taken from them. And many have, on this very account, been disowned by their dearest friends and nearest relations. So that there was no possibility the number of these labourers should ever be increased at all, unless by those who could break through all these ties, who desired nothing in the present world, who counted neither their fortunes, nor friends, nor lives, dear unto themselves, so they might only keep a conscience void of offence towards God and towards men.

7. But what do you infer from their fewness? That because they are few, therefore God cannot work by them? Upon what Scripture do you ground this? I thought it was the same to him to save by many or by few. Upon what reason? Why cannot God save ten thousand souls by one man, as well as by ten thousand ? How little, how inconsiderable a circumstance is number before God! Nay, is there not reason to believe, that whensoever God is pleased to work a great deliverance, spiritual or temporal, he may first say, as of old, The people are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands? May he not purposely choose few as well as inconsiderable instruments, for the greater manifestation of his own glory? Very few, I grant, are the instruments now employed; yet a great work is wrought already. And the fewer they are by whom this large harvest hath hitherto been gathered in, the more evident must it appear to unprejudiced minds, That the work is not of man, but of God.

8. "But they are not only few, but unlearned also." This is another grievous offence; and is by many esteemed a sufficient excuse, for not acknowledging the work to be of God.

The ground of this offence is partly true. Some of those who now preach are unlearned. They neither understand the ancient languages, nor any of the branches of philosophy. And yet this objection might have been spared, by many of those who have frequently made it; because they are unlearned too (though accounted otherwise.) They have not themselves the very thing they require in others.

Men in general are under a great mistake with regard to what is called "the Learned World." They do not know, they cannot easily imagine, how little learning there is among them. I do not speak of abstruse learning; but of what all Divines, at least of any note, are supposed to have, viz. The knowledge of the Tongues, at least Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and of the common Arts and Sciences.

How few men of learning, so called, understand Hebrew! Even so far as to read a plain chapter in Genesis! Nay, how few understand Greek! Make an easy experiment. Desire that grave man who is urging this objection, only to tell you the English of the first paragraph that occurs in one of Plato's Dialogues! I am afraid we may go farther still. How few understand Latin! Give one of them an Epistle of Tully, and see how readily he will explain it without his Dictionary. If he can hobble through that, 'tis odds but a Georgick in Virgil, or a Satire of Persius sets him fast.

And with regard to the Arts and Sciences: how few understand so much as the general principles of Logic? Can one in ten of the Clergy (O grief of heart!) or of the Masters of Arts in either University, when an argument is brought, tell you even the Mood and Figure wherein it is proposed? Or complete an Enthymeme? Perhaps, you do not so much as understand the term: supply the premiss which is wanting, in order to make it a full Categorical Syllogism. Can one in ten of them demonstrate a Problem or Theorem in Euclid's Elements ? Or define the common terms used in Metaphysics? Or intelligibly explain the first Principles of it? Why then will they pretend to that learning, which they are conscious to themselves they have not? Nay, and censure others who have it not, and do not pretend to it? Where are Sincerity and Candor fled?

It will easily be observed, that I do not depreciate Learning of any kind. The knowledge of the Languages is a valuable talent; so is the knowledge of the Arts and

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Sciences. Both the one and the other may be employed to the glory of God, and the good of men. But yet I ask, Where hath God declared in his word, that he cannot, or will not make use of men that have it not? Has Moses, or any of the Prophets affirmed this? Or our Lord? Or any of his Apostles? You are sensible all these are against you. You know the Apostles themselves, all except St. Paul, were ανδρες αγραμματοι και ιδιωται' common, unphilosophical, unlettered men.

