c verse 15. e the fecond; and lawfull Preaching the very first. But here it ought to bee confidered, That Preaching is not only That, which in these innovating times bath fwallowed up the word Preaching. Nor are Sermons only thofe which spend themselves and expire with the fugitive breath of him that speaks them; and being publiquely uttered no more then once, doe either vanish, as meere words, into the foft Aire; or else are, as water commonly fpilt upon the Ground. Wee know that Preaching is a generall word, which properly fig £ Luk. 8. 39. nifies to divulge orf publish; And though we ufu ally restraine it to the manifeftation of God's owne word, yet That may also be Preached more wayes than one. The Catechizing of Neophytes in the pureft Ages of the Church, may bee worthily called one kinde of Preaching, although they were not admitted to any higher degree of Teaching than to the very firft Rudiments and Grounds of Faith. It was faid by Juftin Martyr, in his Parænefis to the Græcians, that even in fome of their owne 8 Tò de rd writings the very fudgement to come was Preachστόμα κρί ved to them; and particularly in Plato's, the Reero, furrection of the Body. The fame Father tells vasis us that Orpheus preached to his fonne Mufæus, φαίν. πρὸς Ελε concerning the unity of the only true God. The publique Homilies of the Church are an exact kinde of Preaching, and that in the judgement of Mir, Mafter Hooker, as well as of King James, and Ospute the Councell of Vaux. The holy Ghost's Amanuenfes did even Preach to the Eyes and Under χω μῆνας ἕτερον ὅπτῷ περὶ τῆς αναςάσεως λόγω Fuft. Mart. ἐν παρ Xle p.20.21.32 &c. Plato in Rep. 1.10. Η Πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν περιἑνὸς καὶ μόνο Fultin. Mart. ibid. p. 13. h standings m 'Deut. 31. 11. 12. 13. Chron.34 m 2 31. ftandings of all the World, by tranfmitting what they had written from hand to hand, as well as when they conveyed it by word of mouth. The Word of God doth Preach it felfe to every man living who will but reade it. The publique Reading of the Scriptures is the best kinde of Preaching to all that heare it; And fo the Councell of Toledo was pleafed to call it. The Reading of the Law was laid by Mofes as the foundation, whereon to build in mens spirits the feare of God: Upon the bare Reading of which Law King Jofiah was fo moved, and wrought upon, that he humbled himfelfe, and wept, and rent his cloathes, and made a Covenant before the Lord, to keepe his Commandements and his Statutes, and perform the words of the Covenant which were written in that booke; Nor is it unworthy to be ruminated upon; That though Mofes was Theopneuft, the Friend and Favorite of God as well as Abraham) and fure as able to fpeake, without booke, the mind and Tenour of the Law, as any man that ever lived before or after, yet he thought it as effectual to the faving of Soules, to take the booke of the Covenant, which he had first transcribed from God's owne Preaching upon the Mountaine, and publiquely to" reade it in the audience of the People. Exod. 24. Now the Reafon of this is very evident, and 2.47. deferves to be confidered by that fort of Hearers, who are wont to preferre the words of men, when gracefully fpoken out of the Pulpit, before the plaine word of God, when meerely read out of the Pew, )( 3 not n 53 Mal.4.2. not at all confidering, That the Sun of Righteoufneffe in the Scripture, like the Sun of Nature in the Firmament, fhines much the brighter for being Naked. It is not the Language, Fancy, VVit and Learning (which are eminently feene in one fort of Preachers)much leffe the Memory, the Lungs and the Gefticulations (which are daily obfervable in another fort of Preachers) 1 fay it is not any of these things, nor all together, that is ef fectually powerfull to the converfion of Soules; Nay it is not the Spirits going along with the Preacher,that doth alone doe the work for the Spirit of God did goe along with the Apostles when they were caft out of the Cities, and along with our Saviour,in the fulneffe of his God-head,when yet be *Oud hooval could not doe many Miracles in his own Countrey meerly because of their unbeliefe) but 'tis