These reasons appear to me to be well found.

they do not suppose too much; they suppose not any impracticable precision in the reward of merit, or any greater degree of disinterestedness, circumspection, and propriety in the

order. The professions of arms and of the law derive their lustre and esteem, not mere-ed, and they have this in their favour, that ly from their utility (which is a reason only to the few), but from the exalted place in the scale of civil life, which hath been wisely assigned to those who fill stations of power and eminence in these great departments. And bestowing of ecclesiastical preferment, than if this disposition of honours be approved in other kinds of public employment, why should not the credit and liberality of ours be upheld by the same expedient?

H

what actually takes place. They are, however, much strengthened, and our ecclesiastical constitution defended with yet greater success, when men of conspicuous and acknowledged Fourthly, rich and splendid situations in the merit are called to its superior stations: church have been justly regarded as prizes "when it goeth well with the righteous, the held out to invite persons of good hopes and city rejoiceth." When pious labours and exingenuous attainments to enter into its ser- emplary virtue, when distinguished learning, vice. The value of the prospect may be the or eminent utility, when long or arduous sersame, but the allurement is much greater, vices are repaid with affluence and dignity, where opulent shares are reserved to reward when a life of severe and well-directed applithe success of a few, than where, by a more cation to the studies of religion, when wasted equal partition of the fund, all indeed are com- spirits and declining health, are suffered to repetently provided for, but no one can raise pose in honourable leisure, the good and wise even his hopes beyond a penurious mediocrity applaud a constitution which has provided of subsistence and situation. It is certainly of such things for such men. consequence that young men of promising abi- Finally, let us reflect that these, after all, lities be encouraged to engage in the ministry are but secondary objects. Christ came not of the church; otherwise, our profession will to found an empire upon earth, or to invest be composed of the refuse of every other. None his church with temporal immunities. will be found content to stake the fortune of came "to seek and to save that which was lost;" their lives in this calling, but they whom slow to purify to himself from amidst the pollutions parts, personal defects, or a depressed condi- of a corrupt world, "a peculiar people, zea. tion of birth and education, preclude from ad- lous of good works." As far as our estab vancement in any other. The vocation in lishment conduces to forward and facilitate time comes to be thought mean and uncredit- these ends, so far we are sure it falls in with able-study languishes sacred erudition de- his design, and is sanctified by his authority. clines-not only the order is disgraced, but re. And whilst they who are intrusted with its ligion itself disparaged in such hands. Some government employ their cares, and the inof the most judicious and moderate of the pres-fluence of their stations, in judicious and unbyterian clergy have been known to lament remitting endeavours to enlarge the dominion this defect in their constitution. They see and of virtue and of Christianity over the hearts deplore the backwardness in youth of active and affections of mankind, whilst " by pureand well cultivated faculties, to enter into the ness, by knowledge," by the aids of learning, church, and their frequent resolutions to quit by the piety of their example, they labour to it. Again, if a gradation of orders be neces- inform the consciences and improve the morals sary to invite candidates into the profession, of the people committed to their charge, they it is still more so to excite diligence and emu- secure to themselves, and to the church in lation, to promote an attention to character which they preside, peace and permanency, re. and public opinion when they are in it; es- verence and support—what is infinitely more, pecially to guard against that sloth and ne- they "save their own souls;" they prepar gligence, into which men are apt to fall, who for the approach of that tremendous day, when are arrived too soon at the limits of their ex- Jesus Christ shall return again to the world pectations. We will not say, that the race is and to his church, at once the gracious realways to the swift, or the prize to the deserv-warder of the toils, and patience, and fidelity ing; but we have never known that age of the of his servants, and the strict avenger of abus church in which the advantage was not on the ed power and neglected duty.

side of learning and decency.

THE USE AND PROPRIETY OF LOCAL AND OCCASIONAL PREACHING

A CHARGE,

DELIVERED

TO THE CLERGY OF THE DIOCESE OF CARLISLE,

IN THE YEAR 1790.

SERMON IV.

THE USE AND PROPRIETY OF LOCAL AND OCCASIONAL
PREACHING.

Reverend Brethren,

THE late Archbishop Secker, whose memo- mined opposition to his reproof. He will imry is entitled to public respect, as on many pute your officiousness to personal enmity, to accounts, so especially for the judgment with party spirit, to the pleasure of triumphing over which he described, and the affecting serious. an adversary without interruption or reply, ness with which he recommended the duties to insult assuming the form of advice, or to of his profession, in one of his charges to the any motive rather than a conscientious solici clergy of his diocese, exhorts them to make tude for the amendment and salvation of your their sermons local." I have always consider-flock. And as the person himself seldom proed this advice as founded in a knowledge of fits by admonitions conveyed in this way, so human life, but as requiring, in its applica- are they equally useless, or perhaps noxious, tion, a more than ordinary exercise of Chris-to the rest of the assembly; for the moment tian prudence. Whilst I repeat therefore the the congregation discover to whom the chasrule itself, with great veneration for the au- tisement is directed, from that moment they thority by which it was delivered, I think it cease to apply any part of it to themselves. no unfit employment of the present opportunity, to enlarge so far upon its use and meaning, as to point out some of the instances in which it may be adopted, with the probability of making salutary impressions upon the minds of our bearers.

