in birth till Chrift be again formed in you." A Father does not make Orations to his children, but in a familiar way he fuits his inftructions to their particular flate of mind, fo as he judges will make the deepest impreffion.

I would not wifh young men fo to perfonate Fathers, as to put on an affected gravity, nor conceit to themselves greater authority than they really have. This would render them and their dif courses more ridiculous than reverend. But yet they fhould with a modeft and humble ferioufnefs, and boldnefs, fo addrefs themfelves to the confciences of men, that there may be perceived in them an hearty defire to do real fervice to God, and real good to the fouls of the hearers. Lively affections, and warmth of fpirit are much more fuitable to pious young Minifters than a grave formality. If you do not yet know how to fpeak to thofe who are older than you, as unto children, yet you may affectionately entreat them as fathers, as young Timothy was advised.

As for the opinions of men, you need not be any further con cerned, than with relation to the fruit of your labours, and the end of your preaching. Think often, that all you do is defigned to please and ferve the Great GOD. If you ftand before the mount of Holinefs, of what confideration is the dust of the bal◄ Fance! Let the words of vain critics pafs unregarded; only labour fincerely to approve yourfelves to God, and you will be alfo approved in good men's confciences.

3- My next advice is, that by Prayer and Meditation you would endeavour to have your hearts well affected with the matter you are to deliver. We believe and therefore fpeak, faid Paul of himself, and of other Minifters of Chrift. Endeavour you to be of that number.. It is the most likely way to affect the hearer, and the only way to difcharge the miniflerial duty of fetting forth the whole mind of God. God, in the Holy Scriptures, communicates to us his mind, not only in delivering truths, but with them he alfo expreffes fuitable affections, Thus, he gives us Promises, with an exprefs affection of Love. He threatens, with expreffions of difpleafure. Sin is mentioned with abhorrence; and duty with approbation. He therefore that fpeaks of these things without concern, does not fet forth the whole, yea fcarce half of the mind of God. And indeed this feems to be the great difference between Preaching and only Reading, in the Congregation of God. Bare reading cannot exprefs the affections, although the matter and perhaps the very words, are the fame.

Now because of the intimate connection of the Soul and the Body, there is great communication and influence to and from the affec sions, by the deportment of the outer man. Let me advife you, to avoid all extravagant tones in preaching. Do not begin your difcourfe leifurely, and then fpeak too quick in the clofe of each fentence. Give your hearers fome little time to weigh what you fay. Beware of impertinent repetition of words and fentences, which has a tendency to flatten the attention of the hearers; and

as

as you must pleafe, in order to edify, you must avoid every thing difagreeable in gefture, for although I would not wifh you to be nice, yet I would not have you to be flovenly in fo great a per

formance.

4. I advise you to lay the firefs of all your discourses on plain and pertinent texts of Scripture. I mean not a multitude of texts. But when fome are chofen moft agreeable to your subject, let them be explained as need may require; and always let the text in reference to the matter in hand, be especially taken notice of, and inculcated. The reafon is, becaufe men's confciences, (with which you have to do) is in their judgment fubjected to the Judgment of God. If you can therefore fix them by fome manifeft text of Scripture, it will hold them faft, as a mail driven in a fure place.

This may commonly be done, by first collecting most of the Scriptures relating to your fubject, and afterwards by referring each to its proper branch of your Sermon. Not firft laying down all your Heads, and then feeking Scriptures to confirm them. For then you would be apt to frain a text from its proper meaning. But first be furnished with Scriptures, and out of them draw your heads, which will of courfe be well confirmed by them.

5. Be diligent in hearing the moft pious, practical and experi, mental Preachers, and fuch as you fee do moft prevail with the hearts of men. Let not your youthful fancies carry you to hunt after notions for thefe without practical holinels, will turn to very fmall account.

