hearing by the word of God."* Archbishop Grindal in his celebrated remonstrance to Queen Elizabeth, upon her restraint upon his preaching exercises, well points out the supremacy of preaching in the Christian Ministry-- Public and continual preaching of God's word is the ordinary means and instrument of the salvation of mankind. St. Paul calls it "the Ministry of reconciliation" of man unto God. preaching of God's word, the glory of God is enlarged, faith is nourished, and charity is increased. By it the ignorant is instructed, the negligent exhorted and incited, the stubborn rebuked, the weak conscience comforted, and to all those that sin of malicious wickedness, the wrath of God is threatened.'†

By

This view of the importance of preaching as the grand ordinance of God is confirmed by an able writer of the present day. 6 Of all methods for diffusing religion, preaching is the most efficient. All other methods are indirect and preparatory; but the simple proclaiming of the Gospel has in all ages been attended with the most transforming efficacy, elevating the few, who have cordially accepted it, into a higher and happier state of being, and even raising the many who have rejected it into a better system of moral opinion. It is to preaching that Christianity owes its origin, its continuance, and its progress; and it is to itinerating preaching, however the ignorant may undervalue it, that we owe the conversion of the Roman world from paganism to primitive Christianity; our own freedom from the

* Rom. x. 14, 17

The whole of this letter is most admirable. It may be seen in Fuller's Church History, Book ix. and in Strype's Life of Grindal.

thraldom of Popery, in the success of the Reformation; and the revival of Christianity at the present day from the depression, which it had undergone, owing to the prevalence of infidelity and of indifference. Books, however excellent, require at least some previous interest on the part of the person, who is to open and to peruse them. But the preacher arrests that attention, which the written record only invites; and the living voice, and the listening numbers heighten the impression by the sympathy and enthusiasm which they excite; the reality which the truths spoken possess in the mind of the speaker, is communicated to the feelings of the hearers, and they end in sharing the same views, at least for the moment, and in augmenting each other's convictions.*

6

The judgment of the fathers of the church was in strict consonance with the view of our subject. Gregory Nazianzen insists upon preaching as the principal thing that belongs to us Ministers of the Gospel. St. Augustine remarks it as the proper office of a bishop to preach. No congregation in the primitive church seperated without being 'fed,' as Tertullian expresses it,' with holy sermons.' Bishop Stillingfleet informs us, that even in the dark times of Popery, they were convinced of the necessity and usefulness of preaching, for that in the reign of Henry III. all parish priests were enjoined at a provincial synod, to 'instruct the people committed to their charge, and to feed them with the food of God's word,' and if they do not do it, they are styled by that synod, 'dumb dogs.'§ Erasmus, in making a comparison between the several distinct

t

* Douglas's Advancement of Society in Knowledge and Religion. Orat. I. De Offic. 1. c. 1, πρωτον των ημετέρων. Duties and Rights of the Parochial Clergy, p. 15.

offices of the Ministry-thus give the pre-eminence to preaching-speaking of the Minister He is then in the very height of his dignity, when from the pulpit he feeds the Lord's flock with sacred doctrine.'* Mr. Thorndike, a writer of some authority on ecclesiastical matters, justly remarks--' that preaching in respect of personal performance, is the most excellent work bishops and presbyters are able to do in the service of God.'t Hooker gives his judgment to the same purport,-- So worthy a part of Divine service we should greatly wrong, if we did not esteem preaching as the blessed ordinance of God-sermons as keys to the kingdom of heaven, as wings to the soul, as spurs to the good affections of man, unto the sound and healthy as food, as physic unto diseased minds.' It is remarked of Mr. Robinson of Leicester-that 'to preaching he always assigned the throne in the various and distinct offices of his Ministry. "Preach the word"-this he considered as the main article of his commission, which the nearest of the rest followed at a long interval. It is well,' he would say, 'to visit; it is well to show kindness; to make friendly; to instruct at home; to instruct at their own houses; to educate the children; to clothe the naked. But the pulpit is the seat of usefulness; souls are to be converted and built up there; no exertion must be allowed, which may have the effect of habitually deteriorating this---whatever else is done should be with the design and hope of making this more effective.'§

The historical review of this ordinance is interesting from its connexion with national prosperity, and the extension of scriptural knowledge and holiness. Asa

Erasm. Eccles. Lib. i.

† See his Due Way of composing Differences.

‡ Book v. 22.

§ Vaughan's Life of Robinson, p. 297.

was reminded by his prophet, that the destitution of

66

a teaching priest" was marked by a time of national distress and vexation."* In the subsequent reign of Jehoshaphat we find the mission of Levites and Priests throughout all the cities, combined with the overflowing prosperity and establishment of the kingdom. The comparative disuse of preaching was a concomitant mark of the dark ages of Popery, while its revival was coeval with the dawn and progress of the Reformation.

The object of the Reformers in completing the Book of Homilies, was to remove the obstruction to preaching, from the ignorance of the Clergy. Erasmus, as we have seen, appears to have been sensible of the importance of preaching. Bishop Stillingfleet notices his observation in his Ecclesiastes, that the sense of religion grows very cold without preaching, and that the Countess of Richmond, King Henry the Seventh's mother, had such a sense of the necessity of that office in those times, that she maintained many preachers at her own charges, and employed Bishop Fisher to find out the best qualified for it.' The Council of Trent also designates this office with considerable emphasis, as the chief part of the Bishop's work. §

There appears therefore just ground for George Herbert's beautiful definition of his Country Parson's pulpit as 'his joy and his throne,'|| invested with a dignity, solemnity, and efficiency peculiarly its own.

CHAPTER II.

PREPARATION FOR THE PULPIT.

How honourable was the spirit of "the man after God's own heart," who could not endure the thought of offering unto the Lord his God "of that which did cost him nothing;"* and when, in the contemplation of the greatness of the work, and the majesiy of his God, he "prepared with all his might," and consecrated all his treasures, and all his service, "for the house of his God!" Nor does his illustrious son appear to have devoted less preparation of heart and consecration of service to the building of the spiritual temple, than to that magnificent material temple, which was destined to be the glory of his nation, and the wonder of the world. To the one he devoted all the treasures of his kingdom; to the other, all the riches of his mind"large and exceeding much, even as the sand that is on the sea-shore " It is said, that "because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs,"§ as if his whole soul was engaged in the work, and exercised to discover the best mode as well as the best substance of instruction, that his heavenly expressions might be clothed in suitable language, worthy of the great subject and its divine. Author. Thus, though he found "much study a weariness to the flesh," yet he considered its advantages greatly to overbalance its toil; and, though the wisest of men, his sermons were the results of labour and study,

* 2 Sam. xxiv. 24.

1 Kings iv, 29.

1 Chron. xxix. 1-6.

§ Eccl. xii. 9.