collected and collated manufcripts of the facred writings, added a few explanatory lines, and a few anecdotes (himfelf was infpired), and arranged and published the holy canon in its prefent form. To this he added a fecond work, as neceffary as the former; he revived, and new modelled public preaching, and exemplified his plan in his own perfon. The Jews had almoft loft in the feventy years captivity their original language, that was now become a dead language, and they fpoke a jargon made up of their own language, and that of the Chaldeans, and other nations, with whom they had been confounded. Formerly preachers had only explained fubjects: they were obliged to explain words, words which in the facred code were become obfolete, equivocal, or dead.

Now alfo it became more neceffary than ever to open houfes for popular inftruction in towns all over the country, after the pattern of the fchools of the old prophets. Accordingly, houfes were erected, not for ceremonial worthip, as facrificing, for this was confined to the temple: but for moral obedience, as praying, preaching, reading the law, divine worship, and focial duties. Thefe houfes were called fynagogues, the people repaired hither morning and evening for prayer; and on Sabbaths and fe livals the law was read and expounded to them. It is with a great deal of juflice that learned men afcribe the following Jewith averfion to ido atry, and their attachment to the law, to contant public preaching in their fynagogues.

We have a fhort, but beautiful defcription of the manner of Ezra's first preaching. Upwards of fifty thoufand people affembled in a ftreet, or large fquale, near the Watergate. It was early in the morning of a Sabbath day. A pulpit of wood, in the fashion of a fmail tower, was placed there on parpofe for the preacher, and this turret was supported by a fcaffold, or temporary galery, where, in a wing on the right hand of the pulpit, fat fix of the principal preachers, and in another on the left feven. Thirteen other principal teachers, and many Levites, were prefent allo, on feaffolds erected for the purpose, alternately to officiate. When Ezra afcended the pulpit, he produced and opened the book of the law, and the whole congregation intantly role up from their feats, and flood. Then he offered up prayer and praife to God, the people bowing their heads, and worshipping the Lord with their faces to the ground; and at the clofe of the prayer with uplifed hands they folemnly pronounced Amen, Amen. Then, ail tansing, Ezra affided at times by the Levites, read the law di tinctly, gave the jenje, and caused them to understand the reading. The termens delivered fo affected the hearers, that they wept exceflively, aud about noon the forrow be came fo exuberant and immeafurable, that it was thought neceffary by the governor, the preacher, and the Levites to retrain it. They, therefore, reminded the congregation that a jut grief might run into excefs-that there was an incongruity between a festival and lamentation-and that on this fellival, there were fingular caufes of extraordinary joy, they were delivered from captivity, the law was restored, and they, the very poorest of them, had been made by the pains of the preachers to understand it Go your way, fa d they, eat the fat-drink the fewest-find portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared.-Be not difcouraged-religious joy is a people's strength. H 4

The

The wife and benevolent fentiments of thefe noble fouls were imbibed by the whole congregation, and fifty thousand troubled hearts were calmed in an instant. Home they returned to eat, to drink, to Jend portions, and to make mirth, because they had understood the words, that were declared unto him. Plato was alive at this time, teaching dull philofophy to cold academics: but what was he, and what was Xenophon, or Demofthenes, or any of the Pagan orators, in comparison with thefe men!'

In characterifing the great Preacher of righteousness Jefus Chrift, he makes ufe of the following animated language:

In order to mortify human vanity, to convince the world that religion was a plain fimple thing, and that a little common fenfe accompanied with an honeft good heart was fufficient to propagate it, without any aid derived from the cabinets of princes, or the schools of human science, he took twelve poor illiterate men into his company, admitted them to an intimacy with himself, and, after he had kept them a while in tuition, fent them to preach the good tidings of falvation to their countrymen. A while after he fent feventy more, and the discourses, which he delivered to each clafs at their ordipation, are made up of the most wife and benevolent fentiments, that ever fell from the mouth of man. All the topics are pure theology, and all unpolluted with puerile conceits, human politics, literary dreams, ecclefiaftical traditions, party difputes, and all the other difgraces of preaching, which thofe fanctimonious hypocrites, fcribes, and pharifees, and pretended doctors and rabbies had introduced into it.

