The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1854-03-25
1)ulpit 5kctfI)cs.
For The Cecil Wing.
Sketches Of Popular Preachers;
No. z.
CHARLES W.iDSWORTH.

'And is TINT the great Walsworth," cx-
claimed DR.. Cooper as we walked arm in arm
out of the church. corner of Tenth and Arch
streets, Philadelphia. well well ! l am
disappointed.
'.And knew You would be" we replied,
''his week night lectures do not exhibit his
pccularities: you must hear him on the Sab
bath"
"But see" he continued, "no exhibition
ortlought, no dement's of power, no bursts of
cloqucnrc."
..llc has no bursts" said we.
Sill the DIR. was wrong, the skeleton did
show housht-closc, careful thought: but
our Rev. gentleman is poor cxtcmporizcr,
consequently the skeleton was but poorly sup
piled with flesh and blood, yet it was lirme
! skeleton, which is more than can DO said OF
some other skeletons we wot of.
But the suflragcs of the public attest that
Mr.. Wadsworth possesses pulpit power, what
ever may be its clements. lie was star in
the Theological Seminary at Princeton. Reg
ulariy as histu,n came round the chapel was
crowded; and many from the College who
seldom or never attended the preaching of
other Students crowded to hear him. Among
the Theological students there at that time,
was little llishman of the bull terrier sort,
1--WE Use this in good sense, and in the de-
bates which took place during the week, and
in which the sermons of the preceding Sab
bath were discussed he was wont to array
himself against BRO Wadsworth's" style.
81 tell you" lie would say with trc,peE-
dous emphasis, Il tell you, it wants thunder
and lishtning-therc' not enough of the war
horse in it,"
| Poor Ellow, he is-dcar only knows where.
for ire don't, while Wadsworth is the ccntrn!
sun of a glorious radiance. But this, we are
reminded, is too often the fate of critics. We
arc heartily glad we arc not one of ON.
! We have more than once been asked
''wlrat are Nr. Wadsworth's peculiarpointS."
lie has 10 pcculidr points. We see nothing
in him we have not seen in others; but we
never saw his like. If we were asked to give
the prominent features Of bis style as preach
or we should do so thus. Eminent spiritual-
ty, some degree of novelty both in the scl,c-
ton and handling of subjects, transparency
oflanguage and charming felicity of illus
tration. These are not peculiar but Ecy sell
dom meet in one man. lie has less imagina-
ton than fancy; he can adorn better than
create. lie has strong domestic feelings and
sometimes sweeps with a gentle hand the
| chords of these feelings in other hearts. We
have heard him SO describe the grave Of Ii
tie child by the Lake shore as to m,lt his ar
istocratic audience to tears.
lie is far from Icing graceful; for more
awkward man in the pulpit we never saw.
HIS voice is neither pleasant or well modula-
tod; it slides sometimes into half whining
monoton. Yet these defects set of noe
st,ikinsly his BEAUTIES. They arc the shades
which show up the lights Of the picture. His
power of illustration, his chief characteristic,
we never saw sur assod: his illustrations aic
most happily adapted to the subject. Occa-
S'onally there is an out-tlaShing of wit,
or sly twinkling of humor in his sermons:
the veins are there but never worked, only
struck now and then in following the lead Of
more precious ore. We remember a passage
in charity sermon preached during the jon
ny Lind mania.
"Some of you heard Jenny Lind-you said
She sang OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
and one said she sang as swcctly as an Angel.
Oh ! had you taken that ten dollars and gone
with our Missionary to that Alley, up in that
garnet, i'll that dim and poorly furnished room
where a widowed mother keeps sad vigils over
her dying child, and poured it into her lap,
then as you gazcd into her slistcning eyes
while her lips vainly struggled to speak the
upgushing gratitude of her heart, which tears
alone could tcll--tllcn you would have heard
singing-sinsing in your thanksgiving as
sweet as any Angcls'-at least, as any that
ever Travelled on Rail Road OF stopped at
Hotel"
Nor is he without irony and sarcasm,
though they are seldom used. Who, that
heard, will ever forget his sermon on Attic
ism? lIcpicturcd the various classes of Athc-
lists bowling down to the personifcations of
their several theories, and Oh what horrible
gods to worship; the soul shrank back APP
pallcd. We know of two skeptioal medical
students who heard him that morning and
who were ever afterwards, We believe, mute
of their skepticism.
His preaching is generally pointed; Selling
the truths of the GOSPEL, he phys the heart
with force and imprcssivcncss the most
lctharsic conscience cannot cvadc; his inn
mcnsc congregations sometimes seem TO quail
and trcmble before Tic man of God, rs he
sands like Moses upon Sinai amid the thun-
ders and lightnngs of the law. And yet it is
not Moscs-iathcr it is Elijah with the solem-
mites of'thc still small voice.
We shall quote some characteristic passa-
gcs from Thanksgiving Sermon; the immc.
date subject is the man ofthe age.
1.-The citizen Of such a country, in gloh n