If, for example, I were to preach from Heb. x. 10. By the which will we are fantified, through the offering of the body of Jefus Chrift, once for all; I should Lewis XIV. when he was going to receive the facrament, from John xiii. 15. I have given you an example that ye fhould do, as I have done to you: Having fpoken in his exordium on the dignity and humility of Jefus Chrift; and having reminded his majesty that it was a small thing to imitate Chrift in his actions, if he did not enter into the fpirit, fentiments, and views of the fon of God; he divides his difcourfe into two parts: First, Perfons elevated to dignity are obliged to be humble, after Chrift's example. 2. Their true grandeur confifts in this humility. Tom. ii. ferm. 1. The Archbishop of Cambray (preaching to a religious order, fome of whom had been employed in miffions to the eaft, from Ifa. lx. 1. Arife, fhine, thy light is come, &c.) introduces his divifion thus: But I feel my heart moved within me; it is divided between joy and grief; the miniftry of these apoftolic men, and the call of these eastern people, are the triumphs of religion but perhaps they may also be the effects of a fecret reprobation, which hangs over us. Perhaps thefe people may rise upon our ruins, as the gentiles rofe upon the ruins of the Jews. Let us then rejoice in the Lord: but let us rejcice with trembling. These two exhorta tions divide my difcourfe. Fencl. oeuvres philofoph. tom. ii. Bishop Maffillon, preaching to his clergy, on Luke ii. 34. This child is fet for the fall and rifing again of many in Ifracl, after an agreeable exordium, fays, Let us pafs all other reafons of this myftery, and confine ourselves to one fingle truth, which regards ourselves. Methinks Jefus Chrift entering on his priesthood to-day in the temple, is an example of every prieft, when he comes to receive the holy unction, and for the first time appears in the church, vefted with this terrible dignity; for on this folemn occafion it may be faid of him, Behold! this man is fet for the fall, or rifing again of many in Ifrael; he comes to be an inftrument of the perdition, or the falvation of many. On this terrible alternative runs the destiny of a minifter, and it is literally true of every one of you, that you already are, or are about be established to build up, or to pull down; to rid the church of fcandals, or to cause new ones; to fave, or to deftroy; in one word, to be a favour of I fhould not think it proper to speak firft of the will of God, then of our fanctification, and laftly of the caufe of our fanctification, which is, the oblation of the body of Jefus Chrift; it would be much better to reduce the text to a categorical propofition; thus, The offering of the body of Jefus Chrift, once made, fanctifies us by the will of God; for it is more natural to confider, 1. The nearer and more immediate caufe of our acceptance, which is, the oblation of the body of Jefus Chrift. 2. Its effect, our fantification. 3. Its first and more remote caufe, which makes it produce this effect, the will of God. It remains to be observed, that there are two natural orders, one natural in regard to fubjects themselves, the other natural in regard to us. The first confiders every thing in its natural fituation, as things are in themfelves, without any regard to our knowledge of them; the other, which I call natural in regard to us, obferves the fituation, which things have as they appear in our minds, or enter into our thoughts. For example, in the last mentioned text, the natural order of things would require the propofition thus: By the will of God the offering of the body of Chrift fanctifies us; for, 1. The will of God is the decree of his good pleasure to send his fon into the world. 2. The oblation of life unto life, or of death unto death, among the people; these are the two parts, &c. Mafillon confer. tom. i. I will not fay that thefe gentlemen did not reduce their texts to categorical propofitions in private in the study but I may venture to fay, if they did, they brought Óratio cujus fumma virtus perfpicuitas, quam fit vitiofa fi egeat interprete? Quint, inf. lib.i. c. 4. oblation of Jefus Chrift is the first effect of this will. And, 3. Our fanctification is the last effect of his oblation by the will of God. On the contrary, the natural order in regard to us is, 1. The offering. 