favoured but for a very short interval with the ministry of Christ and his messengers; and if the death and resurrection of Jesus were afterwards published among them, it is more than probable, that these important facts were published only in a desultory and transient way. Nevertheless, the sinners of Capernaum were thought worthy of greater punishment than the sinners of Sodom. Hence we conclude, that if the sinners of London, Paris, Rome, and Geneva have hardened themselves against the truths of the gospel for a much longer continuance than the citizens of Capernaum were permitted to do, there is every reason to apprehend, that their sentence will not only be more dreadful than the sentence of Sodom, but abundantly less tolerable than that which was pronounced upon the inhabitants of Galilee.

6. While we consider the various proportions in which future punishment shall be administered to the wicked of different classes, we may turn to those remarkable expressions of St. Peter and St. Paul: "If after having escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them." 2 Peter ii. 20, 21. "If we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries." Heb. x. 26, 27. declarations assist us to discover the true ground of that apostolic exhortation with which we shall close this chapter: "Of some have compassion, making a difference; and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire." Jude 22, 23.

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From this last view of the subject, we may perceive into how dangerous an error those persons are fallen who presume to object against imitating the zeal of St. Paul.

CHAPTER X.

A FIFTH OBJECTION ANSWERED.

THE solidity of the preceding remarks may be acknowledged by many pastors, who will still excuse themselves from copying the example of St. Paul.

"It is unreasonable," they will say, "to require that we should preach the word of God, in season and out of season, as St. Paul once did, and as Timothy was afterwards exhorted to do. We find it, in this day, a matter of difficulty to prepare any public address, that may be either acceptable to the people, or honourable to ourselves."

To this objection we return the following replies :

1. He who spake as never man spake rejected the arts of our modern orators, delivering his discourses in a style of easy simplicity and unaffected zeal.

2. We do not find that St. Paul and the other apostles imposed upon themselves the troublesome servitude or penning down their discourses. And we are well assured

that when the seventy and the twelve were commissioned to publish the gospel, no directions of this nature were given in either case.

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3. St. Paul gives the following pastoral instructions to Timothy :-"Give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them. Take heed unto thyself, and to the doctrine; continue in them for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." 1 Tim. iv. 13-16. Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." 2 Tim. iv. 2. Now, had it ever entered into the mind of the apostle, that it would be proper for pastors to compose their sermons in the manner of rhetoricians, and to deliver them as public orators, he would most probably have given some intimation of this to his disciple. In such case, he would have held out to his pupil in divinity some instruc

tion of the following nature:-"O Timothy, my son, I have frequently commanded thee to labour in the work of the Lord according to my example; but as thou art not an apostle, properly so called, and hast not received the gift of languages, I advise thee to write over thy sermons as correctly as possible. And after this do not fail to rehearse them before a mirror, till thou art able to repeat them with freedom and grace; so that when thou art called upon public duty, thou mayest effectually secure the approbation of thine auditors. Furthermore: when thou art about to visit any distant churches, lay up in thy portmanteau the choicest of thy sermons; and wherever thou art, take care to have, at least, one discourse about thee; that thou mayest be prepared against any sudden emergency, and never appear unfurnished in the eyes of the people." The idea of such a passage in the epistles of St. Paul, whether public or private, is too absurd to be endured.

4. If advocates, after hastily considering a question of difficulty, are ready to plead the cause of their client before a court of judicature, can it be possible that, after several years of meditation and study, a minister should still be unprepared to plead the cause of piety before a plain assembly of his unlearned parishioners ?

5. When we are deeply interested in a subject of the last importance, do we think it necessary to draw up our arguments in an orderly manner upon paper, before we attempt to deliver our sentiments upon the matter in hand? Are not the love and penetration of a parent sufficient to dictate such advice as is suited to the different tempers and conditions of his children? After perceiving the house of our neighbour on fire, we do not withdraw to our closet to prepare a variety of affecting arguments, by way of engaging him to save both himself and his family from the flames. In such case, a lively conviction of our neighbour's danger, and an ardent desire to rescue him from it, afford us greater powers of natural eloquence than any rules of art can furnish us with.

6. Horace observes, that neither matter nor method will be wanting upon a well-digested subject:

Cui lecta potenter erit res,

Nec facundia deseret hunc, nec lucidus ordo.

With how much facility, then, may suitable expressions be expected to follow those animating sentiments which are inspired by an ardent love to God and man; especially when subjects of such universal concern are agitated as death and redemption, judgment and eternity! Upon such occasions, "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak;" "nor will the preacher be able to repeat a tenth part of the truths which God has communicated to him, while meditating upon his text.” Act of Synod, chap. xl. If malice can furnish those persons with an inexhaustible fund of conversation who delight in scandal, how much more may we suppose the charity of a pastor to furnish him with an inexhaustible fund of exhortation, instruction, and comfort!

7. It has been a plea with many ministers of the gospel, that they neglect to proclaim that gospel during six days in the week, lest they should be unprepared to address their parishioners with propriety upon the seventh. With teachers who are thus scrupulously tenacious of their own reputation, we may justly be allowed to reason in the following manner :-"To what purpose are all those oratorical appendages with which you are so studious to adorn your discourses? and who hath required' all 'this' useless labour 'at your hand?'" Isaiah i. 11, 12. If a servant, after being charged by his master with a message of the utmost importance, should betake himself to his chamber, and defer the execution of it day after day, would not such a delay be esteemed an unpardonable neglect? Or if he should attempt to apologize for the omission, by alleging that he had been busily engaged in learning to repeat with precision the message he had received, and to move upon his errand with dignity and grace, would not such an excuse be regarded as an instance of the highest presumption and folly? And can we imagine that our heavenly Master will overlook that neglect in his public messengers which would appear, in the conduct of a private domestic, so justly condemnable? 8. What advantage has accrued to the church by

renouncing the apostolic method of publishing the gospel? We have indolence and artifice, in the place of sincerity and vigilance. Those public discourses which were anciently the effects of conviction and zeal are now become the weekly exercises of learning and art. “We believe, and therefore speak," (2 Cor. iv. 13,) is an expression that has grown entirely obsolete among modern pastors; but nothing is more common among us than to say, “As we have sermons prepared upon a variety of subjects, we are ready to deliver them as opportunity offers."

9. Many inconveniences arise from that method of preaching which is generally adopted in the present day. While the physician of souls is labouring to compose a learned dissertation upon some plain passage of scripture, he has but little leisure to visit those languishing patients who need his immediate assistance. He thinks it sufficient to attend them every sabbath-day, in the place appointed for public duty; but he recollects not, that those to whom his counsel is peculiarly necessary are the very persons who refuse to meet him there. His unprofitable employments at home leave him no opportunity to go in pursuit of his wandering sheep. He meets them, it is true, at stated periods, in the common fold; but it is equally true that, during every successive interval, he discovers the coldest indifference with respect to their spiritual welfare. From this unbecoming conduct of many a minister, one would naturally imagine, that the flock were rather called to seek out their indolent pastor, than that he was purposely hired to pursue every straying sheep.

10. The most powerful nerve of the sacred ministry is ecclesiastical discipline: but this nerve is absolutely cut asunder by the method of which we now speak. When a pastor withdraws, fatigued, from his study, imagining that he has honourably acquitted himself, with regard to his people, he is too apt to neglect that vigilant inspection into families upon which the discipline of the church depends. Such a spiritual instructer may justly be compared to a vain-glorious pedagogue, who, after drawing up a copy, and adorning it for several days together with VOL. VI.

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