Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1858-08-18
From the Sunday Delta.
REV, John M AND MAFrAT


For twenty -ayo yeas|s rs fruitful in ad.en.
ture, vicssisndss and THE celebrated man
whOse nsanesheads thu q, was the Whitfield Of
the American Pulpit I'm the Penobscot to the
Colorado, from Galena 10 the pillars of the Capitol,
the fame and the victories of the orator oscillated
like the Indian Ocean, the ebb- and flow of which
resembled most the times when Wesly preached in
the Babylons of England Scarcely even in the
Papal City, did one man exercise more potent in-
fuence than in his mid career did John Newland
Natal. Wherever he went, whether in the crowd
ed metropolis or the hushed wilderness whether
the religious atmosphere cold or hot it was one
continued scene of almost miraculous triumph
Friendship converted into feeling akin to ado
ration, and enemies were metamorphosed into
friends.
He had but one hobby-it was that of the Gross,
and as if the vision of Constantine forever be-
fore his eyes, the preacher held in the heaven of his
soul the august and hallowed Emblem Like the
Roman Emperor, he beheld inscribed upon it, in
letters of ineffabe beauty: In this conquer ~
Men recognized in him every where a man, and in
plished what Genius accomplishes among every
nation kindred, tongue and people," 1t is idle to
say that radically corrupt being-a cheat and hyp-
ocrite-a knave clothed in saccrdotal habiments,
could have met with such unbroken triumphs the
moment his feet touched the portico of the Church.
Fraties he unquestionab!y had, but who had great
er temptations laid to ensnare aud entrap them?
AT length far away in the land of Bienville, hun
Jed down, with faded reputation, stricken and i'll.
but with unblenching spirit and unabatng fire, the
| orator of quarter Of century lay down to die!
The malaria Of death was IN his nostrs and the in.
evitable hour had come. Would he swing loose
| without hope of immortality? would he dash
headlong into the vast ocean of eternity, when the
bosom of the great deep was swelling. distorting,
bursting in the agony Of the storm! Or. would he
leave the world With that tranquil chivary, which
always characterzes the Christian worshipper! ST.
| 1eucp1 (TeniuS is uOOn the rack
With his dying breath he declared himself CAL
animated man. Thou slal.derer, think of thai! He
said that during his pastoral life he had been guilty
| of many frivolous, but criminal aets-forgsye his
enemies. expressed unalterab!e trust in the Ma
ker of the Stars, and did not doubt but that all
would be aceu
Thus passed away John Newand Maffat and if
the reader will visit Tonminvile, from whence can
he seen the spires of Mobile in unobtrusive
grave in that tranquil village, his eyes will rest upon
the spot where sleeps the most splendid Pulpit Ora
tor like to be seen in half century to come! The
star which arose in the East the bright waters
of the deep and silent Shannon. culm ated in the
American heaven, and went down in the West
Upon a postmortem examination, the left wall Of
the heart was found to be worn to the consistence
of thin paper. The physician, schooled in the
subtletes Of his art, wonld give this condition Of
the heart term known in medical science, but we
have a much less technical name for disaster like
this, happening under the circumstances. to the
organization long and powerfully worked upon,
struggling against SANDER and vituperation, which
creating emotions Of anguish almost unutterable,
sending the crimson tide with seething violence
along might brenk the heart ard " loosen the silver
cord"
With few words about Mr. Mafat's powers Of
oratory and we have done. He was pre-em;nenty
an orator. 1t was faction action! action !! .
that made him "vital in every part in the pulpit
He has been accused of theatrical gesture, tone and
attitude. Granted. Where do look for accom-
plished defamation, fautess attitude and eSticula
tion and pleasing vocal infection, but to the acto,
and the theatre? One may be eloquent, but yet nj
orator. Demosthencs Chatham. Patrick Henry
were orators, and Maffat modelled after the great
masters. He spoke with the inspiration of Isaiah
all the emotions all the passions were painted be-
fore the eye as upon an intensified canvass.
He had not, like Bascomb, world range Of
thought, power like that of the old giants who
threw mountains at the gods; nor had he a voice
like him, deep, sonorous and uprising Handel
anthem, rolling its organ thunder,
"The Wrath, the delegated voice of God"
Less terrible and less powerful than this grea
divine, Mr. Maffat was, beyond controversy, a NOR.
elegant and finished elocnonist-the most poetical
" gifted of the twain. We do not say that Malta
had no power-his wonderful sway over the minds
of men-the innuncrabie captives which he bounc
to tie victorious chariot of Christianity, prcclud,
such conclusion.
Rapid yet distinct IN articulation, sultlng I'M
word to the action and the action to the word in
moment, by liquidty of vocal information, he soft
ened down the asperities of human nature, subduet
the heart, and melted it to tenderness.
There was bestriding the White Horse of tn
Apocalypse to ride, Alcxanderlike, into the mystic
ries crud,ies and inexplcable doctrines of theolog
ic rre. The orator settled in the conviction that tn
auditory took upon trust that validity of the Bibl
and the grand principles of Immortality illuminating
it's pages, plunged at once into the subject. II
played upon the passions like necronancer, an
overturned, by the vehemcnce and visor Of his ele
quence, the prejudices which other men could nc
control.
In the after time, when the potent wand Of preju
dice shall be broken-that after-time which neve
fails to consecrate-far Carlyle says, "Men cruc
fy their goods and worship them af,erwards!"-th
Historian of the Church will pause to think, no,
one alternately caressed like Whitfield and denour
ced like Mirabcau, gained wonderful an ascer
dancy over some of the first intellects of his ag
and dragged thousands with him to the Altar an
the Baptism! The response is easy. 1t was tn
triumph of Genius-Genus notwithstanding til
faults and the fraities which ever its heritag
still Genius illuminated and directed by the prime
Piles and behests IF Christianity.