lib. ii. mons, be they never so sound and perfect, his Word they are not as the Sermons of the Prophets were; no, they are but ambiguously termed his Word, because his Word is commonly the subject whereof they treat, and must be the rule whereby they are framed. Notwithstanding, by these and the like shifts, they derive unto Sermons alone, whatsoever is generally spoken concerning the Word. Again, what seemeth to have been uttered concerning Sermons and their efficacy or necessity in regard of divine matter; and must consequently be verified in sundry other kinds of Teaching if the matter be the same in all; their use is to fasten every such speech unto that one only manner of Teaching which is by Sermons, that still Sermons may be all in all. Thus, because Solomon declareth, that the people T. C. decay, or "perish" for want of knowledge, where no prophesying at all is, they gather, that the hope of life and xxix. 18. salvation is cut off, where Preachers are not which prophesy by Sermons, how many soever they be in number that read daily the Word of God, and deliver, though in other sort, the self-same matter which Sermons do. The people which have no way to come to the knowledge of God, no Prophesying, no Teaching, perish. But that they should of necessity perish, where any one way of knowledge lacketh, is more than the words of Solomon import. Another usual point of their art in this present question, T. C. lib. is to make very large and plentiful discourses how Christ is 2 Cor. ii. by Sermons lifted up higher and made more apparent to the eye of Faith; how the savour of the Word is more sweet, 2 Tim. p. 381. Prov. ii. p. 379. 14-16 ii. 15. being brayed,* and more able to nourish, being divided, by Matt. Preaching, than by only Reading proposed; how Sermons xvi, 19. may be the true sense of Holy Scriptures, and according to the proportion of Faith' (Rom. xii. 6); seeing they agree not with the Family of Jesus Christ that is at Rome, are not therefore, the strong and forcible Word of God.' And here we pray you to teach us, Whether that all doctrine, interpretation, and exhortation, which is truly and merely the natural meaning of Holy Scripture, be not the Word of God; or, that the Word is only in the letter of the text, as of Hebrew and Greek; or, if you will, truly translated? And, which of these hath the Word of God, he that allegeth the words, as did the Tempter, or he that allegeth the true meaning, as did our Saviour Christ, Matt. iv. 6-10? Lastly, shew us that if all 'our Sermons' be of 'the wit of man,' and none the 'strong and forcible Word of God,' Whether Romish Babylon may not challenge our Church to want one ' essential' mark, as 'Preaching the pure Word of God?' And, Whether it be possible for the wit of man' to give 'being' unto that which is an essential mark of the Church of God,' and of that which hath 'greater strength and authority than all eloquence, wisdom, learning, policy, and power of the world?' And, lastly, open unto us, Whether that Reverend Father did well, who granteth, that the Word of God is not only in writing but in Preaching, in counsels or doctors; because Christ saith, He that heareth you, heareth me,' Luke x. 16." (Fulke, Reply to Brist. rejoined. p. 99.)—A Christian Letter, p. 20.] * [Vociferously iterated.] iii. 6. T. C. lib. ii. are the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and do open* the Scriptures, which being but read, remain in comparison still 1 Cor. clasped; how God giveth richer increase of grace to the ground that is planted and watered by Preaching, than by bare and simple Reading. Out of which premises, declaring how attainment unto life is easier where Sermons are, they conclude an impossibility† thereof where Sermons are not.‡ Alcidamas the Sophister hath many arguments to prove, that voluntary and extemporal far excelleth premeditated speech. The like whereunto, and in part the same, are brought by them who commend Sermons, as having (which all men, I think, will acknowledge) sundry peculiar and p. 395. proper virtues, such as no other way of Teaching besides hath. Aptness, to follow particular occasions presently growing; to put life into words by countenance, voice, and gesture; to prevail mightily in the sudden affections of men; this, Sermons may challenge. Wherein, notwithstanding so eminent properties whereof Lessons are haply destitute, yet Lessons being free from some inconveniences whereunto Sermons are more subject, they may in this respect no less take, than in other they must give, the hand which betokeneth pre-eminence. For there is nothing which is not some way excelled even by that which it doth excel. Sermons, therefore, and Lessons, may each excel other in some respects, without any prejudice unto either, as touching that vital force which they both have in the work of our salvation. To which effect, when we have endeavoured as much as in us doth lie, to find out the strongest causes, wherefore they should imagine that Reading is itself so unavailable, the most we can learn at their hands is, that p. 383. Sermons are "the Ordinance of God," the Scriptures dark, and the labour of Reading easy.