Literary cadet, and Saturday evening bulletin. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1826-1827, 1826-05-06

ttute alike Of talents aud education. are, because
they are pious, intrusted with the pastoral care Of
Churches and Societies, and instead of being useful,
they are positively detrimental to the cause, in
which they engage, with a hope Of correcting the
morals Of the age, and Of winning souls to Heaven.
Whilst their piety entitle them to the veneration
and friendship of the world, it is to be lamented
that they have not the power to persuade and to
convince but on the contrary, do scarce else, than
provoke, by their ignorance aud plumbers, the leviiy
of young minds and instead Of %imbuing youth with
moral reflections, they only excite their contempt
for the precepts of the gospel. There is no task so
difficult as is that Of reforming men, and of enforc-
Ing a bellefin Christianity; and if the tact be admit.
ted, it necessarily follows, that none but the ables,
Of men, should undertake the consummation of that,
which requires so much e~xertion, eloquence and
learning.-A man may be pious, and yet incapable
Of imparting his feelings aud sentiments to his fellow
mortals, and unless he possess the attributes Of per-
suading, and convincing the multitude, that a life of
sinfulness necessarily produces misery here and here
after, his labors Of love are thrown away---are lost
NbSA eS "'hN >Ni iSh siou'a always W Sio-
quent for where We wish to persuade, we must en-
force our arguments with warm and imprisoned
la~ngusge-with a language that will c~nptIvate the
heart and subdue the passions. 1t was for this, that
st. Paul was distinguished before all the rest of the
Apostles, and it was for this that a Masillon and a
Bourdaloue were celebrated and admired. Nature
may make a man an orator, but she never mad.
d scholar; and without the aid Of education, oratory
loses its effect, and is too often deprived of its charms.
In our own town, to our credit be it said, we have
clergymen who possess the gifts of oratory, and the
rich establishment of Literature and Science men
who maintain the first rank among the clergy of the
country.
Let it not be supposed, by these remarks, which
have incidentally been called from us, that we are
disposed TO offer any i'll natured words in relation
to the American Clergy. Such a constr ction plac-
ed upon our language, would be as unjust as un-
generous, ard as foreign from our views, as is "Athe-
ISM from our creed. We venerate the Clergy but
we are not prepared to carry our generation so far,
as to lead us to believe, that their profession is not
susceptible of amendment, or that it is not i~ndispen-
supiy hSSessa'y tuhld SieTS Nutu sHOulu De euuCa-
ted, to enable him to expound the gospel-or TO en-.
able him to command the attention and respect of
those whom he may address.
| have been, my dear S, on an excursion
through the counties which lie along the eastern
side ofthe Blue Ridge. A general description of
that country and its inhabitants may form The sub
Ject ofa future letter. For the present, must en-
terrain you with an account OF ii most singular and
inf ~ N alu out xubt,h I ,,a, .-I = Al
course Of the tour.
IL was one day, as | travelled through the county
OF Orange, that my eye was caught by a cluster of
horses tied near q ruinous, OLD wooden house, ia the
forest, not tar from the roadside. Having frequent
iy seen such objects before, III travelling through
these States, l had no difficulty III understanding
that this was a place Of religious worship.
Devotion alone should have stopped me, to Join
in the duties of the congregation; bItI must con-
tess, that curiosity to hear the Preacher OF such a
wilderness, was not the least of my motives. On
entering, | was st!'ck with his pre,ernatural APP
pearance. He was a tail and very spare old man
his head, which was covered with "a white linen
cap, his shrivelled hands, aud his voice, were all
shaking under the influence of palsy and a few
moments ascertalned TO ne that he was perfectly
blind.
The first emotions which touched my breast, were
those Of mingled pity and veneration. But an sa-
cred God how soon were all my feelings changed
The lips of Plato were never more worthy Of a
prognostic swarm of bees, than were the lips of this
holy man Ii was a day of the administration OF the
sacrament and his subject, ofcourse, was the pas
sion of our Saviour. had heard the subject ham
died a thousand times had thought It exhausted
long ago. Little did | suppose that in the wild
woods of America, ! was to meet with a man whose
eloquence would give TO this topic a new and more
sublime pathos, than ] had before witnessed.
AS he descended from the pulpit, to distribute the
mystick symbols, there was u peculiar, a more than
human solemplty in his air and manner, which made
my blood run cold, and my whole frame SILVER.
He then drew a picture of the suffering Of our Sa-
vior his trial before Plate his crucifxion and
his death. knew the whole history but never,
until then, had heard the circumstance so select
ed, so arranged, so coloured II was all new and
seemed to have heard ii for the first time in my life.
His enunciation was so deliberate, that his voice
trembled on every syllable and every heart in the
assembly trembled in unison. His peculiar phrases
had that force of description, that the.original scene
appeared to be, at that moment, acting before our
eyes. We saw the very faces of The Jews the
staring, frighttul distortions OF malice and rage
ofindignation; and my hands were involuntarily
and convulsiyely clenched.
But when he came TO touch on the patience, the
forgiving meekness of our saviour when he drew,
TO life, his blessed eyes streaming in tears to heav-
en- his voice breathing to God, a soft and gentle
prayer of pardon ON his enemies, i" Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do"-the voice
Of the preacher, which had all along faltered, grew
fainter and fainter, until his utterance being entire
ly obstructed by the force OF his feelings, he raised