and his flock. Would a father be satisfied with this feeble periodical admonition, when his beloved son was in continual and most imminent danger?

1

examples of preaching unpreaching prelates,' and remonstrance. He

Our Church annals furnish exciting diligence. Hooper was not one of the who excited honest Latimer's indignation would say, 'that no Bishop ought to complain of one sermon a-day.' Probably his own custom exceeded these bounds. Foxe informs us, that, being Bishop of two dioceses (Gloucester and Worcester), he yet so ruled and guided either of them and both together, as though he had in charge but one family. No father in his household, no gardener in his garden, no husbandman in his vineyard, was more or better occupied, that he in his diocese among his flock, going about his towns and villages in teaching and preaching to the people there.' Bishop Jewell's saying-A Bishop ought to die preaching-was strikingly confirmed in his own death, which appears to have been hastened, if not to have been caused, by the ardour of his Episcopal zeal. Of Abp. Matthew it was said, that it was easy to trace his journies by the churches he preached at.' The most inveterate haters of prelacy were silenced by the example of this Apostolic Bishop.3 Preaching he used to call his beloved work,' from which the government of the province of York did not discharge him ;-so that a challenge was thrown out to Popery That Tobias Matthew, the Archbishop of York, though almost eighty years of age, preached more sermons in a year, than you (the Popish party) can prove have been preached by all your Popes from Gregory the Great's days.'

4

The examples of Grimshaw and Wesley, nearer to our own

16

'Fifteen masses a day did not suffice for the priests of Baal; and yet one sermon a day seems more than a good Bishop or Evangelical Pastor can bear.' Hooper's Confession delivered to the King and Parliament, 1550. Daily preaching was Chrysostom's rule for a Bishop (doubtless with application to subordinate Ministers.) De Sacer. Lib. vi. 4. If the letter of the rule be impracticable, let us at least endeavour to approximate to its standard and spirit. See Burnet's Pastoral Care, Ch. vi.

The motto at the bottom of a curious portrait of Jewell preserved in Salisbury Palace is- Væ mihi, si non evangelizavero!' This was also the motto of Usher's own selection for his Archiepiscopal seal-illustrated by his increasing constancy in preaching, subsequent to his elevation. Augustine's views of the Episcopal office were Scriptural— ⚫ Episcopatus nomen est operis, non honoris Intelligat se, non esse Episcopum, qui præesse dilexerit, non prodesse.' Aug. de Civit. Dei. Lib. xix. c. 19.

3 No mention of Archbishop Matthew occurs in Prynne's celebrated work of invective against prelates. Granger's Biog. Hist. Vol. i. p. 343.

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time, may stimulate to greater devotedness to our public employ. Twelve or fourteen preaching engagements were included in Mr. Grimshaw's idle week. Wesley is calculated to have preached upwards of forty thousand sermons (exclusive of a large number of exhortations) during an itinerantcy of nearly fifty years, and an average annual ratio of travelling four thousand five hundred miles. Whatever irregularity or enthusiasm belonged to these unprecedented labours, the large success with which they were honoured, displayed the main-spring of their exertion-" the love of Christ constraining them." 2 Let not our censure of their undisciplined system hinder us from transferring an impulse of their zeal, self-denial, and self-devotedness, to a more chastised course of Ministration.

4

But preaching diligence includes not only frequency of employ, but constant repetition of truth. The workman is more anxious to fasten one nail by reiterated blows, than slightly to fix many upon the outward surface. To preach "the same things is not grievous" to the Christian Minister; and for his people it is often "safe." The fruitfulness of the earth arises from its "drinking in the rain that cometh oft upon it." The constant repetition,-not the weight-of the heavenly showers, makes impressions on the hardest substances. That our "doctrine" therefore may "drop as the rain," it must fall not only in the gentleness of love, but in the frequency of diligence.5 The constant enforcement of fundamental truths is necessary for their deeper and more practical influence. Truths that have been marked out by gainsayers or seducers, must form prominent topics of our Ministry. Truths also of daily use and practice, will be sound doctrine to preach to the end of our course; not however in the slothful repetition of our former discourses, but in waiting at our Master's feet for fresh instruction; always learning, and teaching what we have learned."

1 Newton's Life of Grimshaw, p. 51.

22 Cor. v. 14.

a Phil. iii. 1. 5 Isa. xxviii. 10.

4 Deut. xxxii. 2. with Heb. vi. 7. The apostle exhorts to pulpit diligence by a most foreboding anticipation. 2 Tim. iv. 2, 3. Owen enumerates the following constraining motives to preaching diligence-The command of God-the love and care of Christ towards his Church-the ends of God's patience and long-suffering-the future manifestation of his glory in the salvation of believers, and the condemnation of the disobedient-the necessities of the souls of men-the way by which God gives spiritual supplies by the Ministry of the word-the weakness of the natural faculties in receiving, and of the memory in retaining, spiritual things—the weakness of grace requiring continual refreshment-the frequency and variety of tempta