Jefus Chrift had never paid any regard to the place, where he delivered his fermons; he had taught in the temple, the fynagogues, public walks, and private houfes; he had preached on mountains, and in barges and fhips. His miffionaries imitated him, and convenience for the time was confecration of the place. He had been equally indifferent to the pofture, he flood, or fat, as his own ease and the popular edification required. The time alfo had been accommodated to the fame end. He had preached early in the morning, late in the evening, on Sabbath-days and feftivals, and whenever elfe the people had leisure and inclination to hear, It had been foretold, the Meffiah fhould not lift up, nor cry, nor cause his voice to be heard in the streets, that is, fhould not use the artifices of those who fought for popularity. It should feem, Jefus Chrift ufed very little action but that little was juft, natural, grave, and expreffive. He fometimes wept, and always felt: but he never expreffed his emotions in a theatrical manner, much lefs did he preach as a drowsy pedant declaims, who has no emotions to exprefs.

The fuccefs, that accompanied the ministry of our Emanuel, was truly astonishing. My foul overflows with joy, my eyes with tears of pleasure, while I tranfcribe it. When this Sun of righteousness arofe with healing under his wings, the difinterefted populace, who lay all neglected and forlorn, benighted with ignorance, and benumbed with vice, faw the light, and hailed the brightnefs of its rifing, Up they fprang, and after him in multitudes men, women, and children went. Was he to pass a road, they climbed the trees to fee him, yea the blind fat by the way-fide to hear him go by.

Was

Was he in a house, they unroofed the building to come at him. As if they could never get near enough to hear the foft accents of his voice, they preffed, they crouded, they trod upon one another to furround him. When he retired into the wilderness, they thought him another Mofes, and would have made him a king. It was the fineft thing they could think of. He, greater than the greatest monarch, defpifed worldly grandeur: but to fulfil prophecy, fitting upon a borrowed afs's colt, rode into Jerufalem the Son of the Highest, and allowed the tranfported multitude to ftrew the way with garments and branches, and to aroufe the infenfible metropolis by acclamations, the very children shouting, Hofannab! Hofannab in the bigbeft! Hofannab to the fon of David! Bleffed be be, that cometh in the name of the Lord!

The rabbies pretended, the populace knew not the law, and were curfed, and it is certain they knew not those glosses of the law. which traditionists affected to teach: but this ignorance was their happiness. It would have been well for the teachers, had they never known them. The populace did know the law, and often quoted it in its true fenfe. What myftery is there in the Ten Commandments! or what erudition is requisite to determine, whether he, who opened the eyes of the blind, were a worshipper of God, or a finner! It is a high privilege of poverty, that it is a ftate degagé, difengaged, detached, unbiaffed, and nearest of all others to free inquiry. The populace are not worth poifoning by ecclefiaftical quacks, for they cannot pay for the drugs. Their fenfes of feeing and hearing, their faculties of obferving, reflecting, and reafoning, are all as equal to religious topics as thofe of their fuperiors, and more fo, because unfophifticated. If they apply themfelves to examine, their atteflation is a high degree of probability, if not a demonftration. It was gloriously faid by a blind beggar to a bench of curmudgeons, Why! herein is a marvellous thing, that ye, with all your great books and broad phylacteries, long titles and hard names, wife looks and academical habits, know not whence Jefus is, and yet he hath opened my eyes. Now we, we blind beggars, we curfed people, who know not the law, we who are altogether born in fin, we know that God beareth not finners. If this man were not of God, he could do

nothing.

This popularity, obtained by public preaching, fupported by a course of beneficent actions, many of which were miraculous, excited the envy of the leading churchmen, and they determined to deftroy Jefus. They dare not appeal to the people, his conftant auditors and companions: but they pretended loyalty to Cxfar, and love to their country, and taxed the PRINCE OF PEACE with tirring up fedition. We know the iffue. Let us draw a veil over this horrid part of the hiftory of mankind, and let us pafs on to the principal object of our attention.'

Tracing the progrefs of preaching through fucceeding ages, be fays,

For fome time preaching was common to bishops, elders, deacons, and private brethren in the primitive church in process, it was restrained to the bishop, and to fuch as he should appoint. hey called the appointment ordination, and at laft attached I know

not

not what ideas of myflery and influence to the word, and of dominion to the bithop, who pronounced it. The word ordain was originally equal to appoint; and if twenty Chriftians nominated a man to inftruct them once, the man was appointed or ordained a preacher for the time. If they requested him to continue to inftruct them, he was reputed to be ordained or appointed their minifter in future, as long as they pleafed. Thefe nominations were accompanied with prayer, and fometimes with the blefling and good wishes of the feniors, expreffed by the old cuflom of laying the hand upon the head. From thele fimple tranfactions came in precefs of time a longer train of absurdities than I have room to relate.

When a bishop or preacher travelled, he claimed no authority to exercife the duties of his function, unless he were invited by the churches, where he attended public worship. The primitive churches had no idea of a bishop at Rome prefuming to dictate to a congregation in Africa. Nothing, however, was more common than fuch friendly vilts and fermons as were then in practice. The churches thought them edifying. In cafe the bishop were fick, or absent, one of the deacons, or fometimes a fhort-hand writer, ufed to read a humily, that had been preached, and perhaps published by fome good minifter, and fometimes a homily, that had been preached by the biop of the church.

