The National Register. — London, England, 1811-12-01 00:00:00

1 762 woiliwitirog 7 THE NATIONAL REGISTER Cbe Pulpit, No. LII. Were is one, mused up in the zeal and infallibility of bin own sect ; wbo will not tmich a book, nor enter into debate with a person, that will question any of those things which to him are sacred. Another surveys o:r differ *aces in Religion with an equitable and fair indifforeat•e; and so finds, probably, that neue of them are in every thing unexceptionable- These divisions and systems were made by men, and carry the mark of fallibility an them; and in those whom 'de differs from, and, till he opened his e' e•, bad a general prejudice against, be meets with more to he said for a great irony things than before he - was aware of, or could have imagined. Which of these two, now, is most likely to judge right in our Reli.ions controver sies, and to be most stored with truth—the mark all pretend to aim at ? L9CKE on the Conduct of the Understanding' Rev. JOHN LIEFCHILD, MINISTER OF KENSINGTON MEE TING. PASSION moulds even preachers. When once any preacher bas acquired distinction in the world, especially if he be juvenile, be fails slot to attract the eyes of his professional contemporaries, And become the model by the popular imitation of which the youthful preacher hopes himself to rise. Much of this is ob servable in the religious world of our day. Manliness has here been laid aside, because it has here been unfashionable. Instead of that impressive solemnity which most becomes those who preach, and which seems so natural to the situation in which they stand, the hearer meets mostly with the plaintive whine, — with what we may call the Collyerism of late so much in vogue,— though painful to the feeling of pious taste, to the taste of in dividuals who are accustomed to judge of this, and not less hurt ful to the official efficacy of the preacher. Servility of imitation bkewise implies deficiency of ability. _ Natural imitation is altogether different. There is an assimi lation of disposition, as it respects the mind, which naturally leads us unconsciously to iinitate those whom we admire, whether in taste or talent; so that it is quite possible for the student preacher, should he chance to hear some eminent cler sylvan of like mind with his own, to model himself, without de sign, upon that character which so much assimilates to his own. This kind of imitation is great, and is deserving of just praise. Intellectual sympathies draw much more than physical sympa thies.can ; and spiritual sympathies draw still more than natural sympathies. This superior sympathy must have been formed between Christ and his' beloved disciple' John. Natural imita tion is accordingly excellent Considering, however, the species of clerical imitation which has for some time prevailed amongst some rising divines, it must ' he evident how much this will impair, if not checked at once, the effect of the divinity elognence. Let us pause in time. Another generation might long since have taught men to learn of what questionable excellence were those whom it was then the rage to style ve:vut tongued preachers !' What is the use to be made of facts ? The alarm should resound now. 'Tis time to =o se, and write, and speak, and to act too. Have not we enough of the smooth things,' but must hear them also with smooth words ? Oratory has to fear the loss of its virility. The Reverend JOHN I.II.FCHILD has been, for some time, Pastor over the Independent Denomination at Kensington ; to which settlement he was chosen on the removal of the Rev. John Clayton, jun. to Camomile-.street. His immediate prede cessor had most acceptably ministred there. Himself accord ingly cocceeded to the charge of an eminently respectable con gregation, by whom his pastoral exertions are properly estimated, aed amongst whom they seem attended with success. Opposed to mo.t young evangelic preachers of note, respect ing what I term Collyerism, stands the present Minister of the New Testament. Nothing of the plaintive—nothing wooing, notl3ing whineing—belongs to his manner. Applause should be giortn to those few who ) disdaining aff , ,:ctatinn, are in this way ~~ _. U content to be themselves. Those who are thus greatly singular, eminently deserve both thanks and praise. Religion has recently been deprived of one minister, who (had the wished prolongation of his usefulness at all consisted with the inscrutable councils of God !) promised soon to discounte nance the puerilities of preachers. The late Rev. Thomas Spencer's distinguished talents promised this good. Respecting that really able, though youthful preacher, the present writer some time ago delivered the opinion he had formed ; concluding with a presentiment (unhappily too soon verified!) that his pulpit career would not, although brilliant, be extended. The loss of Mr. Spencer must be long felt ! " But our holy religion ) " , observes the Editor of the Evangelical Magazine, " requires meek submission to the rod, and leads us to adopt those judicious remarks which the preacher (speaking of the Rev. H. F. Burder's ' Sermon, delivered at Horton Chapel, August 15th, 1811, on occasion of the much-lamented death of the Rev. Thomas Spencer') quotes from the works of the late excellent Mr. CeciL " We are too much disposed (remarks Mr. Cecil) to look at the outside of things. The face of every affair chiefly affects us . Were God to draw aside the veil, and to shew us but a little or the reality, and the relations of th, most apparently-mysterious and complicated dispensations, we should acquiesce with re verence and admiration. A minister, .for example, may be taken away in the be inning of a premising career, or in the midst of great usefulness. If we cannot perceive any direct reason for this providence, we stand amazed; but if we could look forward iiito the further life of such men, we should, probably, see that they were taken away in mercy to themselves, to.the church, or to the world." There is much supposititious ratiocination in all this. One may kindly admit that such ministers are " taken away in mercy to themselves," from the evil to come ; but it does not seem quite so charitable to suppose that they " may be taken away, in the beginning of a promising career," either "•in mercy to the church—or to the world." Does not the World most need them ? 11.1 SE not the Church long mourn them ? Since the subject of this critique, the Rev. Mr. Lierchild has escaped the contamination of clerical frivolity, and still stands nobly aloof from this crying folly of his day, surely he will not take it amiss to find himself here cautioned against yielding to the opposite extreme, by degenerating, perhaps from too much plainness, into that colloquial slovenliness which never can well become his sphere. He is a scriptural, impressive, and search ing preacher,—excellent pulpit qualities ; yet these excellent qualities are so far from being impaired by an attention to the delicate decencies of preaching, that their effect is considerably improved by it. This hint is tendered in good part. Improvement might be suggested in his deportment. Let him wisely avail himself of forms. Paley says of worship what ap plies well to preaching. Although he rests the main question with the heart, yet " I do not say," declares this Divine, " that modes of worship are indifferent things; for, certainly, one mode may be more rational, more edifying, more pure, than another." The pulpit has its decent modes.' Forms are of old and high worth, essentially understood, and are felt so by wise men. ONESIMUS. Mr. HORNit TOOKF, it is stated, to the amazement of that parochial assembly, appeared, a few d . iys since, at a concened vestry meeting in the parish church of Wimbledon, and carried his point, in favour of a reformation of its concerns, by a divi sion-18 to 7. A FATAL Honx.—Some person who has thought proper to show his or her ingenuity at !he expense of their orthography, on Th , irslay night sent a variety of tradesmen with artichis to a house upon the Adelphi Terrace. The hoax, a very clumsy one, was soon discovered, and the poor tradesmen had to carry back their articles to the shops from whence they brought them, most of them a long distance. One of them, however, missing .his step at the top of the area stone stairs, tell down with his,burthen, and fractured his skull. He died in half an hour afterward% 'File hoaxer will, no doubt, have some pleasant feelings at the success of his attempt. mersiet •