preaching is, sure, to keep the minister in countenance, that he may have something to do.

II. In preaching, they say more to raise men to love virtue than men can possibly perform, to make them do their best as if you would teach a man to throw the bar; to make him put out his strength, you bid him throw further than 'tis possible for him, or any man else: throw over yonder house.

12. In preaching, they do by men as writers of romances do by their chief knights, bring them into many dangers, 10 but still fetch them off: so they put men in fear of hell, but at last they bring them to heaven.

13. Preachers say, Do as I say, not as I do. But if the physician had the same disease upon him that I have, and he should bid me do one thing, and himself do quite another, could I believe him?

14. Preaching the same sermon to all sorts of people, is as if a school-master should read the same lesson to his several forms: if he read amo, amas, amavi, the highest form laugh at him; the younger admire him. So it is in 20 preaching to a mixed auditory.

Question. But it cannot be otherwise; the parish cannot be divided into several forms: what must the preacher then do in discretion?

Answer. Why then let him use some expressions by which this or that condition of people may know such doctrine does more especially concern them; it being so delivered that the wisest may be content to hear it. For if he delivers it all together, and leaves it to them to single out what belongs to themselves (which is the usual way) 30 'tis as if a man would bestow gifts upon children of several ages, two years old, four years old, ten years old, &c., and there he brings tops, pins, points, ribbands, and casts them all in a heap together upon a table before them: though the boy of ten years old can tell how to choose his top, yet

the child of two years old, that should have a ribband, takes a pin, and the pin ere he be aware pricks his fingers, and then all's out of order, &c. Preaching, for the most part, is the glory of the preacher, to shew himself a fine man. Catechising would be more beneficial.

15. Use the best arguments to persuade, though but few understand; for the ignorant will sooner believe the judicious of the parish, than the preacher himself; and they teach when they dissipate what he has said, and be10 lieve it the sooner, confirmed by men of their own side; for betwixt the laity and the clergy there is, as it were, a continual driving of a bargain; something the clergy would still have us be at, and therefore many things are heard at first from the preacher with suspicion [they are afraid of some ends] which are easily assented to, when they have it from one of themselves. 'Tis with a sermon as 'tis with a play; many come to see it, which do not understand it; and yet hearing it cried up by one, whose judgment they cast themselves upon, and of power with them, they swear and will die in it, that 'tis a very good play, which they would not have done if the priest himself had told them so. As in a great school, 'tis not the master that teaches all; the monitor does a great deal of work; it may be the boys are afraid to see their master: so in a parish 'tis not the minister does all; the greater neighbours teach the lesser, the master of the house teaches his servant, &c.

20

16. First in your sermons use your logic, and then your rhetoric. Rhetoric without logic is like a tree with 30 leaves and blossoms, but no root; yet I confess more are taken with rhetoric than logic, because they are catched with a free expression, when they understand not reason. Logic must be natural, or 'tis not at all: your rhetoric figures may be learned. That rhetoric is best which is most seasonable and most catching. An instance we

have in that old blunt commander at Cadiz, who shewed himself a good orator, being to say something to his soldiers (which he was not used to do) he made them a speech to this purpose: What a shame will it be, you Englishmen, that feed upon good beef and brewess, to let those rascally Spaniards beat you, that eat nothing but oranges and lemons: and so put more courage into his men than he could have done with a more learned oration. Rhetoric is either very good, or stark naught: there's no medium in rhetoric. If I am not fully persuaded, I laugh at the orator.

17. 'Tis good to preach the same thing again, for that's the way to have it learned. You see a bird, by often whistling to, learns a tune, and a month after records to herself.

ΙΟ

18. 'Tis a hard case a minister should be turned out of his living for something they inform he should say in his pulpit. We can no more know what a minister said in his sermon1 by two or three words picked out of it, than we can tell what tune a musician played last upon the 20 lute, by two or three single notes.

CXI.

PREDESTINATION.

