between me and you, as your minister, seems now to be broken; as you are now entering into the world, and forming a distinct family, though somewhat incompletely; and as I have never had a fair opportunity, through a concurrence of different causes, of a more close conversation about religious matters with any of you, excepting one, (if that may be called an exception,) I would now set myself to write to you, and to say what appears right for me to mention on this occasion.

**

In the first place, attend each one of you with great seriousness, with great solemnity, to the affairs of your never dying souls. Think of them when transacting the common matters of life, and set yourselves more distinctly to do it in devout retirement. How important is closet religion! Do you all practise it? I would hope you do; I am sure you ought. **** Diligence is mentioned by Solomon, and justly celebrated by him, with reference to the things of this world; but, says the great Teacher of all, "labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you." (John vi, 27.) That is, to interpret the words in a consistence with Solomon, and indeed with other passages of the New Testament itself, labour not so earnestly, with such vehement concern of soul, for the meat that perisheth, the things of this world,—as for everlasting life.

We all

I have been lately repeating in your ears from the pulpit, the great things to which a soul must be brought in order to arrive at sacred peace, and a being brought under the reviving, consolatory, joyful declarations of forgiveness, and of future blessedness. Are you convinced, deeply convinced of sin? readily acknowledge we are sinners, but have you felt that bitter, afflictive sense of sin, that makes a Saviour's name precious, and gives the soul an affecting sense of the riches of pardoning mercy? Have you implored forgiveness through the blood of Jesus? "Without shedding of blood," one sacred writer says, "there is no remission;" and the epistle to the Romans speaks of faith in the blood of Jesus, when it speaks of our being to be justified by faith. (Rom. iii.) Are you not only made dead to sin, but "alive to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord ?" (Rom. vi, 11.) We must not only cease to do evil, we must learn to do well; live to the honour of God, and serve our generation according to the divine will in promoting religion among our fellow mortals, and busying ourselves in comforting the afflicted, relieving the oppressed, giving alms to the poor, and, in the language of the apostle, diligently following every good work. O the blessedness of a truly religious life! A life of consecration to God! Sweet inward peace of mind attends it; the love of good men, and the veneration even of many of the bad; and the sure preVOL. VIII.

13

sages of being laid in the grave amidst the affectionate, respectful tears of survivors. But from personal religion let me go on,

Secondly, to family conduct. O that you might be a religious family, and begin with God! It was with great pleasure that I looked on a youth, near forty years ago, of a considerable family at Norwich, that being left an orphan, with two brothers and two sisters, (he the middlemost,) under the care of a very sensible good old lady, whom they venerated as a parent to the end of her life, who was so deeply, graciously affected with a sense of religious matters, that, young as he was, at fifteen or sixteen, would kneel along with the rest, and lead the worship of God in the family with all the seriousness and engagement of heart of one advanced in life. Let the reading of the scriptures be regularly performed in your newly constituted family. How graceful the reading the word of life there daily! And O! what an addition to the pleasure would it be to me, to hear that the eldest brother, or the two in turns, the one one day, the other the next, would recommend themselves and those around them, to the divine care and blessing every day. When you two, my dear young friends, attended some private meetings in the vestry, you expected, I have been told, to have been called out to prayer among others of the young; I then declined it, as thinking it might be rather overwhelming to you so early in life; but as you are since grown in years, and I would hope in knowledge and grace, let social prayer (praying with others I mean) be no longer delayed. How good and how pleasant would it be for brothers and sisters thus to dwell together in unity: it would be like the fragrant and precious oil poured on the head of Aaron, and like the dews of the hot countries of the east. It would tend to make your living together more pleasant to yourselves, and it might be useful to servants, especially when adorned with a becoming life and conversation in other respects. Let these exercises be daily; they need not be long; they ought not to be tiresome to any. But more especially thus employ the hours of a Lord's day, in which you are not engaged in public worship, or obliged to attend the avocations, which in a country life will more or less break in upon you. These may be very much diminished by prudence and foresight, but some things of a worldly nature are unavoidable. By care, however, you may redeem a considerable portion of time for private and for family religion; make use of it for such purposes; for recollecting what you hear preached, for reading, for meditation, for self-examination, for prayer. Guard against common visits on that day, they are extremely dissipating; and let your walks, if you indulge yourself so far, be solitary, and like what has commonly been supposed to have been the case with Isaac, "who at eventide went

out," it is said in our translation, "to meditate." (Gen. xxiv, 63.) Another representation may be given in that'passage of the patriarch's life; but such devout solitary walks may undoubtedly be beneficial. If you walk in company, guard against every thing dissipating, and set God before your eyes; remember those days are holy, Jesus claims them as his own; "I was in the Spirit," says St. John, "on the Lord's day." (Rev. i, 10.)

If you can do it, labour to form friendships with the serious, and maintain religious converse with them; perhaps you may find such at W; may you add to their number! Reading also together, in a family way, when not devotional, may be highly useful as well as pleasing.

Lastly, for it is time to draw to a conclusion, let me earnestly recommend it to you all four, to be very tender and careful of a very aged, nearly blind grandmother. Respect to the aged in general is inculcated in the book of God; is particularly mentioned by Moses under a less perfect dispensatian. (Lev. xix, 32.) Affectionate respect, and great tenderness in consequence, must be particularly due toward those that have been instrumental in bringing us into life. Honouring parents is the first commandment dignified and recommended by a special promise, according to St. Paul. Sympathise with the weaknesses of old age, endeavour to soften those years, concerning which they` that arrive at them are obliged to say, "We have no pleasure in them." I know old age is apt to be discontented; but be not discouraged, let "patience have its perfect work," and continue tending her with affection, till God give her and you a release. Let there be no room for complaints of being slighted; do you all frequently go and speak to her, grandsons as well as granddaughters; spend a few minutes every now and then with her, and alleviate what you can the sorrows of declining life. Old age wants frequent supplies; mere set meals are not sufficient for them; many a little nicety, many a little preparation of liquid food, will be highly refreshing. I am yours, &c.

