The National Register.
London, England, 1811-09-15 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL__

sissn.wiTT ittf;re dignified—ANlMATioN a'-)d sulivirY more
tind the image is faintly traced, which I shall long dwell
upon with delight, of my departed friend.
, Though so early removed from us, let to be grateful that
there yet remain, from the same ministerial seminary, a Percy,
lay, a Whitehouse, a Hall, and many others; men of devout
and ardent minds iu the Redeemer's cause ; and who, if they
continue faithful unto death, shall at length, with Spencer, shine
-as gems of no common magnitude, in his mediatorial crown.
In concliPion—let me affectionately impress upon all who are
preparing for the ministry, or engaged in it, the cultivation of
that spirit of prayer and communion with God, which was so
early and abidingly the frame of heart of the deceased. " Such
• a spirit" to use one of his own beautiful remarks, " is, in the
Christian lite, as the sap at the root; all other graces, in com-
parison of it, are but as the dew on the leaf !"
I remain, Sir,
Very respectfully, exc.
Kennington, Sept. ii, 1811. C.

SURREY CHAPEL PREACHNG.

TO TILE EDITOR OF THE NATIONXI. REGISTER.

SlR—The readiness with which you admit into your valuable
paper remarks and strictures connected with religious subjects,
encourages me to hope that you will allow the insertion of this

short letter.
Yesterday evening I attended a popular Chapel in this neigh-
bourhood, and heard there a melancholy instance of the prevail-
ing style of Methodist Preachers. The Preacher, an elderly
• man, chose for hir subject the Crucifixion of our Saviour, a sub- ,
jeet the most awful that can interest human beings, and which,
of all others, ought to he treated in a manner suited to its dignity
and importance. You will easily imagine my surprise, and you
will participate in my regret, when I inform you that the lan-
guage of the Preacher was calculated to bring the awful subject.
into contempt and ridicule. In endeavouring to describe the j
agonies the Saviour might he supposed to suffer, he used these
words.-44 What do yoti suppose were the agonies he suffered ?.
Were they the agonies of the stone ? Were they the agonies of
the gout? cr where they the agonies of tl.e tooth ache ? A man
may be supposed to wince under the ru,cl,.ing pain of the atone;
be may be almost tempted to swear in a fit of the gout; and the
sweat ray run down his face with the tooth-ache; but these are
far inferior to what he might be supposed to suffer."
Although it may be necessary in some measure to suit, in po-
pular discourses, the language to the capacity and education of
the audience, yet I cannot think so meanly of the good sense
and taste of any of his auditors, as to suppose that such 11(.titely
language could he listened to with common patience. I went to
the Chapel with impressions in favour of a style of preaching
which has lately become extremely popular, but I returned front
it extremely shocklc, at hearing a subject which I have always
contemplated with reverential awe, treated in so light and bur-
lesque a manner.
Hoping that this-letter, if it should meet the eye of any of his
audience, who are both numerous and respectable, may be taken
as a friendly hint, I remain,
Your constant reader,
Blackfriars-road, Sept. 9, 1811. TIMOTHY.
N. B. It is perhaps unnecessary to mention that the Chapel
above alluded to is Mr. Rowland Hill's.

An Auxiliary Bible Society has been established at Calcutta,
whose object is the circulation of the Holy Scriptures, w►thout
note or comment, among one million of the na, ive Christians of
India, including those of Ceylon. Mr. J. H. Harrington has
been appointed President, and Messis. Udny and Edrnon6tosie.,
Vicr-Piesideata.