L. 1. c. • 1

Unstyllfull
ScboolmdlleTft
9
3 6o
Self-love muji be laid afide.
Chap. 3^
unlearned
Preachers.
Unstylftttt'
Phyfilians.
Opinion of lear¬ ning tnuft be ta¬ ken off.
a.
Pbit.f.
Saint Paul bis •words ex¬ plain'd.
l*k?2
For they fcorn to yccld to men that are able to teach, and they powerfully as by a law, -as thefe men ufe to fwell high, make ma¬ tt ifeft their ignorance to other men. There are alfo many to be found in this our age, who impudently take upon them to preach, whereas they are unskilful in this bulinefle, and have no gifts to fpeak as they fhould, they want knowledge, and are not fuffieienp- ly Verfed in the Scriptures. Hence it comes to pafle that theft greedy auditors are fed with no food of faving learning, they re- ceive no confolation of Gods word,no benefit in their Souls, and fuck in nothing but meer toyes, and fuperftitions of old wives. I refer thofe alfo unto the fame order, who wanting reafon and ex¬ perience, take upon them to pra&ife Phyfick, and they do exer- cife this Art, to the great hurt of mankind, and detriment in their health. Since therefore a vain and boafting perfwafion of learn¬ ing brings fo much mifehief to fruitful! wits 3 ftudious per- fons, who affed folid learning, muft contend by all means, that having acquired all helps and means for their liudies, they may haften to the depth of it, and lay afide and rejeft all opinion of learning already attained unto, fo that if they have proceeded a little way, they fhould not rafhly draw back, and forfake what they ventur’d upon at firft, bur that they fhould {till go forward till they come to the mark, and having ran over all, they may cometo win the Garland, or at Ieaft, ftand next to the Goal. Lee never that foolifh opinion, that is fo dangerous to the beft wits, enter into our minds, or itay there, that lo foon as you are come but to the door and threshold of learning, you fhould judge that you had fully learned it, and won that which you are many de¬ grees behind it 5 This perfwafion effe&s thus much in the minds of men, that they ftay far on this fide the goaie, and a more fluggilhly, not going forward, like idle heartlefle fellows, who running in the race, make no great fpeed therein, torunnim- bly to the mark, but they continually look behind, and ftand ftill, and lofe the prize, which is a great fhame and difgrace unto them. In this matter it is good to follow Saint Pauls example, who in fiis function Apoftolicafand his illuftration and propagation of Evan- gelick learning, wherein confifts thefafetyof us all, confefleth in- genuoufly that he had not yet attained what he followed after, yet without (landing ftill or delay, he did manfully fulfill his courfe, and ftrove with all his might to attain the goaie, and Gar¬ land let before him, preffing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of Godin Chrift Jefus, that is, for the bleflednefie thaf is propounded to every one for Chrift his fake ; fo that he foi\ got what was behind and overpaft, and what he feemed to be pc r- te&in, and never called thofe things to his mind, but what was before him, he prefled forward to, very cheerfully and with all his might, and toward thofe things that remained for him yet to do, rejecting and laying afide all things that might hinder him in the bafte he made to atrain the reward and Crown fet before him. To this may be referred chat Sermon of Chrift, No man putting bis
band
Cnap.39« Sluggijhnejfe and Procraflination is dangerous.
3 61
band to the plough , and looking hack again , is jit for the Kingdome of _
God . Wherein,taking a fimilitudc from the induftry of men in monofibnfi T' p;oughing and tilling the ground, he admonifheth his followers, mat every man (hould perfevere and go on in the bufinefie of Sal¬ vation they have each entred upon, and hath undertaken, uncill he cocue to be perfect, and they muft not turn back their minds to fading and tranfitory things, or ceafe from their purpofe, or de¬ cline another way, but each man muft perfect what he hath well begun. For {luggiihnefle and procraflination is dangerous in a ferious matter, and in the bufinefl’e of our Salvation, and to go on remifly and not cheerfully in the thing we undertook to do. Alfo Saint Taul will not have a man who is ready for this journey to be i C0A9: :
hindredinhis courfe, or flopped, borrowing an example, from chamtn^^ thofe that ftrive for a reward in publick actions, and atchieve- virgin. }. ments, of whom there is none who is not ready to do and fuffer all &neid. things, and to engage their lives to win the praife and favour and ,
applaufeof the people. Horace indeed a heathen Poet, yet an L,i.Epi[l.iu excellent Matter to teach men manners, when he had obferved what great hindrance loy tering and delayes brought to any actions hetakes anexample from a thing infamous to exhort men to what was good and fafe for them. v
Thieves rife at night men for to kill, • V.,
fan example __ from thieves ia the night .
T ?fave thy fe If wilt thou lye fill $
Why art thou dull andfluggifh to do right ,
Thoufoon wilt take that out which hurts thy [fight ?
But if thy mind he hurt thou wilt not fear , Leaving that to he cured the next year.
He that begins well hath dij'patcbt one half
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