§ First, therefore, as we T. C. lib. ii. ["Luke xxiv. 27, 32." T. C. lib. ii. p. 380.] No salvation to be looked for, where no Preaching is." T. C. lib. ii. p. 380. [Referring shortly, at this place, to the whole passage in lib. i. p. 158. See Note below.] ["As the busbandman receiveth no fruit unless he both plant, and water that which is planted; even so there is no salvation to be looked for where there is no preaching. It may be, that God doth sometimes work faith by reading only, especially where preaching cannot be, and so he doth sometimes without reading, by a wonderful work of his Spirit; but the ordinary way whereby God regenerateth his children is by the Word of God which is preached." T. C. lib. i. p. 158.] § ["Where, confessing the Word preached and read all one, (lib. i. p. 158), I shew notwithstanding that as the fire stirred giveth more heat, so the Word, as it were, blown by preaching, flameth more in the hearers, than when it is read; he (Dr. W.) answereth that this is to join with the Papists in condemning the Scriptures of obscurity;' but reason he can shew none. And it is all one as if one should be charged to have said, that the sun is xxxi. cles. lib. i. c. 10. Psalm know that God doth aid with his grace, and by his special providence evermore bless with happy success, those things which himself appointeth; so his Church, we persuade ourselves, he hath not in such sort given over to a reprobate sense, that whatsoever it deviseth for the good of the souls of men, the same he doth still accurse and make frustrate. Or, if he always did defeat the Ordinances of his Church, Dent. is not Reading the Ordinance of God? Wherefore then 11. should we think, that the force of his secret grace is accustomed to bless the labour of dividing his Word according unto each man's private discretion in public Sermons, and to withdraw itself from concurring with the public delivery thereof by such selected portions of Scripture, as the whole Church hath solemnly appointed to be read for the people's good, either by ordinary course, or otherwise, according to the exigence of special occasions? Reading (saith Isidore) De Ecis to the hearers no small edifying. To them whose "de- Offic. light and meditation is in the Law," seeing that happiness and bliss belongeth, it is not in us to deny them the benefit 1.2. of heavenly grace. And I hope we may presume, that a rare thing it is not in the Church of God, even for that very Word which is read, to be both presently their joy, Psalm and afterwards their study that hear it. St. Augustine, speaking of devout men, noteth how they daily frequented Aug. in the Church, how attentive ear they gave unto the Lessons ixvi. and Chapters read, how careful they were to remember the same, and to muse thereupon by themselves. St. Cyprian observeth, that Reading was not without effect in the hearts of men. Their joy and alacrity was to him an argument that there is in this Ordinance a blessing, such as ordinarily doth accompany the administration of the Word of Life.* It were much if there should be such a difference between the hearing of Sermons preached, and of Lessons read in the Church, that he which presenteth himself at the one, and maketh his prayer with the Prophet David, "Teach Psalm me, O Lord, the way of thy Statutes, direct me in the path 33-35. of thy Commandments," might have the ground of usual dark, for that he affirmeth it lighter at noon-day than at the sun-rising. Then he must understand that we place not this difference of lightsomeness in the Word, which is always in itself most lightsome, read and preached; but partly in the Ordinance of God, before noted (T. C. lib. ii. p. 380, on 1 Cor. iii. 6), making that the special means; partly the darkness of our understanding, which without the aid of Preaching cannot come to sufficient knowledge of it." T. C. lib. ii. p. 383.] cxix. 16. Psalm cxix. "Lector personat verba sublimia. Evangelium Christi legis a fratribus conspicitur, cum gaudio fraternitatis auditur." Cyprian. lib. ii. Epist. 