cufs the queftion of angelical appearances under human forms. Notwithstanding thefe brief explications, this is a text that must be difcuffed by way of observation.

Obferve, in general, when explication and obfervation meet in one text, you muft always explain the part that needs explaining, before you make any obfervations; for obfervations muft not be made till you have eftablished the fenfe plain and clear.

4. Sometimes an obfervation may be made by way of explication, as when you would infer fomething important from the meaning of an original term in the text. For example; Acts ii. 1. And when the day of Pentecoft was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

It will be proper here to explain and enforce the Greek word iμolupador, which is tranflated with one accord; for it fignifies, that they had the fame hope, the fame opinions, the fame judgment; and thus their unanimity is diftinguished froin an exterior and negative agreeinent, which confifts in a mere profeffion of having no different fentiments, and in not falling out; but this may proceed from negligence, ignorance, or fear of a tyrannical authority. The uniformity of which the church of Rome boafts, is of this kind; for, if they have no difputes and quarrels among them on religious matters (which, however, is not granted), it is owing to the ftupdiity and ignorance in which the people are kept, or to that indifference and negligence which the greateft part of that cominunity difcover towards religion, concerning which they feldom trouble themfelves; or to the fear of that tyrannical domination of their prelates, with which the conftitution of their church arins them. Now, confider fuch an uniformity how you will, it will appear a falfe peace. If ignorance or negligence produce it, it refembles the quiet of dead carcafies in a burying-ground, or the profound filence of night when all are afleep; and, if it be owing to fear, it is the ftillnefs of a galley-flave under the strokes of his officer, a mere fhadow of acquiefcence produced by timidity, and unworthy of the name of unanimity. The difciples of Jefus Chrift were not uniform in this fenfe:, but their unanimity was inward and pofitive; they were of one heart, and one foul. This explication, you perceive, is itself a very juft obfervation;

and

and there are very many paffages of Scripture which may be treated of in the fame manner.

5. Obfervations, for the most part, ought to be theological; that is to fay, they fhould belong to a fyftem of religion. Sometimes, indeed, we may make ufe of obfervations hiftorical, philofophical, and critical; but these thould be used sparingly and feldom, on neceffary occafions, and when they cannot well be avoided; and even then they ought to be pertinent, and not common, that they may be heard with fatisfaction. Make it a law to be generally very brief on obfervations of these kinds, and to inform your audience, that you only make them en pallant.

There are, I allow, fome cafes, in which obfervations remote from theology are neceffary to the elucidating of a text. When thefe happen, make your obfervations profeffedly, and explain and prove them. But, I repeat it again, in general, obfervations thould be purely theological; either fpeculative, which regard the myftcries of Christianity; or practical, which regard morality: for the pulpit was erected to inftruct the minds of men in reli gious fubjects, and not to gratify curiofity; to inflame the heart, and not to find play for imagination.

6. Obfervations thould not be propofed in fcholaftic style, nor in common-place guife. They fhould be seafoned with a fweet urbanity, accommodated to the capacities of the people, and adapted to the manners of good men. One of the beft expedients for this purpofe is a reduction of obfcure matters to a natural, popular, modern air. You can never attain this ability, unlets you acquire a habit of conceiving clearly of fubjects yourself, and of expreffing them in a free, familiar, eafy manner, remote from every thing forced and far-fetched. All long trains of arguments, all embarraffinents of divifions and fubdivifions, all metaphyfical inveftigations, which are moftly impertinent, and, like the fields, the cities, and

2

Acquire a habit of conceiving clearly of fubjects. 1. Conceive of things clearly and distinctly in their own natures. 2. Conceive of things completely in all their parts. 3. Conceive of things comprehenfively in all their properties and relations. 4. Conceive of things extensively in all their kinds. 5. Conceive of things orderly, or in proper method." Dr. Watts's Logic, chap. vi.

a

the

the houses, which we imagine in the clouds, the mere creatures of fancy, all thete thould be avoided.

7. Care, however, muft be taken to avoid the oppofite extreme, which confifts in making only poor, dry, fpiritlefs obfervations, frequently faid under pretence of avoiding fchool-divinity, and of fpeaking only popular things. Endeavour to think clearly, and try alfo to think nobly. Let your obfervations be replete with beauty, as well as propriety, the fruits of a fine fancy under the direction of a fober judgment. If you be inattentive to this article, you will pafs for a contemptible declaimer, of mean and fhallow capacity, exhaufting your feif and not edifying your hearers; a very ridiculous character!

To open more particularly fome fources of obfervations, remark every thing that may help you to think and facilitate invention. You may rife from fpecies to genus, or defcend from genus to fpecies. You may remark the different characters of a virtue commanded, or of a vice prohibited. You may enquire whether the fubject in question be relative to any other, or whether it do not fuppofe fomething not expreffed. You may reflect on the perfon fpeaking or acting, or on the condition of the perfon fpeaking or acting. You may obferve time, place, perfons addreffed, and fee whether there be any ufeful confiderations arifing from either. You You may confider the principles of a word or action, or the good or bad confequences that follow. You may attend to the end proposed in a speech or action, and fee if there be any thing remarkable in the manner of fpeaking or acting. You may compare words or actions with others fimilar, and remark the differences of words and actions on different occafions. You may oppofe words and actions to contrary words and actions, either by contrafting fpeakers or hearers. You may examine the foundations and caufes of words or actions, in order to develope 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 turnVOL. I. I

ing

ing your text on every fide, you may obtain various methods of elucidating it. I will give you examples of all.

I.

RISE FROM SPECIES TO GENUS .

Pfal. 1. 14. Sacrifice to God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the Moft High. In difcuffing this text, I would obferve first the terms Sacrifice 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 pricfthood was the higheft, for which reafon the ancient priefts 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 becaufe he gave them the priesthood, and because he, who had the priesthood, the altar, and the ceufer, had God for his portion, and, consequently could have no need of temporal things. This is, you fee, to rife from fpecies to genus; for the text does not speak of facrifice in general, but of the facrifice of praise in particular: yet, when thefe general confiderations are pertinent, they cannot fail of being well received.

II.

DESCEND FROM GENUS TO SPECIES.

An example may be taken from Pfal. cxxiii. 2. Behold! as the eyes of fervants look unto the hand of their

This is a topic peculiarly proper in an exordium.

mafters,

mafters, fo our eyes wait upon the Lord our God. Here you may aptly observe, in masters with regard to fervants, and in God with regard to us, three fenfes of the phrase. There is a hand of beneficence, a hand of protection or deliverance, and a hand of correction. A fervant expects favours from the hand of his mafter, not from that of a ftranger. He looks to him for protection and deliverance in threatening dangers, and refufes all help, except that of his mafter. He expects correction from hin` when he commits a fault, and, when corrected, humbles himfelf under his mafter'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 is general, and may very well be confidered by defcending from the genus to the fpecies, and by obferving the different occafions which we have for divine affiftance, and, confequently, the different affiftances 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 weaknefles of nature-the help of divine confolations, to fweeten the bitterness of our exercifes under diftreffing circumftances, and to give us courage to bear afflictions-the help of his mercy, to pardon our fins, and to reftore 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 ftrain the fubject; for that would make you look like a school-boy. The beft way is, to make only one general obfervation, and then to apply it to feveral particular fubjects, collecting all at laft into one general point of view.

1

III.

REMARK THE DIVERS CHARACTERS OF A VICE, WHICH IS FORBIDDEN, OR OF A VIRTUE, WHICH IS COMMANDED,

For example, 2 Theff. iii. 5. The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. Here I fhould defcribe the characters of true love to God;