tended to fhew, that most preachers followed a manner of preaching contrary to that of St. Auftin, by making too much use of human eloquence, which he thought improper for fermons. This preface had dazzled great numbers, and was very much applauded. But they were greatly astonished, when M. Arnaud's little treatife appeared, to find that almoft the whole preface was founded upon false principles, and reasonings. It may be of ufe, and agreeable at the fame time, to com. pare these two treatifes, by first reading the preface, in order to fee if we can find any fault in it; and then by examining the refutation, to fee whether it be just and folid, and fupported by found arguments.

The principle I have laid down from St. Auftin's rules, viz. that the Chriftian orator may, and even ought to ftrive to pleafe the auditor, must be kept within certain limits, and requires fome illuftration. Two defects must be avoided in preaching, the one confifts in taking too much pains about the ornaments and graces of difcourfe, and the other in neglecting them. Ifhall fay fomething of each.

FIRST DEFECT.

Taking too much pains about the Ornaments.

It is very blameable in a Chriftian orator, to endeavour more at pleasing than inftrufting his auditors; and to be more folicitous about words than things; to rely too much on his labour and preparation; to enervate the force of the truths he is denouncing, by a puerile affectation of bright thoughts; in a word, to adulterate and corrupt God's word, by a vicious mixture of trifling ornaments.

.

St. Jerom, whofe tafte for eloquence and the graces of difcourfes are well known, could not fuffer the

Nolo te declamatorem effe & rabulam, garulumque fine ratione,

....

Verba volvere, & celeritate di

cendi apud imperitum vulgus admirationem fui facere, indoctorum hominum eft. S. Hieron. Ep.ftol. ad Nepot.

Chriftian

Christian orator, (neglecting to inftruct himself and others in the very principles of religion) to employ himself only as a declaimer, to please people; nor that the auguft eloquence of the pulpit fhould degenerate into a vain parade of words, fit for nothing more than to gain a little trifling applaufe. St. Ambrofe was of the fame opinion, and would banish abfolutely that kind of embroidery from preaching, whofe only effect is to make thoughts more languid. Aufer mihi lenocinia fucumque verborum, quia folent enervare fententias. God tells us in Ezekiel, how much he detefted the unhappy difpofition of the Ifraelites, who, inftead of improving by the fad predictions of his prophet, and being alarmed by them to their advantage, went to hear him only for diverfion fake, as to a concert of mufic. How much would he have reproached the prophet himself, had he given occafion for fo fhameful an abuse, through any fault or neglect of his own, by endeavouring merely to gratify the ears of his auditors by a foft harmony and an empty found of words? This is the juft character of fermons, of which nothing remains but the unprofitable remembrance of the pleafure they gave when spoke.

A certain heathen complained, that in his time thefe light graces of ftile, which ought to be employed in fubjects of a lefs grave and serious nature, had done a kind of violence to good sense and reafon; and poffeffed themselves, as it were, by force, even of the fuits or caufes in which the lives and fortunes of men were debated. In ipfa capitis aut fortunarum pericula irripuit voluptas.

How much more ought this abufe to be condemned in religious difcourfes, in which the graveft and at the fame time the most awful fubjects are handled? In which it is intended, for instance, to humble and intimidate the finner in order to his falvation, by repre

Comment. 1. 8.

f Et es eis quafi carmen muficum, quod fuavi dulcique fono ca

nitur: & audiunt verba tua, & non faciunt. Ezek. xxxiii. 32. Quint. 1.4. c, 2.

fenting

fenting the horrors of death to be nearer him than perhaps he imagines; the cry of the blood of Chrift Jefus, which demands vengeance for having been fo long profaned; the anger of a juftly exafperated God, ready to fall upon his head; and hell open under his feet, in order to fwallow him up?

" Is a preacher excufable, amidst fuch great truths as thefe, to employ himself wholly on an empty pomp of elocution; to go in fearch of bright thoughts, to make his periods harmonious, and to crowd a fet of empty figures one upon the other? What becomes in the mean time of that grief and fadness which ought to pierce his foul whilst he is difcourfing on fuch fubjects, and which ought to make his whole difcourfe one continued groan, as it were? Might we not juftly be angry, fhould the preacher endeavour to difplay his genius, and had leifure to act the fine fpeaker, at a time when thunder and lightning only fhould appear, and the most lively and animated emotions of the foul?

SECOND FAULT.

The being too negligent of the Ornaments of Speech.