his working a docility in the heads and hearts of fuch as hear, that they receive with meekneffe the ingrafted P word, which is alone able to fave their Souls. This doth open to us a reason why the very fame manus vincire, Sermon bath fuch variety of effects in them that hear it, and why a Jonah may preach to the melting of fome, whileft a Jeremy may doe it to the hardning of others. Ifwegoe to Chrifts Schole *Atar. 10. as little-Children (that is) with humble, atten15.tive, and teachable Difpofitions, wee fhall be great proficients and wife enough unto falvation, by bearing thofe Sermons diftinctly read, which our * only Mafter his Meffengers are inceffantly preach ing throughout the Scriptures; whereas without that End & pian var min σαι, εἰ μὴ σ Mar. 6. 5. Ad divina enim operate entis Fides: EYgo binc fequitur, homines incredulos & ingra tos quafi Deo ne ipfis opem fe rat. Theod. Beza in locum. P Jam. 1.21. [ Cor.7.23 * temper temper and preparedneffe of minde, we fhall (in utramq; aurem dormire) only fleepe with our Eyes open, and where Gods owne word, through our wretchlefneffe, is not fufficient to awake us from that Lethargie of fin wherein our Soules lye fteept, and fwallowed up. Certainly nothing that is hu mane will raife us out of our fenfelefneffe and carnall fecurity; All the vehemence and Invention, all the noyfes and Declamations, all the Grimaces and gestures of all the Lectares in the world will but amuse our Eares, and lull our Fancies, and benum our Apprehenfions, and (like fo much Ladanum)make us fnore in our fins fo much the lowder. Twas by the foolifhneffe of God (to use the Apostles Catachrefis) and by the foolifhneffe of preaching (as the worldly-wife then thought it) by which it pleafed God to fave them that be leeve, that is to fay, by the plainneffe and fimplicity of the Golpell, without the artifice and colours of skilfull men, the world was turned upfide downe, as the envious Jewes were pleafed to 4.17.5.6 phrafe it. By that word, and that spirit which the learned Greeks fo much defpifed, Saint Peter preached to the converfion of three thousand Souls $48.2. 41. at one fhort Sermon, and of five thousand at a 4.4.4. nother. r Far be this which I have spoken from being spoken to the disparagement of thofe judicious and pious Sermons, which have beene ufefully preached by a blemen. Had Inot beene a true lover of all good preaching, and even of all fuch Lectures, as were regularly Cor.1.25 &21. Which compare with ver. 18. t น regularly founded and authorised, not to factious but pious ends, I fhould not now have gratified the importunity of friends (however many and urgent on this occafion) by helping to usher into the world, (and by commending to the perufall of every Reader, who can bee glad to grow wifer then now he is) The very learned, wife and facred Reliques of this Great Author who lies before us. I am not now to be taught, That though the best way to knowledge, is Job. 5.39. to" fearch the Scriptures, as thofe that teftifie of him * Job 6.68. who hath the words of eternal life, and that as faith cometh by hearing, fo hearing commeth by the word * Rom.10.17 of God (not by the glofies, or conjectures,or dexterities of men) yet there are many pretious and hidden treasures of knowledge which God was pleafed to lock up in Tropes and Figures, of which y 2 Pet.3.16 the unstable' and the unlearned are not entrusted * Luk 11.52 with the Key. The Priefts lipps fhould keep a Mal. 2.7. knowledge, and they should feek the Law at his Ae, mouth, as being the Angell or Meffenger of the apa LXX. Lord of Hofts, and the Steward of thofe Myfte * apud 28.29.30.31 ries which God hath committed to his keeping. The At 8.27. famous Eunuch of Ethiopia was able to read the Prophet Efay, and bad fo good an understanding as to difcern bow little he understood it and therefore S Philip was joyned to him for his Guide. 42 Pet.3.16 There were fome hard things in St Pauls Epiftles, which many did wreft to their own destruction, of which St Peter doth give us no other reason, then their want of learning, as well as of ftability. Thofe Ifa. 55. 1. waters of life are not every where fordable, no not to |