in the course of their preaching happily answered the end. § 40. After all, rightly to divide the word of truth, with true wisdom, is a matter of no fmall difficulty; but if we carefully and diligently go about it, with a zeal for our Master's intereft, and sensible of our own infufficiency, asking wisdom of God, we know he giveth liberally, and will furely make us wife to win fouls, to the honour of his name, and our own rejoicing in the day of the Lord Jefus. To whom with the Father and Holy Spirit, that one God whom we adore, be paid the highest honours and praises to eternal ages. Amen. THE THE CHRISTIAN PREACHER, &c. - DISCOURSE IV. OF THE MOST USEFUL WAY OF PREACHING. § 1. Introduction. The fubject propofed. The fuppofed character of an useful preacher. § 2. Useful preaching requires that a minifter lay down, very frequently, the diftinguishing marks of the converted and unconverted, with plainnefs, and especially with juftness. § 3. Clearly diftinguish betwixt mere morality and true religion. § 4. Inftruct in, and exhort to the duty of felf-examination. 5. Shew the difference between what is legal, and what evangelical, in principle and practice. § 6. Shew men their native weakness, with the grace and ftrength of Chrift. §7. Thefe laft particulars further enforced. § 8. The neceffity, nature and progrefs of converfion. § 9. A minifter fhould take pains with his own heart and fermons, in order to bring finners to Chrift. 10. Inculcate the neceffity of prayer. § 11. Explain the gradual renewing of the mind. § 12. Reprefent the whole of chriftian faith and duty as amiable and attractive. § 13. Avoid prolixity in explaining the text, and haften to the application. §14. Use the most winning arguments to bring fouls to Chrift. § 15. Display the excellency of Chrift's person and grace. § 16. Infift on the love of Chrift. § 17. And fee that you love Chrift fervently yourself. § 18. Exprefs it not only in words, but also by correfpondent actions. § 19. Preach upon the duties of Jelf-denial and weanedness from the world. § 20. Recommend reading not only of the fcriptures, but alfo of other good books. § 21. And practife the fame for personal edification. § 22. Recommend converfe with growing, praying chriftians. § 23. Conclufion. A prayer. p.ཥྛ�..�2.�་་་་་་་་་་་ར་པར་ར་ར་ར་ § 1. IN answer to the question which you have proposed to me, viz. How a faithful minifter, who earnestly defires to fave and to edify the fouls of his hearers, to gain finners unto Chrift, and to inflame their hearts with a growing love to their Saviour, may best adapt his preaching to these excellent purpofes? I can only at prefent fuggeft a few things briefly; whereas, if I had more leisure, I fhould choose to write more copioufly on so weighty a subject. I must take it for granted that a minister, who fincerely defires and who is likely to do good by his preaching, is fuch a one, both in heart and life, as St. Paul describes, "Who holds faft the form of found words (or the pure apoftolic doctrine) which he has heard, in faith and love which is in Christ Jefus; and who keeps that good thing which has been committed to him by the Holy Ghoft, which dwelleth in him.”* § 2. It will not a little fubferve the good ends proposed in the question, for a minifter, very frequently, to lay down in his sermons the distinguishing marks and characters both of the converted, and of the unconverted, and that with all poffible plainnefs, that fo every one of his hearers may be able to judge of his own ftate, and may know to which of these two claffes he belongs. But then great care must be taken that those distinguishing characters are justly drawn for it may eafily happen, through a preacher's unfkilfulness in this affair, that the unconverted, on the one hand, may be deceived into a good opinion of their prefent ftate, and may grow thereupon more fecure and careless; and that fome converted perfons, on the other hand, may be un rea * 2 Tim. i. 13, 14. reasonably disquieted, and filled with groundless and fruitlefs fears. However, a prudent minifter, who has experienced a work of grace upon his own heart, will have no great difficulty fo to defcribe it to others, as fufficiently to guard against the mistakes on both fides; and to lead both the one and the other, by the unerring light of fcrip. ture, into the knowledge of the true ftate of their own fouls. § 3. For this purpose also let a minister carefully and clearly diftinguish, in his preaching, betwixt mére morality and true religion; betwixt the morally honeft man and the found believer, who, from a deep conviction of the depravity of his nature, and the errors of his life, has learned to hate fin from his heart, and lives by the faith of the Son of God. For it is hardly credible what multitudes of perfons there are, even in chriftian countries, where the gospel is publicly and faithfully preached, who, though they are wife enough in other matters, yet in this are grofsly ignorant, and thereby miferably deceive their own fouls, § 4. And, because this kind of felf-deceit is fo very common, it is highly neceffary for a minifter to inftruct his hearers, with all poffible plainness, in the duty of felf-examination; and very often to exhort them to it: as more especially to inquire, |