with others fimilar, and remark the differences of words and actions on different occafions. You may oppose words and actions to contrary words and actions, either by contrafting speakers or hearers. You may examine the foundations and causes of words or actions, in order to develop the truth or falfehood, equity or iniquity of them. You may fometimes make fuppofitions, refute objections, and diftinguish characters of grandeur, majefty, meannefs, infirmity, neceffity, utility, evidence, and fo on. You may advert to degrees of more or lefs, and to different interefts. You may diftinguish, define, divide, and, in a word, by turning your text on every fide, you may obtain various methods of elucidating it. I will give you examples of all. (8) (8) Sources of obfervations. Dr. Watts fays, "Topicks, and common-places inform perfons of lower genius, and refresh the memories of others of fuperior parts: but, adds he, a man of moderate genius, who has made himfelf mafter of his theme, has feldom need to run knocking at the doors of all the topicks, that he may furnish himself with argument, or matter of fpeaking: and, indeed, it is only a man of fenfe and judgment, that can ufe commonplaces and topicks well; for, amongst the variety, he only knows what is fit to be left out, as well as what is fit to be fpoken." Logic. "Tafte, fays Mr. Rollin from the ancient orators, ferves in compofition to I. RISE guide and direct the underitanding. It makes use of the imagination without fubmitting to it, and keeps it always in fubjection. It confults nature univerfally, follows it ftep by step, and is a faithful image of it. Referved and fparing in the midst of abundance and riches, it difpenfes the beau ties and graces of difcourfe with temper and wisdom. It never fuffers itfelf to be dazzled with the falfe, how glittering a figure foever it may make. It is equally offended with too much and too little, it knows precifely where to ftop, and cuts off without regret or mercy whatever exceeds the beautiful and perfect." Belles Lettres, vol. i. I. RISE FROM SPECIES TO GENUS. Pfal. 1. 14. Sacrifice to God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the most High. In difcuffing this text, I would observe first the terms, facrifice thanksgiving, and would elucidate them by going from the fpecies to the genus. The dignity of facrifice in general would lead me to obferve-that it is the immediate commerce of a creature with his God, an action, in which it is difficult to judge whether * earth afcend to heaven, or heaven defcend to earth-that in almost all the other acts of religion the creature receives of his creator: but in this the creator receives of his creature-that the Lord of the universe, who needs nothing, and who eternally lives in a rich abundance, hath fuch a condefcenfion as to be willing to receive offerings at our hands-that, of all dignities, that of the priesthood was the higheft, for which reafon the ancient priests dwelt in the tabernacle, or temple of God that, when God divided Canaan among the children of Ifrael, each tribe had its portion except that of Levi, to which God affigned nothing. Why? because he loved them lefs? No, but because he gave them the priesthood, and because he, who had the priesthood, the altar, and the cenfer, had God for his portion, and confequently could have no need of temporal things. This is, you fee, to rife from fpecies to genus; for the text does not fpeak of facrifice in general: but of the facrifice of praise in particular; yet, when thefe thefe general confiderations are pertinent, they cannot fail of being well received. (9) (9) Go from fpecies to genus. That is to fay, If a text mention a general idea, and confine it to fome particular fubject, do not raife your obfervations on the particular fubject, at least do not reftrain them to that: but take the general idea, and make that the ground of your difcourfe. For example. Acts xxviii. 5, 6. He book off the beaft, and felt no harm. Howbeit they looked, when he fhould have frollen, or fallen down dead fuddenly; but after they bad looked a great while, and faw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and faid that he was a God. This text speaks of an unjuft cenfure, and a foolish applaufe, which the barbarians of Melita made of St. Paul; but by the above rule a good preacher took the general ideas, and fhewed, "1. The unreasonableness and danger of judging others, particularly fuch perfons as are not at all, or very little known to us, upon account of any calamity, or any other appearance whatsoever. 2. How a wife and good man ought to behave himself, if he fhould happen to fuffer under any fuch judgment." Dr. Adams' Serm. at Windfor before the Queen, 1705. Pfal. cxxii. 