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Suppose you would convert Rominda from Popery, and you set all the absurdities, errors, and superstitions of that church before her in the most glaring evidence, she holds them fast still, and cannot part with them, for she hath a most sacred reverence for the faith and the church of her ancestors, and cannot imagine that they were in the wrong. The first labour must be therefore to convince her that our ancestors were fallible creatures; that we may part with their faith without any dishonour done to them; that all persons must choose their religion for themselves; that we must answer for ourselves in the great day of judge. ment, and not we for our parents, nor they for us; that Christianity itself had never been received by her ancestors in this nation, if they had persisted always in the religion of their parents, for they were all Heathens. And when she has by these methods of reasoning been persuaded that she is not bound always to cleave to the religion of her pa rents, she then receive an easier conviction of the errors

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of Rome*.

CHAP.

VI.

Of Instruction by Preaching.

SECT. I.

Wisdom better than Learning in the Pulpit.

TYRO is a young preacher just come from the schools of logic and divinity, and advanced to the pulpit; he was

counted

But perhaps of all these different methods of curing prejudices, none can be practised with greater pleasure to a wise and good man, or with greater success, where success is most desirable, than attempting to turn the attention of well-meaning people from some point in which prejudice prevails to some other of great importance, and fixing their thoughts and heart on some great truth which they allow, and which leads unto conse quences contrary to some other notion which they espouse and retain. By this means they may be led to forget their errors, while attentive to oppos site truth; and in proportion to the degree in which their minds open, and their tempers grow more generous and virtuous, may be induced to resign it. And surely nothing can give a benevolent mind more satisfaction, than to improve his neighbour in knowledge, and in goodness at the same time,

CHAP. VI. OF INSTRUCTION BY PREACHING.

289

counted a smart youngster in the academy for analysing a proposition, and is full, even to the brim, with the terms of his art and learning. When he has read his text, after a short flourish of introduction, he tells you in how many senses the chief word is taken, first among Greek Heathen writers, and then in the New Testament; he cites all the chapters and the verses exactly, and endeavours to make you understand many a text before he lets you know fully what he means by his own. He finds these things at large in the critics, which he has consulted, where this sort of work is necessary and beautiful, and therefore he imagines it will become his sermon well. Then he informs you very learnedly of the various false expositions which have been given by divines and commentators on this part of scripture, and it may be the reasons of each of them too; and he refutes them with much zeal and contempt. Having thus cleared his way, he fixes upon the exposition which his judgement best approves, and dwells generally five or ten minutes up, on the arguments to confirm it; and this he does, not only in texts of darkness and difficulty, but even when scarcely a child could doubt of his meaning.

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This grammatical exercise being performed, he applies himself to his logic; the text is divided and subdivided into many little pieces; he points you precisely to the subject and the predicate, brings you acquainted with the agent and the object, shews you all the properties and the accidents that attend it, and would fain make you understand the matter and the form of it as well as he does himself. When he has thus done, two thirds of the hour is spent, and his hearers are quite tired; then he begins to draw near to his doctrine, or grand theme of discourse; and having told the audience, with great formality and exactness, what it is, and in what method he shall manage it, he names you one or two particulars under the first general head; and by this time finds it necessary to add, " He intended indeed to have been larger in the illustration of his subject, and he should have given you some reasons for the doctrine,

but

but he is sorry that he is prevented; and then he designed also to have brought it down to the conscience of every man by a warm address; but his time being gone, he must break of." He hurries over a hint or two, which should have been wrought up into exhortation or instruction, but all in great haste, and thus concludes his work. The obstinate and the careless sinners go away unwakened, unconvinced; and the mourning soul departs uncomforted: the unbeliever is not led to faith in the gospel, nor the immoral wretch to haste to forsake his iniquities: the hypocrite and the man of sincerity are both unedified, because the preacher had not time. In short, he has finished his work, and he has done nothing.

When I hear this man preach, it brings to my remembrance the account which I have heard concerning the Czar of Muscovy, the first time that his army besieged a town in Livonia: he was then just come from his travels in Great Britain, where he and his ministers of state had learned the mathematics of an old acquaintance of mine: the Czar took great care to begin the siege in form he drew all his lines of circumvallation and contravallation according to the rules of art; but he was so tedious and so exact in these mathematical performances, that the season was spent, he was forced to break up the siege, and retire without any execution done upon the town.

Ergates is another sort of preacher, a workman that need not be ashamed: he had in his younger days but few of these learned vanities, and age and experience have now worn them all off: he preaches like a man who watches for our souls, as one that must give an account; he passes over lesser matters with speed, and pursues his great design, namely, to save himself and 'them that hear him, 1 Tim. iv. 16. And by following this advice of St Paul, he happily complies with that great and natural rule of Horace, always to make haste towards the most valuable end:

Semper ad eventum festinat.

He

He never affects to choose a very obscure text, lest he should waste too much of the hour in explaining the literal sense of it; he reserves all those obscurities till they come in course at his seasons of public exposition; for it is his opinion that preaching the gospel for the salvation of men carries in it a little different idea from a learned and critical exposition of the difficult texts of scripture.

He knows well how to use his logic in his composures; but he calls no part of the words by their logical name, if there be any vulgar name that answers it reading and meditation have furnished him with extensive views of his subject, and his own good sense hath taught him to give sufficient reasons for every thing he asserts: but he never uses one of them till a proof is needful. He is acquainted with the mistaken glosses of expositors; but he thinks it needless to acquaint his hearers with them, unless there be evident danger that they might run into the same mistake. He understands well what his subject is not, as well as what it is; but when he would explain it to you, he never says, first, negatively, unless some remarkable error is at hand, and which his hearers may easily fall into for want of such a caution.

Thus in five or ten minutes at the most, he makes his way plain to the proposition or theme on which he designs to discourse; and being so wise as to know well what to say, and what to leave out, he proportions every part of his work to his time; he enlarges a little upon the subject, by way of illustration, till the truth becomes evident and intelligible to the weakest of his hearers; then he confirms the point with a few convincing arguments, where the matter requires it, and makes haste to turn the doctrine into use and improvement. Thus the ignorant are instructed, and the growing Christians are established and improved: the stupid sinner is loudly awakened, and the mourning soul receives consolation: the unbeliever is led to trust in Christ and his gospel, and the impenitent and immoral are convinced and softened, are melted and reformed. The inward

voice of the Holy Spirit joins with the voice of the minister; the good man and the hypocrite have their proper portions assigned them, and the work of the Lord prospers in his hand.

This is the usual course and manner of his ministry. This method being natural, plain, and easy, he casts many of his discourses into this form; but he is no slave to forms and methods of any kind : he makes the nature of his subject, and the necessity of his hearers, the great rule to direct him what method he shall choose in every sermon, that he may the better enlighten, convince, and persuade. Ergates well knows that where the subject itself is entirely practical, he has no need of the formality of long uses and exhortations; he knows that practice is the chief design of doctrine; therefore he bestows most of his labour upon this part of his office, and intermingles much of the pathetic under every particular: yet he wisely observes the special dangers of his flock, and the errors of the time he lives in; and now and then (though very seldom) he thinks it necessary to spend almost a whole discourse in mere doctrinal articles. Upon such an occasion, he thinks it proper to take up a little larger part of his hour in explaining and confirming the sense of his text, and brings it down to the understanding of a child.

At another time, perhaps, he particularly designs to entertain the few learned and polite among his auditors; and that with this view, that he may ingratiate his discourses with their ears, and may so far gratify their curiosity in this part of his sermon, as to give an easier entrance for the more plain, necessary, and important parts of it into their hearts. Then he aims at, and he reaches the sublime, and furnishes out an entertainment for the finest taste; but he scarcely ever finishes his sermon without compassion to the unlearned, and an address that may reach their consciences with words of salvation.

I have observed him sometimes, after a learned discourse, come down from the pulpit as a man ashamed, and quite

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