The National Register.
London, England, 1811-03-31 00:00:00

el)

No. X XXVII.

I found my mind gradually impressed witit sttelt a setae. d the
reality and importance of Revealed Religion, as excerded every
thing that I had felt before; nor have I since tat period met
with any visitation of the same kind, which, in all popects, equal-
led the felicity I. then for many weeks enjoyed. Some of my
friends, when I was thus favoured from on high, saw and heard
what they could not understand ; because they judged of what
they
.raWand heard, not by the word of God, but by a lower
standard.-Vide Some Account of the Life and Writings of the
Av. John Martin'
.• •
,•

REV. J. CHURCH. •
OP THE
OBELISK CIIJCPEL IN ST. GEORGE'S FIELDS.

. .

IT was observed by him who once reminded his disciples that
theybad " the poor always' with them", and who spake as -never
Stun spake, that "'the poor" had also " the Gospel preached un •
to them." . Jesus gave a particular emphasis to this remark.—
. Go, arid shew John again those things which ye do hear and
''.see," said the Saviour to the two disciples who enquired of him
from.Johh." The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk ;
the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear ; the dead are rain d
up, and the Poor have the Gospel preached unto them :" as if
the greatest of all the heavenly miracles was the promulgation of •
Christianity, preached as it ought to he preached, to that order
of people who are usually described as 64 the poor." What-then
is preaching the Gospel to the poor ? Let Paul teach. And I,
brethren,. when I came unto you, came not with excellency of
speech.; or of wisdom;' for, says, Paul,' my speech and my preach-
ing was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demon-
stration of the Spirit, and of power.' Why did Paul thus preach ?
That /our faith should not stand in the wisdom of men,' con-
tinues this apostle ; ' but in the power of God !' Full of this
feeling;and' seeing that we have such hope, we use,' adds St.
Paul, great plainness of speech.'

Whilst so many thousands of christians in this country are of
that 4eseription of individuals which the promulgation of our
religion describes as the poor, it is absurd wholly to proscribe,
supposing this were practic:ible, those self constituted and Self.
commissioned preachers of the Gospel those labours are found
so acceptable to the lower classes of society amongst us. Theo.
logic.il seminaries do not yet yield proper teachers for the work
of popular instruction. Hence the great success of those men •
who by their genius and habits are qualified to understand the ,
thinking and feeling of the poor ; who can address themselves
directly to their mind•, and, by their experience in life, can ap-
ply their preaching to the heal t. If we would save the souls of
th:, poor, we mnst preach to them in their own way.

Si-eakitql of the desire he had to hear the learned and pious
Dr. Gill," having read most of his written labours, this favour,"
observes the Rev. Mr. Martin, in his own account of his Life
and Writings, " !obtained in March 1760. Having found out
his Meeting, (over which Dr. Ripp-n now pastor,) I kept
closely by him while 1 rail in town. Occasiotuoily, indeed, I
beard Mr. Whitfield, ot!:er popular preach-rs ;.but
pone of them pleased me 59 ‘v,-11 ::s the Doctor. ii is discoth ses
were more evangelical, b!.ttet studied and argued, and,l thought
fI%U mare consistent, th:..n tllos,, which I heard at the Taber-
nacle, and in some orrfl. crowded ,Daces of woi Scc.—
Now by this extract we may (!i.,c,wer whi:t is the more effica-
eons way of preaching to the poor. Althqugh we are assured
jyy Mr. Martin that the discourses of Dr. Gill were better studied
and argued, and much more consistent than those which he
heard•at the Tabernacle; yet, who will say that the discourses of
Pr. Gill, however thus studied and argued and eonsistmt, did