enters into the Definition of an Orator; who can never fucceed but by a Fund of good Senfe, a Clearnefs of Judgment, and a Simplicity of Addrefs.

XXVIII.

Nothing was fo highly ferviceable to the Apoftles, in perfuading Men to believe the Gospel, as their own Strictnefs in practising it. Their Example was a powerful Instruction; and their Preaching derived more Strength from their Humility, Mortification, and Poverty, than from their Reasoning and Dif courfe. Indeed, Christianity can by no better Way convince Men of its divine Original, than by the Manners of those who propound and deliver it. A Preacher's Life ought to bear Testimony to the Truth of his Doctrine: His Behaviour, his Converfation, and all his Actions ought to be blameless and irreprovable. It was the Eloquence of our Lord and Capit fa. Saviour, First, to do what afterwards he taught. No Man can teach with Succefs, that does not practise his own Leffons. A Preacher who has nothing but Words to recommend himself and his Subject by, is always infipid; and though he should speak like an Oracle, his Reasonings will fcarce be allowed, when once his Morals are fufpected.

cere &

docere. A&t. 1.

XXIX.

XXIX.

Яa tuo.

Ovid.

One that preaches up great Strictness and Aufterity with too florid a Countenance, or too light an Air, does not eafily gain Pro- Ne vultu felytes to his Doctrine; because he gives Su- deftrue difpicion, that he does not follow it in his Pradice: His Face feems to refute his Arguments. The World was lately Witness to the ill Success of him, that with all his violent Endeavour of appearing fevere and terrible, was yet unable to make any Impreffion upon his Hearers by his Zeal and Tranfport, because the Rigours of his moral Precepts had not leffen'd the grofs Habit of his Body: Men were inclin'd to believe his Physiognomy rather than his Logick; these zealous Preachers would do well to confider, that 'tis ridiculous to affect Severity with an Air of Jollity and Pleasure. Not but the Multitude, whofe Apprehenfion is fo confin'd, are capable of being. impos'd upon; yet as to the external Part, they will not be deceiv'd, but will always judge-as they fee. 'Tis fometimes necessary to fay little, if one would perfuade much: For every Thing feems falfe from the Mouth of a Preacher that has the Character of amplifying. But, above all, it must be observ'd, that he who is at the fame time a Preacher, and a Tranfgreffor of the Law, is guilty of a double Offence, in not only being himself irregular, but in authorizing by his Example all the Irregularities of other Men.

*

Brut,

XXX.

'Impofui- The World is fo well fatisfied of the Truth mus popu- of our laft Reflection, that there are some 10, oratores Preachers who make it their common Artifice vifi fumus. Cic. in to impofe upon their Audience, and to appear quite other Men than what they are. The Morals which they preach, are usually as ftri&t and fevere, as thofe which they practise are loofe and compliant. And because they cannot fupport the facred Character of being Ministers of the Gospel, otherwife, than by edifying the People, they constrain themfelves to affume the outward Form of a rigorous Sanctity, when the Complacence they take in their prefent Liberties, will not fuffer them to put on the real Habit. But of all these pretended Zealots, who defire to diftinguifh themselves, only by their Threats and Terrors from the Pulpit, the most dangerous are the fantastick Enthufiafts, made up of great Prefumption and little Senfe; who entertain the People with chimerical Devotions, and vifionary Dreams; and without difcerning what is effential in Religion, and what is not fo, carry all Things to the last Extremities. I know there are fome that do this very honestly, and not out of Stratagem or Design: For having naturally a strong Imagination, and a weak Judgment, they are apt quite to mifconceive the Truths of the Gofpel. Thus inftead of being guided by the Understanding, they furrender to the abfolute Power of Fancy, which being once heated and tranfported, whatever is faid by Virtue of its Impreffion, must be alike extravagant. Preachers of this unhappy Character cannot

be

be too carefully avoided; because they may be the Authors of ftrange Disorder and Confufion among the People, the Women efpecially, by Reason of their natural Weakness: For the greater appearance of Rigor and Mortification any Preacher has, and the more transported he is in his Conduct, the more the Female Sex is wrapt in Admiration of him. This Irregularity, is but too common in our Age; as well as that other of a falfe and hypocritical Devotion; which has given Occafion to the paffing a juft Cenfure on those who would be known from other Men, by the peculiar Name and Profeffion of the Devout and Godly. But a Man can never be truly pious, that places his whole Character and Diftinction in appearing to be fo.

XXXI.

How many Preachers are there, that with their vehement Lectures of Reformation, fhock and confound their People, instead of amending them; and in the mean while utterly forget to correct their own Imperfections in the Pulpit. They study Fathers, Divinity, and Frons in Rhetorick, and every Thing that can makethem pluribus accomplish'd but themselves. Their ill Pronun-generibus ciation, their Mien, their Action, their Gefture, peccat. fo full of Indecency, and all that is difagreea- Infinitum ble in their Addrefs ftill continues; and by eft autem this Neglect of their Perfon, they very often in iis Mofpoil and defeat their other natural Advan- mentum, tages, which might have rendered them ufepoteft pla ful to the World, if they would have been at cere quod the Pains of a little polifhing. But how can they non decet. be fo careless of themselves, without betraying idem, H 4

more

Quint.

& nibil

more Unconcerned nefs for their Audience? Or what Deference will Men pay to their Dif courfe, when they pay Deference to no Man in their Behaviour? We read of an heathen Orator, that was wont to plead with a naked Plutarch Sword behind him, to cure him of an unin Demoft. feemly Motion that he had with his Shoulder: and our Preachers give themselves up to every Thing that is grating in their Manner, and every Thing that can prejudice, or disgust their Hearers, without the leaft Thought or Refle&tion.

Pradicatio

libus bu

tûs & vir

tutis.

XXXII.

There's nothing that a chriftian Preacher mea non in ought more induftriously to avoid, than what perfuafibi is fparkling in Expreffion, or even in Thought: mana fa his great Study fhould be, to speak always pientia clearly and unaffectedly. The Oratory of verbis, fed the Temple loves Purity, without hunting in oftenfi after Elegance, is more defirous of Strength one Spiri- than of Beauty; equally declines all grofs Negligence, and all ftudied Fineness, and 1 Cor. 2. ever takes more care what it Thinks, than how Facent it Speaks. It looks upon every Thing as falfe, fenfus in that is too glittering, and will not fubmit to oratione,in make ufe of it. That vain Affectation of Lanqua verba Laudantur. guage which corrupts the Purity and Sanctity Quint. of the Word of God, is in its Account, no Ad Græcos better than Profanenefs: It feeks no other are jubeo, Ornament of Difcourfe, but what is juft, and ut á fontibus potius plain, and natural: It much difdains the Hubauriant mour of studying the Spanish and Italian Serquàm ri mons, to cull out the Wit. Men lofe their vulos con- Time upon these Moderns, only because they Je&tentur. Cic. 1. are Strangers to the Antients; and hence they form a wrong Notion of this facred Elo

Acad.

quence,