publickly, and first for civil governors. We ought always to discharge our duty, and, for the reft, fubmit to the unjuft accounts that men give of our conduct. (7) IX. OBSERVE PLACE. (8) St. Paul fays to the Philippians, forgetting the things, which are behind, and reaching forth unto (7) Example. Mr. Saurin's obfervations on Peter's denial of Christ, and Chrift's love to Peter are drawn from this fource. The time of Peter's denial makes his crime black indeed! the time of the lord's looking at him illuminates his looks! Hear our preacher. "At the very time, when Jefus Chrift was giving the tendereft marks of his love, Peter difcovered the blackeft ingratitude to him; while Jefus redeemed Peter, Peter denied him; while Jefus Chrift yielded to the bloody death of the cross for Peter, Peter refused to confefs him; but - - Jefus looks at him! My brethren, what do thefe looks fay! how eloquent are thofe eyes! never was a difcourse fo effectual, never did an orator exprefs himself with fo much force! It is the man of griefs complaining of a new burden while he is ready to fink under what he already bears. It thofe is the beneficent redeemer pitying a foul ready to be loft! It is the apostle of our profeffion preaching in chains. In fine, it is the fovereign of the hearts of men, the almighty God curbing the efforts of the devil, and taking his conqueft away." These four laft articles are the parts of the fecond divifion of the discourse. Saur. Ser. tom.i. fur l' Abnegation de S. Pierre. (8) Obferve place. Rhetoricians, after Quintilian, put this article, place, under the head quantity, and the latter gives Cicero's oration for Milo as an example. We will explain it by a fcripture example, and ftate the cafe of Elifha caufing the death of forty-two children for ridiculing his bald head. z Kings ii. 23, 24, 25. The ftating of a cafe is the iffue, to which it is brought from the complaint of the accufer, and the defence of the accufed. Thus, thofe things, which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Thus, let us fuppofe, Elifha was accused of killing fortytwo children. Elifha confeffed he killed them; but faid, he killed them justly. Now the ftating of the cafe here is, whether Elifha killed the forty-two children justly. A cafe may be ftated four ways. 1. A cafe is conje&ural, when it is enquired, whether the thing were done or not. As whether Elifba did procure the death of thefe children? Two bears came and tare them.-2. A cafe is finitive, when we enquire into the name, nature, and definition of the fuppofed crime, as, Elisha killed them: but he did not commit murder, where murder must be defined. 3. A cafe in quality is, where it is enquired in what manner a fact was done, as Elisha killed the children: but he did it justly. Here we must enquire into circumftances, and prove what in this cafe may be deemed juft, or unjust. 4. A cafe in quantity is, when we enquire into the greatnefs, or fmallness of a crime. Here we amplify or diminish, and by confidering how the fact was circumstanced by time, PLACE, words, and actions, who? enquiring what? where by whofe aid? when? and why? how? when? comparing things VOL. II. with things, we determine what Place is of great ufe in the- Secret Chrift Jefus. The place where he writes this fur nishes a very beautiful confideration. He was then in Secret have I said nothing. The apoftles bore witnefs of his refurrection on the day of Pentecoft in the very city where he had been put to death in publick placesand in courts of judicature. Acts ii. 46. They continued daily in the temple-v. 20. Go ftand and fpeak in the temple to the people all the words of this life-xxvi. 26. This thing, king Agrippa, was not done in a corner. John iii. 23. John was baptizing at Enon, because there was much water. In all thefe, and fimilar paffages, place is proof. Place ferves alfo to illuf trate. Deut. xxxii. 10. The Lord inftructed his people in the wafte bowling wilderness Amos viii. 12, 13. Flee away, feer! into the land of Judah, prophely not again any more at Bethel, for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court-John iv. 6. Jefus fat on the all-John ii. 2. Both Jefus and his difciples, were called to the marriage of Cana, and his mother was there-A&ts xix. 21. Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had paffed through Macedonia, and Achaia, to go to Jerufalem, faying, After I have been there, I must alfo fee Rome. What a stretch of foul! "Circa locum fpectatur, facer fit an prophanus-publicus an privatus-tuus an prifon, alienus-frequens an folitarius-pauperis an divitishonefti nominis an infamis. Turpius erat Antonio pro roftris in confpectu populi Romani vomere. Nec indecorum eft bono gravi que viro domi in nuptiis faltare, quod in foro faceret indecenter; aut in balneo nudare corpus, quod in convivio turpiter fieret. Item gravior culpa eft in templis garrire frivola, aut oculis licitari puellas quam in foro aut theatro, &c." Erafm. de Rat. concionandi, lib. ii. The last article, mentioned by Erafmus, is of very little ufe in regard to the nonconformists in this country, for a man would be accounted little better than wild among us, if he should whisper and ftare people out of countenance during divine service: but in fome places of worship fuch vulgarities are too common. Complimenting, whifpering, ftaring, and looking people out of countenance with glaffes in places of worship are indecent practices imported from the theatre, and extremely offensive to all, who diftinguish between religion and a farce. Such indecencies are below ferious reproof, especially the laft. An eafy cenfure, and, I think, the best the offender deferves, when he opticises the preacher, prifon, at Rome, loaded with chains, and deprived of his liberty; yet he speaks as if he were as much at liberty as any man in the world; as able to act as he pleased, and to dispose of himself as ever: he talks of having entered a courfe, running a race, forgetting things behind, preffing toward thofe that were before, and, in fhort, of hoping to gain a prize; all thefe are actions of a man enjoying full liberty. (9) How could he, who was in a prifon, be at the fame time on a race-course? how could he run, who was loaded with irons? how could he hope to win a prize, who every day expected a sentence of death? But it is not difficult to conciliate these things: his bonds and imprisonment did not hinder the course of his faith and obedience. His prifon was converted into an agreeable Stadium, and death for the Gospel might well be confidered under the image of a complete victory, preacher, is for the preacher to take his own glafs out of his pocket and opticife him again. I have feen a man of no small face fo confounded by this treatment as to blush, and go backward, and quit the place. It happened unluckily for this pulpitgazer, the preacher was explaining to his people at the very time, Mat. vii. 12. All things what foever ye would that men fhould do to you, do ye even fo to them; for this is the law and the prophets. Examples might be given, were not this note already too long: but two excellent ones may be feen in Saurin's Sermon on the life of a courtier, from 2 Sam. xix. 32-39. and in Bp. Maffillon's to his clergy on the conduct of a clergyman in his parish. In both, reflections arife from the places in queftion. Saur. Ser. tom. iii. 5.-Maffilion Confer. tom. i. 8. (9) I prefs toward the mark, Phil. iii. 14. Eft in hoc, et duobus fuperioribus verfibus, continua quædam metaphora, fumpta ab iis qui curfu certant in ftadio; et voces hic ufurpatæ funt plane agonistica, et fcriptoribus agonisticis ufurpatæ.-See 1 Cor. ix. 24. victory, for a martyr gains an unfading crown as a reward of his fufferings. (1) X. CONSIDER THE PERSONS ADDRESSED. (2) Let us again take S. Paul's words for an example. Recompenfe to no man evil for evil, Rom. xii. 17. They, to whom the apoftle addreffed (1) Reward of Martyrdom. The primitive Chriftians confidered martyrdom as the higheft dignity, to which a man could afpite; hence Cyprian, Epiphanius, Ifidore and others, particularly Tertullian, fpeak of martyrdom as a far more glorious reward than the Grecian combatants gained in their games: and their rewards, as Tully fays, were the most glorious, that Greece had to beltow. "Certaminis nomine Deus nobis martyria proponit." - Hic quoque liberalitas magis quam acerbitas dei præeft. Amavit quæ vocaverat in falutem invitare ad gloriam: ut qui gaudeamus liberati exultemus etiam coronati. Tertul. adv. Gnoftic. cap. 6. (2) Confider the perfons ad dreffed. A knowledge of the perfons addreffed is a branch of fcience effential to a minifter in feveral parts of his minifterial labours. For example. 1. In ftudying the holy fcriptures. The propriety of much thefe iii, &c.-The equity and fitness of many mofaical institutes appear by a comparison of them with the condition of the people-The dif courfes of our Saviour, and the epiftles of S. Paul are both more beautiful and more intelligible by this confideration-The theological fyftems of the Jews, the moral philofophy of the learned heathens, the mythology of the vulgar herd of pagans, and the conditions of primitive churches, all elucidate the doctrines of the new testa ment. 2. Knowledge of perfons addreffed is effential in the popish and hierarchical controverfy. While these œconomies are embraced by mercenary men, rewarded by ftate emoluments, and guarded by the fword, it will be but loft labour to addrefs |