The National Register. — London, England, 1813-10-10 00:00:00

NAT - • ' Otte 19tt No 9. Each strell'ng Levitt., here, a Priest will be ; Each house mast have its different Deity !—WEtiLEY'S BIBLE. REVEREND MR. TOJVNLEY, MILLENNIAL MINISTER. Ati unknown friend congratulated the present writer on I the pi ospect of his criticisms being likely to "stimulate some to emulation in their high calling, and banish from the pulpits of otheis fooleries or eccentricities which debased them." Pulpit pupoism is not, however, quite so readily renounced. 'Fhe►e are some preachers whom the remarks of the pulpit critic seem to have somewhat stimulated to emulation in their high calling; but it is pretty clear, on the other hand, that his strictures have not banished from the pulpits of certain divines those fooleries which debase them set ses, and tend to degrade their function itself in the esti traie of the world. Preachers are seen sometimes disposed `o arrogate to themselves that importance which attaches - exclusively to ' their ministry. Elevated by their office above the common lot of man, they pride themselves too much in " the foolishness of preaching," not always humbled by reflecting, that " the Aospel is put into eartlicrivessels" only that " the VN c ellency . of the power may qppear to be of God, and not of men," • who arc but unworthy instruments in the great work of sal vation, and less than the very least of the apostles. All the glorious results of preaching arc ascribable entirely to grace. Conversion is, as Dr. Gill defines it, a resurrection, to be effected only by him who is emphatically distinguished as • the resurrection and the life,' and requiring, from first to last, the working of omnipotence. Now the Rev. .I‘lr. TowN LEY too evidently belongs to the class of preachers who appear to plume themselves on the circumstance of their "high calling ;" and who, therefore, are liable to be considered as pulpit fops by religious and wise BICH. I i Evangelical foppery is the worst kind of clerical irn pertinence. Other pulpit coxcombs may excite the pity only of serious minas, because, bad at the best, they cannot we!:, injure the cause which they are incompetent to serve ; but the wretched fooleries of gospel preachers have an in ni : ely worse ellict, and must always occasion both sorrow and disgust to thoughtfully pious persons. It is painful to 'I hear the gospel indifferently preached ; but to hear it affect edly preached, is intolerable. The Rey. Mr. Townley, does not, indeed, in all points resemble the clerical coxcomb so exquisitely pourtrayed by Cowper ;—he has no powdered locks to adjust, nor does lw, his service done, attempt to recognize, with his glass, " the slow retie in;; fair,' as, like Lot's wife, they cast one parting ;lance behind them. Ilis foppery is of another kind. Confidence in his own powers, however, this preacher does not want ;- and lie also seeLrb tolerably well satisfied with Otis acquirements and his personability. ilence he overdoes his eat t. Very few preachers excel in the divine duty of re,iding the set iptures, which, being observed by the present preacher, has probably induced him to endeavour at excel lence in this pat ticulat, by spouting,instead of reading, from the bible. Ile declaims, and enacts the pages of inspiratVon. With his known assiduity as to style, his language is neither ehoi::e nor copious, but sometimes incorrect, and his ino , t e laborate sentences are frequently terminated with an anti climax. Ilk ah's and oh's, although intended to be solemnly a ffecting, miss theiwaiin ; and, like most clav, traps iu speech, IST 1 I JR• '. 1, while they render the speaker rldiculOusrsufprise but to dis please the generality of those who attend to him. All that it christian teacher can hope for, by such miserable shifts, is to startle the nervous and beguile the simple part of his female auditors, who, whispering to one another, are apt 'to wonder and look wise. • Palpably as these improprieties must strike every impartial man, they do t►ot comprise all the defects ofMr.Townley's mode a preaching. Ile has no discrimination as to voice. NV holler be prays, or reads, or speaks, his tones are equally high, laboured, harrassing. and ranting. Medium he ahhors. Ills gestures correspond to the nature of his voice, his action being misplaced, and uncalled for, and unintermitted. His discourses arc divided without reference had respect irg time. Before the preacher has discussed two thirds of his - proposed heads, therefore, he finds the time usually allossrd for the wh o le has nearly expired, which compels him to the awkwardness of apologizing in the first instance, and finally obliges him to dismiss the congregation when he is co►►scious of not having by any means concluded his subject. It is tine disagrenb!e consequence of this error, that the hearer is re minded, within every five minutes, of the preacher's fau:t, by being told, from his own mouth, of the unfo►tunate fact of his having exhausted his time, and thus finding himself at once reduced to the neces , ity of hastening abruptly to an end. ' The error is itsc!f bad enough, but the consequence is still worse. Occasionally this preacher labours to ft ighten, though he mostly affects to t►►neh, his congregation. But he soon re, pews of his wra.b. Supposing that his eloquence has ac tually done its worst, alarMed and terrified the conscience s he assures the trembling soul, without delay, that he real!, did not mean to overwhelm it with horror, and entreats th 4 imaginary sufferer to understand that the wound was inflicted only for his benefit here and hereafter ! Such is this phy sician of sick sous. Whatever end his prescriptions may work, the patient is soothed into acquiescenco s and made confident of his convalescence. It would sound rather harsh to assert that the Rev. Mr. Tom nley possesses no one qualification for the propaga.inn of evangelicism, seeing him to he one of those " her-41di who have recently been evangelically eulogized for " putting their lip to tt►e gospel trumpet but it may with ti nth k affirmed, concerning this preacher, that his qualifications arc, at the best, of a secondary kind. and that his affectedness and self-importance are such as greatly to subtract from the good which otherwise be might do. ONESIMUS. THE LATE lIARVEST.—A Prayer of Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the great blessing 'which, in his mercy and goodnes, he has vouchsafed to this nation, in our abundant crop and favourable Harvest: . to be used at morning .Ind evening Service, after the General Thanksgiving,, throughout the Cities of London and Westminste r, and elsewhere within the Bills of Mortality, on Svoaday,, the IGth day of October, 1813, and on Gift following Sunday ; and in all Churches and Chapels in England and Wales, on the two subsequent Sundays :--- " 0 God our heavenly Father, who of thy bountiful goodness ' towards us has caused the earth to give ba4 to the labour of man the fruits of his industry, with an abundant increase ; accept, we i beseech Thee, the prOses anal thanksgivin4 oral joyful people : and i of 'llly great mercy, 0 find, teach us to abound, that we forget not, by re:ison of our many frailties, the source from which the ailandance Howell. Tian* 'last lookcd down upon us with tender ness, and compa-sion ; Thou bast listened to our supplications, bind i supplied our wants ; di.puse us evermore to elevate our hearts and ririuds unto 'nu e lii pious and crateful remembrance of this Thy bles-ing, an,l of all other thy manifold mercies, through JCLI34 Christ our Lord.----41inem," . I