haufting yourself and not edifying your hearers; a very ridiculous character! (7)

To open more particularly fome fources of obfervations, remark every thing, that may help you to think, and facilitate invention. You may rife from fpecies to genus, or defcend from genus to fpecies. You may remark the different characters of a virtue commanded, or of a vice prohibited. You may enquire whether the fubject in question be relative to any other, or whether it do not fuppofe fomething not expreffed. You may reflect on the perfon fpeaking or acting, or on the condition of the perion fpeaking or acting. You may obferve time, place, perfons addreffed, and fee whether there be any ufeful confiderations arifing from either. You inay confider the principles of a word or action, or the good or bad confequences, that follow. You may attend to the end propofed in a fpeech or action, and fee if there be any thing remarkable in the manner of speaking or acting. You may compare words or actions with

(7) Some declaimers make themfelves ridiculous by their obfervations. Thus one, Judges xiii. 22. Manoah faid unto his wife, We shall die: but his wife faid, If the Lord were pleased to kill us, be would not have shewed us all thefe things. Obf. 1. The gray mare is fometimes the beft horfe."

"Prov. vi. 9. Go to the ant tbou fluggard, confider her ways and be wife. Obf. 1. So rational doth this little creature appear, that, were I not a chriftian, I fhould in fome measure believe tranfmigration. Obf. 2. Had it pleafed

the Almighty to have put in thefe creatures an immortal foul, how righteously might they have gone to heaven, and we have been shut out. Obf. 3. What a great baby a worldling is, he is God's fool, the devil's pack horfe, and a drudge for hell." Humfrey's chriflian's great concern, Serm. 2.

Multitudes of examples lie at hand; but it would be mifery to transcribe such nonfenfe. It is not every man's part to think nobly; but furely all preachers fhould think juftly.

with others fimilar, and remark the differences of words and actions on different occafions. You may oppose words and actions to contrary words and actions, either by contrafting speakers or hearers. You may examine the foundations and causes of words or actions, in order to develop the truth or falsehood, equity or iniquity of them. You may sometimes make fuppofitions, refute objections, and diftinguish characters of grandeur, majefty, meannefs, infirmity, neceffity, utility, evidence, and fo on. You may advert to degrees of more or lefs, and to different interefts. may distinguish, define, divide, and, in a word, by turning your text on every fide, you may obtain various methods of elucidating it. I will give you examples of all. (8)

(8) Sources of obfervations. Dr. Watts fays, "Topicks, and common-places inform perfons of lower genius, and refresh the memories of others of fuperior parts: but, adds he, a man of moderate genius, who has made himfelf mafter of his theme, has feldom need to run knocking at the doors of all the topicks, that he may furnish himself with argument, or matter of fpeaking: and, indeed, it is only a man of fenfe and judgment, that can use commonplaces and topicks well; for, amongst the variety, he only knows what is fit to be left out, as well as what is fit to be spoken." Logic.

"Tafte, fays Mr. Rollin from the ancient orators, ferves in compofition to

You

I. RISE

It

guide and direct the underftanding. It makes use of the imagination without fubmitting to it, and keeps it always in fubjection. confults nature univerfally, follows it step by step, and is a faithful image of it. Referved and fparing in the midst of abundance and riches, it difpenfes the beauties and graces of discourse with temper and wisdom. It never fuffers itself to be dazzled with the falfe, how glit tering a figure foever it may make. It is equally offended with too much and too little, it knows precisely where to ftop, and cuts off without regret or mercy whatever exceeds the beautiful and perfect." Belles Lettres, vol. i,

I.

RISE FROM SPECIES TO GENUS.

Pfal. 1. 14. Sacrifice to God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the most High. In difcuffing this text, I would obferve first the terms, facrifice thanksgiving, and would elucidate them by going from the fpecies to the genus. The dignity of facrifice in general would lead me to obferve-that it is the immediate commerce of a creature with his God, an action, in which it is difficult to judge whether earth afcend to heaven, or heaven defcend to earth-that in almost all the other acts of religion the creature receives of his creator: but in this the creator receives of his creature-that the Lord of the universe, who needs nothing, and who eternally lives in a rich abundance, hath fuch a condefcenfion as to be willing to receive offerings at our hands-that, of all dignities, that of the priesthood was the higheft, for which reafon the ancient priests dwelt in the tabernacle, or temple of God that, when God divided Canaan among the children of Ifrael, each tribe had its portion except that of Levi, to which God affigned nothing. Why? because he loved them lefs? No, but because he gave them the priesthood, and because he, who had the priesthood, the altar, and the cenfer, had God for his portion, and confequently could have no need of temporal things. This is, you fee, to rife from fpecies to genus; for the text does not fpeak of facrifice in general: but of the facrifice of praise in particular; yet, when

thefe

thefe general confiderations are pertinent, they cannot fail of being well received. (9)

II.

DESCEND FROM GENUS TO SPECIES:

An example may be taken from Pfal. cxxiii. 37 Behold! as the eyes of fervants look unto the hand of their mafters, fo our eyes wait upon the Lord our God. (1) Here, you may aptly observe in masters