The National Register. — London, England, 1816-03-11 00:00:00

• No. 427.—V0L. VIII. WATERLOO SERMONS. EXTRACT OF A FERMON LATELY PREACHED BEFORE FERDC ',ND VII. OF SPAIN. WE, last week, made a few observations on the tendency which discourses delivered on the occasion of spur victories, or discourses which, having for their pri mary object to recommend charity to those who suffered by them, diverged into culogiums on the glory which we had acquired in arms, had to cherish a military spirit in the country; and we stated the inconsistency which, in our opinion, existed between that spirit and the spirit of the Gospel; between an attempt to encouraw it and the legitimate duties of a Christ .a minister. We have another objection, equally strong, to the general tenor of sermons composed on occasions of national vicissitude, whether of a prosperous or adverse kind, and &livered on days of authoritative convocation. They are almost al ways full of politics, prognostication, and prejudice. They degrade religion, by tenting it into an unnatural alliance with subjects of temporary interest ; they diis h►nour Providence by converting present appearances hn perfectly understood, or, perhaps, culpably perverted, into • comment upon the eternal des4rns or unseardiable ways of Heaven ; and they sometimes outrage the moral nature of the Deity, by making human passsions the in terpreters of his will, and inferring his approbation or disapprobation from events that affect partial interests, or gratify deceitful propensities. In short, they sometimes convert the pulpit into a hustings, where the preacher becomes a political haranguer, instead of a religious in structor. It is a truth, as certain as it is important and conso latory, that every event is under the controul, and every being at the disposal, of the governing Spirit of the uni verse ; that the fate of an insect us well as of a monarch, the fill of a sparrow as well as of an empire, comes within the range of his superintendence and direction. Nothing is so insignificant as to escape his notice, no thing so exalted as to resist his power. All our hopes and expectations of ultimate order, amid partial and temporary derangement, are derived front this doctrine ; all our resignation in adversity, and our gratitude for the blessings of our lots, have a continued reference to its belief. But though we may rest convinced that the world is under the guidance of an omniscient and almighty ruler; though we may feel grateful to him for every degree of happiness which, in conformity with the moral principles of our nature, lie permits us to enjoy; though wemay rely on the wisdom and benevolence that charue terise each of his operations, with a reference to the uni versal scheme of things; it would be the height ofpresump fion in us to decide upon the nature of his intentions in particular combinations of circumstances as declared by events, the bearings, tendencies, and connections of which, must necessarily transcend our limited capacities and im perfect knowledge. The aspect of an isolated event, whether prosperous or adverse, is no test of divine favour or divine displeasure, nor must we criticis;, the divine conduct by rules derived from our narrow views of justice and expediency. To do so, would necessarily lead us to Oppose our partial interests to the order of the universe, and to identify the views of our weak understandings, or the wishes ofour corrupted h cart s, with the plan s ofunerring wisdom and infinite benevolence. To what monstrous con tradictions and impieties has not the indulgostee of this pre ramption led? The divine Haler of the universe has been made a party to the most revolting acts of injustice, and has been supposed to give his sanction to such conduct in his creatures, as at once outraged his nature and thoir own. Malamtet and his followers, by their interintta tion of the designs of Providence, hail, UM they believed, the countenance of heaven in massacrelng millions of their kilaw-eraaturts, and in degrading and darkening the minds of a great portion of the human race: for ages, • which do not vet seem to be drawing to a dose : and in our time, the tyrant of France from the field of battle, ;Walla t OUT. Our Ititto, Constitution an 3Lato6. MONDAY, MARCH 11, 1816. heaped with the victims of his atrocious ambition, issued orders to his *qv to demonstrate the benevolent sup port of God in the victories which he had gained, and to direct towards hint the tribute of natural gratitude. 