I. A minister must labor publicly among his people, by preaching the gospel to them. He must labor in word and doctrine, as the expression is, 1 Tim. v. 17. Public teaching is an important part of his business, and more insisted on, in the instructions of Christ, and his inspired apostles, relating to a minister's duty, than any other. He enters into the sacred work with this charge; "Preach the word." 2 Tim. iv. 2. Elsewhere this is called, "preaching the gospel "-" preaching Christ ""preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ." If we attentively consider what is contained in doing this faithfully, we shall see the propriety of its being called laboring among a people. Great pains and industry are necessary.

Three things a faithful and judicious preacher must particularly attend to-The matter of his preaching-The manner of composing his discourses-And the method of delivering them.

1. He that would labor faithfully in word and doctrine, must take care that the matter of his preaching be good and useful. It must consist of the great doctrines and duties of our holy religion. These he must collect from the inspired writings. The whole of true religion; whatever is necessary to be believed and practiced, in order to salvation, is contained in the sacred oracles. These therefore he is bound "diligently to search," and study. He must endeavor, by comparing spiritual things with spiritual, to discover their genuine sense and meaning. He must guard against partiality and prepossession; he must give up his mind to the word of God, as to an infallible guide, being willing to follow it wherever it may lead him, though it should be to renounce several sentiments which he formerly entertained, or to admit some against which he might have been prejudiced. Every minister of the gospel should look upon that apostolical injunction to be binding upon him. "Take heed to thy doctrine." 1 Tim. iv. 16.-Particularly,

He must take heed that what he preaches be Scripture truth and duty, and nothing else. He may not dare to teach "for doctrines the commandments of men." Matt. xv. 9. He must "hold fast the form of sound words." 2 Tim. i. 13. “In doctrine" he must "show uncorruptness "-and "sound speech which cannot be condemned." Titus ii. 7. He must not follow, nor teach, cunningly devised fables, nor the rudiments and wisdom of this world; but endeavor to derive the instructions he gives to his people, from the only pure and uncorrupted source of truth, the holy Scriptures.

He must not only preach Scripture truth and duty, but the whole of it. He must endeavor to introduce into his discourses, in turn, all the doctrines and duties of our holy religion; and be able to appeal to his people, and say, as the apostle, "I have not

shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God: "—" I have kept back nothing that is profitable for you." Acts xx. 20, 27. All the truths of divine revelation may be, in some way useful; nor are any to be wholly neglected.

But still it is his duty to treat more frequently and more largely, upon those that are most weighty and important; most necessary to be understood and practically embraced, in order to salvation. The plainest are often the most useful and instructive: A minister must not therefore neglect them, nor his people disrelish them. We should not value some religious truths, for the same reason that many do several kinds of food, because they are rare and uncommon, and not because they are wholesome and nourishing. Nor should our discourses resemble those cabinets, which are stored with useless rarities and curiosities. Those doctrines and duties which are more eminently and immediately conducive to the glory of God, and to the conversion and edification of men, certainly ought to be most attended to and inculcated. Such, in general, are those that relate to Christ, and the method of our redemption and salvation by him: He is the main subject of gospel preaching, as all evangelical doctrines centre in him: The great apostle of the Gentiles esteemed him so; writing to the Corinthians, he said, "I determined not to know," i. e. not to teach and insist upon, "any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." 1 Cor. ii. 2. Ministers should consider their character, as "ambassadors for Christ," and therefore called to teach their people the Christian religion, and not heathen philosophy. They should insist much on the peculiar doctrines of the gospel. Such as our ruined, undone condition by sin-our inability to redeem and save ourselves—the wonderful love and grace of God, in providing a Saviour for us-the person and offices of this Saviour-his incarnation, when he was made flesh and dwelt among us-his holy life, in which he fulfilled all righteousnesshis heavenly doctrine, by which he taught the way of God in truth-bis astonishing miracles, by which he confirmed his divine mission-his sufferings and death, by which he made atonement for the sins of the world-his resurrection from the dead, by which he was declared to be the Son of God with power-his ascension into heaven-his intercession for us at the right hand of God-his second coming to judge the world-his dispensing everlasting rewards and punishments to the righteous and to the wicked. These are among the great doctrines of Christianity, which the ministers of Christ must frequently open, explain and apply.

They must endeavor also, to state the terms of our pardon and acceptance with God, in a clear and scriptural light. It must be their practice, as it was the apostle Paul's, to testify "repentance

toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ," as the grand conditions of the gospel covenant, (Acts xx. 21.) without the exercise of which, no person can secure an interest in Christ, or partake of the glorious benefits of his purchase. They must explain the great change of regeneration, and declare to their people, as our Saviour did to Nicodemus, that, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John iii. 3. They must teach them the necessity of the influences of the Holy Spirit in conversion; that it is his work to turn men from sin to God; but not in such a sense, as to exclude human endeavors, or justify the neglect of the means of grace. They should exhort them to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, from this consideration, that God works in them both. to will and to do. Phil. ii. 12. And they should endeavor to guard them against resting in any thing short of that new heart and new life, which constitute them real Christians.