5. T. C. lib. ii. 384, 392. experience, whereupon to build his hope of prevailing with God, and obtaining the grace he seeketh; they contrariwise not so, who crave the like assistance of his Spirit when they give ear to the reading of the other. In this, therefore, Preaching and Reading are equal, that both are approved as his Ordinances, both assisted with his grace. And if his grace do assist them both to the nourishment of Faith already bred, we cannot, without some very manifest cause yielded, imagine, that in breeding or begetting Faith, his grace doth cleave to the one, and utterly forsake the other. Touching hardness, which is the second pretended p. 383, impediment, as against Homilies being plain and popular instructions, it is no bar, so neither doth it infringe the efficacy, no, not of Scriptures, although but read. The force of Reading, how small soever they would have it, must of necessity be granted sufficient to notify that which is plain or easy to be understood. And of things necessary to all men's salvation, we have been hitherto accustomed to hold (especially sithence the publishing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, whereby the simplest having now a key unto knowledge, which the Eunuch in the Acts did want, our children may of themselves by reading understand that which he without an interpreter could not) they are in Scripture plain and easy to be understood. As for those things which at the first are obscure and dark, when memory hath laid them up for a time, judgment afterwards growing explaineth them. Scripture therefore is not so hard, but that the only Reading thereof may give life unto willing hearers. The easy performance of which holy labour is in like sort a very cold objection to prejudice the virtue thereof. For what though an Infidel, yea, though a child may be able to read?* There is no doubt but the meanest and worst amongst the people under the Law had been as able as the Priests themselves were, to offer sacrifice: did this make sacrifice of no effect unto that purpose for which it was instituted? In Religion some duties are not commended so much by the hardness of their execution, as by the worthiness and dignity of that acceptation wherein they are held with God. We admire the goodness of God in Nature, when we consider how he hath provided, that Acts viii. 31. ["If it be true that 'Reading is Preaching,'.... a child of four or five years old is able to preach, because he is able to read." T. C. lib.i. p. 159.] i. 3. lib. ii. things most needful to preserve this life should be most prompt and easy for all living creatures to come by. Is it not as evident a sign of his wonderful Providence over us, when that food of eternal life, upon the utter want whereof our endless death and destruction necessarily ensueth, is prepared and always set in such a readiness, that those very means, than which nothing is more easy, may suffice to procure the same? Surely, if we perish, it is not the lack of Scribes and Expounders that can be our just excuse. The Word which saveth our souls is near us; we need for knowledge but to read and live. The man which "readeth" the Word of God, the Word itself doth pronounce "blessed,” if he also observe the same. Now all these things being well considered, it shall be no intricate matter for any man to judge with indifferency on which part the good of the Church is most conveniently sought; whether on ours, whose opinion is such as hath been shewed, or else on theirs, who leaving no ordinary way of salvation for them unto whom the Word of God is but only read, do T. c. seldom name them but with great disdain and contempt, p. 363, who execute that service in the Church of Christ. By means whereof it hath come to pass, that Churches, which cannot enjoy the benefit of usual Preaching, are judged as it were even forsaken of God, forlorn, and without either hope or comfort:* contrariwise, those places which every day, for the most part, are at Sermons as the flowing sea, do, both by their emptiness at times of Reading, and by other apparent tokens, shew to the voice of the living God, this way sounding in the ears of men, a great deal less reverence than were meet. But if no other evil were known to grow thereby, who can choose but think them cruel, which doth hear them so boldly teach, that if God (as to pag. Him there is nothing impossible) do happily save any such 380, 383, as continue where they have all other means of instruction, but are not taught by continual Preaching, yet this is miraculous, and more than the fitness of so poor instruments can give any man cause to hope for; that Sacraments are not p. 391. effectual to salvation, except men be instructed by Preaching before they be made partakers of them; yea, that both Sacraments and Prayers also, where Sermons are not," do p. 364. 373. 364, 375, 384. ["Within seven miles of Cambridge there have been parishes where one of these Sermons was not, in four whole years." T. C. lib. ii. p. 374.] |