"At the fight of an auditory fo new to me, it feems, my brethren, I fhould only open my mouth to folicit favour in the behalf of a poor Miffionary, deftitute of all the talents which you require in those who speak to you concerning your fal vation. Neverthelefs I feel to-day a fentiment widely different; and if I appear depreffed, do not fuppofe that I abase myself to the wretched inquietudes of vanity, as though I were accuftomed to preach myfelf. God forbid! that a minifter of heaven fhould ever think he needed an apology before you, for whofoever you are, you are all no other than finners like myfelf. It is before your God and mine, that I feel myself this moment conftrained to fmite upon my breast.

"Till the prefent, I have published the laws of the Most High in temples covered with ftraw; I have preached the rigors of penitence to the unfortunate who were deftitute of bread; I have announced the moft terrifying truths of my religion to the good inhabitants of the Country. Unhappy man! What haye I done? I have faddened the poor, the best friends of my God! I have carried confternation and grief into thofe fimple and faithful fouls, which I fhould rather have pitied and com forted. Here my looks fall on the great and on the rich, on the oppreffors of fuffering humanity, or on finners audacious and obdurate. Ah! it is here only that I fhould cause the Sacred word to refound with all its ftrength and thunder, and place with me in this pulpit, on the one fide death which threatens you, and on the other, my great God who is about to judge you.

Tremble

"I hold to-day your fentence in my hand. then before me, ye proud and difdainful men who hear me: the neceffity of falvation, the certainty of death, the uncertainty of that hour fo terrible to you, final impenitence, the last judgment, the fmall number of the elect, hell, and above all Eternity! Eternity! These are the subjects with which I am about to entertain you, and which, doubtlefs, I ought to referve for you alone. Ah! what need have I of

your

your fuffrages, which might probably condemn me without faving you? God is now going to affect you, whilst his unworthy Minifter shall speak to you, for I have acquired a long experience of his mercies. Penetrated then with horror for your paft iniquities, you fhall come and caft yourselves into my arms, pouring out tears of penetential compunction, and by the power of remorfe you will find me to be eloquent enough." Who does not at the fift view perceive that this eloquence is far fuperior to the cold pitiful pretenfions of modern genius? In apologizing (so to speak) for his having preached on hell in the villages, Bridaine affumed in an extenfive manner all the authority which belonged to his Ministry over his auditory, and thereby prepared their hearts for the terrible truths which he proposed to declare. This Exordium alone gave him the pri vilege of faying every thing. Many perfons fill remember fomething of his difcourfe on eternity, and the terror which he fpread throughout the affembly, while uniting (according to his cuftom) odd comparisons to fublime transports, he cried, "Alas, my brethren! on what do you establish your belief that your laft day is fo diftant? Is it on your youth? Yes, you answer,* I have but twenty years, but thirty,-Alas! it is not you who have twenty or thirty years, but it is death who has already twenty years, thirty years in advance upon you. Take heed to it, Eternity approaches! Do you know what Eternity is? It is a clock, the pendulum of which inceffantly fays, ALWAYS, EVER, EVER, ALWAYS, ALWAYS! During these revolutions a damned foul cries out, "What o'clock is it ?" And the fame voice anfwers him, "ETERNITY!"

The thundering voice of Bridaine added on these occafions a new energy to his eloquence; and the auditory familiarized with his language and ideas, appeared then in confternation before him. The profound filence which reigned in the affembly was from time to time interrupted in a very fenfible

*The French Idiom, for "I am twenty or thirty years of age."

manner, by the long and mournfu! fighs, which proceeded at once from all the extremities of the Church where he preached.

Orators, who think of nothing but your own glory, fall down at the feet of this apoftolic man, and learn from a Miffionary what true eloquence is! The people! The people! Thefe are the first, and perhaps the only judges of your talents. The fuccefs of this popular Preacher is infallible, when the Preacher has a voice ftrong enough to fupport its vehemence, and a tafte delicate enough to fhun its excess. How great is the error, which banishes from the Evangelical Ministry all thefe terrifying fubjects, which warm the imagination of the Preacher, and bring trouble into the confciences of the hearers ? Vid. "L'Eloquence de la Chaire," page 44.

