D' CHA P. IV. Of DIVISION. IVISION, in general, ought to be reftrained to a fmall number of parts, they fhould never exceed four or five at the moft: the most admired fermons have only two or three parts. (1) . (1) Mr. Claude's direction to be fparing of divifions is worthy of regard by all, who would preach fo as to be understood, or remembered by their hearers; for a multitude of particulars rather puzzle than inftruct; inftead of helping, they hurt the memory; and, by overloading, abfolutely render it ufelefs. A good fermon, like a good peach, is indeed a compofition of rich materials, which the maker has properly affociated to bring it to its prefent flavour: but which the eater may relish, and, from which he may derive nourishment, without being obliged to learn chymistry, or knowing how to decompound, and to reduce the whole to its parts. Bad fermons have many divifions; There good ones two or three: but the beft none at all. It does not follow, however, that texts are never to be divided. Monf. Villaret, in his hiftoire de France, fays, that, in the reign of Charles VI, John Petit endeavoured to prove af faffination a virtue, by twelve reafons, in honour of the twelve apoftles; at which time, adds he, it was common to divide by four, in honour of the four evangelifts, or in reference to the cardinal virtues, &c. what we have of this kind now, (continues he.) is a remain of the Gothic eloquence of our ancestors, wholly unknown to the ancient Greek and Roman orators. Velly hift. de France, tom. x. If Monf. Villaret mean, that fuch fanciful and unnatu G 2 ral There are two forts of divifions, which we may very properly make; the firft, which is the most ral divifions were unknown to them, as thofe abovementioned, or as that of venerable Bishop Latimer, who, in a fermon preached at Cambridge, in 1529, at Christmas-time, from Johni. 19. Who art thou? divided his fermon, in allufion to a pack of cards, into four parts, which he called, diamonds, hearts, fpades, and clubs; the Pope was the king of clubs, and heartes weere triumphes. Fox's acts and mon. fol. edit. 1497. page 1571. I fay if Monf. Villaret mean fuch fancies, they were certainly unknown to the ancient orators: but natural and needful divifions were neither unknown to them, nor unpractifed by them. Quintilian (who follows Cicero, Efchi nes, Demosthenes, &c.) fays, Qui rectè diviferit, nunquam poterit in rerum ordine errare. Certa funt enim non folum in digerendis queftionibus, fed etiam in exequendis, fi modo recte dicimus, prima, ac fecunda, et deinceps: cohæretque omnis rerum copulatio, ut ei nihil nec fubtrahi fine manifefto intellectu, nec inferi poffit. Quint. inft. lib. xi. cap. 7. Ne illos quidem probaverim, qui partitionem vetant ultra tres propofitiones extendere. Quæ fine dubio fi nimium fit multiplex, fugiet memoriam judicis, et turbabit intentionem. Hoc ta common, men numero velut lege non eft alliganda, cum poffit caufa plures defiderare. — Lib.v.cap. 5. de partitione. Divifion is not unknown to Cicero. In one oration he fays, Ego fic intelligo, judices, cum de pecuniis repetundis nomen cujufpiam deferatur, fi certamen inter aliquos fit, cui potiffimum delatio detur, hæc duo in primis fpectare oportere: quem maxime velint actorem effe ii, quibus factæ effe dicantur injuriæ et quem minime velit is qui eas injurias feciffe arguatur. Ciceronis oratio in Cacilium. In another, Caufa quæ fit videtis: nunc quid agendum fit confiderate. Primum mihi videtur de genere belli; deinde de magnitudine; tum de imperatore deligendo effe dicendum. Primum bellum Afiaticum genere fuo grave et neceffarium effe. 1. Quia agitur gloria pop. Rom. 2. Quia agitur falus fociorum, 3. Quia aguntur vectigalia maxima. 4. Quia aguntur fortunæ multorum civium. .... Tertium Pompeius eft bonus imperator, quia in eo funt quatuor virtutes, quæ bonum imperatorem commendant. 1. Scientia rei militaris. 2. Virtus. 3. Au&toritas. 4. Felicitas. Pro lege Manilia. In another, Intelligo, judices, common, is the divifion of the text into its parts; dices, tres totius accufationis partes fuiffe, et earum unam in reprehenfione vitæ, alteram in contentione dignitatis, tertiam in criminibus ambitus effe verfatam. Pro Murena. It would be eafy to increafe the lift but thefe are fufficient to fhew, that divifion is fometimes as proper as its omiffion is at other times preferable. We fhould diftinguifh between the compofition of a fermon in private, and the delivery of it in public. The compofing, or the putting together of a fermon, implies a previous distinction of parts; for to compofe a fermon is to unite feveral ideas into one body; fometimes it would be abfurd to mention each component part; and fometimes it would be abfurd to omit the mention of it. The fermons of many prac tical preachers are mere essays: and thofe of many doctrinal preachers, dry numerationtables, the figures and frac tions of which frighten all but fkilful arithmeticians. There is certainly a middle way, wherein a fermon, like a fine piece of history-painting, in fenfibly diftinguifhes objects, faftens the eye, dilates the heart, and fills us, I had almoft faid, with joy unspeakable and full of glory. But allowing the neceffity of a natural and eafy divifion; the it does by no means follow that these are to multiply into whole armies. A hundred years ago moft fermons