The National Register. — London, England, 1811-03-31 00:00:00

202 . 4011 it • . 'ER. triads of the poor, upon the great mass of hearers, any effects like those which attended the discourses of George Whitfield ? Judicious discourses are, alas ! not execu tive discourses. They do not break the heart of stone, and make us feel the heart of flesh. .Our present author, however, partly admits this. Adverting to a Rev. Mr. Brine, whom he likewise singles out here, Mr. Martin is compelled to acknowledge that, " though his sermons were judicious, him delivery was not at all engaging." Attraction itself is not here, nevertheless, the pitch of genuine excellence. — The Rev. Mr. Martin well knows this. Giving an account of the origin of those divine feelings which alone can impart fer vour to the soul and fire to the speech, " I recollect," affirms this preaches, " that just before, I had been reading some ac count of the spread of the Gospel abroad and at home, without much effect; but afterWardS, musing on those accounts, I blushed in thinking how much zeal some Ministers had manifested in the cause of God, more than 1 yet felt, or had statedly prayed to possess,—and soon, (without the least change in my doctrinal sentimems,) my h. art was hot within pie, accompanied with such freedom of thought, and of speech on religious sulojects, that, at present, I cannot exactly describe." Here was spiritual agency on the heat t : what were the immediate consequences of it ? Why, that he instantly became what all pious Ministers ought to be. Attend to what is added. " Secret, social, and public prayer, chatechising children, preaching, meditating on the Scriptures, and christian conversation, were so managed by men," subjoins Mr. Martin, " as they had not been before ; I mean to say, with that degree of pleasure and vigour, with that solicitude to edify others, and with that desire to grow in grace myself, and with such fear and godly jealousy, lest any thing should chill my zeal or give a wrong bias to my affections, as I had not experienced in any former revival of religion." Such has been the experience of one of the living witnesses to Christi anity,—of an upright and . able Minister of the New T. stament ; whose integrity is above the affectation of being righteous over much, and the soundness of whose reasoning powers fully ex elnpts him from the suspicion of fanaticism. 'hie Rev. J. CHURCH, for some time past Minister of the Obelisk Chapel, in St. George's Fields, near the Obelisk, appears to he one of those preachers whom it is now too much the high church fa:shion to stigmatise as " self-sent apostles. Yet Mr. Church can preach well, understands the great leading truths of Christianity, and does good in his day. He is strong in the faith, full of zeal, and speaks home to the heart. Eloquence of this style, is, and must be popular. Where the heart fires the tongue, the tongue will fire the heart. . Antinomiamsna has been imputed to the Minister of the Chapel. What is meant by this ?—Prove there are either Antinotnians or .Arminians living in the world. Per haps there are neither. Lives there the man who thinks that metre fa . ith will save his soul from death ? Or, lives there one who feels that mere works can save his caul from dealt ? No such religionists arc found. Mankind are not now, if they ever were so. quite such stark madmen. ONEBIMUS. NATINTAT, ItrettiVr :be pulpit. 11 produce upon the triads c hearers, any effects like th el) No. X XXVII. I found my mind gradually impressed witit sttelt a setae. d the reality and importance of Revealed Religion, as excerded every thing that I had felt before; nor have I since tat period met with any visitation of the same kind, which, in all popects, equal led the felicity I. then for many weeks enjoyed. Some of my friends, when I was thus favoured from on high, saw and heard what they could not understand ; because they judged of what they .raWand heard, not by the word of God, but by a lower standard.-Vide Some Account of the Life and Writings of the Av. John Martin' .• • ,• REV. J. CHURCH. • OP THE OBELISK CIIJCPEL IN ST. GEORGE'S FIELDS. . . IT was observed by him who once reminded his disciples that theybad " the poor always' with them", and who spake as -never Stun spake, that "'the poor" had also " the Gospel preached un • to them." . Jesus gave a particular emphasis to this remark.— . Go, arid shew John again those things which ye do hear and ''.see," said the Saviour to the two disciples who enquired of him from.Johh." The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk ; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear ; the dead are rain d up, and the Poor have the Gospel preached unto them :" as if the greatest of all the heavenly miracles was the promulgation of • Christianity, preached as it ought to he preached, to that order of people who are usually described as 64 the poor." What-then is preaching the Gospel to the poor ? Let Paul teach. And I, brethren,. when I came unto you, came not with excellency of speech.; or of wisdom;' for, says, Paul, ' my speech and my preach ing was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demon stration of the Spirit, and of power.' Why did Paul thus preach ? That /our faith should not stand in the wisdom of men,' con tinues this apostle ; ' but in the power of God !' Full of this feeling;and' seeing that we have such hope, we use,' adds St. Paul, great plainness of speech.' Whilst so many thousands of christians in this country are of that 4eseription of individuals which the promulgation of our religion describes as the poor, it is absurd wholly to proscribe, supposing this were practic:ible, those self constituted and Self. commissioned preachers of the Gospel those labours are found so acceptable to the lower classes of society amongst us. Theo. logic.il seminaries do not yet yield proper teachers for the work of popular instruction. Hence the great success of those men • who by their genius and habits are qualified to understand the , thinking and feeling of the poor ; who can address themselves directly to their mind•, and, by their experience in life, can ap ply their preaching to the heal t. If we would save the souls of th:, poor, we mnst preach to them in their own way. Si - eakitql of the desire he had to hear the learned and pious Dr. Gill," having read most of his written labours, this favour," observes the Rev. Mr. Martin, in his own account of his Life and Writings, " !obtained in March 1760. Having found out his Meeting, (over which Dr. Ripp-n now pastor,) I kept closely by him while 1 rail in town. Occasiotuoily, indeed, I beard Mr. Whitfield, ot!:er popular preach-rs ;.but pone of them pleased me 59 ‘v,-11 ::s the Doctor. ii is discoth ses were more evangelical, b!.ttet studied and argued, and,l thought fI%U mare consistent, th:..n tllos, , which I heard at the Taber nacle, and in some orrfl. crowded ,Daces of woi Scc.— Now by this extract we may (!i . ,c , wer whi:t is the more effica eons way of preaching to the poor. Althqugh we are assured jyy Mr. Martin that the discourses of Dr. Gill were better studied and argued, and much more consistent than those which he heard•at the Tabernacle; yet, who will say that the discourses of Pr. Gill, however thus studied and argued and eonsistmt, did CAMBRIDGE ELECTION. rhe.Election of a Chancellor far the University of Cambridge commenctd in the Sco:.;te House of the University on Tuesday mori:ing. The Vice-Chancellor having taken his place at the upper end of the room, at teiuled by two Proctors and two Sent tineers, who received the votes as they were tendered, and de posited them in a box of two compartments, the one for the Doke of Gloucester, and the other for the Duke of Rutland, at half past ten o'clock precis-1y the Poll commenced, and conti . tined until half past two o'clock with great equality, the majo rity varyine , from Candid.ite to Candidate alternately. After that hour the numbers began to he in favour of the Duke of Gloucester, and at half past twelve o'clock at night the Election concluded, when the numbers were—For the Duke of Glouces ter, 470; Duke of ßutland; 356.—Majority, 1;4. Th e D u k e of Gloucester is, of course 9 elected. • • t f i ■