[ 1834] Ministers to be Men of Knowledg and Understanding.
THe Archer first takes a view of his mark,* 1.1 then considers the distance of the ground, after that he carries his eye over all the shafts in his quiver, he pulls out and puts in one after another, untill he have made choice of his Ar∣row; then he proves it with his finger and judges by his ear whether it be fit to fly to the mark; then he considers how the Wind si••s, whether to help him or to hinder him; When he hath put his Arrow into the bow and begun to draw, if there come a gust of contradiction in his way, he hath the discretion to bear with it, till it have spent it self; When the blast is over, he sets his foot to the ground,* 1.2 draws his Arrow up to the head, and sticks it up to the Feathers: Thus it is that Preaching is a kind of Artillery exercise that requireth strength and knowledg, Ministers a kind of A••chers, and the Souls of Men are the fairest marks that can be shot at; but it so cometh to passe that many for want of growth to draw the Bow of the Prophets and Apostles,* 1.3 or want of skill to shoot, or care to shoot when they have taken their aim, many times miss the mark being either short or wide and so become despised.