The National Register.
London, England, 1813-12-19 00:00:00

. THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

MEMOiR
OF THE

, felt Zbirte:tbo Veal

It cannot be thong it surprising, therefore, considering how
many villages were „already indebted to his preaching for
their celebrity, that even the polished village of Peckham
should become anxious to possess a divine of such superior
worth: This was, indeed the case. December the 17th
1801, our still youthful preacher, then but twenty years old. •
was settled as " Pastor over the Church of Christ at Peck-
ham, without imposition of hands ;" though, in other points,
" the service was conducted with due solemnity, and sonic
present appeared much affected." This scene of action was
most favourable as to locality ; since, by its proximity to,
town, it enabled " the young Minister of the day," when-,
ever be so pleased, to avail himself of the enlivening breath
of popularity and the sympathising smiles of the fair.
Popularity cannot remain stationary. Wherever the em.
hryo Doctor now deigned to preach, far or near, there the
multitude congregated to him ; so that he quickly became
known as one of the most popular of pycachers.—

' 0 popular applause ! what heart of man
Is pi oaf against thy swcct seducing charms?'

" It had been better for the cause of Christianity.," re.
marks an observer, " if such a thins as popularity, in its
Ministers, had never crept into it. Fieen if that popularity
were justly bestowed (a circumstance, however, which wilt
never take place till our wives hate chAnge, and our daugh-
ters despise superficiality !) still I should censure it as
iu-
jut ions to true devotion : what must I say, then, when 1
sec the suffiage of the million awarded to the substitution
of rhetoric for doctrine, poetry for argument, and affectation
for zer! During one of my visits to the metropolis," con-
tinues our observer, " I was vehemently pressed, by one
of those misguided religieuse whose only business it is
,to
run after the last new dear man; to hear a young preacher
of orthodox tenets, whese popularity, .1 was told, had ac-
tually lasted more than a year. Totally unaWe to resist
such an unprecedented duration of popularity, I accom-
panied my fair guide to a meeting-hove an hour before the
commencement of divine service; and art ived just in time
to find a crowd at the doors, that had been decently got un-
der by the interference of some censtabla. Being first te;-
sured that the place 'was not a theatre, I ventured into it.
and made shift to secure a pretty comfortable stand, in a
side aisle ; where, as every person was jammed as close to
his neighbour as possible, we were not at all annoyed by
those who wished to pass up to their pews. After we had
thus rested ourselves for about half an hour, we were sec,
denly disconcerted by a cry of make way !' with an uni-
versal commotion in the principal aisle, which was suocee::,.
ed by an exclamation, in a feminine voice, of Pray let nig
come by—l must get up to the pulpit It is some unhappy,
mad woman, thought I, who has fallen. in love with th 4.,
yfrung idol Of the public, and who wishes to get As 'way him,
41 possible. No ; it was the Minister himself Every coin-
pressure was instantly made, by his enthusiastic followers;
who seemed more than compensated for their toil, by soon;
seeing him safely lodged in the rostrum. Ilene, then, my
reverend Younker stood up, during the time of sioging,t
looking round him with all the cumiilacency of an actor.
whose turn is not yet come ; and when the congregation at
length rose up to listen to his prayer, he lolled upon the
cushion to pray, hanging his bands ovev the bible. (laving
in' this style gone through many common-place phrases of
. prayer, always preferring metaphor to plain petition, he sat

iiglit

t Certainly this was rather out of character. Possiiily it might
have been smug exhibition of this kind, that mea-iinied the ptiblic.i.
Lion of an ' Address to Protestant Dissenters, recomincittli;ll the
practice of Sittin,g• while Singing the Praises of Ciod in Pttblie Wor,
ship.' llihriiters ii tilett blL.uld IN OM:AWL%