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    Untitled Article

    To touch the passions let your style be plain ' j The praise of Virtue asks a higher strain : Yet sometimes tlie pathetic may receive The utmost force that eloquence can give ; As sometimes , in eulog'iums , ' tis the art , With plain simplicity to win the heart . 'Xis not enough " that what you say is true , To make us feel it , you must feel it too . Shew your self wamfd , and that will warmth impart To every hearer ' s sympathizing * heart . When honest Fester , Virtue does enforce , All give attention to the warm discourse j But who a cold , dull , lifeless drawling

    keeps , One half his audience laughs , the other sleeps . In censuring" Vice he earnest and severe , In stating dubious points concise and clear 5 Anger requires stern looks and threatning " style , But paint the charms of Virtue with a smile . These different changes common sense will

    teach , And we expect them from you , if you preach ; For should your manner differ from your theme , Or on quite different subjects he the same , DespisM and laugh * d at , yoa must travel down , And hide such talents in some country

    town . It much concerns a preacher first to learh The genius of his audience , and their turn . Amongst the citizens he grave and slow - Before the nobles let fine periods flow 5 The Temple Church asks Sherlock ' s souse and skill ;

    Beyond the Tow ' r—no matter—what 3011 will . In facts or notions fetch'd from sacred writ Be orthodox , nor cavil to shew wit : is so

    Or if your daring ^ onius bold To teach newdoctrir . es , or to censure old , With care pracced you tread a dangerous paih ; Error estahli&hM , £ rows established faith . 'Tis easier much , and jnueh the safer rule , To teach in p dip it what you learnt at school 5 With zeal defend whate v er the Church

    "believes , If you . o : » eci : to thrive , or wear lawn sleeves . Some loudly bluster , and consign to hell All who dare doubt one word or syllable Of what thev cai ! the faith ; and which

    extends To whims and trifles without i ! se or ends : Sure ' tis much nobler , and more like divine , T ' enlarg-e the path to heaven , than to confine .

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    Insist alone on useful points or plain And know , God cannot hate a virtuou s Man . If yon expect or hope that we should stay Your whole discourse , nor strive to slink away ; Some venial faults there are you must avoid To every age and circumstance allied . A pert young Student just from college brought , With many little pedantries is fraught : Reasons with syllog-ism , persuades with wit , Quotes scraps of Greek instead of sarrpfl

    writ ; Or deep immers'd in politic debate , Reforms the Ckurch , and guides the tottering- State . Those trifles with maturer age forgot , Now some good lenefiee employs his

    thought ; He seeks a Patron , and will soon incline To aU his notions civil or divine ; Studies his principles both night and day , And as that scripture glides , must preach and pray . Av rice and age creep on : his rev ' rend mind

    Begins to grow Right-reverendly inelin'd ; Power and preferment still so sweetly call , The voice of Heaven is never heard at all : Set but attempting bishopric in view , He ' s strictly orthodox and loyal too 3 With equal zeal defends the Church and State , And infidels and rebels share his hate .

    Some things are plain , we can ^ t misunderstand ; Some still obscure , tbo' thousands have ex - plain'd : Those influence more which reason cau ^ conceive , f Than such as we thro faith alone believe : > In those we judge , in these you may de-1 ceive r ^ But what too deep in mystery is thrown , The wisest preachers choose to lot alone , How Adam ' s fault affects all human k ' wtf-How Three is One , and One is Three combin d j How certain Prescience checks not fntnre will ;

    And why Almighty Goodness suffers ill ; Such points as these lie far too dee ? man , Were never well explain ed « or ever can If pastors more than thrice five mm" - * preach , ,

    Their sleepy flocks begin to yawn — stretch . Never presume the name of God to hnK As sacred sanction to a trifling th " * " - " Before , or after sdrmon , hymns oi pra ^ - Exalt the soul , and true devotion raise ,

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    37 ft Poetry .

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 2, 1815, page 378, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1761/page/50/