In an age like the prefent, when all orders are, in fome degree, addicted to letters, he certainly renders great fervice to religion, and confequently to fociety, who unites taste with theology, and excites the attention of the careless and fceptical to thofe books, of which a fense of duty enjoins the perufal, by fetting their beauties in a new or a ftronger light.

And that this opinion of the peculiar beauties of Ifaiah is not fingular, if it is neceffary to appeal to any other proof than the common feelings of mankind, is evident from the judgment of a popular writer of our own, who, as he was indifputably a poet himself, will be allowed, by the moft rigid critics, to be a competent judge of poetry. Mr. Pope's Meffiah is one of the best known and most esteemed of his shorter works; but that it derived its chief merit from Ifaiah there can be no doubt, and the amiable poet felt a pleasure to acknowledge. Though fufpected to have been lefs a friend to religion than to virtue, he neglected not the opportunity which this paftoral afforded, to form a comparifon between Ifaiah and Virgil, in a few parallel paffages, fairly exhibited in a tranflation equally literal, and to exhibit the Oriental poet to great advantage. There are many parodies, imitations, and paraphrafes of this animated prophet's poetry, all which, at the fame time that they evince how difficult his excellencies are to be equalled, are proofs that he has been generally admired as a poet.

But, after all, the reader muft judge of the facred writings for himself. If he attends to what he feels, and lays afide prepoffeffion, his judgment will be favourable and juft. To remove a fingle prejudice, which can prevent the univerfal acceptance of books of univerfal concern, is to contribute greatly to the general happiness. An attempt to render the prophetic writers objects of particular attention, in an age when our most ingenious theologifts are employed in illuftrating their meaning at a lecture wifely established for that purpose, muft, at least, have the merit of being welltimed.

And furely every one who wishes to promote the defirable coalition of tafte with piety, muft accept, VOL. II.

with

with gratitude, the labours of the venerable Lowth, whofe lectures on the facred poetry of the Hebrews, and obfervations on Ifaiah, have difplayed, in biblical literature, the unexpected charms of claffic elegance.

No. CLXVIII. ON PREACHING AND SER

MON

WRITERS.

FE

EW inftitutions can contribute more to preferve civilization, and promote moral and intellectual improvement among all ranks of people, than the establishment of public lectures, in every part of the kingdom, periodically repeated after a fhort interval.

Such is the light in which are to be confidered the difcourfes appointed by the wisdom of the church, to be every where held on the recurrence of the feventh day. By thefe the meaneft and the moft illiterate are enabled to hear moral and philofophical treatifes on every thing that concerns their feveral duties, without expence, and without folicitation.

And whatever is urged by men who are ill-affected to all ecclefiaftical inftitutions, there is no doubt but that great political, as well as moral, benefit is derived to fociety from a practice thus univerfal. But it is a misfortune long ago lamented, that men are incapable of cftimating the real value of advantages, till experience has fhewn what it is to want them.

It is certainly true, that fince the acquifition of books has been facilitated by their numbers, oral inftruction is rendered lefs neceffary. But though books are eafily procured, yet, even in this age of information, there are thoufands in the lower claffes who cannot read. Befides, it is a well-known truth that the fame precepts inculcated by a living inftructo.. adorned by a proper oratory, enforced by a ferious and authoritative manner, produce a powerful effect, not to be. experienced in folitary retirement. There is likewife a fympathy communicated in a numerous audience, which attaches the mind more ftrongly to the subject.

The

The obvious utility of difcourfes from the pulpit is proved by the decifions of experience. For, notwithftanding the complaints against the levity and profane nefs of the age, churches are still frequented with apparent pleasure. And to be placed in a fituation where a good preacher prefides, is by many efteemed a very effential requifite to an agreeable retreat.

For excellent preachers this nation has been long distinguished; excellent, not fo much in the talents of an orator, as in the compofition of difcourfes. With an uncultivated voice, in an uncouth manner, accompanied with aukward attitudes, they have delivered harangues fcarcely excelled in the schools of Athens. As the French have exhibited their characteristic levity even in their boafted fermons, so the English have difplayed their natural folidity.

The fermons of the laft century are indeed too long for the attention of modern indolence, but they abound with beauty that would reward it. Jeremy Taylor poffeffed an invention profufely fertile; a warm, rich, lively imagination; a profound knowledge of authors, facred and profane, poetical, hiftorical, philofophical. He has embellished his fermons with citations from them, and has interwoven their gold into the rich tiffue of his own compofition.

