The National Register.
London, England, 1808-09-26 00:00:00

SEPTEMBER 26.

in fields, or on commons, or in barns, as to demand of the
Church of England the relinquishment of those advantages
wit,. which time and circumstances have invested her.—
Either way the propcsal would be preposterous. If it is
unbecoming churchmen to wage petty warfare against me-
thodism, it therefore peculiarly behoves methodists not
hastily to condemn the constitution of the national church.
This aspic may hereafter call for amplification ; it has
many bearings; it is of considerable intenent, as applying
to the ease between secutriei and the establishment ; but it
has not, as far as I know, experienc,rl
.particular atten-
tion,—it certainly has not undergone serious and deep 111
vestigation.
The Rev. WILLIAM PARSONS, of whom I am now to
give sonic as:zoont, was c'tlueot;A in Yoi kshire, a d hz.s
long been Minister of a Meeting. at Leeds, aere nis preach-
ing is respectably, and very numerbusly,
literary attainments are highly creditable. He was one of
those who sui.cesslvely edited the works of Watts, ai.,l ef
Docloridge ; anti he has constantly contributed to tix pages
of the Evangelical Magaziae. 'lle is now temporarily :u
London.
Mr. Parsons was always classed among those who, in the
relig;otis world, stand distiti liished as Gospel Ministers.
His views t) thu christian system, however, have become
evidently matured ; an intprovement that he owes, 1 be-
lieve, to personal suPerings. He may truly exclaim, with
the royal penitent, " it is good for me that I have been
afflicted !" Those therefore who ditler from him on parti-
cater poling, will, I they feel rightly on such subjects,
dissent fi Jm him with diffidence; and, while they endea-
vour fairly to estimat,.: his exertions, they must unetraivo-
ca.iy respect his itittvity.
rors 01 extemporary sermonising, I have formerly
had occasion to notice ; but, perhaps, there exists not a
finer exei.iplilicatiou of its advantages than in the preacher
wi.o is unncr co,,sideration. His personal appearance is
respectaole and interesting, his manner is varied and
his voice equable and full, his enunciation dis-
tinct, and his action emphatic. His illustrations are use-
ful, because they arc familiar ; his exhortations are appro.
priate. as well as forcible ; and he particularly excels in
one of the most essential, but too much neglected, quali
fications of the christian teacher—the important business
of applying every thing to the hearts of hearers. There
are few preachers who, like Mr. Parsons, may be said to
command the pulpit.
Modern pulpits arc not favourable to eloquence. They
are almost uniformly constructed without sounding-boards,
which had something imposing ; and they are generally
too circumscribed in their circumference. While the per-
son of the preacher is thus di% ested of considerable adven-
titious dignity, his action, if lie disdains to be ridiculous,
is fettered down to mere mechanical movemet.ts. Totten-
barn-Court pulpit, however, is tolerably roomy ; a con-
venience of which Mr. Parsons, who is really oratorical,
fully avails himself, with the best possible effect.
Every thing is susceptible of extremes. Much as I find
to commenein Mr. Parsons, both as to his matter and
manner, 1 can also perceive his defects, whiCh strike
more forcibly as contrastr.ll with his excellences. Ile
turns too completely round in his pulpit, and too fre-
quently ; while he is priOng, he accustoms himself to a
disagreeable inclination, or shaking, of his head ; and his
action is not always perfect!) chaste. He deals too much
.iu amplification His divisions are too numerous, and he
pauses too long between them. As his matter would gain
strength by condensation, so his method would acquire
efficiency by simplification. His language, though on the
whole commendable, has many inclegancies, and is some-
times chargeable with vulgarisms. Ile seems addicted to
the pathetic, in which lie does not excel.
Ills doctrines arc strongly evangelical. I am far from
wishing to sae a race of pu!pit moralists, I would, to the
utmost of my ability, discourage the preaching of mere
essay-sermons; but, I think, there is now cause enough

i