* 10. And I am bold to affirm, that these unlettered men, _have help from God_ for that great work, the saving souls from death; seeing he hath enabled, and doth enable them still, to _turn many to righteousness_. Thus hath he _destroyed the wisdom of the wise, and brought to nought the understanding of the prudent_. When they imagined they had effectually shut the door, and locked up every passage, whereby any help could come to two or three preachers, weak in body as well as soul; who they might reasonably believe would humanly speaking, wear themselves out in a short time: when they had gained their point by securing (as they supposed) all the men of learning in the nation; _he that sitteth in heaven laughed them to scorn_, and came upon them by a way they thought not of. _Out of the stones he raised up_ those who should beget children to _Abraham_. We had no more foresight of this than you. Nay, we had the deepest prejudices against it: until we could not but own, that God gave _wisdom from above_ to these unlearned and ignorant men; so that the work of the Lord prospered in their hand, and sinners were daily converted to God. Indeed in the one thing which they profess to know, they are not _ignorant_ men. I trust there is not one of them who is not able to go thro’ such an examination, in substantial, practical, experimental divinity, as few of our candidates for holy orders, even in the university (I speak it with sorrow and shame, and in tender love) are able to do. But oh! what manner of _examination_, do most of _those candidates_ go through? And what proof are the _testimonials_ commonly brought (as solemn as the _form_ is wherein they run) either of their _piety_ or _knowledge_, to whom are intrusted those sheep, which God hath purchased with his own blood! 11. “But they are _laymen_. You seem to be sensible yourself, of the strength of this objection. For as many as you have answered, I observe you have never once so much as touched on this.” I have not. Yet it was not distrust of my cause, but tenderness to you which occasioned my silence. I had something to advance on this head also: but I was afraid you could not bear it. I was conscious to myself, that some years since, to touch this point, was to touch the apple of my eye. And this makes me almost unwilling to speak now; lest I should _shock_ the prejudices I cannot _remove_. * Suffer me, however, just to intimate to you some things, which I would leave to your farther consideration. The _scribes_ of old, who were the ordinary _preachers_ among the _Jews_, were not _priests_; they were not better than _laymen_. Yea, many of them were incapable of the priesthood, being of the tribe of _Simeon_, not of _Levi_.