40 HISTORr of the socizfr. 



SrSTaaL ^ N entering upon this charge, he met with fome flight opno- 



fition, owing to an opinion induftrioufly propagated, that the 

 ftvle and method of his preaching were not fufficiently popu- 

 lar, and that his difcourfes contained too great a proportion of 

 the doctrines 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 w T ere difcourfes better calculated to command 

 the attention, and influence the conduct, than thofe which he 

 preached to the crowded congregations that attended him. 



Though he had accuftomed himfelf to compofe and write 

 fermons with great care, yet he feldom, efpecially in the earlier 

 part of his life, ufed to 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 hacl 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 pofTerTed 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 



