peace he will condefcend to grant them, agreeable to that majestic expreffion of St. Paul, We are ambafJadors for Chrift? Now, from whom should an ambaffador receive his inftructions, or the words he is commanded to deliver to those he is to treat with, but from the mafter who fent him? It was this made St. Paul exhort the Ephefians to offer up prayers continually for him; in order, fays he, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the Gospel,... that therein I may Speak boldly. And the fame Apoftle declares in another place, that all things are of God, who hath reconciled us unto himself by Jefus Chrift, a and bath given to us the miniftry of reconciliation.

d

When can preachers fay truly to their hearers, Now then we are ambassadors for Chrift, as though God did befeech you by us.... We speak before God in Chrift, or, rather, it is fefus Chrift fpeaks in us, unlefs when the truths they declare, and the proofs by which they support them, are drawn from the Sacred Writings, and are warranted from God's Word? These are likewife infinitely fruitful, whether we defire to inculcate the tenets, or to explain myfteries; or would unfold the principles of morality, or cenfure vices: All Scripture is given by infpiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for inftruction in righteousness.

It must be confeffed, that the truths, which are declared to Chriftians, are much stronger, and make a much greater impreffion, when they are thus invested with the divine authority; because every man, at the fame time that he has an idea of the Deity, has naturally a veneration for Him. Besides, thefe truths take much deeper root in the mind, when they are joined with fome paffages of Scripture, the fenfe and energy

y 2 Cor. y. 20.

z Ephef. vi. 19, 20.

a 2 Cor. v. 15.

b

2 Cor. v. 20.

Ibid. xii. 19.

d Ibid. xiii. 3.

2 Tim. iii, 16.

of

of which have been fhewn. The hearer may have the text explained before his eyes, which makes him much more attentive; at least he has it at home, and, by reading it, he cafily recalls whatever was faid to explain it. But a bare citation, often very fhort, and of which the auditor has feldom notice, paffes away with great rapidity, leaves no trace behind it, and is loft and confounded in the rest of the difcourfe. We cannot expect much fruit from inftructions, when they are founded merely on human reasons.

"One might follow, fays the archbishop of Cam"bray, in his Dialogues on Eloquence, where he "lays down excellent rules for preaching; one might "follow many preachers twenty years, and not be in"ftructed in religion in the manner we ought. I "have often obferved, fays he elsewhere, that there "is no art or fcience but is taught from principles, "and methodically; whilft only religion is not taught "after that method. A little, dry catechifm, which "they do not understand, is given them in their in"fant years to learn by heart; after which, they "have no other inftructions but what they can gather "from loofe, indigefted fermons. I wish that Chrif"tians were taught the first elements of their religion, and were inftructed with order and method

to the highest myfteries. This was the practice "of the earliest ages of the Church. Minifters used "to begin by catechifms, after which they taught "the Gofpel regularly by homilies, whereby Chris"tians became perfectly acquainted with the whole "Word of God."

In this manner pastors taught anciently their flock; and the chief preparation they judged neceffary for this important duty, which they looked upon with great terror, was the ftudy of the Sacred Writings. I hall content myself with citing, here, the teftimony and example of St. Auftin. Valerius his bishop had ordained him prieft, almoft in fpight of himself, in the view chiefly of making him exercife the miniftry of preaching

preaching; and, indeed, he a little after obliged him to it. Who can exprefs the fears, the inquietudes and alarms, with which St. Auftin was feized at the fight of this function? And yet many look upon it as a fport, though this great man trembled at the fight of it. But what was wanting in him, either with regard to genius, or the knowledge neceffary in a preacher ? And this his bishop represented to him. f He himfelf owns, that he was well enough acquainted with all those things which relate to religion; but then he imagined, that he was not fufficiently able to distribute those truths to others, fo as to conduce to their falvation; and this made him request fo earneftly, that fome time at leaft might be allowed him, in order to prepare himself for it, by the ftudy of the Holy Scriptures, by prayer, and by tears. But if," fays he in his beautiful petition to his bifhop, "after having "learned from experience the qualifications required "in a man who is intrufted with the difpenfation of "the facraments, and of the Word of God, you will "not allow me time to acquire what I am fenfible is

wanting in myfelf, you would then have me perish? "Valerius, my dear father, where is your love and "charity? .... For what aniwer fhall I be able to "make to the Lord, when he will judge me? Shall I "tell him, that, after I had once accepted of eccle"aftical employments, it was not poffible for me to "inform myfelf in thofe things which were neceffary "to inable me to discharge them as I ought?"

