OF THE PACIFICATION OF THE CHURCH. 87 



a week-day in some principal town, where there 

 was some ancient grave minister that was president, 

 and an auditory admitted of gentlemen, or other 

 persons of leisure. Then every minister successively, 

 beginning with the youngest, did handle one and 

 the same part of Scripture, spending severally some 

 quarter of an hour or better, and in the whole some 

 two hours : and so the exercise being begun and 

 concluded with prayer, and the president giving a 

 text for the next meeting, the assembly was dis 

 solved. And this was, as I take it, a fortnight s ex 

 ercise ; which, in my opinion, was the best way to 

 frame and train up preachers to handle the word of 

 God as it ought to be handled, that hath been prac 

 tised. For we see orators have their declamations, 

 lawyers have their moots, logicians their sophisms ; 

 and every practice of science hath an exercise of 

 erudition and initiation before men come to the life ; 

 only preaching, which is the worthiest, and wherein it 

 is most danger to do amiss, wanteth an introduction, 

 and is ventured and rushed upon at the first. But 

 unto Ihis exercise of the prophecy, I would wish 

 these two additions : the one, that after this exer 

 cise, which is in some sort public, there were imme 

 diately a private meeting of the same ministers, 

 where they might brotherly admonish the one the 

 other, and especially the elder sort the younger, of 

 any thing that had passed in the exercise, in matter 

 or manner, unsound and uncomely \ and in a word, 

 might mutually use such advice, instruction, com 

 fort, or encouragement, as occasion might minister ; 



