either subject to the least degree of abuse, nor be made use of on too frequent occasions; but at the same time, I

invisible springs to move our hearts, and wind them as he pleases.

Now in what consists the miracle of this extraordinary conversion? In the relation it bears to the two powers of the soul, to which internal grace is immediately communicated; namely, to the understanding and to the heart. A miracle of grace in the victory it gains, in the change it works, and attended with circumstances which leave no room to doubt that it was the work of the omnipotent hand of God.

Redouble your attention, beloved hearers, and thereby make up for the deficiency which arises from the necessity of contracting into a small compass, a subject that would require a whole discourse.

Here is a miracle of grace, and of its force, in the victory which it gains. Only follow the thread of the sacred narrative, and you will agree to this.

1. This woman was an infidel, as the Samaritans were idolaters in the main, continuing to adore the false gods of their

ancestors.

She was also an heretic, for the Samaritans practised a kind of Judaism, a Judaism greatly corrupted. It was an avowed schism. The Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans." Vain also she was, and self-sufficient, prepossessed with her error, and determined to maintain it.

Nevertheless, we now see that grace, by a divine virtue, a virtue beaming from the heart of God, converts this woman. Jesus, after having made her renounce the superstitious practices of her forefathers, and condemn the errors she maintained, makes her willing to acknowledge and adore him, Jewess as she is, as the author of her salvation: "Is not this the Christ?"

2. But beside her obstinacy in unbelief, she was lewd and libertine in her moral conduct. She publicly cohabited with unmarried men, was abandoned to concubinage, a concubinage of which she had contracted a scandalous habit: "Thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband."

Now no disease is equally unsusceptible of cure with this. If there be a demon capable of resisting God and his grace, it is, beyond dispute, the spirit of impurity; but this sinner, this prostitute, this slave to infamous passions, is cleansed from sin, and robed with sanctity.

She is no longer that barefaced cause of scandal, that incen

am also willing to observe, that there are some peculiar and even various opportunities upon which it may justly

tive to wickedness. She is a new creature in Christ; a soul entirely consecrated to God, that breathes nothing but his love, &c.

3. If the grace of Christ Jesus works a miracle in the conversion of this woman, the miraculous manner of its operation shews very evidently its force and power.

For, beloved Christians, is it not astonishing that this should be the business of a moment? This is not like the ordinary course of providence; but like the work of creation. As by one word speaking, God calls forth myriads of beings out of nothing, expands the Heavens, fixes the earth, gives to this vast universe its perfection: "He spake, and they were made." Thus the Son of God says but a word to the Samaritan, “ I am he ;” and behold, all at once, the heart is pierced with the most holy, the most lively, the most tender sentiments. A word, says St. Augustin, more efficacious than that by which God created the world.

I ask if any thing externally appeared that could give our Saviour so strong an influence? Did she see him at that moment exerting his power over storms and billows, giving sight to the blind, raising the dead? The conversion of the world, without a miracle, would be, according to St. Augustin, the greatest of miracles. Now we see, beloved hearers, this miracle of miracles fulfilled.

This is not all; Christ being resolved to display in this sinner the whole force of his grace, she believes not in him, like the woman of Canaan, because he delivered her daughter from the Devil, &c.

In fine, from a sinner she was changed, at once, into an Apostle; she goes and announces Jesus Christ to those who know him not; and, without derogating from the dignity of the Apostles, we may assert that the first Apostle of Christianity was the Samaritan woman. Her zeal is inflamed in such a manner, that she waits not a moment. She leaves her vessel, &c.

PERORATION.

And now, Christians, what inference should be drawn from all this? Ah! let us no longer allege that our sinful state hath rendered us weak, and our weakness is an unsurmountable obstacle to conversion. It is chiefly in our infirmity that grace blazes forth in all its lustre. Power is made perfect in weakness.

be taken notice of; for a text may not only be descanted on with that valuable effect which it ought to have upon the minds of the congregation, but it will on such occasions be most justly appreciated, as well as agreeably received and acknowledged by every serious and devout hearer of the gospel of our Lord. *

Sometimes an

In texts of history divisions are easy. action is related in all its circumstances; and then you

-on a mas

Besides, and with this I shall conclude:- Hath God drawn you out of the gulf? and have you felt the impression of his grace? - imitate the zeal of this edifying convert. On a father, it is incumbent to preach to his children; ter, to preach to his domestics: but converted sinners ought to be of all the most strongly affected with this duty. If, therefore, there is any one among those who hear me, who heretofore led a libertine life, but is now reformed by divine grace, behold, dear Christian brother, the pattern which God lays to-day before you: - Bring back the accomplices of your crimes to Christ our Lord.

