The National Register. — London, England, 1813-09-05 00:00:00

I . 5. VIE MEMOIR, BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL, oF TH E REVEREND HUGH WORTHINGTON, LATE MINISTER OF 84LTE'RS' HALL MEETING (concluded frost our lust.) Where is the lifted arm, The strength of action, and force of words ; The well toin%4 period, and the well tined voice, With all the lesser ornaments of phrase?— Ah, fled f.r ever! None mov!. RECOLLECTION may enable me tq add some 4:w touches to the Ministerial portraiture that.' originally drew of Mr. Worthington. Adverting to that sketch of his pulpit talents, it ought again to he observed, properly to appreciate the labours of the subject of this memoir, that the duties of the Dissenting Minister are comprehensive as they are arduous. He generally combines the offices of priest and preacher: his prayers are perfectly extemporary, and originate purely in biinse.f; and he has to read and expound, as well as to teach. He commonly discharges at once, and without inteunission or relief, the services of the altar, the desk, and the pull:it. He ought, therefore, to be endowed with qualities. and to possess qualitications, of no ordinary description. If he wi.u!d competently acquit himself.—if he really is a workman who need not id be ashamed,—he must show himself able, conscienti(As, fervent, intelligent, indefatigable ; fearing God, deet - ;ts solicitous for the success of his instructions, hating co,vetousness, and eschewing evil. individual we!faie, er m f ort as well as credit, depends on the ietewity of his co, K l uc t, and the energy of his exertions. His hearers arc at ,mce his jurors and his judges. It was in cleaner, indeed, in his sablimely affecting addresses to ljeity, delivered during the fir't stages of public wol•kin, That the Rev. Hugh Worthington seemed more than ;.cat. Whether one considered the impressive dignity of deportment, or his scrupulous selection of phraseology, 'Shether one dwelt on the devotional magnificence of his sentiment, the liherality of his opinions, or the fervency of his feelings,—the mind was divided between an involuntary admiration of the preacher, and the profoundest veneration for the character he sustained. All his prayers were his own, and they all bespoke his soul. He was earnest in prayer; approaching the throne of grace with due reverence, but at the same time with boldness ; carrying his hearers with him. It was a distinction worthy of such a minister, as Dr. Collycr finely remarked, that he should die-arttt the act in which he so much excelled dtping his life. Cheerfulness was the characteristic of his religion. Con ceiving, to use his own words, that we never honour religion or God more than when we are virtuously and innocently cheerful," his was the religion of gratitude; of thanksgiving, not less than of supplication. Never did be fail to thank God for all his benefits ! Were the prayers of some preachers to be taken as samples of our national piety, it would seem as if complaining were far more in use than gratitude ; as though we were in the habit of for getting, instead of remembering, the goodness of God ! Unobservant of that beneficence by which we live and move, we are.not, there is reason to think, sufficiently sensible of the various blessings with which we are surrounded. • Mr. Worthington's way of reading the scriptures bad peculiar charm. It was usual with him, before his sermon . 571 to read the chapter out of which by designed to preach; elucidating dubious or obscure p4.sSages, as 'he went On. Laudable in itself, this ptactice proved, in his hands,' nic 4 st beneficial to others. Persons whose attention would uot have been attracted by hearing portions of holy writ commonly proposed to them; felt, nevertheless, their curiosity interested in the striking conviien:s cf an 'able reader, till their minds bepspe gradually riyptted to his wish. Mr. Worthington's system of preaching, for system it clea, ly was, proved the only eligible one. Preineditated yet spontaneous, written partly but mostly *spokcqi, while his discourses possessed the regularity of premed composures, they evinced all the fluency of harangues regarded as ex temporaneou•. While he enlightened and, convinced the understanding, therefore, he attached and led captive the affections. Reasoning, exhorting, coosoling; animating, it might be said of him, as of another ghat man, that • his intellect was all feeling, and his teeing was alt intellect.' Thus, while he seized the strong bolds of the head, he found the passes to the heart. Both were within his grasp. He could make the head 14 . is road, to the heart, or the heart his road to the head. His topics were never light. With a cormpanding judg ment, and a just acquaintance with humanity, he delighted in edifying and practical subjects; but •to these, however familiar, be imparted an inetfable grace;giving to old points, by a kind of 'mental touch,' the interesting attractiveness of new. He brought out things, from his stores, both new and old. He avoided curious specutations, however toge ther with unprofitable discussions. Heieftiiich controversies with the disputers of this world. His subjects were not only judiciously selected, but also logically divided, and rhetorically irliist . rated. He excelled in antithesis; and the closing of his sermons, : distinguished as perorations, was unusually fine. It was ' here that his strength lay. Seldom did he finish • the Sermon that his hearers did not wish he was then about to begi.o. His delivery was wonderfully impressixe. 'His look, his action, his enunciation, his pauses, all conspired to interest and fix the hearer; who found no leisure for wandering, no chasm for listlessness. His glance was most penewing, and not to he escaped ; while his action embellished and enforced his speech. Feeling was the main spring of his action. Whether his hand were la.d to his heart, or his arm lifted up, or his anger pointed to the word, it was the effect of nAture, and it affected nature. Emphasis was one of his chief excellencies. His instruc tions owed much of their. efficacy to this excellence; yet it seemed sometimes to be pushed by him beyond its natural and just limitations. His pauses were also too much protracted, as if the preacher had been watching to ascertain their force. ; ceasionally he had the misfortune to sink the concluding parts of his best sentences; a deficiency, however, that has beer& lamented in ortaors who were otherwise most accomplished. Judgment was the ascendant in his eloquence. Triumph ing as he did in the sensibilities of his - hearers, yet this influ ence was not acquired at tl►e expense of their undei stand ings. Whenever they felt themselves a• it were electrified, they likewise found that they had been. benefitted and en lightened'. • • His 'style was clear, sententious, polished, strong. Ills premiSes were perspicuous, his reasoning was luminous, and fficiently sensible of preinfses were perspicuous, his reasoning was luminous, and iurrouuded, • his conclusions were demonstative; whence his auditors he scriptures had a faind no difficulty in retaining, and treasuring ur, what they before his sermon, had heard. WI