Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1845-08-28

49, wv
LAND Hut, JANIS SHERMAN AND tnWARn
lRrINa.
believe thai few persons will perusr this number o
my sketches who do mol knlw RowLAsp Int. by IL
P"'e' ana who have not heard of his dfnll aud WITTY say
inGs, aud of HIS eccentric department aud actions. / nrv
ef remember 10 have heard hin preach mere Than once
aud that was when he was dawInu near To the elpse nj
his long and useful career. think this must h,ya
been about eighteen hundred and twenty seven or eiuhi,
nut Il" MT preciSely romenarr the year, aud as am
not one who would cry "a fig loi daies,' will not com.
MT myself by a mere ''gnes,." When heard him. il
was on the occasion ii his paying his last visl IN Bristol
I accompanied my mother, one Sunday morning. 10 ~.
On Chapel, OF as II is better known IN Bristol, Mr. iiare's
chapel. that gentleman having bull it. 10 ser aud hear
The celebrated man. After VIZ had been seated in the
crowded Chapel Tor a liule tine. lhn vesiry door op ned
and Mr.. Hill emerged fam =, an1 with a very slow aud
ieehle step, assembled The pulpi stairs.
And, Thought !. as | lookeJ al him, can thu, he he Of
whom | have heard such quaint anecdotes. whp has civ
en- birth IN 50 many witty eoncetis. and whose very
name had cuine 10 have a unel,lng comical associated
with NJ Could that be the man mhnm some prulano
and hearlless sefibhler had called The Nleff, Andrew Of
HE pulpit ies-il was ven so-hul let me describe
him. :.
lie appeared TO be Of the middle heiuht. and aahis
old wriokled hand nervously clntcled thu raihna Of The
staircase, could see 1t tIenhle 50 that the balns,rair
shook as II IN sympathy. There was a considerable
stoop III his shoulders. aud hs knees were scarcely able
10 support the weight of his bfokrn down, almost worn
- 10y '"N ''''1 wv W. 2lFN WI ,
sanding mp hair. conbed directly backward from his
forehead, which was covered all over with deeply fur
iowed lines, aud from his temples. Tho nnse washing
ad agnllihe, the mouth snnhen. the lips retfacted aud
sinsll-lhe fire ol his eyes had become dHni they booked
pale. and from their ansles lrule streams of rhcum ran
dawn into the channels which time Ind made round the
once keen obs. From The CORNERS ui hs month. too.
The saliva flowed inyoluutauly in other words. the
poor oil gentleman Unveiled. and rs he was helped intu
a high chair, for he could MT stand and preach, thought
II alnesl a ply that he Should encounter The ia lpue Of
going through the pulp exercises.
lie was assisted. IN The preliminary portions of the ser
vice, by 'he regular minister of the chapel. and after they
had been gone through he commenced ms DISCOURSE
but they who were present. and better qral fled Ia iadyr
than !, WIN had never heard him belltr, all agreed tlai
the preacher OF II was not the ltowland Hill ofoiher dnys.
II was. 10 me, almos, painful 10 see that deeayed DID
man mniierin2 almost unlntelllgihle sentences. aud CON
PEELED, nearly every five minutes, Ia remove with his
handkerchief the accumulated saliva from the corners of
his mouth. Ills eye had paled It's fires, and only once
they lighted up with something Of the former bfze IN
tleIn. lie SAID one or two tleerish things, and many
OF the audience began Ia SIN IL and hustle about in their
seats, as II tlrey hoped more was Gaming -aud people
would Turn 10 eacl, other and mad, as much as To say -
lfats It, now he's going 10 he funny just as If they
had gone there 10 see Grimaldi, IN Mother Gnse, and
when the feeble old preacher sunk back, half exhausted,
IN his char. they looked "a Disappointed as # they had
paid bali a crown for IA panto mime. and been cheated out
oi the clown. For my oNn part, | feIt. on The whole.
gralhei at haeln! looked even ON the remains. for II
could be considered nothing more, Of a great and good
man, Who had almost done his generation work. aud was
soon To be gathered III his lnasler's house. lie died not
very long afterwards, "iully ripe"
Although not exact IN the order Of recollection. this
VIII, perhaps. be the most APPROPRIATE place fr a sketch
ol ROWLAND HiLts successor IN the Pastorsh,p of Snrtey
Chapel-Ihe Rev. JAMES -SuERMAs-one Of the mist
attractive pulpit orators IN London, aud even in Enp.
land, and whota no yisher from this country Ia London
should la' 10 hear, II he would, Indeed, ''llslen to the
voice OF a charmer."
