frequency of fermons, and the printed explanations of the English Bible. No marvel if the people turn beafts, when their teachers themselves, as Ilaiah calls them, "are dumb and greedy dogs, that can never have enough, ignorant, blind, and cannot underftand; who while they all look their own way, every one for his gain from his quarter," how many parts of the land are fed with windy ceremonies inftead of fincere milk; and while one prelate enjoys the nourishment and right of twenty minifters, how many wafte places are left as dark as "Galilee of the - gentiles, fitting in the region and shadow of death," without preaching minifter, without light. So little care they of beafts to make them men, that by their forcerous doctrine of formalities, they take the way to transform them out of chriftian men into judaizing beafts. Had they but taught the land, or fuffered it to be taught, as Chrift would it fhould have been in all plenteous difpenfation of the word, then the poor mechanic might have fo accuftomed his ear to good teaching, as to have difcerned between faithful teachers and falfe. But now, with a moft inhuman cruelty, they who have put out the peoples eyes, reproach them of their blindnefs; juft as the pharifees their true fathers were wont, who could not endure, that the people should be thought competent judges of Chrift's doctrine, although we know they judged far better than those great rabbies: yet" this people," faid they, "that knows not the law is accurfed." We need not the authority of Pliny brought to tell us, the people cannot judge of a minifter: yet that hurts not. For as none can judge of a painter, or ftatuary, but he who is an artift, that is, either in the practice or theory, which is often feparated from the practice, and judges learnedly without it; fo none can judge of a chriftian teacher, but he who hath either the practice, or the knowledge of chriftian religion, though not fo artfully digefted in him. And who almoft of the meaneft chriftians hath not heard the scriptures often read from his childhood, befides fo many fermons and lectures more in number than any student hath heard in philofophy, whereby he may eafily attain to know when he is wifely taught, and when weakly? whereof whereof three ways I remember are fet down in fcripture; the one is to read often that beft of books written to this purpose, that not the wife only, but the fimple and ignorant, may learn by them; the other way to know of a minifter is, by the life he leads, whereof the meaneft understanding may be apprehenfive. The laft way to judge aright in this point is, when he who judges, lives a christian life himself. Which of these three will the confuter affirm to exceed the capacity of a plain artizan? And what reason then is there left, wherefore he should be denied his voice in the election of his minifter, as not thought a competent difcerner? It is but arrogance therefore, and the pride of a metaphyfical fume, to think that "the mutinous rabble" (for fo he calls the chriftian congregation) "would be fo miftaken in a clerk of the university," that were to be their minifter. I doubt me those clerks, that think so, are more mistaken in themfelves; and what with truanting and debauchery, what with falfe grounds and the weakness of natural faculties in many of them (it being a maxim in fome men to fend the fimpleft of their fons thither), perhaps there would be found among them as many unfolid and corrupted judgments both in doctrine and life, as in any other two corporations of like bignefs. This is undoubted, that if any carpenter, fmith, or weaver, were fuch a bungler in his trade, as the greater number of them are in their profeffion, he would ftarve for any cuftom. And fhould he exercise his manufacture as little as they do their talents, he would forget his art; and fhould he mistake his tools as they do theirs, he would mar all the work he took in hand. How few among them that know to write, or speak in a pure ftyle; much less to distinguish the ideas, and various kinds of ftyle; in Latin barbarous, and oft not without folecifms, declaiming in rugged and mifcellaneous gear blown together by the four. winds, and in their choice preferring the gay ranknefs of Apuleius, Arnobius, or any modern fuftianift, before the native Latinifms of Cicero. In the Greek tongue moft of them unlettered, or "unentered to any found proficiency in those attic mafters of moral wifdom and eloquence." In the Hebrew text, which is fo neceffary to be understood, VOL. I. S except except it be fome few of them, their lips are utterly uncircumcifed. No lefs are they out of the way in philofophy, peftering their heads with the faplefs dotages of old Paris and Salamanca. And that which is the main point, in their fermons affecting the comments and poftils of friars and jefuits, but fcorning and flighting the reformed writers; infomuch that the better fort among them will confess it a rare matter to hear a true edifying fermon in either of their great churches; and that such as are most hummed and applauded there, would scarcely be fuffered the fecond hearing in a grave congregation of pious chriftians. Is there cause why these men should overwean, and be fo queafy of the rude multitude, left their deep worth fhould be undervalued for want of fit umpires? No, my matriculated confutant, there will not want in any congregation of this island, that hath not been altogether famished or wholly perverted with prelatifh leaven; there will not want divers plain and folid. men, that have learned by the