The National Register.
London, England, 1814-03-06 00:00:00

ine papa.

ND. 11.

boetrinet that sear our hearts, or swell our pride.
Troths that ought be—though Christ had, never died
%P.P4P' ANON Y 310110...
REV. T. F. DIBDIN, F. S. A.
NOTTNLY PAZ:dell-ER AT QUEBECK CHAPEL) NEAR OX-
FORD-STEEL:T.

Nothin/ appears more plain, than Than it is to the poor
that the gospel is chiefly preached. Hence we find. indeed,
that not many rich, not many noble, not many mighty, are
commonly enrolled amongst the followers of him who was
acquainted with grief,' and are found sitting at the foot of
the cross ! Subject as they nevertheless arc to the vicis-
situdes and afflictions of this mortal state, although exempt-.
ded from some of its more frightful calamities, it is strange
that most of our polished preachers should treat their accom-
plished .auditories as though they were elevated above both
'the instruction and the promises of religion; as though
-their hearers had but little to fear from the denunciations of
devine revelatlon, and still less to hope from its consolations.
'et there is not crne gospel for the poor, and another gospel
Tor the tich. There is but one war, one truth, and one
hope of life Vet tain preachers would here do well to exa-
mine themselves on this head, the' efot e, as they must
solemnly account for the souls of their revertive auditors.-
The Rev. Thom AS FltoG IV A LI. D 111 DIN, F. S. A. has ren
Acted his name long since familiar to the literary world,
though out as a theolozian ; the character in which it re-
mains to emu eciate his acquirements and his rank. Poetry
at first engaged his chief attention. But though his earlier
tilorts were thus dedicated to • the softer flame,' and his
subsequent 'volumes have been mostly productions of taste,
'he has not thereby been induced ta
forsake the task ht. norleitook,
Deert his flock, anti break his ptoerat crsok ;
Alol, waHerinz o'er the. Vlu-es' 11.1,
Let the salvation of onankiad sttsocl still.'
Instead of sulleriug his hibliogra2hical avoratioos to su-
p.._rsede his professional claims, or even idly wandering o'er
the Mu,,es. hill, we perceive Mr. Dibdin to be assid.otslv
culiivatii=g those properties which seem already to have ten:-
skied him somewhat eminent in preaching. It way with re-
ference to this, no doubt, that one of the daily critics, re-
roiding Mr. Dibdill'S Pncce.i; iri the pulpit a 1 the .("hapel
;f.L.-..0,1 at Brighton, riming the month of July, l'Al 0, pro
'pranced hint to have been tic ma...rtet whirr attraction
-was so nowca•fully felt!" Such Nra, it may be, the fait?.
.I::xcepting that he " dolivcred a very e!winent discourse,"
•.."!iowever, to " a numerous mtg.' cgation," Mr. Dibdin's
eulogist has not conceived it necessary to specify is wlv.t his
attraction did consist.
The mignetic preacher, then, if the present ;)reacher be
. one, is him who appears to aim rather to charm the fancy
than. to ;probe .the bosom ; and who suppoes that his work is
done— if be can make but some passing impress on the sen-
sibilities of taste, while he fails either to propose. or enforce
the demands of divine truth. Ile is one, this magnetic
preacher, who may allure, but who cannot attach ; who may
chance to amuse, but. cannot look to improve men.
Imagination is suhversive of edification. Ile who thus
indulges in the illusions of sentiment, when his business is
with truth, will become less and less accurate it: his estimates
of perions and things, and will find that his instructions
have no abiding iwpression either on the understand-
ug or the heart. Conscienee is the peculiar clement of the

ji!" • -