The cure of church-divisions, or, Directions for weak Christians to keep them from being…

Fourthly, And how cold and unskilful are many in the application of that doctrine which they have tolerably opened? And speak the truths of the living God, without any affecting reverence or gravity. And talk as drowsily of the evil of sin, the need of grace, the love of God in Jesus Christ, yea of death and judgement, Heaven and Hell, as if it were their design to rock the auditors asleep, or to make them believe that it is but an histrionical fiction which they act, and that nothing which they say is to be believed! There is no need of any more forcible means to entice men to sin, than to hear it preached against so coldly: Nor is there need of any more to teach men to set light by Christ and Grace and Heaven it self, than to hear them so heartily ⟨p. 319⟩commended: We speak a few good words to the people in a reading tone, like a child that is saying his lesson, as if we believed not our selves; and then we blame the people for their being no more edified by us; and we look they should be much affected with that which never much affected the speakers. If Christ himself who preached with authority, and used to awaken them, with an [He that hath ears to hear let him hear] did yet convert no more than he did, what can we expect upon our drowsy and dry discourses, but drowsiness in the hearers, if not contempt.

Fourthly, And how cold and unskilful are many in the application of that doctrine which they have tolerably opened? And speak the truths of the living God, without any affecting reverence or gravity. And talk as drowsily of the evil of sin, the need of grace, the love of God in Jesus Christ, yea of death and judgement, Heaven and Hell, as if it were their design to rock the auditors asleep, or to make them believe that it is but an histrionical fiction which they act, and that nothing which they say is to be believed! There is no need of any more forcible means to entice men to sin, than to hear it preacht against so coldly: Nor is there need of any more to teach men to set light by Christ and Grace and Heaven it self, than to hear them so hearteslly ⟨p. 319⟩commended: We speak a few good words to the people in a reading tone, like a child that is saying his lesson, as if we believed not our selves; and then we blame the people for their being no more edified by us; and we look they should be much affected with that which never much affected the speakers. If Christ himself who preached with authority, and used to awaken them, with an [He that hath ears to hear let him hear] did yet convert no more than he did, what can we expect upon our drowsie and dry discourses, but drowsiness in the hearers, if not contempt.