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R E L 1 G ION,

T H E O L O G Y.

'h: ology. • nd ,h.. ealms ,he Ceruple, of eonCeienee whieh

anfe in (he Chn!ban's fou l dLlTing his fojouro in this world.

Ill.

Th: {ludies relative ' o ,h,Ce obj<,a., whieh ,he

theologian is fuppo(ed to have made, .aod lhe confidence

, ha< 'h, eómmon rank of ChrilliaDs .plaee in ,beir paflors,

atford them tITe me3ns and the opportunities of rendering

fign~l

fervice to thore 'of theír fellow citizens who Rave'

'ol!ed of their counfel ..nd eonfolarion: for where Ihere is

one m:in of a philofophie fpirit, one ehrini" of • well–

grounded knowiedge in theology, there are in a fociety a

thoufand Ihal are not, and who are yr:!t defirous of being

;nf,huaed, guided, eOlnfort<d, elfablifhed.

is ,herefore

both jull and important. tbat he who devoles himfelf to

,he Cerviee of ,be altar, fllould earl y nudy all ,hoCe fcienees

Ibat will ent\ble him wortbtly ro perform Ihis impo rtant part

of his minill ry.

IV.

God forbid, however, chat we fhou ld eouoten.oee ,he

abure thar is made, in (ome Chrifiian counuies, of the du–

ttes that \ve have hefe explained. T o reduce thefe:, matters'

imo a polítical fyllem; tO makc rhe direétion

confciences

a profeffion, a regular trade; to providl! each

hou.fe

with a

fpiritual direétor, as ",vith a butcher or baker, a fieward or

porter, who by t)lat mean may iofioua« himfelf into ,hé

eonfidence of f.milies, aod beeome ,he depofitory of all their

fecrcts

may (ometimes fow difcord bctween hu(band and

wife, or lhe nearell reJatíons; who may avail himfelf of the

confidence of bis devolees,

direé\: thero eonClantly in mal–

ters of a worldly\ and fometimes even of a criminal nature

eff.ee

the legitima« and faered authori,y of the f.. her of

a family, and, in it! place, to fubClltute a foreign power;

to uodermine the confidenee. lhe union and concord of fa.

milies,

in order to confirm and render_neceífary lhis fecon–

dary authority

(Ocaptivale the fpirit, -and oft-times the

heart

a wife ordaughter, and in general of weJk minds;

to enjbin them ridiculous mummeries

[hu

Icad to fanaticifm.

::Iond a thourand

~angerous

fuperClitions, or to religious

ex~

crcires thar divert them froOl their doml."flic duties; in a

word , tOa{fume an abfolute authority over lhe confcieDces

of mankind, is a pernicious ¡ovencion, Eonlrary to the evan.

gelie moral,

the wclfare of fociety, to the ¡nterell of lhe

(late. and tO,he fovereign authority; and well deferves aD

exemplary punifhment.

V. But Ihe eore 01 Couls, f,ithfully intended, and proper–

Iy limi,ed, differs ,o,any from ,his defpotie power. H e,

'"J~O

is charged...wilh

b,y a lawrul voca,ioo, (hould remem_

ber that there are.four claffes of men with whom he will be

rng'ged :

\Vi," dioCe of weak miads; of linle know·

I:dg<, and li<tle ability.,

Wi,h ,hoCe whoCe Cpirits are

.mitled by Come grea, reverfe of fo,,"oe.

Wi,h ,hoCe

oí

nice and timorous confciences, \Vho fuffer

their [cnl–

pies, whether ,hey be vain or ra,ion. !.

ADd laaly, ,he

wieked, ,he h.rdened .od ioeorrigible finoer. Tlle graod

2ft here confins iD reprefenting 'o eaeh of ,heCe elafres

meil, lhe truth , in a maoner ro clear ro llrong and full,

that

they

cao no 10Dger rluain any doubu, that conviétioD mull

take place. and coofolalion or converúonbe lbe conrequence.

VI.

Tru,h is in

llS

.natur.• highly problemalic: eaeh

one, however, is perluaded

tb.at

he knows it, thaJ he

P9f~

fdles

it, and is gUlded by ic; every man tbink, himreJf

th~ ~igbt.

