The National Register.
London, England, 1814-01-09 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL itt:GISTER._

MEMOIR
OF THIS
~'~jit•tv:t'D Vcarci
OF THE LIFE OF

W B. C*L*Y*ll D. D
OTRIIRWISE DISTINGCISIIED AS TUE ANGELICAL DOCTOR !

(Concluded
.11 OM nur last.)

Perfection is not expected even in preachers. " Can any
blame be attached to him," demands his friend Candidus,
speaking of our Doctor, " because the most lovely part of
the creation attend his preadring?" Unquestionably, some
blame may happen to attach to the Christian Minister on
this score; not, indeed, that the most lovely part of the
creation are the frequent attendants on his labours ; but he
is to lie blamed, atid severely too, whenever he descends
from the holy dignity of his station, to win their smiles
and charm their hearts, and, worse still, to meet tile ad-
s:am:es of those females who make it their Lusiness to beset
metropolitan vestry-rooms, in order to congratulate their
Teigning favourite. That the preacher should lie required
to " scarify his-visage," in order to coonteract the fascina-
tion of his countenance, or be constrained to !weak through
"6 hoarse tube," in order to subtract from the natural me-
lody of his voice, a e conditions as ridiculous to supr!est, nn
the other hand, as they wool l bf.• tyrannical to itopc:c on
inm. Should the preacher be favoured with prellosse-sLing-
ttess of phisiopoonv. however, there can exist ro neces-
sity for the superadditions of at t; and if his voice be also
c:onsitutionally plaintive, it is not whirring that will increale
its attraction.
The estimate which the present writer foNt formed of the
reverend preacher now before us, about flve vears ago, has
since been acknowledged as deserving the epithets of " ac-
cwate, and candid, and just*." The writer sees no reason
which should here induce him to alter it. Excepting as to
the amendment which has at length taken place in the. Doc•
tor's manner of praying the Lord's prayer, he tenaciously
adheres to those pulpit peculiarities which originally charac-
terised his line of preaching. Something more impressive,
more consi,;tent, more worthy of the minister and of the
man, is still wanti:n in him, but to which he does not ap-
pear soon likely to attain. Deep and broad as he may have
laid the foundation of a classical education—" elegant, and
philosophical, and scripttlral"—and gifted with ta:ents " of
Ito common sort," still the deficiency is felt, and there
seems " death in the pot." Lovers of ekgance may be gra-
silica.; but there is " 'leanness of soul withal." Sinners are
rot converted—believers arc not edified. People may ad-

414 Whea 'read your clerical sti lc t nres on this vaung man," declares
one %vim apoears to he a Guspel 3linistcr, '' I was struck mith
"burin isr, and fiiled wide ituliguation, t..) hear of an individual,
ussuming the character of a Christian Teacher, int roduciog into
the I,3rl's I):•ayer —certainly the uto-t perfect form of sound words
that believurs Christ possus<— hi< own unwarrantable alteratiJos,
by which its seose %vas materially impaired, and its fair image
cousidet ably °craved ; to brat of welt au innovation, did, I must
(IV. I, awakt o in my mind a strong' feviiit::: of ha:iv:nation. I (-von
doubted ti at melt things could be—that Onesimas was comet.
)Iportiii.i tics, however, preSrlit el themselves for my heal pc
; and ut)sch. of them I went to his Ai( eting
I ‘taittil i'; suspeuce the anxious moineut —it arrived; and I wa<
tipetned to hear, from the lips of nun tal man, an alteration in that
twin of graver which the Lord Je:ots himself ordained for individual
and.:euttill use! 1 really aut no enemy to Dr. C. 1 think lie k a
vow... man of talent and information ; and, on the whole, I. was in.
tcuestcti in his favour. However, I had reason to find that your
ii•turcs on the el trader of his preaching, and the peculiarit}. of
1.. Limier, mere accurate, candid, and just.