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of God's Word ; there are yet fome Things that Man is to do on his part. C. Hitherto you have talk't very folidly but I fee plainly you are now returning to your first Opinion.

A. I did not change it. Don't you believe that the Work of our Salvation depends upon Go D's Grace?

C. Yes: 'tis an Article of Faith.

A. You own however that we ought to ufe great Prudence in chufing a rightStation and Conduct in Life; and in avoiding dangerous Temptations. Now do we make void the Grace of GoD, and its Efficacy, by Watching, and Prayer, and a prudent Circumfpection? Certainly not. We owe all to GOD: and yet He obliges us to comply with an external Order of human Means. The Apostles did not study the vain Pomp, and trifling Ornaments of the Heathen Orators. They did not fall into the fubt Reasonings of the Philofophers, who made all to depend upon those airy Speculations in which they loft themfelves. The Apoftles only preach't JESUS CHRIST with all the Force, and magnificent Simplicity of the ScriptureLanguage. 'Tis true they had no need of any Preparation for their Miniftry; because the Spirit, who defcended upon them in a fenfible manner, fupply'd them with Words in preaching the Gospel.

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The Difference then betwixt the Apoftles, and their Succeffors in the Ministry, is, that these, not being miraculously infpir'd like the Apoftles, have need to prepare themselves, and to fill their Minds with the Doctrine and Spirit of the Scripture, to form their Difcourfes. But this Preparation fhou'd never lead them to preach in a more artless manner than the Apoftles. Wou'd you not be fatisfy'd if Preachers us'd no more Ornaments in their Sermons than S. PETER, S. PAUL, S. JAMES, S. JUDE, and S. JOHN. did?

C. I think I ought to require no more. And I must confefs that fince (as you fay) Eloquence confifts chiefly in the Order, Force, and Propriety of the Words by which Men are perfwaded and mov'd; it does not give me fo much Offence as it did. I always reckon❜d Eloquence to be an Art that is inconfiftent with the Simplicity of the Gospel.

A. There are two forts of People that have this Notion of it; the falfe Orators, who are widely mistaken in seeking after Eloquence amidst a vain Pomp of Words; and fome pious Perfons who have no great depth of Knowledge: but tho' out of Humility they avoid that falfe Rhetorick which confifts in a gaudy oftenftatious Stile; they yet aim at true Eloquence,

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by ftriving to perfwade, and move their Hearers.

C. I now understand your Notions exaftly well: let us now return to the Eloquence of the Scripture.

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A. In order to perceive it, nothing is more useful than to have a juft Tafte of the antient Simplicity: and this may best be obtain'd by reading the most antient Greek Authors. I fay the most antient. For thofe Greeks whom the Romans fo justly defpis'd, and call'd Græculi, were then intirely degenerate. As I told you before, you ought to be perfectly acquainted with HOMER, PLATO, XENOPHON, and the other earliest Writers. After that, you will be no more furpriz'd at the Plainnefs of the ScriptureStile: For in them you'll find almost the fame kind of Cuftoms, the fame artless Narrations, the fame Images of great Things, and the fame Movements. The Difference betwixt them upon Comparifon is much to the Honour of the Scripture. It furpaffes them vaftly in native Simplicity, Livelinefs, and Grandeur. HOMER

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Ενδείκνυται δι' ἡμῖν ἔτΘ ο ανής [ΠΛΑΤΩΝ] & βαλοίμεθα μὴ κατολιγωρῆσαι, ὡς καὶ ἄλλη τις τους τα είρη μένα ὁδὸς ὅτι τὰ ὑψηλὰ τείνει. Ποία ἢ καὶ τίς αὕτη ; ἡ 7 μεν μεγάλων συγγραφέων καὶ ποιητῶν μίμησίς τε καὶ ζήλωσις. Καὶ τέτε γε, φίλτατε, απείε εχωμεθα το LONGINUS §, xiij.

HOMER himself never reach't the Sublimity of Mos Es's Songs; efpecially the * laft, which all the Ifraelitish Children were to learn by-heart. Never did any Ode, either Greek, or Latin, come up to the Loftiness of the Pfalms: particularly that which begins thus; † The mighty God even the Lord, hath spoken, furpaffes the utmost Stretch of human Invention. Neither HOMER nor any other

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* Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak: and hear DEUT. O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine fhall drop xxxij. 1. as the rain; my fpeech fhall diftil as the dew; as the small rain upon the tender herb; and as the showers upon the grafs. Because I will publish the Name of the Lord: afcribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the rock: his work is perfect: for, all his ways are judgment: a God of truth, and without iniquity: juft and right is he. Lord's portion is his people: Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a defart land; and in the wafte howling wilderness: he led him about; he inftructed him; and kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle ftirreth up her neft, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings; taketh them; beareth them on her wings: So the Lord alone did lead him; and there was no strange God with him. He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; he made him fuck hony out of the rock; and oil out of the flinty rock.

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†The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken; and PSAL. L. 1. call'd the earth from the rifing of the Sun unto the going down thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Our God fhall come, and fhall not keep filence: a fire fhall devour before him and it fhall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above; and to the earth, that he may judge his people. Gather my Saints together unto me; thofe that have made. a covenant with me by facrifice. And the heavens fhall declare his righteousness; for God is Judge himself.

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other Poet ever equal'd ISAIAH defcribing the Majefty of GoD, in whose Sight the Nations of the Earth are as the fmall Duft; yea less than nothing, and Vanity; feeing it is He that ftretcheth out the Heavens like a Curtain, and Spreadeth

* Chap. xl. 9. O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain: O Jerufalem, that bringeft good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength: lift it up; be not afraid: fay unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God. Behold the Lord God will come with a strong hand; and his arm fhall rule for him: behold his reward is with him; and his work before him. He fhall feed his flock like a fhepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bofom; and fhall gently lead those that are with young. Who hath meafur'd the waters in the hollow of his hand and meted out the heaven with a span, and comprehended the duft of the earth in a measure; and weighed the mountains in fcales; and the hills in a ba lance? Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord; or being his counfeller hath taught him? Behold the nations are as a drop of a bucket; and are counted as the small duft of the balance: behold he taketh up the ifles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not fufficient to burn; nor the beats thereof fufficient for a burnt-facrifice. All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him lefs than nothing and vanity. To whom will you liken God? or what likeness will you compare unto him?

Have ye

not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that fitteth upon the circle of the earth; and the inhabitants thereof are as grafhoppers: that stretcheth out the heavens like a curtain; and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in. To whom then will you liken me, or Shall I be equal? faith the holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things; that bringeth out their hoft by number: He calleth them all by names, by the greatnefs of his might; for that he is strong in power, not one faileth. Haft thou not known? haft thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no fearching of his understanding!