Here then lay your foundation: and fet before your people the lamentable condition of fallen man, the numerous actual fins, by which they have made it worfe, the redemption wrought out for them by Jefus Chrift, the nature and importance of true faith in him, their abfolute need of the grace of the Divine Spirit in order to obey his precepts. This will be addreffing yourfelves to them as Christian minifters ought to Chriftian hearers. The holy fcriptures will furnish you with matter for it abundantly. Short and plain reafonings, founded on their authority, will dart conviction into every mind: whereas, if your doctrine and your speech be not that of their bibles; if you contradict, or explain away, or pass over in filence, any thing taught there, they who are beft contented with you, will learn little from you; and others will be offended, and quit you when they can. We have in fact loft many of our people to fectaries by not preaching in a manner fufficiently evangelical: and shall neither recover them from the extravancies, into which they have run, nor keep more from going over to them, but by returning to the right way: declaring all the counsel of God; and that principally, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghoft teacheth+. Yet the obfcurer of fcriptural paffages we fhall do well to omit; or, if there be need, illuftrate them, as far as we can, briefly; not to aim at minute explanations of myfteries; but urge the belief of them from decifive paffages of God's word, quoted according to its real import, and leave them as that hath left them. For by attempting to throw in more light, than our prefent ftate admits, you will only dazzle and blind thofe, who far before as through a glafs darkly ‡. You are debtors indeed both to the wife and to the unwife. But remember, the ignorant are by far the greatest number; and unneceffary knowledge, if you could communicate it to them, is of small ufe. But you will never be able to enlarge on abftrufe and difficult points to the edification of the generality; whereas you may dwell on the plaineft to the fatisfaction and improvement of the moit learned. It is true, declining to fhow reading or acutenefs may be to fome a painful felf-denial; but able judges will eafily perceive, both that you As xx. 27. 1 Cor. ii. 13. 1 Cor. xiii. 12. R9m. i. 14. you could fhow them, and why you do not. Therefore enter but little, if at all, into matters about which your hearers are not likely to err, at leaft dangerously. Yet fuffer not either the evidence or the fundamentals of Christianity, or the honour of the proteftant religion, or of the established church, to want a due fupport, when you are any way called to the defence of them. At fuch times, demonftrate your zeal; but be fure to do it with a Christian temper; in meekness inftructing those that oppose themselves*: at others, avoid a controverfal manner, and confine yourfelves to brief inftructions on these heads. to cut off all either for fil It may poffibly fometimes be neceffary in our fermons to vindicate our rights, and magnify our office t. But this must be done very sparingly and cautiously; fo as pretence, that we take the overfight of God's flock, thy lucre, or from a defire of being lords over his heritage . We muft never fet up an undue, never a fufpicious claim; but confess, that the treasure of the gospel is committed to us entirely for the fake of others, not our own; and that we have it in earthen vessels §; are liable to continual imperfections and frailties. Such humility is no less our wisdom, than our duty. For that clergyman will always acquire the greatest refpect, who fhows the most care to deserve it, and the least eagernefs to demand it. Every part of your discourses muft preferve the gravity and the earnestnefs, which is infeparable from fubjects of a religious nature. If you can fpeak of thefe lightly and negligently your auditors will fufpect you have little concern about them; they of courfe will have lefs in hearing you; their thoughts will wander to the ends of the earth, or their attention to every thing be buried in fleep. But though languid in no part, you will however be comparatively cool in expofitions of fcripture, in doctrinal, in cafuinical points, referving your chief warmth for the great articles of Chriftian practice. There your very utmoi endeavours will be needful to produce in your people a due fense of guilt and unworthinefs, fervent defires of pardon, love to him who hath loved them, refignation to God's pleasure, firm purposes of obeying his laws; to caution them effectually against profanenefs, nefs, lukewarmnefs, formality, refentment, hard-heartedness, unjust love of gain, fondness of unlawful indulgences; to infpire them with good-will towards all men, with proportionably, kind regards to those who stand in nearer relations to them, diligence to be useful in their several stations, reasona– ble indifference towards the things of this life, pious longings for a better. Their degree of knowledge, rank and circumflances of life, their prevailing notions and customs, will afford you much further employment, to make your fermons local, if I may fo exprefs it; calculated to promote the virtues which they are chiefly called to exercife, and guard against the fins, of which they are chiefly in danger. For what perfectly fuits one congregation may be extremely foreign from the exigencies of another. And further ftill, you must not only urge them to do their duty, but to use the means of doing it; which must be pointed out to them; avoiding temptations, keeping clear of bad company, contracting friendships with ferious and prudent perfons, employing themselves in proper business, reading good books, forming pious, yet prudent, re、 folutions, and begging, in private prayer, grace to help in time of need*: not