almost boundless field of Metaphysical inquiry, which does not properly fall within the limits of the subject now before. us and on the other hand, a brief definition of each passion, &c. and a few general remarks on it, could hardly fail to be trite and uninteresting. A few miscellaneous Rules therefore may suffice, relative to the conduct, generally, of those parts of any Composition which are designed to influence the Will

CHAP. II. Of the conduct of any address to the Feelings,

Men impatient of dictation in respect of their feelings.

generally.

$ 1.

THE first and most important point to be observed in every address to any Passion, Sentiment, Feeling, &c. is, (as has been already hinted,) that it should not be introduced as such, and plainly avowed; otherwise the effect will be, in great measure, if not entirely, lost. This circumstance forms a remarkable distinction between the head now under consideration, and that of Argumentation. When engaged in Reasoning, properly so called, our purpose not only need not be concealed, but may, (as I have said,) without prejudice to the effect, be distinctly declared: on the other hand, even when the Feelings we wish to excite are such as ought to operate, so that there is no reason to be ashamed of the endeavors thus to influence the hearer, still our purpose and drift should be, if not absolutely concealed, yet not openly declared, and made prominent. Whether the

motives which the orator is endeavoring to call into action be suitable or unsuitable to the occasion,- such as it is right, or

wrong, for the hearer to act upon, - the same rule will hold good. In the latter case it is plain, that the speaker who is seeking to bias unfairly the minds of the audience, will be the more likely to succeed by going to work clandestinely, in order that his hearers may not be on their guard, and prepare and fortify their minds against the impression he wishes to produce. In the other case, where the motives dwelt on are such as ought to be present, and strongly to operate, men are not likely to be pleased with the idea that they need to have these motives urged upon them, and that they are not already sufficiently under the influence of such sentiments as the occasion calls for. A man may indeed be convinced that he is in such a predicament; and may ultimately feel obliged to the Orator for exciting or strengthening such sentiments; but while he confesses this, he cannot but feel a degree of mortification in making the confession, and a kind of jealousy of the apparent assumption of superiority, in a speaker, who seems to say, " Now I will exhort you to feel as you ought on this occasion;" "I will endeavor to inspire you with such noble, and generous, and amiable sentiments as you ought to entertain;" which is, in effect, the tone of him who avows the purpose of Exhortation. The mind is sure to revolt from the humiliation of being thus moulded and fashioned in respect to its feelings, at the pleasure of another; and is apt, perversely, to resist the influence of such a discipline.

On the other hand, there is no such implied superiority in avowing the intention of convincing the understanding. Men know, and (what is more to the purpose) feel, that he who presents to their minds a new and cogent train of Argument, does not necessarily possess or assume any offensive supe

riority; but may, by merely having devoted a particular attention to the point in question, succeed in setting before them Arguments and Explanations which have not occurred to themselves. And even if the arguments adduced, and the conclusions drawn, should be opposite to those with which they had formerly been satisfied, still there is nothing in this so humiliating, as in that which seems to amount to the imputation of a moral deficiency.

Caution against avowed exhortation.

It is true that Sermons not unfrequently prove popular, which consist avowedly and almost exclusively of Exhortation, strictly so called, in which the design of influencing the sentiments and feelings is not only apparent, but prominent throughout: but it is to be feared, that those who are the most pleased with such discourses, are more apt to apply these Exhortations to their neighbors than to themselves; and that each bestows his commendation rather from the consideration that such admonitions are much needed, and must be generally useful, than from finding them thus useful to himself.

When indeed the speaker has made some progress in exciting the feelings required, and has in great measure gained possession of his audience, a direct and distinct Exhortation to adopt the conduct recommended will often prove very effectual; but never can it be needful or advisable to tell them (as some do) that you are going to exhort them.

It will, indeed, sometimes happen that the excitement of a certain feeling will depend, in some measure, on a process of Reasoning; e. g. it may be requisite to prove, where there is a doubt on the subject, that the person so recommended to the Pity, Gratitude, &c. of the hearers, is really an object deserving of these sentiments: but even then, it will almost

always be the case, that the chief point to be accomplished shall be to raise those feelings to the requisite height, after the understanding is convinced that the occasion calls for them. And this is to be effected not by Argument, properly so called, but by presenting the circumstances in such a point of view, and so fixing and detaining the attention upon them, that corresponding sentiments and emotions shall gradually, and as it were spontaneously, arise.

Hortatory

Sermons.

Sermons would probably have more effect, if, instead of being, as they frequently are, directly hortatory, they were more in a didactic form; occupied chiefly in explaining some transaction related, or doctrine laid down, in Scripture. The generality of hearers are too much familiarized to direct exhortation to feel it adequately if they are led to the same point obliquely, as it were, and induced to dwell with interest for a considerable time on some point, closely, though incidentally, connected with the most awful and important truths, a very slight application to themselves might make a greater impression than the most vehement appeal in the outset. Often indeed they would themselves make this application unconsciously; and if on any this procedure made no impression, it can hardly be expected that any thing else would. To use a homely illustration, a moderate charge of powder will have more effect in splitting a rock, if we begin by deep boring, and introducing the charge into the very heart of it, than ten times the quantity, exploded on the surface.

§ 2.

Hence arises another Rule closely connected with the foregoing, though it also so far relates to style, that it might with suf

Advantage of copious detail.

ficient propriety have been placed under that head: viz. that in order effectually to excite feelings of any kind, it is necessary to employ some copiousness of detail, and to dwell somewhat at large on the several circumstances of the case in hand; in which respect there is a wide distinction between strict Argumentation, with a view to the Conviction of the Understanding alone, and the attempt to influence the Will, by the excitement of any Emotion.* With respect to Argument itself indeed, different occasions will call for different degrees of copiousness, repetition, and expansion ; - the chain of reasoning employed may, in itself, consist of more or fewer links ;- abstruse and complex arguments must be unfolded at greater length than such as are more simple; and the more uncultivated the audience, the more full must be the explanation and illustration, and the more frequent the repetition, of the arguments presented to them; but still the same general principle prevails in all these cases; viz. to aim merely at letting the arguments be fully understood and admitted. This will indeed occupy a shorter or longer space, according to the nature of the case and the character of the hearers; but all expansion and repetition beyond what is necessary to accomplish Conviction, is in every instance tedious and disgusting. In a Description, on the other hand,

*Non enim, sicut argumentum, simulatque positum est, arripitur, alterumque et tertium poscitur; ita misericordiam aut invidiam, aut iracundiam, simulatque intuleris, possis commovere : argumentum enim ratio ipsa confirmat, quæ, simulatque emissa est, adhærescit ; illud autem genus orationis non cognitionem judicis, sed magis perturbationem requirit, quam consequi, nisi multa et varia et copiosa oratione, et simili contentione actionis, nemo potest. Quare qui aut breviter aut summisse dicunt, docere judicem possunt, commovere non possunt; in quo sunt omnia." - Cic. de Orat. Lib. II., C. 53.