10 thing from that quarter admitted without careful examination. Convince your hearer :--Sufpicion ceafeth; you obtain credit with him; he confidereth you as a fair and fafe guide; thus openeth out his paffions to your call; nay, confpireth with you, and induftriously affifteth you in your defign of moving them. And because the exertion of paffion is in the act itself, from our original conftitution, pleasing, he affifteth herein the more willingly, as he is now fecure, that he may exert it fafely. Before, you wrought against the ftream with much labour and little progrefs; here the current fets with you, and you glide down eafily and swiftly. Another caufe is, that impreffions made on the paffions are the strongest, and meft fenfibly felt by all men; whence it is prudent as in this cafe, to leave them laft in the mind. A man convinced by argument believeth, acquiefceth; and often thinks no more of the matter: intereft his paffions warmly, the images remain, will be, for a long time at leaft, eafily revived, and for ever returning. * Did not our hearts burn within us white he talked with us? is the character given of his eloquence, who Spake as never man spake. It is true, wife ftates † prohibited by exprefs laws, 'pleaders to direct their difcourfe to the paffions of the judges: but the cafe of preachers is very different. A judge cannot intereft himself in the caufe of the parties without injuftice; to engage his paffions is therefore to feduce him; but in the duty of a chriftian, religious and moral, his moft precious interefts are directly concerned: fo that to judge of them rightly, his pas fions must be, ought to be ftrongly engaged. The beft advice on this head which we would do well conftantly to follow, is this.-Raife your imagination by a lively portraiture of all the circumftances, thofe in which you write, and those in which you fhall pronounce what is written: the dignity of the subject, excellence of the defign, zeal becoming of your office, good that may be wrought, the place, the occafion, the audience, the ftillness, the attention, fuppofe all prefent at the inftant:-This will awaken every fpark of genius within you; your thoughts will be warmed, they will flow in expreffions, ftrong, lively, glowing; you will have fire, force, dignity. "A preacher should further note, on this occafion, that the effects of the pathetic vary together with the audience, and hould take his meafures accordingly.netdeanne St. Luke xxiv. 33. + Egypt and Athens. The The paffions are more cafily excited in the young than in the old; in women, as being of a frame more delicate, than in men; in the poor and diftreffed, than in the rich and fortunate, for profperity hardeneth the heart: in the illiterate, than in the learned, because more prone to admire; and, for the fame. reason, in those who have lived privately, than in men of large experience, and much converfant with affairs. Further, fear is the most powerful of our paffions. Its impreffions are the most fudden, fink the deepeft, remain the longeft. This mighty engine therefore you fhould not fail to employ in the caule of religion; notwithstanding the vifionary notions of perfection and difintereft, with which some have endeavoured to flatter mankind, in contradiction to univerfal common experience. You should feek, not only to win men to virtue by reprefentations of its amiable nature, but deter them from vice, by juft pictures of its deformity; and efpecially, of its dreadful confequences; and difplay before the eyes of the finner, in as ftrong colours the unspeakable terrors, as the tender mercies of the almighty judge: which I the rather mention, because in this polifhed age, I think, there are not wanting inftances of that falfe and dangerous delicacy, well described by the poet, Toreft, the cushion and soft Dean invite, POPE. Inferences we have faid form the beft kind of conclufion. But here one thing should be adverted to, "The time of concluding." Have you not observed many, in the midst of argument or warm exhortation, furprize their audience at once with. a fudden unexpected ending?-But every thing abrupt is ungraceful. Others there are, who fall into an oppofite and worfe extreme; who know not how to have done; who feem never to think they have faid enough; but when the length of the time, when their own matter and manner promife the end to be er hand, when their hearers expect it, add yet more, go round and round, and continue hovering about a point, teizing by this dif appointment, and fatiguing the congregation. This ill habit, whether proceeding from zeal or wrong judgment, omit no pains to avoid, or correct. Learn to diftinguish the precife time of concluding; that is, "When you have executed the fcheme at first laid down; "when you have nothing new to fay; nothing of more weight "and force than what hath been faid; when you have brought 65 your your argument to a point; while the impreffion is ftrong and ftill warm in the hearer's mind." For this reafon it seems not an adviseable cuftom, to make feveral fermons on the fame text. In which way, each one lofeth of its beauty and usefulness. Of its beauty, because there is no point from whence you can have at once a view of the whole, and fo judge of the proportions. Of its usefulness, because the former parts leave the inftruction imperfect; the others bring it late, to a faint and now confused memory. • Abundance of matter is alleged as a reason: a good one, where real; but you may for the most part either take a narrower compass; or abridge words, and by condensing, strengthen fenfe. I dare not, however, condemn a custom juftified by great authorities: and' fhall only remark; "That it is much "fitter for a reader than hearer: that it should be used seldom: and not