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whatever to the character alluded to ; and from their' preaching I come away unimpressed , or even offended ; but there are others whose preachrn £ has made me weep , —aye , Weep my very Heart out ! —and sent me back ttf'&y iHttnfe a new and more virtuous beih ^ than I canre ^ and these are softie of the -tnctst perfect gentlemen that I know— - ^ possessing the
most-entire command over their 4 ; au guea and their * passions , mild and gentle in their demeanour , and tfrost kind and attentive to all who approach them ; Yes ! Sir , I will venture to affirm that , if these men were a whit less gentlemen than they arc , their preaching Would be less effective—less adapted than it undoubtedly is to the moral and the spiritual necessities of all whom they may profess to instruct .
The Watchman is of opinion that " our preachers are not to blame , " but that the whole fault lies in the people , and that " a better state of things cart proceed only from a change in them . ** He Complains that the people are too critical . That they are so in the
manner or to the degree that he means , I very tmVch doubt . 1 do not believe that they are so tnuch disposed as he imagines , to criticise individual expressions , atfd td be satisfied with nothing T > ut what is tti the fnn ' estf and chastest taste . But this "I do know , that in another view they are critical- — they long for more
life , and ^ spirit , and variety in the services bf their ministers ; they long for iribre fire , aud fervour , and devotion , for more ^ strong and Vigorous appeals to the best fee'Hngs ^ of the heart . In this view certainiy * they are critical , and I wish that they were ten times more so than they are : We should then see our
ministers verify Shamed out of the " weak arid' beggarty elements' * of then- present niaiiriei ^ - ^ sname ^ d out of all their tamenesW and insJpidityi' and' rising to something 'that is better , stud brighter , and inbrej ) iofi"iabfe . Such a change as this witt , : Tiam (} c 6 nndent , come about , and it is a Change vfpictt will proceed from the peopte \ heda ^ e it is the people who will coropelit . ' Theft * is a spirit of improvemerif ^ brb ^ acl ; Hvhicih a hiati must be blind if he do ribfc perceive : we have better l 1
laws £ t \ & Wetterministers of state than we had ; We have better roads to travel oh , atid houses tb live in : We have better books to Te * &d , and co ( leges to study at . Arid shall our breaching remain as it was ? ' Shah It be for ever cold and dull a ' nd tinimpresslve , witfi no life giving spirit ; nbr' OTeVdbWeVing ^ ersuasivyiiWs ; ? Shall it r ' emain for ' ever a standing re-
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proach to us in the eyes of the civilized world , that , while in every other important respect we are the first of na * tifrus , in this we are incomparably the last ? Forbid it ,- all that is great and generous within us ! Forbid it , the very
uaioe of that holy religion which we all pro / ess , aiKr which demands our warmest gmtitude and our best exertions * I re ~» peat it , Sir , a change will take place , and that change will proceed -from the people ; they will call upon their ministers in a voiee which is neither to be silenced nor
disregarded , to come forward Jike men with something better adapted to the spirit and to the wants of the age in which they live—with something better fitted to rouse the dormant energies of the mind , and stimulate it to virtuous action . They will call upon them to clothe their exhoi'tatioiis hi the charms
of a more inspiring eloquence , and to throw around their subject all the life aud grace and spirit' and accomplish * ment of which it is susceptible . But I will not affect to deny that , in order to bring about this change ; ' the people must be prepared to * inake some sacrifices of old habits and prejudicese If they expect their ministers to do their
work better , they must demand a smaller quantity ; they must be satisfied with fewer services , or at least with fewer sermons . As things stand at preserity our congregations require their minister to conduct two services every Sunday ^ while they themselves , or the majority of them at least , attend oulyoue ; and what is more , the service which is
conducted , is not appropriate to those who do attend : it is not heard by the rich , for they are not there ; it does not suit the poor who are there . These things must be altered ; we must abolish our afternoon services as at present conducted , and have something at that hour infinitely plainer and more applicable tb the lower orders . Onr ministers will then
be able to prepare themselves more carefully for their morning service , and will not answer every appeal which we make to their industry and exertion , by saying-, ?' Why , what can 1 do ? You know I have two sermons to preach every Sun * day . " Yes ' you have two sermons to
preach , and mighty good y 0 u do by thetai If you have either a gralti of settsre , or an atoni Of spirit within Vou , you will tell' tbin- ton ^ re ^^ tiotiin & 0 many words * thaV ' yofa 'die aa kfatbus ^ ' as tfi ' ey can toe ? for ^ bet ^ sta ^ et bY l th 1 t ^ 'but that , if theV WlHh tt > ' ^ itl tHey blist sacrifice oiie ^ rnrb ^—rtjey mu ^ tite yttu le ' ss to do , aWVou vvtll do it better- ^^ mu » t
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Miscellaneous Correspondence . 799 "
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Nov. 2, 1829, page 799, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2578/page/55/
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