5. Obfervations, for the most part, ought to be theological, that is to fay, they fhould belong to a fyftem of religion. Sometimes, indeed, we may make use of observations hiftorical, philofophical, and critical: but these should be ufed fparingly,

nation to himself: nepa av-
To, judgment to himfelf; that
is, he incurs fome temporal
punishment as fickness, &c.
ver. 30. an obfervation ought
alfo to be made here on the
time; for although it pleafed
God to punish an abufe of the
Lord's fupper in the Corin-
thian church with fickness,
or fudden death, yet the fame
fin is not punished in the
fame manner now.

and

preach moral philosophy, nor did I deliver my doctrine in language formed by rhetorical rules.

Tit. iii. 14. Let ours alfo
learn to maintain good works:
to exercife lawful business e-
yov fæpe eft opus illud, quod
unum agimus in vita, vitæ
actio. Sic Cicero de nat. deor.1.
"De figuris deorum, et de
locis atque fedibus, et de ac-
tione vitæ multa dicuntur.'
1 Cor. ii. 1. I came not Gen. xlvii. 3. Ti To Egyou
with excellency of speech, or upor; ·
υμων
ποιμενες αποσα
of wisdom: Gotta fignifies Tv. Jonah i. 8. Tas σn ep-
here the matter of St. Paul's gaola; πολο κύριο είμα
preaching, and oy the eye. Sic Sophoc. in Oedip.
manner, see ver. 4. I did not Tyran.

Οι. Εργον μεριμνων ποίον, η βίον τινα ;
Θε. Ποίμνας, &c.

Compare Eph. iv. 28. Phil.
iv. 17. Vid. plura, in not.
Dounei in Op. Chryfoft. tom.
viii. p. 545. Edit. Savil.

Tit. ii. 12. Live foberly, righteously, and godly: epores erga fe ipfum dixdiws jufte erga proximum, svoelos erga Deum. Xenoph. Memorab. Soc. Def. 22. 2 Pet. ii. 13. Jude 12 Agarais, lovefeafts. "These were fuppers, not attended with the Lord's fupper. Christians

did not confider thefe of divine inflitution, and there

fore dropped them, when the Emperor Trajan by Pliny in Bithynia forbad their meetings." Dr. Lardner. teft. heath. ii. 9. p. 40.

From all thefe, and many more of the fame kind, arife just and pertinent observations, which may be directed to popular edification: but it would be better wholly to omit them than to introduce them unguardedly, and fo as to excite groundless fufpicions concerning the whole English verfion.

B 2

(9) Hifte

and feldom, on neceffary occafions, and when they cannot well be avoided; and even then they ought to be pertinent, and not common, that they may be heard with fatisfaction. Make it a law to be generally very brief on obfervations of these kinds, and to inform your audience, that you only make them en paffant. (9)

(9) Hiftorical, philofophical, and critical objervations ought to be brief. All obfervations of thefe kinds, intended to elucidate the text, are too fhort, which do not answer this end; and, when this end is answered, all enlargements are fuperfluous. This remark regards the text only; for in regard to the difcourfe, which is an elucidation of the fenfe, or general meaning of the text, it must be atlowed, fome of our finest fermons are grounded on philofophical, hift rical, and critical data. The following will exemplify my meaning.

Pfal. Ixv. 5. My foul fhall be fati fied as with marrow and fainefs.-There is a piety of tale and feeling op-, pofed to a piety of examina tion and reafoning-piety of reafoning is fafe: but that of tatte is pleajant, and therefore preferable there are certain fympathies and antipathies which almost defy explication, and yet are obvious and undeniable-obfervation of thefe will elucidate the doctrine of the text,

-

There

the piety of taste and feeling.

1. Senfible objects affect us more than abftract invifible objects do. A play affects us more than a fermon, not that we prefer a play before a fermon: but the one exhibits fenfible objects, the other treats of invifibles, as of God, heaven, hell, &c. Piety of tafte, then, includes freedom from the dominion of the fenfes.

2. Imagination Supplies the place of jenje and reajon. An ideal good may be confidered as real, if it be accompanied with an apparatus proper to ftrike the imagination. The features of a perfon do not prove, that a union with him would produce happinefs, and yet the clofelt union is frequently formed on fome fuch prejudice. Objects of piety are unaccompanied with impofing appearances, and, therefore, they affect us the lefs. Piety of tafte guards againft imagination, and appeals to reafon.

