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vice were the most exalted Poetry in the World: And when the Chriftian Churches began to flourish in Security and Peace; thofe who call'd upon the Name of God, added inftrumental Mufick to their Voices, in celebrating the Praises of their Creator and Redeemer: And this they did, that, as the Spirit of God in a chearful and ferene Temper came upon Elisha, when the Minstrel plaid; and as the fame bleffed Influence feem'd to attend the Motion of David's Hand with respect to Saul's Infirmity; fo, among those who paid their Adorations to the Eternal God, all rugged Humours and diforder'd Spirits might be allay'd, and only fedate and quiet Souls might offer up their Prayers and Praises, in facred Raptures, and inexpreffible Extafies, to Heaven. And there are very few, but those of heavy and unactive Minds, who have not found themselves elevated above their wonted Standard, by the delicate Touches of a well compos'd Harmony. But all these Motions fo rais'd, are flashy and vanishing. Let but the Mufick ceafe a while, and the Evil Spirit returns with a double Fury upon diftemper'd Saul And where the lofty Strains of the admired Poet had fired the Hero's Soul with an extraordinary Ambition, fo as to make him dream of nothing lefs than Crowns and Scepters, or making mighty Conquefts in the Field of War and Love, and Honour; let but the Rehearfer give over, the Dream flies off in empty Air, the fanciful Hero quickly finks in his honourable Inclinations, and fleeps quietly out of the Danger of Wounds and Blood and forgets all the Delicacies and Triumphs

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of fantaftick Love. As fhort and fugitive are all thofe feemingly violent Impreffions the popular Preacher makes upon the Paffions of his Hearers, How often has the lewd Debauchee been brought to Tears, by hearing fome Vices well declaim'd against with pointed Language, and an earneft Action; when yet he has never felt one Motion toward a Refolution, never to be guilty of the Crimes, he had us'd to be guilty of, for the future? How often has a well exprefs'd Account of the Sufferings of our dear Redeemer, under the cruel Profecution of obdurate Jews, and the barbarous Hand of unrelenting Soldiers, melted fuch into all the Evidences of a fincere Grief, who yet in their corrupt Lives and unreform'd Converfations, go on afresh to crucify the Lord of Life and Glory, and put him once more to open Shame? And how commonly do we obferve a Confluence of Auditors after him, who uses good Language and a plaufible Elocution; who yet regard nothing more, than the outward Sound of his Expreffions, the Accent he fpoke with, and the foft Cadence of his Voice, and when that ceafes to tickle their itching Ears, prefently forget the Defign and Subftance of all he utter'd?

Such was the fcandalous Practice of those Ezek. 33. Jews, whom God takes fevere Notice of; They come to thee, fays God to his Prophet, as the People cometh, and they fit before thee as my

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and they hear thy words, but they will not
do them: for with their Mouths they fhow much
Love, but their Hearts go after their Covetous-
Aes;
and lo! thou art unto them, as a very lovely
Song of one who has a pleafant Voice, and can
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play well upon an Inftrument; for they bear thy words, but they do them not. Again, neither is he edify'd, who is fometimes put upon good Actions, by what he hears from the Preacher, and does fuch Things prefently, as are pleafing and popular. The Hypocrite will do many Things, that may look very commendably The Preacher may happily be his Remembrancer, or the Perfon, who has first put fuch or fuch a thing into his Head; but when he does fuch a thing at laft, it fhall not be for the Sake of his Inftructor's Difcourfe, but for his own Honour, or for the better carrying on fome particular Defigns, which may promote his own Wordly Interefts, So the Scribes and Pharifees gave large Alms, and in fo doing, they follow'd the Prefcriptions of the Law, but they did it not because the Law prefcrib'd it, but that they might have Praife of Men. Nay, Mat. 6. 2. a Man may do much out of Reverence to the Preacher, may be fully convinced of the Reafonableness of what he propounds, and yet not be edify'd, i. e. he may not be the wifer, or more truly religious Man at laft. John the Baptift was none of the meaneft Labourers in God's Vineyard; Herod the then Tetrarch of Galilee fear'd him; he was thoroughly convinced, that John was a holy and a juft Man Mark 6, therefore he obferv'd him, and when he heard 20. bim, did many Things, and heard him gladly: But Herod continued wicked and unreclaim'd from his darling Vices ftill. Our bleffed Saviour was certainly one who inftructed all Men to Edification, and the common People heard bim gladly, but their Zeal to hear Mark 12, him continued but for a fhort Time; their37.

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Hofannahs were quickly turn'd to Crucifies and fcarcely could his Heavenly Doctrine and fpotlefs Innocence hold his own particular Dif ciples together. Nay, farther yet: A Man may believe himfelf to be very much edify'd, when in Truth, he is not edify'd at all. He may imagine himself fo throughly fatisfy'd of the Excellency of Chriftianity above all other Religions whatsoever, as to conclude himself able to lay down his Life in Defence of it under the Hands of the moft barbarous Tormentors; when, really, all his Opinion of his own Valour and Courage rifes only from fome loofe but tickling Expreffions, which he has gather'd up from feveral, without any Method or Connexion: But when Danger approaches indeed, when Death, and Tortures worse than Death threaten him; that Religious Refolution and Bravery, which was rais'd upon no folid Foundation, nor fettled upon any found Principles, deriv'd either from Reafon or Revelation, fares like that Building upon the Sand, which our Saviour mentions; which when the Rains defcended, and the Floods Mat.7.27.came, fell down: It vanifhes away fuddenly, like a Dream when one awakes.

But that, which tends to Edification indeed, is plain, folid, and 'fubftantial Truth, without Partiality, and without Difguife. It is that Truth, which has the fame Force and Energy, whoever of the lawful Ambaffadors of Heaven delivers it; that Truth, which requires no Art, no Fucus's, or adulterated Beauties to fet it off. Truth carries with it that innate Majefty, that charming Strength and Vigour, that it makes its own Converts, without the trifling

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Affiftances of crude and indigefted Fancy, He who delivers it in the most emphatical and expreffive Words, without ftrain'd Figures and impertinent and unintelligible Refemblances, fhews it most like it self, and fhall make more fincere Profelytes to true Virtue and Chriftian Piety, than a thousand jingling and affected Rhetoricians. A paffionate Action, an affected Tone, a violent Torrent of infignificant Words, Exclamations frequent and feemingly devout, and wild Enthufiaftick Flights of a roving Fancy, may draw the Eyes and Ears of Men, as Merry-Andrews on the Mounte bank's Stage draw the Multitude together with an extraordinary and unaccountable Violence; But only thofe Truths, which have Weight and Power in them, which either are in themselves indifpenfably neceffary to Salvation and therefore indifpenfably neceffary to be known; or elfe fuch Propofitions as are clear and immediate Confequences from fuch capital Truths, can make them wife indeed, and good indeed. For, let any Man declare his Mind in the Matter: Is not the great End of Paftoral Doctrine and Difcipline, the enlightning of Men's Minds, the informing them fo far, that they may be able to give a juft and a rational Account of the Hope that is in them? Have not those profited moft, under the Preaching of the Gofpel, as to their Intellectuals, who can give the moft intelligible Account of their Faith, and of their religious Duties toward God and Man; of that Worship they render to the Almighty, and thofe Ordinances and Inftitutions, which they have receiv'd from him? Have they not pro

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