All that St. Austin thought on this subject the feveral Fathers of the Church, who were charged with the miniftry of preaching, have thought and practifed in the fame manner: St. Bafil, St. Gregory Nazianzen, St. Chryfoftom, did thus and, pointed out the fame courfe to their fucceffors. This ftudy therefore is neceffary to all, and may be of vast use. There are a great number of clergymen, who, though of

fmall abilities in other refpects, are however to inftruct children, the common people or peasants, whom the bare ftudy of the Holy Scriptures, and especially of the New Testament, will inable to acquit fuccefs fully of their duty; and in whom this ftudy, if carefully followed, will fupply what they may want with regard to learning and eloquence. 8 St. Austin advises, that the poorer they find themselves, the more they ought to borrow the riches of the Scripture; that they fhould take from these an authority they could never have had from themselves, by inforcing their own words with their teftimony; and that they fhould find, in its greatness and ftrength, the means to grow in ftrength of mind, and to justify themselves by those divine aids.

The Study of the Fathers.

But, in order to discharge the more worthily fo fublime and important a miniftry, we must join to the study of the Sacred Writings that of the doctors of the Church, who are the true interpreters of it, and whom Chrift, the fole fovereign of men, condefcended to affociate in that honourable quality, by enlightening them particularly with his Word.

The eloquence of the pulpit has an advantage over that of the bar, which is not fufficiently valued, nor, in my opinion, fufficiently practifed. In the latter, the orator draws almoft every thing he is to fay from his own understanding. He may make ufe of fome thoughts, and fome turns, borrowed from the ancients; but then he is not allowed to copy them, and, though he were allowed this, his fubject would feldom admit of it. But it is otherwife with a preacher; for, what fubje&t foever he may treat, a fpacious field is open to him in the Greck and Latin Fathers, where he is fure

g Quanto fe pauperiorum cernit in fuis, tanto eum oportet in iftis effe ditiorem; ut quod dixerit fuis verbis, probet ex illis; & qui pro

priis verbis minor erat, magnorum teftimonio quo lammodo crefcat, De doar. Christ, 1. 4. c. 5.

to

to find all the most just and folid particulars which can be faid on the fame head; not only principles, and their confequences; truths, and the proofs of them; the rules, and their application; but even very often the thoughts and turns; infomuch that an orator of no great abilities is on a fudden inriched by the wealth of others, which becomes in fome meafure his own by the ufe he makes of it. And fo far from its being a crime in him to adorn himself thus in these precious fpoils; he ought, on the contrary, to be cenfured, in cafe he prefumed to prefer his own thoughts to thofe of fuch great men, who, by a peculiar privilege, were deftined to inftruct all ages and

nations after their death.

I do not pretend, in fpeaking thus, to confine the labour of preachers to extracting the most beautiful paffages from the Fathers, and to deliver them so detached to their hearers. However, though they should do this, their flock would not be thereby lefs inftructed; nor would their cafe be very hard, fhould they still have St. Ambrose, St. Austin, and St. Chryfoftom for their pastors. I have heard a clergyman in Paris, who was very much followed and admired, though most of his fermons were borrowed from Mr. Tourneux and Mr. Nicole. And, indeed, what need the people care whence what they hear is borrowed, provided it be excellent, and well adapted to their inftruction? But a preacher is allowed to lend, or rather to join his eloquence to that of thofe great men, by borrowing from them the fubftance of his proofs and arguments; and expreffing them after his manner, without following them fervilely. If he undertakes, for inftance, to fhew why God permits juft men to be afflicted in this life, St. Chryfoftom, in his first homily to the people of Antioch, fupplies him with ten or twelve different reafons, all supported by texts of Scripture; and adds a greater number in other difcourfes. St. Auftin has also some wonderful paffages on this fubject, which he treated often, because this

inftruction