The National Register.
London, England, 1813-09-12 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

Si rt Fig I ever hi your Paper of this day, I
think it is p 0 i uiiy wsertioli ill regard 10 most SECT A.
R I Gs- may '.e inter p: eted in:9 a sarcasm on all sectaries :
this I dis..yow Vis e have all a vigil t,) our own opinions,
but none to dt.spising. nor neigh!iours for differing from
us. 1 alluded to the uutuerou,s wets which have sprung up,

SS

TIONAT.

the children of opinion (in general) more than religion, who,
Ike " sectarie, iopolkics," disturb the general harmony, for
Dtattets of Mete !•peculition, and who act often from igno-
rant efrronterv, °lien from distempered impulse, and often
from tempo; at in'ei est. "Thee thinzs should not be." I
can sit down with a Presbyterian, an Anabaptist, a Roman
Catholic, or a Christian of* any denomination, I poise, as
eharilably and fi iendly as with an enfighteited member of the
Estahli,ltinent, (I say rillig,htened, became an unenlightened
mem'ver, who only one from prejudice of education, with-
()tit utid what lc piofesses, is but a demi-a/kir )
hatel it:timate friend; of all'persuasions, whom I csteem,
and whose acquaint:lnce I think an honour, and therefore I
hope no Dis,enter 1:ont the Church will interpret the last
sentence of my preceding Letter to a censure upon Di,.sen-
ters in general: I refer, as I before noticed, to those sects
who have rroragatrd eistluriasm and bigotry, for ze:-.1 and

attt.tchment ; speutt!a•ion and assertion. for inquiry and
pr:n ; intoxic4timi and- presumption, for joy and hope;
gloom for gravity ; sentention•ness for seriousness; and de-
...poodcr,cv for humility. There are many such, and on
such :done I pa!,s a censure. It is possible too, that OficAimus
way tie! hin•elf aitat ked unp!ea,antiv ; the intention of that

ths::vow. I have no motive but the interest of religion, in
at le;:st I hope so ; but I cannot think otherwise
than tlna el& rgymen in the pulpit, like actoison
the ‘t.ige, tends to ii!tle goof, though I (I,,n't mean to a,sert
tfhtt the cr:ois the clergy should he pa,sed over unheeded,
because tht‘ir error sdo mine mischief to i cli ff ion than-all the
attAcks of infid..ls; but there should he a tenderness tis«l for
the hi.inOur of their \I stet, in the animadversions upon their
19/..7:incr ; for, though I disclaim gi t ing way to priesteraft, as
a fatril blow to std!, when polite begin to
think hey may, from example, criticise their pa,tor, they
soe,o du it, and pronoi-tionably lose their respect for him;
and we never learn twin those we can't -respect, at least, we
steve;. learn that science nihielt teaches the very essence or
rati,e Of re,pect. ive to what I said of his style, I mean
that his language is often too figurative for the general
relder. 1 St:eilay new,:pvcr is read by a majori;y of the
low;:r v'ia,svF, who can neither a(ford money nor time to read
the daiiy plyets ; consequently lie should write so, alit
vhile the termed cannot he disgusted, the ignorant may un

.tit!:s!and. The fault I find in him, learned men too often
fag into. I have heard sermons of this kind elegant indeed
in their e...nyotiiti(in, and which minds of taste could listen

profit and dclig!it, but I question 114-fifths of tile congre-
;Minn cou:d understand them. Father 01,eary (a name veneta-

•ble to the Catholics) l am told, used to give hip, sermons two
chat a: tc s ; for after preaching. to the elegant part of hi,
ennwegation, in language cotrcsponding with their minds,
he kvould exclusively, I may say, address himself to the in-
elegant, or ignorant, pal tin language they could perfectly
iotrprchend ; and it would he better for religion, if the
ministet s cif all pet suasions Itllowed his example. A man
may speak and write extremely e!egant, and yet so as to he
undetstood by all capacities, accept the :e;/ igaorant ; but
as they arc parties as much concerned in the matter of. reli-
gion as the most cultivated, their understandings must be
accommodated by the minister who means to do his duty, as
comprehensively as those of their superiors in intellects.
'[he slovenly manner in which many clergymen go through
the church service, certainly calls loudly for reformation,
and has, I think, increased the number of sectaries. Many
minAcrs knowing the truth of Christianity cannot he con-
erted, seem to think it nece,sary to do more than merely
recite its doe'rines to make them effective; but a man ought
'n teaching what he wishes others to believe. lade-

SEPT.

