The National Register. — London, England, 1809-01-22 00:00:00

JAN. 22. THE. NATIONAL REGISTER, PRINCEKS AMELIA. A black velvet petticoat, with a drapery across of gold tissue. ornamented with wreaths of gold currant leaves in stripe. The drapery supported by gold cord and tassel; ground-work sprigs of currant leaves in matted gold, and brilliant gold fringe at the bottom. Train of black and gold tissue; bead-dress of dia monds acid feathers. Tnit WYCHE% OF YORK, with her usual taste and elegance, displayed a mazarine velvet dress, the petticoat of which was covered with a most beautiful real gold net, richly spangled all over, ald trimmed with costl y Maltese fringe ; gold corel and tassel to correspond: A head dress of ostrich feathers, with a collection of precious stones ; the neck adorned by a collection of the most precious stones fever seen in this country, and set in a most curious manner, which is peculiar to the great taste and elegance of this amiable Princess. PRINCESS SOPHIA OF GLOUCESTER. Blue satin petticoat, superbly embroidered with silver; bine and silver train, elegantly ornamented with silver; head-dress diamonds and feathers, Princeis CASTELCICA LA.—A dress of white satin, trimmed With beads; full turban draperies of satin and crape in festoons, with ropes of beads, and tied together in bunches of the same, handsome bead tassels, &c. Robe, green velvet, trimmed with point lace. • The Duchess-of NORTIIOHBERLAND—A white satin Petti tont with draperies of purple Anglo-Marino cloth, richly em broidered with lame and Chinese tassels; Spanish Robe °rim with gold; bonnet a l'Espagnole, with diamonds. The L.toir MAYORESii—Dress of white crape, with a rich and elegant silver oak and ivy border; a brilliant diamond neck lace,; Maltese Cross, ear-rings and bracelets. Her Ladyships head dress consisted of a. superb diamond terra feather sur mounted by a beautiful plume of lofty white ostrich feathers. This was altogether one of the most splendid dresses exhibited at Court, elegantly neat, and excellently set oil by the youthful elegance of the wearer. POPULAR PREACHERS. No. XXIV. Thy actions to tby words accord ; thy words To thy large heart give utterance, duet thy heart Contains of good, wise, just, the perfect shape.--MIL2ON. RSV. SAMUEL CROWTHER, M.A. OF ; - onuses cmoacm, NEWGJTE-ST RBET. ADVERSE as some respectable individuals appear to be to what is now called Popular Preaehing,, my sentiments, forinerly favourable to it, become daily more confismed as to its eli%ibility and importance. Charm he ever so wisely, since human nature still turns her deafened car to the voice of the spiritual charmer ; since, though he speak as it were with the tongue of an angel, the preacher is fre quently unhteded,—is it difficult to conjecture the injury resulting to our religion from the incompetency of those who undertake to explain and enforce its most holy doc trines and precepts ? Unfortunately, indeed, the conse quences produced by the inability of some clerical instruc tors, and the,indifference of others, are no longer chime rical. Schism has every where erected her decoying and destructive standard. The brazen serpent is again lifted up, without' the camp ;. not to heal, but to afflict the peo ple I behold with pain, therefore; a disposition to resist the only measures likely to counteract the progressive in fluence of such calamities. Samson has disclosed to us the secret of his strength ; and let it not be proved that, from any feeling of false dignity, any infatuated notions of superiority, we disdain to profit even by our enemies. "Out-preach and outlive Us," exclaim antagonists of the national church t—Churchinen t if they conceive rightly of it, will fully avail themselves of this admonitory motto g which, by the way , savours as much a- the pharisee as of the. evangelist. Many, very many .1 : ti belitste, thse"ektibliilied clergy:nem --alrtiady gamut " outlive" some of their self-riOtteous 'Opponents; - kind many, very many,- " out-preach" them likessites .• - It is to the essential biisir:_.ss Of out-prephinteilmea lical preachers, however, that I wish'partiendirly to direct the exertions of the milif:w..rs of theestablidinient. *els it is where they a re s till mos t wanting. Lvt then 4 ea t 4 endeavour to preach back• hito rrreasiir-iikhor* impracticable--those - who • have been preached friten-Ikt bosom of our mother-church ! The disposition tif:the people' is turning strongly in favour of this ii•opo*AL, and the circumstances of the times are equally aus picious. Evangelical hearers begin decidedly to prefer far their preachers, if • possessed of talents, those who have been trained in the universities of their country ; partly supposing them more respectable characters as gentlemen, and partly because the diffused - intelligence of the age, owing to the liberalised system of education now . •predo minant, inspires the rising generation with disgust for tha ignorance and elfrordery of self-taught religious pastors. Aware of this commencing revolution in the minds of their congregations, the evangelical preachers are sedulonsly adapting themselves to the new situation in which they are constrained to appear, and studying the character it will be necessary for- them to assume. If they are supinely suf fered to establish themselves in intelligence,. and conciliate the confidence of their new order of hearers, the vratest is •,-'. decided. Some sentences, which fell from the Rev. SAMUEL CROWTHER, last Sunday morning, suggested to IPC the propriety, if, not necessity, of again adverting to the question of popular preaching, as it respectively -con cerned the evangelicalians and the establishment. I can not agree in thinking, with the present excellent Preacher,. that the thinness of the congregations, .attend ing our national churches and chapels is to be attributed to the iedifference of the people towards divine worship, Hoilesty becomes the pulpit on all occasions. Let us ba lance the ma!ter candidly ; and, since we must try it in the balance of the sanctuary, while we are loading cue ,cale with t!;e inthlierence of hearers, let us nut omit to th,'ew the idahPilN preaehers into its opposite. Mr. Crow thug's experievec contradicts his own conclusion. Re, ‘t no is aft able prea.7her, always preaches to attentive, and often nu merens, hearers. It is not for him to complain either of vacated pews or unattentive hearers. Mr. Crowther. accomplished his preparatory studies at Winchester, whence he was sent, on the Foundation Pre sentation of that celebrated seminary, to New College, Oxford. After being tome years Curate of Barking in Essex, he was induced to place himself in nomination for the church in which he now principally officiates. Ho found, however, a competitor for the vacant pastorship, iu no less formidable an opponent, whether cwsideri.al as to pretensions Or interest, than the respectable Mager of the Eltie-coat-Sehool. So powerful, nevertheless, were the spontaneous testimonials pres , :!:ited from the people among whom be had till then ininistred, and so decisive was the evidence of his public ability, that Mr. Crowther was im mediately chosen to be the new Vicar of Christ's Church. He is . also ,Aitmtate Afternoo:Aecturer of Bishopsgate. He has, I think, printed one or tw=o single Sermons ; hut, as I never met with them, it would not become me to pretend to characterise theni. • Some admirers of extemporary preaching would be dis posed to undervalue the exertions of Mr. Crowther. His sermons are always recomposed ; and, he reads so atten tively, as not sufficiently to look at his auditors. His voice wants variety ; nor car he be jeAly .represented as dis playing the advantages of unembarrassed action in tiie pulpit. While, however, such are the deficiencies observable in this Preacher, they are most amply counterbalanced by the the real and numerotm excellencies NI hick he noirertnPy • uispys. . ,1' I 1 I