At various periods of the christian church different modes of preaching have obtained, as the tastes and inclinations of the ministry, their love and pursuit of knowledge, and the power and influence of true religion upon their own hearts, and those of the people at large, have led. Upon the whole, however, it may, I believe, be safely affirmed-notwithstanding the early manifestation of the existence of Antichrist, (the assumption of the authority of Christ in his church), which the apostle even in his day declared to be actually latent, and which was then kept back from exerting its baneful influence by the power of God-that until the exercise of authority in the hierarchy, by Constantine, preaching was generally, if not altogether, used for purposes consistent with the object of the salvation of souls. It is truc, that immediately preceding that important event, during the third century, a considerable change in the mode of preaching took place. Mosheim, in his Ecclesiastical History, says, that, "the discourses or sermons addressed to the people at that time were very different from those of the earlier times of the church, and degenerated much from the ancient simplicity. For not to say anything of Origen, who introduced long sermons, and the first who explained the Scriptures in his discourses, several bishops who had received their education in the schools of the Rhetoricians, were exactly scrupulous in adapting their public exhortations and discourses to the rules of Grecian eloquence. And this method gained such credit as to be soon almost universally followed." These remarks, however, apply more to the manner than to the subject-matter of preaching, and the practice referred to might have co-existed with a desire to preach nothing but the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. However, no sooner did the Roman Emperor profess subjection to the cross of Christ, and take the church under his patronage and protection, than a new scene opened up to the ministers of that Church, which eventually led to an entire change in preaching, more indeed in the matter and subjects of discourse, than the manner; and ultimately issued in the rejection of the saving truths of the Gospel, and the substitution of the most absurd and wicked dogmas.

Without dwelling upon the different forms which preaching assumed through successive ages of the church, we may come to times somewhat nearer our own, and just glance at the worldly objects for the accomplishment of which preaching was but too successfully employed. During the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the Christian world, so called, was roused into action by the preaching of monks and others, in favour of a crusade against the Saracens, who were then in possession of Jerusalem, with the view of recovering the Holy City, and establishing in it-such as it then was-the Christian religion. Few preachers have ever lived who were possessed of more spirit-stirring eloquence, or who produced more extraordinary effects upon an auditory, than "Peter the Hermit," when he travelled almost the length and breadth of Christendom, with a letter in his hand, "which he declared to have been written in heaven,' exhorting to arms against the followers of Mahomed. So effectual was the preaching of Peter, that eight hundred thousand persons, the scum, as well as the flower of Europe, were inflamed by a passion which nothing but death could extinguish, "to wrest the cross of Christ out of the hands of the Infidels." Nor was the success of another preacher much, if at all inferior, in the following century, when calling potentates and people to a second crusade. "Bernard, the famous abbot of Clairval, preached the cross, that is the crusade, in France and Germany, with great ardour and success;" insomuch that another army was raised for a similar purpose, and all ranks and classes, from the monarch to the peasant, vied in zeal and determination to vindicate the honour of the Saviour, as was foolishly imagined, by slaughtering his enemies. It is worthy of remark in passing, that scarcely had two centuries passed over, when the "Knights Templars," as the leaders of this crusade and their descendants were called, became in turn suspected of being the enemies of the cross; and, by the command of Pope Clement the Fifth, were, through

