The National Register.
London, England, 1814-06-26 00:00:00

THE N-ATIONAT, REGISTER.

.1 I NF. 26'

some chance That sermons-may get 'more read for the sake (,f
the tales thus attached to them. Anecdotes and divinity trot
hand-in-hand I And where, say some, is the harm ?
Un-
thinking teligionists can see nothing ominous in such theo-
logical innovations. While, however, we have got the art
of making grave things light, we have got the knack, also,
of making light things grave. Philosophy and politics, as
well as divinity, have fearfully attested our morbidness of
taste and superficiality of intellect.
JOHN ROGERS llvrmarr, B. A. originally from Chrht
College, Cambridge, and some time Curate of Hackney, but
At present alternate Morning Preacher at Berkeley and Fitz-
, roy Cbapels, seems likely to take no Lima' ked station among
the more polished preachers of his day ; and, though he
" has hitherto escaped tie notice" of the writer of this
work, appeals on the whole entitled to his portion of such
cleiieal distinction as these rages may be supposed calculated
to confer upon the respective candida'es for pulpit fame.
Preaching will commonly prove more efficacious than
reading. This consideration is practically admitted by the
present preacher, as far as preaching can be combined with
mere reading ; since, although his sermons arc written, he
labours to give them, throughout his deli v Ty, the fascination
of extemporary grace. Ills " utterance" is not merely free
from constraint, but pei fectly disembariassed ; and his action
is not only easy and gtaceful, but also impressive, and
even commanding.
This preacher, too, has the advantages both of person and
voice. Ills countenance is expressive; he is above the mid-
dle height; his voice is grave, flexile, and eircumsonant;
and his evunciation is emphatically clear.
Advantages of this desel ipt ion are not hastily to he under-
valued. Their et re( t may to witnessed in the preaching of
the clergyman now before Its; who, however. is open to le-
. proof for his partial failure in that unity of decorum which
to peculiarly belongs to the pulpit. Let an anecdote illus-
trate this. When the late Bev. Thomas Spencer was
preaching at Jcwin Stick, early in his cat eer, he, one after-
noon, took the two low:e steps, at once, in ascending the
pulpit stairs. One of this young preacher's Weeds, joining
him after the service, said—' Did you notice the manner
of your going into the pulpit ?' • I did,' replied Spencer,
' and thought you would also : it was inadveitent, but it was
wrong. It did not become the solemnity of the place. I
never remember such a circums.ance before ; and,' added
the preacher, will be more guarded in future.' Some time
after this, says Spencer's friend, an aged Christian obset ved
to me—' I loved Spencer's sermons ; hut there was a light-
ness about him.' A lightnecs !' rejoined the former,

• when and where did he diteover At our meeting
(Jewin-street fleeting) in jumping up the pulpit stairs.'
• Did you see it more than once ?" No.' 'Then, I can
tell you that, tha t once, he felt and lamented it as deeply as
you could; and lam sure that he never• repeated it. Is not
that satisfactory ?" It is.' Now, though it cannot exactly
be said, respecting Air. Pitman, that he takes two steps at
once in ascending the pulpit stairs, or that he absolutely
jumps up them, yet there is that trippingness in his manner
of going into the pulpit, conveying an idea of lightness,
which by no means comports with the solemnity of the cir-
cumstance, and is opposed to the general fitness of his de-

•
portment.
With an highly cultivated taste, and an exquisitely po-
lished style, his fault is, that he continually rhetoricates—that
he prefers the pi m of declamation to the impress of argu.
melt ; and that, ai ning at gracefulness of diction, lie. i
lavish of his incense to the idol deities of fancy or
sfashion ,
Ilence it is that the preacher at one moment seems employe