The legate of the fkies. His theme divine,
His office facred, his credentials clear.
By him the violated law speaks out
Its thunders, and by him, in ftrains as fweet
As angels use, the gospel whispers peace.
Heftablishes the strong, restores the weak,
Reclaims the wand'rer, binds the broken heart,
And arm'd himself in panoply complete
Of heav'nly temper, furnishes with arms
Bright as his own, and trains by ev'ry rule
Of holy difcipline, to glorious war,
The facramental hoft of God's elect.
Are all fuch teachers? would to heav'n all were !
But hark the Doctor's voice-faft wedg'd be
Two empirics he ftands, and with fwoln cheeks
Infpires 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 difmifs'd,
And colleges untaught; fells accent, tone,
And emphafis in fcore, and gives to pray'r
Th' adagio and andante it demands.
He grinds divinity of other days
Down into modern use; transforms old print
To zig-zag manuscript, and cheats the eyes
Of gall❜ry critics by a thousand arts.—
Are there who purchase of the Doctor's ware?
Oh 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 dry-nurse of the church.
I venerate the man, whofe heart is warm, Whofe hands are pure, whofe doctrine and whofe life
Coincident, exhibit lucid proof
That he is honeft in the facred cause.
To fuch I render more than mere refpect,
Whose actions say that they respect themselves.
But loose in morals, and in manners vain,
In conversation frivolous, in dress
Extreme, at once rapacious and profufe,
Frequent in park, with lady at his fide,
Ambling and prattling fcandal as he goes,
But rare at home, and never at his books,
Or with his pen, fave when he fcrawls a card;
Conftant
Conftant at routs, familiar with a round
Of ladyships, a stranger to the poor;
Ambitious of preferment for its gold,
And well prepar❜d by ignorance and sloth,
By infidelity and love of world,
To make God's work a finecure; a flave
To his own pleasures and his patron's pride.-
From fuch apostles, oh, ye mitred heads,
Preferve the church! and lay not careless hands
On fculls that cannot teach, and will not learn.
Would I defcribe a preacher, fuch as Paul, Were he on earth, would hear, approve, and
Paul fhould himself dire& me. I would trace
His mafter-ftrokes, and draw from his defign.
I would exprefs him fimple, grave, fincere ;
In doârine uncorrupt; in language plain;
And plain in manner. Decent, folemn, chaste,
And natural in gesture. Much impress'd
Himself, as confcious of his awful charge,
And anxious mainly that the flock he feeds
May feel it too. Affectionate in look,
And tender in address, 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,
Just 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 ministers
And ferves the altar, in my foul I loath
All affectation. "Tis my perfe& fearn ;
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 prefence of his God?
Or will he feek to dazzle me with tropes,
As with the di'mond 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,
Difplaying his own beauty, ftarves his flock.
Therefore, avaunt! all attitude and stare,
And start theatric, practifed at the glass.
I feek divine fimplicity in him
Who handles things divine; and all beside,
Though learn'd with labor, and though much
By curious eyes and judgments 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 preft noftril, spectacle-bestrid.
Some, decent in demeanor while they preach,
That task perform'd, relapse into themselves,
And having spoken wifely at the close
Grow wanton, and give proof to ev'ry eye-
Whoe'er was edified, themselves were not.
Forth comes the pocket mirror. First we stroke
An eye-brow; next, compose a straggling lock;
Then with an air, most 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 busy, gives the nose
Its bergamot, or aids th' indebted eye
With op'ra glafs to watch the moving scene,
And recognize the flow-retiring fair.
Now this is fulfome; and offends me more
Than in a churchman flovenly negle&
And ruftic coarseness would. An heav'nly mind
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