PREFACE. THE Author of the following Essay, ventures to send it forth, with a view to promote the best interests of the church of Christ at large. He particularly submits his argument, in favour of Evangelical Preaching, to the kind and candid consideration of his brethren in the ministry, who profess the gospel to be "the power of God unto salvation;" in the hope that they may have their pure minds stirred up, by way of remembrance; that they may be encouraged to persevere in preaching Christ, and him crucified, with increased ardour and zeal; and likewise be more abundantly established in "the truth as it is in Jesus." His object has been-not to censure, far from it, but rather to con - firm and refresh; not to weaken, by any means, but to strengthen the hands of Christ's faithful ministers, and thereby to further their personal comfort and their public usefulness. He encourages the humble hope, that his Essay may prove the means, in the hand of the Holy Spirit, to confirm the wavering, and to dispose all those, who may favour him in the perusal of the following little Work, to give all possible encouragement to the preaching of the faithful word, by a steady attendance on the ministration of it-by cultivating christian affection and sympathy to all the ministers of Jesusand by the attentive consideration of that urgent and necessary request, 66 Brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified." Committing this small token of love to the interests of evangelical preaching to the care and blessing of the Great Head of the Church, and imploring at his hand the gracious influence of his blessed Spirit to make it abundantly efficient in answering the designed end, the Author, with permission, would subscribe himself the willing servant of the Church, for Jesus' sake. JOHN PETHERICK. Totnes, 1834. PRIMITIVE PREACHING. How important the inquiry,-Does the present mode, or general method of public preaching, exactly correspond with that which generally prevailed in the primitive, best, and purest ages of the Christian Church? It is extensively allowed, that the preaching of the cross is peculiarly the divinely-appointed medium of evangelizing the world, of keeping alive, in vigorous exercise, the spirit of genuine godliness. How important then is it, that this great instrument, of Christ's own special appointment, should be tenaciously preserved entire, and perfectly free from the least adulteration or alloy ! How solicitous was the apostle of the circumcision, that the precious deposit of evangelical truth, the appointed instrument of edifying and B |