The National Register.
London, England, 1808-12-18 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER..

DEC. IS.

must holy faith 1" Any unrighteous believer may venture
to supplicate the forgiveness of his sins, aild, without
being " righteous overmuch," nmy pray to be also enabled
to forgive the offences committed against !outsell • by his
fellow-creatures; but he must he righteous in deed, or else
call down condemnation on his own bead, who entreats the
pardon of his transgressions only as he actually forgives
the trespasses he endures from others. Let preachers
beware bow they presume to make innovations in the ac-
knowledged rites of our religion. I tremble to think in
what manlier such conduct may eventually incur the
dreadful denunciation with which Saint John concludes the
Ewa or Kw/El-Allow itself.—" If any man shall add unto
these things Goo shall add unto him the plagues that are
written in this book. And if any man shall take away
from the words of the book (of this prophecy), GOD shall
take away his part out of the book of life ; and out of the
holy city, and from the things which are written in this
book."
Other objections might be urged against the prayers of
Mr. Collyer. He certainly has the privilege of praying for
what he pleases, and therefore he must not be arraigned
fur imploring blessings on " village-preaching ;" but his
language is open to animadversion, and the construction
of his sentences may be criticised. His vocabulary, then,
is not very copious. He is capable, I am persuaded, of
commanding better language ; yet, compelled to confine
himself within the range of the evangelical eloquence, he
accustoms himself to what an illustrious writer calls a
" gypsey-jargon," which is wholly unintelligible to the
uninitiated, and is sometimes hardly understood by those
to whose oars it is purposely :addressed. lie is doubtless
right in his own eyes. So far from being affected by these
strictures, perhaps he will say. nearly in the words of one
of his " village-preaching" disciples,—" This, brethren,
is the Devil's doing ! He hates this preaching, because he
knows as how its the only right sort. He hates me, because
he knows I stoutly preaches it ; and be hates you, because
he secs you hears it." Mr. Collyer has chosen his part ;
and it is not to be supposed, that he will alter his practice.
This preacher, let one justly remark, excels in emphasis.
Ile is, therefore, distinct and judicious in his readings. if
he possessed equal voice, Mr. Collyer would, in this respect,
he scarcely interior to Mr. Worthington. His tones, how-
ever, are almost feminine ; and his distinctness when preach-
ing sometimes becomes, from this circumstance, painful
to the hearer. His sermons abound in divisions and sub-
.divisions, which, instead of preserving their connexion,
generally produce perplexity. His theological ramblings
occur incessantly. He does not keep to his subject ; nor
when he has wandered, is he dextrous in regaining himself.
He is also too long in the pulpit. While the greatest art
of a writer is to know how to blot, it is the greatest art of
au orator to know when to conclude.

Mr. Coflyer, as was before hinted, is absolutely persecuted
by the attentions of the ladies 1 Nut only do they throng
to every place, and on every day, where and when he is
tube heard, but, it' there he any reality in common rumour,
they pursue him even into the pulpit,—p►it billet-doux into
his b►ble, and wait on the stairs, as he ascends the
isacred
rostrum, to

`• Pluck the good man's gown, and share his smile !"
I have observed something. of this kind, while attending
. prearbitqr„ in Broad Street ; hut still let me hope there
is not truth in all the anecdotes told of our popular
reacher and his fair followeri. Surely it is not true,
it cannot be true, that any " grave and learned clerk"
would stoop, in the middle of his devout matters, to pick
up the handkerchief dropred purposely by the fair-one,
who was languishly leaning upon the door of it, into his
pulpit t If such things arc, but .they cannot be, what are
our Hodsons, or Moores, when compared with the Collyers
of this age t
Mr. Collyer wetes, as we'l as preaches. He has pub-
Imbed, by subscription, a volume of • Lectures on Scrip-

