God towards us, and the advantages which we receive from his love: but also the duties to which The affociation of fuch irrelative ideas into one expreffion is arbitrary and licentious, and produces very bad effects both by leading off the attention from a subject, and by confounding it with other fubjects, which have nothing to do with it. Suppose a prayer to begin, O Lord, who didft form the crooked ferpent, blefs and direct the twelve judges! would not this mode of expreffion feem to convey a moft detestable idea of their Lordships and the law? or fuppofe a minifter before preaching to pray, Ọ thou, who didit create cattle, and creeping things, aflift me to preach thy word effectually to day! would not this look as if the worthy man thought himself a beetle or a beaft? In the examples above quoted, there is no relation at all between the ideas, I will add an example of a more frequent mistake, that is, an affociation of ideas irrelative in themselves, and that intermediate idea, which would relate them to each other implied. I'll take the first at hand. "Questionlesse, there cannot be a greater blemish unto the honour, dignity, worth, and credit of any Christian prince or potentate, of any Chriftian magiftrate, noble man, general, captain, prelate, maister, fuperiour, or the like, who fhould be pat ternes of temperance and fo. briety unto others, than for every infamous, swinish, riotous, prophane, and diffolute rorer, ruffian, gull-gallant, or pot-companion, every base and rafcal tapfter, pedler, tinker, cobler, hoftler, mechanick, clowne or footboy, to thrust their names into their pots, and to drink their healths." William Prynne's Healthes-fickneffe againft drinking healths, 1628. "There cannot be a greater blemish unto the dignity of the king than for a tinker to drink his health." Before this can be proved to be any blemish to his majesty some intermediate idea must be admitted to connect the tinker and the king, fome unworthy action on his majesty's part must be fuppofed: but as no fuch action can be fuppofed, it is abominable to infinuate it. Without it, however, there is no relation between the dignity of a prince and the diforders of his people, nor does the impropriety of their actions (fuppofing, what is not allowed, that it were an impropriety to drink the king's health) imply any defect in the character of the prince. The which we are bound as children of fuch a father. The fame may be faid of all thefe expreffions of fcripture, God is our God-we are his people-he is our portion-we are his heritage he is our mafter-we are his fervants he is our king-we are the fubjects of his kingdom-he is our prophet or teacher-we are his difciples--with many more of the fame kind. When we meet with fuch fingle and separate, they must be difcuffed in relation to one another, and this relation must be particularly confidered. Thus, when the kingdom of God, or of Jefus Chrift is fpoken of, all things relative to this kingdom must be confidered-as its laws-arms-throne-crown-fubjects-extent of dominion-palace where the king refides-&c. So when our mystical marriage with Jefus Christ is fpoken of, whether it be where he is called a bridegroom, or his church a bride; you should, after you have explained thefe expreffions, turn your attention to relative things-as the love of Jefus Chrift to us, which made him consent to this mystical marriage-the dowry, that we bring him, our fins and miferies-the communication, which he makes to us both of his name and and benefits-the reft, that he grants us in his houfe, changing our abode the banquet at his divine nuptials-the inviolable fidelity, which he requires of us-the right and power he acquires over us the defence and protection, which he engages to afford us-but, when these relative things are difcuffed, great care must be taken neither to infift on them too much; nor to defcend to mean ideas; nor even to treat of them one after another in form of a parallel: for nothing is more tiresome, than treating these apart, and one after another. They muft, then, be affociated together, a body compofed of many images must be formed, and the whole must be always animated with the fenfible, and the fpiritual. I think, a preacher ought to content himfelf with making one fingle obfervation, or, at the moft, two, in cafe the relative things are too numerous to be collected into one point of view. In fuch a cafe you must endeavour to reduce them to two claffes but in two