pofe; and the multiplying of other examples would rather have diverted the Reader from his fubject than aided him in the profecution of it. There are indeed all the different kinds of difcuffion contained in the Skeletons. But inftead of illuftrating particular rules, they are all intended rather to illuftrate one general rule; namely, to fhew how texts may be treated in a natural manner. The Author has invariably propofed to himself three things as indifpenfably neceffary in every difcourfe; UNITY in the defign, PERSPICUITY in the arrangement, and SIMPLICITY in the diction". How they were It may perhaps be not unufeful to point compofed. out the manner in which thefe difcourfes are formed. As foon as the fubject is chofen, the firft enquiry is, What is the principal fcope and meaning of the text? Let us fuppofe, for inftance, that the text of the ninth Skeleton were the fubject. Upon examination, it appears to be a foliloquy of the Deity, expreffing what He had feen to be the workings of Ephraim's mind, and declaring the emotions which the fight of his penitent child had occafioned within his own bofom. Having afcertained this, nothing is to be introduced into any part of the difcourfe, which does not, in fome way or other; reflect light upon the main fubject. The next enquiry is, Of what parts does the text confift, or into what parts may it be moft eafily and naturally refolved? Here an obvious divifion occurs: it is evident that the text contains, 1ft, The reflections of a true penitent; and, 2dly, The reflections of God over him. This divifion being made, the difcuffion of the two parts must be undertaken in their order. But how fhall we elucidate the firft head? Shall we fay, that the penitent is roufed from his lethargy, humbled for his tranfgreffions, ftimulated to prayer? &c. &c. Such a diftribution would, doubtlefs, contain many useful truths; but they are truths which may be fpoken from a thousand other texts as well as this; and after they had It is not intended by " Simplicity of diction" that the language fhould never be figurative, or fublime: the language ought certainly to rife with the fubject, and should be on many occafions nervous and energetic: but fill, it is a vicious taste to be aiming at, what is called, fine language: the language fhould not elevate the fubject, but the fubject, it, been been fpoken, the people would ftill be left without any precife knowledge of the portion of Scripture which should have been opened to them. If the text did not contain any important matter, it would then be proper, and even neceffary, to enter in this general manner into the fubject: but if the text itfelf afford ample means of elucidating the point that is under difcuffion, it is always best to adhere to that. In order then to enter fully into the fubject, we examine more carefully, what are the particular reflections which God noticed in the penitent before us? And here we obferve a further difcrimination: the penitent's experience is delineated at two different periods; one in the beginning, and the other in the progrefs, of his repentance. This diftinction ferves to open an eafy method for arranging what shall be spoken. it Upon inveftigating ftill more accurately his expreffions, appears that he laments his paft incorrigiblenefs in the ways of fin, and, with an humble expreffion of his hope in God, implores converting grace. Soon afterwards, reflecting with a kind of joyful furprife upon the progrefs he has made, he thankfully afcribes the honour to God, through whofe illuminating and converting grace he has been enabled to make fuch attainments. This experience being not peculiar to Ephraim, but common to all true penitents, we illuftrate and confirm it by fuitable paffages of holy writ. A fimilar process is then pursued with respect to the fecond head: and when that is arranged and difcuffed in like manner, we proceed to the application. The nature of the application muft depend in fome measure on the fubject that has been difcuffed, and on the state of the congregation to whom it is addreffed. Where there are many who make a profeffion of godliness, it will be neceffary to pay fome attention to them, and to accommodate the fubject in part to their frate, in a way of conviction, confolation, encouragement, &c. But where the congregation is almoft entirely composed of perfons who are walking in "the broad way" of worldline's and indifference, it may be proper to fuit the application to them alone. In either cafe it may be done by inferences, or by addrefs to diftinct characters, or by a general address: but, for the most part, either of the former methods is preferable to the laft. As for the exordium, that is the B 4 laft laft part to be compofed; and Mr. Claude's directions for it cannot be improved. ..... Here then is an example of a difcourfe made on a text that affords an abundance of useful and important matter. But this is not the cafe in all texts: take the tenth, for inftances In that, the general fcope of the text is, to declare the value of the foul; the diftribution of it into its leading parts might be varied in many ways: but whatever distribution were adopted, one muft of neceflity fupply from one's own invention matter for the illuftration of it; because the text itself, though very important, does not limit one to any particular confiderations. By the adoption of fuch a plan as this, many good ends are attained: for not only is unity preferved, and a perfpicuity diffused through the whole, but a variety of ideas fuggeft themselves which would not otherwise occur to the mind an hackneyed way of treating texts will be avoided: the