3. A prefent good, or a good, the enjoyment of which is near, affes us more than an abjent good,

There are, I allow, fome cafes, in which obfervations remote from theology are neceffary to the elucidating of a text. When thefe happen, make your obfervations profeffedly, and explain and prove them. But, I repeat it again, in general, obfervations fhould be purely theological, either fpeculative, which regard the mysteries of Christianity, or practical, which regard morality; for the pulpit was erected to inftruct the minds of men in religious fubjects, and not to gratify curiofity, to inflame the heart, and not to find play for imagination. (1)

good, or than a good to be enjoyed at fome aiftant period. Sinful objects pro pole prefent enjoyment, religious objects propofe future happinefs, and therefore the firit affect us moft. Piety of tafte anticipates futurity.

4. A good, in poffefing, which we have found pleojure, produces in our hearts in its abfence as vehement defies as a good, that is actually in prefent view. Piety of tafle, then, avoids worldly pleafures for the fake of becoming lefs fenfible to wordly pleafures; and it increafeth the pleasures of devotion by frequently practifing devotional exercifes." Saur. Ser. iv. Sur le gout pour dev.

(1) In fome cafes make biftorical and critical objervations profefedly. There are feveral theological fubjects, which cannot be difcuffed without fuch obfervations. Texts, which fome fay are interpo

6. Obfer

lated, must be vindicated
thus. John v. 7. What
Mr. Martin, the best vindica-
tor of the genuineness of this
text, has laid critically, and
hiftorically on the fubject,
Dr. Calamy has wrought in-
to a fermon on the fame paf-
fage. See Martin's Effay on I
John v. 7. Dr. Calamy on
the Trinity.

Texts, the understanding
of which depends on chrono-
logy and kiftory, must be dif-
culled thus. The feventy
weeks of Daniél, ix. 24.-
The time of the birth of
Chrift, Gal. iv. 4. The
time of his crucifixion and
refurrection, 1 Cor. xv. 3, 4.

The beginning and the end of the great apoftafy, 2 Theff. ii. 1... 8. Rev. xiii. 18. xvii. 10, 11, 12. - The flaying of the witneffes, Rev. xi. 3. 7. 11. and many more of the fame kind.

6. Obfervations fhould not be propofed in fcholaftic ftyle, nor in common-place guife. (2) They should be feafoned with a sweet urbanity, accommodated to the capacities of the people, and adapted to the manners of good men. (3)

neceffary to the general edification, for on the truth of the facts, and not on the exact time of their accomplishment, depends the peoples faith.

(2) Obfervations should not be propofed in common-pace guife. Many fermons of the last century are mere common-place collections, and thofe of the intriguing, timeferving part of the clergy are the very worst of this bad kind. They had not time to ftudy their fubjects, to form a ftyle, and to compofe a good fermon. Full of fecu lar projects, fired with ambition and refentment, and obliged fometimes to preach and print, they were driven to the fad neceffity of retailing the common-places of the wholefale dealers, whom they execrated. One example fhall fuffice. Seth, [Ward] lord bishop of Sarum preached the funeral fermon of the duke of Albermarle exactly in this way. "I Cor. xv. 57. The gofpel tells us, That God hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world. That Chrift is ordained of God, to to be judge both of quick and dead.

One

That he fhall come in the

clouds

That he fhall fend his angels :

That he fhall fit upon the throne of his glory.

That all nations fhall be gathered

Chrift hath offured the world of the truth of this theory.

Not by giving the world a fet and feries of imaginary principles of vain philofophy Not by bare affertions and confident repetitions

Not by phantaftical obfcure ratiocinations concerning numbers, vehicles."

In this naked manner, as boys ftring birds eggs, did this glorious divine connect the parts of his fermon, till, toward the clofe, he preached himfelf into what he calls locum lubricum, where we shall at present leave him to get

out as he can.

(3) Obfervations should be feafoned with a fweet urbanity. Urbanity is oppofed to rufticity, and that, of which our author fpeaks, regards both the fubject itself, and the language, in which it is expreffed.

The Roman rhetorician includes gefture, &c. In qua nihil abfonum, nihil agrefte,

One of the best expedients for this purpose is a reduction of obfcure matters to a natural, popular, modern air. You can never attain this ability, unless you acquire a habit of conceiving clearly of fubjects yourself, (4) and of expreffing them in a free, familiar, eafy manner, remote from every thing forced, and far-fetched. (5) All long trains.