in itself directly and certainly finful, but whatever is but doubtful according to the apoftolic doctrine," he that doubteth," &c. 3. A willingness to abstain from lawful things, if liable to exception, or likely to be matter of offence.

II. A fecond advice I would give you upon this fubject is, that you should remember the importance of the exercifes of piety, and the duties of the closet. As there are no forms of prayer with us, the habit of closet devotion is neceffary to give a minifter fullness, propriety, and fervency in prayer. This for his own fake alfo, he fhould attend to, for it is neceffary to the preservation, and improvement of the fpiritual life. Pray without ceafing, fays the apostle, intimating that the very spirit and temper of a believer, fhould be that of dependance upon God, and deriving by faith from him, every neceffary fupply. In order to recommend it particularly to you, I would observe, that it is peculiarly neceffary to be begun in early life; perhaps there are few, if any inftances of perfons coming to a greater degree of fervour in devotion, or attention to the duty of it in advanced years, than they had in youth. There are many particulars, in which an aged, if a real Chriftian, will infenfibly improve he will improve in meekness and humility, in prudence and judgment, in attention to Providence, in purity of principle, in fubmiffion to the divine will; but fervour in devotion must be begun early, while the paffions are strong, and continued by the power of reafon and habit. Perhaps you may think it of fmall moment, yet fome very judicious and experienced Chriftians have given it as a rule upon this fubject, to be ftrictly punctual and regular in point of time, and even place.

III. Early fix, and ftudy under the influence of those principles, which should animate all your future labours in a concern for the glory of God, and love for the fouls of men. If these are the principles of study, they will keep you from mistaking the way, and having taken early and deep root, they will bring forth fruit more abundantly in after life. Living by faith, is extremely proper for cultivating these principles. Keeping the whole fyftem of revealed truth in view, will fhew its moment, and particu

larly what is revealed concerning the eternal condition of men, cannot fail to fill us with a concern for their welfare.

IV. Be diligent to acquire every neceffary qualification; and yet study self-denial in the use of them: this is one of the most important, and at the fame time, one of the most difficult attainments. It is comparatively easy, to avoid vain glory, if at the fame time, we indulge in floth and negligence. But to meditate upon these things, to give ourselves wholly to them for the glory of God, and the good of fouls, without having it in view to ferve ourfelves, this is real excellence, and here lies the greatest difficulty. Form yourselves to a true taste and real knowledge; let your capacity want no improvement, that it may be more useful, but beware of studying only to fhine.

V. Laftly, guard against the temptation, that is most incident to your state and fituation, particularly, making the exercises of piety, and the ordinances of the gofpel, matter of science and criticism, rather than the means of edification. When students begin to learn how things ought to be done, they are apt at all times to be paffing their judgment of the manner, instead of improving the matter of public inftruction; not that it is poffible to be wholly inattentive to this, but let it not carry you fo much away, as to hinder your teaching others as humble Christians, as well as difcourfing to them as able minifters.

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LECTURE II.

ET us now confider learning as an important qualification of a minifter. On this fubject, after faying a few things on its moment, I fhall endeavour to point out to you, what branches of ftudy it will be your interest to apply yourselves to, with greatest diligence. As to

the importance of learning, there being no reason for us in this age, to expect immediate, or fupernatural revela tion, the acquiring a proper measure of knowledge by ftudy and application, is abfolutely neceffary. No parts or capacity are fufficient without this; nay, fuch is the wife order of Providence, that to improve a talent, is to poffefs and fecure it-to neglect it, is to lofe it. There is fcarce any thing that a man could once do ever fo well, but if he lay aside the practice, he will lofe the faculty. It is lamentable to think what a poor and contemptible figure fome perfons make in advanced life, who had good talents from nature, but fuffered them to ruft in floth, or to be blunted by fenfuality and felf-indulgence. Learning is neceflary to keep the facred truths we are obliged to handle, from contempt. Great weakness and infufficiency expofe the miniftry to contempt, even amongst the mean. eft of the people; but it is especially a ftumbling block to those who are themselves perfons of literature and taste. It is extremely difficult for them to receive and relish things delivered in a mean, flovenly manner. Sup pofe, for example, one who is not fo much as fenfible of the groffeft improprieties of ftile, fpeaking in the hearing of perfons of rank, or of real knowledge: and as even a good man is not always wholly free from vanity and affectation-fuppofe too that the fpeaker fhould fwell his dif courfe with high and pompous phrases, or hard, and out of the way scientific terms-only think how great would be the temptation to fuch perfons as I have mentioned, not to neglect what is good, from its being mixed with what they fo juftly defpife. Learning is alfo neceffary to repel the attacks of adverfaries. The gofpel has never been without enemies from without, and from within; and as it is ufually by means of human learning that they make the attack, it is neceffary that some should be ready to meet them, and able to unravel the fubtilty which they lie in wait to receive. I have often thought that there was fomething very admirable in the choice our Saviour made of his firft minifters, to affift us in adjusting our views upon this fubject. For the more immediate mani