Another fault in preaching, much more common than the former, and of infinitely worfe confequence, is, the being too careless of the elocution; the not having a fufficient refpect for the auditory, the appearing before it without almost any preparation, the fpeaking extempore whatever occurs, frequently without order, choice or juftnefs; and by this affected negligence, to give the hearers a distaste and contempt for the word

"An quifquam tulerit reum in difcrimine capitis, decurrent bus periodis, quam lætiffimis locis fententiifque dicentem?... Quò fugerit interim dolor ille? Ubi lachrymæ fubftiterint? Unde fe in medium tam fecura obfervatio artium miferit? Non ab exordio ufque ad ultimam vocem continuus quidam gemitus, & idem triftitiæ I

vultus fervabitur? .... Commoveatur ne quifquam ejus fortuna, quem tumidum ac fui jactantem, & ambitiofum inftitorem eloquentiæ in ancipiti forte videat? Non imò oderit reum verba aucupantem, & anxium de fama ingenii, & cui effe diferto vacet. Quintil 1. II. C. I.

of

of God, which in itself is worthy of engaging the esteem and awe of mankind, and ought to be their fweeteft confolation, their moft folid glory.

་་

The aim and defign which every worthy preacher proposes in addreffing himself to Chriftians, is to perfuade, in order to incline them to virtue, and to give. them an abhorrence for vice;, but all do not employ the neceffary means to those great ends, nor ftudy to speak in a perfuafive manner. It is this forms the difference between good and bad preachers. w The latter, fays St. Austin, preach in a grofs, difagreeable and cold manner, obtusè, deformiter, frigidè, the former, with ingenuity, beauty and ftrength, acutè, ornatè, vehementer.

X

Ꮓ

y

The falvation of moft Chriftians, as well as their faith, depend on the word; but this word must be treated with art and skill, in order that the minds of people may be prepared to receive it. The ornament of fpeech is one of the means conducive to this purpose, and the reafon of it is very plain; viz. the auditor must not only hear what is fpoke, but hear it willingly volumus non folum intelligenter, verum etiam libenter audiri. Now how can he hear it willingly, unless he is induced by pleasure? Y Quis tenetur ut audiat, fi non dele&tetur? 2 Quis eum (oratorem) velit audire, nifi auditorem nonnulla etiam fuavitate detineat? But this ornament of fpeech is not incompatible with fimplicity; for this fimplicity muft not be grofs, tedious and diftafteful: Nolumus faftidire etiam quod fubmiffe dicimus. There is a medium between a far-fetched, florid, luminous, and a low, groveling, careless ftile: and it is the medium between these that fuits the preacher. Illa quoque eloquentia generis temperati apud eloquentem Ecclefiafticum, nec inornata relinquitur, nec indecenter ornatur.

b

...

z N. 56. a Ibid.

b N. 57.

Chriftians

Chriftians would know much more than they do, were they to frequent regularly their parish churches, which they are more indifpenfibly obliged to do than is generally imagined; and were fermons written and delivered as they ought to be, which is a duty no lefs incumbent on the preacher. What affliction, what grief must thofe feel, who have fome idea of the importance of this miniftry, to fee their churches gene rally empty, or very thin; especially if they are conscious that it is their cold, languid, tirefom, and often long-winded manner of fpeaking, which prevents their parishioners from coming to hear them? Hereby they are wanting in the most important duty of their function: they deceive the expectations of their hearers, who run eagerly in order to supply their neceffities, but are obliged to return empty. They degrade the word of God by their carelefs delivery, and cause it to be looked upon with contempt and distaste. They dishonour the Divine Majesty, whose ambaffsadors they are; and do not confider that should the envoy of an earthly monarch behave in this manner, he would be juftly looked upon by his fovereign as a prevaricator.

They are far from obferving the conduct of that Greek orator, who never spoke in public till he had duly prepared himself for it; and befought the Gods before he came out of his houfe, not to fuffer one word to fall from him unworthy of his auditors: or of that Roman orator, who though fo eminent, declares, that he never pleaded any caufe, till after he had taken all the pains requifite for that purpose. I dare not tranflate the words which Quintilian levels against that lawyer, who fhould be wanting in this duty, fo effential to his profeffion, but which is much

Legatione fung mur. * Pericles.

d Ad illam caufarum operam nunquam nifi paratus & meditatus accedo. L. 1. De leg. n. 12.

e Afferet ad dicendum cura

e

femper quantum plurimum poterit. Neque enim folùm negligentis, fed & mali, & in fufcepta caufa perfidi, ac proditoris eft, pejus agere quem poffit. Quint. 1.

12. C. 9.

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