Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-05-12
Rev. Henry @. Guinness "A sansulnary

Il sarN III - Sermon. htf I
The curiosity Of the church-goers of Gin
cinnati has been exercised this week in en-
deavors to discover how, when and where
Rev. Henry Q. Guinness, who came here
with great fanfaronade Of trumpets, as a
| powerful, an eloquent and impressive clergy
man, obtained his reputation. We have
heard him, and must conclude he has preached
very differently elsewhere, or have had very
| opposite auditories from those who have
listened TO him here, when he obtained such
extended fame.
Thursday evening last, at Wesley Chapel,
he delivered sermon on 1.-THE eAtonement'-
we can only conjecture that this was his
| theme-because we did not hear his text. and
stated that the whole Bible, from beginning
to end, In every. verse and chapter, almost,
was marked by blood, and that only by blood
| could man be saved. He must give up his
life, his whole spirit, his entire soul to God,
If he would escape damnation and the wrath
to come. Man was born TO sin; he erred as
naturally as stone fell to the earth; he was
so wrapped up in, and absorbed by, wicked
ness that nothing but an interposition of the
Holy Ghost could tear him from the meshes
Of his guilt.
This was really all the Reverend gentleman
said, though he interlarded his discourse with
appeals to the fear of mortals and represented
the awful tortures to which the lost would be
subjected in the next world. This appears to
be Mr.. Guinnesss forte. We hear little, or
nothing, Of Gods love- but are constantly
told Of his power, his anger, his vengeance;
thus giving to those disposed 20 take most
amiable view of the Almighty, n sense of
repugnauce that would seem very much op-
posed 70 the spirit of conversion.
MT. GUINNESS narrowly escapes belief, we
should judge, in the total depravity of man,
and thinks he can only be saved by Divine
grace from the flames of an eternal hell His
faith is dark and stern enough for John CAL
win himself, and if he be correct therein, we
fear the poor mortals on this planet have ex-
tremely little reason to hope for salvation.
de, doubtless, thinks himself right and is
sincere In his belief but his doctrines sound
singularly in this age of increased liberation
and enlarged federation. He may have
good influence on his hearers, and induce
them to sue for pardon for their wicked ways;
but one would ordinarily suppose his audi
tors would be startled, and turn away from
the terrible pictures he draws of Gods JUS
tice and mercy. ...-
The Reverend gentleman has good voice,
though he manages 1t badly, and is too prone
to mouth, and deliver his sentences in a
forced and monotonous, almost sing-song
manner. We often failed to catch his words
on account of his indistinct cadences which
with his odd pronunciations, are calculated
to render him at times altogether unintel-
ligible. He calls creature, creechah; head,
hade; debt, date; blood, blawd; forever, for
evah; God, Gawd, and takes various other
orthoepic liberties unauthorized either by
Webster or Worcester. He has a strange
mode of presenting his idea over and over
again, often in the same language, and wear
ries one by his verbosity. Judging from the
number of persons who dropped off one by
one Thursday evening, both to sleep and out
OF the church, he could not have interested
many OF his hearers any more than he did us.
he appears to us quite ordinary and very
tedious, and we would not like to engage
ourselves to hear him again if by any common
sacrifice we could avoid the infliction.