerably able young men are fitter then impious, ignorant Readers. We excufe no mans weaknefs: but to fpeak out the truth, too many of the adverfaries of our Miniflry accufe our weaknefs withgreater weaknefs ; when they are unable or undi /pofed themfelves tomanage the work of God with any of that gravity, and ferioufnefs as theunfpeakable weight of the bu/inefs doti) require, they think toget the reputation of learnedable men, by an empty childish, trifling. kind of preaching; patching together fame lhreds offentences, and offering us their Centons with as much oflentation, as if it were an uniform, judicious work. e.lnd then they fall a jeeringat plain andPrimes Preachers, as if they were force ignorant bawling fellows, that were nothing but a voice, and had nothing to produce but fervent nonfence. Brethren, willyou bear with us a- little, while we modeflly excufeour fimplicitywhich you contemn. We will not fay, that we can freak wifedem to the wife, nor make oflentati- on of our oratory : but we mull tell youthat we Believe what we fpeak, and fomewhat Teel it.; and therefore we endea- vour fo to fpeak what we believeand feel, that othersalfo maybet eveand feel us. if a man fpeak fmilingly, or NSt .a feilionately: of very great ¡fable. things, the hearers fife
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