1. Is a point inaccessible, out of our reach; we can make no notion of it, 'tis so full of intricacy, so full of contradiction; 'tis in good earnest, as we state it, half a dozen bulls one upon another.

2. They that talk nothing but predestination, and will not proceed in the way of heaven till they be satisfied in that point, do as if a man would not come to London,

1 His sermon] his sermons, H. and H. 2.

unless at his first step he might set his foot upon the top of Paul's.

3. Doctor Prideaux in his lectures, several days used arguments to prove predestination; at last tells his auditory they are damned if they do not believe it; doing herein just as school-boys; when one of them has got an apple,

1. 4. at last tells his auditory &c.] This is not quite so. Dr. Prideaux gave a series of nine lectures on Romans ix. 10, 11, 12. The first three treat of predestination, and several of the others touch upon it. In none of these does he tell his auditory that they are damned that do not believe it. But in the last lecture of the series, against the Roman Catholics, he is provoked by their assertion that he himself, as a Protestant, must be damned, and he retorts accordingly, with some warmth of expression, that the fate in question is much more likely to be theirs.

His imaginary opponent has been arguing (Dr. Prideaux, it will be seen, conducts both sides of the dispute) as a point in favour of the Roman Catholic Church, 'Fatentur Protestantes sub Papismo quam plurimos salutem consequi. At Papistae damnatos pronuntiant omnes Protestantes.' Dr. Prideaux rejoins, 'Respondeo. Hoc ipsum arguit Protestantes non tantùm Religionis puritate, sed charitate etiam esse adversariis superiores, qui distinguunt tamen inter seductores et seductos, et inter seductos rursus in simplicitate cordium, ante Lutheri reformationem, et obstinatos sequentis seculi, qui moniti ad obortam lucem claudunt oculos. Nam ut de istis dictat charitas ut speremus optima; ita de hisce nihil possumus praeter horrenda polliceri, quamdiù characterem Bestiae in frontibus aut dextris praeferunt. Inter sordes autem istas, ista quae summo cum periculo expectetur salus, non ipsorum additamentis sed iis quae nobis habent communia fundamentis, est attribuenda.' Lectures by John Prideaux (Bishop of Worcester), p. 143 (ed. 3, 1648).

It seems probable from 'Church of Rome,' sec. 2, that Selden may have had this passage in his mind.

Prideaux's first lecture on predestination ends, not with damnatory threats, but with a defence of the doctrine of reprobation, attacking no one in particular, and proceeding somewhat after the fashion of Rabbi Busy with the puppet. 'Si cui haec sententia de absoluta reprobatione videatur asperior, possem respondere cum Augustino.

Hoc scio, neminem contra istam praedestinationem, quam secundùm Scripturas sanctas defendimus, nisi errando disputare posse.' p. 14. But he does not press this, and it cannot be the passage to which Selden is referring.

or something the rest have a mind to, they use all the arguments they can to get some of it from him [I gave you some th' other day: you shall have some with me another time]; when they cannot prevail, they tell him he is a jackanapes, a rogue, and a rascal.

CXII.

PREFERMENT.

1. WHEN YOU would have a child go to such a place, and you find him unwilling, you tell him he shall ride a cock-horse, and then he will go presently: so do those that govern the state deal by men, to work them to their 10 ends; they tell them they shall be advanced to such or such a place, and then they will do any thing they will have them.

2. A great place strangely qualifies. John Read was in the right [groom of the chamber to my lord of Kent]. Attorney Noy being dead, some were saying, How will the king do for a fit man? Why, any man, says John Read, may execute the place. I warrant (says my lord) thou thinkest thou understandest enough to perform it. Yes, quoth John, let the king make me Attorney, and I would 20 fain see that man that durst tell me, there's anything I understand not.

3. When the pageants are a coming, there's great thrusting and riding upon one another's backs, to look out at the windows; stay a little and they will come just to you, you may see them quietly. So 'tis when a new statesman or officer is chosen; there's great expectation and listening who it should be; stay but awhile, and you shall know quietly.

4. Missing preferment makes the presbyters fall foul 30