The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1859-06-16
BY DAVIS g. CREWS.
From the Ncac York Observer.
CHALMERS, WHITFIELD, WEsLEY--THE Sc
CRET OF THEIR SUCCESS Ann POWER
By REV. NICHOLAS MURRAY H. II

deputation from Scotland, headed by Er.
Duff, addressed that venerable body, / SIT
10y the side of a member of the deputa,ion
when one of his brethren made an address
IN manner the most excited lie was n
very large man and when he let out his
voice to its full pitch, suited the action to
':he word by heavy stamp with his foo,
upon the platform, it would seem as if the
building and audience trcmLled together
When, dripping With pcrspiration, he con ;,
'cludcd, asked my ncighbor whether that
was fair specimen OF the manner of their
Scottish ministers. lie replied that DR..
Chalmers went often, as far beyond rs tina
went beyond ordinary tameness; and then
gave me an account of speech delivered
by him i'll the General Assembly of Scot
ian'l, during the heated controversies which
led to the disruption. 1t is doubtless the
same speech to which his eloquent son.n-
law and biographcr, DR.. Hannah, ;lIudes
Ill the ! 18th page Of the 4lll volume of
his Efe. The decision of the courts of law
NS f''o"'eeo "o''"sI I''e parry hc'ueu
by Chalmers, and the ablest men Of the
Moderate party were there TO sustain them
Scotland, from the Tweed TO The Olkncvs,
was excited. Al! eyes were tn rnc, towards
the coming Assembly. 1t met, and tho day
Tor the great discussion WIS fixed. 1t arri
we'd, and the big heart ofScolIand was beating
its strongest pulsations. The debate olcued
at ii at noon, TO n house dc nsclv packed.
The Moderates, clerical and lay presented
their case logically and powerfully. When
they concluded, who was to reply? Every
eye turned to Chalmers. AS il in PRAYER
for divine aid, he bowed for few moments
in his seat, during which the vast audience
was brea,hless. lie rose and the cheering
which greeted linn WAS as the sound of
many waters. And the M agnificcnt ora
ton in which he met the courts Of law
and questioned their decisons-in which
lie met his opponents, and gave their argu
ments to the winds-in whlch lie main
t"ined the Independence Of the Church, and
the doctrine Of non intru,on-in which he
asserted if there is Queen in the State
there is King in the Church -occupird
three hours in delivery.
The crisis WAS great ono, and he nohly
met it.. Never was Demoshcncs more elo.
qucnt-paul more fearless never was
Whitfield more successful. L ndcr his all
but inspired periods the vast asscmblare
swayed like Il field Of grain before the
winds Of summer. When Lo concluded
he was wrapt up in cloaks anl sllawls and
taken to an adjoining hou Sc, SO exhausted
rs to render the attention of friends ncccs
sary for several hours. The vo te was taken,
and Chalmers carried whith linn the AS
sembly. And the Free Church sprang into
being-anG Scotland felt that new and
powerful impulse was given to our Chris
tanity, which will be felt for thousand
ages. o, when the mind Of great man
fully balhed in the light of heaven, and
the heart of great man filled with the
love of Christ, arc thoroughly reused, they
can almost turn the world upside down.
And any ordinary man, fully in earnest in
his work, may accomplish wonders.
Since my mind has been able to form
true estimate Of the character of Whitfield
and Wesley they have commanded my
highest admiration. Were l a hero wor-
shipper they would be of those before
whose altars would bow down with pro-
found homage, and upon which | would
offer my costly incense.
Intellectually, they were not the greatest
men Of their day; but as simple preachers
of the gospel, they had no superiors in any
age of the Church, since the days Of Paul.
With their great powers Of mind-w,h
large hearts-wth the most expansive be-
neyolence-wi.h the highest estimate Of
the value of the soul, and the eternal i'm
portance Of lis salvation through Jesus
Christ, they sought to preach the gospel 10
every creature. This was their own object.
There were no efforts to catch applause
zone to be popular with the fashionable
and frivolous-there was no ilowery dietion,
nor gaudy metaphor, mixed up with fanci
fuI descriptions and pretty pictures-there
was no taking of n text for a pretext, and
then running away from it among the
things actual and possible, for material to fill
up q discourse. They were not of the
class Of preachers who tell men that they
must be saved on. general principles =
who talk wisely Of 'volition,' When they
'will'-who expand duty into moral oh.
ligalon,' and thinking and doing into in
tellectual processes and moral powers'-in
whose hands heat becomes 'caloric,' and
'plants and animals'' organized substances.
and a certain man Of the Pharsees,
"a gentleman of the Pharisees'-and the,