think lowlier of himself; at all events his Charity would run over, and benefit his Neighbour, in the Stead of enrolling him with the Reprobate." Damnatory Preaching, likewise, was not in Accordance with his Views of Mercy and Loving-kindness. No doubt, the Terrors of the Lord must be, and fhould be, preached,but not always, for the Cords of a Man are LOVE, and God in Chrift reconciling the World unto Himself, is Love, and the Holy Spirit of See CALVIN at Doctrine of Detrees, and ADAM Sermon on 1 Tim. the clofe of his LITTLETON'S ii. 4. Part ii. p. 10. Grace is a LoVING SPIRIT! And it was because he thus thought, that he called those who preached of Judgment without Judgment "Mouth Granadoes,"-an Expreffion I have fince heard, of SOUTH's, who fays on this Head, "While fuch Perfons are thus bufied in preach- Vol. iv. p. 242. ing of Judgment, it is much to be wished that they would do it with Judgment too, and not preach Hell and Damnation to Hearers fo, as if they were pleased with what they preached !" Vol. ii. p. 532. It so happened that once on his Return from Church, through an outlying Portion of the Parish to which his Attention had been called, he found one of these "Drum-ecclefiaftics" haranguing fome Manufacturers who had recently settled there, and were never known to come to Church, but much given to Poaching. Sermon 1xxx. It was no little Surprise to them to find THE OLD SQUIRE on the Ground,-certainly a very great one when he told the Preacher to come down, and himself took his Place and addreffed them on the Evils of Schifm, and exhorted them henceforth to attend in their proper Places, where the Vicar would teach them found Doctrine as a duly ordained Minister of the Gospel. His Lips, he faid, were bound to retain Knowledge, whereas their Preachers, for the most part, only led them aftray in their Ignorance, coupled with overweening Prefumption. And he concluded by saying, almost as Dr. Donne would have done, that " God hath put nothing else into His Church's Hands to fave Men by, but Chrift delivered in his Scripture, applied in the Preaching of the Gospel, and sealed in the Sacraments." For many Years after this it was noted that Diffent was at a Discount. But, though THE LAST OF THE OLD SQUIRES thoroughly disliked Diffent, and fet his Face against all Separatifts, he was, as before hinted, alive to the great Negligence of the Clergy in many Districts, and admitted that the Divifions that rent the Land were, in a great Measure, attributable to their want of Zeal and Earneftness. And when many around him would have taken severe Measures, under the Impreffion that all Diffent was Democracy in Disguise, (an Opinion in which he very much agreed,) he was always opposed to their View, and counfelled Moderation. And the wife Opinion of LORD BACON in his Effay on " Viciffitude of Things" may be noted here." If a new Sect have not two Properties, fear it not, for it will not spread: the one is the Supplanting or the Opposing of Authority established, for nothing is more popular than that; the other is the giving License to Pleasures, and a voluptuous Life. Surely there is no better Way to stop the Rifing of new Sets and Schifms than to reform Abufes; to compound the smaller Differences; to proceed mildly, and not with fanguinary Perfecutions; and rather to take off the principal Authors, by winning and advancing them, than to enrage them by Violence and Bitternefs." O fi fic omnia! my LORD OF VERULAM! ABP. ABBOT'S Sermons on Jonah, p. 52.4to. 1613. WEBSTER. The CHAPTER IX. Certain Anecdotes concerning Diffenting Teachers who came under The Laft of the Old Squires' Notice. "Some Drams and Grains of Gold appear in him and his Action; but Drofs is there by Pounds. Little Wine, but Store of Water; fome Wheat, but Chaff enough." B OUT how ftands MENDOZA? how is it with him?" afks CELSO. "Faith," replies MALEVOLE, " like a Pair of Snuffers, fnibs Filth in other Men, and retains it in himself." And fo it was pretty much with the Diffenting Teachers that came under THE LAST OF THE OLD SQUIRES' Notice. His own Neighbourhood, as before hinted at, was well looked after, and there was wanted there no better Teaching than that of his Time-honoured Vicar. Poffibly, probably even, fome Hedge-preachers who made their Rounds of the District, were earnest, if ignorant and mif guided Men;--but the most were mere Pilferers of the Poor, and ftuffed their Ears with Fuftian, if not Profanenefs. Their wild Declamation reminded him of the Fable of the Apes, which efpying a Glow-worm on a Win- JACKSON'S ter's Night, gathered Sticks, and blowed themfelves breathless to make them burn. There was an arch and humorous Way with the good old Man when he recorded Inftances of the low Vulgarity of fome Preachers, who, some twenty or thirty Years ago enlightened the Neighbourhood, and who were designated by the no very complimentary Sobriquets of "Prefbyterian Scoundrels," and "Puritanical Rafcals." It was in one of the Midland Counties, where Roman Catholics ftill retained the name of "SHAVER" and "SHAVELING" from the Tonfure of their Order, and where "It is all O.P." was yet a Phrase not quite obfolete—implying, as is well known, the several Parties of Orthodox and Puritan, but now corrupted into the fimpler Saw," It's all U P-up." Amongst other Anecdotes he used to tell how one DICK WHINLEY was won over to join the Diffenting Intereft, and out of odd Man,' that is to say, Vagabond and Poacher, to become a Preacher. This faid Dick was well Works, i. 1023. |