of arguments, all embarrassments of divifions and fubdivifions, all metaphysical investigations, which re reftrained by human formularies, is the most likely of any man to attain that generous liberal expanfibility of fentiment, which the deemer of the fouls of mankind every where inculcates. A miniler of Chritt fhould Speak freely. His language fhould be frank, open, iage. nuous, free from duplicity and fufpicion of collufion. St. Paul feems to include both in 2 Cor. iv. 12. П2 proze xparede, multa libertate utimur, fc. in evangelio prædicando. Vid. etiam 2 Cor. v. 2. Express yourself in a FAMILIAR manner. There is a foft, domeftick ftyle, fuch as a wife parent ufes to his family: but this is nothing like the filly cant of an old nurfe. Dear fouls-precious fouls-dearly beloved-and an hundred more fuch phrafes, however proper in certain connections, have been hackneyed out of their fenfes in christian pulpits. Minifters, who aim at this excellence, fhould remember, there is fuch a thing as being too familiar. are from Mr. Claude's ease. The ease of the manner of a chriftian preacher in the pulpit is not the ease of a man alone, who may loll-and hemand hawk-and cough-and fpit-and blow his nofe-but it is the eafe of a well-bred man in company. The cafe of the matter, of which a chriftian fermon is compofed, is a relative idea, and must take its meaning from the perfons addreffed; for that fubject may be very eafy to fome, which is extremely difficult to others. Nothing makes fpeaking on a fubject fo cafy to the fpeaker as a thorough understanding of it. With what perfect eafe to themfelves, and with what unembarraffed facility to others do people in all publick places of traffick communicate their ideas! The reafon is, they understand what they talk about. Express your thoughts in an UNFORCED manner. A fubject is forced, when it is made to fpeak the direct contrary of the text, from which it is pretended to be drawn; or when a direction is any way given it contrary to its genuine meaning. Here follows an example of each. Heb. v. 4. [as] No man taketh this honour [of high priesthood] to himself; but he that is called of God, as was Aaron: are mostly impertinent, and, like the fields, the fo alfo Chrift glorified not himfelf to be made an High-prieft, but he that faid unto him, Thou art my fon, this day have I begotten thee. St. Paul means to inform the Hebrews-that the chriftian aconomy was of divine inftitution, as well as that of Mofes-that fejus Chrift had as clear evidence of his appointment to abolish the Aaronical priesthood as Aaron had to fet it up-the general meaning, therefore, of this text may be contained in this propofition, Jefus Chrift's high-priesthood had the honour of a divine inftitution; yet this very text comes from an univerfity prefs forced into a proof of the divine inftitution of -English Epifcopacy. Defence of Epifcopacy, Serm. at Oxford, 1708. By Tho. Biffe. Ifai. liii. 7. He is brought as a lamb to the flaughter, and as a fheep before his fhearers is dumb, fo he openeth not his mouth. This text is a volunteer in the service of Jefus Chrift: but a zealous divine preffed it into the army of his master, forced it into the fervice of Charles I. and made it blafpheme through twenty-five quarto pages. Dr. Langford's Serm. before the House of Commons, Fan. 30, 1697. "Tit. ii. 15. Let no man defpife thee. It is in fact as notorious, as it is unjuft and VOL. II. cities unreafonable, that no fort of minifters are generally more defpifed by the laity of their own communion, than we of the established church of England. A Papist almo as much adores the facrificer, as he doth the facrifice of the mafs diffenters generally pay a very great deference to their minifters but how common is it for men, that call themselves fons of our church, to scoff at her priests I fhall confider thefe words, 1. As a caution to the laity not to defpife the clergy [that is, the epifcopal clergy.] 2. As a caution to the clergy to give no occafion to defpife them." Thus begins a good fermon on the above words. We think the divifion natural and the inferences juft: but the text is forced, while it is confined to the epifcopal clergy, for it is equally applicable to all minifters of other communities. Henry Newcome's Serm. preached at a vifitation at Manchester 1712. Serious admonition to all defpifers of THE CLERGY. Express your meaning in a way remote from every thing FAR-FETCHED. A fubject is far-fetched, when, although it may have fome connection with the text, yet this con nection lies at a great diflance and obliges the preacher to go a long, long way to come C cities, and the houses, which we imagine in the at it. Here follow two or three examples. A preacher in the latter end of the reign of Charles II. propofed to treat of patience and fubmiffion to AUTHORITY, and endea voured, in a fermon of fiftyeight quarto pages, to preach the Lord Mayor of London, and the Court of Aldermen into the doctrines of paffiveobedience and non-refiftance; and to this purpose took for his text Heb. x. 36. Ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done THE WILL OF GOD ye might receive the promife. From patient fubmiffion to the will of God to paffive obedience to the will of king Charles is a long way! What a herculean labour to fetch the text about! Dr. Moore at Guildhall Chapel 1684. Bp. Beveridge had the courage to fet out at 1 Cor. xiv. 26. Let all things be done to edifying, and, in one fingle octavo fermon of twenty-four pages, the dexterity to arrive at the excellency and usefulness of the common-prayer-book ufed in the established church of England. What rapid reafoning! "The text is an apoftolical canon-the common prayer is exactly conformable to itI, [Dr. Beveridge, Rector of St. Peter's Cornhill.] afcribe the compilation of it to the fame extraordinary affiftance from God, which afterwards clouds, enabled the compilers to fuffer martyrdom-The devil hath had a spite against the book ever fince it was firft made because it is deftructive of his kingdom-he hath employed the utmost of his power and policy to blast its reputation-the papifts threw it out once in Q. Mary's days, and the fanaticks outed it again in the days of king Charles-but the most high God was pleased in a miraculous manner to reftore it—” and fo all things are done to edifying. What a knack have fome men at reafoning! And did bishop Beveridge really think, St. Paul would have taken this infpired book in one hand, and the fword of the civil magiftrate in the other, and have done all the edifying feats in the church at Corinth, which his pretended fucceffors have performed elfewhere! Edifying articles-edifying creeds edifying oaths-edifying geftures-edifying habitsedifying ceremonies-edifying fpiritual courts-edifying jails-edifying fines-edifying banishments-edifying executions-Let ALL things, which relate to the English epifcopal liturgy, be done to edifying. St. Paul fays fo. Jer. vi. 16. Thus faith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways and fee, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk clouds, the mere creatures of fancy, all these should be avoided. (6) 7. Care, however, must be taken to avoid the oppolite extreme, which confifts in making only poor, dry, fpiritlefs obfervations, frequently faid under pretence of avoiding school-divinity, and of speaking only popular things. Endeavour to think clearly, and try alfo to think nobly. Let your obfervations be replete with beauty as well as propriety, the fruits of a fine fancy under the direction of a fober judgment. If you be inattentive to this article, you will pafs for a contemptible declaimer of mean and fhallow capacity, exhaufting -- walk therein, and ye fball find reafon." from the above text, con- Oxford 1710. Return to good old principles. I do not know whether this laft example be more forced or far-fetched; for neither the fouls, nor the bodies of our ancestors found reft in thefe old paths, and certainly Jeremiah never fought after them. (6) Avoid imaginary obferA very accurate vations. writer obferves" that our opinion and belief are often influenced by paffion-by propenfity-and by affection. The noted ftory of a fine lady and a curate viewing the moon through a telescope is a pleafant illuftration of the latter. I perceive, fays the lady, two fhadows inclining to each other, they are certainly two happy lovers: not at all, replies the curate, they are two fteeples of a cathedral." Elem. of Criticifm, vol. i. pap. 2. p. 5. haufting yourself and not edifying your hearers; a very ridiculous character! (7) To open more particularly fome fources of obfervations, remark every thing, that may help you to think, and facilitate invention. You may rife from fpecies to genus, or defcend from genus to fpecies. You may remark the different characters of a virtue commanded, or of a vice prohibited. You may enquire whether the fubject in question be relative to any other, or whether it do not fuppofe fomething not expreffed. You may reflect on the perfon fpeaking or acting, or on the 'condition of the perfon fpeaking or acting. You may obferve time, place, perfons addreffed, and fee whether there be any ufeful confiderations arifing from either. You may confider the principles of a word or action, or the good or bad confequences, that follow. You may attend to the end propofed in a speech or action, and fee if there be any thing remarkable in the manner of fpeaking or acting. You may compare words or actions with (7) Some declaimers make themselves ridiculous by their obfervations. Thus one, Judges xiii. 22. Manoah faid unto his wife, We shall die: but his wife faid, If the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would not have herved us all thefe things. Obf. 1. The gray mare is fometimes the best horfe." "Prov. vi. 9. Go to the ant thou fluggard, confider her ways and be wife. Obf. 1. So rational doth this little creature appear, that, were I not a chriftian, I should in fome measure believe tranfmigration. Obf. 2. Had it pleafed the Almighty to have put in thefe creatures an immortal foul, how righteously might they have gone to heaven, and we have been fhut out. Obf. 3. What a great baby a worldling is, he is God's fool, the devil's packhorse, and a drudge for hell." Humfrey's chriflian's great concern, Serm. 2. Multitudes of examples lie at hand; but it would be mifery to transcribe fuch nonsense. It is not every man's part to think nobly; but furely all preachers fhould think juftly. |