6. Pray for the peace of Jerufalem, they shall II. DESCEND profper, that love thee. The preacher does not confine himself to the particular idea of Jerufalem; but takes the general notion national peace, and fhews, 1. The duty--pray for it-2. The motives--profperity of feveral kinds attends it. The firft leads him to treat of all the calamities of war, and the bleffings of peace and the laft expands into many juft and beautiful concomitants of profperity. Ayerft's Serm. before the Plenipotentiaries at Utrecht, 1712. John vii. 27. We know this man, whence he is: but when Chrift cometh, no man knoweth whence he is. The Evangelift here records the pretended doubts of fome of the Jews of Jerufalem, verfe 25, concerning the claim of Jefus of Nazareth of the Meffiahfhip. An excellent preacher takes this text, and treats of infidelity in general. The text fays nothing of disbelieving the being of a God, or the miffion of Mofes: but the preacher goes from the particular ideas of the text to the general fubject, and obferves 1. That a depraved heart offers objections against religion without venturing to believe them-2. That ignorance adopts them without understanding them-3.That the whole fyftem of infidelity is a vain bravado devoid of every II. DESCEND FROM GENUS TO SPECIES: An example may be taken from Pfal. cxxiii. 3. Behold! as the eyes of fervants look unto the band of their mafters, fo our eyes wait upon the Lord our God. (1) Here, you may aptly obferve in masters every degree of confolation. These three obfervations are the parts of the difcourfe. Maffillon Serm. Carême. tom. iv. Ezek. xxxvi. 32. Not for your fakes do I this, faith the Lord God, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O boufe of Ifrael. The prophet fpeaks of the unmerited mercy of God to Ifrael: but Bp. Beveridge very properly goes from the particular application in the text to the general idea, and "Obferves 1. Though God never punishes a nation but when it deferves it at his hands, yet he often bleffes a nation, when it does not deferve it, Obf. 2. A fense of these undeserved fayours fhould work upon men's hearts, and ftir them up the rather to repentance. Thankfgiv. Serm. at St. Paul's bef. Queen Ann for Vict. at Audenard, 1708. Quintilian calls commonplaces fedes argumentorum, in quibus latent, et ex quibus funt petenda. Examples from Cicero. Genus. Virtu in tes imperatoris in genere. Pro lege Manil. Laudat ftudia humanitatis. Pro Arch. De gravitate parricidii. Pro Rofc. De Græcis teftibus. Pro Flac. De ftoicis. Pro Mur. Vid. Quint. Inft. Lib. v. cap. 10. Edit. Roll. (1) The eyes of fervants unto the hand of their masters. The eyes of fervants look, or are directed to the hand of their mafters; fo must the ellipfis be fupplied. The phrafe is faid to fignify four ideas. Servants expect from their masters orders, or infructions, as well as favours, protection, and correction, ad, manum, id eft, ad geftus, nutus, et fignificationes, ut eis promptiffime miniftrent. Hinc Plaut. in Aulul. Edico tibi ut hujus oculos in oculis habeas tuis. Et Ter. Adelph. Act. ii. fc. 1. Caveto nunc jam oculos a meis oculis unquam dimoveas tuos. Our eyes wait until the Lord have mercy on us. This is the language of a fervant under juft correction for his faults, and penitently waiting for forgivenefs. See Ifai. in regard to fervants, and in God in regard to us, three fenfes of the phrafe. There is a hand of beneficence, a hand of protection, or deliverance; and a hand of correction. A fervant expects fa vours from the hand of his mafter, not from that of a stranger. He looks to him for protection and deliverance in threatning dangers, and refufes all help, except that of his master. He èxpects correction from him, when he commits a fault, and, when corrected, humbles himself under his master's frown, in order to difarm him by tears of repentance. The application of these to the fervants of God is eafy. The word fuccour (2) is general, and may very well be confidered by descending from the genus to the fpecies, and by obferving the different occafions, which we have for divine affiftance, and confequently the different affistances and fuccours; which God affords us-as the help of his word to remove our ignorance, doubts, or errors-the help of his providence to deliver us out of afflictions-the help of his grace and fpirit to guard us from the temptations of the world, and to aid us against the weaknesses of nature the help of divine confolations to fweeten the bitterness of our exercises under diftreffing circumftances, and to give us courage to bear afflictions-the help of his mercy to pardon our fins, and to restore to our confciences that tranquillity, which they have loft by offending God. You will meet with a great number of texts which may be difcuffed in this manner: but great care must be taken not to strain the fubject, for ix. 13. Hammond apud Pol. Synopf. in loc. (2) Until he have mercy upon us, or, until he fuccour VOL. II. us. Donec milereatur noftri -Donec benefaciat nobisi. e. liberaverit a præfenti miferia. D |