out Europe, seized, imprisoned, tortured, and many of them put to death, as guilty of the most heinous and abominable heresies! But preaching, the great object of which has been so to inflame the passions of men as to lead to the shedding of human blood, has not always had reference-as its victims--to those who denied the name of Christ, and were infidels by profession. Alas! the church of Rome has long had within its pale, men who have held human life as of much less value than the dogmas of their church, and who would much sooner sacrifice it at the shrine of that church's errors, than take a single step to correct and reform their errors. Men who, in the character of ministers of the Gospel of peace, have delighted in war, in shedding the blood of those of their fellow creatures, who in professing faith in the same Saviour, have dared to do so in terms and modes accordant with the New Testament, but at variance with the creed of the dominant church. The wars which have been waged for the extirpation of what has been designated heresy, against the Albigenses, Vaudois, Waldenses, Hugonots, and other religious bodies,— and against those minor European states, which from time to time exposed the corruptions of Rome, and refused subjection to her Anti-christian assumptions -were all heralded, and accelerated by the fanatical and wicked preaching of monks, and other orders of the clergy; who saw in the new and unsophisticated doctrine of salvation by faith in Christ, a power and influence which would level with the dust the monstrous system which ages of darkness and ignorance had reared. With a zeal therefore worthy of a better cause, these men went almost "everywhere" preaching, and urging the duty of hating, persecuting, and putting to the death, better and holier men than themselves; inflaming the minds of the ignorant, exciting the worst passions of human nature, and setting every man's hand against his brother, until entire regions became desolated, myriads of Christ's faithful followers were slain, and various portions of Christendom saturated with the blood of his saints.

In modern times, it has been our happiness to witness, as the result of the preaching of the cross of Christ, far different triumphs than those we have now been contemplating. The simple announcement of the truths of the Gospel has, in later and better days, produced more peaceful and blessed effectssaving, instead of destroying, men's lives; and teaching universal brotherhood and benevolence among mankind. Surely it is a desecration of so high and holy a calling, for a minister of Christ to preach upon any other subject than "Christ crucified," the Saviour of sinners; and all those great and glorious truths connected with, and arising out of, this foundation doctrine. Preachers of the Gospel have an inexhaustible theme in the message given them to carry to perishing men, and in pointing them to "the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world," without trifling upon the bubbles of the day, preaching the politics of the world, or, much less, exciting man against his fellow man to hatred, and the indulgence and exercise of the evil passions of depraved human nature.

To preach acceptably, and with success, is no doubt the sincere and anxious desire of every faithful minister of the New Testament; and if the glorious effects designed to be produced by the Gospel are laboured for, prayed for, and expected, such genuine successors of apostolic zeal and fidelity cannot, and will not, labour in vain. Ministers of the Gospel, whose great business is the salvation of souls, ought to be anxious to avoid whatever may appear to militate against success. There are several styles or modes of preaching, which are evidently calculated to do anything but profit an auditory; two or three of which I will just advert to. There is what may, perhaps, be designated the "curious" style, which is shown sometimes in the selection of texts designed to excite the pleasantry of the hearers, rather than instruct the mind and awaken the conscience. Such it is to be feared was the object of a preacher who chose for his text "Apes and peacocks;" selecting the words from the history recording the articles brought by Solomon's ships from Tharshish :

L

such also was that of the pulpit courtier, who on preaching before King James, the first of his name on the English throne, and the sixth on that of Scotland, abruptly announced for a text, "James the first and sixth." This kind of preaching is also exhibited by the selection of texts of a highly figurative character, and by an attempt on the part of the speaker, to spiritualize every such figure, and to find their counterpart in the moral nature, or religious experience of the Christian. Such attempts sometimes furnish amusement to an auditory, but they rarely minister to the mental, moral, or spiritual wants of the hearers.

A kind of preaching has arisen in modern times, especially among younger ministers, which may, perhaps, most appropriately be denominated" Essay preaching;" the object of which is to exhibit the topics brought under discussion in a mode better adapted for the press, than for the more familiar style of oral delivery. But dry, formal, ultra systematic preaching; the discussion of a subject in an orthodox and scholastically approved manner-however ingenious and skilful, making more impression upon the lettered part of an audience than upon the congregation generally, and most of all upon the head, and not upon the heart and conscience-is not that description of preaching which in apostolic times was so signally owned in the conversion of souls; nor is it likely to be characterised by such effects in the present day. It is a lamentable thing when a congregation is found preferring pulpit discourses, upon mere moral and philosophical subjects, to the announcement of the great truths of revelation; but such a case, as that, would offer no ground of justification to a minister for pursuing such a course. A circumstance, shewing the actual occurrence of such a case, however, came under the notice of the writer a few years ago. The Rev. Dr. removed from his pastoral charge in a large manufacturing town in the country, to a metropolitan chapel. A few months afterwards, the writer had business engagements with one of the country hearers of the reverend gentleman, which required their attendance, and detained them both in London, for two or three weeks, and during that time the latter attended the preaching of his former teacher. This gentleman, mixing with some of the new hearers of the Doctor, naturally enquired how his ministry was approved among them; and the answer given-I blush to record it -was, that they had been disappointed in Dr. ; that they found him