VI. SINGLENESS-THE SPIRIT OF SCRIPTURAL PREACHING.

1

(

'THE Ministerial work must be managed purely for God and the salvation of the people, and not for any private ends of our own. This is our sincerity in it. A wrong end makes all the work bad from us, however good in itself. Self-denial is of absolute necessity in every Christian; but of a double necessity in a Minister, as he hath a double sanctification and dedication to God. And without self-denial he cannot do God an hour's faithful service. Hard studies, much knowledge, and excellent preaching, is but more glorious hypocritical sinning, if the ends be not right.' The main end of the Ministry is the glory of God. It is the single eyeing' of this end, that makes all things sweet and holy.' This was the purpose, that filled the heart, and directed the course, of our Great Exemplar. This was also the spirit of the Apostle; the true spirit of the Minister-the result of serious self-scrutiny, and often of severe spiritual conflict. Experience (for it must plainly be more a matter of experience than of observation) assures us of the extreme difficulty of preaching with singleness of heart. How much of our study in the very composition of our sermons, flows from a selfish principle, and rolls on in the same corrupt channel! Even while Christ is the text, self may be the spirit and substance of our sermon, as if we were lifting up the cross of Christ, to hang our own glory upon it. In the pulpit itself-in our Master's immediate presence—what is it, that sometimes gives animation to our delivery, tone to our voice, and emphasis to our words? Are we never "preaching ourselves" in the very form and act of preaching "Christ Jesus the Lord?" If in the impulse of the moment, any forcible matter falls from us; how seldom is it unaccompanied with self-complacency, expectation of present

tions-the design of Christ to bring us gradually to perfection.' He adds—' But the law of this duty is in some measure written on the hearts of all faithful Ministers; and those who are otherwise must bear their own burdens.' On Heb. vi. 7, 8.

1 Baxter's Reformed Pastor.

2

Leighton.

41 Thess. ii. 6.

3 John viii. 50. v. 41.

effect, or disappointment in its failure! How hard is it to preach without undue regard to the approbation of the Christian or intelligent part of our congregation! What a struggle often to repress the fear of being considered common-place, or the desire to be original and powerful! How difficult thus to sink our gifts in the grace of humility, and to suppress what might recommend us to men of taste and talent, in order to clothe the same sentiment in a less imposing, but more useful garb ! How natural the desire rather to know whether the sermon has been approved, than whether it has been profitably applied! And when we feel that we have made but an indifferent figure, it is as if we had missed the prize of the day. Thus is the desire of usefulness selfishly connected with the honour of our own name; when we cannot bear that our God should humble us among our flock, and that they should think of us as vessels of inferior value-of "wood and earth"-rather than "of gold and of silver." 1

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Baxter's serious remarks are equally applicable to our own day, as to his- Consider, I beseech you, brethren, what baits there are in the work of the Ministry to entice a man to be selfish, that is, to be carnal and impious, even in the highest works of piety. The fame of a godly man is as great a snare as the fame of a learned man. And woe to him that takes up with the fame of godliness instead of godliness! "Verily I say unto you, they have their reward." When the times were all for learning and empty formalities, then the temptation of the proud did lie that way. But now, through the unspeakable mercy of God, the most lively practical preaching is in credit, and godliness itself is in credit and now the temptation to

'See Solomon's wise aphorism, Prov. xxv. 27. It is said of one of the ancient Fathers, that he would weep at the applause that was frequently given to his sermons. 'Would to God,' (said he) they had rather gone away silent and thoughtful!' 'Docente te in Ecclesia, non clamor populi, sed gemitus suscitatur. Lachrymæ auditorum laudes tuæ sunt. Hieron. ad Nepot. Libenter vocem audio, non qui sibi plausum, sed qui mihi planctum movet.' Bern. Serm. 59. Cantic. I love a serious preacher, who speaks for my sake, and not for his own, who seeks my salvation, and not his own vain-glory.' Fenelon's Letter to the French Academy, Sect. 4, p. 230. Surely' (exclaims Dr. Chalmers) it were a sight to make angels weep, when a weak and vapouring mortal, surrounded by his fellow-sinners, and hastening to the grave and the judgment along with them-finds it a dearer object to his bosom, to regale his hearers by the exhibition of himself, than to do in plain earnest the work of his Master, and urge on the business of repentance and faith by the impressive simplicities of the Gospel!' Sermons-ut supra.

proud men is here, even to pretend to be zealous preachers and godly men. O what a fine thing doth it seem, to have the people crowd to hear us, and to be affected with what we say, and that we can command their judgments and affections! To have the people call you "the chariots and horsemen of Israel"-to have them depend upon you, and be ruled by you, though this may be no more than their duty, yet a little grace may serve to make you seem zealous men for them. Nay, pride may do it without any special grace.' 1

Perhaps indeed the character of the present age is peculiarly adverse to this singleness of spirit. The love of novelty, and the idolatry of intellect, are besetting snares, by which the subtle enemy "corrupts" the church "from the simplicity that is in Christ." It is difficult for Ministers to preserve the tone of their instructions wholly uninfluenced by these temptations. There is great danger, lest we provide more food for the understanding than for the heart; and lest the important opportunities of close application to the conscience be frittered away in prurient fancies, ingenious theories, and elaborate compositions; than which nothing is more hurtful to the spirituality of our Ministration, in occupying our secret retirement with men-pleasing contrivances, rather than with diligent waiting upon God, for an enlarged spiritual unction upon our work. This danger of making our office a stepping-stone to selfish indulgence, is acknowledged by the most eminent Ministers. The following exercises from the diary of a late excellent Minister, strike a chord of sympathy with many of us—' I have to observe in my mind a sinful anxiety to preach well, rather than a holy anxiety to preach usefully. I fear I rather seek my own honour than God's. I confess this sin; I trust I repent of it from my heart: I hope for its forgiveness, and its removal from my breast.' Again-' The evening spoiled with wretched pride

1 Reformed Pastor. 'That which many times causes uneasiness in Pastors, is a principle of self-love, which prompts us to seek a private unwarranted delight in that change of men's minds, which we have effected. The spirit of man pleases itself with the success of its own travail; and when we seem to propose no other aim but God's glory, the deceitfulness of self-love is less capable of discovery.' Bishop Godeau's Past. Instructions, pp. 44, 45. See here the perfect pattern of an Evangelical preacher-to make his reputation and the confidence of the people subservient-not to his own interest-but to the good of souls, and to the establishing of the kingdom of God.' Quesnel on Matt. iv. 23–25. 22 Cor. xi. 3.