say they, that want livings: and if for shame they preach at all, it
must bee rarely and easily, for breaking of their winde (my meaning is
not to tax such, whom God disinables by weaknesse of body; or such as
recompence their rarity with industry, as _Perkins_, &c.) and yet
forsooth these thinke they may justly challenge, and weare the double
honor of countenance and maintenance; I marvell with what right, or with
what face, so long as there remaineth expresse Canon of Scripture,
bequeathing it to those, that toyle in word and doctrine. Neither will
zeale set us on worke onely to preach, or to preach often to avoyd the
infamy of bare readers; but it will teach us to preach painefully, and
that in the evidence and demonstration, not so much of art, or nature,
as of the spirit and grace; regarding onely, that the people know Christ
and him crucified; not caring whether they know what wee have read, how
many quotations our memory will carry levell, how roundly wee can utter
our minde in new minted words, in like sounding, idle, vaine, and
offensive _Paranomasies_; I blush to fall into the least touch of that
kinde: yet at once to shew and reproove that childish folly, It is a
vaine of vaine preaching, turning sound preaching into a sound of
preaching, tickling mens eares, like a tinckling cymball, feeding them,
[Greek: hêdusmati kai ouk edesmasi], spoyling the plaine song, with
descant and division: what is this but to shew our owne levitie and want
of true Art; indeede affecting such a dancing, piperly and effeminate
eloquence (as _Tully, Demosthenes_, or any Masculine Oratour would
scorne) in steade of that divine powerfull deliverie, which becommeth
him, that speakes the Oracles of God. If ever wee meane to doe any good,
wee must exhort and reproove, with all vehemency and authority; lifting
upp our voyce as a trumpet, as the sonnes of thunder; pearcing their
eares, witnessing, striving and contending, according to our gift
whatsoever it bee, to manifest our affections, that wee may worke upon
the people; which all the Art in the world will not teach us to doe: