Moreover, this method must be taken, when you have occafion to treat of the doctrines of election and reprobation-the propitiatory facrifice of Chrift's blood-and, in general, almost all religious fubjects require it; for there is not one of them all, which is not fubject to use and abuse. Take care, however, when you propofe these good and bad confequences, that you do it properly, and when an occafion naturally prefents itself; for were they introduced with any kind of affectation and force, it must be difagreeable. (8) violent attachment to 'fingle words, and unconnected fentences of fcripture. See vol. i. page 193, note 5. (8) Do not introduce confutations without neceffity. The fix following canons are laid down by Urfin, Zepper, and Keckerman. 1. Labour more to confirm truth, than to fupprefs error, and never refute errors, except when your text requires you to do fo.-2. Let obfolete errors alone.-3. Derive your confirmations and refutations from your text.-4. Expofe thofe modern errors only, from which your auditors are in danger.-5. Refute errors in a tranquil, placid manner, free from all violence and bitterness, and fo convince your auditors that you aim to promote the glory of God, and the falvation of your people.-6. Refute the principal errors of opponents but do not aim to discuss them all." Keckerman. Rhet. Eccl. lib. i. cap. 9. (9) Prevent bad confe quences. I wish I had room to tranflate an example or two from Monfieur Saurin, in abridging, I am aware how much I disguise him: but neceffity has no law! In a fermon on Hof. xiii. 9. O Ifrael thou haft deftroyed thyfelf, he undertakes to prove that the deftruction of every finner proceeds from him felf. As Mr. S. believed the fame doctrines, that Mr. Claude held, it was neceffary for him to extricate his doctrine from fuch difficulties, as are fuppofed to follow the doctrine of decrees. In order to this, he neither on the one hand leaves the doctrine exposed to false confequences, nor on the other denies the doctrine itself; on the contrary he declares, that not only as a Christian, but even as a philofopher he believes predeftination, for with him prefcience and preordination are the fame thing. He thinks, nobody will deny, U a that In general, then, this way of good and bad confequences ought to be ufed, when there is reafon to fear fome may infer bad confequences; and that God forefaw the iffue, to which all things would be brought in the end, and confequently that not preventing was allowing and appointing them. He proceeds to lament the vanity of human curiofity in pretending to pry into that, to which the fhallowness of every man's capacity might remind him he is not equal. He owns, that himself is not able to comprehend the matter. But (adds he) there is nothing in this inability to countenance the infults of in fidels, or the fcruples of the timorous. I can imagine only two ways to fatisfy an inquirer in this matter. One would be to give you a complete idea of the decrees of God, to compare them exactly with the difpofitions of finners, and to make it appear by that comparison that finners were not neceffitated to commit thofe crimes, which cause their eternal deftruction. But this way is far above our capacities. Many have undertaken it, and, although we would not refuse to their piety the praifes, which are due to it, yet, methinks, we owe this teftimony to the truth, that they have not yet fully fatisfied all the objections, to when which the fubject is liable. I fay more, without pretending to prophecy I may venture to foretell, this never can be done; because it would be drawing conclufions from unknown premifes. Who can boast of knowing all the arrangement, all the extent, all the combinations of God's decrees? The depth of thefe decrees, the obfcure manner, in which the fcripture speaks of them, and (if I may be allowed to fay fo.) the darkness with which they have often been covered by attempts to eclaircife them, place them infinitely beyond our reach. But there is a fecond way, that is to refer the matter to the decifion of a being, whose wifdom and truth cannot be fufpected; we may fafely be lieve, his teftimony is beyond all exception, and his conclufion an infallible oracle. We know a being infinitely capable of deciding this queftion, and who indeed has decided it. It is God. To his glorious Majefty I venture to put this question. The eternal destiny of my foul, before I had a being, does it force my will? Do what they call in the schools predeftination, and reprobation deftroy this propofition, when they seem to flow from the text itself; for in this cafe they ought to be prevented and refuted, and contrary confequences opposed against them. (9) if I perish, my damnation proceeds only from myfelf? Remove this difficulty my God, and take off entirely the vail, with which this interesting truth is covered. Let us fuppofe, God makes us this answer. The narrownefs of your mind renders this matter inconceivable to you; it is impoffible, that finite creatures, like you, fhould be able to understand the extent of my decrees, and to fee what connections they have with the deftiny of my creatures. I only fully know them. I declare, then, that none of my decrees offer violence to any of my crea tures, and that your deftruction can come only from yourselves. Have patience; you shall one day perfectly know what now you cannot comprehend, and you fhall then fee with your own eyes what you now fee only with mine. Cease then to anticipate a period, which my wifdom defers, and laying afide speculation devote yourfelves to practice. Had God explained himself in this manner, would