winter, by his worthy son, Gotthilf Augustus Franck, who happily fills and adorns the same post in that university, and seems to be possessed of the same spirit of faith and love. It is now turned into English by my valuable friend Mr. David Jennings, the surviving brother of the author, who perfectly agreed with me in this sentiment, that it should be made public in our own language, and printed together with these two Discourses, as being eminently suited to promote the same design of an experimental and evangelical way of preaching; and I persuade myself, that every reader who could relish and approve what Mr. John Jennings has written on this subject, will be very well pleased and entertained with the perusal of this small Essay of that great man, Professor Franck, on the same argument: and may both be attended with divine success!"

"This is a book," says Mr. Orton *, speaking of the two Discourses and Letter recommended by Dr. Watts, "that deserves the serious atten

* Life of Dr. Doddridge, p. 13.

tion of every minister; and I have been informed, that at its first publication, two bishops of the Church of England, with an amiable candour, publicly recommended it to the pe rusal of their clergy, at their visitations."

The Fifth Discourse, On Rules of Conduct, has a more strict relation to preaching than the title seems at first to import, since it refers to the preacher's personal religion, his private studies, and public labours, no less than his conversation. It is an abridgment of the first part of Dr. Watts's "Humble Attempt towards the Revival of Practical Religion." In the preface to that publication, the author observes:

"The Exhortation to Ministers was composed at the request of my worthy friend and brother, Mr. John Oakes, and designed to have been delivered at his public ordination, in the congregation of Dissenting Protestants, at Cheshunt, in Hertfordshire, on November 12th, 1729. But the providence of God prevented me from fulfilling that service, by confining me to a bed of sickness on that day. In the composition of that Discourse, my thoughts ran out to four or five times the length of what

would have been sufficient for that service, so that I must have greatly contracted it in the delivery. But being much importuned, both by my reverend brother, who has perused far the greatest part of it, and by the congregation now under his care, to make it public, I have revised it with a larger view, and humbly hope that my younger brethren in the ministry may be, in some measure, excited and encouraged hereby, to do their part toward the revival of decaying piety."

The Sixth Discourse, On the Evil and Danger of neglecting the Souls of Men, has, till now, appeared in the form of a Sermon, by Dr. Doddridge, originally delivered as a devotional lecture to his pupils, and afterwards considerably enlarged no doubt, to a number of ministers assembled at Kettering, Northamptonshire, in Oct. 1741. Those parts of it alone, which appeared less adapted to answer the design of this publication, are omitted.

The Seventh Discourse, On the Composition of a Sermon, was written in French, by the great and good Mr. John Claude, who was minister

If

of the French Reformed Church at Charenton. In the year 1779, Mr. R. Robinson, of Cambridge, published an English translation of it, accompanied with a great number of Notes, resembling the contents of a common-place book of ecclesiastical history, anecdotes, divinity, preaching, &c. in 2 vols. 8vo. The present Discourse is an abridgment of these volumes. it should be thought singular how the substance of so large a work can be reduced to a compass comparatively so narrow, it should be ob served, that the Essay itself is, in French, but 330 pages of small 8vo, and about one half of that consists of diffuse exemplifications of texts, which are now inserted in a more compressed, and, to the student, a more advantageous form, in the Notes. And when it is understood that of the whole mass of Mr. Robinson's Notes those only are retained which are most valuable and relate to preaching, the reader will think the attempt very practicable. It should however be remembered, that the design of this abridgment is not to supersede the original volumes. of Mr. Robinson, or the later editions of Claude, by Mr. Simeon, but rather to promote the circulation of their chief excellencies.

The Appendix, directing to a proper Choice of Books for the Christian Preacher's Library, is not intended as a complete enumeration even of useful and valuable publications (which would require a large volume) but only of those works which the editor either best knows as ex. cellent, and can recommend with confidence; or else those which are worthy of regard on account of some peculiar circumstances. Many of the works of the last century, and some others, may never be reprinted, because too. voluminous, defective in style and composition, or for want of a patron; and yet may be of great utility on account of excellent properties.. On these, and similar accounts, several books are noticed, which otherwise would not have been; and, to obviate any danger which might arise from the insertion of books which have no. claim on universal commendation, the most pro-minent feature of an author's excellence is ge-. nerally pointed out, and occasionally a defect, by way of caution. It would have been more easy to enlarge the number of books, than it was to know where to stop; my design was not to form a volume, but an Appendix to a small one; not to furnish a sumptuous library, but to assist