I now turn my discourse to the church and people "in this place. MEN AND BRETHREN, God, in his unsearchable providence, has been pleased to leave you long as a flock without a shepherd. You have been called to pass through many trying scenes, and to surmount great obstacles in the way of the re-settlement of a gospel minister. But now a brighter prospect is opening before you, and you are called to rejoice; but to rejoice with trembling. For this man, upon whom your hearts and hopes are fixed, may be set up, like his divine master, for the fall, as well as rising of many in this place. If he proves faithful, as we hope he will, the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed, and the real characters of all will be tried. Are you prepared for the trial? Do you wish to know whether you are friends or foes to that God, whose favor is life, and whose frowns are worse than death? This you must know, this you will know, sooner or later. For, God has determined that the inhabitants of heaven, of earth, and of all worlds, shall know how they feel towards his great and amiable character. Be pleased, then, to open your minds to those divine mysteries, which your pastor, in faithfulness to God, and in friendship to you, shall clearly exhibit. from time to time, for your instruction, and godly edifying. Receive the truth in love, and the truth will make you free; and if the truth make you free, you will be free indeed. If you love God, God will love you, and come and make his abode with you. dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God and For he that God in him. Let me entreat each individual, therefore, to accept the advice and consolation, which Eliphas offered to Job. "Acquaint now thyself with God, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up; yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and cause his light to shine upon all thy ways. To conclude, let us all remember this, that we must see God. God has laid a foundation to exhibit his whole character before the minds of intelligent beings. And can we suppose, that he is not able to carry into execution his great design? He has already made some of his creatures see the glory, and feel the weight of his character. In the other world, the eyes of all his creatures are always open, and their minds always awake. They rest not day nor night from seeing and feeling the presence and perfections of the Deity. This is the only ignorant and stupid part of the creation of God. And we shall not long remain in our present unfeeling, torpid state. Our eyes will soon be opened, never to be closed. Our minds will be awakened, never to sleep again. The present objects which now obscure our sight of God, and divert our attention from him, will soon be removed, and a flood of light will break in upon our astonished minds. Then it will be as impossible not to see God, as not to exist; and as impossible not to feel the weight of his character, as not to see it. But who that are enemies to God, can see him, and live? For our God is a consuming fire. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Now is the only time for sinners to become reconciled to God, and secure his favor. Therefore, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. Amen. SERMON IX. Preached at the Ordination of the Rev. ELI SMITH, to the Pastoral Care of the Church in Hollis, November 27, 1793. ECCLESIASTES xii, 11. The words of the wise are as goads. SOLOMON was a man of superior wisdom, which he displayed in the beginning of his reign, as a Prince; and in the close of his reign, as a preacher. Having passed through a great variety of scenes and collected a large stock of useful knowledge, he was eminently qualified to preach upon the vanity of the world and the importance of religion with peculiar pungency. This distinguishing quality, which discovers the strength and clearness of his mind, and characterizes all his writings, justly entitles him to the highest rank among the sacred teachers. Accordingly, Ezra, or some other inspired writer, tell us, that he not only "taught the people knowledge," but taught them, with so much force and pungency, that "his words were as goads, or nails fastened" by those prophets, or "masters of assemblies" who received their sentiments and language from the immediate inspiration of the "chief shepherd and bishop of souls." Though none, who are destitute of the wisdom of Solomon, can expect to reach his supreme excellency in preaching; yet every wise minister will imitate his noble example, and endeavor to penetrate and impress the minds of his hearers. And to illustrate this general observation, I shall, I. Show that every wise preacher will aim to impress the minds of his hearers, and, II. Show how he will preach in order to attain this desirable object. 1. I am to show, that a wise preacher will aim to impress the minds of his hearers. By a wise preacher, we mean one who resembles the royal preacher, in some of his most amiable and distinguishing qualities. Solomon was a man of genius, of learning, and of piety. He understood the nature and tendency of all sensible objects. He was thoroughly acquainted with human nature. He knew the feelings of all men, under all circumstances and conditions of life. He knew the various springs of human action, and the various avenues to the human heart. In a word, he knew every thing necessary to penetrate and impress the minds of both saints and sinners. These excellent ministerial qualifications, which adorned and distinguished the royal preacher, in some measure, adorn and distinguish all who are wise to win souls. They have the same kinds of knowledge, though not in the same degree. Hence, we may presume that all wise preachers will aim to penetrate and impress the minds of their hearers. But this will more fully appear, if we consider, 2. Every wise preacher knows that unless he impresses the minds of his hearers, he can do them no good by his preaching. Hearers must feel what they hear, or what they hear will be like sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. That discourse, which fails of penetrating the mind, immediately vanishes, without producing any desirable or permanent effect. It is like water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up. The principal design of the preacher is lost upon the hearer, unless he makes the hearer feel the truth and weight of what he delivers. The wise preacher, therefore, always means to penetrate the minds of those to whom he speaks. He no farther regards their eyes or their ears, than only by these avenues, to convey the truth to their minds where he means to make the deepest impression, and produce the greatest effects. 3. Every wise preacher knows, that his hearers will not feel the truth and importance of what he says, unless he makes them feel it. Hearers look upon it as the part of the preacher to make them feel. They mean to be passive in hearing, unless he makes them active. If he appear indifferent about their feeling, they think they may be equally indifferent about it. They never mean to invite him to speak, but intend that he shall invite them to hear. They never mean to warm his mind, but expect that he should warm theirs. This natural dulness and deadness of hearers, the wise preacher knows he must encounter and overcome, in his preaching. And, therefore, he is sensible that he must move, before they will move; that he must feel, before they will feel, that he must seek his end, before he can possibly attain it. Accordingly, he always endeavors, if possible, to penetrate and imthe minds of his hearers. This leads us to show, press II. How he will preach, in order to attain this desirable object. When any person proposes a certain end, the end which he proposes, naturally suggests the proper means to accomplish it. This holds with respect to a wise preacher, who makes it his object to penetrate and impress the minds of his hearers. For, 1. This end will naturally lead him to use the most proper style in preaching. He will choose the best words, and place them in the best order, to enlighten the mind and affect the heart. When any person means to impress the mind of another, his design al |