attain to the true knowledge of God, nor confequently were able to inftruct others in the way of falvation, which was opened to them by a very different, tho' not inconfif tent method. *After that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleafed God by the foolishness of preaching to fave them that believe, by § preaching not in the inticing words of man's wisdom: for tho' the Greeks fought after wisdom, ingenious differtations, and fublime theories, the great Apoftle of the Gentiles, and his brethren, preached Christ crucified: not rejecting arguments, brought from profane fubjects to enforce their preaching; particularly, allufions to the games and other customs of the Greeks, (as is evident from the epistles of the former especially;) much less omitting to teach moral duties, as improved and taught by our Lord; but laying the foundation,

1 Cor. ch. i. v. zz.

1 Cor. ch. i.

§ 1 Cor. ch. ii. v. 4v. 22 and 23.

foundation, where God had laid the foundation of our falvation, on the death and fufferings of Christ Jefus. * Without this, a preacher may be a good orator, but he furely is not the true minister of Christ. Yet, as it is natural for the mind of man to go from one extreme to another, so it hath happened in this refpect; and contrary to common sense, contrary to the general tenour and almost every page of the gospel, fome, from their zeal to glory in the cross of Christ, and to magnify his grace, have fo preached him, as if they were preaching to mere machines, and fo as to render him in probable confequence the minifter of fin. From both extremes, the fober tho' pious principle of our Apoftle, will be the best prefervative: and as a juft regard for God will not allow his minifters to indulge, on every

E

* See Archbishop Seckers charges-first charge to the Clergy of the Diocese of Canterbury, page 235, and the third to ditto, page 299-See also his Sermons 1ft vol. 7th Sermon, page 150 and 151.

every occafion, in an oftentatious display of human learning, to the neglect of the momentous concerns of his express revelation; fo neither will it permit them to suppose, that he has promulgated a law inconfiftent with that which he has written in men's hearts, or with the reafon which he has given them to enable them to find out his ways. In oppofition to the enthusiasm of one party, or the felf fufficiency of the other, he will preach Chrift as he finds him revealed in the fcriptures: and in conformity to the folemn engagement, which he made before God at his ordination, he will preach him as the author and difpenfer of our pardon and fanctification, as well as the teacher of virtue; and principally on the motives therein contained, regardless of the fcorn and contempt of the world, should different doctrines and different modes of preaching prevail, having this awful declaration of his Saviour ever

.

fixed in his mind-* Whofoever shall be afhamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and finful generation, of him alfo fhall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with his holy Angels.

But however just and scriptural a man's opinions are, however rational and evangelical his preaching, there is still a principal thing wanting, without which, neither will profit him or the public in any valuable degree. Good fenfe and experience of mankind, could teach Pagan philosophy to require virtue in an orator; how much more ftrongly does Christianity require it in a preacher?-§ That those who teach should behave themselves holily, justly, and unblameably among them that believe? Now a conftant fenfe of God's prefence is the only fure and steady support of virtue in general, and of the feveral particular virtues which belong

* St. Mark, ch. viii, v. 38. § 1 Theffalonians, ch. ii. v. 10.

to the high calling of the minifter of Chrift: no other principle will either fufficiently lay the foundation, or direct and fupport us in the exercife of them. And firft, nothing but an ardent love of God will beget in us that zeal which will render us folicitous to promote his honour amongst men, or infpire us with that steady concern for the fouls of our brethren, which will make us really in earneft to fecure their falvation. Other motives will produce an outward regularity, the true form of godliness; but this, tho' abfolutely neceffary, will carry us but a little way in our undertaking, unless it be supported by the true power of it over our minds, which can spring only from a real faith and regard to God, as he is revealed to us by his fon Jefus Chrift: this, properly fixed in the heart, will teach us the true value of our profeffion, and, as it is in itself most honourable, as well as beneficial to mankind, will make us efteem it above all

worldly