revealed word of God. There is his commiffion to preach: there is the religion which he is to preach. He is to preach the Gofpel. He is to preach Jesus Christ, and him crucified. He is to unfold the great plan of falvation for fallen man through faith in the atoning blood of a Redeemer. He is to teach the indispensable neceffity of the renewal of the heart unto holiness through the fanctification of the Spirit of grace. The corner ftone on which he is to build is Jefus Chrift. On that corner stone he is to build, not hay and ftubble, but found and precious materials, materials which will endure the trial even of fire; pure and genuine Christianity, the unchangeable doctrines and commandments of the Son of God.

Again; the Chriftian Preacher is to preach the whole of the Gospel. He is to magnify the justice no lefs confpicuously than the mercy of Jehovah. He is to proclaim the eternal vengeance referved for the impenitent no less loudly than the glories prepared for the juftified fervants of Chrift, He is not to dwell chiefly upon doctrines to the neglect of practice; nor on practice to the difparagement of doctrines. He is to preach true doctrine as the ground-work of holy practice: and to inculcate holy

practice

practice as the effect of true doctrine. He is to labour to be the inftrument of enlightening the understanding, and also of purifying the heart. While he teaches that man is justified by faith alone, not by the deeds of the law; he is to convince his hearers that their hope will be vain, unless they add to their faith virtue, as its evidence and its fruit. How fhall the architect raise the palace, unless an immovable foundation. fhall first have been established? But how fhall the pile be completed, if year after year his mind be wholly abforbed in perfecting and difplaying the ftrength of the foundation? With his plummet and his fquare continually in his hand, he unremittingly proves every part of his work whether it refts on the foundation. To the foundation every apartment, even every ornament, of the structure has an ultimate and a difcernible reference. But he fails not to beftow distinct and due regard on the form, the proportion, and the purpose, of every apartment; on the nature and the position of every ornament. How fhall the preacher, like a wise master-builder, edify his hearers into a fpiritual koufe, a living and holy temple in the Lord (b); unless he founds it on the (b) Pet. ii. 5. 1 Cor. iii. 16, 17. Ephef. ii. 21.

appointed rock, even Jefus Chrift? And how shall the preacher, like a wise masterbuilder, prepare them to be an habitation of God through the Spirit (c); unless, while in every part of his labour of edification he inceffantly refers them to the fundamental doctrines of the Cross, and to those doctrines traces backward every motive, warning, admonition, and encouragement; he affigns feparate and adequate attention to every Christian grace, to every form of fin; unless he specifically developes the characteristic marks and customary bearings of each branch of duty and of tranfgreffion; the occafions on which the virtue is most needed and most difficult, the fin most frequent and most enfnaring; the delufions by which the range of the virtue will apparently be curtailed, and the pretences by which its obligation will be plaufibly undermined; the disguises under which the fin will veil itself, and the palliations by which it will extenuate the guilt of conceffion.

Farther: The Chriftian Preacher is zealously to allot an extraordinary measure of exertion to thofe branches of religion, whether doctrinal or practical, which he difcovers to be grossly misunderstood, or lightly (*) Eph. ii. 22.

regarded,

1

regarded, by many of his congregation. To all whom he is appointed to feed he is to give their portion of meat in due feason (d): and he is to diftribute fpiritual nutriment in a manner fuited to the ability which different individuals poffefs of digesting it, and to the need which they have of it; ftrong meat to the adult, milk to babes (e). Some of the doctrines which he inculcates as of the highest importance, fome of the practical duties which he describes as requifite marks of a real Chriftian, will be extremely unpalatable to numbers among those whom he addreffes. At the humbling picture which a faithful minifter cannot but draw of the utter weakness and corruption of human nature; at his delineation of the unwearied vigilance, of the purity of life, which he cannot but pronounce indifpenfable; pride, felf-righteousness, worldlymindedness, will affuredly take offence. At one period the Galatians were fo fondly attached to St. Paul, that the Apostle impreffively reprefents them as defirous, had it been poffible, to have plucked out their own eyes and given them unto him. Afterwards their fentiments were completely changed. They were alienated from the (d) Luke, xii. 42. (e) Hebr. v. 12. 14.

B 4

Apostle.

Apostle. They regarded him as their enemy. Why? St. Paul discloses the reason. The Galatians regarded him as an enemy because he told them the truth (ƒ). He spoke to them without disguife. He humoured not their prejudices. He declared that which was right, however unacceptable, however offenfive, he knew that the truth would prove to them. If to his own converts St. Paul himself could not preach the truth without giving offence; let not the faithful minifter of the present day hope that his discourses shall offend none. If he perceive that some are offended, what shall be his conduct? He shall pity them. He fhall pray for them. But he cannot change his course. He must persevere. He reads in the discontented eye of his auditor; “I

approve not thy doctrine: I relish not "thy strictness." He turns his ear to the voice of the Moft High: Son of man! I have made thee a watchman to the house of Ifrael: therefore hear the word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me. Speak My words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear (g). Is he to obey man or God? Is he to be a pleaser of men, or of God? He is to approve himself

(f) Gal. iv. 15, 16. (g) Ezek. ii. 7. iii. 17.

to