We have great obligations to primitive notaries, for they very early addreffed themfelves to take down the homilies of public preachers. Sometimes the hearers employed them, fometimes the preachers, and fometimes themfelves. For this purpose they carried writing tablets waxed, and flyles, that is, pointed irons, or gravers, into the affembly, and flood round the preacher to record what he faid. It was a character to a public fpeaker to be attended by these fcribes; for primitive Chriftians, never complaifant in matters of confcience, would not give themfelves the trouble of taking down the fermons of a patriarch, if they did not like his preaching. They fay no body would write after Atticus, patriarch of Conftantinople; for, though he had a great name, he was accounted but an indifferent preacher. The people thought once hearing enough of all confcience for a bad fermon. From the labours of thefe men, we derive many a huge folio.

What a multitude of not impertinent queftions might be asked here! Can we afcertain the motives of all thefe writers? Can we tell which are corrected copies?-Is it quite fair to determine the whole character of a preacher by, one extempore effution-Were none of the writers in a hurry to get his own copy firit to market, and are the moft quick always the moft correa - Are we fure the preacher fpoke clearly, and had no hoarfenefs, no cold, no impediment? Can we anfwer for the writer's quick hearing, or the people's filence? Fathers have been quoted as feripture: but fcripture was not taken thus. They have been alleged in proof of every thing, and well they might! If the populace then refembled the populace now, the mit aonfenfical fermons were the moit faleable.

The de cons placed themfelves round the pulpit, and before fermon one of them cried with a loud voice, Silence-hearken-or fomething fimilar. This was repeated often, if neceffary; I fup

pofe

pofe at proper paufes, when the preacher flopped. Their manners were different from ours: but really our manners want fome of their customs. It might do fome drowsy folks good to be alarmed every five or ten minutes with-ind what you are about-Let us liftenAttend to the word of God.

Some affirm, that all the primitive bishops preached in a gown, or a furplice, or a fomething, which Eufebius calls max, and which he fays, St. John being a priell wore. Had St. John thought iz neceflary to a good fermon, he would have left in his writings fome direction how God, who enjoined it, chofe to have it made. The directions of Mofes for the habits of Aaron are fo plain, that any habit-maker could work by them to this day but as for the apostle's hand, we know nothing about it. Eufebius picked up a fcrap of a letter of one Polycrates, there he found way, and there we leave it. It is not improbable, that fome good preachers might not have clothes fit to appear in, especially the itinerant brethren, fuch as the apofiles, and others after them, who travelled and preached. Would it be wonderful, if a congregation had kept a decent clean habit, that would cover all, for the ufe of fuch poor men as came among them! The furplice was copied from the Jewish worship, and was ordered to be worn by all who officiated in facred things: but this was in the latter part of this period, when preachers were become priests in name, and princes in fact.'

And afterwards,

In this period. many noble places of worship were built. The old Jewish temple was the original, the rest were all taken from it. We have felt the mifery of abridging all along: but here it will be lefs obfcure to omit than to abr dge. Let it, then, iuffice to obferve, that a cathedral was an imitation of the temple, and a village place of worship of a fynagogue. Hence the idea of a holy end for an altar and a circle of priests, and an unhallowed end for the common people. Hence the divifions of porches, choirs, chancels, and fo on, answering to the courts of the temple. The ambo, or pulpit, was in the choir. Some were portable, and very plain; others fixtures, ftretching out lengthwife, fo that the preacher might walk up and down in them; fome had feats and curtains, others were adorned. with gold and filver, and resembled the thrones of princes more than fcaffolds for the convenience of Chriftian minifters. So fays Eufebius, cenfuring the vanity of Paul of Samofeta. Hence came our modern cathedrals and parish churches, our choirs, and altars, and ftails, and thrones in places of worship. Many of our churches and chapels are very inconvenient to preach in. They were not erected for Ichools of inftruction: but for faying mafs and facrificing, and where the pulpit fhould be, there ftands an old table covered with finery, and called an altar. In many places, the priell preaches from the middle of a fide wall, or a pillar, to the backs and fhoulders of his audience, for the pews were placed with a view to the altar, where formerly brother Mumpfimus uled to play tricks, and not to the pulpit, where now a wife and good minitter lands and preaches to a people, in fearch, it thould feem by their looking to the old fpot, for their former guides. How long fhall we facrifice manly advan tages to puerile popiíh baubles !

'Degenerate