86 OF THE PACIFICATION OF THE CHURCH. 



variety in auditories and congregations ; but yet so 

 as there is &quot; aliquid infimum,&quot; below which you 

 ought not to descend. For you must rather leave 

 the ark to shake as it shall please God, than put 

 unworthy hands to hold it up. And when we are 

 in God s temple, we are warned rather to &quot; put our 

 hands upon our mouth, than to offer the sacrifice of 

 fools.&quot; And surely it may be justly thought, that 

 amongst many causes of atheism, which are misera 

 bly met in our age ; as schisms and controversies, 

 prophane scoffings in holy matters, and others ; it 

 is not the least that divers do adventure to handle 

 the word of God, which are unfit and unworthy. 

 And herein I would have no man mistake me, as if 

 I did extol curious and affected preaching ; which is 

 as much on the other side to be disliked, and breed- 

 eth atheism and scandal as well as the other : for 

 who would not be offended at one that cometh into 

 the pulpit, as if he came upon the stage to play 

 parts or prizes ? neither on the other side, as if .1 

 would discourage any who hath any tolerable gift. 



But upon this point I ground three considera 

 tions : first, whether it were not requisite to renew 

 that good exercise which was practised in this 

 Church, some years, and afterwards put down by 

 order indeed from the Church, in regard of some 

 abuse thereof, inconvenient for those times ; and 

 yet against the advice and opinion of one of the 

 greatest and gravest prelates of this land, and was 

 commonly called prophesying; which was this: 

 That the ministers within a precinct did meet upon 



