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

mite, the Gospel Minister has said, but. repent they will

not.t
Christien pulpits now call for weighty'preachers. There
is no deficiency, indeed, as to preaching boys, spouting
Acatlentics, and tip-top ministers ; for of stub reverend
teachers WO hare enough, and to srare. Teachers of the
opposite description are not multiplied. Tkis circumstance
it is that occasions so much utisettledness amongst hearers,
and Fo many divisions in the evangelical world. ." A new
name is annouuccd on the cover of a nrigneine, or from the
pulpit of some celebrated chapel, and thither," accordingly,
" the unstable multitude di act their steps. Tkev slt in
so'emn judgment on the preacher's manner—his appear-
ance—his action, and his voice. If these should he 'uniting
striking in his manner—nothing melodious in his voce-
- nothing sinsular in his appesitsace—nothing- peculisr
in
his system—and nothing particularly favourable in the sir-
; cumstances ef his introduction to the pulpits of the metro•
}elk there he may continue his app inted pet iod s and, when
it has expired, return to the peaceful village, or the quiet
WWII, it is his lot to labour,
" The WWl(' cOrleltill2—By the world totem."
Whilst one evangelical ntinis;er thus describes the rest-
It/SS hearers of one day, and thus censures their taste, he is
not aware how much preaehets ate in fact accountable for
the varsrency of heaters, who, starving; amidst plenty, are
nataraliv initialled to wander in quest of some one empow-
ered to dirt! ihute to them the bread of life, according to
capacite:: ;red tastes.
Whenever the preaching of a popular minister has en-
dured, without injury to his reputation, the ordeal of a ten
or twenty years' trial, he may he safely regarded," declares
tl•e Rev. T. Raffles, " as possessing an excellence Faye' for
to any thing his manner could exhibit." According to this
test, the g angelical Doctor,' whose preaching has stood the
ordeal of more than this teen years, must have evinced
" sterling worth," however attendant circumstances might
in the first instance have contributed to render him popular.
Truth is certainly the daughter of time. Though the
Doctor's popularity has apparently stood an ordeal of some-
thing more than tea years, vet, reflecting that his career
has been so far attended by those circumstances which first
contributed to render him popular, the permanence of stied'
popularity is not altogether matter of course. Respectie-g
the doctrine of a ten or twenty years' lease of this kind,
eventually insuring possession, even the author of the doc-
trine, anticipating objection, adds—with a but'—" I feel
the delicacy of the topic I have thus ventured to introduce."
This topic is not a trivial one. Fotegoing the investigation.
of it, however, upon general grounds, and coming to a case
before us, there are some considerations in bar to an appli-
cation of the preacher's doctrine of popularity. Let us
examine the exemptioes in point.
Beauty in men, for instance, as well as in women, is but
frail; for verily man, at his best estate, is vanity. Now,
when it so happens that the preacher is handsome, and as
such admired by the sex, he will find, as his personal attrac-
tion falls off, that ladies admire less, and follow less; since,
whatever nay be the opinion of Candidus, should his face
grow mere ordinary, though really not " exceedingly ugly,"
the preacher will assuredly discover " the crowd" not to
" be the same l" Whenever he has reached to this period of
•life, then the most lovely pact of the creation, though they
have souls, and are of the same species,' will no longer clus-

t Dr. C•4**e* continue,4 to he the Dr. C. whom I heard, he
may preach tilt eternity, but he will uer•rr alarm the conscience, nor
convert the sinner. People may admire, but repent they will JIM r
—corrorondence with onesimus.