too ample a Difquifition to be now dwelt on: However, I fhall venture to name one or two Faults, which are eafy to be remedied with a very small Portion of Abilities.

THE firft is the frequent Use of obfcure Terms, which by the Women are called Hard Words, and by the better fort of Vulgar, Fine Language. Than which I do not know a more univerfal, inexcufable, and unneceffary Mistake among the Clergy of all Diftinctions, but efpecially the younger Practitioners. I have been curious enough to take a Lift of several hundred Words in a Sermon of a new. Beginner, which not one of his Hearers among a hundred could poffibly understand; neither can I eafily call to Mind any Clergy-man of my Acquaintance, who is wholly exempted from this Error, although many of them agree with me in the Diflike of the Thing. But I am apt to put my felf in the Place of the Vulgar, and think many Words difficult or obfcure, which they will not allow to be fo, because thofe Words are obvious to Scholars. I believe the Method obferved by the famous Lord Falkland in fome of his Writings would not be an ill one for young Divines; I was affured by an old Perfon of Quality, who knew him well, that when he doubted whether a Word were perfectly intelligible or no, he fed to confult one of his Lady's Chamber-maids (not the Waiting-woman, because it was poffible fhe might be converfant with Romances) and by her Judgment was guided whether to receive or to reject it. And if that great Perfon thought fuch a Caution neceffary in Treatifes offered to the learned World, it will be fure at least as proper

in Sermons, where the meaneft Hearer is fuppofed to be concerned, and where very often a Lady's Chamber maid may be allowed to equal half the Congregation, both as to Quality and Understanding. But I know not how it comes to país, that Profeffors in moft Arts and Sciences are generally the worft qualified to explain their Meanings to thofe, who are not of their Tribe: A Common Farmer fhall make you understand in three Words, that his Foot is out of Foynt, or his Collar-bone broken, wherein a Surgeon, after a hundred Terms of Art, if you are not a Scholar, fhall leave you to feek: It is frequently the fame Cafe in Law, Phyfick, and even many of the meaner Arts.

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And upon this Account it is, that among bard Words, I number likewife thofe, which are peculiar to Divinity, as it is a Science, because I obferve several Clergy-men, otherwife little fond of obfcure Terms, yet in their Sermons very liberal of all thofe which they find in Ecclefiaftical Writers, as if it were our Duty to understand them; which I am fure it is not. And I defie the greateft Divine to produce any Law either of God or Man, which obliges me to comprehend the Meaning of Omniscience, Om niprefence, Ubiquity, Attribute, Beatifick Vifion, with a Thousand others fo frequent in Pulpits, any. more than that of Excentrick, Idiofquyncracy, Entity, and the like. I believe, I may venture to infift further, that many Terms ufed in Holy Writ, particularly by St. Paul, might with more Difcretion be changed into plainer Speech, except when they are introduced as part of a Quotation.

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I am the more earneft in this Matter, because it is a general Complaint, and the jufteft in the World. For a Divine has nothing to fay to the wifeft Congregation of any Parish in this Kingdom, which he may not express in a manner to be understood by the meanest a mong them. And this Affertion must be true, or elfe God requires from us more than we are able to perform. However, not to contend whether a Logician might poffibly put a Cafe, that would ferve for an Exception, I will appeal to any Man of Letters, whether at least nineteen in twenty of thofe perplexing Words might not be changed into eafie ones, fuch as naturally firft occur to ordinary Men, and probably did fo at first to thofe very Gentlemen, who are fo fond of the former.

WE are often reproved by Divines from the Pulpits, on Account of our Ignorance in things Sacred, and perhaps with Juftice enough. However, it is not very reafonable for them to expect, that Common Men fhould understand Expreffions, which are never made ufe of in Com mon Life. No Gentleman thinks it fafe or prudent to fend a Servant with a Meffage without repeating it more than once, and endeavouring to put it into Terms brought down to the Capacity of the Bearer: Yet after all this Care, it is frequent for Servants to mistake, and fometimes occafion Mifunderstandings among Friends. Although the common Domefticks, in a Gentlemans Family have more Opportunities of improving their Minds, than the ordinary fort of Tradefmen.

Ir is ufual for Clergy-men, who are taxed with this learned Defect, to quote Dr. Tillotson,

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and other famous Divines in their Defence; without confidering the Difference between Elaborate Difcourfes upon important Occafions, de livered to Princes or Parliaments, written with a View of being made Publick, and a Plain Sermon intended for the middle or lower Size of People. Neither do they feem to remember the many Alterations, Additions, and Expungings made by great Authors in thofe Treatifes which they prepare for the Publick. Befides, that excellent Prelate above-mentioned, was known to Preach after a much more Popular Manner in the City Congregations: And if in those parts of his Works, he be any where too obfcure for the Understandings of many, who may be supposed to have been his Hearers, it ought to be numbred among his Omiffions.

THE Fear of being thought Pedants hath been of pernicious Confequence to Young Divines. This hath wholly taken many of them off from their feverer Studies in the Univerfity, which they have exchanged for Plays, Poems, and Pamphlets, in order to qualifie them for Tea Tables and Coffee-Houfes. This they usually call Polite Converfation, knowing the World; and Reading Men infead of Books. Thefe Accomplishments, when applied in the Pulpit, appear by a quaint, tere, florid Style, rounded into Periods and Cadencies, commonly without either Propriety or Meaning. I have liftened with my utmoft Atention for half an hour to anOrator of thisSpecies, without being able to understand, much lefs to carry away one fingle Sentence out of the whole Sermon. Others, to fhew that their Studies have not been confined to Sciences, or Ancient Authors, will talk in the Style of a Gaming-Ordinary,

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and White-Fryars, where I fuppofe the Hearers can be little Edifyed by the Terms of Palming, Shuffling, Biting, Bamboozling, and the like, if they have not been fome time converfant among PickPockets and Sharpers. And truly, as they fay, a Man is known by his Company, fo it should feem, that a Man's Company may be known by his manner of expreffing himself, either in Publick Affemblies, or Private Converfation.

IT would be endless to run over the feveral Defects of Style among us; I fhall therefore fay nothing of the Mean and the Paultry (which are ufually attended by the Fuftian) much lefs of the Slovenly or Indecent. Two things I will juft warn you againft; The firft, is the Frequency of flat, unneceffary Epithets, and the other is the Folly of ufing old Thread-bare Phrafes, which will often make you go out of your way to find and apply them, are naufeous to rational Hearers, and will feldom exprefs your Meaning as well as your own natural Words.

ALTHOUGH, as I have already obferved, our English Tongue is too little cultivated in this Kingdom, yet the Faults are nine in ten owing to Affectation, and not to the want of Underftanding. When a Man's Thoughts are clear, the propereft Words will generally offer themselves firft, and his own Judgment will direct him in what Order to place them, fo as they may be beft understood. Where Men err against this Method, it is ufually on purpose; and to fhew their Learning, their Oratory, their Politeness, or their Knowledge of the World. In fhort, that Simplicity, without which no human Perform

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can arrive to any great Perfection, is no where more eminently useful than in this.