experience of a good confcience, what it is to be well taught, who will foon look through and through both the lofty nakedness of your latinizing barbarian, and the finical goofery of your neat fermon actor. And fo I leave you and your fellow ftars;" as you term them, "of either horizon," meaning I fuppofe either hemifphere, unless you will be ridiculous in your aftronomy: for the rational horizon in heaven is but one, and the fenfible horizons in earth are innumerable; fo that your allufion was as erroneous as your ftars. But that But that you did well to prognofticate them all at lowest in the horizon; that is, either feeming bigger than they are through the mift and vapour which they raise, or else finking and wafted to the fnuff in their western focket. SECT. XI. His eleventh fection intends I know not what, unless to clog us with the refidue of his phlegmatic floth, difcuffing with a heavy pulfe the "expedience of fet forms," which no question but to fome, and for some time may be permitted, and perhaps there may be use fully fully fet forth by the church a common directory of public prayer, especially in the adminiftration of the facraments. But that it should therefore be enforced where both minifter and people profefs to have no need, but to be fcandalized by it, that, I hope, every fenfible christian will deny: and the reafons of fuch denial the confuter himself, as his bounty ftill is to his adversary, will give us out of his affirmation. Firft, faith he, "God in his providence hath chofen fome to teach others, and pray for others, as minifters and paftors.” Whence I gather, that however the faculty of others may be, yet that they whom God hath fet apart to his miniftry, are by him endued with an ability of prayer; because their office is to pray for others, and not to be the lip-working deacons of other men's appointed words. Nor is it eafily credible, that he who can preach well, fhould be unable to pray well; whenas it is indeed the fame ability to fpeak affirmatively, or doctrinally, and only by changing the mood, to speak prayingly. In vain therefore do they pretend to want utterance in prayer, who can find utterance to preach. And if prayer be the gift of the spirit, why do they admit those to the ministry, who want a main gift of their function, and prescribe gifted men to use that which is the remedy of another man's want; fetting them their tasks to read, whom the fpirit of God stands ready to affift in his ordinance with the gift of free conceptions? What if it be granted to the infirmity of fome minifters (though fuch feem rather to be half minifters) to help themselves with a fet form, fhall it therefore be urged upon the plenteous graces of others? And let it be granted to fome people while they are babes, in chriftian gifts, were it not better to take it away foon after, as we do loitering books, and interlineary translations from children; to ftir up and exercise that portion of the fpirit which is in them, and not impofe it upon congregations who not only deny to need it, but as a thing troublefome and offenfive, refuse it? Another reason which he brings for liturgy, is "the preferving of order, unity, and piety;" and the fame shall be my reason againft liturgy. For I, readers, fhall always be of this opinion, that obedience to the spirit of God, S 2 rather rather than to the fair feeming pretences of men, is the beft and moft dutiful order that a christian can observe. If the spirit of God manifeft the gift of prayer in his minifter, what more feemly order in the congregation, than to go along with that man in our devouteft affections? For him to abridge himself by reading, and to foreftall himself in those petitions, which he muft either omit, or vainly repeat, when he comes into the pulpit under a fhow of order, is the greatest disorder. Nor is unity lefs broken, efpecially by our liturgy, though this author would almost bring the communion of faints to a communion of liturgical words. For what other reformed church holds communion with us by our liturgy, and does not rather diflike it? And among ourselves, who knows it not to have been a perpetual cause of difunion? Laftly, it hinders piety rather than fets it forward, being more apt to weaken the fpiritual faculties, if the people be not weaned from it in due time; as the daily pouring in of hot waters quenches the natural heat. For not only the body and the mind, but also the improvement of God's fpirit, is quickened by ufing. Whereas they who will ever adhere to liturgy, bring themselves in the end to fuch a pass by overmuch leaning, as to lofe even the legs of their devotion. Thefe inconveniencies and dangers follow the compelling of fet forms: but that the toleration of the English liturgy now in ufe is more dangerous than the compelling of any other, which the reformed churches ufe, thefe reafons following may evince. To contend that it is fantastical, if not fenfelefs in fome places, were a copious argument, especially in the Refponfories. For fuch alternations as are there used must be by feveral perfons; but the minister and the people cannot so sever their interests, as to sustain several perfons; he being the only mouth of the whole body which he prefents. And if the people pray, he being filent, or they ask any one thing, and he another, it either changes the property, making the priest the people, and the people the prieft, by turns, or elfe makes two perfons and two bodies reprefentative where there fhould be but one. Which, if it be nought elfe, must needs be a strange quaintnefs |