strictly confining their devotions to any forms, though forms are very useful, but varying them according to their fpiritual condition. Thefe are the things, on which you must infist with your whole force; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts †. Yet, while you take without referve all requifite freedom, you must also take care not to provoke, instead of reforming them; but show, that you fincerely wish well to them; and think as well of them as you can; you must praise them when you have opportunity; give them cautions oftener than reproofs, and never reprove harshly; but express a fatherly concern, rather than anger, at their faults. Represent no fault as worse than it is; and carry no injunction to an extravagant height. If you do, they will either think you unreasonable, or themselves incapable of becoming good; or will run into fome abfurdity by attempting it. And for their encouragement, along with the duties, lay before them, in a ftrong light, the comforts alfo, prefent and future, of religion. It *Heb. iv. 16. † 1 Theff. ii. 4× It is but too poffible, that fometimes you must excite your people to virtues, in which you are, more or less, deficient yourselves. For it would be heinous unfaithfulness to omit or explain away neceffary precepts because you are imperfect in the practice of them. And lamentable is our cafe, if there be any Chriftian obligation, on which we dare not for fhame fpeak freely: yet ftill worfe, if we harden our confciences, till we venture boldly to enjoin what we habitually tranfgrefs. For in that cafe, not only our credit will be utterly loft, but our amendment almoft abfolutely hopeless. Therefore correct your own hearts and lives in the first place. by the difcourfes which you compofe: become in all points good men; and then you may fearlessly speak on all points like fuch. Yet even good men must obferve a difference. Those of lefs knowledge muft exprefs themselves with lefs pofitiveness, thofe of lefs gravity and difcretion with lefs authority and ftrictness, than their betters. And every one should confider, what his age and ftanding, reputation for learning, prudence and piety, will support him in saying; that he may not take more upon him, than will be allowed him. Yet all muft affiduously take pains to acquire, and preserve, such efteem, that they may fay with propriety whatever their function requires. For how unhappy would it be to difqualify yourselves from usefulness by levity or indiscretion! But even the best qualified to exhort must keep within due bounds; convince the judgment before they attempt, to warm. the paffions; rife gradually into what deferves the name of vehemence; and be fure neither to rise any higher, nor continue in that strain any longer, than they are likely to carry their auditors along with them. For if they are cold, while the preacher is pathetic, the impreffion made upon them will be very different from what he wishes. And our nation is more difpofed, than most others, to approve a temperate manner of speaking. Every thing, which can be called oratory, is apt to be deemed affectation: and if it goes a great length, raises contempt and ridicule. But were the most serious emotions to be raised by mere mechanical vehemence, they would be unfairly raifed: and what is beyond nature will ufually foon fubfide; perhaps with fcorn, upon reflection, of what was admired when heard. Or fuppofing fuch admira tion tion to continue, bad effects may as poffibly follow as good! whereas warmth of affection, excited to a proper degree by the rational enforcement of folid arguments, promises to be durable, and will never do harm. The faculty of moving hearers thus, is a moft valuable bleffing. And fuch as have but little of it, may confiderably improve it, by labouring to affect themselves deeply with what they would fay; and thinking, what methods of saying it will be most perfuafive. But they must not attempt to force an unwilling genius too far. If they do, what it produces will be fo ungraceful and unfuccefsful, that they had much better content themselves to do as well as they can in their own way. Your delivery muft in the firft place be fuch, that you can be heard; elfe you preach in vain : befides that speaking too low argues indolence and indifference; whereas an audible exertion is a mark of earneftnefs and the common people are peculiarly pleafed, when their minifter appears to take pains about them. But then you must neither be precipitately quick, (for if your words be understood, your meaning will not) nor tedioufly flow; nor fink any one part of your fentence under its proper level, efpecially the concluding part. Diftinctnefs will do much to fupply want of ftrength in speaking; which however it is very material that you should try to remedy gradually, as many have done, by a prudent exercife of your voice. Yet ftraining beyond your due pitch will give your hearers pain, make you in fome degree inarticulate, and produce a finging fort of cadence and tone. This laft indeed hath been fometimes known to pleafe weak perfons: but it cannot poffibly make them either wiser or better: and it offends the judicious extremely. Many learn in their childhood a provincial dialect; which they cannot lay afide eafily; and yet fhould endeavour it, efpecially if they settle in a different part of the nation. Some acquire uncouth accents one knows not how; fome bring them from the fchool or the college and now and then one feems to hear a theatrical pronunciation; which hath been condemned even by Heathen writers upon oratory; and is the very worst, `that a Chriftian orator can adopt. It reminds his hearers, greatly to his difcredit, where he muft probably have learnt it; he will also appear by means of it to be only acting a part, and be regarded accordingly. Indeed all remarkable imita tion, |