that fome method or other must be used to inftruct

the people.

III. DUTY OF A PREACHER.

To affect and move the paffions of his auditors by the ftrength of his discourse.

THOUGH we ought to fet a high value on a difcourfe, which is not only very perfpicuous, but graceful and eloquent; it must however be owned, that the great, the furprising effects of eloquence are not produced either from that of a fimple and mediate, or of an embellifhed and florid kind, but from the fublime and pathetic. By the two former, the orator pleases and inftructs; and he may be fatisfied with producing these two effects, when he speaks of fpeculative truths which require only our belief and confent; and regard the understanding, rather than the heart and the affections, if we may admit any fuch in religion. But it is not fo, when practical truths are propofed, which are to be put in execution. And indeed to what purpose would it be, fhould the audience be convinced of what he hears, and applaud the eloquence of the speaker, if he did not love, embrace, and practise the maxims preached to him? In case the orator does not arrive at this third degree, he goes but half-way; for he ought to please and inftruct, only with the view of affecting. It is in this St. Auftin, after Tully, makes the complete victory of cloquence to confift. Every difcourfe that leaves the auditor calm, does not move and agitate him, and alfo deject, overthrow, and vanquish his obftinate refiftance; how beautiful foever fuch a piece may appear, it is not truly eloquent. The bufinefs is to infpire him with horror for his fins, and with a dread of God's judgments; to remove the delufive charm which blinds him, and to force open his eyes; to make him hate what he loved, and love what he hated;

to

to root out from his heart his ftrong darling, ardent paffions, of which he is no longer mafter, and which have gained an abfolute afcendant over him; in a word, to urge to force him from himself, from his defires, his joys, and every thing that constitutes his felicity.

I am fenfible that nothing but the all-powerful grace of Chrift Jefus can affect a heart in this manner, and create fuch wonderful changes in it. To think otherwife, and to expect in fome measure this effect from the efficacy of words, the graces of speech, the fʊlidity of arguments, or the ftrength of expreffions, would be, to speak with St. Paul, to annihilate the crofs of Chrift, and diveft him of the honour of converting the world, to afcribe it to human wisdom.

t

For this reafon St. Austin would have the Christian orator rely much more on prayer than on his abilities; and before he speaks to them, would have him address the Creator, who only can inspire him with what he ought to speak, and the manner in which it is to be fpoken. But as we employ the natural remedies which phyfic prescribes, though we are fenfible that all their effect is owing to God, who is pleafed to make them fubfervient to our recovery, but without fubjecting his power to theirs; in like manner, the Christian orator may, and ought to employ all the methods, all the affiftance which rhetoric can fupply, but without putting his confidence in it; and in full

s Mifit me Chriftus evangelizare, non in fapientia verbi, ut non evacuetur crux Chrifti. 1 Cor. i. 17.

t Nofter ifte eloquens... hæc fe poffe, pietate magis orationum, quàm oratorum facultate, non dubiret, ut orando pro fe, ac pro il. lis quos eft allocuturus fit orator, antequam dictor. ... Et quis facit ut quod oportet, quemadmodum oportet, dicatur à nobis, nifi IN CUJUS MANU SUNT ET NOS ET SERMONES NOSTRI?...

u Sicut enim corporis medicamenta, quæ hominibus ab hominibus adhibentur, non nifi eis profunt,quibus Deus operatur falutem, qui & fine illis mederi poteft, cùm fine ipfo illa non poffint, & tamen adhibentur. . . . ita & adjumenta doctrinæ tunc profunt animæ adhibita per hominem, cùm Deus operatur ut profint, qui petuit evangelium dare homini etiam non ab hominibus, neque per hominem. S. Aug. de dott. Chr. 1. iv. c. 15 & 16.

perfuafion,

perfuafion, that it will be to no purpose for him to speak to the ears, if God does not speak to the hearts. Now it is the fublime and pathetic ftyle; great and lively images; ftrong and vehement paffions, which force our affent and captivate the heart. w Inftruction and arguments have enlightened and convinced the mind; the graces of fpeech have won it; and, by their feducing charms, have prepared the way to the heart. The next thing is to enter and take poffeffion of it; but this is what only the grand, the powerful eloquence can effect. The reader may turn back to what was faid on this fubject in the article of the fublime. I shall now give fome extracts froma the Fathers, which will be more inftructive than any reflections I can make on this fubject.

EXTRACT from St. AUSTIN.

