ndeavouring to
make other folks grieve, as to make them laugh.

A plain convincing reason may possibly operate upon the mind both of a
learned and ignorant hearer as long as they live, and will edify a
thousand times more than the art of wetting the handkerchiefs of a whole
congregation, if you were sure to attain it.

If your arguments be strong, in God's name offer them in as moving a
manner as the nature of the subject will properly admit, wherein reason
and good advice will be your safest guides; but beware of letting the
pathetic part swallow up the rational: For I suppose, philosophers have
long agreed, that passion should never prevail over reason.

As I take it, the two principal branches of preaching are first to tell
the people what is their duty, and then to convince them that it is so.
The topics for both these, we know, are brought from Scripture and
reason. Upon this first, I wish it were often practised to instruct the
hearers in the limits, extent, and compass of every duty, which requires
a good deal of skill and judgment: the other branch is, I think, not so
difficult. But what I would offer them both, is this; that it seems to
be in the power of a reasonable clergyman, if he will be at the pains,
to make the most ignorant man comprehend what is his duty, and to
convince him by argument drawn to the level of his understanding, that
he ought to perform it.

But I must remember that my design in this paper was not so much to
instruct you in your business either as a clergyman or a preacher, as to
warn you against some mistakes which are obvious to the generality of
mankind as well as to me; and we who are hearers, may be allowed to have
some opportunities in the quality of being standers-by. Only perhaps I
may now again transgress by desiring you to express the heads of your
divisions in as few and clear words as you possibly can, otherwise, I
and many thousand others will never be able to retain them, nor
consequently to carry away a syllable of the sermon.

I shall now mention a particular wherein your whole body will be
certainly against me, and the laity almost to a man on my side. However
it came about, I cannot get over the prejudice of taking some little
offence at the clergy for perpetually reading their sermons[6]; perhaps
my frequent hearing of foreigners, who never made use of notes, may have
added to my disgust. And I cannot but think, that whatever is read,
differs as much from what is