different orders, and always make the difference preceptible, fo that it may not be faid, you have made two obfervations of what was naturally but one. (1) (1) Collect relative ideas into one point of view. The direct contrary is the practice of too many, whofe whole attention feems turned to the dividing, and fo diffipating, lofing, and, if I may speak fo, gaming away the fenfe of the text. No preachers are fo given to this method as they, who delight in an allegorical way of preaching. The damage done to religion by it is in V. OBSERVE credible. The fathers allegorized. Porphyry of old, and Woolton of late, with many others alike ill affected to the truth, took, or pretended to take, them at their word, and, by ruining their fenfe of a miracle, pretended to have ruined the real fenfe of the facred historians, who reported the miracles of Chrift; and they triumphed, as if they believ ed themfelves. Whence came v. OBSERVE WHETHER SOME THINGS BE NOT SUPPOSED, WHICH ARE NOT EXPRESSED. This is a fource of invention different from the former, for the former is confined to things really came all thefe mock triumphs? Whence come they ftill? Moft certainly from the unguarded irrelative affociations of ideas of fome expofitors. Give one the refurrection of Lazarus for his fubject, and he will preach concerning regene ration, becaufe regeneration is el/ewhere called a refurrection. Give him a leper, and he treats of a finner. Give him a handful of meal, or a crufe of oil, two young pigeons, a bunch of hyfiop, or a fcarlet line, and you may fit down, and prepare to hear him difcufs a whole body of divinity, although thefe articles are no other way related to his doctrine than as they ferve to illuftrate it. I will fubjoin an example -a reproof and a directi ΩΣΑΥ μη ελάσσων γινόμενΘ- ΟΥΤΩ πανίωκε ο θεG- τελει- διαμε νει πλήρης ων πασης δυναμεως και συνεσεως και σοφίας και αθανασίας και πανίων των· η δε σεληνη καλά μενα φθίνει, και δυνάμει αποθνήσκει εν τυπω εσα ανθρωπε επείία αναδεναίαι και αύξει εις δείμα της μελλέσης εσεσθαι ανατάσεως· ΤΩΣ και αι τρεις ημέραι των φωτήρων γεΓοιαι τυποι εισιν της τριαδα το Θεο και τα λοίς αύλες και της σοφίας αυτε τελαρίω δε τύπω εσιν ανθρωπο. Cæterum aftra hæc typum magni myfterii præ fe ferunt. Sol etenim Deum quodammodo repræfentat, Luna vero hominem. Ut fol multis (quod dicitur) parafangis antecedit lunam potentia et glo ria: fic Deus plurimum exgellit hominem. Ut fol plenus femper confpicitur, nec unquam diminuitur: fc Deus perpetuo perfectus exiftit, plenus potentia, intelle&tu, fapientia, immortalitate, et Lureliquis bonis omnibus. Las na fingulis menfibus occumbit, ejufque potentia emori tur, hominis conditionem of tendans: deinde regeneratur et (-89) ly relative but this fpeaks in general of things fuppofed, which have no relation to each other. For example, when we fpeak of a change, what they call the terminus a quo neceffarily fuppofes the terminus ad quem: and the terminus ad quem fuppofes the terminus a quo. (2) et augetur ad defignandam refurrectionem cunctorum futuram. Tres dies qui præ ceffere creationem duorum luminarium trinitatis myfterium facrofanétum repræfentant, viz. Deum, fermonem, fapientiam. Quartus dies typus eft hominus, &c.' Theoph. ad Autol. lib. ii. God the Father-God the word-God the fpirit-the four first days of the creation -the fun and the moonthe quick and the deadtime and eternity! did ever an ignorant lay-brother botch together fuch a Jofeph's coat as this Patriarch of Antioch has done? Le Clerc reproves such writers. "Certe (ethnici non exaudient) fatendum allegoricos interpretes fcripturae non immerito ab eo (i. e. Porphyrio) carpi. Neque hoc parum religioni olim nocuit, et etiamnum nocet." Ars Crit. tom. i. p. 2. J. i. c. 16. prope finem. ήσει Clement of Alexandria gives a proper word of advice. σε Παραβολην δε κύριε τις voει μη σοφα και επιτημων και αδαπων τον κύριον αυτ T8; 85W TOIVUV WIS O TOIMI, εσω δυνατο γνωσιν εξείπειν, ήλω VOL. II. A co σοφ εν διακρίσει λοίων, η ω Alex. Stromat lib. vi. et (2) Implication differs from relation. The chief ufe of this topick is illuftration. Hypothetical elucidation and ludration are very beautiful: but hypothetical reasoning, that is to fay, arguments grounded on fuppofition are inadmiffible in a fe vere investigation of truth. For example. "The Nonconformits are known by their canting notions of indwelling - nlightening-foul faving -heart-fupporting. Bp. Kennett's Regifter and Chron Dec. 1662. |