The second reply of Thomas CartwrightThe second replie of Thomas Cartwright

His other instance off a papist carrying prejudice against all preachers, and therefore not moved once by their doctrine, in which notwithstanding ⟨p. CCCLXXXVI⟩after by reading he is established, is insufficient. for if the Lord by his virtue showed through preaching / do convert men utterly perverted / and at enmity with all truth / and consequently with ¹the ministers thereof: how much more will he thereby convert papists? which by doubting whether the gospel be truth / or their superstitions have ground / or no / carry not that enmity the other do / which have no such entrance. Then you must understand / that as in the Sacraments the Lord doth not always at the same time they are ministered / work by his spirit / but chooseth the time that seemeth good to his wisdom: so it is in preaching. whereby it cometh to pass / that the spirit of God working faith at the time of reading / wrought it not by that means only: but used thereunto the help off preaching / which went before. For as green wood laid upon fire / and her with many strong blasts / as last set on fire / and flaming with one / and that a soft blast / is not to be be said chiefly set on fire with the soft blast / because it went immediately before: even so the word off God blown by preaching / and after sensibly burning in the hears of the hearers / by the means off reading immediately gone before / is not so much to be ascribed unto reading / as preaching. Considering that so it might come to pass (which is absurd) that contemplation off the creatures / should profit more then reading. For whereas the Lord hath seth the print off the most off his promises / and other ²doctrines in the creatures: for example / off his fatherly care off providing all things necessary for his / in the provision for birds off the air / and rich array off the lilies off the field: it may come to pass / that that doctrine known by means off preaching / and lying as it were dead in the heart / may after by sight / and earnest view off the things them selves / be quickened. yet none off judgement will say / that the beholding off the creatures wrought more in this / then preaching. Howbeit if the cases he putteth in this point were true: yet he is inexcusable / thes plasters coming a ye are and a half / after the wound given by such strange speech: