Plato, Aristotle, with tlie rest of the princes of worldly learning, have written, and hadst encircled all the arts within thy circninterence, but art luiskilful in the word of righteousness, thoii wouldst he Paul's unlearned person, as unfit to be a minister as he that hath read all the body of the law is to be a j)hysician, if ignorant of this art. I do not here intend to nourish the vain conceit of those sons of ignorance, who think human learning unnecessary for a minister's furniture. Truly, without this we should soon run into tlie bai'barism of former times. I have read of one Beda, that dissuaded Francis the First, a French king, (and that when learned Budanis was present,) from his princely resohi- tion of setting up professors of languages in his miiversity, saying the Greek tongue was the fountain of all heresies ; but the man was found to imderstand not a word of Greek himself. Indeed, few or none will speak against learniiTg, but those that have not so nuich of it as to make them understand its use. I dare not bid ministers (as some fenatics have done) burn all their books but the Bible. No, but I woxdd exhort thenr to prefer it above all their other books, and to direct all tlieir other studies to furnish them with Scripture knowledge ; as the bee that flies over the whole garden, and brings all the honey she gets from every flower therein into her hive, so shoidd the minister run over all his other books, and reduce their notions for his help in this ; as the Israelites offered up the jewels and ear-rings, borrowed of the Egyptians, to the service of the tabernacle. i\nd certainly tliere are such jewels to be borrowed even from them, as may become the heart of a Christian, so they are refined and gospclized. Thus the captive virgin, Deut. xxi. 10, when her head was shaved, her nails pared, and her garments changed, might be taken into an Israelite's bosom. Religion and learning revived together. The light which Erasmus brought into the schools helped Luther's labours in the church. Oh let us that are minis- ters of the gospel give up ourselves to the study of the word! We are, as one well calls us, but younger brethren to the apostles. Ministerial gifts were left them by Christ, as the inheritance by the father to his eldest son and heir. But we must work for our living. They had their knowledge of the woi'd, as Jacob his venison, brought to their hand without hunting ; but if we will know the mind of God, we must trace it out by oiu- diligence, but ever taking prayer in our company. This I am sure was Paul's charge to Timothy, — ' Give at- tendance to reading,' 1 Tim. iv. 13. Follow thy book close, O Timothy! And, ver. 15, ' Meditate upon these things, give thyself wholly to them.' And mark why, — 'That thy pi-ofiting may appear to all;' that is, that thou mayest appear to be a growing preacher to those that hear thee. O how shall the people grow, if the minister doth not? and how shall he grow, if he doth not daily drink in more than he pours out? That minister's flock must feel want, if he hath no supply from a constant trade in his study. If the nurse doth not feed herself well, she may soon bring herself and child into a consumption. As we would not, therefore, see the souls that hang on oiu* breasts languish for want of milk, or ourselves faint in our work, let us endeavour to get supplies equal to oiu- wants. Study and pray, pray and study again. Think not your work is done for all the week when the sabbath is past. Take a little breath, and return to thy labour; as the seedsman that sits down at the land's end to rest himself awhile, and then rises up to go before his plough again. We have reason to be more choice of our time than others, because it is less our own : there are none in thy parish but have a share in it. We are thieves to our people's souls when we do not husband it to their best advantage. All are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas; yours for the service of your faith. Is the parent bound to husband his estate and time for the provision of his children ? And should not the spiritual father have as natural an aiiection to his people ? If they understood how great a labour this nuist needs be, both to the mind and body, they would both more pity and encourage their minister in their work. God move your hearts to it, whom he hath blest with faithful labourers: help them in their study for you, by easing them of their worldly cares for themselves. Some may thank themselves that their provisions are so mean, by being accessory, to the minister's distractions in his work, and diversion from his calling; for by their o))pression, or purloining his livelihood, they force him in a mauTier to turn worldling; and the time which he should spend in providing bread for their souls, is laid out to get bread for his family's bodies.
Q22 ^^^ "^^^ SWORD OF THE SPIRIT.