* Thus a certain preacher on a fast-day (from Isa. lv. 6, "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found") divided his text into two parts:

I. Some things implied.

1. That God was far from us. Here he enumerated the afflictions of the church, to prove the absence of the favour of God.

2. That we were far from him. Here he enumerated the sins, to prove how distant we were from God.

3. That there was a time when God would not be found, although we sought him. Here he represented that sad time when God's patience was, as it were, wearied out; and added, that then he displayed his heaviest judgments, without speaking any more the language of mercy.

II. Some things expressed.

1. He explained what it was to "seek the Lord;" and by a pathetic exhortation stirred up his hearers to make that search.

2. He explained what was the time in which God would be found, and renewed his exhortation to repentance, mixing therewith hopes of pardon.

His sermon was very much admired, particularly for its

Claude.

may consider the action in itself first, and afterwards the circumstances of the action. Sometimes it is necessary to remark the occasion of an action, and to make one part of it. Sometimes there are actions and words which must be considered separately. Sometimes it is not necessary to make any division at all; but the order of the history must be followed. In short, it depends on the state of each text in particular. *

§ 8. To render a division agreeable and easy to be remembered by the hearer, endeavour to reduce it as often as possible to simple terms. By a simple term, 1 mean a single word; in the same sense as in logic what they call terminus simplex, is distinguished from what they call terminus complex. Indeed, when the parts of a discourse are expressed in a multiplicity of words, they are not only embarrassing, but also useless to the hearers, for they cannot retain them. Reduce them then as often as you can to a single term. †

Observe also, as often as possible, to connect the parts of your division together, either by way of opposition, or of cause and effect, or of action and end, or action and motive, or in some way or other; for to make a division of many parts which have no connection, is exceedingly offensive to the hearers, who will be apt to think that all you say, after such a division, is nonsense besides, the human mind, naturally loving order, will

* Most, if not all of these, may be exemplified by Mr. Saurin's Sermons, on the History of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Robinson.

+ Mr. Claude, indeed, does not speak here of the preacher, but of the hearers; and for their sakes would have the divisions few, and the terms expressive of them simple: a rule invariably observed by all good preachers. However, this must needs be a great help to an extempore preacher as well as to the hearers. Robinson.

No preacher, perhaps, exemplified this rule more happily than Bourdaloue."

This direction of Mr. Claude, like most of his other rules, is founded on his knowledge of human nature, which delights in orderly connections, and is extremely disgusted with every thing incongruous. Robinson.

much more easily retain a division, in which there appears a connection.

As to subdivisions, it is always necessary to make them; for they very much assist composition, and diffuse perspicuity into a discourse: but it is not always needful to mention them; on the contrary, they must be very seldom mentioned; because it would load the hearer's mind with a multitude of particulars. Nevertheless, when subdivisions can be made agreeably, either on account of the excellency of the matter, or when it will raise the hearers' attention, or when the parts harmonize justly and agreeably one with another, you may formally mention them: but this must be done very seldom, for the hearers would be presently tired of such a method, and by that means cloyed of the whole. *

§ 9. I proceed now from general to more particular rules, and the first thing that I would have our intelligent composer do, is to observe the nature of his text; for there are doctrinal, historical, prophetical, and typical texts. Some contain a command, others a prohibition; some a promise, others a threatening; some a wish, others an exhortation; some a censure, others a motive to action, &c. I take the greatest part to be mixed, containing different kinds of things. It is very important for a man who would compose, to examine his text well upon these articles, and carefully to distinguish all its characters; for

* Powerful reasoning should be the soul of all our sermons. Reasoning in eloquence is like love in religion; without love you may have the shadow, but you cannot have the substance of religion. Without love you are nothing: if you have not love, your virtue is only noise, it is only as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. In like manner, in regard to eloquence, speak with authority, open all the treasures of erudition, give full scope to a lively and sublime imagination, and harmonize your periods; yet what will all your discourses without reason be? a noise, a sounding brass, a tinkling cymbal. You may confound, but you cannot convince; you may dazzle, but you cannot instruct; you may delight, but cannot hope to change, to sanctify, and to transform your hearers. Saurin.