tihravy of t:he trheological ^eminarjp 
 
 PRINXETOX • NEW JERSEY 
 
 '/ft VVv* 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 A. G. Cameron, Ph.D. 
 5.18.11 
 
 ^:?61 
 
2j 
 
 OF PARTICULAR 
 
 Airo 
 
 EXPERIMENTAL PREACHING. 
 
 BY THE KEY. JOHN JENNINGS. 
 
 Rightly to divide the word of truth is the necessary care of 
 a minister, if he would be " approved of God, and be a work- 
 man that needeth not to be ashamed." And it is a skill worth 
 studying for, and labormg to attain : our success and the good 
 of souls depend upon it more than is commonly imagined. 
 
 No doubt joxx may have heard many honest people express 
 their dissatisfaction with some preachers in such terms as these : 
 " They go on constantly in a general way, that does not come 
 close to the heart, reaches not my case and experience, and I 
 am not edified by them." Their complaint is not altogether 
 without meaning or reason, as I hope you will be convinced by 
 and by. 
 
 1. To keep a httle in view that passage of Scripture I have 
 mentioned, dividing the xoord may mean these four things: 
 1. Going through the variety of Gospel subjects ; declaring the 
 whole counsel of God, the doctrines of grace, threatenings, 
 promises, and the duties of morality ; and giving each its due 
 proportion. 
 
 Some, finding their thoughts flow most readily and affection- 
 ately on the doctrines of grace, and that by these they best 
 command the afi"ections of the hearers, are altogether upon 
 them, and neglect to teach the people to observe what Christ 
 
2 OF PAETICCLAR AND EXPERIMENTAL PREACHING. 
 
 has commanded them, I bear many of them witness they have 
 a zeal for God, but I wish it were more according to knowledge. 
 They do not sufficiently consider that holiness is the very de- 
 sign of Christianity ; and our preaching on other heads is in 
 order the better to enforce duty, and render men Hke to Christ. 
 
 I am afraid, from what I have observed, that this strain of 
 preaching will increase the number of those hearers whom our 
 Saviour describes by the " stony ground," in the jiarable of the 
 sower ; namely, such who, though full of notions and transient 
 affections, and forward in professing, yet have an unsubdued 
 will, have no root in themselves, and bring forth no fruit to 
 God, This sti-ain, I fear, though it may seem to bring many 
 toward Christ, will bring but few safely to him. Many of their 
 hearers, with Christ much in their mouths, will prove but hyj^o- 
 ci'ites settled on their lees, and slaves to lusts, Nor is this 
 strain more happy for the uniform growth of the sincere Christ- 
 ian. They that sit under it are too frequently low, imperfect, 
 and partial in practical goodness ; distempered with conceit 
 and preposterous zeal for words and phrases, and things of lit- 
 tle or no consequence ; perplexed and perplexing others with a 
 thousand groundless scruples ; children in imderstanding, and 
 it were happy were they so in maUce too ; but alas ! their nar- 
 rowness of mind infects the heart with uncharitable affections. 
 
 Others, having not arrived at the relish of the doctrines of 
 gi'ace themselves, suppress them in their preaching, and are 
 altogether on morality ; enforcing it with no motives of the 
 Gospel, except some of those addressed to fear. These, if they 
 are masters of much fire, may be convincing to some ; but it 
 fares with most of then- converts as with the man in the para- 
 ble, out of whom the unclean spirit went for a while, who, find- 
 ing his house empty, returned with seven more ; and the latter 
 end of such is worse than the beginning. Or else, the awak- 
 ened hearer either takes up a proud dependence upon a mis- 
 taken, external, and pharisaical righteousness; or, not being 
 by his teacher led to Christ, he proceeds not, settles not ; but 
 abiding long under the doubtful concern, is wearied with it, 
 weary of it, and comes to nothing ; which seems to be the 
 thought in Hosea : " Ephraim is an unwise son ; he should not 
 stay long in the place of the breakmg forth of cliildren." Or 
 lastly, if any are truly converted under such ministry, it is very 
 usual that they are forced to desert it, to find richer and sweeter 
 pasture for their souls. 
 
