rc The PREFACE. feldom or ever at a lofs. A clear, compofed, and affured mind, with, a choice and fluency of words which never failed, him, and a firong and faithful memory made the deli- very of his fermons eafy to him ; as a great compafs of invention and readinefs of thought, made the compofition of them. For fome years he delivered his fermons with a very great pathos, which tended to ftrike the imaginations and paffions of his hearers. But he departed very much from this in his riper age, avoiding every thing which look'd like enthufiafm, and addreffed himfelf more direly to the confciences of men, and the higher principles of aäion, in a Rile ftrong and nervous, rather than pathe- tic. After he came to Dublin, he conftantly ufed his notes in the pulpit, not from any neceflity he was then under, which did not oblige him to it before, but from a perfua- fion it was the belt way, as upon other ac, counts, fo particularly on this, that not ufing notes in the delivery, may prove to force a temptation to negligence in the compofing of their fermons. How exalt his own were, the reader will fee from the fermons fol. lowing, Bur
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