God towards us, and the advantages which we receive from his love: but alfo the duties to The affociation of fuch irrelative ideas into one expreffion is arbitrary and licentious, and produces very bad effects both by leading off the attention from a fubject, and by confounding it with other fubjects, which have nothing to do with it. Suppofe a prayer to begin, O Lord, who didft form the crooked ferpent, blefs and direct the twelve judges! would not this mode of expreffion feem to convey a moft deteftable idea of their Lordships and the law or fuppofe a minifter before preaching to pray, O thou, who didit create cattle, and creeping things, affift me to preach thy word effectually to day! would not this look as if the worthy man thought himself a beetle or a beaft? In the examples above quoted, there is no relation at all between the ideas, I will add an example of a more frequent mistake, that is, an affociation of ideas irrelative in themselves, and that intermediate idea, which would relate them to each other implied. I'll take the first at hand. which man, general, captain, prelate, maifter, fuperiour, or the like, who fhould be patternes of temperance and fo briety unto others, than for every infamous, fwinifh, riotous, prophane, and diffolute rorer, ruffian, gull-gallant, or pot-companion, every base and rafcal tapfter, pedler, tinker, cobler, hoftler, mechanick, clowne or footboy, to thrust their names into their pots, and to drink their healths." William Prynne's Healthes-ficknesse against drinking healths. 1628. "There cannot be a greater blemish unto the dignity of the king than for a tinker to drink his health." Before this can be proved to be any blemish to his majesty some intermediate idea must be ad mitted to connect the tinker and the king, fome unworthy action on his majesty's part must be fuppofed: but as no fuch action can be supposed, it is abominable to infinuate it. Without it, however, there is no relation between the dignity of a prince and the diforders of his people, nor does the impropriety of their actions (fuppofing, what is not allowed, that it were an impropriety to drink the king's health) imply any defect in the character of the prince. The which we are bound as children of fuch a father. The fame may be faid of all thefe expreffions of fcripture, God is our God-we are his people--he is our portion-we are his heritage he is our mafter we are his fervants--he is our king-we are the subjects of his kingdom-he is our prophet or teacher-we are his difciples-with many more of the fame kind. When we meet with fuch fingle and feparate, they must be difcuffed in relation to one another, and this relation must be particularly confidered. Thus, when the kingdom of God, or of Jefus Chrift is fpoken of, all things relative to this kingdom must be confidered-as its laws-arms-throne-crown-fubjects-extent of dominion-palace where the king refides-&c. So when our mystical marriage with Jefus Chrift is fpoken of, whether it be where he is called a bridegroom, or his church a bride; you should, after you have explained thefe expreffions, turn your attention to relative things-as the love of Jefus Chrift to us, which made him confent to this mystical marriage-the dowry, that we bring him, our fins and miferies—the communication, which he makes to us both of his name and The holy fcriptures are always wife and pertinent on this article. "Lord! thou haft made heaven and earth. .. Stretch forth thy hand to heal. Thou didst fay by the mouth of David, The kings of the earth food up against thy Chrift.... Now Lord! behold their threatnings, &c. Acts iv. 24. 30-25, 26, 29. God made of one blood all nations of men... and now commandeth all men every where to repent. Acts xvii. 26. 30. The God of nature is the God of religion-He made men, he commands men he made all men, commands all men-he made all nations of men, he commands all men every where-he made all nations of one blood, fubject to the fame maladies and miferies, he commands. all nations to repent, and fo applies an univerfal remedy to an univerfal malady. and benefits-the reft, that he grants us in his house, changing our abode the banquet at his divine nuptials-the inviolable fidelity, which he requires of us-the right and power he acquires over us the defence and protection, which he engages to afford us-but, when thefe relative things are difcuffed, great care must be taken neither to infift on them too much; nor to defcend to mean ideas; nor even to treat of them one after another in form of a parallel: for nothing is more tiresome, than treating these apart, and one after another. They muft, then, be affociated together, a body composed of many images muft be formed, and the whole must be always animated with the fenfible, and the fpiritual. I think, a preacher ought to content himself with making one fingle obfervation, or, at the most, two, in cafe