OF PARTIOULAE AND EXPERIMEXTAL PREACHIXG. 3 
 
 Some of their hearers may possibly prefer this strain of 
 preaching ; but it does not thence follow that they are the bet- 
 ter for it. To illustrate this remark, I -vrill recite a paragraph 
 out of Hemarkahle Passages in the Life of a Private Gentle- 
 tnan : " Spiritual searching discourses I did not so much savor 
 as mere moral doctrines, though too immoral myself. The hopes 
 I had conceived of the strength of my good resolutions ren- 
 dered them grateful. Seneca''s Morals I read with pleasure ; 
 Mr. Baxter^ s SainVs Pest frightened me ; so after reading a 
 few passages, I threw it by." Thus with regret he tells us 
 what httle profit he had in that way, of his fondness for which 
 he was ashamed, when he came to be of Paul's mind, to count 
 all dross and dung, that he might win Christ. 
 
 2. The putting of a thought in several distinct views and 
 hghts, for different purposes and designs. The sacred writers 
 are herein our pattern, and that not by chance, but for wise 
 reasons. One \aew is designed to raise one affection ; anothei" 
 view, to excite another of a different sort, and, finally, one of 
 the views is designed as an antidote against the poison which 
 the corruption of men's hearts might draw out of the other. 
 
 For instance, the tei-ms and way of our justification and sal- 
 vation are frequently stated thus : " That we must be found in 
 Christ, having on the righteousness which is of God by faith," 
 and " we must be made the righteousness of God in Him." 
 And this view is exquisitely adapted to humble us, to draw 
 forth love and gratitude, and encourage our hopes and depen- 
 dence. 
 
 But lest this phraseology, if used alone, should beget security, 
 at other times we are told, that " by works a man is justified, 
 and not by faith only ; and that faith vnthout works is dead ;" 
 and that the inquiry at the last day shall be. Who has " fed the 
 hungry, clothed the naked ?" &c. 
 
 And most commonly these two views are united in the same 
 paragraph ; that one may prevent the ill consequences man's 
 perverseness would draw from the other. As physicians, find- 
 ing some dangerous effect Hkely to follow from a drug of sov- 
 ereign virtue, mix some other mth it to prevent the fatal con- 
 sequences. 
 
 So we are said to be " elect, according to the fore-knowledge 
 of God, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, 
 and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus." Agahi, we are told, 
 that " by grace we are saved through faith, the gift of God, not 
 
4 OF PAKTICUI.AK AND EXPBBIMENTAL PUEACIIING. 
 
 of works ; for we are his workmanship, created in Chiist Jesus 
 unto good works." 
 
 I may give another instance, in the diflerent ways the Scrip- 
 ture speaks of power and duty. Sometimes we are told that 
 " we can not come to Christ expect the Father draw us." 
 That " without Christ we can do nothing." That " if we Uve, 
 it is not we, but Christ that hveth in us." Now these views 
 tend to hide pride from man, to create a diffidence of our- 
 selves, and to centre our hopes and dependence on Christ ; 
 but lest the slothful and Avicked servant should make his impo- 
 tence his excuse, we are called upon to " turn and make us 
 new hearts," exhorted to " ask and we shall receive," and are 
 assured " God will give the Spirit to them that ask hirn ;" and hov/ 
 hajDpily are these two \'iews imited in this passage ! " Work 
 out your own salvation with fear and trembling ; for it is God 
 that worketh in you to will and to do." 
 