Nearly at the fame time with Taylor arofe Ifaac Barrow, a mighty genius, whofe ardour was capable of accomplishing all it undertook. The tide of his eloquence flows with fmooth yet irrefiftible rapidity. He treats his fubject almost with mathematical precifion, and never leaves it till he has exhaufted it. It has been faid, that a late moft popular orator of the Houfe of Lords afferted, that he owed much of the fire of his eloquence to the ftudy of Barrow.

His editor, Tillotfon, is more popular. His merit is unquestionably great, and his fame has been extended to ve exalted heights by the praises of Addifon. He writes with fufficient judgment and perfpicuity; but there are those who venture to fuggeft, that he has been too much celebrated as a model of fine compofition. They allow him every praise as a moft excellent divine; but when they confider him as a writer, they think his

Q 2

periods

periods might have been fhorter, and his rhythm more harmonious.

Sharp has been juftly celebrated for the perfpicuity of his ftyle, and the ardent flow of unaffected piety

Of a very different character from thefe, South has obtained a great and deferved reputation. Wit was his talent, yet he often reaches fublimity. He is, however, one of thofe authors who is to be admired and not imitated. To excite a laugh from the pulpit, is to inspire the hearer with a levity of temper ill-adapted to the indulgence of devotional feelings. The taste of the age in which South flourished gave countenance to pulpit jocularity. But though it is true that the lovers of comedy have found their tafte gratified in the perufal of South's fermons, yet the man of serious judgment also will difcover many folid arguments, many judicious obfervations, and many fine expreffions, intermixed with a feries of profaic epigrams.

The fagacious Clarke pretended not to wit. He affected not the ambitious ornaments of rhetoric. He rarely reaches the fublime, or aims at the pathetic; but in a clear, manly, flowing style, he delivers thể most important doctrines, confirmed on every occafion by well-applied paffages from scripture. If he was not a fhining orator, according to the ideas of rhetoricians, he was a very agreeable as well as ufeful preacher. He was not perfectly orthodox in his opinions; a circumftance which has lowered his character among many. Certain it is, that he would have done more good in the world, had he confined his labours to practical divinity. Speculative and polemical divinity commonly diffufes fcepticifm, without contributing any thing to moral reformation.

The fermons that have been preached at Boyle's Lectures are among the best argued in the language. They have been the laboured productions of the most ingenious men. But the whole collection never did fo much good as a fingle practical difcourfe of Tillotson, Atterbury was a polite writer. His fermons probably owed fome of their fame, among his cotemporaries, who have lavishly applauded him, to his mode of delivery in the pulpit; for the Tatler fays, it was fuch as would

have been approved by a Longinus and Demofthenes. He feems to have introduced the very judicious method of addreffing the understanding in the beginning of the fermon, and the paffions at the close.

Rogers, fays his panegyrift Dr. Burton, poffeffed an eloquence, nervous, fimple, perfuafive, and beautiful. An unftudied elegance marks his ftyle. He feems to have attained to that nice judgment, which adapted the fame difcourfe to a ruftic, a city, an academical congregation. In a profeffed elogium it is indeed allowable to exaggerate; yet what Burton has advanced is confirmed by perufing the fermons of Rogers. They are perfpicuous, folid, and written with remarkable ease.

Seed has obtained a great and deferved popularity. With a rich and fportive fancy he combined a folid judgment. Unlike the generality of thofe writers who affect to be flowery, he abounds in found argument, and in juft remarks on human life. A fevere critic would condemn him for a profufion of embellishment; but I know not how it is, he had the skill to give repeated pleasure without fatiety.

;

Such are the more popular of our English fermonwriters, the models of thofe many divines, who, with very great merit, poffefs not the reputation of remarkable originality. To enumerate them all were an endless task for of no books in the English language has there been fo unceasing a fucceffion, as of fermons ; and to speak of living writers with freedom, is too often like thrufting a hand into the neft of the hornet.

Of late there have appeared publications of fermons addreffed to perfons of particular ages or defcriptions. Though fome of them exhibited a highly florid eloquence, and were received with great applaufe, yet they were too much ornamented, and, like many kinds of food, poffeffed a sweetness which delights for a moment, but foon terminates in loathing. They amufed the imagination, and fometimes touched the heart; but they left to the understanding little employment.

Sermons, which came forth with less eclat, will ftand a better chance of defcending to pofterity. Such are thofe of Sherlock, Secker, and Jortin. The happiness of mankind is concerned in the preservation of their

works,