Without having any claims To the character Of A pro
found thinker, Mr.. SHERMAN Is one Oh The mnst popnla
and, al the same time, useful preachers of The d,y.
WIN The young he Is an especial tlvorlte; and rpmem
Der me lihie, when, 10 have heard HIM, | would cheer
fully have.walked miles, with un ioiled peas in nv sl,ocs
Fancy, reader. that you are IN Surrey Chapel-bei,er,
or as well known, as Rowland llill's Chanel. in The
Bhckiflars road. 1t Is a spacious, CIRCULAR buIldlnr or
rather, ! think, %octagohal. Iw, tiers ol gnIleties run
all round the wdlis-and these, together with the body
Oh me l haFtl, are nwded 10 suiocation. The ser
wee vi the church of England. slightly modt6ed-Gr
hlr. Sherman belongs 10 the connection NAMED after ,Ie
Countess ii lluutingdon, VINO Funded lis read. and
whilst a hymn Is being glorIously sung, and The notes
OF The organ are resoundlng beneath the domrd roof. The
preacher ascends to The pulpit, behind winch !, a bust,
IN marble, oil Rowland Hin. Thus the lna,p1 face of
INN, who. beI4g dead, yet s~peakelh, /" and the I,yiny
features OF him VIM Is about 10 address them, are bath
seen al a glance. The past and the present are pictured
Oh The mental retlna and The Invitations of him vh,
has passed into the Promised land. seem 10 blend with
wv u HIS SittfNrtf, llhi lnpN he tullDWpTs
Vi those "ho through iaIlh and patience. are now inner.
ltlng the promises.
Inc preacher Is tall, and clad in pulpit habilineels.
Ills hsnre Is graceful aud dl2niGe t.. lis head ia ul a ~.
fund formation, and Is covered win dark curly hair
seen IRON e pul PIT, there is an Indispensable sweetness
Ia countenance, iIheieatures OF which, taken separately.
would be almost plain. ! except the ewes. which are
dark, brilliant and expressive Of any feeling which
sooIhes or agitaies the mind OF their owner.-IJe
Commences his sermon by reading the text in a dis
llmrl uiusIcal yuIrp and than ,,ith,,, H.. - -.
he proceeds III a discourse ~ which the atleniinn Of he
most careless nearer becomes rlyeied until it Terminates.
AS an apt quoter Of scripture, he surpasses every one of
whom have ever heard. His action IN the pulpll is re-.
markedly graceful aud unaffected, aud never saw any
one who 50 completely demonstrated wllal Will venture
10 call the %elaquence Of the hdhd. by The means ui this
otaiofical aid, he frequently produces the most startling
effects. and the happest resulls--but he does not hpend
On such adventurous resources. lis eloquence is he eo
qnence Of truth, clad in lis most Attractive dress. procecd-
my directly iron the heart, s. 10 the hearts of his hearers it
consequently finds lls way. lie is not what iscilled
"fowery' IN his discuuIses, YET his style is .su Hi ,ienily
o nate-Itis redolenl Of sweets, but 1t clogs moi. His ser
mons have not The massive grandeur which distinguish
es ihose OF JAY, nor Me bursts Of vehement eloquenre
PARSONS delights IN. There is not ~ them the stern,
vigorous Illustrations OF LiEFCBILD, neither is there the
exquisite polish OF MELVILLE. lie possesses not the
met physical insight and he profound research of IIAR-
Ris, nor the exuberant Imagination Of NEwToN but with
as deep, as genuine a piety as either, he is in pusses
sion Of a charm, exclusively his own. which wins all
men 10 love and admire HIN. Look at him, as he is
painting The glories of the Heavenly world. Ills face
glows with unearthly brightness. as If he is gazing in
al the hall opened golden gates. from whence issue some
beams OF the living light, irradiating his features. Ia
a voice sweeily mpslcsl in all It's Infections and modu-
latiOns, he leads US by living sireaius, and, listening,