 Now, less skilful dividers of the Word deal entirely in one of 
 these views, and neglect the other ; and while they are labor- 
 ing to excite one good afiection, they raise another of a bad 
 tendency together with it. To this in part it is owmg that 
 there are so many low or distempered Christians. Nor is this 
 partiality more happy in effecting the real conversion of sin- 
 ners, who generally, under such management, are either left 
 asleep, and settled in a fond conceit of theu' own righteousness, 
 or else stumble at the rock of offense (in a different manner in- 
 deed from what the Jews did) thinking to find by Christ a way 
 to Heaven, without holiness or moi-al honesty. 
 
 3. Distinctly explaining and enforcing particular duties, and 
 opposing particular sins. It is true, the whole scheme of the 
 Gospel duty is deducible from the general heads of faith and 
 love ; but, alas ! most men's minds are slow, confused, and er- 
 roneous in long deductions ; and it is our business to lead them 
 on in every step, and to show what particular duties to God, 
 our neighbor, and ourselves, Avill flow from these piinciples, and 
 are necessary to make the man of God perfect. We must par- 
 ticularly teach them to " add to their faith, virtue, knowledge, 
 temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and char- 
 ity," if we would not leave them blind and untruthful ; and we 
 should, in a particular manner, speak of "the fruits of the 
 Spirit, as love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, 
 faith, meekness, and temperance ;" and at proper seasons ex- 
 plain and enforce each of them. We should apply the lamp of 
 
OF PARTIODLAK AXD EXPERIMENTAL PREACHING. 5 
 
 the Word to detect and disgrace all the particular " works of 
 darkness," and to make manifest " the fruits of the flesh ; such 
 as adultery, lasciviousness, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envy- 
 ings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like." 
 
 If I should read to a sick person a learned lecture on the 
 benefit of health, and exhort him to take care to recover it, 
 but never inquire into the nature of his disease, or prescribe 
 proper methods and medicines for the cure, he would hardly 
 acquiesce in me for his physician, or resign to me the care of . 
 his bodily health. Nor is it a more likely way to the soul's 
 health to rest in mere general exhortations to holiness, with- 
 out distinctly handling the several branches thereof, and the 
 opposite sins. 
 
 4. Particularly applying to the several cases, tempers, and 
 experiences of the hearers. Besides many thoughts suited ia 
 general to all cases, there might properly arise, in the appUca- 
 tion of most subjects, thoughts distinctly proper to the con- 
 verted and unconverted ; to notional hypocrites and mere 
 moralists, to mourners, to backsUders, and lazy Christians ; and 
 at several times to a much greater variety of characters and 
 persons. ISlow such particular addresses, when the case is 
 drawn in a lively manner, and in th« natural language of the 
 sort of men intended, and judiciously and ai-tfully treated, are 
 the closest, most weighty, and most useful parts of the appli- 
 cation. 
 
 That this is the true way of addressing an auditory, namely, 
 to divide them mto several classes, and distinctly speak to each, 
 will be plain, if we look through the apostolic writings, and, I 
 might add, the prophetic also, -nith this view ; and Ave shall 
 find that both prophets and apostles frequently take care to 
 distinguish the holy and the vile, the converted and the uncon- 
 verted. As for instance, as to their knowledge and apprehen- 
 sion of things : " The natural man receiveth not the things of 
 the Spirit^ they are foolishness to him, he can not know them : 
 but the spiritual judge all things." And also as to their 
 obedience to the law, " The carnal mind is enmity against 
 God, is not subject to God's law, nor can be subject, or please 
 God." 
 
 They particularly reprove scofl:ers, and confute gain-sayers : 
 " Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish." For instance, 
 those who denied or cavilled at the resurrection : " Thou fool, 
 that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die," etc. 
 
6 01" PAUTICCLAK AND KXPICRIMENTAI. PEEACUIXG. 
 
 And also those that were for a faith without works ; " Wilt 
 thou know, vain man, that faith without works is dead ?" etc. 
 
 They address carnal stupid sinners in an awful way ; de- 
 nounce " woe to them that are at ease ;" as Paul when he 
 made Felix tremble, or as Stephen, " Ye stiff-necked and un- 
 circumcised," etc. 
 