. clergy, . acts dry rot nets
upon a house : -but, on the other hand, rant acts upon it
like a violent tempest upon a house. A Christian preacher
ought to have fervency and firmness; but he ought also to
have humility and reverence. I'm sure some of the sec-
taries in their pulpits really address the Deity, and speak of
him in a manner that is horrid--in some cases a little blas-
phemous—ill said a great deal, I think I should not have
said more than truth. The Loid's Prayer commences with
Our Father," which, by showing us in what light we are
to consider the Deity, as affected towards us, as deal ly points
out how we ought to 'address and speak of him ; and that
endearing title shows us also tEat the religion he has com-
manded is a religion of love, that unites, or is meant to
unite, ail men in one fraternal Land. Temperance is the
wisdom of religion (if I may be allayed the expression) as
%yell as of every other rational pursuit—for zeal ceases to be
zeal when it becomes intemperate—it is then fury. Hence
then ye glinPay ".ralse proplkt.,," who would veil religion, ill
crape—ye superstitious iwcirsiVcs., who would dres.: it ita
tinsel—and ye fantastic rlinnsndists, who would deck it with
nteretricion ornaments. Religion, dressed in virgin white,
serenely and nnjestically pursues. her " pleasant and peace-
ful path," smiling. with conscious purity awl truth ; her
handmaids are Seriousness and Chearfulness; Benevolence
issto s her commands, and Temperance executes her will;
Superstition, Bi?otiy, and Fanaticism, disappear before heros
the morning tniA. before the radiant sun; Humility precedes
her, holding " sweet converse" with Elope, and Modesty
hears her train; while Conra;.!e and Constancy, with per-
suasive Elorturfnee, and dictiminative Zeal bring up the
t ear. I am, Sir, &c.

Sunday, Aug. 29, 1813.

A LAYMAN,.

DRAMATIC REGISTER.

COVENT-GARDEN.

This Theatre opened on Monday for the first time this seaseu.
We described in our last the alteration:, which have been made in
its interior, and which have now been viewed with attniiratian by
the public. Their elect is truly beautiful, and so much splendour
was never united to so much simplicity and elegance betltre. But
if the decorations are superb, it is also highly gratirying to find
that other and more important objects have occupied, much of tk.s.
attention of the Maimgers. Something 4 novelty has been ft:rnislk,
cd every night, and several successful debuts have already been made.
The Theatre opened with ./o/ot Bat! and Killing an Murder. The
performances on the sneetcling days were, fhe Tempest air.l Lore,
Lwv, and Physic, Ifule a Ilife awl have a Wife and 11lidaw, The Exile
and Itosh:a, and The Castle Spectre and llosina. la John 13;:11, the
part of Dennis Bralgraddery was sustained by a Mr. Poumus, hip
second appeal-nee On the stage. lie displayed touch good sense anti.
humour, and is the best Irishman we have seen Cr,. several years at
this Theatre. He looked the chilracter well, has a note broglw, anti
acquittelhha=elf to the entire sati.faetion of the audience, till he
came to the Epilogue. In this he failed ; and as it is not necessary
that this Epilogue should ak% ay.; he given ‘‘ i:h the Phiy, we hope
Ise will be content with the hisses lie received for attempting it on
Monday, and not trouble himself to do any thing more to convince
the public that Ile c.nnmt Sill 2.

Mks RENNELL.—On Tuesday a your Lady of this name made
her debut in Ariel. Her fit.ture is good, and she sung some of
her songs in a very pleasing: and effective style. She was loudly
en-
CarCd it) Where the Lee SUE ICS, and syn., much applauded all through
the Play. She may he fontid au but, we apprehend, not a
very important acquisition.
• Nfr. TEnasr.—Tnis Gentleman, who vac last year the hero of the
H tymarket, male his first appearance op Wednesday as Leon. in
little a Wife 140 hare a Wife. We regard him as a most valualk

to be earnest ill

Rge,19413R4
II lence in a clergyman acts upon religion as tl