True piety and heart-engagement to be the Lord's, are the great things. Thefe you fhould first receive yourselves and then tranf, mit them to others: And furely they are beft attained by hearing those fermons which favour the most of a fan&tified veffel. Words warmed with heavenly fire, will be of double advantage to you: As at one and the fame time, they will teach you how to live, and alfo how to preach. And fuch exemplary inftruction will, as to the effect, tranfcend all rules and directions. Talk not of one Preacher being fitter for Scholars, and another for grown Chrif tians. The way of Salvation is the fame, and a found word the more heartily handled, is the more profitable for them both. It is too fuperficial for Ministers to be taken with external modes or flourishes, or to diflike folid, wholefome, and favoury difcourfes on thefe very flight occafions. Mind the main defign before-mentioned; and then if you think that you fee fomething uncomely, you may at leaft learn this thereby, to avoid it yourlelves. Bus certainly there are workmen in our Ifrael who need not to be afhamed; fmiths to sharpen your goads, thereby to quicken the flock of Chrift; and to prepare your mattocks to labour in his Vineyard.

6. Let your difcourfe be moftly practical and experimental. Preach Chrift in all the riches of his Grace-in all the fulness and freenefs

freenefs of his Salvation. Let the people have no reft till they are brought to Chrift, and built up in him. Wrangling divin ty will but put your fpirits out of the comely Chriftian frame. You had better first feafon the people with truths which are of a more chriftian favour and relith. It is not only more easy, but abundantly more fafe, to lay the foundation in unquestioned truths : And of thefe, as to the manner of handling, be more fparing in the doctrinal than in the practical part: And refer, as much as you conveniently can, to the application; because you will gene rally find the deepeft attention when you come to the application. The old and ufeful method I would advife you to keep clofe to, and not to run into the new way without any obfervable method, wherein a torrent of words are poured like water over a mill-wheel and the continued unnatural flafh leaves no space for diftin&t obfervation. In the other honeft and ufeful way, more of the Chrif tian will appear, and not lefs of the man of sense. Your praise in the Gofpel will be more genuine, as good Chriftians than as great Scholars. For in that you are taught by the Holy God, you hall be inftruments in his hand of faving your own fouls and those who hear you. One thing more I would intimate; the proper place for conviction and reproof, will be, when you have explained and confirmed your do&trine. And remember always, to clofe your difcourfe with comfort and encouragement. Such laft impreffions will leave a good liking to the word, and will by hope quicken to refolution and endeavours, that are evangelical, and moft agreeable to the genius of men, who love rather to be drawn than driven.

7. Be well difpofed as to the prefent or the future difpenfations of Providence towards you. If temptations or allurements come, and fine offers of preferment shake your ftedfaftnefs; confider the vanity of thefe things, in comparifon with the holding of God's favour, and a clear unconfounded confcience. Confider the hardfhips, difficulties, and dangers, thof who have gone before you have paffed through, and praise God for the greater privileges which you enjoy. But if difficult circumftances fhould alfo pinch you, be not difcouraged, God will protect, and he will provide for you. But when, and where, and how, I know not. He knows beft, who knows all. Wait his pleasure. Never faw I the Righteous forfaken, faid David. "Diftreffed, yet not forfaken," faid Paul. Remember you have not yet been caft into prison, nor perhaps, deeply in debt; nor obliged to fell your books, or your houshold furniture, to buy bread for your wife and children. The more work and fervice you have, the more comfort you may take therein And as to temporal encouragements, you did not count much upon thefe when you entered upon this work. If you did, you must begin again, and not count fo much upon friends and favours, as upon enemies and injuries.

If you fay, "But we are not properly encouraged by our Fathers; they do not efteem or pay that regard to us, which we

think they ought." What you might expect, you best know. But this I know, perhaps, better than you. They do mind you, and are very thoughtful about a fucceffion of lively, faithful Minifters: Men deeply devoted to God, full of faith and the Holy Spirit, who may build up the Church when they rest from their labours. They carefully obferve you and your proceedings, and rejoice when they fee you truly ferious, zealous, and active, in your Master's work, and happily fuccefsful therein. Go forth at the door where Providence leads you, although it be but a strait one, and follow the call of God wherefoever it may be, and be faithful in a little and you fhall be made rulers over much, in due time. Modeft humility will expel high-mindednefs, and make you willing for any service that the Lord may call you to, upon any terms. It will make you candid interpreters of the carriage of others toward you, and will lead you to reflect upon your own unworthiness, rather than upon the mifbehaviour of others toward you. Thus, in meeknefs and lowlinefs of mind you may poffefs your fouls, avoiding the dangerous rocks which novices split upon, who are apt to be puffed up. You may enjoy much comfort and peace within, when you meet with little from without.

