The National Register. — London, England, 1808-09-26 00:00:00

SEPTEMBER 26. in fields, or on commons, or in barns, as to demand of the Church of England the relinquishment of those advantages wit,. which time and circumstances have invested her.— Either way the propcsal would be preposterous. If it is unbecoming churchmen to wage petty warfare against me thodism, it therefore peculiarly behoves methodists not hastily to condemn the constitution of the national church. This aspic may hereafter call for amplification ; it has many bearings; it is of considerable intenent, as applying to the ease between secutriei and the establishment ; but it has not, as far as I know, experienc,rl . particular atten tion, — it certainly has not undergone serious and deep 111 vestigation. The Rev. WILLIAM PARSONS, of whom I am now to give sonic as:zoont, was c'tlueot;A in Yoi kshire, a d hz.s long been Minister of a Meeting . at Leeds, aere nis preach ing is respectably, and very numerbusly, literary attainments are highly creditable. He was one of those who sui.cesslvely edited the works of Watts, ai. , l ef Docloridge ; anti he has constantly contributed to tix pages of the Evangelical Magaziae. 'lle is now temporarily :u London. Mr. Parsons was always classed among those who, in the relig;otis world, stand distiti liished as Gospel Ministers. His views t) thu christian system, however, have become evidently matured ; an intprovement that he owes, 1 be lieve, to personal suPerings. He may truly exclaim, with the royal penitent, " it is good for me that I have been afflicted !" Those therefore who ditler from him on parti cater poling, will, I they feel rightly on such subjects, dissent fi Jm him with diffidence; and, while they endea vour fairly to estimat , .: his exertions, they must unetraivo ca.iy respect his itittvity. rors 01 extemporary sermonising, I have formerly had occasion to notice ; but, perhaps, there exists not a finer exei.iplilicatiou of its advantages than in the preacher wi.o is unncr co, , sideration. His personal appearance is respectaole and interesting, his manner is varied and his voice equable and full, his enunciation dis tinct, and his action emphatic. His illustrations are use ful, because they arc familiar ; his exhortations are appro. priate. as well as forcible ; and he particularly excels in one of the most essential, but too much neglected, quali fications of the christian teacher—the important business of applying every thing to the hearts of hearers. There are few preachers who, like Mr. Parsons, may be said to command the pulpit. Modern pulpits arc not favourable to eloquence. They are almost uniformly constructed without sounding-boards, which had something imposing ; and they are generally too circumscribed in their circumference. While the per son of the preacher is thus di% ested of considerable adven titious dignity, his action, if lie disdains to be ridiculous, is fettered down to mere mechanical movemet.ts. Totten barn-Court pulpit, however, is tolerably roomy ; a con venience of which Mr. Parsons, who is really oratorical, fully avails himself, with the best possible effect. Every thing is susceptible of extremes. Much as I find to commenein Mr. Parsons, both as to his matter and manner, 1 can also perceive his defects, whiCh strike more forcibly as contrastr.ll with his excellences. Ile turns too completely round in his pulpit, and too fre quently ; while he is priOng, he accustoms himself to a disagreeable inclination, or shaking, of his head ; and his action is not always perfect!) chaste. He deals too much .iu amplification His divisions are too numerous, and he pauses too long between them. As his matter would gain strength by condensation, so his method would acquire efficiency by simplification. His language, though on the whole commendable, has many inclegancies, and is some times chargeable with vulgarisms. Ile seems addicted to the pathetic, in which lie does not excel. Ills doctrines arc strongly evangelical. I am far from wishing to sae a race of pu!pit moralists, I would, to the utmost of my ability, discourage the preaching of mere essay-sermons; but, I think, there is now cause enough i IMMima THE NATIONAL REGISTER. 