extended beyond two difcourses." Under the heads of proofs and inferences, we have remarked what seems moft material in the preacher's addrefs to reafon and paffion: It is further useful, fometimes neceffary, to relieve and mitigate the feverity of reafon and vehemence of paffion, by ftrokes of imagination: but, in works of this very grave caft, thefe fhould be ufed fparingly and with discretion. Suth licences are and may be indulged to young perfons, in whom fome degree of luxuriancy is to be wifhed for; that old age may have somewhat to lop and prune away, without injury to the ftock: but thefe ill agree with riper years, and more ferious character. A good rule feems to be this, borrowed from a work serious in its kind. In tragedy, fay the critics, every incident, every speech, one may almoft add, every line fhould have a respect to the main defign, fhould contribute to the cataftrophè. It is an imperfection ever to let the plot ftand ftill, to leave the ftage empty, much more to go out of the way. In like manner, having fixed exactly the plan and feries of your difcourfe, examine every period; doth it go on in the fame line? Doth it lead your hearer nearer to the conclufion? Do your images throw in light to direct, illuftrate, prove? Or do they merely entertain? If this latter be the cafe, reject, cut them off as fuperfluous. Admit nothing idle, howfoever pleasing or pretty it may appear. Obferving this rule fteadily, you fhall not much tranfgrefs in the use of imagination; your ornaments will be chafte and manly? We shall close our account of this performance with acquainting the public, that the Doctor has given us feveral pieces of poetry, poetry, both Latin and English. But as we have extended this article to a fufficient length, we must refer the confideration of the Doctor's poetical merits, to the judgment and taste of his readers. R MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For JANUARY, 1759. POLITICA L. Art. 1. The Manifefto of the Court of France; or, a parallel of the King's conduct with that of the King of Great Britain, Elector of Hanover: relative to the affairs of the empire, and particularly to the breach of the capitulation of Clofter-foven. 12mo. 2s. fewed. Scott. TIS moft Chriftian Majefty, it must be confeffed, tells his ftory righteous and most beneficent prince in the world: but, cudi alteram partem His Majesty of Great Britain has likewife fomething to fay for himfelf, both as King and as Elector; and, as the principal ftrefs is here laid on the affair at Clofter-foven, we need only, on this occafion, refer the candid reader to a paper, entitled, Authentic Documents of the French administration in his Majefly's German Domi. nions." (See Review, Vol. XVIII. p. 265.)—and to a special refutation of this Manifefto; great part of which has appeared in the News-papers of the prefent month. Art. 2. An Apology for W. P. Efq; in which the conduct of L GB-h is vindicated from all the cavils thrown out against bim. 8vo. IS. Pridden. The Author endeavours to vindicate the fame of G-B-h at the expence of Lord H-we's reputation; and attributes the chief caufe of our lofs at St. Cas to the boats not being ready to convey the troops on board, when they arrived at the Bay but he feems to know very little of the matter; and is, in general, fo unhappy a realoner, that, to use the words of Dean Swift, His arguments directly tend MISCELLANEOUS. Art. 3. Tartarian Tales: or, a thousand and one quarters of bours. Written in French by the celebrated Mr. Guelletee, author of the Chinese, Mogul, and other tales. The whole now for for the first time tranflated into English. By Thomas Floyd. 12mo. 3s. Tonfon. This book was published fome years ago, but not compleat. The whole is now tranflated, as the title intimates; and those who have a taste for these marvellous eastern stories, will here find abundant gratification. Art. 4. The Farrier's and Horfeman's complete Dictionary: containing the art of farriery in all its branches; with whatever relates to the manage, and to the knowlege, breeding, feeding, and dieting of Horfes; as delivered by the best writers upon these fubjects. By Thomas Wallis, Surgeon. 8vo. 3s. 6d. Owen. This feems to be a useful compilation; the Author having drawn his materials from the latest and beft writers on the fubject: as Gibfon, Bracken, Bartlet. Wood, La Foffe, &c. &c. Art. 5. The Naval Hiftory of Great Britain; with the lives of the moft illuftrious admirals and commanders, from the reign of 2. Elizabeth. Interfperfed with accounts of the most important difcoveries made in the feveral parts of the world; and including all the great events of the prefent war, to the year 1758. Adorned with the heads of the principal admirals. 12mo. 4 vols. 12 s. Rivington and Fletcher. We lately gave an account of two different naval histories in folio. They were both but ordinary performances; and if this has not more merit with respect to the writing, or the value and authority of the materials, it at leaft deferves the preference, for being comprized in a narrower compafs, printed in a more convenient fize, and fold at a more reasonable price. Art. 6. The History of Wilhelmina Sufannah Dormer: containing a wonderful series of events. 8vo. is. 6d. Cooper. An unintelligible and romantic pamphlet. Whether, as the Writer profeffes in his motto, he has clouded with needful fhadors fucred truth; or whether the whole tale is the work of his own abfurd invention, we are not enabled to say; nor does it seem worth any one's while to enquire. Quoted as from Denham. Art. 7. Female Rights vindicated; or the equality of the fexes morally and phyfically proved. By a lady. 12mo. 28. fevede Burnet. We apprehend this performance is too dull to be the work of Lady: Art, |