upon it that I shall shave the parishioners as handsome as any on 'em

Thus, reader, I have told you all about it; and have only to add, that after I had, at leifure hours, wrote my fermon fairly out, I carried it to a bookfeller, expecting that he would be as fond of it as I was, which, I believe is a cafe very common with us AUTHORS; but he drew up his Shoulders, looked four upon, and faid, he feared it was too courfe for this polite age. I affured him that the file was quite clerical, being borrowed from the Parish Prieft, and what he might hear in many Pulpits, if he would only travel for it; but he being of the faving order, and not over fit for travelling in deep roads, agreed to take my word for it, rather than be at the expence and trouble of feeking further Proof; foit was fent to the Prefs, to furnish you, my friend, with half an hour's entertainment, and pleafe

A

SERMON,

&c.

Having the honor of addreffing fo learned a body, with bands fo white, gowns fo black, and caps fo orthodox, I take the liberty of ftriking a little from the common road of preaching; and as this is a fingular occafion, Ishall make free with a fingular text.

You know, my beloved, it is the way of most preachers to choose fome passage of fcripture for their text, which having distinctly read twice over, you hear no more of the bible till the fermon is finished; but are entertained with such a lecture as you may find in a news-paper, price two-pence halfpenny. But I have the honour of departing a little from this general rule, and fhall be the firft who takes his text from a news-paper, and illuftrates his doctrine by fcripture history; and having broken the ice, as we used to say, I expect to have many ingenious followers. You will find our text in the St. James's Chronicle for Thursday, March 17, 1768, No. 1099, Printed by Henry Baldwin, at the PrintingOffice, White-Friars, Fleet-Street. Wherein, if you will pull your newspapers out of your pockets, you may read with me the following paragraph.

EXTRACT

EXTRACT of a LETTER from OXFORD.

On Friday last fix ftudents belonging to EdmundHall were expelled the University, after an bearing of feveral hours before Mr. Vice Chancellor, and fome of the Heads of Houses, for bolding Methodistical tenets, and taking upon them to pray, read, and expound the fcriptures, and fing hymns in a private house, The

of the

defended their doctrines from the thirty-nine articles of the established church, and fpoke in the highest terms of the piety and exemplarinefs of their lives; but his motion was over-ruled, and sentence pronounced aganft them. Dr., one of the Heads of Houfes prefent, obferved, that as thefe fix gentlemen were expelled for having too much religion, it would be very proper to enquire into the conduct of fome who had too little; and Mr.

was heard to tell their chief accufer, that the University was much obliged to bim for his good work.

UR text is indeed somewhat long; but then, my beloved, we have the more matter to work upon; and you know this is a day in which invention is not very brisk, especially among the gentlemen clergy. But We proceed to profecute our fubject after the old orthodox plan, namely,

I. To go over our text by way of explication.

II. Deduce anotable point of doctrine from

it, viz. That this act of the V-eCr, and the Heads of Houses, is defenfible from the conduct of the clergy in all ages, and in all countries.

III. Conclude

[

III. Conclude with special application. I. Explain our text. In doing which I muft divide it into very fmall parcels, even as the fkilful furgeon does the flesh of a hanged malefactor, when he diffects an organ. And in the first place,

Extract of a Letter from Oxford.

This Oxford, my beloved, is a city in the Weft of Englaud, notable for a great univerfity, i. e. a place of learning: and it would do you good to fee the numbers of hopeful young gentlemen who come from all parts of England in purfuit of learning, infomuch that all the colleges are frequently crowded. But you will fay, What do they learn? To which I anfwer in the negative, as being much eafier than the affirmative. For it appears from our text, that there are some things which they do not learn.

(1.) Praying: I mean, they do not, in common, learn to pray to God. It feems this is no part of the approved exercises of the ftudents in that univerfity; for, fays our text, Six young gentlemen were expelled the Univerfity for praying. From whence we may draw this inference, namely, Thet if the Vice Chancellor, and the Heads of Houses, expelled these fix offenders for praying to God, it is natural to fuppofe, that they are not guilty of that crime themselves; otherwise, they would fall under that reproof. Rom. ii. 1,

(2.) To read and expound the fcripturesis another thing which feems to be there

prohibited.