The most important and effectual guard, Support, and ornament of Virtue's caufe. There stands the messenger of truth: there stands The legate of the skies! his theme divine, His office facred, his credentials clear. By him the violated law fpeaks out
Its thunders; and by him, in strains as sweet As angels ufe, the Gospel whispers peace. He stablishes the strong, restores the weak, Reclaims the wanderer, binds the broken heart, And, arm'd himself in panoply complete Of heavenly temper, furnishes with arms Bright as his own, and trains, by every rule Of holy discipline, to glorious war
The facramental host of God's elect!
Are all fuch teachers?-would to heaven all were! But hark-the Doctor's voice!-faft wedged be
Two empirics he ftands, and with fwoln cheeks Inspires the news, his trumpet. Keener far Than all invective is his bold harangue, While through that public organ of report He hails the clergy; and, defying shame, Announces to the world his own and theirs! He teaches those to read, whom schools difmiff'd, And colleges, untaught; fells accent, tone, And emphasis in score, and gives to prayer The adagio and andante it demands. He grinds divinity of other days
Down into modern ufe; transforms old print To zigzag manufcript, and cheats the eyes Of gallery critics by a thousand arts.
Are there who purchase of the Doctor's ware? O, name it not in Gath! it cannot be, That grave and learned Clerks fhould need fuch He doubtless is in fport, and does but droll, Affuming thus a rank unknown before- Grand caterer and drynurfe of the church! I venerate the man whose heart is warm, Whose hands are pure, whose doctrine and whose life,
Coincident, exhibit lucid proof
That he is honeft in the facred caufe.
To fuch I render more than mere respect, Whofe actions say that they respect themselves. But loose in morals, and in manners vain, In converfation frivolous, in dress Extreme, at once rapacious and profuse ; Frequent in park with lady at his fide, Ambling and prattling scandal as he goes; But rare at home, and never at his books, Or with his pen, fave when he fcrawls a card; Conftant at routs, familiar with a round Of ladyships—a ftranger to the poor; Ambitious of preferment for its gold, And well prepared, by ignorance and sloth, By infidelity and love of the world,
To make God's work a finecure; a flave To his own pleasures and his patron's pride :- From fuch apostles, O ye mitred heads, Preferve the church! and lay not careless hands On skulls that cannot teach, and will not learn. Would I describe à preacher, such as Paul, Were he on earth, would hear, approve, and own--
Paul fhould himself direct me. I would trace His master-strokes, and draw from his defign. I would express him fimple, grave, fincere; In doctrine uncorrupt; in language plain, And plain in manner; decent, folemn, chaste, And natural in gesture; much impreff'd Himself, as conscious of his awful charge, And anxious mainly that the flock he feeds May feel it too; affectionate in look, And tender in addrefs, as well becomes A meffenger of grace to guilty men.
Behold the picture!—Is it like ?—Like whom? The things that mount the roftrum with a skip, And then skip down again; pronounce a text; Cry-hem; and reading what they never wrote, Juft fifteen minutes, huddle up their work, And with a well bred whisper close the scene!
In man or woman, but far most in man,
And most of all in man that minifters And serves the altar, in my foul I loathe All affectation. 'Tis my perfect scorn; Object of my implacable disgust. What!-will a man play tricks, will he indulge A filly fond conceit of his fair form, And just proportion, fashionable mien, And pretty face, in presence of his God? Or will he feek to dazzle me with tropes, As with the diamond on his lily hand, And play his brilliant parts before my eyes, When I am hungry for the bread of life? He mocks his Maker, prostitutes and shames His noble office, and, instead of truth,
Displaying his own beauty, starves his flock! Therefore, avaunt! all attitude, and ftare, And start theatric, practised at the glass! I seek divine fimplicity in him
Who handles things divine; and all befides,
Though learn'd with labour, and though much
By curious eyes and judgements ill inform'd, To me is odious as the nafal twang
Heard at conventicle, where worthy men, Misled by custom, ftrain celeftial themes Through the preff'd nostril, spectacle-bestrid. Some, decent in demeanour while they preach, That task perform'd, relapfe into themselves; And, having spoken wifely, at the close Grow wanton, and give proof to every eye, Whoe'er was edified, themselves were not! Forth comes the pocket mirror.-First we stroke An eyebrow; next compose a straggling lock; Then with an air moft gracefully perform'd Fall back into our feat, extend an arm, And lay it at its eafe with gentle care, With handkerchief in hand depending low : The better hand more bufy gives the nose Its bergamot, or aids the indebted eye With opera glass to watch the moving scene, And recognize the flow-retiring fair.— Now this is fulfome; and offends me more Than in a churchman flovenly neglect And ruftic coarseness would. A heavenly mind May be indifferent to her house of clay, And flight the hovel as beneath her care;
But how a body fo fantastic, trim,
And quaint in its deportment and attire, Can lodge a heavenly mind-demands a doubt. He that negotiates between God and man, As God's ambaffador, the grand concerns Of judgement and of mercy, fhould beware Of lightness in his fpeech. 'Tis pitiful To court a grin, when you should woo a foul; To break a jest, when pity would inspire Pathetic exhortation; and to address
The skittish fancy with facetious tales,
When fent with God's commiffion to the heart!
So did not Paul.
Or merry turn in
And I confent you
Direct me to a quip all he ever wrote,
take it for your text,
Your only one, till fides and benches fail.
No: he was ferious in a serious caufe, And understood too well the weighty terms That he had ta'en in charge. He would not stoop Το conquer thofe by jocular exploits
Whom truth and soberness affail'd in vain.
Oh Popular Applaufe! what heart of man Is proof against thy sweet seducing charms? The wifeft and the best feel urgent need Of all their caution in thy gentleft gales; But fwell'd into a guft-who then, alas! With all his canvass fet, and inexpert,
And therefore heedlefs, can withstand thy power? Praise from the rivel'd lips of toothless bald Decrepitude, and in the looks of lean And craving Poverty, and in the bow Refpectful of the fmutch'd artificer,
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