They are not edified, they are not affected on the contrary, they are diverted, by descrip. tions of which they see the design, and by in vectives of which they think they comprehend the aim. Some who would feel strongly the impropriety of gross and evident personalities, But, before I proceed, I would warn you, may yet hope to hit their mark by covert and and that with all the solemnity that can be-oblique allusions. Now of this scheme, ever long to any admonition of mine, against ren- when conducted with the greatest skill, it may dering your discourses, so local, as to be point-be observed, that the allusions must either be ed and levelled at particular persons in your perceived, or not. If they be not perceived, congregation. This species of address may they fail of the effect intended by them; if produce in the party for whom it is intended, they be, they are open to the objections which confusion perhaps and shame, but not with lie against more explicit and undissembled attheir proper fruits of penitcace and humility. tacks. Whenever we are conscious, in the Instead of which, these sensations will be ac- composition of our discourses, of a view to parcompanied with bitter resentment against the ticular characters in our congregation or pa preacher, and a kind of obstinate and deter-rish, we ought to take for granted that our

view will be understood. Those applications

Archbishop of Canterbury's Third Charge to his therefore, which, if they were direct, would Clergy. Abp. Seeker's Works, vol. iv. produce more bad emotions than good ones, it

folly. In the presence of the Pharisee he preached against hypocrisy: to the Sadducees he proved the resurrection of the dead. In like manner, of that known enmity which subsisted between the Jews and Samaritans, this faithful Teacher took no undue advantage, to make friends or proselytes of either. Upon the Jews he inculated a more comprehensive benevolence: with the Samaritan he defended the orthodoxy of the Jewish creed.

But I apprehend that I shall render my advice more intelligible, by exemplifying it in two or three instances, drawn from what appears to be the predominant disposition and religious character of this country, and of the present times.

is better to discard entirely from our sermons, that is to say, it is better to lay aside the design altogether, than to attempt to disguise it by a management which is generally detected, and which, if not seen through, defeats its purpose by its obscurity. The crimes then of individuals let us reserve for opportunities of private and seasonable expostulation. Happy is the clergyman who has the faculty of communicating advice and remonstrance with persuasion and effect, and the virtue to seize and improve every proper occasion of doing it; but in the pulpit, let private characters be no otherwise adverted to, than as they fall in with the delineations of sins and duties which our discourses must necessarily contain, and which, whilst they avoid personalities, can never be In many former ages of religion, the strong too close or circumstantial. For the same rea-propensity of men's minds was to over-value son that I think personal allusions reprehen- positive duties; which temper, when carried sible, I should condemn any, even the remot- to excess, not only multiplied unauthorized est, reference to party or political transactions rites and observances, not only laid an unwarand disputes. These are at all times unfit sub-rantable stress upon those which were prescribjects not only of discussion in the pulpit, but ed; but, what was worst of all, led min to exof hints and surmises. The Christian preach- | pect, that, by a punctual attention to the orer has no other province than that of religion dinances of religion, they could compound for and morality. He is seldom led out of his way a relaxation of its weighty and difficult duties by honourable motives, and, I think, never of personal purity and relative justice. This with a beneficial effect. was the depraved state of religion amongst Having premised this necessary caution, I the Jews when our Saviour appeared; and it return to the rule itself. By "local" ser- was the degeneracy, against which some of mons I would understand, what the reverend the most forcible of his admonitions, and the prelate who used the expression seems princi- severest of his reproofs, were directed. Yet, pally to have meant by it, sermons adapted to notwithstanding that Christ's own preaching, the particular state of thought and opinion as well as the plan and spirit of his religion, which we perceive to prevail in our congrega- were as adverse as possible to the exalting or tion. A careful attention to this circumstance over-valuing of positive institutions, the error is of the utmost importance, because, as it va- which had corrupted the old dispensation, reries, the same sermon may do a great deal of vived under the new; and revived with double good, none at all, or much harm. So that it force, insomuch as to transform Christianity is not the truth of what we are about to offer into a service more prolix and burdensome which alone we ought to consider, but whe- than the Jewish, and to ascribe an efficacy to ther the argument itself be likely to correct or certain religious performances, which, in a to promote the turn and bias of opinion to great measure, superseded the obligations of which we already perceive too strong a ten- substantial virtue. That age, however, with dency and inclination. Without this circum- us, is long since past. I fear there is room to spection, we may be found to have imitated the apprehend that we are falling into mistakes folly of the architect who placed his buttress of a contrary kind. Sadducees are more comon the wrong side. The more the column mon amongst us than Pharisees. We seem pressed, the more firm was its construction; disposed, not only to cast off the decent offiand the deeper its foundation, the more cer- ces, which the temperate piety of our church tainly it hastened the ruin of the fabric. I do hath enjoined, as aids of devotion, calls to renot mean that we should, upon any emergen-pentance, or instruments of improvement, but cy, advance what is not true; but that, out of to contemn and neglect, under the name of many truths, we should select those, the con forms and ceremonies, even those rites, which, sideration of which seems best suited to recti- forasmuch as they were ordained by the dify the dispositions of thought, that were pre-vine Founder of our religion, or by his inspirviously declining into error or extravagancy. ed messengers, and ordained with a view of For this model of preaching we may allege the their continuing in force through future genehighest of all possible authorities, the example rations, are entitled to be accounted parts of of our blessed Saviour himself. He always Christianity itself. In this situation of relihad in view the posture of mind of the per-gion, and of men's thoughts with respect of sons whom he addressed. He did not enter-it, he makes a bad choice of his subject, who tain the Pharisees with invectives against the discourses upon the futility of rites and ordiopen impiety of their Sadducean rivals; nor, on the other hand, did he sooth the Sadducee's ear with descriptions of Pharisaical pomp and

nances, upon their insignificancy when taken by themselves, or even who insists too frequently, and in terms too strong, upon their