 Tliey lead convinced sinners to Christ ; to those that are in- 
 quiring they say : " If ye will inquire, inquire ye, return, come ; 
 turn to the strong hold ; if the Lord hath torn he will heal." 
 " Repent and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, for 
 the remission of sins," etc. "Believe on the Lord Jesus 
 Christ," etc. 
 
 They reason with the moralist, • and those that "trust in 
 themselves that they are righteous ;" showing their righteous- 
 ness is " as filthy rags." " The law saith, there is none righte- 
 ous, but all the world are guilty before God ; therefore by the 
 deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified ; but the righteous- 
 ness of God is manifested, that God might freely justify them 
 that believe on Jesus, therefore man is justified by iaith; boast- 
 ing is excluded by the law of faith ; and ye received the Spirit 
 by the hearing of faith ; the Gospel was before preached to 
 Abraham ; they that are of the works of the law are under the 
 curse. But the law could not disannul the covenant confirmed 
 before, but was a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we 
 might be justified by fiaith ; they then that are Christ's are 
 Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." 
 
 They sharply rebuke and expose pretending hypocrites, show- 
 ing them their abominations, detecting and confounding the 
 Avretches that " delight to know God's way, and hear his word, 
 but will not do it." As Peter : " Thou, hast no part in this 
 matter ; thy heart is not right in the sight of God ;" and James : 
 " Show me thy faith without thy works ; the devils believe and 
 tremble." 
 
 They rouse and encourage Christians who have but little 
 strength, and persuade them to make farther advances in reli- 
 gion — that he that is " feeble may be as David." " Ye are dull 
 of hearing, for the time ye ought to have been teachers ; strong 
 meat belongeth to them that are of full age ; therefore leaving 
 the first principles, let us go on to perfection." 
 
 They deal with the several sorts of distempered Christians 
 tenderly, and yet plainly and faithfully : as particularly, with 
 those who idolize one minister, and despise others ; telling them 
 
OK PAUTiCULAR AND KXPKIililEXTAL PREACH1X(}. 7 
 
 it is not by might and power of man, but by God's Spirit, that 
 the Gospel is successful. " WhUe one saith, I am of Paul, and 
 another, I am of ApoUos, are ye not carnal ? Who is Paul or 
 Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed ? It is God that 
 giveth the increase ; Paul, Ajjollos, Cephas, all are yours." 
 They endeavor to soften those of too rigid a temper, exhorting 
 them not to speak to the grief of those whom God hath smit- 
 ten : as " Ye ought rather to forgive and comfort him ; I be- 
 seech you confirm your love towards him." " If a man be- 
 over-taken in a fault, restore him in the spirit of meekness, con- 
 sidering lest thou also be tempted." They talk roundly to 
 those who are apt to make God the author of sin ; who say : 
 " We unavoidably pine away in our iniquities, and how can we 
 then be saved ?" As in James, " Let no man say I am tempted 
 of God ; for God tempteth not any man." 
 
 Declining Christians are quickened, awakened, and put in 
 mind of the love of their espousals ; " Be watchful, and 
 strengthened the things which remain, that are ready to die." 
 
 They awfully warn those who are in danger of sinning and 
 falling back to perdition ; telling them, " the righteousness 
 they have done will be remembered no more :" and " God's 
 soul will have no pleasure in them." " It is impossible for 
 those who were once enhghtened, etc., if they fall away, to 
 renew them again to repentance, seeing they crucify the Son 
 of God afresh." 
 
 They encourage the persecuted and afflicted ; teUing them : 
 " When they pass through the fire and water, God vidll be with 
 them," and that " when they are tried they shall come forth as 
 gold, and be the Lord's in that day when he maketh up his 
 jewels." " The sufferings of this j^resent time are not worthy 
 to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed." " We 
 are compassed with a cloud of witnesses ; Jesus endured the 
 cross, and is set down at the right hand of the Majesty on 
 high ; whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and that for our 
 profit ; chastenmg yields the peaceable fruits of righteousness." 
 And more particularly, those that lament relations dead in 
 Christ, are told they shall go to be happy with them, though 
 the dead shall not return : " Sorrow not as do others that have 
 no hope ; for those that sleep in Jesus will God bring with 
 him." 
 
