ing it now, and should die before another opportunity occurs, how shall I meet him at the bar of God? Possibly, some one of my constant hearers may die in the following week; and is there nothing I should wish to say to him before his departure? It may be that I myself may die before another Lord's day: this may be the last time that I shall ascend the pulpit; and have I no important testimony to leave with the people of my care?'

Secondly: Every sermon should contain a portion of the doctrine of salvation by the death of Christ.-If there be any meaning in the foregoing passages, this is emphatically called THE GOSPEL. A sermon, therefore, in which this doctrine has not a place, and I might add a prominent place, cannot be a gospel sermon. It may be ingenious, it may be eloquent: but a want of the doctrine of the cross is a defect which no pulpit excellence can supply.

Far be it from me to encourage that fastidious humour manifested by some hearers, who object to a sermon unless the cross of Christ be the immediate and direct topic of discourse. There is a a rich variety in the sacred writings, and so there ought to be in our ministrations. There are various important truths supposed, by this great doctrine; and these require to be illustrated and established. There are various branches pertaining to it, which require to be distinctly considered; various consequences arising from it, which require to be pointed out; various duties corresponding with it, which require to be inculcated; and various evils inimical to it, which may require to be exposed. All I mean to say is, that as there is a relation between these subjects and the doctrine of the cross, if we would introduce them in a truly evangelical manner, it requires to be in that relation. I may establish the moral character and government of God; the holiness, justice, goodness, and perpetual obligation of the law; the evil of sin; and the exposedness of the sinner to endless punishment: but if I have any other end in view than by convincing him of his lost condition, to make him feel the need of a Saviour, I cannot be said to have preached the gospel; nor is my reasoning, however forcible, likely to produce any good effect. I may be very pointed in pressing the practical parts of religion, and in reproving the sins of the times; but if I enforce the one, or inveigh against the oth

er, on any other than evangelical principles, I, in so doing, preach not the gospel. All scriptural preaching is practical: but when practice is enforced in opposition to doctrine, or even to the neglect of it, it becomes anti-scriptural. The apostolic precept runs thus: Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering AND Doctrine.

Thirdly: In preaching the gospel, we must not imitate the ORATOR, whose attention is taken up with his performance; but rather the HERALD, whose object is to publish, or proclaim, good tidings.— There is, in the one, an earnestness, a fulness of heart, a mind so interested in the subject as to be inattentive to other things, which is not in the other. We believe, and therefore speak. The emphatical meaning of the terms, xnpvoow, svayyshigw, to preach, and preach the gospel, is noticeable in the account given of the ministry of John the Baptist. The law and the prophets were until John; since that time the kingdom of God is PREACHED, and every man presseth into it. Moses and the prophets spake of things at a distance; but John did more than prophesy: his was the voice of one that CRIED; he announced the fulfilment of what had been foretold, proclaiming the Messiah as being among them, and his kingdom as at hand. He opened the door of salvation, and great numbers pressed in !

Fourthly Though the doctrine of reconciliation by the blood of Christ forms the ground-work of the gospel embassy, yet it belongs to the work of the ministry, not merely to declare that truth, but to accompany it with earnest calls, and pressing invitations to sinners to receive it, together with the most solemn warnings and threatenings to unbelivers who shall continue to reject it. The preaching of both John and Christ is, indeed, distinguished from the calls to repentance and faith which they addressed to their hearers, as being the ground on which they rested; but the latter were no less essential to their work than the former. John came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye, &c. After John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand-repent ye, and believe the gospel. And thus the apostles explain the ministry of reconciliation as

comprehending not only a declaration of the doctrine, but the persuading of men, beseeching them to be reconciled to God. 2 Cor. v. 18-20.

There is nothing in all this which clashes with the most entire dependance on the influence of the Holy Spirit, to give success to our ministry. Though we invite men, yet it is not on their pliability that we must rest our hopes, but on the power and promise of God. These are a part of the weapons of our warfare; but it is through God that they become mighty to the pulling down of strong holds.

Yours, &c.

LETTER III.

ON THE COMPOSITION OF A SERMON.

My dear Brother,

You have requested my thoughts on the composition of a sermon. There are several publications on this subject well worthy of your notice. If what I may offer have any peculiar claim to your attention, it will be on account of its familiarity.

The form, or manner, in which a sermon is composed and delivered is of some importance, inasmuch as it influences the attention, and renders the matter delivered more or less easy of being comprehended and retained.

In general, I do not think a minister of Jesus Christ should aim at fine composition for the pulpit. We ought to use sound speech and good sense but if we aspire after great elegance of expression, or become very exact in the formation of our periods, though we may amuse and please the ears of a few, we shall not profit the many, and consequently shall not answer the great end of our ministry. Illiterate hearers may be very poor judges of preaching; yet the effect which it produces upon them is the best criterion of its real excellence.

A considerable part of the ministerial gift consists in fruitfulness of invention; but that which greatly aids in the composition and delivery of a sermon is spirituality of mind. Without this, we shall get no good ourselves, and be likely to do but little good to others. The first thing, therefore, before we sit down to study, should be to draw near to God in prayer. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned.

When a passage of scripture is fixed on as the ground of a sermon, it is necessary to read it in connexion with the context, and endeavour by your own judgment to gain a clear idea of its genuine meaning. Having formed your own judgment, I would then advise you to consult expositors, who may threw additional light upon it, or give a different sense to it; and if the sense which they give appear to have evidence in its favour, you must relinquish your own. Be satisfied, at all events, that you have the mind of the Holy Spirit, before you proceed.

In the next place, having determined on the meaning of the text, it is necessary to examine the force of each word, or term of importance in it. This may be done by examining the use of the same terms in other places of scripture, by the help of a concordance : but here a good judgment of your own is required, that you may select a few out of the many parallel texts, which will really illustrate that on which you have fixed. Some of the worst sermons are made out of a concordance, being a mere collection of similar sounds, which, instead of throwing light upon the subject, only throw it into confusion.

The force of words or terms of importance may also be examined to great advantage by a judicious use of contrast. Place all the important terms of your text, one at a time, in contrast with other things; or examine to what ideas they stand opposed. For example, let your text be Psa. cxlv. 16. Thou openest thy hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. Begin with the term OPENEST. Thou openest thy hand. What an idea does this convey of the paternal goodness of the great Father of his creation. How opposite to the conduct of many of his creatures one to another, whose hands and hearts are shut! What an idea also does it convey of the ease with which the wants of the whole creation are supplied! Let me pause a moment, and think of their wants. What a quantity of vegetable and animal food is daily consumed in one town: what a quantity in a large city, like London: what a quantity in a nation in the whole world. But men do not compose a hundredth part of every living thing! O what innumerable wants throughout all animate nature; in the earth, in the air, in the waters! Whence comes their supply? Thou openest thy hand,