and who, from a principle of unfeigned love, earnestly endeavored to lead them in the right way. And the 10 effect, in some measure, corresponded to the design. They did not amuse themselves with commending his discourses; but being moved and persuaded by what he said, entered into his views, felt his passions, and were willing for a time, at least, to comply with all his requests. 15 The charm, however, was nothing else but the power of his irresistible eloquence; in which respect, it is no easy to say, whether he was ever excelled either in an cient or modern times. He had a strong and musical voice, and a wonderful 20 command of it. His pronunciation was not only proper, but manly and graceful. Nor was he ever at a loss for the most natural and strong expressions. Yet, these in him were but lower qualities. The grand sources of his eloquence were an exceed25 ing lively imagination, which made people think they saw what he described: an action still more lively, if possible, by which, while every accent of his voice spoke to the ear, every feature of his face, every motion of his hands, and every gesture spoke to the eye. 30 go An intimate friend of the infidel Hume, asked him what he thought of Mr. Whitfield's preaching; for he had listened to the latter part of one of his sermons at Edinburgh. "He is, sir," said Mr. Hume, "the most ingenious preacher I ever heard. It is worth while to 35 twenty miles to hear him." He then repeated the following passage which he heard, towards the close of that discourse: "After a solemn pause, Mr. Whitfield thus addressed his numerous audience;- The attendant angel is just about to leave the threshold, and ascend to 40 heaven. And shall he ascend and not bear with him the news of one sinner, among all this multitude, reclaimed from the error of his ways?' To give the greater effect to this exclamation, he stamped with his foot, lifted up his hands and eyes to heaven, and with gushing tears, 45 cried aloud, Stop, Gabriel!-Stop, Gabriel!-Stop, ere you enter the sacred portals, and yet carry with you the news of one sinner converted to God.' He then, in the most simple, but energetic language, described a Saviour's dying love to sinful man; so that almost the whole 50 assembly melted into tears. This address was accom panied with such animated, yet natural action, that it surpassed any thing I ever saw or heard in any other preacher. Happy had it been for poor Hume, had he receiv55 ed what he then heard, as the word of God, and not as the word of man!" Dr. Franklin, in his memoirs, bears witness to the extraordinary effect which was produced by Mr. Whitfield's preaching in America; and relates an anecdote 60 equally characteristic of the preacher and of himself. "I happened," says the doctor, "to attend one of his sermons, in the course of which I perceived he intended to finish with a collection, and I silently resolved he should get nothing from me. I had in my pocket a 65 handful of copper money, three or four silver dollars, and five pistoles in gold. As he proceeded, I began to soften, and concluded to give the copper. Another stroke of his oratory made me ashamed of that, and determined me to give the silver; and he finished so ad70 mirably, that I emptied my pocket wholly into the collector's dish, gold and all. At this sermon there was also one of our club; who, being of my sentiments respecting the building in Georgia, and suspecting a collection might be intended, had by precaution emptied 75 his pockets before he came from home; towards the conclusion of the discourse, however, he felt a strong inclination to give, and applied to a neighbor who stood near him to lend him some money for the purpose. The request was fortunately made to perhaps the on80 y man in the company who had the firmness not to be affected by the preacher. His answer was, "at any other time, friend Hodgkinson, I would lend to thee freely; but not now, for thee seems to be out of thy right senses. EXERCISE 116. Satan's Lamentation.-MILTON. O had his pow'rful destiny ordain'd Then happy; no unbounded hope had rais'd 5 As great might have aspir'd, and me, though mean 10 Thou hadst: Whom hast thou then, or what, t'accuse, But heav'n's free love dealt equally to all? Me miserable! which way shall I fly Infinite wrath, and infinite despair? Which way I fly is hell; myself am hell; 15 And, in the lowest deep, a lower deep Still threat'ning to devour me, opens wide, This knows my punisher: therefore as far EXERCISE 117. Eloquence of Sheridan. Public curiosity was scarcely ever so strongly interested as on the day when Mr. Sheridan was to speak on the Begum charge on the impeachment of Mr. Hastings. The avenues leading to the hall were filled with persons 5 of the first distinction, many of them peeresses in full dress, who waited in the open air for upwards of an hour and a half, before the gates were opened, when the crowd pressed so eagerly forward, that many persons had nearly perished. No extract can do justice to this 10 speech; the following is a partial specimen of its power: "When we hear the description of the paroxysm, fever, and delirium, into which despair had thrown the natives, when on the banks of the polluted Ganges, panting for death, they tore more widely open the lips of their gap15 ing wounds, to accelerate their dissolution, and while their blood was issuing, presented their ghastly eyes to Heaven, breathing their last and fervent prayer, that the dry earth might not be suffered to drink their blood, but that it might rise up to the throne of God, and rouse the 20 eternal Providence to avenge the wrongs of their country; what motive, could have such influence in their bosom? what mótive!. That which nature, the common parent, plants in the bosom of man, and which, though it may be less active in the Indian than in the Englishman, 25 is still congenial with, and makes part of his being;that feeling which tells him, that man was never made to be the property of man; but that, when through pride and insolence of power, one human creature dares to tyrannize over another, it is a power usurped, and resist30 ance is a duty;-that feeling which tells him, that all. power is delegated for the good, not for the injury of the people, and that when it is converted from the original purpose, the compact is broken, and the right is to be resumed; that principle which tells him, that resistance to 35 power usurped is not merely a duty which he owes to himself and to his neighbour, but a duty which he owes to his God, in asserting and maintaining the rank which he gave him in the creation! to that common God, who, where he gives the form of man, whatever may be the 40 complexion, gives also the feelings and the rights of man, that principle, which neither the rudeness of ignorance can stifle, nor the enervation of refinement extinguish!-that principle, which makes it base for a man to suffer when he ought to act, which tending to preserve 45 to the species the original designations of Providence, spurns at the arrogant distinctions of man, and vindicates the independent quality of his race. The Majesty of Justice, in the eyes of Mr. Hastings, is a being of terrific horror-a dreadful idol, placed in 50 the gloom of graves, accessible only to cringing supplication, and which must be approached with offerings, and worshipped by sacrifice. The Majesty of Mr. Hastings is a being, whose decrees are written with blood, and whose oracles are at once secure and terrible. From 55 such an idol I turn mine eyes with horror-I turn them here to this dignified and high tribunal, where the Majesty of Justice really sits enthroned. Here I perceive the Majesty of Justice in her proper robes of truth and mercy chaste and simple-accessible and patient-aw60 ful without severity,-inquisitive, without meanness. I see her enthroned and sitting in judgement on a great and momentous cause, in which the happiness of millions is involved.-Pardon me, my lords, if I presume to say, that in the decision of this great cause, you are 65 to be envied, as well as venerated. You possess the highest distinction of the human character; for when ultimate voice on this cause, you render your illustrating the dignity of the ancestors from whom you spring-justifying the solemn asseveration which you make—vindi70 cating the people of whom you are a part—and manifesting the intelligence of the times in which you live-you will do such an act of mercy, and blessing to man, as no men but yourselves are able to grant." On the conclusion of Mr. Sheridan's speech, the whole 75 assembly, members, peers, and strangers, involuntarily joined in a tumult of applause, and adopted a mode of expressing their approbation new and irregular in that house, by loudly and repeatedly clapping their hands. A motion was immediately made and carried for an ad80 journment, that the members, who were in a state of delirious insensibility, from the talismanic influence of such powerful eloquence, might have time to collect their |