The Poems of John Byrom :: :: University of Virginia Library

No Office seems more sacred and august
Than that of Preachers who fulfil their Trust,
Working with God, and helping Men to find
The Prince of Life, the Saviour of Mankind,
Who “came Himself a Preacher from on high
Of Peace to all, the distant and the nigh.”

So said the Saint, whose preaching was the same
To Jew, to Greek,—Salvation thro' His Name,—
Who taught thro' Him to preach immortal Life,
Avoiding Questions that engender Strife;
Patient, and meek, and gentle unto all,
Instructing ev'n Opposers without Gall,
If peradventure God might give them Grace
The Truth, when kindly offer'd, to embrace.

If these Conditions Preaching may demand,
What must we think of the Discourse in Hand?
Which, when we read, is apter to suggest
A diff'rent Temper in the Preacher's Breast;
A Text perverted from its native Scope,

254

A Disappointment of all hearing Hope?
Here is a long Dispute, in his first Head,
About what Doctor Middleton had said;
That “when the Gift of Tongues was first bestow'd,
“'Twas but an instantaneous Sign that show'd
“The Gospel's chosen Minister; and then,
“That Purpose signified, it ceas'd again;
“So was its Type, the fiery Tongue, a Flash
“Of Light'ning quickly vanish'd,”—and such Trash;
To which a Minister, who knew the Press,
Ill chose the Time when preaching to digress;
To take a Text affording thro' the Whole
Such grounds of Comfort to a christian Soul,
And then neglect, to preach a poor Debate
That could but shine at pamphleteering Rate;
That from the Pulpit must disgust the Pew
Of sager Bench, and sober Students too.

You may, hereafter, if you choose it, see
How they mistook, both Middleton and he,

255

The Gift of Tongues; how little quite throughout
They knew, tho' learnèd, what they were about.
In present Lines, I shall but just relate
One Instance of the not uncommon Fate
Of learnèd Men who, in deep Points exact,
Forget sometimes the most apparent Fact.

Th' Apostles, gifted by the Holy Ghost,
Began to speak with Tongues at Pentecost;
“But did not,” so the Preacher says, “begin
To speak, before the Multitude came in.”
He urges roundly how in this Respect
“The learned Middleton did not reflect,
“That in a private Room they all were set,
“And Tongues not spoken till the People met.”

Now, if you read the Pentecostal Facts,
As you will find them written in the Acts.
From his Reflexion tho' the Point lay hid,
The Text affirms expressly that they did.

256

No Learning wanted to determine this;
'Tis what a reading Child could never miss.
This very Gift, it is exceeding clear,
Was that which brought the Multitude to hear:
“Speaking with Tongues” foregoing Words proclaim,
The next, “when this was nois'd abroad, they came.”

Scarce to be thought that, studying the Case,
With formal Purpose to explain a Place,
A Man so learnèd and acute could make,
Could preach, could publish, such a flat Mistake.
But 'tis the Fate of great and eager Wits
To trust their Memory too much by Fits.

To prove that Middleton's Dispute was wrong
Takes up the Pages, for a Sermon, long.
Soon after this you'll see another start,
To fill his First Division's Second Part.
For, having touch'd upon the Names of all
The Gifts enumerated by Saint Paul,
Then, in what Sense the Scripture was inspir'd,
Higher or lower, comes to be enquir'd.
The high he calls “organical;” the low
“Partial and true,” as he proceeds to show.

257

This is the Summary of what is said
Touching the Holy Ghost in his first Head,
As “Guide to Truth” and aiding to excite,
To clear, to give the Understanding Light.
What makes it Sermon is the Text prefixt,
Tho' scarce a Word of it is intermixt;—
Consistently enough, for it has none
Which suit the Topics that he dwells upon,—
Topics without a Dignity to grace
Text, Office, Audience, Person, Time, or Place!

But, were this all, and did not what he spake
Lead by Degrees to serious Mistake,
Taking a Text for Form's Sake, to prepare

258

The Church to hear some Shop-renown'd Affair—
Too oft the Turn of the polite Divine!—
Would hardly merit your Regard or mine.
But, Sir, it is not only misapplied,
This glorious Text, but in effect denied
Or misconceiv'd; and therefore, cutting short
At present Errors of less fatal Sort,
Let us pursue this Subject in the next,
And from the Sermon vindicate the Text.