fcribe the Ignorance of fome, and the Loosenefs of others in Holy Orders, principally to this fatal Want; because it cannot be fuppos'd, that Men of an ingenious Education fhould either be fo dull as not to improve with these mighty Helps; or fo wretched, as to feek mean and unbecoming Company, when they have at home the Benefit of converfing with the most learned and best Men in all Ages.

SUPPOSE then for once (for we can scarce fuppofe that he can attempt it often) that this Divine of ours gets into his Study, as we have called it, and, with all his Tackle about him, refolves to fall to work in good earneft; yet, unlefs he has ftupify'd all Senfe of his Condition, no fooner has he fet himself into a Pofture of thinking (I judge of others by myself, my Lord) but immediately ftart up the horrid Images of Baker, and Brewer, and bloody Butcher, that will bring in no more Provifion of any Kind, till their long-neglected Bills be paid. 'Tis natural, upon fuch Occafion, for an honeft Man, that would pay if he could, to put his Hand in his Pocket, and ask himself the Question-----What he has but one folitary Shilling, God wot,

that to be gone before To-morrow Morning, where to find another, Heaven only knows that, for Friends have been tried over and over again, all to no Purpose. This quafhes all his Ambition to be Great, hurries his Mind from the thing he was upon, and drives him from his Books in deep Confufion and Defpair: For the Man must be befotted, that can fit him down to ftudy, when the great Defign of all (become of Learning what it will) remains unanfwer'd, How he is to live.

SEVE

* SEVERAL of the Jewish Writers, my Lord, infift on the Neceffity of thefe Qualifications antecedent to a Spirit of Prophecy. 1. An excellent natural Temper. 2. Good Accomplishments of Wit and Fortune. 3. Separation from the World. 4. Congruity of Place. 5.Opportunity of Time. And, 6. Divine Inspiration. Their Reafon for taking in the Accomplishments of Fortune, is plainly this, That, without a competent Measure of thefe, they think it impoffible for any one to have that Freedom and Chearfulness of Mind, which they make fo neceffary to a prophetick Spirit, that it is an Axiom of great Authority with them, Spiritus Sanctus non refidet fuper bominem maftum. Whatever Obftruction a troubled and difordered Mind may be to the Spirit of Prophecy, 'tis certainly fo to the Acquifition of any Science, and the true Spirit of writing in any kind whatever. For tho' a Man may poffibly gain a Truce from thinking, and break from the Sense of his Miffortunes for a while, yet he nevertheless drags perpetually an heavy Chain after him; which, in every Effort he makes, weighs down his Fancy, and enervates his Stile.

AND this, my Lord, I think a convenient. Stand, to make my Apology in, for the numberlefs Defects in what you have already read, and the many more that will in all Probability enfue; and to excufe myself to my Reverend Brethren, for pretending to undertake a Cause, folus & proprio Marte, which I knew myself infufficient to maintain, and so liable to betray for Want of Affittance. I am not infenfible both what your Lordship's Judgment deferves, and their calamitous Cafe requires; the one,

* Vid. Stillingfleet's Orig. Sacr. p. 94.

the

16.

the niceft Compofition of Wit and Learning; the other, the ftrongeft Arguments to enforce their Plea: And could my Penury afford any thing better, I fhould not entertain your Lordfhip at this low rate, with fuch a languid Stile and Invention, fuch needlefs Excurfions, fecondhand Quotations, Latin Fragments, long Recitals, and all the other Shifts of Plagiarifm, that my Neceffities put me upon. But your Lordship, I am confident, is too good, not to accept of a poor Man's Treat, let it be made up of never fo mean Ingredients; and a Lover of Truth too fincere, ever to defpife or reject it, because it comes not attended with all the Addrefs and Advantages that may be. If it anfwers not the Wants and Expectations of my Brethren, they themselves are in fome measure culpable, who were invited to come into the Work, and make it a joint Endeavour.

WHETHER it is that I have a quicker Sense of Indignities, a tenderer Fellow-feeling of other Mens Sufferings, or a Prudence less remarkable for concealing my Refentments, I cannot tell; but with me, it feem'd high Time to complain; and when I published my Intention to that Pur2 Tim. iv. pofe, if few, or none food with me, I pray God that it may not be laid to their Charge. Questionlefs, we might have prevailed more, had we united our feveral Forces, and alternately fupxvii. 11, ported one another's Hand. For me, it is enough under greater Disadvantages than most of them, to have mark'd out the Ground, and begun the Attack, and efpous'd to myfelf the Hazard and Difgrace of coming off no better.

Exod.

22.

Exoriare aliquis noftris ex offibus !

'Tis

'Tis wonderful indeed, that, under fuch Difcouragements, we fhould be in a Condition to do any thing deferving the Obfervation of the learned World; and not rather become a Sport to the Profane, and a Reproach to the facred Order, by our inavoidable Ignorance; but that we have certain compendious Ways, both to conceal that, and to affume the Air and Appearance of great Scholars and Divines, that every one finds not out.

THE Care of our Church has provided us with a Set of Homilies, to go to when we pleafe, and, in fome * Mens Opinions, better to be us'd, than the crude and indigested Difcourses that we call our own. The great Bishop

Burnet has been very kind in recommending the ufing of other Mens Sermons, rather than making any ourselves; and has taken fome Pains to fhew, how, by chufing fit Authors, changing their Stile, and reverfing their Method, we may impose upon the People as we please, and fteal without the Fear of Detection. The renowned Tillotfon has let us fee the right Manner of epitomizing to Advantage, and, by his own Example, made it appear, that a Man may acquire a Reputation to himself, merely by being the Editor and Pruner of any luxuriant Author. To the learned D-----n of W----- we owe the true Method of confolidating four Sermons into one, fo very nicely, as to escape the Obfervation of our keeneft Adverfaries, and deferve the Thanks and Commendation of our Brethren; and the Art of dilating one Sermon into four, by the Help of long Prefaces, Digreffions, and Recapitulations; by making cur Words run

Vid. Comb. Ord. Office, p. 194. † Paftoral Care, p. 226.

UNITE

glib,

glib, and our Matter fpread thin, we may learn every Day, from more celebrated Preachers than

one.

'Tis well for us, that we are fallen into an Age, when the Work of the Pulpit, which may be had at fo cheap and inexpensive a Rate, is thought the Top-qualification of a_Divine; when Sermons may be bought for a Trifle, or ftoln with Security, or borrowed without Senfe of Obligation for there is nothing more common, than to decry in Converfation, the very Man we are forc'd to preach from almost every Sunday: Well for us, that Invention and Motherwit has almoft turn'd Learning out of Doors; that the Humour of reading Men has got the upper hand of reading Books; and the Fear of Pedantifm prevail'd fo far, as to make Authori ties and Quotations (even fuch as are taken from the Scriptures) reputed obfolete, and the little Frippery of Greek and Latin in a Sermon, a very fad Defacement to the Beauty of it's Margin.

'Tis well for us, I fay, that we live in an Age, when the moft * accomplish'd Way of ufing Books, is, either to ferve them as fome Men do Lords, learn their Titles exactly, and then brag of their Acquaintance; or what is the profounder Method of the two, get a thorough Infight into their Indexes, and thence manage them to our Purposes, as Fifhes are turn'd and govern'd by their Tails. Well for us, that inftead of cutting our Way thro' the Knowledge of Tongues, the Study of Philofophy, SchoolDivinity, the Fathers, and Councils; we can, by the Help of little Compendiums, Lexicons, Criticks, and Commentators, make a confide

* Vid. Tale of a Tub, p. 241, &c.

rable