96 ATreati/eoftbe Affetiions. ¡ condemn all affectionate and eloquent preaching ; but he condemns that flattering kinde of affected Rhetorick, whereby men that preached themfelves, tickled mens ears, and delighted them with lufcious phrsfes of Oratory; handling fuch points as might pleafe the phantafies of their hearts, rather then to convince them of their fins : thinking it too precife, too bate to preach of mens damnable efface and condition in (in, the curie of the Law that all men are under till they.be new creatures in Chrifl ; the taking up' of Chrifls Crofle : to be hated, and mocked, and_perfecu- ted of all men, for Chrifts fake and his Gofpel. Thefe points, they either thought to be too ruitick, and burly, and aullere, or they fugred them over with their comments, and tickled the people with more velvet -like paffages of mercy. I fay, this kinde of eloquence, and this kinde of preaching, with the enticing words of mans wifedom,does the Apoflle condemn, and therefore I doe not mean this. How then muff a Minifter ftirre up affections? I anfwer, he mull flir up affeFtions five waies. Firfl, By preaching to the life, As a Painter then paints a man well, when he paints him to the life ; Ire paints it fo to the life, as if it were a living man indeed. So then does a Preacher preach affeCtionately, when he preaches to the life ; when he preaches of hell, he preaches to the life, as if hell were 'before mens eyes ; when he preaches of hea- ven, as if the people did fee it with their eyes as it were. As King lames faid of a good preacher in this Kingdom ;,, this Preacher, faies he, preaches as if death Were at my back: fo a good Preacher preaches to the wicked, as if vengeance were at their backs, as if hell were at their backs ; he prea- ches to the godly as if Chrift were at their backs, and hea- ven at their backs. If this kinde of preaching will not work on mens affe6lions, their affect ions are bewitcht, O fooliJh Galatians, Who bath bcauitcht jeu, that ye fhould not obey the truth, before whofe eyes lefut Chrifi bath been evidently let forth, crucified among you ? Ga1.3.t. Paul among them had j preached; AAlinit.r mull flier, up effì.ti our by preaching to the life (ayingof K. Iames
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