813

lure Facts;' and he is the reported Author of An Appeil
to the Legislature and the Public, in Answer to the Hints
of a Barrister, on the Nature and Effects of Evangelical
Preaching, by an Evangelical Preacher.' His first pro-
duction is entitled to approbation ; but his second has by
no means auzmented his previous reputation. I also learn.
from the Evangelical Magazine. that he has now in the
press a series of Lectures on the Prophecies.'
Pleasing in the pulpit, and passable from the press, though
Mr. Collyer may always excite sonic degree of public inte-
rest, he must never aspire to command the admiration of the
churches. He cannot look for durable dtstinction. They will
Inut suffice for real celebrity, the side-glances of the preacher
and the softer smiles of the assembled fair. Something
more manly, something consistent, something Christian-
like, must be exhibited. 'relater appeals will not do;
seraphic simperings, susceptiNe solicitations, will be found
alike ineffectual to the purposes of eternal salvation I Let
us have less of man, and more of his Maker ; less of the
creature, but more of his Creator ; and more of the mi-
nistry, with less of the Minister.
It seems that the University of Edinburgh, according to
one of the Morning Newspapers, has receuEy, full-Se-
mans dcademicus, conferred upon the ILE.v.W. B. COLLTER
the degree of Doctor of Divinity, as a tribute of their ap-
probation of his ' Lectures on Scripture Facts ;' and that
his Royal Highness the DUKE or KENT condescended to con-
vey the Diploma, from the Earl of Buchan, to DOCTOR.
COLLYER, and of uniting nis OWN A era° ft.terrom, and
that of the noble Earl, with the distinction granted by the
learned college i I Now, considering all circumstances,
though there is little cause to tacitate any man on his
acquiring a Scotch Diploma, Dr. Collyer may find so:Pie
reason to congratulate himself as to the manner in which,
and the august personage by whom, this distinction is
stated to have been communicated. Let us hear no more of
the irreligion of the higher orders of this country. Hero
is ONE of THE PRINCES OF THE BLOOD-ROTA r., who though
attached, by all possible tics, to the established church c,f
these kingdoms, condescends, from his love of reliaiiiic
purely, " to become the medium of conveying." a aivililtssi
degree, " uniting" with it " his own approbation," to one
of the heads of that " VILLAGE-PREACHANO" SyStell!,
is every where rapidly undermining the national hierarcq I
Dr. Collyer ought to be proud enough of such iafinite
condescension.
Dec. 16, 1808.

O.VESIMCS.

*** A Friend of Ma. Woona' will act wisely in being less
officious. When he says that the " Character given of the Rev.
Basil IVoodd is totally false," he affirms. by the word totally,
more than he seems to apprehend! Al r. Woo.l's ?apa-abilities
are :natter of opinion; but is it " totally hat, as ON c-
slmuS believed, " his private virtues have fortified him in the
estimation of his hearers ;" that " he is octko:kx in his religiow,
and loyal in his polities ;" that " his humanita deserves to be
distinguished, and his liberality to be universally imitated:"—
are these assertion; " total! yfalse?" And, is it " total!!! false'
that Providence has been signally bountiful [witne4s Mr. Way's,
of Acton, most unlooked-for legacy of 10,0110.'.:3 per cents. to
him] to" Basil Woodd ? Are these things not really true ; or,
according to this Friend of Mr. Wocdd,' arc they, on the con-
trary, " totally
.false?" Let Mr. NVoodd take care of this
" Friend," if, indeed, he knows any thing of him.
rr While he deems it necessary again to apologise to
L. L. ON MI mus, trusting the present paragraph will attract his
notice, requests farther Communications from him, as may he
agreeable to himself.—' atti.nlive Obscrrer of St. Ge.»ge's
Parish' i 4 desired to Ix-, if practicable. still more confidontial
and circumstantial—The favors of Censer Cleriralis,' and • A
Constant Read :r,' and Obserrater,' and C--- --t,' and
Arnicus,' arc particularly solicited, it; addition to ;chat has
previously passed between them and

ONM!M L":.

L. L. L. mill, it is hervi, still con/He in th. scerl,ru that he
first stiputatrif. 11it: corrntions will 1w received s•itl) k :
and hi: information attended to with the defertakce to %%Aid: 4
entitled.