 There are also particular lessons for strong Christians, namely, 
 to be tender to the weak, and to be public-spirited, that as 
 
8 OF PARTICULAR AND EXPERIMENTAL PREACHING. 
 
 " Ephraim slioulcT not envy JucTah, so neither should Judah vex 
 Ephraim." " Him that is weak in the faith receive ; let not 
 him that eateth despise him that eateth not ; let none put a 
 stumbling-hlock in his brother's way ; let not your good be ill 
 spoken of; hast thou faith ? have it to thyself; bear the infirmi- 
 ties of the weak ; let every one please his neighbor for his 
 good to edification. Knowledge pufleth up ; but charity edi- 
 fieth ; let not your Hberty be a stumbling-block to the Aveak — 
 nor through thy knowledge let thy weak brother perish, for 
 whom Christ died ; if meat make my brother to ofiGend, I will 
 eat no flesh while the world stands." Again, they are told that 
 " a mark is set upon the men" that deplore the sins of the times ; 
 and " a book of remembrance is written" for those who distin- 
 guish themselves by their piety in times of abounding wicked- 
 ness. " Thou liast a few names who have not defiled their 
 garments ; and they shall walk with me in white, for they are 
 worthy." 
 
 You find also a suitable portion for those who are groaning 
 under corruption ; who complain they were " shapen in iniquity," 
 and their actual " errors are past understanding ;" although " I 
 am carnal, sold under sin, and what I would I do not, and what 
 I hate that do I ; in my flesh dwells no good, and to perform 
 good I find not, yea, with the flesh I- serve the law of sin, (Oh ! 
 wretched man that I am !") yet, " I consent to God's law, and 
 delight in it after the inner man ; it is not then I that do this 
 evil, but sin that dwelleth in me. I thank God through Jesus 
 Christ : with my mind I serve God's law, and God will deliver 
 me from the body of this death." And they are told how God 
 hath " laid on Christ our iniquities ;" and he will be " the Lord 
 our righteousness and strength." " If any man sin, we have an 
 advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." 
 
 The humble and penitent, who are of a conti'ite spirit, and 
 tremble at God's word, are comforted : " Ye were sorry indeed, 
 it was but for a season ; it was after a godly manner ; I rejoice 
 in it ; such sorrow worketh rej^entance not to be repented of; 
 it wrought in you carefulness, fear, desire, zeal, and revenge ; 
 you have approved yourselves clear in this matter." 
 
 They who want direction, and cry out : " Oh ! that my ways 
 were directed to keep thy statutes !" are sent to God for coun- 
 sel. " If any man lack wisdom, let him ask it of God, and it 
 shall be given him." 
 
 The deceiver and the deceived (namely, those of evil minds, 
 
OF PARTICULAR AND EXPERIMENTAL PREACHING. 9 
 
 who seduce others, and those that are misled m the sunplicity 
 of then' hearts) are to be distinctly and differently treated ; 
 " On some have compassion, and others save with fear." 
 
 As for those of the house of Israel in desertion, who mourn 
 after the Lord, who walk in darkness and see no light, and say, 
 " the Lord hath forsaken me," there were, I believe, few, if any, 
 in those days of the plentiful effusion of the Spirit, when the 
 Gospel Church was in its inflmcy, and " a nation was to be born 
 in a day ;" but few, I say, who had doubts about their sincerity ;, 
 they had persecutions, distress, and exercises of another sort ; 
 and those were sufficient. I am apt to think such cases were 
 also rare in the beginning of the reformation from Popery ; 
 which seems to be the occasion of some of the first reformers 
 confounding faith with assurance. However, there are laid up 
 in the New-Testament, some proper hints of coimsel for such 
 as should in after times labor under the hidings of God's face ; 
 as " To examine themselves ; for this to beseech the Lord ; to 
 clear themselves of sin ; not to faint in well-doing ;" and the 
 like. 
 
