sor, and from that wicked desire that his people may find his worth by the worthlessness of him that succeeds, that he doth heartily pray to God to provide them a better pastor after his decease. As for outward estate, he commonly lives in too bare pasture to die fat it is well if he hath gathered any flesh, being more in blessing than bulk.

HE

THE CONTROVERSIAL DIVINE.

E is truth's champion, to defend her against all adversaries, atheists, heretics, schismatics, and erroneous persons whatsoever. His sufficiency appears in opposing, answering, moderating, and writing.

He engageth both his judgment and affections in opposing of falsehood. Not like country fencers, who play only to make sport, but like duellers indeed, as if for life and limb; chiefly if the question be of large prospect and great concernings, he is zealous in the quarrel. Yet some, though their judgment weigh down on one side, the beam of their affections stands so even, they care not which part prevails.

In opposing a truth, he dissembles himself her foe, to be her better friend. Wherefore he counts himself the greatest conqueror when

truth hath taken him captive. With Joseph, having sufficiently sifted the matter in a disguise, he discovereth himself, "I am Joseph your brother," and then throws away his vizard. Dishonest they, who, though the debt be satisfied, will never give up the bond, but continue wrangling when the objection is answered.

He abstains from all foul and railing lanWhat? make the muses, yea, the guage. graces scolds? Such purulent spittle argues exulcerated lungs. Why should there be so much railing about the body of Christ, when there was none about the body of Moses in the act kept betwixt the devil and Michael the archangel?

He tyrannizeth not over a weak and undermatched adversary; but seeks rather to cover his weakness, if he be a modest man. When a Professor pressed an answerer (a better Christian than a clerk) with a hard argument,―Reverende Professor, said he, ingenue confiteor me non posse respondere huic argumento. To whom the Professor,- Recte respondes.

In answering, he states the question, and expoundeth the terms thereof. Otherwise the disputants shall end, where they ought to have begun, in differences about words, and be barbarians each to other, speaking in a language neither understands. If the question also be

of historical cognizance, he shows the pedigree thereof, who first brewed it, who first broached it, and sends the wandering error with a passport home to the place of its birth.

In taking away an objection, he not only puts by the thrust, but breaks the weapon. Some rather escape than defeat an argument; and though, by such an evasion, they may shut the mouth of the opponent, yet may they open the difficulty wider in the hearts of the hearers. But our answerer either fairly resolves the doubt, or else shows the falseness of the argument, by beggaring the opponent to maintain such a fruitful generation of absurdities as his argument hath begotten; or, lastly, returns and retorts it back upon him again. The first way unties the knot; the second cuts it asunder; the third whips the opponent with the knot himself tied. Sure, 't is more honor to be a clear answerer than a cunning opposer, because the latter takes advantage of man's ignorance, which is ten times more than his knowledge.

What his answers want in suddenness, they have in solidity. Indeed, the speedy answer adds lustre to the disputation, and honor to the disputant; yet he makes good payment, who, though he cannot presently throw the money out of his pocket, yet will pay it, if but going home to unlock his chest. Some that are not for speedy may be for sounder performance.

When Melancthon, at the disputation of Ratisbon, was pressed with a shrewd argument by Eckius, "I will answer thee," said he, "tomorrow." "Nay," said Eckius, "do it now, or it is nothing worth." "Yea," said Melancthon, "I seek the truth, and not mine own. credit, and therefore it will be as good if I answer thee to-morrow by God's assistance."

In moderating, he sides with the answerer, if the answerer sides with the truth. But if he be conceited, and opinioned of his own sufficiency, he lets him swoon before he gives him any hot water. If a paradox-monger, loving to hold strange, yea, dangerous opinions, he counts it charity to suffer such a one to be beaten without mercy, that he may be weaned from his wilfulness. For the main, he is so a staff to the answerer, that he makes him stand on his own legs.

In writing, his Latin is pure, so far as the subject will allow; for those who are to climb the Alps are not to expect a smooth and even way. True it is, that schoolmen, perceiving that fallacy had too much covert under the nap of flourishing language, used threadbare Latin on purpose, and cared not to trespass on grammar, and tread down the fences thereof to avoid the circuit of words, and to go the nearest way to express their conceits. But our divine, though he useth barbarous school-terms, which,

like standers, are fixed to the controversy, yet, in his movable Latin, passages, and digressions, his style is pure and elegant.

He affects clearness and plainness in all his writings. Some men's heads are like the world before God said unto it, Fiat lux. These dark lanterns may shine to themselves, and understand their own conceits, but nobody else can have light from them. Thus Matthias Farinator, Professor at Vienna, assisted with some other learned men, as the times then went, was thirty years making a book of applying Plato's, Aristotle's, and Galen's rules in philosophy, to Christ and his Prophets, and 't is called lumen anima; quo tamen nihil est caliginosius, labore magno, sed ridiculo et inani. But this obscurity is worst when affected, when they do as Persius, of whom one saith,-Legi voluit quæ scripsit, intelligi noluit quæ legerentur. Some affect this darkness, that they may be accounted profound, whereas one is not bound to believe that all the water is deep that is muddy.

He is not curious in searching matters of no moment. Captain Martin Frobisher fetched from the farthest northern countries a ship's lading of mineral stones, as he thought, which afterwards were cast out to mend the highways. Thus are they served, and miss their hopes, who, long seeking to extract hidden mysteries