teft nifi qui prudenter intelligit. One grain of SE R M. good fenfe and found reason is more truly valu- XXXI. ble, than all the flourishes of rhetorick; who

foever is rational and plain will be eloquent, and whosoever is not fo, may amuse and surprize his hearers, but will never convince or perfuade them.

3. Another advantage peculiar to him that our Saviour was poffeffed of, was, that extraordinary concurrence of the Holy Spirit in all he faid and did, which proceeded more immediately by emanation from himself. This wrought in the hearts of those he spoke to, in a fecret and powerful manner, and gave his words an irrefiftible force in the minds and confciences of all that were rightly difpofed to receive the truths of God. It was by this that he fo frequently touched their hearts, and the Difciples who were going to Emmaus, felt the power of it when they found their hearts burn within them. Now though this bea perfection which no mere man can attain to, yet there are two ways of arriving at fome degree of it.

ift. By a lively imagination, which does not only enable men to form clear and distinct ideas and perceptions of things, but gives them a ftrange power of conveying them with great ftrength and clearnefs into the minds of others; nay, it enables them even mechanically, to raife the like paffions in others by which they themselves are actuated. We are all inftruments of the fame make and frame, and others

SERM. being men of like paffions with ourselves,
XXXI. when our fancy is difpofed to receive vigorous

and strong expreffions of things, by a fecret
power in nature we ftampt the like on all
about us; there is inchantment in it, and by
the help of this alone, ftrange effects have been
wrought many things have been attributed
to magick, which were effected by working up
men's imaginations to a mighty pitch, fo as to
ftrike the minds and bodies with a fecret and
irrefiftible force.

We fee it to be the conftant practice on the
ftage for men to impregnate their minds
ftrongly with those paffions they would raise
in others; they endeavour to forget them-
felves, and believe they are the very perfons
they represent; and by this means their paf-
fions move us, though we know them to be
feigned. Now if the imagination has fuch
an influence upon the hearts of men in things
fictitious and imaginary, what may its power
be in things real and serious, and of the most
exalted and important nature? So that we
fhould direct the whole force of our minds
that way, if we hope to incline others to be
affected as we would perfuade them to be;
we must plainly and ftrongly appear to have
a quick and a feeling fenfe of those truths
which we would perfuade our hearers to be
lieve.

But the 2d and most effectual way of fupplying the want of that holy Spirit our Saviour had,

had, is by our earnest and inceffant prayer to SE R M. Almighty God, that his Spirit would lead us XXXI. into whatfoever fhall be moft for his glory. This is abfolutely neceffary, if we defire that our words should not fall to the ground, but be fruitful in the hearts of our bearers.

But this and the further profecution of this fubject, I shall defer to another opportunity.

SERMON

SERM.
XXXII.

SERMON XXXIÍ.

The divine eloquence of our Saviour confidered.

This was preached before the Convocation
January the 30, being Sunday, 1703.

JOHN vii. 46.

The officers anfwered, Never man Spake like this man.

I

N my former difcourfe upon these words, when I had fhewn the occafion of them, and obferved the transcendent excellency of the divine eloquence, of our bleffed Saviour beyond that of the most celebrated orators among the Heathen; I propofed to enter upon the confideration of this divine eloquence of our bleffed Saviour; that through the affiftance of that Spirit that was upon him without measure, we may in fome degree copy after him in this, which is the great privilege and glory of our order. And in doing this, I did, as I then proposed, in the first place,

confider

confider the matter and fubftance of what he SERM. fpoke, and the style he used. XXXII.

I then also, in the fecond, propofed to confider fome of thofe advantages our bleffed Saviour had beyond all others, to peak as never man fpake, and how far he is imitable by us in thefe particulars. At which time I fhewed you, that the first advantage he had, was that peculiar authority with which he spoke.

The fecond was that excellent fpirit of knowledge which he was endued with.

The third was that extraordinary concurrence of the holy Spirit in all he said, and that too by a more immediate emanation from himself. There were two things, I then obferved, were to supply this defect in us; the one was the power of the imagination, the use of which I then fhewed.

2. And therefore I am now to proceed to the other thing, which is to fupply the want of this in us; and that is, the fame concurrence of the holy Spirit of God; which, because it cannot operate with us after the fame manner by emanation from ourselves, is therefore to be, obtained by earnest and inceffant prayer to Almighty God. This is abfolutely neceffary in order to the forming our conceptions, and then giving them power in the hearts of men.

That concurrence of the Spirit is neceffary to the right forming the conceptions of our mind, and the cloathing them with fuch ex-. preffions, as fhall make them conduce most to VOL. II. Bb

the