Ames: "Ordinary Ministers and Their Office in Preaching"

Highlights from William Ames' work on preaching:

"Since ... the will of God is to be set forth out of the word, no one is fit for the ministry who is not greatly concerned with the Holy Scripture."

"In order that the will of God may be set forth fruitfully for edification two things are necessary: first, the things contained in the text must be stated; second, they must be applied to the consciences of the hearers as their condition seems to require."

"They sin who do care little about what they say provided it may appear that they may have thought and spoken many things. they do this frequently, forcing many things out of the text which are not in it and often borrowing for it from other places, bringing anything out of everything."

"Men are to be pricked to the quick so that they feel individually what the Apostle said, namely, that the word of the Lord is a two-edged sword, piercing to the inward thoughts and affections and going through to the joining of bones and marrow. Preaching, therefore, ought not to be dead, but alive and effective."