9. "What! Then you make yourselves like the Apostles." Because this silly objection has so often been urged, I will, for once, spend a few words upon it, though it does not deserve that honour. Why, must not every man, whether Clergyman, or Layman, be in some respects, like the Apostles, or go to hell? Can any man be saved, if he be not holy like the Apostles? A follower of them as they were of Christ? And ought not every Preacher of the Gospel, to be in a peculiar manner like the Apostles, both in holy tempers, in exemplariness of life, and in his indefatigable labours for the good of souls? Woe unto every Ambassador of Christ, who is not like the Apostles in this! In holiness; in making full proof of his ministry; in spending and being spent for Christ! We cannot, and therefore we need not be like them, in working outward miracles. But we may and ought, in working together with God for the salvation of men. And the same God who was always ready to help their infirmities, is ready to help ours also. He who made them workmen that needed not to be ashamed, will teach us also rightly to divide the word of truth. In this respect, likewise, in respect of his having help from God, for the work whereunto he is called, every Preacher of the Gospel is like the Apostles. Otherwise he is of all men most miserable,

10. And I am bold to affirm, that these unlettered men have help from God, for that great work, the saving souls from death; seeing he hath enabled, and doth enable them still, to turn many to righteousness. Thus hath he " destroyed the wisdom of the wise, and brought to nought

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the understanding of the prudent." When they imagined they had effectually shut the door, and locked up every passage, whereby any help could come to two or three Preachers, weak in body as well as soul; who they might reasonably believe would, humanly speaking, wear themselves out in a short time: when they had gained their point, by securing (as they supposed) all the men of learning in the nation: He that sitteth in heaven laughed them to scorn, and came upon them by a way they thought not of. Out of the stones he raised up those who should beget children to Abraham. We had no more foresight of this than you. Nay, we had the deepest prejudices against it: untill we could not but own, that God gave wisdom from above to these unlearned and ignorant men; so that the work of the Lord prospered in their hands, and sinners were daily converted to God.

Indeed in the one thing which they profess to know, they are not ignorant men. I trust there is not one of them who is not able to go through such an examination, in substantial, practical, experimental Divinity, as few of our Candidates for holy Orders, even in the University (I speak it with sorrow and shame, and in tender love) are able to do. But, oh! what manner of examination, do most of those Candidates go through? And what proof are the Testimonials commonly brought (as solemn as the form is wherein they run) either of their piety or knowledge, to whom are intrusted those sheep which God hath purchased with his own blood!

11. "But they are Laymen. You seem to be sensible yourself, of the strength of this objection. For as many as you have answered, I observe you have never once so much as touched on this." I have not. Yet it was not distrust of my cause, but tenderness to you which occasioned my silence. I had something to advance on this head also: but I was afraid you could not bear it. I was conscious to myself, that some years since, to touch this point, was to touch the apple of my eye. And this makes me almost unwilling to speak now; lest I should shock the

prejudices I cannot remove. Suffer me, however, just to intimate to you some things, which I would leave to your farther consideration. The Scribes of old, who were the ordinary preachers among the Jews, were not Priests; they were not better than laymen. Yea, many of them were incapable of the Priesthood, being of the tribe of Simeon, not of Levi. Hence probably it was, that the Jews themselves never urge it as an objection to our Lord's preaching, (even those who did not acknowledge or believe, that he was sent of God in an extraordinary character,) that he was no priest after the order of Aaron. Nor indeed could be; seeing he was of the tribe of Judah. Nor does it appear, that any objected this to the Apostles. So far from it, that at Antioch in Pisidia, we find the Ruler of the Synagogue sending unto Paul and Barnabas, strangers just come into the city, " saying, Men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on," Acts xiii. 15.

If we consider these things, we shall be less surprised at what occurs in the 8th chapter of the Acts; "At that time there was a great persecution against the church, and they were all scattered abroad:" [i. e. all the church, all the believers in Jesus throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria,] (ver. 1.) "Therefore they that were scattered abroad, went every where preaching the word," (v. 4.) Now what shadow of reason have we to say, or think, that all these were ordained before they preached ?

12. If we come to later times; Was Mr. Calvin ordained ? Was he either Priest or Deacon? And were not most of those whom it pleased God to employ in promoting the Reformation abroad, laymen also? Could that great work have been promoted at all in many places, if laymen had not preached? And yet how seldom do the very Papists urge this, as an objection against the Reformation? Nay, as rigorous as they are in things of this kind, they themselves appoint, even in some of their strictest orders, that " if any lay brother believes himself called of God, to preach as a Missionary, the Superior of the Order, being informed thereof, shall immediately send him away."

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