62O AN HUMBLE ATTEMPT, &C. strike and persuade some souls there into repentance, faith, hon. tress and salvation. Go to open blind eyes, to unstop deaf ears, to make the lame walk, to make the foolish wise, to raise those that are dead in trespasses and sins to a heavenlyand divine life, and to bringguilty rebels to return to the love and obedience of their Maker, by Jesus Christ, the great Reconciler, that they May be pardoned and saved. Go to diffuse the favour of the name of Christ and his gospel, through a whole assembly, and to allure souls to partake of his grace and glory. III. Go forth in the strength of Christ, for these glorious effects are above your own strength, and transcendall the powers of the brightest preachers. Be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus ; 2 Tim. ii. 1. Without him we can do nothing ; John xv. 5. Go vvith a design to work wonders-of salvation on sinful creatures, but in the strength of Jesus, who kath all power given him in heaven and earth, and bath promised to be with his ministers to the end of the world ; Mat. xxviii. 20. Pray earnestly for the promised aids of the Spirit, and plead with Godwho bath sent you forth in the serviceof the gospel of his Son, that you may not return empty, but bring in a fair harvest of converts to heaven. It is the Lord of the harvest who only can give this divine success to the labourers. He that planteth is nothing, and he that watereth is nothing, but all our hope is in God who giveth the increase ; 1 Cor. iii. 7. 1V. Get the substance of your sermon which you have pre- pared for the pulpit, so wrought into your head and heart by re- view and meditation, that you may have it at 'command, and speak to your hearers with freedom ; not as if you were reading or repeatingyour lesson to them, but as a Ivan sent to teach and persuade them to faith and holiness. Deliver your discourses to thepeople like a man that is talking to them in good earnest about their most important concerns, and their everlasting wel- fare ; like a messenger sent from heaven who would fain save sinners from hell, and allure souls to God and happiness. Do Rot indulge that lazy way of reading over your prepared paper, as a school-boy does an oration out of Livy or Cicero, who has no concern in the things he speaks. But let all the warmest zeal for God, and compassion fdr perishingmen, animate your voice and countenance ; and let the people see and feel, as well as hear, that you are speaking to them about things of infinite mo- ment, and in which your own eternal interest lies as well as theirs. V. If you pray and hope for the assistance of the Spirit óf God in every partof your work, do not resolve always to confine yourself precisely to the mere words and sentences which you have written down in your private preparations. Far be it from me to encourage a preacher to venture into public work without due preparation by study, and a regular composure of his dia-
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