LECTURES

ON

ELOQUENCE:

GENTLEMEN,

WE

E are now to enter on the study of eloquence, or as perhaps it ought to be called, from the manner in which you will find it treated, Composition, Tafte and Criticifm.

Eloquence is undoubtedly a very noble art, and when poffeffed in a high degree, has been, I think, in all ages, one of the moft admired and envied talents. It has not only been admired in all ages, but, if I am not mistaken, among all ranks. Its power is univerfally felt, and therefore probably the talent more univerfally esteemed, than either genius or improvement in feveral other kinds of human excellence. Military skill and political wisdom, have their admirers, but far inferior in number to those who admire, envy, or would wish to imitate, him that has the power of perfuafion.

Plato in his republic, or idea of a well regulated state, has banished orators, under pretence that their power over the minds of men is dangerous and liable to abuse. Some moderns have adopted the fame fentiments.

Sir Thomas More in his Utopia, I believe, (though I am not certain) has embraced it. But this is a manner

of thinking and reasoning altogether fuperficial. It would militate equally against all cultivation of the mind, and indeed against every human excellence, natural and acquired. They are, and have been, and may be abused, by men of vicious difpofitions. But how shall this be prevented? It is impoffible. How fhall it be counteracted? Only by affifting the good in the cultivation of their powers, and then the fame weapons will be used in defence of truth and virtue, with much greater advantage, than they can be in support of falsehood and vice. Learning in general, poffeffed by a bad man, is unspeakably pernicious, and that very thing has fometimes made weak people speak against learning; but it is just as abfurd as if in the confines of a country exposed to hoftile inroads, the inhabitants should fay, we will build no forts for protection, because if the enemy get into poffeffion of them they will become the means of annoyance; we will ufe no arms for defence, for if the enemy take them from us, they will be turned against us.

Perhaps it may be proper to take notice of what the apostle Paul fays, in his firft epiftle to the Corinthians, in feveral places, particularly from the beginning of the 2d chapter," and I brethren," &c. and in the 4th chap. II verfe," And my speech, and my preaching was not," &c. I have mentioned this to prevent any of you miftaking or being prejudiced against the fubject, and fhall obferve upon it, that the meaning of the apoftle in this and other fimilar paffages, is fully comprehended in one or more of the following particulars (1) That he came not to the Corinthians with an artful delufive eloquence, fuch as the fophifts of these days made ufe of to varnifh over their foolish fentiments. (2) That he came not to show his fkill in fpeaking for and against any thing, as many of them did, not to discover or communicate truth, but to display their own talents. (3) That the truths he had to communicate needed no ornaments to fet them off, and were not by any means adapted to the proud fpirit of the world: and, (4) that he would use the greatest felf-denial, and not by any means attempt to recommend himself as a man of ability and

learning, but content himself with the humble and fimple doctrine of the crofs. And the truth is, after the highest improvement in the art of fpeaking, there muft be the greatest reserve and self denial in the use of it, otherwife it will defeat its own purpose. Rhetoricians do ufually give it among the very precepts of the art, to appear to be in earneft, and to have the fubject or the intereft of the audience at heart, and not their own fame; and this can never be attained to fo great perfection as when there is the humility of a true disciple, and the dif interested zeal of a faithful minifter of Chrift. That this is not contrary to the most diligent application for the improvement of our powers is manifeft in itself, and appears from the many exhortations of the fame apostle to his young difciples, Timothy and Titus, 1 Tim. iv. 13. "till I come, give attendance," &c. and v. 15. "medi tate," &c.

No

I know not whether any apology is neceffary for my undertaking to speak on this fubject, or the manner of treating it. Some may expect that difcourfes on eloquence fhould be diftinguished examples of the art of which they treat. Such may juft be pleased to observe, that a cool, plain, and fimple manner of fpeaking, is ne ceffary in teaching this, as well as every other art. doubt, a juftness and precision of expreffion, will be of great benefit in these discourses, but there will be no need of that high and complete polish, that might be expected in what is prepared for publication. Nor would the fame brevity and concifenefs be any advantage to dif courses once delivered, that would be reckoned a beauty in what is in every body's hands, and therefore may be often read.

Before entering on the ftrict and methodical difcuffion of the subject, I have commonly begun the courfe by two or three preliminary difcourfes, containing fuch general ob servations as may be moft intelligible, and may ferve to prepare the way for what fhall be afterwards introduced.

The fubject of the first preliminary discourse shall be the following question; whether does art or nature, con tribute moft to the production of a complete orator?

This is a question often afked, and many things have been faid upon it; yet to difcufs it as a matter of controverfy, and adduce the arguments on each fide, in order to a decifion in favor of the one, and prejudice of the other, I take to be of very little confequence, or rather improper and abfurd. It feems to be juft as if one fhould propofe an inquiry, whether the foil, the climate, or the culture, contributes moft to the production of the crop? Therefore, instead of treating the question as if one fide of it were true, and the other falfe, I fhall make a few obfervations on the mutual influence of nature and art, in order to your forming juft apprehenfions of the subject, and to direct you in your future conduct and ftudies.

1. Some degree of natural capacity is evidently neceffary to the inftruction or ftudy of this art, in order to produce any effect. A fkilful laborer may fubdue a very ftubborn, or meliorate a very poor foil; but when there is no foil at all, as on a bare and folid rock, his labor; would be impoffible or fruitless. There must therefore doubtless be fome capacity, in general, and even fome turn for this very branch of knowledge. In this fense it is true of every other art, as well as oratory, a man must be born to it.

There are fome fo deftitute of oratorical powers, that nothing can poffibly be made of them. It will be firange however, if this is not easily discovered by themselves, and if it does not make the study as unpleasant as it is difficult, fo that they will fpeedily give it over. I have known fome examples, but very few, of ministers, whose principal defect was mere barrennefs of invention. This is exceedingly rare, because the far greatest number of bad fpeakers have enough to say, such as it is, and generally the more abfurd and incoherent, the greater the abundance.

When speaking on this obfervation, I must make one remark, that a total want of capacity for one branch of fcience, is not inconfiftent even with a great capacity for We sometimes fee great mathematicians who make miferable orators. Nay it is reckoned by fome of

another.