festation of divine power, when the wife and great in the world were united againft his truths, he chofe twelve illiterate fisherman, which fhould teach us not to over-rate the wisdom of the wife, and left in after ages we should be tempted to under-rate it, he chofe one apoftle, able and learned, and to him he gave the moft fignal fuccefs; fo that he laboured more abundantly than them all, and was honoured to be the penman of a very confiderable part of the code of the New Teftament.

But let me now proceed to confider what branches of ftudy it will be your intereft to apply to with greatest diligence; and if I am able to do this with propriety, I am perfuaded you will find it of the moft fignal fervice. A traveller loses time upon his journey by going out of the road, as well as by ftanding ftill, and if his direction is very wrong, the time is more than loft, for his distance is increased, and his ftrength is exhaufted. On this fubject be pleased to attend to the following remarks. There is no branch of literature without its ufe. If it were poffible for a minister to be acquainted with every branch of science, he would be more fit for public ufefulnefs. The understanding which God hath given us, and every object that he hath prefented to it, may be improved to his glory. A truly good man does grow both in holiness and usefulness, by every new discovery that is made to him; therefore learning in general is to be esteemed, acquired, and improved; and perhaps I may also say therefore, it were good if a minifter were a perfon of extenfive knowledge. But our time and capacity are both limited, and we cannot do all that we could with. On the fubject of literature in general, obferve, that reading a few books well chofen, and digefting them thoroughly, together with the frequent exercife of reflection, will make a knowing and intelligent man: but to make what the world calls a learn. ed man, or a great scholar, requires a very general knowledge of authors books, and opinions of all kinds. A per fon of great difcernment may perhaps observe a still nicer distinction in the ufe of epithets in our own language. The phrase " a man of learning" according to its prefent acceptation in Europe, almost always fuppofes, and' inC

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cludes tafte in the belles lettres. A great fcholar, or a man of erudition, always carries in it the idea of much reading the first always fuppofes genius, the other may confift with very moderate talents. moderate talents. A pretty large circle of the science's is taught in our schools and colleges; and though many think it too extenfive, yet fomething of the principles of the whole may be understood by a person of capacity and diligence: his knowledge may be true and juft, though not minute. A man may not be a mathematician or an astronomer, and yet understand something of the true fyftem of the univerfe. He may understand many fciences fo far as to comprehend the reasoning of those more deeply skilled, who speak and write of them, and fo as to speak with politenefs and confiftency, and within his own line in every thing he fays of them. But to excel in any particular branch of fcience, and to know any thing upon that branch that may be known, is the work of a life-time. Grammar, mathematics, aftronomy, oratory, history, law, phyfic, poetry, painting, statuary, architecture, mufic; nay, the fubordinate divifions of fome of thefe fciences, fuch as, anatomy, botany, chymistry, are all of them fufficient to employ a life, to carry them to perfection. It is therefore plainly in itself improbable, that almost any man, can attain a high degree of perfection in all, or indeed in many of these branches of ftudy. There is ever fomething more to be obferved; the perfon who addicts himself to any one of those studies, fo as to be an adept, or really a complete master in it, cannot be a man of extenfive knowledge; and it is but seldom that he can be a man of a liberal, or noble turn of mind, because his time is confumed by the particularities, and his mind narrowed by attending to one particular art. He is likewife apt to elleem his favourite ftudy fo much, as to confine all excellence, and even all capacity to it. A profound botanift fmitten with the love of flowers and herbs, if he meets with a man that does not know one from another, and does not value a ranunculus or anemone more than a pile of common spear-grass, he has a fovereign contempt of fuch an undĕrftanding. Dean Swift takes notice of a curious expreffion