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

Fifthly, And alas the private work of the Ministry is done as poorly by too many who do pretty well in public, as if they knew not that it is any considerable part of their employment; or as if indeed they believed not the immortality and preciousness of souls! And if the praise of men constrained them not, to do the public part somewhat better, they would become contemptible burdens of the Church.

Fifthly, And alas the private work of the Ministery is done as poorly by too many who do pretty well in publick, as if they knew not that it is any considerable part of their employment; or as if indeed they believed not the immortality and preciousness of souls! And if the praise of men constrained them not, to do the publick part somewhat better, they would become contemptible burthens of the Church.

Sixthly, the great duty of Catechizing is so much neglected, that few of the people understand the great fundamental truths; and few are instructed in the true method of the Christian doctrines, who know somewhat of the matter of them. And such defects and languor in the Vital parts, will one time or other appear in the externals.

Seventhly, Formality and imagery choketh or excludeth the sense, life and power of the most necessary truths. They that teach youth the ••rds of the Catechism, do oft content themselves ⟨p. 320⟩with that much, as if they had made them understanding Christians; and leave them as ignorant & senseless of the importance of those words, as they were before ever they learnt them. The foresaid unacquaintedness with the people and their weaknesses, doth make many teachers lose their labour; while they measure the common people by themselves, and think that they can understand such words as they themselves can understand: When they little know how utterly ignorant abundance are of the matter, when they have learned to speak all the words by rote. Therefore experience hath oft constrained me to say that after all their study and learning in the Universities, such Pastors as did never familiarly converse with the poor and vulgar of the flocks, and try the exercise of personal instruction and exhortation upon them, are no more to be regarded in many controversies about the Pastoral work and discipline, than an unexperienced Physician, or Chirurgeon, or Soldier or Pilot in many cases of their professions: Which maketh many learned self-conceited Doctors, become the plagues, while they think themselves the pillars of the Church.