The National Register. — London, England, 1811-06-16 00:00:00

Qtbz pulpit. No. X I .V. No bigot &T r] onr tio! . ., rite• profanes, The I►ic:.d of mart) rs now ::o longer stains; I'onscienre now free, we fear the fire nn more ; rut, each their way, tLe ethnuific Power adore! ANON. REV. JOHN CLAYTON, SEN. OF THE WEIGH-HOUSE MEETING, EAST-CHEAP. SOMETHING like the levitical cast distinguishes the family of this preacher. Treading in his steps, Mr. Clayton has three sons, who, like himself, are in the pulpit. Two of those having been clerically noticed by me, not without praise, I shall fairly estimate the preaching of their sire. The Rev. Joust CLAYTON, Sen. received his professional education at the late Lady Huntingdon's College, at Trevecca ; quitting which, his pulpit talents were such as brought him eventually acquainted with the celebrated Mr. Benjamin Flower, whose sister he married many years ago. Mr. Clayton has now been upwards of twenty years Minister of the Weigh-House Independent Meeting, East-Cheap. His religious opinions are understood as substantially Calvinistic ; nor does he rank with those modern preachers, who, while they hold these opinions " by faith," nevertheless " withhold some of them from their bearers," though " upon what good ground" they so refrain, continues an observer,," I know mot." " Let some Evangelical Minister conscientiously mark thii ! Preachers are commanded to declare " the whole Counsel of God,"—as they shall answer for their preaching at his bar !—Whether men will hear or for bear.. Doctrinal dissimulation is clearly the worst species of clerical dissimulation. Shall he w.ho holds the lamp to our feet shut up the light it was meant to yield ? The blind leading the blind is quite harmless to this. Doctrine seems not now, how ever, the one thing needful. Evangelical professors, once so eminently distinguished for their adherence to the distinguishing peculiarities of faith, are now found to exclude from their "plan for the relief of aged Ministers, and for an Asylum for the maintenance and education of their children," proposed by the Rev. J. Townsend, " all Ministers, and their children, generally known by the name of Calvinistic Methodists." Comment is not required on this subject. Certain facts speak Volumes. Would we a inwardly digest" such facts? Let us lay them to heart. The eye of faith may dearly discern these signs of the times. Mr. Clayton is a divine of great worth —excelling in reading, in praying, and in preaching. His knowledge is scriptural, his experience matured, his language at once classical and unaffected, and bis deportment uniformly becoming the awful station which he so ably fills. Felicity of selection, perspicuity of distribution, conclusive reasoning, readiness and aptness of illustration, are eminently characteristic of his discourses. He has nothing of abruptness, no forced similies, no unnatural transitions, no aberrations of mind. His style is free, yet chaste; his views are deep, yet clear. Easiness peculiarly distinguishes his discourses. He has an equability of eloquence which seems exclusively his own. It is that species of eloquence which, it it does not often surprise, always delights; which is the same, untiring as unchanging, yesterday and to•day. eris the eloquence that wins,—'tis the eloquence that charms. 'Tis that which warns, yet does not burn. Completeness, too, peculiarly distinguishes his discourses.— He ranks with the few divines who compass the subjects which they take in hand. Mr. Clayton does not leave behind this and that restless doubt. Nothing left us to question and desire, his sermons are finished as well as clostd. • E NATIONAL. REGIsTER. las Air. Clayton no faults ?—None that are great. Perhaps there is preciseness in his delivery, together with a conciseness preaching. There may be, therefore, art in both. Nature has wrought great things for hini,---enduing him 'with such ge nius,—ye't he has brought art to Lid nctvre. The Ke•v. John Clayton, Senior, has published some single sermons and charges ; amongst which the charge delivered at the ordination of his younger son, William Clayton, at Safi - son Walden, is, although concise entitled to attention. ON ESIMU.%. THEOLOGICAL DISQUISITION. JUSTICE. (Continued from a former Paper.) There is scarcely a greater breach of Justice, and also Charity, as I have heretofore observed, than what is termed Scandal.— that is, the tittle tattle, so prevalent in general conversation about our neighbours ; canvassing and deciding upon their actions as if we were authorised to sit in judgment upon them ; whereas, if we do find fault with our neighbour, we should first be sure that the action we condemn originated in the motive to which we impute it, and that will be found in most cases an impossibility to do. But if we have not ascertained this fact, we are guilty of injustice, in the condemnation or censure we pass upon our neighbour ; and when we are certain, as we do not know what unforeseen ill consequences may result to the con demned by our unthinking censure, we should, before we com ment upon their conduct, have the Justice to consider whether we should like to have our own commented upon. If we feel we should not, then we cannot suppose we have a right to, or can without criminality, so act. " Pull out the beam from thine own eye before thou attemptest to remove the mote from 'thy brother's," was the language of the fountain of Justice, and a man or woman who kept this saying in his or her heart, would tremble at the act of injustice I have pointed out. It is equally unjust to commend any person for a virtue or quality we know he is deficient in, which some persons, from a weakness of nature which they conceive to be an amiable one s do, r ether than do that person an injury. But they should recol lect they do those an equal, or perhaps a superior injury whom they thus deceive. One of the best writers has made this ob servation for the conduct of our private conversation in regard to our neighbour ; " if his character is attacked defend it if you can, if you cannot say nothing." I have seen this question put on the subject before us. Sup pose my daughter has been guilty of what is called a ,fitr pas, and it has been so concealed from the world, that an honourable man, conceiving her a character of the strictest virtue, asks her hand, which he would not, if he knew the criminal act she had committed. Doe.. Justice oblige me to spoil the girl's match, and ruin her reputation for ever by a diNclosure of it ? It has been answered thus,—lf the question is put to me, lam bound to answer it truly ; if it is not pat, I then am not bound to be tray the secret. On this question there is much to be said, and casuistsmight produce from it arguments almost ad infinitum; but I question in strict Justice, wlit.ther a man Es not bound to de clare his daught, is frailty, if lie is perfectly convinced that the person addressing her would revolt at marrying her if he knew she had committed an error, but from his full persuasion of the father's being a strictly honourable man, the non-existence of a doubt of course would prevent the putting so serious and indeli cate a question, as his addresses to the daughter must imply a confidence in her virtue. Yet in some view or the case it would seemto be acting with se. verity, but still, if we regulate ourselves by the standard of "doing as we would be dine by," and our minds are perfectly delicate, I hardly think we could act otherwise. It may be observed, that it would be a great cruelty to the girl, and if the man was to be kei t in ignorance, that ignorance would prevent any ill conse- ^7