Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1856-04-03
Instances Of Pulpit EIoquence. :

5 In the life of John Flavel, a renowl
n ed dissenting preacher Of England,it
said "one of those omens, which al
n supposed to announce future em
a nence, accompanied his birth. /
g pair Of nigbtingales made their mes
lon the window Of the chamber of bi
mother, and with their delicious note
Sang the birth of him, whose tongu'
sweetly proclaimed the glad tiding'
which gave songs in the night.
cannot assert that the oratorica
distinction of John G. Burris wa:
preceded by any such incident, bul
it has seldom been my fortune to
hear more melliauous and sedatiye
speaker, In very early life, a stu.
dent in Washington city, | heard the
famous Summerfeld, ayoung Meth
odist itinerant. His face and form
we're Of womanly, almost Of angelic
beauty. A divine lustre beamed
from his eyes. His clear, full, sono-
| rous voice, fell like the tones Of a
mountain bell one moment, and,
anon, came crashing laundering
down, with terrible effect on the star
tied masses, forcing them to cry
aloud and crowd together, with up
lifted arms, as though for shelter
from an impending avalanche. His
eloquence shook sin from its citadels
aud dragged vice and fashion from
their "pride of place" The sensa-
ton produced was tremendous. Null
titudes followed bis footsteps As a
field preacher he towed alongside of
Whitfield; but he soon went down to
the grave, consumed by his own fire,
and called to higher sphere for
some inscrutable purpose.
1t is related of Bossuet, that when
he pronounced the funeral sermon of
the Princess Henrietta aud described
her dying agonies, the whole audi
ance rose from their seats, with ter
ror in every countenanoe.
When Massilon assembled the pulpit
on the death of Louis XIV, be con-
templated for a moment the impress
sive spectacle chapel draped in |
black the magnificent mausoleum
raised over the bier-the dim 'bntl I
vast apartment filled with the troph-
les Of the glory Of the morfareh, and |
with the most illnstrious persons Of
the kingdom. He looked down on
the gorgeous scene beneath, then
raised his arms to heaven and said,
in solemn subdued tone, '.Mes feres
Dieu seuel est grand" God oaly. is
great. With one impulse, all the au-
dance arose, turned to the altar and
bowed. m.
When DR.. Hussey preached at
Waterford, on the small number Of
the elect. he asked whether, if the
arch Of Heaven we're to opens and
the Son Of Man should appear to
Judge his hearers it we're "4uite GER
tain that three-that two-nay,
trembling for myself as well as for
you, is 1t certain that one Of u.s." he
exclaimed ia voice of thunder,
@would be saved?' During the
whole of this apostrophe, the audi
ance was organized. At the ulti-
mate interrogation, there was agen.
eral shrek, and some fell to the
ground.
M. Brioaine, a French missionary,
and the peer of the most renowned
orators of that eloquent nation,
preached a sermon at Bagnole. AT
the end of it he lifted up his arms
and thrice cried in a loud voice, 0
Eternity! At the third repetition
Of this awful cry, the whole party fell
on their knees. During three days,
CONSERVATION pervaded the town.-I
In the public places, young and old
were heard crying aloud, Mercy! oh
Lord, Mercy! I
The measure known as the "retal-