much on the fame tone; that is, it must be concise, clear, and distinct; and in a Style correct and elegant, rather than highly adorned. To explain the doctrine of the text with propriety; to give a full and perfpicuous account of the nature of that virtue or duty. which forms the fubject of the Discourse, is properly the didactic part of Preaching; on the right execution of which much depends for all that comes afterward in the way of perfuafion. The great art in fucceeding in it, is, to meditate profoundly on the subject, fo as to be able to place it in a clear and strong point of view. Confider what light other paffages of Scripture throw upon it; confider whether it be a fubject nearly related to fome other from which it is proper to diftinguish it; confider whether it can be illuftrated to advantage by comparing it with, or oppofing it to, fome other thing; by enquiring into caufes, or tracing effects; by pointing out examples, or appealing to the feelings of the hearers; that thus, a definite, precife, circumftantial view may be afforded of the doctrine to be inculcated. Let the Preacher be perfuaded, that by such distinct and apt illustrations of the known truths of religion, it may both difplay great merit in the way of Compofition, and, what he ought to confider as far more valuable, render his Difcourfes weighty, inftructive, and useful. LE C T. XXXI. LECTURE XXXII. LE C T. CONDUCT OF A DISCOURSE-THE ARGU- IN PART—THE PERORATION. 'N treating of the conftituent parts of a regular Difcourfe or Oration, I have already confidered the Introduction, the Divifion, and the Narration or Explication. I proceed next to treat of the argumentative or reasoning Part of a Difcourfe. In whatever place, or on whatever fubject one fpeaks, this, beyond doubt, is of the greatest confequence. For the great end for which men fpeak on any ferious occasion, is to convince their hearers of fomething being either true, or right, or good; and, by means of this conviction, to influence their practice. Reason and Argument make the foundation, as I have often inculcated, of all manly and perfuafive Eloquence. Now, with refpect to Arguments, three things are requifite. Firft, the invention of them; fecondly, the proper difpofition and arrange XXXII. arrangement of them; and thirdly, the ex- LE C T. preffing of them in fuch a ftyle and manner, as to give them their full force. THE first of thefe, Invention, is, without doubt, the most material, and the groundwork of the reft. But, with refpect to this, I am afraid it is beyond the power of art to give any real affistance. Art cannot go so far, as to fupply a Speaker with arguments on every caufe, and every fubject; though it may be of confiderable use in affifting him to arrange, and exprefs thofe, which his knowledge of the subject has difcovered. For it is one thing to discover the reafons that are most proper to convince men, and another, to manage these reasons with moft advantage. The latter is all that Rhetoric can pretend to. THE antient Rhetoricians did indeed attempt to go much farther than this. They attempted to form Rhetoric into a more cómplete fyftem; and profeffed not only to affift Public Speakers in fetting off their arguments to most advantage; but to fupply the defect of their invention, and to teach them where to find arguments on every fubject and caufe. Hence their Doctrine of Topics, or, “Loci "Communes," and "Sedes Argumentorum,' which makes fo great a figure in the writings of Aristotle, Cicero, and Quinctilian. Thefe LECT. Topics or Loci, were no other than general XXXII. ideas applicable to a great many different fub jects, which the Orator was directed to confult, in order to find out materials for his Speech. They had their intrinfic and extrinfic Loci; fome Loci, that were common to all the different kinds of Public Speaking, and fome that were peculiar to each. The common or general Loci, were fuch as Genus and Species, Cause and Effect, Antecedents and Confequents, Likeness and Contrariety, Definition, Circumftances of Time and Place; and a great many more of the fame kind. For each of the different kinds of Public Speaking, they had their "Loci Perfonarum," and "Loci Rerum :" As in Demonftrative Orations, for inftance, the heads from which any one could be decried or praised; his birth, his country, his education, his kindred, the qualities of his body, the qualities. of his mind, the fortune he enjoyed, the ftations he had filled, &c.; and in Deliberative Orations, the Topics that might be used in recommending any public measure, or diffuading from it; fuch as, honesty, juftice, facility, profit, pleasure, glory, affiftance from friends, mortification to enemies, and the like. THE Grecian Sophifts were the first inventors of this artificial fyftem of Oratory; and they showed a prodigious fubtilty, and fertility XXXII. in the contrivance of thefe Loci. Succeeding LECT. Rhetoricians, dazzled by the plan, wrought them up into fo regular a fyftem, that one would think they meant to teach how a perfon might mechanically become an Orator, without any genius at all. They gave him receipts for making Speeches, on all manner of subjects. At the fame time, it is evident, that though this study of common places might produce very showy academical declamations, it could never produce ufeful difcourfes on real bufinefs. The Loci indeed fupplied a moft exuberant fecundity of matter. One who had no other aim, but to talk copiously and plaufibly, by confulting them on every fubject, and laying hold of all that they suggested, might difcourfe without end; and that too, though he had none but the most fuperficial knowledge of his fubject. But fuch Discourse could be no other than trivial. What is truly folid and perfuafive, must be drawn "ex vif"ceribus caufæ," from a thorough knowledge of the subject, and profound meditation on it. They who would direct ftudents of Oratory to any other fources of Argumentation, only delude them; and by attempting to render Rhetoric too perfect an art, they render it, in truth, a trifling and childish study. On this doctrine, therefore, of the Rhetorical If |