Gildas Salvianus: The Reformed Pastor

7. See that you preach to such auditors as these, some higher points, that stall their understandings, and feed them not all with milk, but sometime with stronger meat: For it exceedingly puffs them up with Pride, when they hear nothing from Ministers but what they know already, or can say themselves: This makes them think themselves as wise as you, and as fit to be Teachers; For they think you know no more then you preach: And this hath set so many of them on preaching, because they hear nothing from others ⟨p. 466⟩but what they can say themselves; and Ministers do not set them such patterns as may humble them, and deter them from that work. Not that I would have you neglect the great fundamental verities, or wrong the weak and ignorant people, while you are dealing with such as these; but only when the main part of your Sermon is as plain as you can speak, let some one small part, be such as shall puzzle these self-conceited men: Or else have one Sermon in four or five of purpose for them: Not by heaping up citations of Fathers, nor repeating words of Latin or Greek (unless when you are convincing them of the difficulty of a Text of Scripture) For they will but deride all this: But take up some profound questions (such as the Schools voluminously agitate) and let them see that it is edifying that you intend, and therefore desire to make it as plain as you can; that they may see that it is not your obscure manner of handling, but the matter it self that is too hard for them, and so may see that they are yet but children that have need of milk, and that you would be more upon such higher points, if it were not that their incapacity doth take you off.

7. See that you preach to such auditors as these, some higher points, that stall their understandings, and feed them not all with milk, but sometime with stronger meat: For it exceedingly puffs them up with Pride, when they hear nothing from Ministers but what they know already, or can say themselves: This makes them think themselves as wise as you, and as fit to be Teachers; For they think you know no more then you preach: And this hath set so many of them on preaching, because they hear nothing from others ⟨p. 466⟩but what they can say themselves; and Ministers do not set them such patterns as may humble them, and deter them from that work. Not that I would have you neglect the great fundamental verities, or wrong the weak and ignorant people, while you are dealing with such as these; but only when the main part of your Sermon is as plain as you can speak, let some one small part, be such as shall puzzle these self-conceited men: Or else have one Sermon in four or five of purpose for them: Not by heaping up citations of Fathers, nor repeating words of Latine or Greek (unless when you are convincing them of the difficulty of a Text of Scripture) For they will but deride all this: But take up some profound questions (such as the Schools voluminously agitate) and let them see that it is edifying that you intend, and therefore desire to make it as plain as you can; that they may see that it is not your obscure manner of handling, but the matter it self that is too hard for them, and so may see that they are yet but children that have need of milk, and that you would be more upon such higher points, if it were not that their incapacity doth take you off.