The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1872-11-30

son ION dTeIS rngth, and with a force opH.
t tiro ttIEo 10 that carried. aWay oo T"r
'E Th thG M and heartsof his ne" Lovr
drawn WIN of sifEEiAsgtlinss W anH convey %y b"t g
a very, lmperfe 1eaof it when taken az i, St
Il Whole IheSS sufficient, however,
10 ShoW the SCopSX his argumen1, an"
tnG sweep OF thdAht necessarily az nn
grand Il theme. In u Investigation OIL
the subject, Mr.. WIN son proved nm
sell fully equal to the E4fculties WHICH,
at frSt, seemed to encOS him, NV
which, in his hands, am seAeaL
light OF his inspired in+plG U%b5
before the O~utbeamingS III ne trntT
even as the shadows Of nj, Ike Mt the
bright dawning of the risik5H
1t would be impossible f. con-
yey to the reader an adeuIt 81 Bmcen-
ton of the impression madtsSSf bon tie
AUDIENCE by this mastcrlye brit. To
oe FULLY appreciated, it sh08ild have
been heard. There is startling vivid
ness III MIR. WllkinsOn'S OratOry, and a
pleasing and effective aptness in his
geStICulatlOnS and attitudes, that rem
der ms preaching peculiarly attractive
anu impressive. The scenes of beauty
ana VISIONS OF sublimity pictured to his
mind, and spread Out in panoramic
dlstlnctneSS before the mental gaze, not
u~ntreQuently leave the minds of his
hearers III a state Of electrified anxiety
to have those bright pictures of celes-
tai beauty and grandeur indclihly da-
g~uerreOtyped upon the heart and con-
science.
Those who listened to him on Sabbath
last, will not soon forget the impressions
made upon them by his manner and
his utteranceS, especially in that Dor
ton OF his SermOn where his gaze ap-
pearcd directly into the faT-otf regions
OF which he was 81 elOquently diScours-
ing, while his soul, agitatrd, us it were,
with a joyful turbulence, seemed en-
tranCed, and not SO much by the out
ward loneliness of those radiant worlds,
far above and beyond the high emmy
rean, where the bluc-girdlcd stars sleep
III their robes Of Snpernal beauty, us
with the hidden spirit-the occult mys-
FERROUS essence of the heavenly-which
lay concealed as if by a shadow, or. at
least, underneath alIthc matcrialloveli-
ness which broke upon his enraptured
VISION, and pictured to the mind of the
listener III all the gorgeous drapery of
inspired thought. In that moment Of
heavenly enthusiasm, he stood before
his audience with extended arms. IN
lifted eyes and strained vision, rcceiv-
ing the divine revelations as they came
to him from those burning Orbs of
light. and parting, as it were, with in
spircd hand the veil that concealed the
exceeding glory which he had before
but dimly seen, rose higher and higher
IN a snper-mrmdane region, far ND in
the intinitude of space, from whence
there came heavenly thoughts in large
dictiOn, and brilliant images of far
away spheres, all crOwding the mind of
the nearer, and lmrrying him along
with the whirlwind of an elOquence
which seemed to intensity his ~reverent
soul, and press imagination on until it
stood before his audience transfigured,
and luminous with the O~ut-raying SPLEEN
doris Of the new and gloritied earth.
E~Xtravagant as this estimate of Mr..
Wilkinson's discourse may appear to
the careless, unthinking nearer, yet we
feel confident that it will receive the
hearty approval of every intelligent,
appreciative mind that heard it, and
which will long remember it as a bril-
liant effort Of Il most worthy and gifted
pulpit orator and divine.