Thus out of pure love to you, and the bleffed work in which you are engaged, I offer thefe advices, with comfortable expectations of a happy iffue. And that this may be the cafe, I would recommend to your ferious confideration two particular Scriptures: The firft, a promife made to the Church," Upon this Rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell fhall not prevail against it;" and the fecond, a promife made to all faithful Minifters, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." From the first you learn, that God has taken his Church under his peculiar protection: And from the fecond, that the Minifters of Chrift fhall be favoured with his gracious prefence while they labour in his Vineyard. Let the hand of faith lay hold upon these precious promifes. Conftantly put the Loid in remembrance, by bringing them before him in prayer, whenever you are about to engage in his work. "If any man love me, faith our Lord, he will keep my word." Shew your love to Chrift then, by pleading thofe promises in prayer, and he will make good what he has fpoken, and will fhew himself well-pleafed with you, in that you remember his word. You will know, that after all your own endeavours to fit yourselves for your work, whether of reading, meditation, or prayer, (and the more of these the better) yet fill the presence of the Lord with you in the Pulpit, is infinitely beyond every thing befides. The Spirit of grace and fupplication will make you feryent in prayer, and wonderfully help you to fuitable expreffion. And the Light of God fhining upon your understanding, and the peace and the love of God flowing into your heart, will greatly enlarge your views of divine truth and enable you with advantage to publish the same,

Walk

Walk clofe with GOD then, and he will be ALL IN ALL to you; fo fhall you in due time finish your work with joy, and be for ever with the Lord.

MR

I am most affectionately, yours, &c.

Mr. BRUCE'S TRAVELS.

[Continued from page 95.]

R. BRUCE relates the following ridiculous custom in the Court of Abyffinia. "It is the conftant practice in Abyffinia to befet the king's doors and windows within his hearing, and there, from early morning to night, to cry for juftice as loud as poffible, in a diftreffed and complaining tone, and in all the different languages they are masters of, in order to their being admitted to have their fuppofed grievances heard. In a country fo ill governed as Abyflinia is, and fo perpetually involved in war, it may be eafily fuppofed there is no want of people, who have real injuries and violence to complain of: But if it were not fo, this is fo much the conftant ufuage, that when it happens (as in the midst of the rainy feafon) that few people can approach the capital, or fland without in fuch bad weather, a set of vagrants are provided, maintained and paid, whose fole business it is to cry and lament, as if they had been really very much injured and oppreffed; and this they tell you for the king's honour, that he may not be lonely by the palace being too quiet. This, of all their abfurd cuftoms, was the most grievous and trouble fome to me; and, from a knowledge that it was fo, the king, when he was pri vate, often permitted himself a piece of rather odd diverfion to be a royal one. There would fometimes, while I was bufy in my room in the rainy season, be four or five hundred people, who all at once would begin, fome roaring and crying, as if they were in pain, others demanding juftice, as if they were that moment fuf. fering, or if in the inftant to be put to death; and fome groaning and fobbing as if juft expiring; and this horrid fymphony was fo artfully performed that no ear could distinguish but that it proceed ed from real diftrefs. I was often fo furprised as to fend the fol diers at the door to bring in one of them, thinking him come from the country, to examine who had injured him; many a time he was a fervant of my own, or fome other equally known; or, if be was a ftranger, upon afking him what misfortune had befallen him, he would answer very compofedly, Nothing was the matter with him that he had been fleeping all day with the horses: that hearing from the foldiers at the door I was retired to my apartment, he and his companions had come to cry and make a noife under my window, to do me honour before the people, for fear I fhould be melancholy, by, being too quiet when alone; and therefore hoped that I would order them drink, that they might continue