The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1857-01-31
miscellaneous,
TIE PULPIT AND THE BAR.


correspondent of the London Christian
Observer, who sIgnS himself "A Barrlstcr,
.huS discusses the reasons, why less interests
arc commonly taken IN sermons than in
speeches ut the Bar.
Gone obvious reason is, think, TO be found
IN the nature and circumstances Of the two
Professions Every clergyman must preach,
out only very lew bhniSters have TO 81 oak
% thai you compare the picked men of the
one profession WITH the tank and file of the
ether, lherr are perhaps. twenty thousand
preaching cltrEyincn IN England. ! do not
hi'k that there are live hundred barrlstcrs
"ho ever open thc'f mouths IN any court,
HVi' or criminal; ana OF those live haudrcd
ar'hanS my ih"h"f"'ze all the business
when requires any considerable power.
10 no. 'lih" you "l'' ma anything more
d'Sn'aI'y hreS"'he IMAM 'I.e speaking OF third
ana ,""r''-'"'c i''''h'e'Hs"' Tue oar. nave
'''a'a, al" sorry 70 say many duIi sermons,
ou' h"F"'y ever heafu sermons as d,ill ana
'""r as 'hc speeches. 10 "h'ch ihaVe listened
II quarter 7cSSI"n9' re'nrt,ner once near
ny " man say YOU N''"w' li'!-S''ch tunes
III '''o 'at''' nan VI S""r' speech III some
'cV'! V'">e'"''n'', Inc popular not'oh oil
hc c'"l''hce 81 pa'rS''rS Is io':ho.d upon
.h''r occasional ana exceptional Efforts Wmch
,'e' no o"n"'' so''e''i'es Oh very nlSh or
'''' n"' '"e'' " compare 'neni WIN Tue
St'e'"a r., ''''"S' VI Se''''o''S 10 oo,'o"S'y I'M
,'r. ihts s''o''o NC compared win l'.t
'"s' preachers aunt however 'la' II
ms eo''P''IS"'' "eiu ~" 1c' inc spcctlcA OF
inc iaME'' "o"'u S'''t ne louna 10 ''i'ereS,
'h''t 'l'''' t''e stl''o'l Oh 'he c'I'el' men, ana
~ 1a'se no"lDcf Oh case ;, h'Sh' oe re'hein'
'"'e" 'nuGn longer Niu inc reasons lor TINS
'., 'A t.''''N' ''''"''o'o'
some OF 'he elehehtS OF forensic eloquencc
no"'o W "'ioN! OUT o! pace III lhe pulpit
y man co"'n not nc WHY th'Ie' nor sarcas-
W. MOI 'a''''''ar' WITHOUT shocking MS audi
nee ! nave read several sermons IN the
magazine called N" ,rcnny Inlpit, by a
VIZ, surgeon hal'iSl N''i'lS'cr' VINO Is
'alo 10 prouhce ''ic most cN'Iaordlhafy SEN
'a''oh on the character OF IL say nothing
IN the congregation. can well believe 1t, as
'hcy are 'n,'rSpcrSrd with the broadtst ana
even sometimes with ire coarScst Jokes: Inc
ch'irc suppression on TINS element III the
i,feaching OF cIeFgymen OF the Church OF
England may DC very night, but 1t certainly
cuts oil the clergy from the source OF interest
o. ut least certain order OF MIND. Now
Mr.. Spurgcon might joke as he pleased at
me Dali ana ne would not md very ias'ld-
!onS or always even reluctant audience.
-. should say. however, that apait from the
greater latitude III the sly of address which
IS allowed to barlistcrs than to clergymen,
The nature of the subject matter ola lawyers
speech gives him a great advantage, as to
direct personal interest over the clcrgymcn.
He is talking Of things with which his audi
encc are thoroughly familiar, and upon which
he makes himself ineligible without an ef.
fort. Every one has clear notion of what
is meant by buying and selling, engaging
servants, hiring houses, stealing sheep, forg-
ing bank notes, and the like: but the clergy
man is constantly speaking Of matters, which
arc hardly susceptible of strict definition, and
from which large part of his audience are
far from attaching distinct definite mean
ing. Now, barrister has almost always to
deal with particulars, and clergy man with
gcncraties. When a barrister has to deal
with gcneralities, he is, to unprefessional