which has deserved the name of a system, has embraced within it important truth. Its main error has been its claim of exclusive right to the domain of medicine. The rival doctrines of dogmatism and empiricism were both based upon true and important principles, and the same is true of other opinions which have prevailed in medicine. The human body is indeed a machine of wonderful mechanism, and moved by forces the most subtle and powerful. It is also a chemical laboratory, in which matter is wrought into forms and combined into compounds, which defy the most elaborate processes of art to imitate. It is, moreover, endowed with a distinct vitality, which controls and harmonizes the principles of mechanics and chemistry in subserviency to its own uses. And, above all, it is the theatre of spiritual manifestations, which are dependent upon it for their healthy condition, and exert a controlling influence over all its functions. Thus it will be seen that man is subject to mechanical, chemical, vital, and spiritual laws. Hence a familiar acquaintance with all these laws of our being becomes a necessary qualification for the successful practice of the science of medicine.

If the foregoing remarks have any foundation in truth, the successful cultivation of the science of medicine demands the exercise of the loftiest and best powers of the human mind-the most acute discrimination in scrutinizing nature, and sifting the records of fact-a far-seeing sagacity to penetrate the mists of theoretical error-a far-reaching grasp of intellect to compass the widest range of generalization. It is not pretended. that moderate capacities, accompanied with caution and sound judgment, may not be successful in the practice of medicine. But it is only to the most gifted minds that we are to look for an enlargement of the boundaries of the science.

Let us say, in conclusion, the profession of medicine should never be sought as a mere means to a livelihood. This would be to degrade a noble science to a mercenary end. The life of a good physician is one of intellectual toil and active beneficence, for which he deserves to reap the rich rewards of an industrious and honorable pursuit. It should ever be the great aim and effort of all the cultivators of medical science, to maintain for their profession this noble, this truly honorable rank. Then will the practice of medicine cease to be a by-word and a jest, and all liberal and enlightened minds will acknowledge it to be fraught with substantial blessings to the human race.

ARTICLE VII.

REVIEW OF GREY'S TREATISE ON PREACHING.

Estlesiages Buglions: being a Treatise on Preaching, as adruted to a Church of England Congregation; in a series eflitters to a gong Cherian. By the Rev. W. Gresley, M. A late studii of Christ's Church, First American edition, with suppkadotary notes. By the Rev. Benjamin 1. Haight, A. M., Processor in the General Theological Semimary of the Prot. Ep's Church, in the United States.

It is obvious to every one, who has had occasion to make the search, that hitherto very little comparatively has been written upon the art of preaching and that but a small part of what has been written, is well written. We lock in vain for a complete treanse, a thorouge y digested and well arranged system of principles and rules to guce and ad us in our preparations for the pulpit The Hoelens of Dr. Porter come the nearest to such a system of any thing extant Had he gone over the whole ground as be biuse : marked it out, we should have had reason to be very well stansted with his work. Dr. Porter was a finished and sale, rather than a strong and original man: he bad more fact than fancy, more jugment than genius; he did more to mould and guide than to rouse and nerve a young man. Though a popil in is swering, myat not go very fast, be very certuzv would set ge æst. The work on preaching which, in the English language, stands next to Dr Porter's for completeness and system, s the treatise of Dr. Campbell on Pulpit Eloquence. He as more profound and philosorcical than Dr. Forter, but does not formså se much that is practical and directly available to the preacher. There are other treatises still less complete, and far less relevant to the preacher's work in cer times. Claude's Essay has many good things in it, but it operates too much like a machine : it cambutes to make the preacher formal and articial. Sturtevant's Manual, a modern Engisa work, being cased upon Claude, is labie to most of the objections watch are val d against Clante. La addition, it is too

volumineus-far too bulky for the weight I the auther had given us more princiries, and te ver extended, lumbering exampies, there might have been reduction in the quantity, which would have greatly improved the quality of the work

M:.

Gresley's treatise is a decided improvement upon Sturtevant's on the score of bulk; the American edition of the former being a duodecimo of a little more than three hundred pages; the English edition of the latter an octavo of nearly eight hundred pages. Many others have written more or less extensively on the preacher's work: Basil, Chrysostom, Augustine, among the Fathers; Erasmus at the time of the Reformation; Abbé Maury and Fenelon in France; Bishop Wilkins, Gregory, and Fordyce, in England; some in our own country: from the works of these many valuable principles and hints may be derived.

Mr. Gresley's Treatise is in the form of letters, because he "considered it, on the whole, as well suited as any other for an elder person to convey instruction to a young friend." There are in the whole thirty-three letters, with a few pages of supplementary notes corrected and arranged by the American Editor.