T. HARMER.

PULPIT ELOQUENCE.

OUR attention has been directed to this subject by one of our correspondents, for whom we entertain a high respect, and who has requested us to publish the observations of DR. BLAIR on this popular theme. We the more cheerfully comply with this request, because, in our opinion, no writer has treated the subject with greater candour and justice, while, at the same time, he has exemplified bis own rules in his own sermons. But while Blair is justly esteemed as a writer upon eloquence, and as composing his sermons according to the rules of the art he has so justly illustrated, we regret that we cannot recommend him as an example to the Christian preacher, on account of the soundness and

depth of his principles as an evangelical divine; for it seems to us, however much he might have excelled in that "gravity and warmth, which” he says, “form that character of preaching which the French call Onction," to be wanting in that holy anointing, of which St. John speaks, and which is the result of a thorough knowledge, a deep and genuine experience, of evangelical truth; a qualification this in a pulpit orator, which no human art can supply, no literary qualification can supersede, and which can only be acquired and maintained by an intimate and habitual communion with God, and the continual anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Possessing these primary and essential qualifications of a gospel minister, we may then bring to our aid all those human attainments and artificial helps which may be within our grasp, and make them subserve the great and important ends of our ministry.

LET us begin, says Dr. Blair, with considering the advantages, and disadvantages, which belong to this field of public speaking. The pulpit has plainly several advantages peculiar to itself. The dignity and importance of its subjects must be acknowledged superior to any other. They are such as ought to interest every one, and can be brought home to every man's heart; and such as admit, at the same time, both the highest embellishment in describing, and the greatest vehemence and warmth in enforcing them. The preacher has also great advantages in treating his subjects. He speaks not to one or a few judges, but to a large assembly. He is secure from all interruption. He is obliged to no replies, or extemporaneous efforts. He chooses his theme at leisure; and comes to the public with all the assistance which the most accurate premeditation can give him.

But, together with these advantages, there are also peculiar difficulties that attend the eloquence of the pulpit. The preacher, it is true, has no trouble in contending with an adversary; but then, debate and contention enliven the genius of men, and procure attention. The pulpit orator is, perhaps, in too quiet possession of his field. His subjects of discourse are, in themselves, noble and important; but they are subjects trite and familiar. They have, for ages, employed so many speakers, and so many pens; the public ear is so much accustomed to them, that it requires more than an ordinary power of genius to fix attention. Nothing within the reach of art is more difficult, than to bestow, on what is common, the grace of novelty. No sort of composition whatever is such a trial of skill, as where the merit of it lies wholly in the execution; not in giving any information that is new, not in convincing men of what they did not believe; but in dressing truths which they knew, and of which they were before convinced, in such colours as may most forcibly affect their imagination and heart. It is to be considered too, that the subject of the preacher generally confines him to abstract qualities, to virtues and vices: whereas, that of other popular speakers leads them to treat of persons, which is a subject that

commonly interests the hearers more, and takes faster hold of the imagination. The preacher's business is solely to make you detest the crime. The pleader's to make you detest the criminal. He describes a living person; and with more facility rouses your indignation. From these causes it comes to pass, that though we have a great number of moderately good preachers, we have, however, so few that are singularly eminent. We are still far from perfection in the art of preaching; and perhaps there are few things in which it is more difficult to excel. The object, however, is noble, and worthy, upon many accounts, of being pursued with zeal.

It may perhaps occur to some, that preaching is no proper subject of the art of eloquence. This, it may be said, belongs only to human studies and inventions; but the truths of religion, with the greater simplicity, and the less mixture of art they are set forth, are likely to prove the more successful. This objection would have weight, if eloquence were, as the persons who make such an objection commonly take it to be, an ostentatious and deceitful art, the study of words and of plausibility only, calculated to please and to tickle the ear. But against this idea of eloquence I have all along guarded. True eloquence is the art of placing truth in the most advantageous light for conviction and persuasion. This is what every good man who preaches the gospel, not only may, but ought to have at heart. It is most intimately connected with the success of his ministry; and were it needful, as assuredly it is not, to reason any farther on this head, we might refer to the discourses of the prophets and apostles, as models of the most sublime and persuasive eloquence, adapted both to the imagination and the passions of men.

An essential requisite in order to preach well, is to have a just, and at the same time, a fixed and habitual view of the end of preaching. For in no art can any man execute well, who has not a just idea of the end and object of that art. The end of all preaching is, to persuade men to become good. Every sermon, therefore, should be a persuasive oration. Not but that the preacher is to instruct and to teach, to reason and argue. All persuasion, as I showed formerly, is to be founded on conviction. The understanding must always be applied to in the first place, in order to make a lasting impression on the heart; and he who would work on men's passions, or influence their practice, without first giving them just principles, and enlightening their minds, is no better than a mere declaimer. He may raise transient emotions, or kindle a passing ardour; but can produce no solid or lasting effect. At the same time it must be remembered, that all the preacher's instructions are to be of the practical kind; and that persuasion must ever be his ultimate object. It is not to discuss some abstruse point that he ascends