"TH

HIS ILLUSTRIOUS SAINT employed the precepts of this triumphant eloquence on an inportant occafion, which he himself has related. It was at Hippo, when he was but a private prieft, and at the time that Valerius the bishop made him preach in his ftead. The feftival of St. Leontius, Bishop of Hippo, being nigh, the people murmured at their being denied to celebrate it with the ufual rejoicings, that is, to affemble in the churches at feafts which degenerated into drunkenness and debauchery. St. Auftin, knowing that the people murmured, began on Wednesday, the eve of the Afcenfion, to preach to them on that fubject, upon occafion of the Gospel of the

w Oportet igitur eloquentem ecclefiafticum, quando fuadet aliquid quod agendum eft, non folum docere ut inftruat, & delectare ut teneat, verum etiam flectere ut vincat. Ipfe quippe jam remanet ad confenfionem flectendus VOL. II.

eloquentiæ granditate, in quo id non egit ufque ad ejus oonfeffionem demonftrata veritas adjunctá etiam fuavitate dictionis. Ibid. cap. 13.

x S. Auguft. Epift. xxix. al Alypium. Alypium.

day.

day, in which the fe words were read: ' Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither caft ye your pearls before fwine.

As there were but few auditors at this difcourfe, and that a great many among these were gainfayers, he fpoke again on the fame fubject on the morrow, being Afcenfion-day, to a more numerous affembly, in which the Gofpel of the buyers and fellers, who were drove out of the temple, was read. He himself read it over again, and fhewed how much more follicitous Chrift would have been to banish diffolute feafts from the temple, than a traffic innocent in itfelf. He alfo read feveral other paffages of Scripture against drunkennefs. He heightened his difcourfe with groans, and with the moft lively marks of the deep forrow, in which his love for his brethren had plunged him; and, after interrupting it by fome prayers which he caufed to be repeated, he again began to fpeak with the utmost vehemence; fetting before their eyes the general danger to which the common people were expofed, as well as the priests, who are to render an account of their fouls to the great paftor." I conjure you, fays he, by his hu

miliations, his fufferings, his crown of thorns, his "crofs, and his blood, at least, have pity on us, and "confider the love and charity of the venerable Va"lerius, who, out of tendernefs for you, intrusted

66

me with the formidable miniftry, to declare the "Word of God unto you. He has often told you

how overjoyed he was at my coming hither; but

his view in this was, that I might be the minister "of your falvation, and not of your damnation". St. Auftin added, that he hoped this would never come to pass; and that in cafe they would not fubmit to the authority of the Divine Word he had preached to them, they would yield to the chaftifements, which he did not doubt God would inflict upon them in this y Matth, vii, 6.

world,

world, to prevent their being damned in the other. He spoke this in fo affecting a manner, that he drew tears from his congregation, and could not refrain from weeping himself. "It was not, fays he, my "weeping over then, that drew tears from their

eyes; but, whilft I was speaking, their tears pre"vented mine. I must confefs that I was then "melted. After we had wept together, I began to "have strong hopes of their amendment."

b

z The morrow which was the feaft-day, he was informed, that fome murmured, and cried, "What "is doing now? Were not thofe, who permitted this "cuftom hitherto, Chriftians ?" a St. Auftin, not knowing how to ftagger them, was in great perplexity. He had refolved to read to thefe obftinate people that paffage in Ezekiel, where it is faid, that the centinel is difcharged when he has given warning of the danger; and afterwards to fhake his garments over the people, and to return home. However, God fpared him this affliction, and the murmurers were no longer able to refift fo lively and eloquent a charity.

There is no doubt, but that the folidity and beauty of the difcourfe was of fervice in preparing the way, and affecting the minds of his hearers; but a circumstance, which overthrew thofe murmurers, and gained St. Auftin a complete victory, was his blending the fublime and pathetic with that foftnefs and tenderness we have mentioned elsewhere. The two others may procure acclamations; but the fublime and pathetic bear down, as it were, every thing with their weight; and, inftead of applaufes, force tears from the hearers.

z Cum illuxiffet dies cui folebant fauces vcntrefque fe parare.

a Quo audito, quas majores commovendi eos machinas præpararem, omnino nefciebam.

b Ezek. xxxiii. 9.

c Non fanè, fi dicendo crebriùs & vehementiùs acclametur, ideo

O 2

granditer putandus eft dicere: hoc enim & acumina fubmiffi generis, & ornamenta faciunt temperati. Grande autem genus plerumque pondere fuo voces premit, fed lacrymas exprimit. Sanct. Auguft. de doct. Chrift. 1. iv. cap. 24.

EXTRACT