f8<! The Dignity ofTreacling. comfort by itfThat therefore which hinders vnderftanding.muft heeds expofe this conrfe, to a kinde-ofdifgrace: what conreotment (halla man take in it „ - when heconceiues but little yvhatitmeanes? It comes in our ordinary consrc’- • gsri?ns,to aslittldpurpofe (fuch»kind ofteaching) asthat which isikid inthe HKmliKba. Prouerb, Where one doth miikeagoat,anotherholds tnderaflue. Itmav bt ff lm g m thcwaiter ISgood andexcellent,but'the hearer holds no more then a fine -Be. lM7tpt7U<pg?- c^u(e nothing to any great purpofe is vnderftood.. It is the pithy plainnefle* Wjjfrm? w^chjfrthebeauty ofpreaching. A Text well opened, handfomejy diuided-* lpltrucuons familiarly raifed,fubftantially proued by the Scripture,powerful* lyprefled vpon thehidden man oftheheart,faithfully applyed to thefoule and epnfcienceof the hearer, ;>Fhis is thecourfewhich makes manifeft the feeretof ■ \t Cor.r4.a5 heart, andbringshimtofalldowneohhisfact AndworfhipGod, Andtofay,that God Ferrum poteft ¥^tbe Preacherindeed*. It isjruly faid.thacin fomecafesIroncandoethat which G?ldeamot'>M fo that, Iwhich is by fome in theirnicen?fle and curiofitvac- 7?Cori\n fount^ ^ t ? bluntkindofteaching ,ihall yet doethat,which the more cloriu Fuffia.bifi.iib. f us andgaudy courfe could ootcffea. ThektngdomeefGodis hoe V^.3. m tof0" * a- f haue heard of a thing thatfell out once at theCounfell ofdNice, -where aChriftian ofnOgreat learning in efteeme, conuerteda Iear- ned man,vyhom all the learned Biihops with alltheirskill and eloquencecould not perfwade : theparty won, brakeout in thefe words': Oh you learned man as long as the matter went by words,againft words I oppofed wordsjand that which was fpoken I ouetthrew by the art of fpeaking : but wheninfteadof .words, power came out of the mouth of thefpeaker; words conldnotwithffand Uonpoterunt trntbjtormatsfraudoutagainft God. Thus that plainekind ofTeaching,in which US— fkp euidence ofthe Spirit is to be fecn,wotkes that whichthemore curiousand g g H H H refinedeloquencecouldnotdoe. -..........I maJwfiri A '^ fod w ay, by which inhandling theword, preaching may bemade con- fotuit Deo, temptibJe, is inanother extreame: namely, when the manner of dealing with the word,i$.ouer»flight toloofe, and fuperficiall;a man ventsraw, fudden,vn- digefted meditations, fuch as haueno manner o f coherence, eitherwith the text, er/with themfelues: thetext is rathertom e, .thendiuided ; rather tofled then handled; rather named, faecaufeic is thefaihion to haue a text, then followed,foras thatthehearer may fee the courfe,by whichall is drawn from the Text. Here a man makes a (hifeto rubout an houre,arid cp haue fomewhac ftill to fay; he is much like thebegger,ofwhom we fay,hee is neuerout ofhis wav (though he be neuer in his w ay: Coin this cafe, a man is neuerout of matter* though hefpeakes neuer to the matter. This makes preachingridiculous,and layeth it open (as it faljeth from fome mouthes) vntoa iuft fcorne. The common fort happely efpy not the weaknefle by andb y, thinking all well fo long as one goeth on; butthemore aduifed holdingJcvp, (as it were againft the light) fee therawnefle and raggednefle, and indcpendanceofthat which is de- Jiuered.lt is anhonour to a Sermon,(when as the faying is) it (hall fmellofthe .candle,andteftifie for it fclfe,thattherewas aforc-hand bare to deale fubftant- y ially,and to approueourfeluesto eiiery hearersconfcience in thefightofGod; Thethirdway The thirdthing to bee taken heed to , that wee-may preferuethe honor o f cohonour615 Preach*ng >*sour manner of life. An euill life in Preachers cannot but cauic preachujgby. Preachingtohee vijerlcallit aneuilllife,not when a man failes in fome things; ^Iam,3.a, Forinmany things wefoiteaHh: but when a mas maketh it to appeare by his courfe, that hemakes no confcience offraming hrs life according to hisowne . teaching r is ftrid in thepulpit , and in;the ftreet diflblute. There is a great «, readinefle inmany to pi.c.ke;quarrels;with theJiueso f the beft Teachers, and ■> no doubt many things are flandetoufly reportedtouching fuch.Cruellwsttiejfes isPfakjJ arifevp, andaskethingstheykysewnot* '*bot when;men taking the ordinance of God into their mouthes*,(hallyet walkc like menhating to bereformed, and sunn
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