Account of 
Dr Diyidale. 
“40 HISTORY of the SOCIETY. 
In entering upon this charge, he met with fome flight oppo- 
ition, owing to an opinion induftrioufly propagated, that the 
ftyle and method of his preaching were not fufficiently popu- 
lar, and that his difcourfes contained too great a proportion of 
the do@trines of morality. But this’ objection was foon obvi- 
ated, after the people of the parifh became better acquainted 
with him ; among whom he had not remained long, till he be- 
came the object of a very general regard and efteem, not only 
by the kindnefs of his difpofition and his unwearied benefi- 
cence, but from the interefting and animated method in which 
he inculcated the great truths of religion and morality in his 
fermons. Never were difcourfes better calculated to command 
the attention, and influence the conduét, than thofe which he 
preached to the crowded congregations that attended him. 
Tuovucu he had accuftomed himfelf to compofe and write 
fermons with great care, yet he feldom, efpecially in the earlier 
part of his life, ufed te carry his written difcourfes to the pul- 
pit. His ufual method of preaching was, after carefully ftudy- 
ing the fubject, to fpeak from the heads of difcourfe which he 
had marked down. Often, when he had entered upon the dif- 
cuffion of one of thofe heads, he grew fo animated, and poured 
forth fuch a copious torrent of interefting illuftration, that he 
found the time exhaufted before he had finifhed one half of 
what he had intended to fay. He was therefore obliged to de- - 
fer the remainder of the fubject to one or more fubfequent dif- 
courfes, which he continued with equal vivacity and force. 
He poffeffed a moft uncommon fertility of original thought ; 
and although his eloquence was chiefly argumentative and ra+ 
tional, yet it was fometimes pathetic; often fublime, often em- 
bellifhed with the richeft ornaments of original fancy, always 
bold and manly, and always marked with the dignity and vi- 
gour of an upright mind. Hence he was extremely fuccefsful 
in exhibiting the grandeft and moft amiable pictures of virtue, 
and in expofing the meannefs and deformity of vice in the 
I moft 
