Note 23 — PART I.

The word itself exciteth reason, and preachers are by reason to shame all sin as a thing unreasonable. And the want of such excitation, by powerful preaching, and plain instructing, and the persons considering, is a great cause of the world's undoing. For those preachers that lay all the blame on the people's stupidity or malignity, I desire them to read a satisfactory answer in Acosta the Jesuit, li. iv. c. 2, 3, & 4. Few souls perish, comparatively, where all the means are used which should be used by their superiors for their salvation: if every parish had holy, skilful, laborious pastors, that would publicly and privately do their part, great things might be expected in the world. But, saith Acosta, Itaque præcipua causa ad ministros parum idoneos redit. Quæ namque est prædicatio nostra? quæ fiducia? signa certè non edimus: vitæ sanctitate non eminemus; beneficentia non invitamus; verbi ac spiritus efficacia non persuademus; lachrymis ac precibus à Deo non impetramus; imo ne magnopere quidem curamus. Quæ ergo nostra querela est? quæ tanta Indorum accusatio? lib. iv. p. 365. An ingenuous confession of the Roman priesthood. And such priests can expect no better success. But having seen another sort of ministers, through God's mercy, I have seen an answerable fruit of their endeavours.