Hugh Blair was a famous Scottish minister that became vital to the Scottish Enlightenment as a teacher and influential voice in the church and secular regions. Between 1777 and 1801, Blair wrote and published five volumes of sermons highlighting Christian morality. He was considered socially conservative and disapproved of radical change. The sermons reflected those thoughts and corresponded with the intended audience of the upper class. What distinguished his sermons was his focus on morality, faithfulness to God, and a balance of emotion and reason. He experienced great success with the volumes, and they were translated into other languages with five new editions that followed. In Mansfield Park, Mary Crawford’s opinion of a clergyman would be to preach Blair’s Sermons and not his own original work. Her comment nods to the success of the volumes.

Austen, Jane, and June Sturrock. “Chapter 10.” Mansfield Park, Broadview Press, Peterborough, Ontario, 2003, p. 127.

"Hugh Blair." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Nov. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Blair. Accessed 8 Nov. 2022.