The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1854-04-15
|)ulpit 5ketfI)rs.
IOr Tie Cecil I'Mg.
Shetches Of Popular Preachers:
+. Il. STOCKTON.


and Wood SIS. Philada.. we prepared for
feast of fat things i'll the way Of clolucncc.
Whom we entered few were present., but the
congregation coming in rapidly the church
WAS completely till,d sometime before the
hour Of ~trii"c.
If The character of the audience reflects the
character # he preacher, and this i: do,b.-
less truc To some extent, then high opinion
u priot' might lc formed Of Mr. Stockton, for
certainly Il more intelligent congregation than
this rarely ASSEMBLIES. The hour Of prya a.
ing arrived. when the preacher stepped for
ward fom lchiIid tllc massive columns facing
the recess and introduced the exercises. 1t
was the first limnc We lad ever seen him and
earnestly, closely did we : an his personal
appearance. His figure was tall and 1--WE can
think of no bette. word) gho>,ly. Wiih the
exception Of finally formed forehead and
large expressive eyes. there was nothing in
hi; man"c: or appearance at all prcpoS'cS,;in@.
The >ickly lock and lanG,h movement If The
naneX 'i;,d our sympathy Lat lead lis to fear
~ Disappointment. Nor was !li> fear in the
least abatcl by the manner in which lie read
HE hymns and offered the prayer introducing
he discourse. These through, he rose, slow
" oI cMct the Bible. anmcunc,d his text. aud
lrcct,I,,! to lay of his S,lhicct-tlic .lSc,n-
SIGN Of Christ. We could not perhaps, give
an idcl Of his slow, measured mode of utter
anrc. better than hyr,ir:r'ing 10 Tie ancc;!utc
of an old lady whose pastors words came so
slowly t!at me one said lie could count for
ty between them, she replied that it was "a
gross SANDER because she lad tired several
times and could never count more than if
teen"
Added to this - w u.t,rHncr Mr.. Stockton
had = constant rocking motion and al the
Same time was playing awkwardly and, o.
caSionally to his confusion, with Il book
marker which was lying i'll the Bible. is
this Mr.. Stockton said we involuntalily and
with feeling Of disappointment closely boz
,lcring on TO disgust. But his manner soon
changed, when or how we cannot say. we he
came 50 completely abSoll led in the subject
a,i; opened and advanced that the man was
lost sight of. though we have some rccollcc-
tionS Of his impaSSicnod &C Stur,S and start
ling in,oTat;,nS. The Iuoiat,n d dat scr
mon was one Of the grindcs. pictures we ever
listened to, il WAS lofty sweep ola >anrtiti,d
Imagination. We subsequently heard him
several times, bat he always manifested more
sclfroSscs>ion in Ike pulpit than app,ard On
the above named occasion.
His voice is; lcnarkabl. FORTS compass,
sometimes it falls softly and sw,cllv upon tn,
car as the li>pngS of child, again it rises and
>wclls with stunning force: and ,v,ry in',rnr-
diatc tone >c, ms ,crit ely at command and a.
vaahc on every nc died. oc ';,Son. This is
doubtless one secret Of his olatoriral power
If lie l'a' occasion 10 quote the words eta child
or the sick or dying, his Voice will give th,m
- life like effect. Perhaps. there is no living
l";,n no can describe with so much power
the tviun.AS Ct II dying saint. Another
charm Of his delivery is his language. lie is
..ir, ,hud that ..lcnGcth beside still waters"
The al stream Of language flows sWcc,ly.
softly Oh, having tllo Scul with hullnwing and
refreshing influence. Ii is not only clear bat
often beautiful and even nagniluprciit. His
gestures too. adj not Il little to the effect: they
arcIrw, but high, appropriate and impressive.
lie was once, in the st. George VI. l.. Church
i'ha,l,., describing the rise If the Star Of
Ecthlrhcin and no one thcn present will ever
forget Low Mach Of beauty and l,w,r WAS
aided to the general description by that lolg
arm and index finger with It's graceful sweep
i!om the horizon to the zenith.
On another occasion, in a Temperance Ice
tnlc he described the execution ola murderer
whom he att,ndld-the whulc scene WAS
brought visible before the cvc-you could see
the hatclct upli!cd TO eat the fatal colrl--hcar
the blow-thc rattlin" ofthc wcights--wh,n
quickly Htraitcnng himself up with lii; arms
behind Iii: head slightly inclined the speaker
stood before us as still and pale and motion
less as q corpse The stroke was sudden IN
expected: drill s!.ot through Tic assembly
aud All involuntary Shrek upon the part Ct
his arauditors attt>.cd the power of the ORE
tor.
The peculiar .togtc + Mr.. Stockton ISL
POWER Of description. His powers Of reason
ing, Of anal USES and generalization are by no
means remarkable. As he unrol.S his :, b
.lcct il may strike You that mo.r than usual
care has been used III determining The arrange
mcnt and fixing the relation If the several
parts, bat beyond this, and "A certain felicity
of expression, nothing arrests the attention as
worthy Oi s. .c.lnl notice until some loint is
reached which brings into exercise hi. dcs-
cliptiyc powers, then tic man-thc genius
springs, lliMcrya-likc, full armed into ytw.
Ii might sometimes be said that his doe i,,-
lions are over wrought, but the intense tarr-
,stncsS Of the man, and the appropriateness
81 every illustration, and figure, gives all lc
d cS sag an attra"tiycncSs not to be- resisted.
! Mike DR.. Durbin, before named, or the Rcy.
H. W. Bccchcr, he rarely attempts 10 describe
natural scenery or characters, but in desert
hng events or actions, and especially those