11'e do not say, nor do we mean in the most distant man ner, to insinuate that the victories of our country have been gainisi in the cause of injustice, or that any ofour clergy would have eulogised them if they had been so beat. We oliect to this habit of interpreting authorita tively the will of Heaven from particular events; be cause, it' allowed to one set of men, it cannot be refused to another; and because, while we cannot determine the exact degree of wisdom and principle that would render it innocent, it is li,ble to nual abuse as commonly ex ercised by the ignorant and the prejudiced, leading some pious men to presumptuous enthusiasm, end confirming the scoffer and the infidel in their wretched impiety. If we draw a certain inference with regard to God's will from the result ota particular scheme, what is to hinder our neighbour from exercising a critical judgment that may lead him to conclusions quite the reverse of ours; and who shall decide which ofus is the right, but a being equally liable to error with ourselves? Some of the Britons in the time of Cromwell indulging this habit, though pious men, proceeded to such a height of presumption, as in their ad dresses to their Make:, to direct him how he should pro ceed in particular circumstances; and to tell him, if he did not act according to their suggestions, he would show a disregard to his own interests. Let us not therefore presume to offer ourselves as interpreters of the will of God in ptutieular aspects of things; let us not decide whet are his intentions, from our narrow views; and, above ell, let not worldly politics, or the passing topics of the day, be mixed up with the great interest of our eternal salvation ; or detailed from the pulpit, along with the doctrines, precepts, and promises of the oracles of truth. We have before us a sermon addressed to Ferdi nand VII. in the Royal Chapel at Madrid last year, by a Divine, whose titles fill a greater space than our Church Creed. In this courtly composition, a passte,re of which we shall translate, the preacher shows the perversion of his moral judgment, by praising Philip 11. the most atrocious tyrant of modern times; and recommends to his successor, the present occupier of the Spanish throne, the course of polities which he ought to pursue ; not as being wise and expedient, but as being dictated by Heaven, or, what in his opinion ir the same thing, by the Spanish priests. " If you doubt my word, Sire, listen to the great Mesa of Jesus, my neither, the odors of Spain, and the joy ofthe celestial Jerusalem. This enlightened vir gin was tenderly and passionately attached to the throne of St. Ferdinand, n hidh you now worthily fill. She en tertained a particular love to, and maintained a particu lar intercourse with, your immortal ancestor, the just and the prudent Philip 11. ; and distressed to see hint stir munded by so many, courtiers, who concealed from him the truth, she resolved, • from affection, to declare it to him, saying within her own compassionate heart, that it was better that she shasilsl undertake a task that seemed above her, than that the King and the kingdom should be ruined. She could not ascend this chair to preach, because, though she 'was a doctor (doetora) of the Church, her sex forbade her. But as embtenatiress of the Eternal King, she communicated to him, in two lines of a letter, as much as I have said, and desire to say, in this sermon. The following are the words, 'Remember, Sire, that Saul was an shed and anointed King. Upon the rending of this paper, that great Prince bethought him self a little, and then recognized the warning of Gd, through the mouth of that celestial heroine. He repaired certain errors that endangered Lis Arnie ; he watahed over and secured the happiness of his kingdom ; amid at tained such a stare of perfection, that in a short titre after his death, San/it Estop/emir/ of the Apostles, the daughter of Sta. Teresa,saw hifulepart trimnphantly from the tri bunal of God, favoured by the most Im:y virgin, (Mar , .) to whom he Irail performed siernal services. I, Sire, do not possess the fi•rver of spirit which distinguished Santa Teresa ofJesus, but I yield to no one in my love towards vim, in my desire to promote your felicity, and that of your ltim.,nlom. • 'You know my sentiments, because I lee( you; I do not flatter yon : I tell you the truth ; I repeat to von, Amer with Jay holy mother, " Remember, 0 ibl• mortal Perdinanei, that Saul was a King, that he was anointed by his pro,i!et, that in the end he was :ejected by God, that he his life, his serail, and his lingtiom, tin• not fultilliot: big ttligations."