had thirty, forty, fifty, or fixty particulars. There is a fermon of Mr. Lye's on 1 Cor. vi. 17. the terms of which, fays he, I shall endeavour ov Ew clearly to explain. This he does in thirty particulars, for the fixing of it on a right bafis; and then adds fifty-fix more to explain the fubject; in all eighty-fix. And what makes it the more aftonishing is his introduction to all thefe, which is this: Having thus beaten up and levelled our way to the text, I fhall not ftand to fored the words into any unneceffary parts, but fhall extract out of them fuch an obfervation as I conceive frikes a full eighth to the minde of the Spirit of God. Morning exercise. If Mr. Lye is too prolific, what fhall we fay to Mr. Drake, whofe fermon has (if I reckon rightly.) above 170 parts, befides queries and folutions? and yet the good 'man fays he passed fundry ufeful points, pitching only on that which comprehended the marrow and fubfiance. Morning exercife. The fashion of the age, in which they lived, is an excufe for thefe good men : but fhould any one imitate their method now, he would be confidered the other is of the difcourfe or fermon itself, which is made on the text. (2) This laft, that is to fay, the divifion of a difcourfe is proper, when, to give light to a text, it is neceffary to mention many things, which the confidered as if he appeared in the drefs of his ancestors. A goodly fight indeed! to drefs like druids in feventeen hundred and feventy-fix! I am not unmindful of the text integrity and fpirituality of our ancestors: but certainly the logic of that age should be no rule for this. It was common then to form their arguments thus : fef- Nothing is done in remembrance of itself: ti- But the facrament is used in the remembrance of Christ; no. Therefore the facrament is not Christ. fe- Chrift never devoured himself: ri- Chrift did eat the facrament with his apoftles; fon. Ergo the facrament is not Chrift himself. And in this barbarous form, to publish them for the people's edification. Fox, act. & mon. p. 1263. I mention these because I have fufpected that a thoufand modern abfurdities, remarkable enough among fome, proceed from a blind veneration for all, that was faid and done by fome holy men, famous in their day for piety. Ancient divinity, maintained by modern reafoning, does very well but there is no need, in admiring their beauties, to adopt their very defects. (2) The following is an example of Mr. Claude's trvofold divifion, from Mr. Flavel: Luke xxiii. 43. And Jefus faid unto him, Verily I fay unto thee, to day fhalt thou be with se in paradife. i. The mat ter of the promife, be with me in paradife. 2. The person to whom it was made, said unto bim. 3. The time fet for performance, to-day. 4. The confirmation, Verily I say unto thee. Hence Mr. Flavel deduces three propofitions, which are the divifions of the dif courfe, as the former are of the text. The propofitions are, 1. That there is a future eternal state, into which fouls pafs at death. 2. All believers at their death are immediately received into a state of glory, and eternal happiness. 3. God may, though he feldom doth, prepare men for this glory, immediately before their diffolution by death. The difcuffion confifts of many proofs of these propofitions. Flavel's fountain of life, ser. xxxii. s. 1. text fuppofes but does not formally exprefs; and which must be collected elsewhere, in order to enable you to give in the end a juft explication of the text. In fuch a cafe you may divide your dif course into two parts, the first containing fome general confiderations, neceffary for understanding the text; and the fecond the particular explication of the text itself. 1. This method is proper when a prophecy of the eld teftament is handled; for, generally, the understanding of these prophecies depends on many general confiderations, which, by expofing and refuting falfe fenfes, open a way to the true explication; as appears by what has been faid on Gen. iii. 15. I will put enmity between thee, and the woman; and between thy feed, and her feed; it shall bruife thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel; and on the covenant made with Abraham, &c. &c. (3) 2. This (3) This is fometimes Mr. Saurin's method, and fometimes when the prophecy is clear in its application, he 1. Fixes the epoch of its accomplishment. 2. Enquires the caufes (if it predict heavy afflictions, as Amos viii. 11, 12. a famine of God's word.) 3. Describes its horrors. Hence he draws proper conclufions. Thefe general confiderations appear better ftill in an exordium. See bishop Newton on the prophecies; the eighteenth differtation of the fecond volume will explain my meaning. A chriftian minifter in ftudying prophecies will confider the matter of the prophecy, the place where, and the time when it has been, or will be accomplished. Hence Le Clerc advifes to study geography, chronology, customs, &c. Ea cognitio (i. e, geographia) neceffaria eft priufquam ad feriam lectionem fcriptoris ullius deveniatur, cum paffim occurrant nomina gentium, populorum, regionum, ac urbium, &c. Plane neceffarium eft hiftoriam fummatim noffe ut fciamus tempora eorum quæ notatu digniffima humano generi evenerunt, &c. In omnibus fcriptoribus innumeræ funt allufiones ad confuetudines ac opiniones eorum temporum quibus fcripfere, quas nifi in numerato |