A Collection of cases and other discourses lately written to recover dissenters to the communion of the Church of England by some divines of the city of London ; in two volumes ; to each volume is prefix'd a catalogue of all the cases and discourses contained in this collection.

III.

But after all, I have some reason to fear that when men complain they cannot profit by our Sermons, they mean nothing by profiting, but that their affections are not mo∣ved in the hearing of them, so as they are by the Sermons of Nonconformists. Unto which I have many things to say if this Paper would contain them: but it will be sufficient to touch only upon these three.

1. That Men have several Talents, both among you and among us: which are all very profitable. Some for in∣forming the Judgment; others for moving the Affections; and others (which is most desirable) for both: you are not able to say that all yours move you so as some do: and yet you make such account of all, that it hath ever been lookt upon as a very disorderly thing among your selves (and worse than that I shall prove by and by) for People to run from their own Minister to hear some other (though of the same way) meerly to have the affections more moved. Because,

2. This alone is so far from profiting by Sermons, that it is very great unprofitableness, to be moved by a Ser∣mon, and do nothing thereupon, but only commend it. That is, to be tickled and pleased a while, but not altered nor changed a whit: or to be warmed perhaps a little for the present, and then left as cold as a stone, without any spiritual life, or indeavour to be the better.

3. But the great thing of all is this, that affections rai∣sed meerly by the earnestness of the Preacher, at present in the hearing of a Sermon (and it is well if the affecti∣ons which some People speak of, be not Motions which they feel meerly from the tone of the voice, as from a ta∣king phrase, a similitude or some such trifle) are nothing comparable to those, which we raise by Gods blessing up∣on our own serious consideration, when we reflect upon what we have heard, which sort of most excellent affecti∣ons, the Sermons that are preached in our Churches, can∣not fail to produce, if you please but to attend to the matter of them and press them upon your Hearts: Nay, your Judgments being well informed, it would not be hard for you (if you would but take a little pains with your selves) to excite such affections unto that which you know to be your Duty as would abide and remain; when the others that were excited in the hearing of a Sermon, are gone, and quite vanished, and can never be recalled, but by your own serious Meditation upon those Divine Truths, which entred into your Mind, and would have touched, nay peirced your Hearts, if you would have brought them thither, and held them close to your Consciences.

Which ought to be every Christians care more than I doubt it is, in order to their profiting by Sermons; and that they may not be barren and unfruitful in the Knowledg of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.