Excerpt from The Select Writings of the Rev. Ebenezer Erskine, Vol. 1: Doctrinal Sermons

In endeavouring to carry out the design of the Council in re gard to this volume, the Editor felt that he had to keep dis tinctly before him the following things - First, to make a selec tion of Doctrinal Sermons only. Secondly, to make a selection of such a number of these as would faithfully exhibit the Author's views on all the great leading doctrines of the gospel. Thirdly, to alter nothing, but throughout allow Mr. Erskine to express his own ideas in his own language; and lastly, to com prise his whole selection in a small duodecimo volume. With these objects before him, there were different modes which pre sented themselves to view. One was to give a system of Ex tracts, classing these under diiierent Heads of Doctrine. But this appeared to the Editor a method which would neither be just to the author, nor satisfactory to the reader. The very finest pieces of art, detached from the work of which they form a part, lose much of their beauty and effect. It is the same with detached portions of discourses. Wanting their original unity, they want at the same time their original attraction. Another mode was to select some of the more important and interesting sermons, and give them, with only such literary cor rections as a new edition indispensably required, just as they were originally printed. But to this there was the obvious objection, that in consequence of this great length, there being usually se veral discourses on the same text, only a very few could be given in a small volume, and thus not a fair representation of the author's system of doctrine exhibited. Besides there would be thus includ cd a considerable quantity of matter which, though useful in itself, would be felt extraneous in a volume of professedly Doctrinal Discourses. The mode therefore adopted, as avoiding both these defects, and best gaining the ends intended, has been to give all the principal Doctrinal Sermons in the original volumes, omit ting only in each what did not directly bear upon the subject, and re-arranging the parts of the discourses as far as these omissions rendered necessary. Had there been more space, some more sermons would have been added, but the Editor has selected all those bearing on the points for which Ebenezer Erskine and his distinguished coadjutors, the Marrow Divines.

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