a fine house, and opens to himself fine prospects : he wants you to see them, for he is sick of them himself. They thus draw you into their schemes. A man has got ten thousand pounds : you congratulate him on it, and that without any intimation of his danger or his responsibility. Now you may tell him in the pulpit that riches are nothing worth; but you will tell him this in vain, while you tell him out of it that they are. Lord Chesterfield says a man's character is degraded when HE IS TO BE HAD. A Minister ought never TO BE HAD. ON A MINISTER'S ENCOURAGING ANIMADVERSION ON HIMSELF. a a It is a serious inquiry for a Minister How FAR HE SHOULD ENCOURAGE ANIMADVERSION ON HIMSELF IN HIS HEARERS. He will encounter many ignorant and many censorious remarks, but he may gain much on the whole. He should lay down to himself a few principles. It is better that a Minister smart than mistake. It is better that a traveller meet a surly, impertinent fellow to direct him in his way, than lose his way. A Minister is so important in bis office, that, whatever others think of it, he should regard this and this only as the transaction for eternity. But a man may be labouring in the fire: he may be turning the world upside down, and yet be wrong. You say he must read his Bible. True! but he must use He must build his usefulness on this principle—if by ANY If the wheel hitches, let him, by any means, discover where it hitches. This principle is to be worked continually in his mind. He must labour to keep it up to a fine, keen edge. Let him never be a , lieve that his view of himself is sufficient. A merchant, sailing in quest of gain, is so intent on his object that he will take a hint from any man. If we had all the meaning to which we pretend in our pursuits, we should feel and act like him. A minister must lay it down also as a principle, that he will never sufficiently understand his own pride and ALL means. means. а self-love ; and that confidence in his own sense, which cleaves closely to every man. He must consider this as the general malady. Man is blind and obstinate poor and proud. This silly creature, through ignorance of this principle, will not only not hear a vulgar hearer, who animadverts on him; but he will scarcely listen to a superior man among his hearers. He attends to such a one, because it would be indecent not to attend. But he finds some excuse for himself in his own bosom. He reverences what is said very little, if at all. He strokes and flatters himself, and makes up the affair very well in his own mind. A Minister should consider how much more easily a weak man can read a wise man, than a wise man can read himself : and that for this reason-no man can see and hear himself. He is too much formed in his own habits--his family notions--his closet notions--to detect himself. He, who stands by and sees a game played, has vast advantages over the players. Besides, preachers err systematically-learnedly--scientifically. The simple hearer has an appeal to nature in his heart. He can often feel that his Minister is wrong, when he is not able to set him right. Dr. Manton, no doubt, thought he had preached well, and as became him, before the Lord Mayor; but he felt himself reproved and instructed, when a poor man pulled him by the sleeve, and told him he had understood nothing of his sermon : there was an appeal in this poor man's breast to nature : nature could not make any thing of the Doctor's learning. When Apelles took his stand behind his picture, he was a wise man : and he was a wise man too, when he altered the shoe on the hint of the cobler : the cobler, in his place, was to be heard. A minister should consider, too, that few will venture to speak to a public man. It is a rare thing to hear a man say-"Upon my word that thing, or your general manner , is defective or improper.". If a wise man " says this, he shows a regard, which the united stock of 66 a a five hundred flatterers will not equal. I would set down half the blunders of Ministers to their not listening to animadversion. I have heard it said--for the men, who would animadvert on us, talk among themselves, if we refuse to let them talk to us- I have heard it said, “Why don't you talk to him ???- Why don't I talk to him ! because he will not hear !!! Let him consider, moreover, that this aversion from reproof is not wise. This is a symptom of the disease. Why should he want this hushing up of the disorder ? This is a mark of a little mind. A great man can afford to lose : a little insignificant fellow is afraid of being snuffed out. A Minister mistakes who should refuse to read any anonymous letter. He may, perhaps, see nothing in them the first time; but, let him read them again and again. The writer raises his superstructure, probably, on a slight basis; yet there is generally some sort of occasion. If he points out but a small error, yet THAT is worth detecting, In the present habits of men, it is so difficult to get them to tell the naked truth, that a Minister should show a disposition to be corrected: he should show himself to be sensible of the want of it. He is not to encourage idle people : that could be productive of no possible good. These are some of the reasons for a Minister's encouragement, in a judicious manner, of animadversion on himself in his hearers. · Sometimes, however, a man will come who appears to be an impertinent man, independently of what he has to remark-a man who is evidently disposed to be troublesome. Such a man came to me, with—“Sir, you said such a thing that seemed to lean to the doctrine of universal redemption. Pray, Sir, may I speak a little with you on that subject ?" The manner of the man at once marked his character. He seemed to bring with him this kind of sentiment“I'll go and 66 66 set that man right. I'll call that man to account.' It was a sort of democratic insolence of mind. Instead of answering him as he expected, I treated him as a child. I turned it into an occasion of preaching a sermon to him :- Sir, do you come to instruct me, or to be instructed? Before we enter on a question which has exercised the greatest men, we want a preparedness of mind: want a deep humility—a teachableness -a spirit of dependence of which you seem to me to have but little." On the other hand, a man may come, quite as ignorant as the other, yet a simple character. I have distressed him. Though he cannot, perhaps, be made to understand what he inquires about-yet a Minister should say to himself, "Have I puzzled him? He is wounded, and he comes for help." A minister should remember that he is not always to act and speak authoritatively. He sits on his friend's chair, and his friend says his things to him with frankness. They may want, perhaps, a little decorum; but he should receive them in the most friendly and good-humoured way in the world. A thing strikes this man and that man: he may depend on it, that it has some foundation. But there are persons, whom a Minister should more than encourage to animadvert on him. He should employ them. He should explain himself to them. He does not merely want an account of his sermon, but he employs them on business. To such sensible persons, he will say "What serious judgment do you form of my preaching? Do tell me what sort of man I am." A Minister has to treat with another sort of hearers-uncandid men, and yet men of capacity: a sort of men, who are not now pleased, and then displeased. They spy a blot every where. He is likely to make a mistake with regard to such men :— "What signifies the opinion of that man? That man can never be pleased." True! that man cannot be pleased, but it |