this way, of a dancing-mafter, at whofe fchool the famous Harley, Earl of Oxford, had been in his youth; when he was made fecretary of state, he said, he wondered what the Queen could fee in that man, for he was one of the greateft dunces he ever taught.

Hence you may obferve, that all who are devoted to the particular study of one fmall branch, are generally confi dered as pedants; and indeed commonly are fuch as are understood by that expreffion. Their thoughts have ta ken fuch a courfe, and their ideas themfelves taken fuch a tincture from their favourite ftudy, that they fee every thing through that medium, and are apt to introduce the expreffions belonging to it, upon every fubject and occafion. Mr. Addison in one of his Spectators, obferves, that every man whofe knowledge is confined to one particular fubject, is a pedant, as a mere foldier, a mere actor, a mere merchant, &c. but that the learned pedant though generally moft laughed at, is of all others the moft tolerable, because he has generally fomething to communicate that is worth hearing. But I obferve that the most reafonable pedants, and the least to be blamed, are those, whose whole hearts are fet upon what is their business for life. Therefore though a schoolmaster can scarcely speak without citing Virgil or Horace, he is to be indulged; and though he may not make the most diftinguished figure in public or polite life, yet he is ufeful in his generation, and fit for the difcharge of his truft. Therefore, a minister that is a mere theologian, well acquainted with the scriptures, though with few other books, or books upon other fubjects, and is master of the controverfies that belong to divinity, properly fo called, is certainly much more to be pardoned, than one ever fo much fkilled in any other science without this. But what fhall we fay of thofe, who mistake their duty fo very much, as to be chiefly diftinguished for that which they have leaft to do with. I have known a phyfician, who was a much greater connoiffeur inmufic than in medicine; and a divine, much more famous for accounts and calculation, than preaching. It is therefore in my opinion, not any honour to a minifter, to be very famous in any branch that is wholly unconnected with theology;

not that knowledge of any thing, properly speaking, is either a difadvantage or ground of reproach; but for a man to fhow a deep knowledge of fome particular subject, plainly discovers that he hath bestowed more time and pains upon it than he had to spare from his neceffary duty. It is alfo ufual in all fuch cafes, that the favourite pursuit infuses such a quantity of phrases and allusions into his language, as render it ftiff and improper, and fometimes ridiculous.

Agreeably to these remarks, I obferve, that the affiftant ftudies to theology, are chiefly the following: 1. Languages. 2. Moral Philofophy. 3. History, facred and profane. 4. Eloquence, including the belles lettres ftudy in general.

care.

I. Languages. This indeed, ufed to be reckoned effentially neceffary to learning in general, immediately after the revival of learning in Europe: The Greek and Latin languages were ftudied univerfally, and with great All authors who expected their works fhould live any time, wrote in Latin; but fince the cultivation of the languages in Europe, this has been gradually discontinued, and except in fome few scientific writings, have now wholly ceafed. However, as the remains of the ancients are ftill the ftandard of taste, all literary persons fhould make themselves acquainted with the languages. It is to be lamented that many spend a great part of the time of their education in learning Latin and Greek, and yet few ever attain them to that perfection, which alone can make the learning of a language of great moment, fo that they can read the authors with pleasure, and profit for the matter which they contain. This might be easily attained by almost any student after his grammar fchool and other education; and reading over the claffics with fome of the best critics upon them, would be a very improving ftudy. Books of hiftory and entertainment also, in Greek and Latin, would have a happy effect this way. The Hebrew language alfo is very proper and ufeful for a divine, being the language in which a great part of the fcriptures were originally written, and not difficult to acquire, because we have but few writings in that language

at all, and the language itself is not copious: to these I only add the study of the French language; it is both useful and ornamental. There is hardly any fuch thing as a learned education in Britain, where the French language is omitted. It was the first polifhed of all the modern languages of Europe, having been at leaft fifty years before the English in this refpect; and though there are fome branches of writing in which there are English authors not inferior to any of the French that I am acquainted with; yet in general, there is to be found a greater purity, fimplicity and precifion in the French authors than in the English. But what indeed chiefly disposes me to recommend the French language to divines, is that of the found, calviniftic, reformation divinity: there are many more able and elegant writers in that language, than in English; there are also fome admirable practical treatises written by the popish divines in French, as well as by the Janfenifts of the Roman catholic communion: Janfenifts and Molinifts in the church of Rome, are just the same as Califts and Arminians among protestants.