obfervations will be more appropriate: they will arife in a better order, and be introduced to more advantage: the attention of the audience will be fixed more on the word of God: their memories will be affifted: and the very reading of the text afterwards will bring to their minds much of what they have heard: befides, they will be more enabled to difcern beauties in the Scripture when they peruse it in their clofets. But it may be thought, that, on this plan, it will be always neceffary to ufe divifions. This, however, is by no means the cafe: every text drawn up after this manner, muft of neceffity have an unity of defign; and wherever that is, the divifions may be either mentioned or concealed, as the writer shall choofe. Let the fore-mentioned text in Jer. xxxi. be treated without any divifion at all; and the fame arrangement will ferve exactly as well as if the divifions were fpecified. It will ftand thus "A true penitent in the beginning of his repentance reflects on his incorrigiblenets in the ways of fin, and pleads with God to turn and convert his foul "When he has advanced a little in his repentance, he reflects with gratitude on the progrefs he has made, and he gives the glory of it to God "In fuch a ftate he is moft acceptable to God- his own vilènefs, God accounts no honours too great for him "He owns him as a pleafant child; expreffes his compaffionate regard for him, promifes to manifeft his mercy towards him, and grants him all that he himself can poffibly defire”— Diveft the tenth Skeleton alfo of its divifions, and it will be equally clear. "By the world' we are to understand pleasure, riches, and honour- "This, if contidered in itself, is vile; it, as effimated by the best judges, worthless "The Soul, on the contrary, if confidered in itself, is noble; and it, as estimated by the beft judges, invaluable--"Such being the difparity between the value of the world, and that of the foul, we cannot but fee what muft be the refult of a comparison between them-- "We fuppofe, for argument fake, that a man may poffefs the whole world, and that after having poffeffed it for awhile, he lofes his own foul what in the ilue would he be profited ? "Whether we enter generally or particularly into this fubject, the refult will be ftill the fame. Thefe two Skeletons are felected in order to exemplify this idea, 1ft, In a fubject where the whole matter is contained in the text; and, 2dly, In a fubject where nothing but the general idea is fuggefted: and if the Reader will give himself the trouble to examine, he will find that every one of the other Skeletons may, with equal eafe, be drawn out in the fame manner. This is a point of confiderable importance: for if the mind were neceffarily cramped and fettered by this method of compofition, it would be inexpedient to adopt it. But it is manifeft that it leaves the mind at moft perfect liberty: and while many advantages arife from it, there is no room at all for the principal objection, which might at firft fight appear. to lie against it. But though thefe obfervations are made to fhew that difcourfes might be formed from the Skeletous as easily without divifions as with them, it is not to be thought that the mention of the divifions is a matter of indifference: the minds of the generality are not capable of tracing the connexion and coherence of a difcourfe: their attention will flag; they will lofe much of what they hear; and have no clue whereby to recover it: whereas the mention of an eafy and natural divifion will relieve their minds, affift their memories, and enable them to mark, learn, and inwardly digeft" the word. 66 The manner If any ftudent, who has a view to the in which they miniftry, fhould choose to employ a part of fhould be used. his fabbath in perufing any of thefe compofitions, he would do well firft to get a clear view of the great outlines of the difcourfe, and then to confider, under each part, what is contained in the brackets; confulting, as he proceeds, the paffages of Scripture that are quoted. After this, if he will write over the whole, interweaving thofe paffages, or fuch parts of them as refer immediately to the fubject, adding only a few words here and there to connect the whole, he will find that every Skeleton will make a discourse, which, if read diftinctly, will occupy the space of nearly half an hour. In this way he may attain, without any great difficulty, a confiderable knowledge of the Scriptures, together with an habit of thinking clearly and connectedly on the principal doctrines contained in them. If any one, who has entered upon the facred office, fhould think them worthy of his attention, a different method of ufing them fhould be adopted. He, having finifhed his academical studies, has his time more at his own command; he fhould therefore make himfelf perfect mafter of the Skeleton before him, and then write in his own language, and according to his own conceptions, his views of the fubject: and he will find that "verba provifam rem non invita fequentur." It is proper however to observe, that those parts, which have only one mark-after them, need very little enlargement; whereas thofe which have three marks thould be more fully opened. A caution to be But there is one caution which requires attended to in peculiar attention. In the Skeletons many ufing them. paffages of the holy Scriptures are quoted, partly for the conviction of the Reader's own mind, and partly to furnish him with the proper materials for confirming his word. Thefe paffages, if they were all formally quoted, would make the fermon a mere rhapfody, a ftring of texts, that could not fail to weary and difguft the |