too religious for their congregation, and his pulpit discourses made up too much of what was called practical religion, instead of what was much more in accordance with their tastes and wishes-and what they had previously been accustomed to-philosophical dissertations. It will no doubt abate somewhat of the surprise of the reader, to be informed that this was an unitarian congregation; but, notwithstanding this fact, the entire occurrence has always appeared to the writer to be strongly illustrative of the natural effect of a course of preaching which had ever been addressed to the intellect, but seldoin to the hearts and affections of the hearers.

The best models of preaching which a minister of Christ can select, notwithstanding all the learned works which have been published on this subject, are to be found in the New Testament. Clear and simple statements of Divine truth, conveyed in language not to be misunderstood; with powerful appeals to the consciences, backed by the influence and energy of the Holy Ghost, appear to have constituted the glory of apostolical preaching: and the apostolic models are the unerring guides to pulpit success. No preacher, therefore, need be at a loss for direction in this important matter. Were such examples universally followed, it would sweep away the race who are constantly diving, as they suppose, into hidden mysteries; and who profess to expound with almost mathematical precision and certainty, those "secret things which belong only to God!

It cannot be denied, that the pulpit in different ages of the church has been adorned by most varied, and the highest order of talent, and with eloquence

seldom if ever surpassed. But the preaching which has been rendered most successful in its ultimate, and highest, object, has not always-perhaps not often-exhibited these qualities in such full perfection. There are exceptions; and it is well known that many whose preaching has been remarkably owned of God, in the spread of divine truth, have possessed gifts of rare description. There is, however, a species of talent, an eloquence in preaching, which all ministers of Christ may possess and exhibit, and without which no man ever preached the Gospel successfully,-and that is, EARNESTNESS. This quality, perhaps more than any other, singly, is descriptive of primitive preaching; it is that which distinguished the discourses of the religious reformers, Luther and Knox-which characterized the ministry of Whitfield and Wesley; and which, to the end of time, must remain inseparable from that preaching of the Gospel, which will be most instrumental in saving souls. O! to hear a man discoursing upon subjects involving the present and everlasting interests of his hearers, upon whose countenance, or in whose voice and language no anxiety for the successful issue of his labours is manifested, is indeed enough to cause angels to weep; and strange, passing strange would it be, were any good to result to his hearers.

