to rest satisfied if I have not transgressed the time many minutes.

"Your just critique, therefore, did not make me smile,' on account of your opinion that it was unfinished; and yet it did partly on account of the grounds upon which you chiefly think it unfinished, namely, that every sermon is unfinished which does not include a specification of the whole scheme of Gospel Salvation.'

،

"To this I would answer, God forbid that I should not be anxious to exalt THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN, and to advance from conviction to conversion and complete salvation, by an explicit statement of the truth, every one to whom I may be charged with the message of the great "glad tidings;" yet, still, with regard to the propriety and necessity of literally and invariably adhering to that rule in every sermon, I think it a questionable, if not impracticable thing.

“If, as in former times, there were less

preaching, and more frequent, more varied, more vital liturgical worshipping, less speculative curiosity, and more practical piety, there would be, instead of the present accumulation of three services into one at morning duty on the Sabbath, instead of the modern lazy orisons of the anciently reformed, but now degenerated church of England, whose early matins have actually progressed to so late an hour as ELEVEN before meridian! instead of these glaring symptoms of religion's wane in the habits of the CHURCH and people, there would be still the ancient, more salutary, and more scriptural * practice of morning and evening devotions distinct, besides the ONE noon-day SERMON, (which is appointed to be preached, accord

Compare Exod. xxix. 38, 39, with Mark, xv. 25, 33, 34. See also Ps. v. 3; Ps. lv. 17; Ps. lxxii. 15; Ps. cxli. 2; 1 Kings, xviii. 29; Acts, ii. 15; Acts, iii. 1; Acts, x. 3, 9, 30. From all which authorities it appears, that the several stated hours of Divine Service were, and ought to be, at NINE in the morning, TWELVE at noon, and THREE afternoon.

ing to the Rubric, at the time of the communion-service;) and, at that ONE noon-day occasion of hortatory or expository instruction, a preacher might and ought to have his full freedom of TIME duly to set forth and glorify that great gift of God to fallen man,

The Lamb that was slain,' in ONE ample and well-digested discourse. But, as a reverend brother (whose ministry you are accustomed to attend) observed to me the other day, Unless a clergyman has already a stock' of Sermons, it is impossible for any man to be prepared for the present ‘demand' for preaching, and such ' preaching as the times require.' No man is, or ever was sufficient for these things. extemporaneous preaching of Wesley and others to different congregations, and even the præter-human blessed exertions of the apostles themselves, (in times long prior to the invention of PRINTING, and the circulation of PRINTED BIBLES,) was quite another

The

thing. Time is requisite for study, and study for preaching; more time and more study than any one man has at his disposal

to meet the demand' above mentioned, supposing that his own natural powers are always at his disposal.

"Now, this being the case, when there is (as usually there is) a double and even a triple call upon a preacher's talent and function, it will follow, that either one, or both, or all of his endeavours must be inferior to what THE ONE would be: and it is actually impossible for finite abilities, statedly and continually on the stretch, and not miraculously aided, so to vary, and adapt, and render duly attractive, and (humanly speaking) duly effective in every discourse, that whole scheme (invaluable as it is) of Gospel salvation.

"I well know that this is the professed principle, and attempted practice of the denomination of clergy, distinctively styled Evan

gelical.' I have been acquainted with various denominations both of clergy and laity, while I profess to be a partisan of none, but largely of the NATIONAL ESTABLISHMENT, and only so far of that, as I do in conscience believe it to be a part and parcel of the UNIVERSAL ESTABLISHMENT of CHRIST; because I perceive that (men in general being so narrow-minded) each denomination inculcates, together with its peculiar tenets and precepts, its peculiar prejudices and faults also. The class of clergy, distinctively styled Evangelical,' have, according to my view of them, theirs, and herein this, of extraordinary or overmuch preaching, and additionally the sine qua non, whole scheme of salvation invariably (that is, laboriously, tautologously, and so injudiciously, uselessly, and even injuriously) set forth in every discourse.

6

"Instances of the ill effects of this practice

upon congregations I could adduce, having