138 EMINENT PREACHERS CHANNING S WORKS. [CHAP. X. 



of their eloquence. I had been given to understand that I 

 should find a want of warmth in their discourses, that they were 

 too cold and philosophical, and wanting in devotional feeling ; 

 but, on the contrary, there were many of them most impressive, 

 full of earnestness and zeal, as well as of original views and 

 instruction. One of the chief characteristics was the rare allu 

 sion made to the Old Testament, or to controverted points of 

 doctrine, or to the mysteries of the Christian religion, and the 

 frequency with which they dwelt 011 the moral precepts and 

 practical lessons of the Gospels, especially the preaching of 

 Christ himself. Occasional exhortations to the faithful, cheer 

 fully to endure obloquy for the sake of truth, and to pay no court 

 to popularity, an undue craving for which was, they said, the 

 bane of a democracy, convinced me how much the idea of their 

 standing in a hostile position to a large numerical majority of the 

 community was present to their minds. On some occasions, 

 however, reference was naturally made to doctrinal points, par 

 ticularly to the humanity of Christ, his kindred nature, and its 

 distinctness from that of the eternal, omnipotent, and incorporeal 

 Spirit which framed the universe ; but chiefly on occasions when 

 the orator was desirous of awakening in the hearts of his hearers 

 emotions of tenderness, pity, gratitude, and love, by dwelling on 

 the bodily sufferings of the Redeemer on the cross. More than 

 once have I seen these appeals produce so deep a sensation, as to 

 move a highly educated audience to tears ; and I came away 

 assured that they who imagine this form of Christianity to be 

 essentially cold, lifeless, and incapable of reaching the heart, or 

 of powerfully influencing the conduct of men, can never have 

 enjoyed opportunities of listening to their most gifted preachers, 

 or had a large personal intercourse with the members of the sect. 

 When I wished to purchase a copy of the writings of Chan- 

 ning arid of Dewey in Boston, I was told that I could obtain 

 more complete and cheaper editions in London than in the Unit 

 ed States ; a proof, not only how much they are read in England, 

 but that the pecuniary interests of British authors are not the 

 only ones which suffer by the want of an international copyright. 

 On inquiring of the publishers at Boston, as to the extent of the 



