soever is not of faith, is sin;" and without examining the connexion, make this your doctrine, that, nothing is true obedience which does not result from a principle of faith. This false sense of the passage, the authority of Augustine made the classical one for a long period. Doubtless, this sentiment is taught in the Bible, and seems to be taught in this text; but examining the scope of the whole passage, you perceive the Apostle's affirmation to be simply this; "Whatsoever is done without a conviction of its lawfulness, is sinful; "a conclusion from his preceding remarks about conscientious scruples as to meats and drinks.

I have heard the text, Psalm xlix. 8, "The redemption of the soul is precious," &c.-made to furnish the doctrine, that "the salvation of man is procured at great expense; "—and this, illustrated by various topics, exhibiting the worth of the soul, and the love of God. This is all true;-and it is truth often taught in the Bible; but the primary, and obvious sense of the text, as the whole connexion shows, is overlooked, by a misunderstanding of the word soul, which in this place means the life of the body.-Cecil says, "The meaning of the Bible, is the Bible."

Dr. Blair's sermon on the duties belonging to middle age, has this text,-"When I became a man, I put away childish things." Was it then the design of the Apostle to inculcate the duties of the middle age? Not at all. He merely said, by way of illustration, that, as the scenes of full manhood surpass the feeble comprehension of a child; so the grand concerns of the heavenly state transcend our dark conceptions in this world. In the next verse, the same sentiment is expressed by another figure; "Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face." Every one perceives how absurd,

in this case, it would be to pass over the thing illustrated, and fix on the illustration, as a subject of discourse.

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I am aware that the best of men have sometimes taken great freedom with the plain meaning of the Bible, under the license of what they call accommodation. Thus Dr. from the words, Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward," preached on the doctrine of progressive sanctification. And the language poetically ascribed to Sisera's mother, waiting the return of her heathen son, Why is his chariot so long in coming?" has often been made to express the aspirations of a dying Saint, for the perfect vision of his Saviour. How much more appropriate, in the former case, is the simple language of the New Testament, "Grow in grace," and in the latter, "I desire to depart, and be with Christ."

It is not enough, that the chief sentiment of a sermon is true, nor that it is important, nor that it is contained in the Bible; it must be contained in the text, or properly deduced from it. There is, I admit, a justifiable accommodation, if you please to give it that name, where a scriptural declaration or precept, or fact, special and limited in its original application, is made the basis of general instruction. "Son of man, I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel," was an address to Ezekiel, as a minister of God in the ancient church. But there is no violence in considering the solemn charge to that prophet, as applicable to the ministers of the christian dispensation. "I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me," though spoken of the Jews, would be a proper text for a sermon, on the general subject of ingratitude. So a passage of sacred history, exhibiting the character or obligations of man, the perfections of God, or the principles of his

government, furnishes instruction, profitable and pertinent to men of whatever age or country.

6. The only remaining quality which I would recom mend in the choice of a text, is SIMPLICITY.

The importance of this is implied in the remarks already made: but it may be more apparent by some distinct illustrations.

The simplicity to which I refer, is violated, in the first place, by the choice of a text so obscure, as to require a long critical commentary to prepare the way for the subject. It is certainly not my design to condemn such critical remarks, as wholly inexpedient in the pulpit. The judicious exposition of a paragraph or chapter, at stated times, is an invaluable method of enlightening a congregation, as to the contents of the sacred oracles: and it is to be lamented that this ancient usage is so far fallen into desuetude, in the churches of modern christendom. But, in these exercises, the steps of a philological investigation, are by no means to be exhibited before common auditors. Much less is this proper in a sermon, where men should be called to contemplate an interesting subject, without having been first led through a chilling and perplexing maze of critical speculation. -On the same principle,

Simplicity is violated, in the second place, by the choice of a text which promises great efforts in the preacher. This is especially the case, with such passages as present images distinguished for vivacity and sublimity. Of this sort are the following; "He bowed the heavens also and came down, and darkness was under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub and did fly, yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind." "I beheld a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose presence the earth and the heavens fled away." How

ever grand or awful your subject may be, if you would not disappoint your hearers, introduce it with a simple text.1 Whenever this contains a figure, explain it, if necessary; and then, as a general rule, drop it, that you may confine your attention to the thought. It will seldom be proper to follow a figure through your sermon, and never to run it down, into a thousand fanciful points of resemblance.2

1 Note (7).

2 The Christian Observer, vol. v, 493, recommends what it calls the good old practice of announcing a text twice. When a text is very long, this may be inconvenient; when very short, unnecessary. It may be best, however, as a general rule, for the preacher to do this, in cases where he is aware that the hearers expect it. Probably

it would be well to do it, in all cases, where the text is of moderate length.

LECTURE V.

CHOICE OF SUBJECTS.-GENERAL PRINCIPLES.-FOUR

CLASSES OF SUBJECTS,

TORICAL, HORTATORY.

DOCTRINAL, ETHICAL, HIS

WE proceed now to consider the choice of subjects. In giving a brief survey of the pulpit, at different periods, I have already remarked, that this single article, the subjects of sermons, would furnish matter for a more complete history of preaching, than any which has been given to the world. Indeed, such is the influence of the pulpit on public sentiment, and such the reaction of public sentiment on the pulpit, that in the most important respects, the state of the church in any given period, may be determined from the prevalent strain of preaching, during that period.

Were we to make this principle the ground of a general estimate, and divide the history of the church since the Christian era into four periods, we might perabps denominate the first simple and evangelical; the second, allegorical and mystical; the third, controversial; and the fourth mixed. The first period may perhaps be considered as extending about to the time of Origen; the second, to the Reformation; the third to the commencement of the eighteenth century, and the last, to this time. It scarcely need be remarked, that this would be correct, only as a very general classification, admitting many exceptions in each period. The third, I denominate