lice; muft defend herself from the evil defigns of "her neighbours; muft fuffer perpetually the inju"rious treatment of the farmers of the revenues, and "the infolence and barbarity they exercife in levying. the taxes. "When a father leaves children behind him, if it "be a daughter, I am fenfible the care of her muft "be very heavy upon the widow her mother; how"ever, this care is fupportable, fince it is not attend ed either with fear or expence. But, if it be a fon, "the educating of him will be much more difficult: this fills her with perpetual apprehenfions, not to "mention how expenfive it is to get him well edu"cated. However, thefe feveral evils could never "prevail upon me to marry. I have continued fixed "and immoveable, amidst these ftorms and tempefts; and, trufting above all in the grace of God, I deter"mined to fuffer all thofe troubles which are infepa"rable from widowhood. "But my only confolation in thefe afflictions was to "behold you perpetually, and to contemplate in your "face the living, the faithful image of my deceased "hufband: a confolation which I received in your "infancy, and when you was yet incapable of fpeak"ing, at which feafon parents find the greateft plea ❝ fure in their children. "I have not given you reafon to fay, that I indeed "fupported my prefent condition with courage, but "that I leffened your father's poffeffions, to extricate myfelf from thofe difficulties; a misfortune that "often befals minors. For I have preferved for you "all he left you, though I did not fpare any expence "for your education; this I paid myfelf out of the "portion given me by my father. I do not fay this, "my fon, by way of reproaching you with the obliga"tions you owe me. The only favour I ask in return, is, that you would not reduce me to widowhood a "fecond time. Do not open a wound that was beginning to heal; at least stay ftill I am dead, and "perhaps perhaps I may be fo very foon. Those who are young may hope to grow old; but at my age I am "to expect nothing but death. After you have buried "me in the fame grave with your father, and joined "my bones to his afhes, then undertake fuch long. "journies, and fail on whatever fea you pleafe; for "no one will hinder you: but, fo long as the breath "is in my body, bear with my prefence, and do not "be tired of living with me. Do not draw down upon yourself the wrath of Heaven, as you will do, fhould "you fo fenfibly afflict a mother, who deferves the "best from you. Should I offer to engage you in "worldly concerns, and you to undertake the ma"nagement of my affairs which are your own; I then "will allow you to have no regard or confideration "for the laws of nature; the pains I have taken in "bringing you up; the respect which is due to a moether, or any fuch motive; but fhun me as the ene"my of your repofe, and as one who is laying fnares "to ruin you. But, in cafe I do all that lies in my "power to make your life eafy and happy, let this confideration at leaft prevail upon you, if all others "fhould fail. How many friends foever you may "have, none of them will allow you to live with fo "much liberty as I do; and, indeed, no one so paf"fionately wishes your advancement and felicity." St. Chryfoftom was unable to refift thefe tender expreffions, and, though his friend Bafilius continued his follicitations, he could not be prevailed upon to leave a mother so very indulgent, and fo highly worthy of his love. Do we meet with any thing among Heathen authors more beautiful, more lively, more tender, or more eloquent, than the difcourfe before us, but of that fimple and natural eloquence, which infinitely excels the moft fhining ftrokes of elaborate art? Is there one farfetched thought in it, or any uncommon or affected turn? Is not the whole dictated by nature itself; But the circumftance I admire the moft in it, is, the inexpreffible inexpreffible reservedness of a deeply afflicted mother, who, though exceffively afflicted, does not however vent one paffionate expreffion, or complain of him, whowas the cause of her violent uneafinefs, I mean Bafilius. But undoubtedly his virtue checked her refentments on this occafion, or her fear that fuch words would exafperate her fon, whom the defired towork upon by foft and gentle methods. PART the SECOND. The Learning requifite in a Chriftian Orator. WH HAT I have hitherto delivered relates only to the style and method proper for the Chriftian orator, and which St. Auftin calls eloquenter dicere. It remains for me to treat that which forms the knowledge indifpenfably neceffary to a preacher, which the above-mentioned faint calls fapienter dicere. Without this learning, I a preacher, how eloquent' foever he