It is incumbent on a preacher of the gospel, to explain all parts of the Christian temper, and all the articles of moral duty: And these he must urge and inculcate, not merely or principally by arguments founded in their natural fitness and reasonableness, but by gospel principles and motives. The duties of piety towards God; of righteousness and charity towards men; and of sobriety and temperance with regard to ourselves, must be frequently insisted upon. If, instead of these, he entertains his people with curious and doubtful questions; with metaphysical niceties; with philosophical speculations; with strifes about words, and the angry disputings of perverse minds; he treats them as a father would his child, if, "when he asked bread, he gave him a stone; and when he asked a fish, he gave him a serpent."-Further,

A faithful minister will endeavor to preach the truths of the gospel, in their due connection and harmony. There is, between the several doctrines and duties of Christianity, as well as between the liberal arts and sciences, a certain kindred, and chain of connection: This he should endeavor clearly to point out to his people. When he teaches them, that their salvation is wholly of grace, through the redemption which is in Christ; and that it is not by works of righteousness which they have done, but according to God's mercy, that he saveth them; (Titus iii. 5.) be should, at the same time, show them, that this grace of God, which bringeth salvation, obliges them to deny all ungodliness, and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously and godly in the world. Titus ii. 12, 13. When he declares it to them, as a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ, came into the world to save sinners, even the chief of them, (1 Tim. i. 15.) he should, at the same time, mention it as a faithful saying, and to be constantly affirmed, that they who have

believed in Christ, be careful to maintain good works. Titus iii. 8. He should show that the doctrines of grace, are doctrines according to godliness, 1 Tim. vi. 3; and not, as some have said, countenancing licentiousness; that the faith which is justifying, will produce good works; and that Christ is not made righteousness to any sinner for justification, to whom he is not also made sanctification, 1 Cor. i. 30.-Again,

The faithful preacher will endeavor, that the truths which he delivers be seasonable, and well timed. Their usefulness depends not a little upon this. "A word fitly spoken," in public preaching, as well as in private conversation, "is like apples of gold, in pictures of silver." Prov. xxv. 11. In order to determine the seasonableness of particular subjects, he must consider the present circumstances of his people, and the aspects of providence upon them. He must endeavor to assist them in a religious improvement of public calamities, and public favors; also of prosperous or adverse events in particular families; such as, instances of mortality sickness, and recovery from it-remarkable dangers and deliverances. By these, the attention of people to their spiritual concerns is often awakened, and their ear opened to receive instruction. Discourses, called occasional, are many times profitable ones. The judicious preacher will often deliver such.

Finally here. A minister of Christ should labor to accommodate the truths which he preaches, to the different characters, circumstances, and capacities of his hearers. He should remember, that the preached gospel is designed to awaken, convince and convert sinners, as well as to establish, comfort and build up saints. He must therefore labor to awaken secure sinners by the terrors of the law. He must cry aloud and not spare, lifting up his voice like a trumpet, to show them their transgressions and their sins, Isa. lviii. 1. He must warn them of their danger, and exhort them to "flee from the wrath to come." Thus he must sometimes be a son of thunder. At other times, when addressing to awakened, humbled souls, he must be a Barnabas, a son of consolation, displaying the riches of God's grace in Christ, who kindly invites weary and heavy-laden sinners, to come to him for rest, Matt. xi. 28. He must also apply himself to the delightful work of comforting the true children of God; by pointing them to the glorious benefits of the covenant of grace, in which they are interested; by explaining the "exceeding great and precious promises" of the gospel, that "with joy they may draw water out of these wells of salvation;" and by leading their thoughts forward to the heavenly inheritance, of which they are heirs. Hereby he should labor to excite them "to rejoice in the Lord always, and to walk worthy of Him who hath called them to his kingdom and glory."

He must also consider the different ages and capacities of his hearers, and "feed Christ's lambs," as well as "his sheep; " feed those with milk, that are young and tender; instruct them in the first and easy lessons of Christianity, as they are able to receive them; thus, in imitation of the great Shepherd, as it were, "gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom." Isa. xl. 11. He that would "approve himself to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, must endeavor thus to divide the word of truth, and give to every one his portion in due season." 2 Tim. ii. 15.

2. He that would labor faithfully in word and doctrine, must take pains to compose his sermons, as to method and style, in the most plain and instructive manner he can. An easy, clear and natural method of planning and dividing discourses, is very useful. A general, loose harangue upon a subject, without distinct heads and divisions, is not calculated to instruct an auditory, and seems not suitable for the pulpit. On the other hand; greatly multiplying the heads of a discourse, by divisions and subdivisions, may be apt to confuse the minds of the hearers, and so to prevent their edification. A due medium between these is most eligible.

The style also of his discourses will be attended to, by the accomplished preacher. That which is plain, familiar and scriptural, ought to be preferred, to great pomp and parade of words. At the same time, a slovenly, vulgar and incorrect way of communicating religious truths, ought carefully to be avoided. Metaphors and imagery, used with prudence and discretion, enliven and adorn a discourse, engage the attention of the hearers, and assist their memory. But a very free use even of beautiful metaphors, striking similes, and bold figures, is not to be indulged. They often please the fancy, without instructing the mind; and so become like painting upon glass, which, while it appears ornamental, obstructs the light, and so renders it less useful. Ministers should be ambitious to imitate, perhaps the best preacher, next to Him who was sent immediately from heaven, that ever labored in the gospel harvest: He, writing to the Corinthians, says; "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech, declaring unto you the testimony of God-My preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." 1 Cor. ii. 1, 4. The reason why the apostle used this plainness of speech, was his viewing himself a debtor to the ignorant and unlearned, as well as to others, Rom. i. 14. The same consideration should influence preachers, in the present day. They should endeavor to clothe the truths they deliver, in a neat, but not gay and splendid dress; in terms easy to be understood, and not above the lowest capacities.

3. A proper delivery and address, is an attainment not unworthy