XXXX

An EXTRACT from an ACCOUNT of the PELEW ISLANDS, in the PACIFIC OCEAN.

By CAPTAIN HENRY WILSON.

[Continued from page 543.]

CTOBER 7. About eleven o'clock in the forenoon all the warriors returned to Oroolong, perfectly well, in high fpirits, and greatly pleased with the treatment they had received from their Pelew friends.-Raa Kook accompanied them, with four canoes, bringing fome yams, and two jars of moloffes. With refpect to the third expedition, I fhall deliver the particulars of it as I my felf received them from Mr. Wilfon.

"The outfet of this bufinefs was nearly the fame as in the fecond expedition, though the number of canoes far exceeded.

When we got to Artingall no canoes were seen, though the ufual previous notice had been sent of our coming.The Pelew people being unable to provoke the appearance of the enemy, landed, and went a little way up from the fea

fhore

hore. Raa Kook now took the command, and condu&ed the troops; the King remaining in his canoe, and occafionally difpatching the Frigate cances with orders to him and Arra Kooker-We were entreated not to land; however, perceiving the enemy were beginning to defend themselves, we jumped on fhore to affift our friends, and befieged fome houles poffeffed by the enemy.The fwivel, which had been fixed in a canoe which the natives had prepared for the purpose, played conftantly on the houses which were filled with people; our mufquetry covering the Pelew people, foon difludged the enemy, and one of the houfes was by fome accident prefently

in flames.

"We were often greatly annoyed by the enemy, who rushed down on us with a fhower of spears; in return, whenever we perceived them coming, a brifk fire was kept up, which not only difperfed them immediately, but in all probability must have killed a confiderable number of them.Arra Kooker, who had gone further than any other in purfuit of the enemy, ascending a hill in fight of the canoes, and obferving one of the Artingall people coming down, flept unnoticed amongst fome bushes to let him pafs, and then purfuing him down the declivity, ftunned him with a blow from his wooden fword, and was dragging him a prifoner to his canoe, when Thomas Wilfon, feeing feveral of the enemy ruthing down on Arra Kooker, and that he muft inevitably have been killed, ran immediately to his affifiance, and levelled his piece at the Artingall people, which they perceiving, inftantly betook themfelves to flight. This was a circumftance the more fortunate, as Thomas Wilfon had expended his whole ftock of ammunition in covering the landing, and had actually at the time no charge in his mufquet.

"The natives of Artingall behaved with much courage in this engagement; they defended the houfe that took fire to the laft, nor quitted it till it was ready to fall. Pelew people alfo on this occafion diftinguished

One of the himself in a

very

very extraordinary manner; he ran to the house while it was in flames, tore off a burning brand, and carrying it to another houfe, where many of the enemy had taken fhelter, fet it on fire, and (the materials of their buildings being very combuflible) it was quickly burnt down. The man, after accomplishing this bold atchievment, had the good fortune to return to his companions unhurt; the King publickly rewarded him for his courage, by immediately placing with his own hands a ftring of beads in his ear, and making him afterwards an inferior Rupack on his return to Pelew.

"In this action five canoes were deftroyed, which the enemy had hauled on fhore, and alfo their wharf or causeway, which was much longer and broader than that at Pelew. Befide doing much other damage to the enemy, they brought away the ftone on which the King of Artingall fits when in council. This afforded occafion for great rejoicings when they got back, although thefe were not fo truly felt as after the fecond battle, the triumph of the day being overclouded by the death of Raa Kook's fun, and another youth of note, both killed in this engagement, as alio from having thirty or forty of their people wounded, feveral of whom died in confequence thereof, in a few days after their return to Pelew."

October 12. In confequence of Captain Wilson having reque fled to return to Oroolong, the conch-fhell was founded at day-light, and the canoes got in readinefs for departure. At eight o'clock they all went to the house where they first landed, and here, before they embarked, Raa Kook expreffed a wifh to fire a mufquet; but having no idea of the fhock it would occafion, and holding it loofe, it ftruck his fhoulder with fuch force as threw him backwards, and it fell from his hands. He expreffed much furprize that the English could do this with fo much eafe, and that he was neither able to ftand or bold it when fired. They now went on board, and fell down the creek, it being near high-water. After they had got to the outlet of the creek, one of the Rupacks, who was going

to