with a system of Christian morality; and they conclude with a familiar illustration of the danger of relying on human guidance in matters of religion. After having explained the two methods of studying scripture, by the help of glosses and commentators, or by closely examining it for ourselves, the author thus exhibits the preference which the latter mode deserves in comparison of the for mer: • The man who advises such an easy method, which I acknowlege is by far the commonest, is like one who tells you, "This writing, the contents of which you are anxious to be acquainted with, you need not take the trouble to peruse yourself. It is but dimly written, and we have now only twilight. I have better eyes, and am acquainted with the character. Do but attend, and shall read it distinctly in your hearing." On the other hand, he who with me advises the other method, is like one who says, "Take this writing into your own band. I shall procure you a supply of light, and though the character is rather old, yet with some attention, in comparing one part with another, you will soon be familiarized to it, and may then read it for yourself." In a matter of little moment, and where there can be no danger of deception, it may be said, and justly said, the first method is the best, because the easiest and quickest. But suppose it is an affair of great importance to you, and that there is real danger of deception; suppose further, that your anxiety having led you to employ different readers, the consequence hath been, that each reader, to your great astonishment, discovers things in the writing, which were not discovered by the rest; nay more, that the discoveries of the different readers are contradictory to one another; would you not then be satisfied, that the only part a reasonable man could take, would be to recur to the second method mentioned ? Now this is precisely the case with the point in hand. I shall illustrate the difference between these methods by one other example, and then have done. You intend to travel into a foreign country, where you propose to transact a great deal of business with the natives. You go, I shall first suppose, without knowing any thing of the language of the country. In all the affairs you have to transact with the inhabitants, as you find yourself unable to convey to them directly your sentiments, or to apprehend theirs, in the only manner they are able to communicate them; as you daily receive let ters which you cannot read, or give a return to in a language that can be read by them, you are compelled every moment to have recourse to interpreters, a method extremely cumbersome, tedious, and dangerous at the best. You are entirely at the mercy of those interpreters; their want of knowledge, or their want of honesty, may be equally prejudicial to you. A very slight blunder of their's, arising from an imperfect acquaintance with either language, may be productive of consequences the most ruinous to your affairs. Let us now again suppose you take a different method. You make it your rst object to study the language, and are become a tolerable profiçient 4 ficient in it, before you go abroad, or at least before you enter on any important business with the natives. This though a harder task at first setting out, greatly facilitates your intercourse with the people afterwards, and gives you a certain security and independence in all your transactions with them, which it is impossible you could ever have otherwise enjoyed. You may then occasionally and safely, where any doubt ariseth, consult an interpreter; the resources in point of knowledge, which you have provided for yourself will prove a sufficient check on him, to prevent his having it in his power to deceive you in a matter of moment. I shall leave you, gentlemen, to make the application of these two suppositions at your leisure.' We pass now to the lectures on pulpit eloquence, which are not less sensible and appropriate than those on system tic theology but, having already so much extended our article, we must restrain ourselves in noticing this department of the theological Professor's province. The remarks, however, which are offered on the subject of perspicuity in pulpit discourses, are of so much importance, and are so immediately levelled at a common fault in modern sermons, that we must find room for them: Perspicuity is in a great measure a relative quality. A speech may be perspicuous to one, which to another is unintelligible. It is possible indeed to be obscure in pleading before the most learned and discerning judges, because the pleader's style may be remarkably perplexed and intricate; but without any perplexity or intricacy of style, it is even more than possible, that a man of reading and edu cation shall speak obscurely when he addresses himself in a set discourse to simple and illiterate people. There is a cause of darkness in this case, totally independent of the grammatical structure of the sentences, and the general character of the style. It is, besides, of all causes of obscurity, that which is most apt to escape the notice of a speaker, Nothing is more natural than for a man to imagine, that what is intelligible to him is so to every body, or at least that he speaks with sufficient clearness, when he uses the same language and in equal plainness, with that in which he hath studied the subject, and been accustomed to read. But however safe this rule of judging may be in the barrister and the senator, who generally address their discourses to men of similar education with themselves, and of equal or nearly equal abilities in learning, it is by no means a proper rule for the preacher, one destined to be in spiritual matters a guide to the blind, a light to them who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, and a teacher of babes. Therefore, besides the ordinary rules of perspicuity in respect of diction, which in common with every other public speaker he ought to attend to, he must advert to this in particular, that the terms and phrases he employs in his discourse be not beyond the reach of the inferior ranks of people. Otherwise his preaching is, to the bulk of his audience, but beating the air: whatever the discourse may be in itself, the speaker is to them no better than a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. It