II. Moral Philofophy. The connection of this with divinity will be eafily feen. It is a very pleasant and improving ftudy in itfelf, or a good handmaid to the Christian morality, and the controverfies upon that subject, which are all modern, stand in immediate connection with the deistical controverfies, which it is necessary for a divine to make himself master of. There are few of the ancient writers of much value upon that fubject, excepting Plato among the Greeks, and Cicero among the Latins, especially the latter. The remains of Socrates (to be collected from the writers of his country, but chiefly from Xenophon,) the works of Epictetus, Marcus Antoninus, and Seneca, contain many moral fentiments, but little or nothing of the principles of morals. I think the most beautiful moral writer of the ancients, is the author of the tablature of Cebes. As to any thing contained in the ancients relative to the truth of Theology, it will be found almoft univerfally collected in Cudworth's intellectual system.

III. History, facred and profane. This is a ftudy, eafy, pleafant and profitable, and by a peculiar happiness of

this age, fashionable. As a clergyman fhould be a man of liberal knowledge, and fit for the converfation and fociety of men of rank and letters, it is neceffary that he be well acquainted with hiftory; if he is not, he will be often ready to betray his ignorance before perfons who should be much his inferiors in point of study: befides you fee a great part of the facred writings both of the Old Teftament and the New, confifts of history; and few things are more neceffary to the juft and critical ftudy of the fcriptures than an acquaintance with hiftory, with the original state and gradual progress of human fociety; it adds greatly too, to a minifter's knowledge of the human heart; in that it may be said to be the way to that knowledge of the world, which may be obtained at least expence and with perfect fafety.

IV. Laftly, Eloquence; that is to fay, compofition and criticism, including the whole of what is commonly called the belles lettres ftudy. Nothing is more plain than the neceflity of this science: public fpeaking is to be the chief, or one of the chief parts of a minifter's bufinefs for life. I fhall not enlarge on this, having occasion to speak on it at great length in another department, which you have had, or may have an opportunity to hear. I fhould have made more mention of books, but as I have written at the particular defire of fome of the last year's scholars, a list of the principal and most valuable writers in every branch of science, it will be more complete for any that defire to have copies of that lift. This lift may be seen at the end of thefe lectures.

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LECTURE III.

HE fubject in which we are now to enter, is the truth of the Christian religion. I am fenfible that every good man has a conviction of the truth of the gofpel from its power and efficacy upon his own heart, diftinct from,

and fuperior to all speculative reasoning. That deep, and heartfelt sense of the corruption and weakness of our nature, and of the power of indwelling fin, which is infeparable from the reality of religion, and the perception of the admirable fitness of redemption by the crofs, to abafe the pride of man, and to exalt the grace of God; to give confolation to the finner, while it changes the heart, is highly fatisfying to a confiderate, if at the fame time, a ferious perfon; fo that for his own fake, he would pay but little regard to all the foolish cavils of men of corrupt minds: nay, there is fomething more; the whole system of the gospel, as depending upon, and having conftant reference to the cross, is fo contrary to the taste of a carnal mind, and so far from carrying in it any of the marks of human wisdom, that it is impoffible to fuppofe it a cunningly devised fable, and therefore we may cordially embrace, and rely upon it, as the power of God unto falvation. One thing more I would fay by way of introduction; that the cuftom of fome minifters of conftantly entertaining their hearers with a refutation of infidel objections upon every subject, is not much to be commended. This feems to proceed upon a fuppofition, that a great part of their audience is inclined to infidelity. There are times and places when that is proper I admit; but there are many others in which it is either quite unneceffary, or even hurtful, as tending to bring people acquainted with what would perhaps never otherwife have fallen in their way. It is however certain, that since in modern times efpecially, this controversy has been greatly agitated, and indeed of late almost all other controverfies have been dropped on account of it, or loft in it; a ftudent of divinity should be well informed upon it. I will therefore endeavour to flate it to you with as much diftinctness as I am able, and as much brevity as its nature will admit. The fubject must be taken up a little differently, as we suppose we have to do with different adverfaries-atheifts and theifts.

The controverfy with the first, perhaps it is unneceflary to treat with much length, because it is not difficult, and because there are but few that plead the cause of infidelity upon this footing, yet fome of the lateft infidel writers,