it not be the height of rafhnefs and infolence to doubt this teftimony, and to defire more light on the fubject? Now, we affirm, God has given this anfwer in his juft complaints concerning the vices of men, and in his compaffionate attention to human miferies, O! if Ifrael had hearkened unto me! if thou hadst known in this thy day, &c. he has answered this by his exprefs affurances, that he defireth not the death of a finner, that he is not willing any should perish, but that all fhould come, &c. he has anfwered this by the comfortable ideas, which he has given us of his mercy, longfuffering, and patience, Rom. ii. 4, 5. Finally he has given this anfwer expressly in our text, &c. If the first way be entirely closed, the fecond is entirely open: but men love to take an oppofite way, they leave things revealed, and rafhly pretend to dive into fecret things in vain the finner feeks in reprobation what flows only from his own depravity. Thou Lord doft not fay to thy creatures, Yield, yield miferable wretches to my fupreme will, which de coys you into fin, in order to plunge you into mifery, unto which from all eternity I have ordained you. Thou Lord openeft thy benevolent arms to us, thou useft the propereft motives to affect intelligent fpirits, thou openek XIV. REFLECT ON THE END PROPOSED IN AN EXPRESSION OR AN ACTION. (1) Although this is not very different from the way of principles, of which we have already spoken: yet it may afford a variety in difcuffing them. If, openeft to us the gates of heaven, and, if we be loft among fo many means of being faved, to thee will belong righteoufnefs, to us fhame and confufion of face. Wilt thou not fay to us, O Ifrael, thou baft destroyed thyself?"-Sur la caufe de la perte des pecheurs, tom. ix. I truft, I fhall be forgiven for inferting this long extract, when it is remembered what numbers of all parties, like Tertullian, begin their defences of their doctrines by abufing people, calling them hard names, and delivering them over to the devil. How could that champion think to convert Marcion by fuch language as that, with which he begins the fifth chapter of his fecond book. O you dogs! O canes! quos foras apoftolus expellit latrantes in Deum veritatis, bæc funt argumentationum affa quæ obroditis. Si Deus bonus, et prefcius futuri, &c. There is no fuch thing as be ing angry with an honeft man, who like Mr. Saurin propofes his fentiments with modefty and candour; but who was ever bullied into believing? Let our moderation be known unto all men, the Lord is at hand. (1) Reflect on ends propofed. Reflections of this kind are of great confequence to minifters. 1. In compofing fermons. --Ordination fermons very properly turn on-the defign of God in appointing a ftanding gofpel miniftryon the aims of bad, and of good men in entering on the office, and fo on-Funeral fermons are frequently compofed on this plan the defign of God in afflictive providences-the defigns of mi ifters in celebrating the praises of the deceased, and fo on-Faft-fermons, thankf giving, and commemorationfermons are often with great propriety compofed on the fpecial views, and defigns of each. 2. Attention to fcope, end, and defign is neceffary to the understanding of the fenfe of any writer, particularly biblical writers. John xx. 31. Thefe four golpels were written that ye might believe that Jefus is If, for example, you were fpeaking of justification, in the fenfe in which S. Paul taught it, you muft obferve the ends, which the apostle propofed, is the Chrift, and that believ ing ye might have life through bis name.—2 Tim. iii. 16,17. All fcripture is given for dectrine, for reproof, for correction, for inftruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.-Jude iii. I write unto you of the common falvation, that ye fhould earneftly contend for the faith. All preachers have not had the fame views in reading thefe holy oracles of God. Some read them as an Irish prieft read the act of toleration. He faid in a fermon preached at Whitehall 1707, What men call the toleration act takes away fome penalties inflicted by former acts, on Diffenters: but it does not repeal or weaken one tittle the act of Uniformity. Schifm like murder remains a damnable fin, although all punishment be taken away. There is not one word of toleration in that ftatute, called the toleration act." An old woman, named Foulks, had the courage to bring this reverend prebendary of Christ's church, Dublin, to take his trial at Hick's Hall for this court fermon. Fran. Higgins. Serm. at Whiteball, Feb. 26, 1707. as 3. The fuccefs of a minifter's labours much depends on the people's belief of the uprightness of his intentions. Never, furely, were unwor thy ends in preaching more notoriously expofed than in the general courfe of courtfermons from the acceffion of James I. to the acceffion of the prefent auguft family. I except individuals: but as for the general run of courtchaplains in those times, they were mere newsmongers, their fermons were a kind of journals of the house of spiri tual Lords, and they may be ftill confidered as a kind of tragicomical church gazettes. Compare acts of parliament and fermons, the journals of the houfe with the fermons of the year, and fee whether I exaggerate. When I fay, fuccefs depends on this, I do not mean fuccefs in ftiring up ftrife and penal laws, in obtaining the favour of a prince, or honours and preferments for himself: but I mean fuch fuccefs in promoting the glory of God, and the good of mankind, as that, at which a pious minifter is taught by his commiffion to aim. 4. Aims and ends fhould be ftudied by paftors in order |