We Ihould Iherefore begio by difepvering Ihe

tru,h in ,he fubjea before us, and in plaeing it upon, a Co_

lid foundation. This buGne[s of demonllrating ,he Iru,h

otbers, is atIcnded iD ,-be meaD time with infini,.e diffi"

eul,y. Every mind i.

no'

eap.ble of diCeovering it at the

fi rll gl.nee; nor can all difeern it from the fame poin,

view. Sometimes men require con\,jétion

abnraét

philoCophieal arguments, .nd fometimes by ,he exp. efs de.

eifion. of ,he H oly Serip,ur.. Some,imes by au,hori,y

Cometimes

gentle remon{lrance, and rometimes

dread:

fuI menaces. Somet\mes [hey are to be reclaimed

pro.

perly expofing ,he nceelrary and fatal conCcquenees

tOO,

re.

Cult fro¡n ,heir eoodua; and a' o,her!, by ,he alluring pro·

miCes of,he Gofpe!. Now vice is 'o be boldly eonfron,ed;

and now the tranfgrelfor is [o'be conduéled ioto rhe right

path

artful

turnlngs :

nQ\V

'the

fioner's crimes are to be

painted in the Hrongelt colours; and now a veil is

Jighd y

can over them ; and fumetimes we {bould even in–

dulge a favourite inclio,nioa, in arder ro induce them to a–

bandoo a more pernicious paffion: and fa of tbe

reno

VII.

As i, is impollihle ,ha< ,he books whieh have been

wrote

00 IhlS

rubj~ét,

though of

3n immeDfe

quantity,

caD

conuin every

cafe

(har daiJy OCcurs in lhe miniflry of the

Golpel; and as Ihefe eafes are no, .1\Vays junly deeided'by

the(e authors; and, ir th:ey were, the confulting of fuch

enortnous work, would take up tOO much of a theologiao's

time, aod dlvert him from his otber Hudies; and as thefe

cafuiflic writers eontain, moreover, a number of puerile

fubtilties, and wretehed ehime'tJ.s; it is highly proper that

the: minillcr of the altar, whom

fuppofelO have amaller–

Iy knowledge of ,he principies, ,he dogmas, and mor.1 of

the Chriflla¡; religion, lhould eorieavour

draw from the

true (ouree the means that he is to employ on each o.ceur–

rence, and nOI have recourfe to books for tbeir decifions.

For which purpofe il is nece(fary,

l .

That he aecunom him–

Celf ,oreafoD aeeording ' o ,he rules OHOUDd logie.

That

he learn

know rhe human heart, uoder its different

diC–

guí(es ; the charaéters of men, theirans, and

rul~ng

paffionh

'3'

That he do not atlemp' 'o gaio or eonvinee by liule

pious frauds, or by lueky fophifms' artfully repreCeD,ed.

Tha, he do OD' ioBia what are called penaoees, whieh

are the heigh, of abCurdi,y.

T ha, he do no' eojain

mummeries, pilgrimages, aullerities, and a thoufaod like

matters, wh!ch can never carry with them a real conviélion,

and only Cerve to diven men from their labours and lhe

duiies af foeioty. Bu"

That he eonnantly preCen', as we

bave before f3id, and ClnnN

top

often repeat, the truth, in

all

119

native force and puriry.

VIL!.

T his truth, however, is no enemy to facred elo ..

quence; on lhe contrary, the latrer ferves tO introduce the

former into lhe mtnd of the auditor, and there

giv.e

fueh

nrong impreffions, as neither time, lhe dillipations of

the world, nor the d¡{trattidns of fonune, are l\ble eafily to

efface. The whole miniUerial funl...'lion confiCls in teachíng,

preachiog, adminiUering tbe facraments of the church, vi–

fi,ing ,he fick and the dyiog, eomfoning ,he ,¡¡¡,aed , and

aftord.ng

,he fplri,ual aids 'o all ,hoCe who have need o(

,hern. EloqueAee is of ,he grea,ell ellieaey. iD all ,heCe

funétions; and, wíthout affe(\ing it, the mioiCler of lhe

go~

fpe! fhould Dever oeglea it. Ther. are fome profeffors in

univerúties who give lberr auditors a complete fynematic

eourfe on palloral ,heology, whieh may be .<tended with

maoy advantage.s.

CONSISTORJAt. P RUDENCE,

GENERAL OECO !'JOMY

l•• CHURCH .

l .

A01QNG

<he p'.é\ieal rcieDees

,heology, we mu(!

aot