The National Register. — London, England, 1814-07-31 00:00:00

J I X .5: THE NATIONAL REGISTER. 493 this description will give majesty to his manner, and inspielL sion to his instructions. • George D'Oyley, B. D. is still a Fellow of Benet College , in the University of Cambridge, of which he was elected • Christian Advocate' in 1811. Honour; have distinguished Its• career. He was a junior optima, ia•1778; a senior op time, in 796; the second wrangler, among Smiths prize men, in 1800 ; a members' prize-man in ISO t ; a moderator of triposes, for the years 1807, 8 and 9 ; and he served the office of proctor, in 1808. lie is a chaplain in ordinary to his Majesty; also a chaplain to his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury ; and joint-editor .of the Church of England Bible, now publishing under the sanction of the ptimate e and the patronage of the eccle s iastical establishment is general. Both size and figure join to give effect to the delivery of Mr. gOyley's sermons; which are written, and openly placil in the sermon-cast before him. lle has naturally an audible and distinct voice, pnssessing, sufficient intonation, and in the management of it, he displays much of that oratorical excel lence which is almost peculiar to the preachers of his church. Circumlocution and tautology, supposed to be inseparable • from extemporary preaching, are not to be charged on this preacher's compositions. llis sermons are constructed with the most commendable precision, and couched in lan.: guage at once elvpnt and clear. Revolved in the auspicious silence of solitude, without the temptation to wander, the sacred volume opened before him, reviewing what he has composed, and thus rectifying what he may discover to he wrong, every thing conduces to that correctness of statement. luminousness of arrat:ement, harmony of particulars, adti exact felicity of style, which form the chief recommendations of sermons written for the pulpit. • While so few of our divines are /T imid to be orators, and same extemporary preachers are but too apt to run into impertinency and ram, so that it is thought madness to 4‘ speak on the spur," it is p r o bable that the case and correctness which are obtained by the we of written sermons, concurring with circumstances, will serve to repress the cultivation of spontaneous eloquence in our colleges and balk' and reconcile the people to that species of preaching which is at least favourable to the cage of their priests.' Evangelical critics have also been brought to assist- in countenancing thiS evil, if an evil it he, by confessing, strange as the admission appears on their part, that they themselves despair of witnessing in this country the &splay of any thing like pulpit eloquence. It was just now observed, that Mr. D'Oyley exemplified much of that oratorical excellence which .is chat acteristic of tire episcopal pulpit. There is an eloquence in the reading of sermons, as well as in the preaching of them, to which few can attain, even in our church. This talent, therefore, demands praise. Whoever can appreciate the difficulty of delivering a written .sermon, so as to grace it with the effect of an extemporary speech, Thay fi.rn'i some idea of the ability of Mr. LYoyley with res l lect to delivery. lie has, never . theles, •nothing of the actor about him, nothing aiVected, nothing strained ; this reading of sermons is an art io which he appears to surdais without the effort to excel,—in which he pleases without labouring to please. ob s ovai l t of the duties which devolve to him as On is iarr Advocate,' the present pr ac her has published • 7n.eis o:scon rfes, caci!ed before the University 0 ' 'i otr the Doctrine of a Particular providence, an Eirhte:insin with Notes, referring to some re , and Publicatiotis en those Subjects.' 1 Cambridze, !'• td on rn !cent Opinions ON ESIMUi. 11 • 4 • it ) • t i s e • , •• (Et It)ttfpit. . He, too, Mitlit still hiye slituilier'd in an easy &air, iii:Y ttpon a seplia. held A captive in the magic chain Of Alma "1.14tcr.. REV. G. D'OYLEI; B. D. TIONESTIC CHAPLAIN TO THE ARCHBISHOP Of CANTERBURY AND CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE IN THE IJNIVEILSITY 01 CAMBRIDGE. Chrvsostom is known never to have entered the pulpit without the most awful sense of his respotozibility. It is that situation, indeed, which any man, however qualified fur the ministerial - office. may well ttem'Av to fill. "God forbid." says Lord Bacon, in his treatise on the Pacification of the Church.' Oa: every mat* that can take upowhintself boldness to si eak an hour together in the church, upon a test, should he admitted for a preacher, though he mean never so well ! I know there is a great latitude in gifts, and a great variety in a Mitories and congte , ,ations; but vet so as there is afiquid infinitron, below which you ought not to d.:;cetul. 'V hen we at to Cod's Teinole, we are warned rather 'to put our hands upon our mouth, than to offer the sacrifice of fools.' And swely it may jwstiv be thought, that amongst :nano other causes of atheism, which. are miserably met in our are,-- as schisms and controversies, profane scoffing/ in holy mat tors, ;ld others,—it is no: the least, that divers do adventure to handle the Word of God, who ate unfit and unworthy." ' Jf incompetency be one ground of disqualification for the ministerial work, it seems net less clear, on .the other hand, that every thing of ostentation, or self-display, is equally in- compatible with the ennest and successful inculcation of spiritual 'twin Accordingly whenever the preacher ascends the puloit, he must recollect for what purpose it is that he is placed there,—for the sober and serious instruction of his fellow-creatures, in concerns of everlaszing importance, and riot to exhibit. himself for popular applause and admiration. lie must aim not to charm the ears, hut to save the souls of his flock. Nothing of intemperance, '''nothing in the fashion of flout ish, noti I:ig in the parade of figure," will be so much as aremeted, certainly not indulged, by him who is duly. a nx ious for the salvation of mankind. By that . preachihg ' whidi the world elect is 'foolishoess,' will he seek to ' magnif‘ his ofii:e; and exalt the cross t Be will pervert no passage of I i i, w ri, to :Le purposes of pc:•ty ; nor will he venture to atli.'m the truth of any pos;tiom which he has not previously aseera;oed, or sutler him::elf to be stirpi ised into the (log in I.i•-a1 protuulg.vinn of opinions respec.ing which he is not co.o. met d at 1.. e :rt. Reason supplies the medium tlo otigli w•,i, h the doc.ithes of the gospel may be.best i ill parted to rattonal h:•itigs. TN., will alwa y s be felt by the joi'icions reacher. wk.) knows t'e.lt religion is iv:elf 'a reasonable ser vice.' aid ill it his offi..e 1, to persuade othe , s to embrace tha: f.li ii . I which he fees persuaded in his own mind. l). poi totem wiil corre-p •ild with c lie ce the el - ic. cl dew.r.;netit of a , . en'i,h . cued preith,r ‘1 , ;.1 I) re gi. ,ittd recol'iectilg ttte di. A ititN, of his •.atiAii, arid. a tit... sante 61117, the solemn :tccutint he 'lmo titian.... re1,(1,..)- fir all that he ha , 2. , :te0 and sa . A. 11. s • t y w.l l . ;iero , (tingly be dee!, and unaffected his sense of csponsibiiity tiAitita:i and, dis e gatdiug poptuarity, his sole i l.,j2rt :hetodei • er he tr.tth with iiimphcity, allixtion and zeal. Seo.loiclits odd feel.Lgs of