is reported of Arch. Archbishop Tillotson, that he was wont, before preaching his sermons, to read them privately to anjilliterate old woman of plain sense*, who lived in the house with him, and wherever he found he had cmployed any word or expreffion, that she did not understand, he instantly erazed it, and substituted a plainer in its place, till he brought the style down to her level. The story is much to the prelate's honour for however incompetent such judges might be, of the composition, the doctrine or the argument, they are certainly the most competent judges of what terms and phrases fall within the apprehension of the vulgar, the class to which they belong. But though such an expedient would not answer in every situation, we ought at least to supply the want of it, by making it more an object of attention than is commonly done, to discover what in point of language falls within and what without the sphere of the cominon people. Distinct prelections are given on expression; on pronunciation; on the various kinds of discourses, the explanatory, the argumentative or controversial, the demonstrative or commen datory, the pathetic and the persuasive; on lecturing or expounding; and on the choice of a subject. While the objec tion of Voltaire to the use of a text is obviated in a very satisfactory manner, the whimsical and conceited selections of passages of scripture, as subjects of discourses, are very justly reprobated; (the reader may consult p. 410 to p. 414.;) as well as the quaint mode of applying the language of scripture which is practised by some divines. The observations of Dr. C., on the structure and management of the several kinds of discourses which he specifies, prove him to be well qualified for filling a divinity-chair; and our young clergy may derive considerable benefit from studiously availing themselves of his hints and instruction. Dr. C., however, in one instance, makes a distinction between conviction and persuasion, referring the former to opinion, and the latter to practice: in which refinement he is not justified by the scriptures. See Jude xv., and Romans xiv. 5. The Professor offers a sort of apology for not delivering these lectures in the Latin language, to which purpose he was in some degree inclined, but which he abandoned on reflecting that the composition would be more troublesome and less useful than in the vernacular tongue. We applaud the good sense of his decision. He appears to have possessed the valuable qualities of engaging the attention and securing the esteem of his pupils; since his lectures are composed in an easy and familiar style, without any of the stiffness and parade of a dictatorial preceptor; while the object of the whole is to assist * Moliere is said also to have read his plays to an old woman, Rev. 14 them them in forming an accurate digest of divine truth for their own information, and to enable them with good taste and efficacy to administer it to others. ART. VII. Metrical Legends, and other Poems. By Charles Kirk. patrick Sharpe, Esq. 8vo. pp. 107. 5s. Boards. Longman and Co. WE believe that the prejudices of the public are not likely to be very strong at present in favour of Legends, Ballads, and Tales of Wonder; and the booksellers will probably say that the market is overstocked with such productions. Classical scholars cannot find words to express their contempt for them: the ladies have "supped full of horrors;" and even children are so familiarized with ghosts and devils, that they have no longer the power of raising a single hair of their heads, or of chaining them to their seats by the fire-side in a winter evening for one half hour. Nevertheless, as all poets must have their beginning, and such numbers are now ambitious enough at least to make the trial, we had much rather that the first essay should be in the region of fiction than in that of sentiment; and we think that the powers of fancy are much more likely to develope themselves in one metrical legend,' than in a dozen of odes, elegies, or sonnets. Mr. Sharpe we imagine to be a young poet, and this his first adventure in the perilous road of public reputation. If it be so, we are willing to give him encouragement to proceed; though we must frankly tell him that he is very careless and inconsiderate; that in his heedlessness he often sets rhyme and reason at defiance; and that he has made his legendary vehicle a pretence for admitting at random prosaic lines, low thoughts, and vulgar expressions. Warning him not to entangle himself too deeply in errors, for which the example of the most popu lar writers of the day unfortunately seems to afford too strong a sanction, we congratulate him on the possession of powers of imagination and description, which are well worthy of being cultivated; and which are capable of producing, in time and with due labour, the fruits of honour and profit. The first tale in this collection, The Fiend with Mantle Grey,' is the longest and the best. The story, we apprehend, is original, and with more pains might have been worked up so as to produce a very striking and horrible effect. Many of the circumstances are finely imagined; and the style, though shamefully careless and incorrect, is not deficient in spirit. The The person and accomplishments of the witch's daughter are well described on the whole, though not without marks of that idleness of writing which we so greatly condemn. Her beauty (on which the success of the hag's spells principally depended) was preserved with such care, that The Witch with spells forbad the Sun Her spotless brow or chin*, Oft at the hour of darkness dread, The Dame forsook her towers, Early her coral lips could move Too soon, alone her voice could swell Oft lurking nigh the sluggish stream Like shooting stars would glow.' Mr. S's description of the enchanted music, by which, among other allurements, the witch sought to charm an unfortunate captive knight, would be extremely good if it were not for the unmeaning vulgarity of ending it with a proverb : And still from curtain'd gallery rung Harps by immortal fingers strungThen breath'd the mellow flute; Which ceas'd a voice beyond compare This is one of the most unhappy victims to the laws of rhyme that we have ever witnessed. The three following lines are beautiful. Outwarbled |