CHAP. VI.

Of Instruction by Preaching.

SECTION I

Wisdom better than Learning in the Pulpit.

TYRO is a young preacher just come from the schools of logic and divinity, and advanced to the pulpit; he was counted a smart youngster in the academy for analysing a proposition, and is full even to the brim with the terms of his art and learning. When he has read his text, after a short flourish of introduction, he tells you in how many senses the chief word is taken, first among Greek Heathen writers, and then in the New Testament; he cites all the chapters and verses exactly, and ens deavours to make you understand many a text before he comes to let you know fully what he means by his own.

He finds these things at large in the critics which he has consulted, where this sort of work is necessary and beautiful, and therefore he imagines it will become his sermon well. Then he informs you very learnedly of the various false expositions which have been given by divines and commentators on this part of scripture, and it may be the reasons of each of them too; and he refutes them with much zeal and contempt. Having thus cleared his way, he fixes upon the exposition which his judgment best approves, and dwells, generally, five or ten minutes upon the arguments to confirm it: and this he does not only in texts of darkness and dif ficulty, but even when scarce a child could doubt of his meaning.

This grammatical exercise being performed, he applies himself to his logic. The text is divided and subdivided into many little pieces; he points you precisely to the subject and predicate, brings you acquainted with the agent and the object, shews you all the properties and the accidents which attend it, and would fain make you understand the matter and the form of it as well as he does himself. When he has thus dcne, two-thirds of the hour is spent, and his hearers are quite tired; then he begins to draw near to his doctrine or grand theme of discourse, and having told the audience, with great formality and exactness, in what method he shall manage it, he names you one or two partieulars under the first general head; and by this time finds it necessary to add, He intended indeed to have been larger in the illustration of his subject, and he should have given you some reasons for the doctrine, but he is sorry that he is prevented: and then he designed also to have brought it down to the conscience of every man by a warm address, but his time being gone he must break 'off.' He hurries over a hint or two which should have been wrought up into exhortation or instruc tion, but all in great haste, and thus concludes his work. The obstinate and careless sinner goes away unawakened, unconvinced; and the mourning soul departs uncomforted: the unbeliever is not led to faith in the gospel, nor the immoral wretch to hate or forsake his iniquities: the hypocrite and the man of sincerity are both unedified, because the preacher had not time. In short, he hath finished his work, and hath done nothing.

When I hear this man preach, it brings to my remembrance the account which I have heard con cerning the Czar of Muscovy, the first time his army besieged a town in Livonia: he was then just come from his travels in Great Britain, where he and his ministers of state had learned the mathematics of an old acquaintance of mine: the Czar took great

care to begin the siege in form; he drew all the lines of circumvallation and contravallation according to the rules of art; but he was so tedious and so exact in these mathematical performances, that the season was spent, he was forced to break up the siege, and retire without any execution done upon the town.

Ergates is another sort of preacher, a workman that need not be ashamed: he had in his younger days but few of these learned vanities, and age and experience have now worn them all off. He preaches like a man who watches for our souls, as one that must give an account; he passes over lesser matters with speed, and pursues his great design, namely, to save himself and them that hear him, 1 Tim. iv. 16. and by following this advice of St. Paul, he happily complies with that great and natural rule of Horace, always to make haste towards the most valuable end:

Semper ad eventum festinat.

He never affects to choose a very obscure text, lest he should waste too much of the hour in explaining the literal sense of it: he reserves all those obscurities till they come in course at his seasons of public exposition. For it is his opinion, that preaching the gospel for the salvation of men carries in it a little. different idea from a learned and critical exposition of the difficult texts of scripture.

He knows well how to use his logic in his compositions; but he calls no part of the words by its logical name, if there be any vulgar name that answers it reading and meditation have furnished him with extensive views of his subject, and his own good sense hath taught him to give sufficient reasons for every thing he asserts; but he never uses one of them till a proof is needful. He is acquainted with the mistaken glosses of expositors, but he thinks it needless to acquaint his hearers

with them, unless there be evident danger that they might run into the same mistake. He understands very well what his subject is not, as well as what it is; but when he would explain it to you he never says, first, negatively, unless some remarkable error is at hand, and which his hearers may easily fall into, for want of such a caution.

Thus, in five or ten minutes at the most, he makes his way plain to the proposition or theme on which he designs to discourse; and being so wise as to know well what to say and what to leave out, he proportions every part of his work to his time; he enlarges a little upon the subject by way of illustration, till the truth becomes evident and intelligible to the weakest of his hearers; then he confirms the point with a few convincing arguments where the matter requires it, and makes haste to turn the doctrine into use and improvement. Thus the ignorant are instructed, and the growing Christians are established and improved: the stupid sinner is loudly awakened, and the mourning soul receives consolation: the 'unbeliever is led to trust in Christ and his Gospel, and the impertinent and immoral are convinced and softened, are melted and reformed. The inward voice of the holy Spirit joins with the voice of the minister; the good man and the hypocrite have their proper portions assigned them; and the work of the Lord prospers in his hand.

This is the usual course and manner of his ministry; this method being natural, plain, and easy, he casts many of his discourses into this form; but he is no slave to forms and methods of any kind he makes the nature of his subject, and the necessity of his hearers, the great rule to direct him in what method he shall choose in every sermon, that he may the better enlighten, convince, and persuade. Ergates well knows that where the subject itself is entirely practical, he has no need of the formality of long uses and exhortations: he knows that practice is

the chief design of doctrine; therefore he bestows most of his labour upon this part of his office, and intermingles much of the pathetic under every particular. Yet he wisely observes the special dan gers of his flock, and the errors of the times he lives in, and now and then (though very seldom) he thinks it necessary to spend almost a whole discourse in mere doctrinal articles.-Upon such an occasion he thinks it proper to take up a little larger part of his hour in explaining and confirming the sense of his text, and brings it down to the understanding of a child.

A: another time perhaps he particularly designs to entertain the few learned and polite among his auditors, and that with this view, that he may ingratiate his discourses with their ears, and may so far gratify their curiosity in this part of his sermon as to give an easier entrance for the more plain, necessary, and important parts of it into their hearts. Then he aims at, and he reaches the sublime, and furnishes out an entertainment for the finest taste; but he scarce ever finishes his sermon without compassion to the unlearned, and an address that may reach their consciences with words of salvation.

I have observed him sometimes, after a learned discourse, come down from the pulpit as a man ashamed and quite out of countenance he has blushed, and complained to his intimate friends, lest he should be thought to have preached himself, and not Christ Jesus his Lord: he has been ready to wish he had entertained the audience in a more unlearned manner, and on a more vulgar subject, lest the servants and the labourers and tradesmen there should reap no advantage to their souls, and the important hour of worship should be lost as to their improvement. Well he knows, and keeps it upon his heart, that the middle and the lower ranks of mankind, and people of unlettered character, make up the greater part of the assembly; therefore