might appear, would be but a mere declaimer; and fo much the more dangerous to his hearers, as the more agreeable to them; and as, by dazzling them with this falfe fplendor, he might accustom them to mistake an empty found of words for truth, which is the only folid food of the mind. It is well known, fays St. Austin, how greatly the Heathens themselves, who were not enlightened by divine wifdom, but guided only by reafon and good fenfe, defpifed this falfe fpecies of eloquence. What are we therefore to think of it, we who are the children and the minifters of this very wisdom ? It is but too usual with many who prepare for preach-ing to be more ftudious about embellifhing their dif 1 Qui affluit infipienti eloquentia, tanto magis cavendus e, quan'o magis ab eo in iis quæ audire intile eft, delectatur aud.tor, & I eum, quoniam difertè dicere audit, etiam verè dicere exiftimat, S. Aug. lib. iv. de doct. Chrift. c. 5. courses, courfes, than of filling them with folid truths. Nevertheless it is a maxim in rhetoric, established by all who have written on that art, that the only way to fpeak well is to think well, or juftly; and, to be able to do the latter, a perfon must be well inftructed, be a master of his fubject; and his mind must be adorned with a variety of knowledge: m Scribendi recte fapere eft & principium & fons. It was from philofophy, and efpecially that of Plato, the ancients imagined that fund of knowledge might be imbibed, which only can form the good brator: Rem tibi Socratica poterunt oflendere charta. This made Cicero fo carefully injoin this ftudy and he confeffes, as was obferved elsewhere, that, if he has made any advances in eloquence, he owes it more to philofophy than to rhetoric. But Chriftian orators have infinitely more pure and more abundant fources, whence they ought to draw this fund of knowledge. Thefe fprings are the Scripture and the Fathers. What riches do they contain? And how culpable would that perfon be, who should neglect fo precious a treasure? That man, who is much converfant in them, will eafily be master of elocution. The just thoughts, and great truths, with which his mind will be ftored, will naturally fuggeft proper expreffions; and fuch an orator can never want words: Verbaque provifam rem non invita fequentur. Of the Study of the Scriptures. A preacher ought to make the Sacred Writings his chief study; and St. Auftin lays it down as an inconteftable principle, that the Chriftian orator will be more or less able to deliver himself with juftness and m Horat. de art. poet. n Fateor me oratorem, fi modo fim, aut etiam quicumque fim, non ex rhetorum officinis, fed ex Academiæ fpatiis extitiffe. Orat. A. 12. folidity folidity, in proportion to his knowledge of the Scrip tures: Sapienter dicit homo tanto magis vel minus, quanto in Scripturis fanétis magis minufve profecit. All the religion and all the knowledge of man for this life and for that which is to come, confifts in knowing the only true God, and Chrift whom he has fent: PHæc eft vita æterna, ut cognofcant te folum Deum verum, & quem mififti Jefum Chriftum. What can be wanting in that man who poffeffes this double knowledge? And where can it be taken but from the Sacred Writings? Who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who both been his counsellor? O the depth of the riches both of the wifdem and knowledge of God! Who can boaft, that he has all the riches of the full affurance af underfanding to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Chrift? Thofe only, to whom God will make known what are the riches of the glory of this double mystery; that is, the evangelifts and apoftles, who can fay, We have received... the Spirit of God; we know the mind of Chrift. It is known, that this gift was indulged to St. Paul in an eminent degree, who declared, "I determined not to know any thing among you, fave Jefus Chrift, and him crucified; all other things he counted but loffes, in comparifon of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus. * He declares in more places than one, that his vocation is *to preach among the Gentiles the unfearchable riches of Chrift; and to make all men fee, what is the fellowship of the mystery, which, from the beginning of the world, hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jefus Chrift. t " What is a preacher of the Gospel properly, but an ambaffador fent by the Creator to men, to declare his defigns to them; to lay before them the conditions. of the covenant he will make with them; and of the De doct. Christ. 1. iv. c. 5. P John xvii. 3. Rom. xi. 34 & 35• Coloff. ii. 2. • Coloff. i. 27. t 1 Cor. ii. 12 & 16. u 1 Cor. ii. 2. w Philip. iii. 8. peace |