LETTER VIII.

DEAR SIR,

I

gave me great pleasure to receive a letter from you with fo much Jhort-hand in it, as it fhewed me you had applied clofely to it, and that with a little daily care you will foon be mafter of it. You must make yourfelf thoroughly acquainted with the prepofitions, terminations, and fymbolical and arbitrary marks, as well as the meaning of the alphabet. You will find it of fignal ufe to yourself in faving time and labour, and making your correfpondence with fome of your friends more eafy and for want of it, you are spoiling a good hand, and using yourself to fo many abbreviations, that it is not eafy to read

them.

them. I hope I fhall not puzzle you too much with what I now, fend. Your ftory of the good woman at Great-Cheverel is delightful, and full of inftruction. It fhews how abfurd, ungrounded, uncharitable, and wicked it is, to fay of parishes and congregations. where the gofpel, in our view of it, hath not been preached, "There is. no religion there—not one serious perfon not one pious foul." See John i. 46-48.

I am fenfible, that too many people have strange and dangerous notions of the Lord's Supper: and I fee not what can be done, but to endeavour to give them jufter and better notions of it. It may not be amifs, whenever you adminifter that ordinance, to have. fomething in your fermon adapted to rectify their mistakes, as well as to warm their hearts, and confirm good refolutions. A collection of texts for

this purpose may be made in the course of your reading. But I need not fay to you, that the subjects of your difcourfes on thefe occafions should be peculiarly evangelical; fomething relating to Chrift, his undertaking, defign, death, love, and the like.

A fet of yearly fermons to young people, to parents and children (which you have thoughts of preaching, and of which you afk my advice) may probably have this inconvenience attending it, that in a few years you may be at a lofs for fresh materials. It may be done very well for a year

or two.

But it seems to me a better way to introduce these fubjects by preaching upon fome fcripture hif tories as for inftance, what is faid of Abraham's commanding his children and household to keep the way of the Lord; of Joshua's refolution to ferve the Lord with his houfe; of David's inftructions

inftructions to his fon Solomon, and the like; the early piety of Jofeph, Obadiah, Jabez, Solomon, Timothy, and especially our Lord Jefus Christ. These hiftories are ftriking, and will and enforce the duties

at once explain you recommend;

and fo with regard to all other relative duties. I fee no objection to the specimen you fent me of your difcourse on Chrift the pearl of price, Matt. xiii. 45, 46. only let me recommend it to you to be careful, that when you handle a metaphorical fubject, you do not ftrain it too far; but keep as much as poffible to the precise idea of the inspired writer. You will observe in the course of your reading, how often metaphors and figures are mingled and confounded; and by fome good writers too, for want of keeping one fingle precife idea always in their mind. You will excufe, I know, these hints. A little habit and practice will

make

make it easy to you to avoid fuch er'rors. Your Cheverel peasants may not perceive them; but a clergyman should ftrive so to write and fpeak, as to be intelligible to the plaineft; to give no cause of cenfure to the judicious, or ill-natured criticks; and to be acceptable to all.

You obferve, that Bishop CLAYTON, in his Letters to his Nephew, recommends MARSHALL'S Sermons, as preferable to SHERLOCK's and ATTERBURY's for pathos, and for lively and warm applications. Upon feeing this recommendation, I bought the three volumes; but am much difappointed in them. They are very judicious, and fome of them very ferious: the language is neat and elegant; but the main thing which they appear to me to want, is that very thing for which the bishop recommends them. But his ideas of appli

.cation