It is all very well-nay, it is right, and proper, and absolutely requisite-in preaching, clearly to state the nature of the subject; to illustrate it by Scripture and reason, and every legitimate mode of argumentation, so that the congregation may distinctly understand it;-but to do this in such a way as to leave an impression upon the auditory that nothing remains to be done; that the subject is not of such a nature as to involve their dearest and best interests, and does not require their immediate attention, were to act the part of a traitor both to God and man. No minister therefore should ever close a sermon without forcibly, and in the most solemn and earnest manner, bringing home to the consciences and hearts of his hearers, the important truths which have been under consideration. If any evidence of the propriety and necessity of such a course were needed, let us look round a congregation of any ordinary extent, and of whom shall we, in great part, find it composed? Of persons who, it may be, have occupied the same seats, and have been almost regularly found in them for years, to whom discourses have again and again been addressed without effect, until their hearts are, if possible, harder than the nether mill-stone; who have heard sermon after sermon, until they are almost as well acquainted with the theory of salvation as the occupant of the pulpit himself:-of persons who are wedded to the world, and are seeking their "portion in this life;" who, while the preacher is dwelling upon subjects of faith, and holiness, and a needful preparation for another world, are occupying the same moments-in the house of God-with calculations of pecuniary profit and advantage; or with the chances of some new enterprize, which is to bring wealth rapidly, and in abundance :-of those who are literally lovers of worldly pleasure; who make their god of it, and worship it; and who have not the least leisure for any thing but what makes its appeal to the sensual part of their nature, and is productive of present gratification. Nor ought we to forget in this category, that in our congregations there are also many who profess the name of Christ, members of his church, the associates of his people, but whose lives and practices reflect no honour upon their profession; who are comparatively dead whilst they live. How then, permit me to ask, are such cases to be reached? In what way is the sinner to be made sensible of his state and condition, and to be rescued from the misery, and perdition, to which he is hastening with the rapidity of time's flight? If so happy a consummation can be effected-if they are not already so given up to their idols as to render their case utterly hopeless-their recovery is not surely to be effected by a mode of preaching, whose soft dulcet notes would seem to indicate a fear of giving offence to the pride, or shocking the feelings, of the hearers, by referring to the awful condition in which they are placed, and the punishment

that awaits them. Oh, no! If there is one situation more than another in which a man can be placed, in which he is called upon by every consideration to annihilate self and do violence to his own feelings, it is that of the minister of the Gospel, who, standing as it were on the brink of eternity, sees the value of the soul, and the danger to which it is exposed; he surely ought to act the part of an honest man, and be earnest, and zealous, and faithful, in the discharge of the solemn duties of his office.

Who, then, in the ministerial office, is jealous for the honour of the Lord of Hosts? Let him who has love for perishing souls, which has its source in the love which the dying Saviour exhibited for perishing man, who prefers Zion's prosperity to his chief joy, and would infinitely desire the salvation of souls before the approval of listening auditories, or the accumulation of wealth -let him, as a preacher of the Gospel, on every occasion when addressing immortal beings, on the concerns of eternity, remember, that whatever qualification he may lack, or possess, by far the most important of all, both to himself and his hearers, is fidelity in declaring the counsel, and the truth of God: and if he would stand acquitted at the last day, and be clear from the blood of souls, he must preach with an EARNESTNESS which will not fail to carry conviction to his hearers, that he himself believes in, and is deeply anxious that they should share, the blessings of the Gospel.

GEOLOGY OF THE BIBLE. No. I.*

(For the Wesleyan Methodist Association Magazine.)
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."-Gen i. 2.

THE fact here asserted involves a truth to which philosophy, unaided by divine revelation, could not reach; for whilst among the vulgar, in ancient times, tradition asserted that the world was created by a God, (quicunque fuit ille deorum "-whichever of the gods he was- Ovid,) the wisdom of the learned could only rise to the conclusion, that all existences, without exception, must be essentially eternal.

The assertion of Moses, that this giving existence to what had no being before, was in the beginning, has been supposed by some learned commentators to imply, that it only refers to the commencement of time-all before being pure eternity. Thus, Dr. Adam Clarke notes, "In the beginning: before the creative acts mentioned in this chapter, all was eternity. Time signifies duration measured by the revolutions of the heavenly bodies; but prior to the creation of these bodies, there could be no measurement of duration, consequently no time; therefore, in the beginning must necessarily mean, the commencement of time which followed, or rather was produced by God's creative acts, as an effect follows or is produced by a cause.' It is a question, however, whether, on such a supposition, the Hebrew word would have been what it is; and the translators of highest repute, who may be supposed to have best understood the force of the original terms, have rendered it by an expression far more significant than anything, the simple commencement of existence, would seem to imply. The Septuagint translators are recommended to us not only by their learning, by living in an age when the Hebrew was a familiar language, and by the authority of the Sanhedrim which approved of their work-but on this subject they have the stamp of divine authority; the word they employ having been adopted

* Our much esteemed correspondent, the writer of this article. has, at our request, consented to supply us with a series of papers on this interesting subject.-ED.