2. The fanctification, which it produces. And lastly, The will of God, which gives it this efficacy. When in any text the natural order of things differs from that, which regards our knowledge of them, we may take that way, which we like beft; however, I believe it would be beft to follow that of our knowledge, because it is easiest, and cleareft for the common people. (4) (4) M. l'Abbé Batteux, dans fon cours de belles-lettres diftribué par exercifes à la fin du tom. ii. parlant de l'inverfion, prétend que les Latins ne renverfent point, et que c'est nous que reverfons. Je ne voudrois pas avancer une pareille propofition generalement et fans diftinction, parce que l'inversion, proprement dite, n'étant autre chofe qu'un ordre dans les mots, contraire à l'ordre des idées, ce qui fera inverfion pour l'un, fouvent ne le fera pas pour l'autre; car, dans une fuite d'idées, tout le monde n'eft pas toujours également affecté de la même. Par exemple, fi de ces deux idées, ferpentem fuge, je vous demande quelle eft la principale, vous me direz vous que c'est le ferpent, mais un autre prétendra que c'eft la fuite, et vous aurez tous deux There raison. L'homme peureux ne fonge qu'au ferpent, mais celui, que craint moins le ferpent que ma perte, ne fonge qu'à ma fuite; l'un s'effraie, l'autre m'avertit. D'ailleurs, dans une fuite d'idées que nous avons à offrir aux autres, toutes les fois que l'idée principal qui doit les affecter n'eft pas la même que celle qui nous affecte, cu égard à la difpofition différente où nous fommes, nous et nos auditeurs, c'eft cette idée qu'il faut d'abord leur prefenter. Appliquons ces reflexions à la première période de l'oraifon pro Marcello. Diuturni filentii, patres confcripti, quo eram bis temporibus ufus --- finem hodiernus dies attulit. Je me figure Cicéron montant à la tribune aux harangues, je vois que la premiere chofe qui a dû frapper fes auditeurs, c'eft qu'il a été long-temps fans y monter; ainfi diuturni filentii. There are texts, which contain the end and the means; the cause and the effect; the principle and the confequence deduced from the principle; the action and the principle of the action; the occafion and the motive of the occafion: in these cafes it is arbitrary either to begin with the means, and afterwards treat of the end; with the effect, and proceed to the caufe, and fo on; or to follow the contrary order. For inftance, 2 Tim. ii. 10. Therefore I endure all things for the elect's-fake, that they may also obtain the falvation which is in Chrift with eternal glory. It is plain, that the text has three parts; the fufferings of the apostle; the end he propofes; and the principle, from which he propofes this end. The order is then arbitrary: you may either speak, firft of S. Paul's love to the elect; fecondly of the falvation, which he defired they filentii. Le long filence qu'il a gardé, eft la première idée qu'il doit leur prefenter, quoique l'idée principale pour lui ne foit pas celle-là, ma's bodiernus dies finem attulit. Car ce qui frappe le plus un orateur qui monte en chaire, c' eft qu'il va parler, et non qu'il a gardé filence. Ce qui n'étoit pas une inverfion pour les auditeurs de Ciceron, pouvoit, devoit même, ent être un pour lui. Je remarque encore une autre fineffe dans le génetif diuturni filentii. Les auditeurs ne pouvoient penfer au long filence de Ciceron, fans chercher en même temps, pourquoi il avoit gardé le filence, et pourquoi il fe determinoit à le rompre: or le génetif might étant un cas fufpenfif, leur fait naturellement attendre toutes ces idées que l'orateur ne pouvoit leur prefenter à la fois. On s'aperçoit dès le commencement de cette periode, que l'orateur ayant eu une raifon d'employer telle cu telle terminaifon plutôt que toute autre, il n'y avoit point dans fes idées l'inverfion que règne dans fes termes. En effet, qu'est-ce qui determinoit Ciceron à écrire diuturni filentii au gentif, quo à l'ablatif, eram à l'impar fait, et ainfi du refle, fi ce n' eit un ordre d'idées préexiftant dans fon efprit, tout contraire à celui des expreffions, &c. Supplem. à la gram. gen. et raijon par l'Abbè Fromant, p. 267. chap. xxiv. might obtain in Jefus Chrift; and thirdly, of the Sufferings, which he endured in order to their obtaining it. Or, firft of his fufferings; fecondly of the end, which he proposed in them, the falvation of the elect with eternal glory; and thirdly, of his love for the elect, which is the principle. But though, in general, you may follow which of the two orders you pleafe, yet there are fome texts, that determine the divifion; as Phil. ii. 13. It is God who worketh effectually in you, both to will, and to do, of his own good pleasure. (5) There are, it is plain, three things to be difcuffed, the action of God's grace upon men, God worketh effectually in you; the effect of this grace, to will and to do; and the spring or fource of the action, according to his good pleasure. I think the divifion would not be proper if we were to treat, 1. Of God's good pleafure. 2. Of his grace. And, 3. Of the will and fiaftical impreffions; nor acteth |