and exercise whereof this place, at this season of the day, is very
much celebrated.

There is indeed one mortal disadvantage to which all preaching is
subject, that those who, by the wickedness of their lives, stand in
greatest need, have usually the smallest share; for either they are
absent upon the account of idleness, or spleen, or hatred to
religion, or in order to doze away the intemperance of the week; or,
if they do come, they are sure to employ their minds rather any
other way than regarding or attending to the business of the place.

The accident which happened to this young man in the text hath not
been sufficient to discourage his successors; but because the
preachers now in the world, however they may exceed St. Paul in the
art of setting men to sleep, do extremely fall short of him in the
working of miracles, therefore men are become so cautious as, to
choose more safe and convenient stations and postures for taking
their repose without hazard of their persons, and upon the whole
matter choose rather to trust their destruction to a miracle than
their safety. However, this being not the only way by which the
lukewarm Christians and scorners of the age discover their neglect
and contempt of preaching, I shall enter expressly into
consideration of this matter, and order my discourse in the
following method:-

First, I shall produce several instances to show the great neglect
of preaching now among us.

Secondly, I shall reckon up some of the usual quarrels men have
against preaching.