 Brethren, from your acquaintance with the Scriptures, you 
 will easily perceive that I could run this specimen much farther 
 through the sacred writings ; and if you peruse the writings 
 of the most powerful and successful preachers, particularly the 
 Puritan Divines, you wiU see that they herein imitated the 
 great leaders of the Christian pi'ofession ; and were large in 
 their jDarticular application to several sorts of persons ; suiting 
 their discourses to all the variety of the hearts of men, and 
 sorts and frames of Christians, according to the precepts of 
 Christianity, and, I may add, of true oratory. In .this way they 
 found their own hearts warmed, and thus they reached the 
 hearts of their hearers ; whilst many were imagining the 
 minister had been told of their case, and made the sermon for 
 them ; and so was verified that passage : " The word of God is 
 quick and powerful, a discerner of the thoughts and intents of 
 the heart," 
 
 Now, what success can we reasonably expect, if we do not 
 take into close consideration the cases of our several spiritual 
 patients ? If a man, professing physic, should administer or 
 prescribe one constant medicine for fevers, and another for con- 
 sumptions, and so for other distempers, without considering the 
 age, constitution, strength, and way of living of his patient, 
 and not vary his method and medicines as those vary, we 
 
10 OK PAKTICULAR ANU EXPERIMENTAL PREACHING. 
 
 should hardly call this the regular practice of physic. Nor 
 can I think this general and undistinguishing way ^vill be more 
 safe, or likely to answer its end, in divinity than in medicine. 
 
 Now I rest persuaded, brethren, the thing is so evident, you 
 can not but allow it is best to suit ourselves to all the variety 
 of tempers and experience of the hearers, if it can be done ; 
 and I hope some thoughts may be successfully offered upon the 
 way how tlais skill may be attained. 
 
 1. Above all, then, carefully study your own hearts, and 
 preach over the ruder sketches of your sermons to yourselves 
 first ; by which means the correspondent workings of your 
 own hearts and affections may furnish you with j^roper thoiights 
 wherewith to apply closely to all whose temper, experience, and 
 case are like your own : for what is supplied to your imperfect 
 notes, out of the ai^plicatory meditations of your own minds 
 on the subject, will very probably, according to the usual way 
 of the Spirit, happily and powerfully reach those of the same 
 make in like circumstances. 
 
 2. But, alas ! one man's experience falls far short of all the 
 variety of men's hearts, and of the Spirit's work ; nay, those 
 whose heads are turned for close and regular thought, and 
 whose time has been spent in study and letters, as they go on 
 more rationally and evenly in religion, have less variety of ex- 
 perience than many of a different mould and way of thinking. 
 Here it will be needful then to look out of ourselves, and take 
 a large view, in order to be acquainted mth cases and tempers 
 different from our own ; and with such methods of the Spirit's 
 work as we ourselves have never experienced, but many others 
 have. Now the best and original way of getting this acquain- 
 tance with men, and with God's workings in them (and I may 
 add, of Satan's workings also) is by conversmg freely with the 
 serious people of our flock. 
 
 I know your thoughts will prevent me with an objection ; 
 you will say : This is almost impracticable, especially amongst 
 persons of politeness and figure; these, alas! too rarely will 
 use any such freedom with us, in laying open their hearts, and 
 communicating their experience to us, as may give us the need- 
 ful information. If we ever do arrive at any acquaintance with 
 the experience of Christians, little thanks are due to such as 
 these ; they expect we should preach suitably to them, and that 
 with as much reason as Nebuchadnezzar demanded of the wise 
 men to interpret a dream they knew not. The middle and 
 
I 
 
 OP PAKTICULAR AJ^D EXPERIMENTAL PREACHISTG. 11 
 
 lower sort of people, indeed, are more unreserved to grave 
 ministers of age and standing, but will hardly iise the same 
 freedom with young men. 
 