—Such arc the threats by which that heiguilatunt creature is directed to subm it to the ascendancy of the Church, and to op l iress his sub jects at its &Imre : and such is one of the daubers of canting politics to the pulpit. PRICE 9',d. ebe (Oebical diVonitor. NCMBE% IV. SALES roruct SUPREMA EST LEX. NO considerable variation has taken place in the rela tive pmportion of diseases, during the last week ; so far as any can be noted, rheumatic. affections seem to be ra ther on the increase. The high winds and the recurrent* of sharp frosts, which we have lately experienced, may, in some measure, account fir this; since it is well known, that the slightest changes of tempereture will sometimes aggravate chronic rheumatic pains; even to so great a degree, that those persons affected with them, possess, in the variation of their feelings, a tolerably correct baronstes tor, and are not unfrequently able, before they aria::: from their bed, to tell from what quarter of the comp uss the wind blows. Some cases of acute rheumatism, with cone . siderable febrile affection, have lately occurred, in which it was necessary to employ bleeding and other meaner of lowering the system. Not only has the disease been met with in adults, but also in younger subjects : two girls about twelve years of age were each seized with symp.• tonis of fever; a severe cold, chill, and the consequent :stage of re-action, followed by pains and swellings of the larger articulations, the wrists, knees, and melee. Smart purging, and the usual febrithge medicines. were effectual in combating the diseast.% Beth of these patients were in It humble mak of life ; and the exposure to cold and damp during their enstumary employments, may have been the cause of the febrile determination to the extremities, which, under other circumstances, might have seised upon some internal organ. In very young subjects, febrile dis orders have been accompanied with considerable affections of the head ; and some few have been carried off, either by inflammation of the bruin, or the consequent effusion of water into the ventricles of that organ. In some cases of pulmonary tlisease, not only in old people, in sheet such a circumstance is frequent, but in persons of middle age. after the inflammation had been subdued, an affection of the head, -toil very considendele degree, took place. This fact of the conversion of diseases, is a very curious and a very important one, and has begun to engage the attention of medical men, who, if they cannot discover the secret cause, are at least anxious to ascertain the laws of its operation. In my last paper; deprecated the ttio common, but unnecessaryeluterferOnee in slighter cases of catarrhs, or colds, as a measure likely to be attended with more injury than benefit. I repeat the prohibition ; although lam aware, that it may be objected to me, as is frequently done to all medical precepts, that experience contradicts my reasoning, and that ninny people do actually pursue the measures I forbid, and get rid of the complaint. I admit the fact, but not the inference ; I consider it as an additional proof that the salutary operations of the Ms medientrix, of which I have before spoken, are, in ordi nary cases, not to be diverted by the most preposterous interference ; but it shindfl he recolleeted, that the con duct which in a robust constitution, and at a vigorous period of life, may be adopted with impeitity, will per. haps, in a more weakened state of the stem, or when the seeds of disease are already lurleibOirelhe habit, be fidlowed by irreparable mimllief There is not, however, the RIM reason for abstaining from:.previptive means, InTrients to the exposure t;fa person to the exciting causes of disease, cold, and moiettire. When it is known, that these are to be encountered, it may be ; passer, not only to protect the surfitce oldie laxly from thousiefluenee, tv warmer clothing, but a. to fortify the xikein against their temporary action, by increasing vasoltie excitement ; and with this view alone can the taking smite- stimulating drinks be allowable. A glass of wine, or some dilirte2l spirits, may, under such circumstances, be useful ; end the custom of guarding ugainst the cold and damp night air by these means, after having been shut up in a warns apartment, is not so liable to reprehension ee that against which I before exclaimed. It is generally aecordiag au any measure is well or ill-timed, that it becames salutary or prejudicial. The MONITOR has an opportunity of seeing disease in all its variety and under all its forms; in its simple and natural eunditien, and in what may be cull e d its esenetaceees! state, when the ill-judged and officious in. terference of bungling artists has so flawed the natural character of a complaint, as to render it ahneseeinipts able to be recognized, except by an exeerienced ieri. Of the fruits of these advantages he intends the public to eartie cipate. Ile not unfrapiently becomes} de*" re s ,wi, egl • a vei to persons in the erer classed titit seyt when, ill^ p • after repeated apelications to, gad fruitless trials of other praetitigners, either their neaney or their patience