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PREFACE.

THE profeffed general defign of this publication is to afford to Students and young Ministers a portable, yet comprehensive Encheiridion; in which they will find the most important and interefting rules and directions that relate to preaching, confidered both as an art and a duty, reduced into perfpicuous method, with all the brevity which is confiftent with the nature of the subject.

The FIRST Difcourfe, On the Gift of Preaching, was originally published, about the middle of the laft century, by Bishop WILKINS, who was eminent as a man of general science, and still more fo as a devout chriftian and orthodox divine. His predilection for analysing all fubjects in a scholaftic manner, which was the too common fault of

his contemporaries, often operated unfavourably against the elegance and forcible effects of his writings. In the present abridgment, it is proposed to preserve all the advantage of method, while the forbidding stiffness of it is avoided. The principal things left out are a very complex. analysis of a body of divinity, and a large list of books, the greater part of which are obfolete. The former is, to almoft every reader of the prefent day, utterly useless, tending only to perplex. the thoughts without adequate profit; and the latter is fuperfeded by the appendix to this volume.*

The SECOND Difcourfe, Of preaching Chrift, and the THIRD, Of particular and experimental Preaching, were compofed by Mr. JOHN JENNINGS, who kept an academy at Kibworth, in Leicestershire, and who was the tutor of the celebrated Dr. DODDRIDGE. They were firft pub

lifhed

WILKINS'S Ecclefiaftes has been tranflated into the German Language, by Mr. HENRY ITTERSHAGEN, who has added notes of his own, and augmented the catalogue of authors, efpecially Expofitors of the fcriptures. Vid. Wolfii Biblioth. Heb. tom. ii. p. 289.

lished in 1723, with a recommendatory preface, by Dr. WATTS; and were foon after tranflated and published in the German language, by order of Dr. FRANCK, professor of divinity in the university of Hall, in Saxony. In Dr. WATTS'S preface are manifefted the fame fimplicity and good sense, piety and zeal, that so eminently distinguish his other productions. The pious reader will be gratified with it:

"When I fee a book well written for the inftruction of mankind, I always hope it will spread its good influence as far and wide as it finds readers. But when I meet with a valuable treatife, whose design is to improve the facred Skill of preaching, I am ready to perfuade myself, 'Surely this will become a more extensive benefit; and the good influences of it will reach as many whole assemblies of men as there are ministers who shall happen to read it.' For this reafon, I cannot but take a special fatisfaction in recommending these two difcourfes to the world; which, in my opinion, are founded upon the ge

neral

1

neral principles of christianity, and therefore invite the perufal of all, being written without the narrow spirit of a party. They feem to be calculated for the common good, nor have I observed any thing in them that can juftly give disgust, or awaken any reasonable refentment.

"It must be confeffed, without controverfy, that there are fome things, wherein several preachers of the present time have the advantage of our learned and pious fathers; but there are other excellencies in the fermons of the puritanical age, which I fhould rejoice to find more ftudiously revived and cultivated in our day. Among these, I know none of more eminent neceffity, glory and usefulness, than those two which are the subjects of this little book; I mean the evangelical turn of thought that should run through our miniftry, and the experimental way of difcourfe on practical fubjects.

"It hath been juftly observed, that where a great and universal neglect of preaching Chrift hath prevailed in a chriftian nation, it hath given a

fatal

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