5o6 TheTreaders plea. ordinary and vigil magnetwhich God vfiith to woke. by in the hearts Of thehèd. rent : and age , That preaching Both profit more then reading. Andjet for all than,their ordinary difeourfe theymake knownetheir opinion theta , ThattheWord ofGod isas effettuallwhen it is read,as whenit is preached, and that reading isPreaching. Epaph; CertainlyI cannot but maruaile , that menoflearning andprofe. fed Diuines , fhould vndertake the maintenance of loch an opinion , yea though itwere but for their credits fakes for putthis cafe , that in the vacancy ofan Eccleliafficall preferment,there were ioyntfilters for it,a manofnote and quality,thathash (pent many yeeresin Rudy, and run through the whole circle offciences,and isgraced alto with degreesofSchooles, (the teffimony ofhis defers:) andanother, anordinary fellow, that hath hadbutreafonable bree- ding, andno feafoning but in a country fchoole, and therefore is able todoe little (perhaps) faue onely,readefaire,and go by his Rubriche s thinkeyou that your Vniueruty Scholler would not rhinke himfelfe greatly wronged, and grow into a marvellous difcontentmentifthat other fhouldbe preferredbe- fore him? yes doubrltlfe the would renew that old complaint ofSalom.,,s,anck fay,Pelty isfit iegreatexec/emq, Ibasefeenfereaantsonhorfet, andPrinceswuikptg sEc<l;to.c,ï as fermatason theground'.He would (ay,icwdre enough for fncha-oriearhe,ifhe were appointed tofomeloweroffice in the. Church,where he mighteareamar. y sSams.;a, fellofbreadi ; and that if he wereCowell prouided for, as was Miishah his Le- ;ludssy.:o. uite,withtcn/bekel: eff:laer17 theyeer, andafusecfapparell ,andbra meatanddrink', i urely,thenhewereaswellpreferred -ashe deferued. Like to thefe, would bee, thepriuythoughts ofa well-deferuingScholler, beingdifappointedofhishor ped preferment , byfovnworthy a competitor. Andfor mine ownepart , I thinke him tohaue very iuRcaufeforocomplaine.Buryer thisbeingheld fora truth, that reading is aseffe&uall as preaching, andthat anordinarymanmay doe as much good, faue as manyCoules, draw as great a multitude toHeanen . withhis difin& reading,asthe otherwithall hisVninerfity learning and long laboured for Divinity , furely then the Scholler bath no reafon tothinke hina- felfe wrongedin miffinghispreferment: for why fhould there be a difparity ìñ reward, where there is no great precedence in refpe&ofthe poffibiliry to doe good in Gods Church ? Sothat Ifay, me thinkerif it were for noother caufe, yet menof learning and Preachers by profellion, fhould neuer got about to equall bare and naked reading vetopreaching. Nymph. Thismay (perhaps) befamereafon is policy: bat fhepeyeahaste fame betteepreofe then thisforthe matter otberwifi Iknowwhat theworld willfay, (Wien' thatwhich it fparethnot toawake already)tbatyen Preachers are f earnef wtheextof_ limg ofpreacbingene(yforloser oweepriwatecredit:fake, thatyenmaybee the better emoted. Epaph. God bethanked,variety of fufficientproofes is not wanting inthis taufe; butyet this I thought good toobferue, as it were by theway, ro the end that men (who it may bee havea good opinion oftheir owne well- defer uing) may feewhat an inconuenience islike tofollow lay the defenceoffuck an opinion. Nymph. tamvery defirers toheart what maybe[aid ire this cafetoaehingtfietom- parifon thatie made betwixtreadingandpreaching, andtberefere /doe ene» tongìillyoa come veto it. Epaphras. Well then (to cut offall preambles and vnneceffarie circum- flances,) for this point touching the efñcacìe of preaching aboue reading, I will fand vpon two reafons chiellie : the one is experience, the other is Gedo ordinance , who bath appointed the ability to preach , as a Swatter of ne. cety
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