We must combine Luther with St. Paul-"Bene brasse est bene studuisse” must be united with St. Paul's Meditate upon these things: give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all. One errs who says, "I will preach a reputable sermon:" and another errs who says, "I will leave all to the assistance of the Holy Spirit," while he has neglected a diligent preparation.

On Preaching Christ.

We preach Christ Crucified.—1 Cor. i, 25. CHRIST is God's great ordinance. Nothing ever has been done, or will be done to purpose, but so far as he is held forth with simplicity. All the lines must centre in Him. I feel this in my own experience, and therefore I govern my ministry by it: but then this is to be done according to the analogy of faith-not ignorantly, absurdly, and falsely. I doubt not, indeed, but that excess on this side is less pernicious than excess on the other; because God will bless His own especial ordinance, though partially understood and partially exhibited.

THERE are many weighty reasons for rendering Christ prominent in our ministry:

1. Christ cheers the prospect. Every thing connected with Him has light and gladness thrown round it. I look out of my window: the scene is Scowling-dark-frigid-forbidding: I shudder my heart is chilled. But, let the Sun break forth from the cloud-I can feel-I can act-I can spring.

2. God descending and dwelling with man, is a truth so infinitely grand, that it must absorb all

other. "You are his attendants! Well! but the KING There he is!-the KING!"

3. Out of Christ God is not intelligible, much le amiable. Such men as Clarke and Abernethy tal sublime nonsense. A sick woman said to me-Sir I have no notion of God. I can form no notion d Him. You talk to me about Him, but I cannot get a single idea that seems to contain any thing'But you know how to conceive of Jesus Christ as a man! God comes down to you in Him, full of kindness and condescension.'—'Ah! Sir, that gives me something to lay hold on. There I can rest I understand God in his Son.' But if God is not intelligible out of Christ, much less is He amiable though I ought to feel Him so. He is an object of horror and aversion to me, corrupted as I am! I

fear-I tremble-I resist-I hate-I rebel.

his

4. A preacher may pursue his topic, without be ing led by it to Christ. A man who is accustomed to investigate topics is in danger. He takes up topic and pursues it. He takes up another, and pursues it. At length Jesus Christ becomes his topic, and then he pursues that. If he cannot so feel and think as to bend all subjects naturally and gracefully to Christ, he must seek his remedy in selecting such as are more evangelical.

5. God puts peculiar honor on the preaching of Christ crucified. A philosopher may philosophize his hearers, but the preaching of Christ must convert them. John the Baptist will make his hearers tremble; but, if the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he, let him exhibit that peculiar feature of his superiority Jesus Christ. Men may preach Christ ignorantly-blunderingly-absurdly: yet God will give it efficacy, because he is deter mined to magnify his own ordinance.

6. God seems, in the doctrine of the cross, to design the destruction of man's pride. Even the murderer and the adulterer sometimes become sub

jects of the grace of the Gospel, because the murderer and adulterer are more easily convinced and humbled: but the man of virtue is seldom reached, because the man of virtue disdains to descend. Remember me, saved a dying malefactor!-God I thank Thee, condemned a proud Pharisee!

EVERY minister should therefore inquire, "WHAT

IS FOR ME THE WISEST WAY OF PREACHING CHRIST TO MEN?" Some seem to think that in the choice of a wise way, there lurks always a TRIMMING disposition. There ARE men, doubtless, who will sacrifice to Self, even Christ Jesus the Lord: but they of all men, are farthest from the thing. There is a secret in doing it, which none but an honest man can discover. The knave is not half wise enough.

We are not to judge one another in these things, Sufficient it is to us, to know what we have to do. There are different ways of doing the same thing, and that with success and acceptance. We see this in the apostles themselves. They not only preached Christ in different ways; but, what is more, they could not do this like one another. They declare this fact themselves; and acknowledge the grace of God in their respective_gifts, Our beloved brother Paul writes, says St. Peter, according to the wisdom given unto him. But there are Peters, in our days, who would say"Paul is too learned. Away with these things, which are hard to be understood. He should be more simple. I dislike all this reasoning." And there are Pauls, who would say, "Peter is rash and unguarded. He should put a curb on his impetuAnd there are Johns, who would say, "They should both discharge their office in my soft and winning manner. No good will come of this fire and noise." Nothing of this sort! Each

osity."

hath his proper gift of God; one after this manneť, and another after that: and each seems only desirous to occupy faithfully till his Master came, leaving his brethren to stand or fall to their own Master.

Too much dependance is often placed on a sys. tem of RATIONAL CONTRIVANCE. An ingenious man thinks he can so manage to preach Christ, that his hearers will say "Here is nothing of Methodism! This has nothing to do with that system!" I will venture to say, if this is the sentiment communicated by his ministry, that he has not delivered his message. The people do not know what he means, or he has kept back part of God's truth. He has fallen on a carnal contrivance, to avoid a cross, and he does no good to souls. The WHOLE MESSAGE MUST be delivered; and it is better it should be delivered even coarsely, than not at all. We may lay it down as a principleThat if the Gospel be a MEDICINE, and a SPECIFIC too as it is-it must be got down SUCH AS IT IS. Any attempt to sophisticate and adulterate will deprive it of its efficacy; and will often recoil on the man who makes the attempt, to his shame and confusion. The Jesuits tried to render Christianity palatable to the Chinese by adulterating it, but the Jesuits were driven with abhorrence from the empire.

If we have to deal with men of learning, let us shew learning so far as to demonstrate that it bears its testimony to the truth. But accommodation in manner must often spring from humility. We must condescend to the capacity of men, and make the truth intelligible to them.

If this be our manner of preaching Christ, we must make up our minds not to regard the little caviller who will judge us by the standard of his favorite author or preacher. We must be cautious, too, since men of God have been and ever

will be the butt and scorn of the world, of thinking that we can escape its snares and its censures. It is a foolish project-To AVOID GIVING OFFENCE; but it is our duty, to avoid giving UNNECESSARY offence. It is necessary offence, if it is given by the truth; but it is unnecessary, if our own spirit occasion it.

I have often thought that St. Paul was raised up peculiarly to be an example to others, in laboring to discover the wisest way of exhibiting the Gospel; not only that he was to be a great pattern in other points, but designedly raised up for this very thing. How does he labor to make the truth REASONABLY PLAIN! How does he strain every nerve and ransack every corner of the heart, to make it REASONABLY PALATABLE! We need not be instructed in his particular meaning when he says, I became all things to all men, if by any means I might save some. His history is a comment on the declaration.

The knowledge of Jesus Christ is a wonderful mystery. Some men think they preach Christ gloriously, because they name him every two minutes in their sermons. But that is not preaching Christ. To understand, and enter into, and open his various offices and characters-the glories of his person and work-his relation to us, and ours to Him, and to God the Father and God the Spirit through Him-this is the knowledge of Christ. The divines of the present day are stunted dwarfs in this knowledge, compared with the great men of the last age. To know Jesus Christ for ourselves, is to make him a CONSOLATION, DELIGHT,COMPANION,

STRENGTH,--RIGHTEOUSNESS,

-and END.

This is the aspect in which religion should be presented to mankind: it is suited, above all other, to produce effect; and effect is our object. Wẹ