betters, Thus are the laft efforts of reforming mankind rendered wholely uselefs: How fall they bear, faith the apostle, without a preacher? But, if they have a preacher, and make it a point of wit or breeding not to hear him, what remedy is left? To this neglect of preaching, we may also entirely impute that grofs ignorance among us in the very principles of religion, which it is amazing to find in persons who very much value their own knowledge and understanding in other things; yet, it is a vifible, inexcufable ignorance, even in the meanest among us, confidering the many advantages they have of learning their duty. And it hath been the great encouragement to all manner of vice: For, in vain we preach down fin to a people, whofe hearts are waxed grofs, whofe ears are dull of bearing, and whofe eyes are clofed. Therefore Chrift himself, in his discourses, frequently roufeth up the attention of the multitude, and of his disciples themselves, with his expreffion, He that hath ears to hear, let him bear. But, among all neglects of preaching, none is fo fatal as that of fleeping in

the

the houfe of God; a fcorner may liften to truth and reafon, and in time grow ferious; an unbeliever may feel the pangs of a guilty confcience; one whofe thoughts or eyes wander among other objects, may, by a lucky word, be called back to attention: But the fleeper shuts up all avenues to his foul: He is like the deaf adder, that hearkeneth not to the voice of the charmer, charm he never fo wifely. And, we may preach with as good fuccefs to to the grave that is under his feet. But the great evil of this neglect will further yet appear, from confidering the real caufes whence it proceedeth; whereof the firft, I take to be, an evil confcience. Many men come to church to fave or gain a reputation; or becaufe they will not be fingular, but comply with an eftablished custom; yet, all the while, they are loaded with the guilt of old rooted fins. These men can expect to hear of nothing but terrors and threatenings, their fins laid open in true colours, and eternal mifery the reward of them; therefore, no wonder they ftop their ears, and divert their thoughts,

thoughts, and feek any amusement rather than ftir the hell within them.

Another caufe of this neglect is, a heart fet upon worldly things. Men whose minds are much enflaved to earthly affairs all the week, cannot difengage or break the chain of their thoughts fo fuddenly, as to apply to a discourse that is wholely foreign to what they have most at heart. Tell a ufurer of charity, and mercy, and restitution, you talk to the deaf; his heart and foul, with all his fenfes, are got among his bags, or he is gravely afleep, and dreaming of a mortgage. Tell a man of bufinefs, that the cares of the world choak the good feed; that we must not encumber ourselves with much ferving; that the falvation of his foul is the one thing neceffary: You fee, indeed, the fhape of a man before you, but his faculties are all gone off among clients and papers, thinking how to defend a bad caufe, or find flaws in a good one; or, he weareth out the time in droufy nods.

A third caufe of the great neglect and fcorn of preaching, arifeth from the practice of men who fet up to decry and difparage

difparage religion; thefe, being zealous to promote infidelity and vice, learn a rote of buffoonry that ferveth all occafions, and refutes the strongest arguments for piety and good manners. These have a fet of ridicule calculated for all fermons, and all preachers, and can be extremely witty as often as they please upon the same fund.

Let me now, in the laft place, offer some remedies against this great evil.

It will be one remedy against the contempt of preaching, rightly to confider the end for which it was defigned. There are many who place abundance of merit in going to church, although it be with no other prospect but that of being well entertained, wherein if they happen to fail, they return wholely disappointed. Hence it is become an impertinent vein among people of all forts to hunt after what they call a good fermon, as if it were a matter of pastime and diverfion. Our bufinefs, alas! is quite another thing, either to learn, or, at least, be reminded of our duty, to apply the doctrines delivered, compare the rules we hear with our

lives and actions, and find wherein we have tranfgreffed. Thefe are the difpofitions men fhould bring into the house of God, and then they will be little concerned about the preacher's wit or eloquence, nor be curious to enquire out his faults or infirmities, but confider how to correct their own.

Another remedy against the contempt of preaching, is, that men would confider, whether it be not reasonable to give more allowance for the different abilities of preachers than they ufually do; refinements of ftile, and flights of wit, as they are not properly the bufinefs of any preacher, fo they cannot poffibly be the talents of all. In most other difcourfes, men are satisfied with fober fenfe and plain reafon; and, as understandings ufually go, even that is not over frequent. Then why they should be fo over nice in expectation of eloquence, where it is neither neceffary nor convenient, is hard to imagine.

Laftly, The fcorners of preaching would do well to confider, that this talent of ridicule,