The National Register. — London, England, 1808-12-18 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.. DEC. IS. must holy faith 1" Any unrighteous believer may venture to supplicate the forgiveness of his sins, aild, without being " righteous overmuch," nmy pray to be also enabled to forgive the offences committed against !outsell • by his fellow-creatures; but he must he righteous in deed, or else call down condemnation on his own bead, who entreats the pardon of his transgressions only as he actually forgives the trespasses he endures from others. Let preachers beware bow they presume to make innovations in the ac knowledged rites of our religion. I tremble to think in what manlier such conduct may eventually incur the dreadful denunciation with which Saint John concludes the Ewa or Kw/El-Allow itself.—" If any man shall add unto these things Goo shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book (of this prophecy), GOD shall take away his part out of the book of life ; and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." Other objections might be urged against the prayers of Mr. Collyer. He certainly has the privilege of praying for what he pleases, and therefore he must not be arraigned fur imploring blessings on " village-preaching ;" but his language is open to animadversion, and the construction of his sentences may be criticised. His vocabulary, then, is not very copious. He is capable, I am persuaded, of commanding better language ; yet, compelled to confine himself within the range of the evangelical eloquence, he accustoms himself to what an illustrious writer calls a " gypsey-jargon," which is wholly unintelligible to the uninitiated, and is sometimes hardly understood by those to whose oars it is purposely :addressed. lie is doubtless right in his own eyes. So far from being affected by these strictures, perhaps he will say. nearly in the words of one of his " village-preaching" disciples,—" This, brethren, is the Devil's doing ! He hates this preaching, because he knows as how its the only right sort. He hates me, because he knows I stoutly preaches it ; and be hates you, because he secs you hears it." Mr. Collyer has chosen his part ; and it is not to be supposed, that he will alter his practice. This preacher, let one justly remark, excels in emphasis. Ile is, therefore, distinct and judicious in his readings. if he possessed equal voice, Mr. Collyer would, in this respect, he scarcely interior to Mr. Worthington. His tones, how ever, are almost feminine ; and his distinctness when preach ing sometimes becomes, from this circumstance, painful to the hearer. His sermons abound in divisions and sub .divisions, which, instead of preserving their connexion, generally produce perplexity. His theological ramblings occur incessantly. He does not keep to his subject ; nor when he has wandered, is he dextrous in regaining himself. He is also too long in the pulpit. While the greatest art of a writer i s t o kn ow h ow t o bl o t, it i s the greatest ar t of au orator to know when to conclude. Mr. Coflyer, as was before hinted, is absolutely persecuted by the attentions of the ladies 1 Nut only do they throng to every place, and on every day, where and when he is tube heard, but, it' there he any reality in common rumour, they pursue him even into the pulpit,—p►it billet-doux into his b►ble, and wait on the stairs, as he ascends the i sacred rostrum, to `• Pluck the good man's gown, and share his smile !" I have ob serve d something. of this kind, while attending . prearbitqr„ in Broad Street ; hut still let me hope there is not truth in all the anecdotes told of our popular reacher and his fair followeri. Surely it is not true, it cannot be true, that any " grave and learned clerk" would stoop, in the middle of his devout matters, to pick up the handkerchief dropred purposely by the fair-one, who was langui s hly l ean i ng upon the door of it, into his pulpit t If such things arc, but .they cannot be, what are our Hodsons, or M oores , w h en compare d w i t h t h e C o ll yers of this age t Mr. Collyer wetes, as we'l as preaches. He has pub- Imbed, by subscription, a volume of • Lectures on Scrip- 813 lure Facts;' and he is the reported Author of An Appeil to the Legislature and the Public, in Answer to the Hints of a Barrister, on the Nature and Effects of Evangelical Preaching, by an Evangelical Preacher.' His first pro duction is entitled to approbation ; but his second has by no means auzmented his previous reputation. I also learn. from the Evangelical Magazine. that he has now in the press a series of Lectures on the Prophecies.' Pleasing in the pulpit, and passable from the press, though Mr. Collyer may always excite sonic degree of public inte rest, he must never aspire to command the admiration of the churches. He cannot look for durable dtstinction. They will Inut suffice for real celebrity, the side-glances of the preacher and the softer smiles of the assembled fair. Something more manly, something consistent, something Christian like, must be exhibited. 'relater appeals will not do; seraphic simperings, susceptiNe solicitations, will be found alike ineffectual to the purposes of eternal salvation I Let us have less of man, and more of his Maker ; less of the creature, but more of his Creator ; and more of the mi nistry, with less of the Minister. It seems that the University of Edinburgh, according to one of the Morning Newspapers, has receuEy, full-Se mans dcademicus, conferred upon the ILE.v.W. B. COLLTER the degree of Doctor of Divinity, as a tribute of their ap probation of his ' Lectures on Scripture Facts ;' and that his Royal Highness the DUKE or KENT condescended to con vey the Diploma, from the Earl of Buchan, to DOCTOR. COLLYER, and of uniting nis OWN A era° ft.terrom, and that of the noble Earl, with the distinction granted by the learned college i I Now, considering all circumstances, though there is little cause to tacitate any man on his acquiring a Scotch Diploma, Dr. Collyer may find so:Pie reason to congratulate himself as to the manner in which, and the august personage by whom, this distinction is stated to have been communicated. Let us hear no more of the irreligion of the higher orders of this country. Hero is ONE of THE PRINCES OF THE BLOOD-ROTA r., who though attached, by all possible tics, to the established church c,f these kingdoms, condescends, from his love of reliaiiiic purely, " to become the medium of conveying." a aivililt s si degree, " uniting" with it " his own approbation," to one of the heads of that " VILLAGE-PREACHANO" SyStell!, is every where rapidly undermining the national hierarcq I Dr. Collyer ought to be proud enough of such iafinite condescension. Dec. 16, 1808. O.VESIMCS. *** A Friend of Ma. Woona' will act wisely in bein g less officious. When he says that the " Character given of the Rev. Basil IVoodd is totally false," he affirms. by the word totally, more than he seems to apprehend! Al r. Woo.l's ?apa-abilities are :natter of opinion; but is it " totally hat, as ON c slmuS believed, " his private virtues have fortified him in the estimation of his hearers ;" that " he is octko:kx in his religiow, and loyal in his polities ;" that " his humanita deserves to be distinguished, and his liberality to be universally imitated:" — are these assertion; " total! yfalse?" And, is it " total!!! false' that Providence has been signally bountiful [witne4s Mr. Way's, of Acton, most unlooked-for legacy of 10,0110.'.:3 per cents. to him] to" Basil Woodd ? Are these things not really true ; or, according to this Friend of Mr. Wocdd,' arc they, on the con trary, " totally . false?" Let Mr. NVoodd take care of this " Friend," if, indeed, he knows any thing of him. rr While he deems it necessary again to apologise to L. L. ON MI mus, trusting the present paragraph will attract his notice, requests farther Communications from him, as may he agreeable to himself.—' atti.nlive Obscrrer of St. Ge.»ge's Parish' i 4 desired to Ix-, if practicable. still more confidontial and circumstantial—The favors of Censer Cleriralis,' and • A Constant Read :r,' and Obserrater,' and C--- --t,' and Arnicus,' arc particularly solicited, it; addition to ;chat has previously passed between them and ONM!M L":. L. L. L. mill, it is hervi, still con/He in th. scerl , ru that he first stiputatrif. 11it: corrntions will 1w received s•itl) k : and hi: information attended to with the defertakce to %%Aid: 4 entitled. _ [.~ T,.,; •:e%•• _ ._ ~,