10. In a troubled State we must do as in foul Weather upon the Thames, not think to cut directly through, fo the Boat may be quickly full of Water, but rife and fall as the Waves do, give as much as conveniently we

can

Praper.

F I were a Minister, I should think my self most

fing the Sacraments; and 'tis ill done to put one to officiate in the Church, whofe Perfon is contemptible out of it. Should a great Lady, that was invited to be a Goffip, in her place fend her Kitchen-Maid, 'twould be ill taken; yet she is a Woman as well as fhe; let her fend her woman at least.

2 [You Shall pray] is the right way, becaufe according as the Church is settled, no Man may make a Prayer in publick of his own Head.

3. 'Tis not the Original Common-prayer-book; why? fhew me an original Bible, or an original Magna Charta.

4. Admit the Preacher prays by the Spirit, yet that very Prayer is Common-prayer to the People; they are ty'd as much to his Words, as in faying [Almighty and most merciful Father:] Is it then unlawful in the Minister, but not unlawful in the People?

5. There were fome Mathematicians, that could', with one fetch of their Pen, make an exact Circle, and with the next touch, point out the Centre, is it therefore reasonable to banish all use of the Compaffes ? Set Forms are a pair of Compaffes.

6. [God hath given gifts unto Men.] General Texts prove nothing; let him fhew me John, William, or Thomas in the Text, and then I will believe him. If a

Man

Man hath a voluble Tongue, we fay, he hath the gift of prayer. His gift is to pray long, that I fee; but does he pray better?

7. We take care what we fpeak to Men, but to God we may fay any thing.

8. The People must not think a thought towards God, but as their Pastors will put it into their Mouths; they will make right Sheep of us.

9. The English Priefts would do that in English, which the Romish do in Latin, keep the People in Ignorance; but fome of the People out-do them at their own Game.

10. Prayer should be short, without giving God Almighty Reasons why he should grant this, or that; he knows best what is Good for us. If your Boy fhould ask you a Suit of Cloaths, and give you Reasons (0therwife he cannot wait upon you; he cannot go abroad but he will discredit you) would you endure it? you know it better than he, let him ask a Suit of Cloaths.

11. If a Servant that has been fed with good Beef, goes into that part of England where Salmon is plenty, at firft he is pleas'd with his Salmon, and despises his Beef, but after he has been there a while, he grows weary of his Salmon, and wishes for his good Beef a gain. We have a while been much taken with this praying by the Spirit, but in time we may grow weary of it, and wish for our Common-Prayer.

12. 'Tis hop'd we may be cur'd of our extemporary Prayers, the fame way the Grocer's Boy is cur'd of his eating Plums, when we have had our Belly full of them.

Preaching.

Preaching.

1.Nothing is more mistaken than that Speech

[Preach the Gospel] for 'tis not to make long Harangues, as they do now a-days, but to tell the News of CHRIST'S coming into the World; and when that is done, or where 'tis known already, the Preacher's Work is done.

2. Preaching in the first sense of the word ceas'd as foon as ever the Gospel was written.

3. When the Preacher says, this is the meaning of the Holy Ghoft in fuch a place, in sense he can mean no more than this; that is, I, by ftudying of the place, by comparing one place with another, by weighing what goes before, and what comes after, think this is the meaning of the Holy Ghoft; and for fhortness of Expreffion I fay, the Holy Ghoft says thus, or this is the meaning of the Spirit of God. 60 the Judge speaks of the King's Proclamation, this is the Intention of the King; not that the King had declared his Intention any other way to the Judge, but the Judge examining the Contents of the Proclamation, gathers by the purport of the Words the King's Intention; and then for shortness of expreffion fays, this is the King's Intention.

4. Nothing is Text but what was spoken in the Bible, and meant there for Perfon and Place, the reft is Application, which a discreet Man may do well; but 'tis his Scripture, not the Holy Ghost.

5. Preaching by the Spirit (as they call it) is most esteemed by the Common People, because they cannot abide Art or Learning, which they have not been bred up in. Just as in the Business of Fencing; if one

Country

Country Fellow, amongst the reft, has been at School, the reft will under-value his Skill, or tell him he wants Valour: Tou come with your School-Tricks: There's Dick Butcher has ten times more Mettle in him: So, they say to the Preachers; Tou come with your School-Learning: There's fuch a one has the Spirit.

6. The Tone in preaching does much in working upon the People's Affection. If a Man fhould make Love in an ordinary Tone, his Mistress would not regard him; and therefore he must whine. If a Man fhould cry Fire, or Murther, in an ordinary Voice, no body would come out to help him.

7. Preachers will bring any thing into the Text. The young Masters of Arts preached against Non-Refidency in the Univerfity; whereupon the Heads made an Order, that no Man fhould meddle with any thing but what was in the Text. The next Day one preach'd upon thefe Words, Abraham begat Ifaac; when he had gone a good way, at last he obferv'd, that Abraham was Refident; for if he had been Non-Refident, he could never have begot Ifaac; and fo fell foul upon the Non-Refidents.

8. I could never tell what often preaching meant after a Church is fettled, and we know what is to be done; 'tis juft as if a Husband-man fhould once tell his Servants what they are to do, when to fow, when to reap, and afterwards one should come and tell them twice or thrice a Day what they know already. You must sow your Wheat in October, you must reap your Wheat in Auguft, &c.

9. The main Argument why they would have two Sermons a Day, is, because they have two Meals a Day; the Soul must be fed as well as the Body. But I may as well argue, I ought to have two Nofes, because I have two Eyes, or two Mouths, because I

have two Ears. What have Meals and Sermons to do one with another?

10. The Things between God and Man are but few, and those, forfooth, we must be told often of; but things between Man and Man are many; those I hear of not above twice a Year, at the Affizes, or once a Quarter at the Seffions; but few come then; nor does the Minister exhort the People to go at these times to learn their Duty towards their Neighbours. Often preaching is fure to keep the Minister in Countenance, that he may have something to do.

11. In preaching they fay more to raise Men to love Vertue, than Men can poffibly perform, to make them do their beft; as if you would teach a Man to throw the Bar; to make him put out his Strength, you bid him throw further than it is poffible for him, or any Man elfe: Throw over yonder House.

12. In preaching they do by Men as Writers of Romances do by their chief Knights, bring them into many Dangers, but ftill fetch them off: So they put Men in fear of Hell, but at last bring them to Hea

ven.r

13. Preachers fay, do as Ifay, not as I do. But if a Physician had the fame Disease upon him that I have, and he would bid me do one thing, and he do quite another, could I believe him?

14. Preaching the fame Sermon to all forts of People, is, as if a School-Master fhould read the fame Leffon to his feveral Forms: If he reads Amo, amas, amavi, the highest Forms Laugh at him; the younger Boys admire him: So 'tis in preaching to a mix'd Auditory. Obj. But it cannot be otherwife; the Parish cannot be divided into feveral Forms: what must the Preacher then do in Discretion? Anfw. Why then let him use fome expreflions by which this or that condi-` sion of People may know fuch Doctrine does more especially

E