After an introductory letter, which opens with the ponderous sentiment, that a minister ought to write his own sermons, a sentiment which in this country we can hardly conceive to be seriously uttered, the author enters upon his work, dividing it into four parts, the first part consisting of eleven letters on the matter of a sermon; the second part, of seven letters on style; the third part, of ten letters "on the method of composing;' the fourth part, of four letters " on delivery." This general division and arrangement is very well; but the disposition of subordinate topics we cannot in all cases account for. Under the first general division, "the matter of a sermon," five of the eleven letters relate directly to the aim and qualifications of the preacher, his general character; his frame of mind; his character for goodness; and his character for intellect and good sense. In the third part, "on the method of composing," we have treated, the choice of a subject, exordium, discussion, application, and conclusion, which, as the main parts of a sermon, we think should have been treated by themselves. A prominent fault in the work, as it strikes us, is in the arrangement-the disposition of the material; and this we find to be a leading fault in sermons. The grand beauty of a discourse, or book, is to have every thing in its place. This felicity of arrangement saves repetition,-contributes to clearness, brevity, strength, and progress.

In one of the letters upon gaining the confidence of hearers,

the author goes rather minutely into a consideration of the selection and management of arguments. Under the head of exordium, divisions are discoursed upon somewhat particularly. When upon illustrations, the author runs out upon the subject of authority. There are other similar instances. The writer seems to be easily led off from his main point. Were there fewer digressions, a more rigid holding of the mind to the subject in hand; were there less of loose particularity, and a more thorough canvassing and clear setting forth of the great principles of sermon writing, we should like the book better. As it is, we like it very well, not for its originality, its profoundness, or completeness; for it has not these, nor does the author claim them for his work: we like it for its general good sense, sound views, and its many valuable directions and hints.

Having given a very general outline of the work and taken some exceptions to matters of arrangement, it may be interesting to give a somewhat rapid view of the filling up.

The author takes us over the great field of topics or subjects for the pulpit, thus suggesting to us the great variety of matters upon which it will be proper to preach; in our judgment a rather gratuitous service. In the chapter upon gaining the confidence of the hearers, he shows how the preacher may do it; namely-1, by exhibiting to them his divine commission as teacher; 2, by showing goodness of character; 3, by showing a friendly disposition toward them; 4, by showing ability to instruct them. He speaks, in the next place, of argument, which, as used in sermons, is chiefly derived from scripture assertion and example; and of illustration, by which the truth is made clear, convincing, and adhesive; and then of the methods. direct and indirect by which the passions may be moved, showing that a certain copiousness and vividness of description, and appeals to the imagination by lively graphic images, are required to effect this end. He proceeds to speak of style under the common heads of perspicuity, force, and elegance. He would have his readers understand, that "plainness of speech is very different from familiarity or vulgarity." He would have the preacher avoid "a tone of affected condescension," and not speak to men in the language of children. He thinks that more embellishment and finish of style are required for the city than the country congregation; for both a simple elegance is preferable to a continual coarseness. He speaks of style "as dependent upon the choice of words," the rule here being-" to use

specific and appropriate words." He censures Tillotson for having altered the received phraseology, and saying, "Reformation instead of conversion; virtue instead of godliness; vice instead of sin ;" and the author of Lectures on Prophecy for employing such uncommon words, as, "extravagate, deletion, excision, correption." He speaks of style He speaks of style "as dependent upon the number of words." Here "two extremes are to be avoided-too great conciseness and excessive prolixity. The two may be sometimes wrought together and reconciled." "If you find you have written a sentence which is somewhat heavy, and which cannot readily be either broken up or omitted, you may correct it, by adding to the end of it something pithy or concise." "A sentence so constructed may be compared to a heavy lance tipped with steel: it has weight at its point." Sometimes a spreading copiousness is both beautiful and forcible, giving opportunity to the excited mind to linger upon a cherished subject or scene. He speaks of style "as dependent on the arrangement of the words:" the principle here is, that the main idea be put in that situation where it will be most prominent and apparent. "Silver and gold have I none." The forms of interrogation, antithesis, and climax, conduce to clearness and force.

Great importance is attached to a skilful use of connectives. in sermon writing. The following fine, though in its application, extravagant remark, is quoted from Coleridge: "A close reasoner, and a good writer in general, may be known by the pertinent use of connectives. . . . . In your modern books, for the most part, the sentences in a page have the same connexion with each other as marbles in a bag; they touch without adhering."

"On the method of composing" the author gives us some helps for collecting materials; furnishing us somewhat after the plan of Aristotle's "Topics" with sixteen questions, by the use of which, the preacher may conjure up thoughts which otherwise would probably have never appeared. These "Topics seem to us to be a sort of machine for thinking, and especially useful to those whose thinking power is the feebler part. fully agree with Dr. Watts, that "persons of any invention or imagination need not go knocking at the door of the topics to help them out of their difficulties." The author treats of the lecture, and the expository sermon: the former being a loose unconnected comment; the latter, being conducted with a view

We