 To help you over this difficulty, I would observe, that as for 
 the polite, and men of some thought and reading, your own 
 experience, with the allowances and corrections a moderate 
 skill in human nature will enable you to make, may lead you 
 into happy conjectures at their way of thinking. Besides, in 
 the time of their visitation, under some sore affliction, you will- 
 find them more communicative ; and an hour's free discourse 
 with such as can give a rational and intelligible account of 
 themselves, in a season when they are disposed to do it, is as 
 valuable and useful as it is rare and difficult to enter into. 
 
 3. Again, have an eye upon the serious youth, whom nature 
 and Providence has designed to place in a superior class ; and 
 esjDecially at a time when the impressions of religion are new 
 to them. You will find them more open than elder persons, if 
 you court their intimacy, and relieve their bashfulness ; and if 
 you can see into the heart of a youth, then, with the proper 
 allowances for alterations that age and business will make, you 
 may pretty well guess at their turn of mind in more advanced 
 years. 
 
 4. With the generality of serious and more advanced Christ- 
 ians, there needs not so much nicety to get into such a spiritual 
 intimacy with them as we desire ; the laying aside of nicety 
 and ceremony, and getting into such a grave good-natured way 
 as our character requires, is more than half-way to our purpose. 
 Where this is insufficient to encourage the people to freedom, 
 lead them into it by communicating first, either what yourselves 
 have experienced, under the name of a third person (if modesty 
 or prudence require it) or else what you have learned from 
 others, without betraying the confidence they have put in you. 
 By these methods we shall seldom fail of drawing serious peo- 
 ple on to such a freedom as will be of use to them and our- 
 selves. If Ave heartily go about it, we are pretty sure to suc- 
 ceed. 
 
 5. I may farther hint at a compendious way for gaining much 
 knowledge of men's hearts in little time, namely. If you have 
 any tolerable skill in the different tempers and complexions of 
 mankind, distribute, in your thoughts, your people into classes, 
 according to their natural genius and temper, and select one of 
 each class, with whom to be more particularly acquainted ; for 
 
12 OP PARTICULAR AND KXPERIMKXTAL PREACHING. 
 
 amongst those ■U'liom natm-e has formed ahke, you will find 
 upon further inquiry, a striking uniformity in the Spirit's work 
 and way of proceeding with them, 
 
 6. I might recommend a way of knowing these things at 
 second hand, namely, from the most popular and experimental 
 authors ; but this way is far inferior to the other : we shall but 
 faintly paint any jDhenomenon of the heart, by copying another 
 picture ; it is infinitely preferable to do it from the life. Yet 
 would I earnestly recommend the perusal of such authors as 
 deal much in an experimental strain, and have been very suc- 
 cessful in it ; but with a diflerent design, namely. That we 
 may learn from them, how to describe, in a discreet and lively 
 manner, such cases as we ourselves have observed ; and how to 
 address properly to those cases, with the like thoughts and ex- 
 pressions, as have in the course of their preaching happily 
 answered the end. 
 
 After all, rightly to divide the word of truth, with true wis- 
 dom, is a matter of no small difficulty ; but if we carefully and 
 diUgently go about it, with a zeal for our Master's interest, and 
 sensible of our own insufficiency, asking wisdom of God, we 
 know he giveth liberally, and mil surely make ns wise to win 
 souls, to the honor of his name, and our own rejoicing in the 
 day of the Lord Jesus. To whom, with the Father and Holy 
 Spirit, that one God whom we adore, be paid the highest honors 
 and praises to eternal ages. Amen. 
 
 
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DATE DUE 
 
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 CAYLORD 
 
 
 
 PRINTED IN US A.