on high, so that they are beyond the reach of the people, and sometimes lose themselves. They affect lofty expressions of their own devising, swelling words of vanity, trim phrases, puerile flourishes, which amuse the meaner part of their auditory, who often most admire what they do not understand. This method only feeds the vanity and gratifies the itching ears of men, but will never rouse their conscience, or savingly profit their immortal souls. It has long been observed, that those ministers who aim at adorning their discourses with the flowers of rhetoric, and attempt a display of literature in preaching, have in every age had the least success in awakening and converting sinners. Such a manner of preaching, however it may amuse the weak, and command the applauses of the superficial, yet to persons of better judgment, and deeper penetration, who desire to have their minds enriched with sound knowledge, and their hearts replenished with saving grace, it is tedious and despicable. Good sense and substantial divinity, clothed with proper and familiar language, delivered with unaffected vivacity and seriousness, meekness and gentleness, yet with boldness and authority, as every way becomes the oracles of God, is a method that tends to make an agreeable and useful minister, and a judicious and improving auditory.

HAPPY EFFECTS.-The effects produced by the ministry of the gospel when it is attended with success, are really wonderful. The better these are understood, the more will they be admired. By reason, indeed, of their sublime and heavenly nature, their greatness and excellence cannot be rightly discerned by carnal persons; but how abtruse soever they may seem to be to such, (for says St. John, "The world knoweth us not,") yet real Christians, from their own personal experience, under

stand and feel enough in them to raise their admiration.

The strong-holds of sin and Satan are thereby demolished. St. Paul, writing to the Christians at Corinth, says, "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." These strong-holds are ignorance and errors of the mind, domineering and tyrannical lusts of the flesh, unbelief and prejudices of the heart against Christ, and the way of salvation by him, with all those worldly maxims and carnal reasonings that have gained the ascendancy over fallen man: these are evils to which, in his degraded condition, he is unhappily subjected. But when the gospel prevails, what a gracious deliverance is effected from these hurtful and alarming consequences of sin! Then they who previously loved darkness, and hated light, are instructed, and made wise to salvation. They who had made a mock at sin, and a jest of serious religion, have now changed their sentiments, and can no longer call evil good, and good evil. They who were full of prejudice against the doctrine of Christ, have been so far changed, that they make an open profession of those evangelical truths which they once denied, and contend earnestly for the faith which, with much bitterness and rancour, they once reproached. They who formerly were so fond of their secular interest, that they thought no exertions too great to be made, nor scarcely any secret fraud too vile to be practised, so that they might but accumulate riches, and appear with distinction in the world, have been brought by the power of the gospel to prefer an interest in Christ,

adoption into the family of God, and the witness of the Holy Spirit, before all temporal honours, and worldly enjoyments whatever. In short, when the gospel ministry is efficacious, errors are rooted out of the mind; prejudices against God and godliness, against the Lord and his Christ, are removed; the love of sin, which is the support of Satan's kingdom, is slain; and all the worldly and sinful politics are exchanged for the wise counsels and holy rules of God's word. Thus has the sound ministry of the gospel, in former days, been effectual to the demolishing the strong-holds of the Prince of darkness; and no doubt, very many among Christians in modern times, can testify, that they have felt its power to produce in them similar effects.

The successful ministry of the gospel is the means of bringing awakened sinners to the exercise of faith in Jesus Christ. To bring persons to Christ, and to unite them to him by faith, is one special and grand design of preaching the gospel. When successful, people are prevailed on to come to Jesus, to receive him, and to trust in him as their only hope and Saviour. And what a wonderful effect is this! What a combination of supernatural and human agency producing surprising acts included in the faith that truly justifies and saves-acts of the deepest humility, and strictest self-denial—acts of the highest reverence for God, and of the most endeared affection to Jesus, who was once the object of the sinner's greatest aversion! Is it not strange to see a man renounce the law as a covenant of works, since our very nature, as St. Paul speaks, is wedded to it, and married to another! He says, "Wherefore, my brethren, ye are become dead to the law, by the body of Christ; that should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that ye should bring forth fruit

ye

unto God." There is nothing that a man is more unwilling to relinquish than a secret dependance on his own righteousness, though his best specimen, since the fall, is utterly contemptible in the sight of God. Who can tell the difficulty there is of persuading men to lay aside 'their expectation of obtaining future happiness, for the sake of their own merit or obedience? which, of course, sooner or later must issue in the most complete disappointment. How difficult it is to persuade those especially to do this, who have had a religious education; who from their youth have led a moral life, been regular and sober in their habits and behaviour, just and honest in their dealings, and constantly engaged at proper seasons in the external performance of the sacred duties of the Christian religion; who, on these accounts, have been ready to think within themselves, that they had much wherein to trust, and something perhaps whereof to boast and glory. How hard is it to prevail with such entirely to renounce their own imaginary goodness, and to give their unfeigned, hearty, full consent to depend wholly on the sufficiency of another, as their only sanctuary, and the sole ground of their justification before God, acceptance with him, and eternal life. Is it not astonishing to see those who had been long, with the greatest earnestness, seeking righteousness by the works of the law, brought at length to apply for it by faith in Christ alone, and with admiration and gratitude submit to his obedience and death, as infinitely meritorious, which previously they could not at all approve of in their hearts! Wonderful it is, that the crucified Jesus should become precious and inestimable to those, to whom, during the former period of their life, he had been as a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence."

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Another effect of a successful gospel ministry, is a thorough renewal of the soul, with an entire renovation in life and conversation. The inward change of the heart, effected by the grace of God, resulting from faith in Christ, though to many it may be secret and invisible, is nevertheless real and universal. Regeneration is not a feigned but a genuine work, as many thousands, who have had the happy experience of it, can, with a sacred pleasure, testify. In a metaphorical, spiritual sense, the blind have been made to see, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, the lame to walk, yea, to leap for joy. Not only have the diseased been healed, the lepers cleansed, but the very dead in trespasses and sins have been quickened, and raised to a truly spiritual and divine life. This change is also universal; it is the exalted privilege of those who are born from above, to be sanctified throughout in spirit, soul, and body. They are renewed in all their moral powers and faculties-the understanding is correctly enlightened, the will is wholly renewed, and all the affections are regulated and made holy. "All things are become new"-they have new desires, new hopes, new fears, new joys, new sorrows, new aims, and new endeavours. They love the good things which they once hated and studiously shunned; and they hate the evil things which before they loved and eagerly pursued. They are introduced into a new state, and accordingly resolve on new measures, objects, exercises, and enjoyments. And the inward renovation of the nature is always attended with an universal change in life and conversation. The corrupt affections being healed, and the image of God restored, the heart is set right for the faithful performance of every duty. In a word, men are made not barely nominal, but true Christians, who, influenced by a vital principle, follow after holiness, and