the relative things are too numerous to be collected into one point of view. In fuch a cafe you must endeavour to reduce them to two claffes but in two different orders, and always make the difference preceptible, fo that it may not be faid, you have made two obfervations of what was naturally but one. (1) (1) Collect relative ideas into one point of view. The direct contrary is the practice of too many, whofe whole attention feems turned to the dividing, and fo diffipating, lofing, and, if I may fpeak fo, gaming away the fenfe of the text., No preachers are fo given to this method as they, who delight in an allegorical way of preaching. The damage done to religion by it is in V. OBSERVE credible. The fathers allegorized. Porphyry of old, and Woolton of late, with many others alike ill affected to the truth, took, or pretended to take, them at their word, and, by ruining their fenfe of a miracle, pretended to have ruined the real fenfe of the facred hiftorians, who reported the miracles of Chrift; and they triumphed, as if they believ ed themfelves. Whence came V. OBSERVE WHETHER SOME THINGS BE NOT SUP POSED, WHICH ARE NOT EXPRESSED. This is a fource of invention different from the former, for the former is confined to things really came all these mock triumphs? Whence come they ftill? Moft certainly from the unguarded irrelative affociations of ideas of fome expofitors. Give one the refurrection of Lazarus for his fubject, and he will preach concerning regene ration, because regeneration is elsewhere called a refurrection. Give him a leper, and he treats of a finner. Give him a handful of meal, or a crufe of oil, two young pigeons, a bunch of hyfiop, or a fcarlet line, and you may fit down, and prepare to hear him difcufs a whole body of divinity, although thefe articles are no other way related to his doctrine than as they ferve to illuftrate it. I will fubjoin an example -a reproof and a directi ΟΠ. μή ελάσσων γινομενΘ- ΟΥΤΩ πανίωθε ο θεΘ- τελεια διαμε νει πλήρης ων πασης δυναμεως και συνέσεως και σοφίας και αθανασίας και πανίων των η δε σεληνη καλα μενα φθίνει, και δυναμει αποθνησκει εν τυπω 8σα ανθρωπε επεία αναδεναίαι και αύξει εις δειμα της μελλέσης εσεσθαι ανατάσεως ΩΣΑΥΤΩΣ και αι τρεις ημέραι των φωτήρων γερονυιαι τυποι εισιν της τριαδα το Θεό και τα λοίς αυτα και της σοφίας αύτε τελαρίω δε τυπω ετιν ανθρωπG. Cæterum aftra hæc typum magni myfterii præ fe ferunt. Sol etenim Deum quodammodo reprafentat, Luna vero hominem. Ut fol multis (quod dicitur) parafangis antecedit lunam potentia et gloria: fic Deus plurimum excellit hominem. Ut fol plenus femper confpicitur, nec unquam diminuitur : fc Deus perpetuo perfectus exiftit, plenus potentia, intellectu, fapientia, immortalitate, et « Ταυλα δε δειγμα και τυπου επεχει ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ ΜΥΣΤΗΡΙΟΥ· ο γαρ ηλι@εν τυπω Θεου εσιν' η δε σεληνη ανθρωπε και ΩΣΠΕΡ ο ηλιGreliquis bonis omnibus. Lana fingulis menfibus occumπολυ διαφέρει ο ΘεΘ- της αντ bit, ejufque potentia emorie θρωποιη· και ΚΑΘΑΠΕΡ ο tur, hominis conditionem ofηλιο πληρης παντοτε διαμένει tendans: deinde regeneratur et ly relative but this fpeaks in general of things fuppofed, which have no relation to each other. For example, when we fpeak of a change, what they call the terminus a quo neceffarily fup; ofes the terminus ad quem: and the terminus ad quem supposes the terminus a quo. (2) et augetur ad defignandam refurrectionem cunctorum futuram. Tres dies qui præceffere creationem duorum luminarium trinitatis myfterium facrofan&tum repræsentant, viz. Deum, fermonem, fapientiam. Quartus dies typus eft hominus, &c." Theoph. ad Autol. lib. ii. God the Father-God the word-God the spirit - the four first days of the creation -the fun and the moon the quick and the deadtime and eternity! did ever an ignorant lay-brother botch together fuch a Jofeph's coat as this Patriarch of Antioch has done? A co σοφΘ εν διακρισει λοίων, ή ω yop Ev Eploss, niw ali☺• τοσείω γαρ μάλλον ταπεινοφρονειν οφείλει, ισω δοκει μαλλον μείζων είναι ο Κλημς εν η προ Κορινθίας φησι· Parabolam autem domini quis intelliget nifi fapiens et fciens et qui diligit dominum fuum? fit ergo qui talis eft fidelis, fit ejufmodi ut poffit explicare cognitionem, fit fapiens in verbis difcernendis, fit in factis fcientiffimus, fit caftus et mundus. Eo enim debet effe magis humilis quo videtur effe major, dicit Clemens in Alex. Stromat. lib. vi. epiftola ad Corinthios." Clem. (2) Implication differs from relation. The chief ufe of this topick is illustration. Hypothetical elucidation and illuflration are very beautiful: but hypothetical reafoning, that is to fay, arguments grounded on fuppofition are inadmiffible in a fe vere investigation of truth. For example." The Nonconformists are known bytheir canting notions of indrvelling - enlightening-foula faving -heart-fupporting.' Bp. Kennett's Register and Chron Dec. 1662. M The |