6~,t to remonstrate against the opposite extreme in div►nity. 6' Shew me thy-works by thy faith," and not " Shew me thy faith by thy works," is becoming too much the test of religious experience. Let us, however, rather adopi the lines so much valued, in his dying days, by the late hev. Mr. Knight; exclaiming, with him,— It is enough, that I helio,e Heaven's brighter than I can conceive; And he that makes di all his rnre To serve Gov here, shall are Mn: there Let gospel ministers, when they inculcate the vital doe !sines of grace, constantly advert to those who, it:ler professing "faith and a good conscience, has put away" the letter, "%ccceerilinl faith have made a shipwreck !" While Men arc eviurtA as christians, to the careless of the concerns of time Dial 'unfitlent of the coasolatiOns of eternity, let thcia be waa.,ed to usp advaatagei of both al not to abuse ;—to " Lu justice, love mercy, and walk humbly wilhtheir Gov." Osssimus. 44 .* What does c (*);:el.4 aim at , Tf he he serious, the en quiry is scareely worth i stitut ing; if he designed to be ironical, his laus , ,i) has been joined in by those r!in have seen his letter. Auother Correspondent thinks it inaccurate to have deseritred IVorthiuglon as an " cdversary" to the Church of Ungland. What, howe‘er, did Oa asistus say ? —Why, that he Dir. 1V.:1 was " no honournsle adversary ;" and then he es pressc.. nu mean wish, that he could have met him within the pale of the Establishment. Mr. W. he it again observed, is thoroughly a nisse.der, and, as such, he must stand opposed to our Notional Ciurch. Well, then : let him be coiled an opponent, instead of adversary. The thing is not worth serious altercation. ONESIMUS, his readers may rest rt-,ured, t. bigotted towards no denomination of the religious world. • He is nut without his private opinions, and, perhaps, prejudices but flies^ have never prevented him from perceiving the pet:ections of those with whom he differs in persuasion, or blinde.l him to the faults of those with whom he otherwise happens to coincide. aim is truth, his admiration is 'for merit and ability, and his strictures are intended to promote the best interests of society. Time mast determine the efferts of his exertions. THE LATE DREADFUL FIRE. ,4.. - 4.00!." The destruction of Covent Garden Theatre by fire is, we are sorry to state, to be added to the number of contiagratioas. of edifires dedicated to dramatic representations. which have oc curred in the course of the last twenty-live years. About four o'clock on Tuesday morhing, this extensive building was disco vered to be in flames; and so tierce and rapid was the fire, that no exertion could stop its course. IN , ithin less than three hotuN after its commencement, the v‘ hole of the interior of the Theatre was destroyed : nearly the %virile of the scenery, wardrobe, musical and dramatic libraries, and prop,•rties of ail kinds, were a heap of smoking ruins. All the book• aad papers relative to the concerns of the Theatre, as y%cll as the produce of the pre retlin;,: night's performance, were preserved. A considerable number of cogine.; promptly attended, but there was a shameful want of water for SPUR' time. It was ups an of an hour before some of the engines could be supplied. 'They afterwards played with the utmost pos6lile etlCct fur upwards of an hou-, w nen toe roof of the Theatre fell is with a dreadful cravh, and thus an nounced the destruction of the interior of this elevnt The tire raged with most violence on the ni : Fr end of ,:ow streot. lu .11art-street the Latros commun;chti'd to the ;ton•ec on the oppo•iiie side of the 'nevi I . roio tiv• Tneatre, and rota of them caught tiro at the same inaraent ; bn; by the greot act vity of the people curl firemen, they sorered little more dammoe time a severe scovc!ing. Great apprelic;;sincs ucre eaten:lived for the safety of Drury-lane Theatre, as he Ikea of tire we:v car ried tin by the •vin:l with force it!A in ; ;;;cat in that direction. A great aunitier of pe:ple Lao-it:lOU Gl(' TOW . , r=a 4 Y in else of adual fire, to oiam the ci.tern nf nat,,r priovid ed there. 'lacy also stopped the r, itit:6ws with %ICt it)t!`, to or at the et:traace 41f the flame tint- ,•ccered All the people in the nei;•hbonrbood took a siznii:ir precantioo, and were ompinyed ith their ~ ervritts in pieide up the tliskes of tire as they fen upon the rook or yard:. Tar re is totally constonvd, and on the liatt-stt(:!.t si.!e, not even tae wall; are staieloig. The Ship Tarcu, tin:l part e: dun's, the !Jul-keeper's, Q 5-0, at, all that at lir,: ae;i:••. '4 A" "Ors.